Chapter 15
“Layla? Is that you?” I hear Luke call as we walk through the door.
“Yes. It’s us. We’re back,” I reply.
“Great! Will, Wes has some things he could use your help with in the garage. Do you mind?” Luke asks.
“Of course not,” Will kisses me quickly then makes his way to meet Wes.
“Layla, I need to talk with you.” Luke’s face and tone are serious. It always worries me when Luke is this serious. I’ve learned not to let my imagination run wild on scenarios since the number of them is countless. I simply follow him into the office in their bedroom and take a seat.
“What’s up, Dad?” I ask.
“There have been some new developments with the witnesses we’re planning on calling,” he says.
“What kind of developments?” I ask, tilting my head in query. “And why are you telling me? Wouldn’t it be better if Will were a part of this conversation, too?” I remember how left out I felt when Luke and Will were having private conversations after Holly shot Will’s father. I’d better make sure I at least vocalize the fairness in Will needing to be here.
“Well, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. What I’m going to tell you…I think you should be the one to tell Will,” Luke tells me.
“Oh…well…ok then. What’s going on?” I’m beyond curious. What could possibly be happening that Luke thinks I’m the best person to tell Will?
“We’ve discovered something that is going to, well, it’s going to change everything Will knows about his life,” Luke says solemnly.
“That’s a pretty bold statement, Dad. Will has been through quite a bit. What could possibly be so huge that it’s going to alter his life so much?” Before the words have left my mouth Luke is sliding a file folder across his desk to me.
“Open it,” he commands.
I’m confident that I won’t understand what I’m reading, but appreciate Luke’s confidence that I will. There are several forms in the file. All of them are titled Witness Information Form. I read the first form and see that it contains Loretta’s name and pertinent information: address, date of birth, marriages, as well as a place for the names of any children that might be related to the victim, as in Gregory Meyer. Erin’s name is listed and it all seems pretty standard procedure, for all I know about the law. I flip to the next page and see another woman’s name, Victoria Meadows, and it becomes clear that this is the file of the ex-wives that will be giving testimony on Holly’s behalf. I scan her form and my heart stops.
Child(ren): Michael Aaron Meadows.
“Oh my gosh.” I cover my mouth with my hand for fear that I may say something too loudly.
“Keep going,” Luke instructs.
No. No, it can’t be. Yes, it can, and it is. As I pass through each page the names are there…on every single page.
Cheryl Brinkley- Child(ren): Sarah Brinkley Moore
Marlene Harris- Child(ren): Marcus Andrew Reynolds
Eliana Hufford- Child(ren): William Gregory Meyer
I look at the dates of their marriages to Gregory Meyer and the dates their children were born. I see the pattern immediately and am disgusted. Each child was born either the year they divorced or the year after, which means he divorced them while they were pregnant.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I whisper.
“To be honest…neither do I.” Luke moves from behind his desk to the chair next to mine, scooting it closer to me. “When we stumbled across Loretta and she told me their story, I felt like I could explain that to Will and Eliana with some ease as it was almost 40 years ago and gave us some insight as to why Greg was the way he was. And we had already dealt with the Marcus situation. But this…I just don’t have a clue how to tell Will that he actually had four siblings.” Luke rubs his hand across his forehead attempting to relieve the stress of the situation we now find ourselves in.
“Did Meyer know they were pregnant? I mean, we know Loretta and Erin’s story, and we know what Holly told us about Marcus but…what about Victoria and Cheryl? Did he know about them? Was he supporting all of them? Did he instruct any of them to have abortions like he did with Marlene?”
My mind is racing. I can’t believe that Gregory Meyer fathered five children, disregarding all of them but Will. I don’t know how to tell Will. Luke is right: this is going to change his life. He has done so well moving past feelings of guilt since finding out about Erin. Now to hear there are two more siblings, a brother and another sister, who were tossed aside? Understanding Erin’s story is one thing. It’s the story of the moment the switch got flipped with Meyer. But…what about the others? I just can’t wrap my brain around it.
I don’t know how I’ll tell him, but I know the only place I can tell him is on the dock.
“I don’t know if Eliana knows about the children, but the other ex-wives do. Marlene tried to rally the troops at one point, but I don’t think she was able to get close enough to Eliana. Cheryl…she’s the tricky one,” Luke says, shaking his head.
“What do you mean she’s the tricky one?”
“Cheryl doesn’t want to testify,” he says.
“Do we need her? We’ve got the others, right?” I say.
“I suppose not, but from everything we’ve gathered, hers is one of the most compelling testimonies about Greg’s abuse. As Holly’s lawyer, I feel it would be most helpful for her case. As the soon-to-be father-in-law of the guy she’s trying screw over, I’m thinking we can pass on it. She’d only be coming to speak on Holly’s behalf. It’s not like she’s a material witness to Holly’s case.” Luke smirks and for a moment I feel ok.
The moment passes quickly, though, as I’m brought back to the reality that I am still being charged with telling my fiancé that, not only does he have a sister he never knew about, he actually has two sisters and another brother. By the time all is said and done, he’ll have gone from thinking he was an only child, to discovering that he has two sisters and two brothers.
“What about Eliana?” I can’t imagine how Eliana is going to feel. Will carried such guilt for being the kid Meyer kept. I wonder if Eliana feels any of the same guilt for being the wife that didn’t get kicked to the curb.
“Wes is going to tell her,” Luke says.
I sigh a heavy I-don’t-know-what-to-do sigh. “I’m going to take a shower. I do my best thinking in the steam. If Will comes in from the garage before I’m out can you distract him from coming upstairs? I may need a few minutes to collect myself before I dive into trying to explain all of this. I’m going to need this folder, too. There’s no way I’m going to remember all the names and dates.”
“You got it. Thank you, Layla. I would tell him, but, you know…I just think he’ll process it better with you,” Luke says to me with a hug.
I move quickly out of the room and up the stairs in case Will is coming in. I can’t have him catching me now. He’ll know something is up and I won’t be able to hide it from him, and then it’ll come out all wrong. I have to think of the best angle to approach this. I don’t know what that is yet, but I’m going to let the steam speak to me for as long as I can.
As the water rushes over me I consider the different conversations Will and I have had about family. I recall early talks about what it was like and how we felt about being only children. Memories of Will’s pain for having been kept from knowing about Marcus all those years, brings tears to my eyes. That makes me think about Penny and how I wish I had at least known about her before she died. That at least knowing would have helped me to not feel so alone in our family.
I get dressed and brush my hair from the messy mop I put it in before the shower. I braid it and let the rope of hair rest over my shoulder before I move quietly into the loft. I don’t know where Will is, just that he isn’t up here as Luke promised he’d make sure of.
I search the house and find Will with Wes and Luke in the office. I don’t hear what they’re talking about, but for the first t
ime in a while it actually sounds like casual, non-legal, conversation. They sound like a bunch of guys just shooting the breeze.
“Hey, men!” I say cheerfully as I enter the room. “Mind if I steal my favorite guy away for a bit?”
“Ok, but I really can’t be gone long,” Wes says moving toward the door laughing.
“Very funny, Uncle Wes! I’m going to take my fiancé with me and let you and Dad duke it out for who takes second and third place.” I kiss Wes on the cheek, and take Will’s hand. I decide not to take the file folder as it would be too obvious that I had something serious to talk with him about.
“Take a walk with me?” I ask when we’re halfway down the hall.
“I’d go anywhere with you, babe,” he says, kissing my hand.
We walk out the back door and begin the path to the dock. He asks how I’m coming along with unpacking and if the strangeness of being back is wearing off. I tell him that the only strange thing about being home is the freedom we now have. I had worried about the media hounding us, but since Will is Mr. Congeniality with them, I don’t worry about them at all. We talk about braving it and going to the next Concert on the Green and both agree that we should tell the event coordinators that we plan on going. We don’t want to take anything away from whoever is performing, but it’s time for us to reconnect with our community.
“Have you thought any more about Luke’s invitation for us to live with them after we’re married?” I ask as we sit at the edge of the dock.
“I have. You?” he replies.
“Yes. It’s weird to be torn on the issue. On the one hand, who wants to live with their parents after they get married? I mean there will be lots of married stuff going on.” I blush and smile coyly at Will and he raises his eyebrows and smiles at me. “But, on the other hand…I still feel like a baby in this new family of mine. I just got Luke and Claire three years ago. After not having any family for so long, I have to admit, it’s hard to want to leave.”
“I understand. I…have…an idea though. I’m not sure how you’re going to respond to it, but if you don’t like it at all, we can ditch it and come up with a new one, ok?” I nod and feel my face squish together in confusion. “How would you feel about us moving into my old house?”
“The big, stately, White House replica?” I ask a little shocked.
“Yeah,” he says slowly.
“I don’t know, Will. It seems like it would be weird to move into the master bedroom your parents shared, don’t you think?” I’m creeped out at just the thought.
“That’s just it. We wouldn’t have to. There are five suites in the house. We can choose any of them. We can remodel the whole place, and even turn their old room into something other than a bedroom if you want,” he says. He’s nervously excited about this. He must have a slew of plans and ideas to revamp the house to look nothing like Gregory Meyer. “The real bonus would be that we’d be super close to Luke and Claire.”
“Can I think about it? I’m not saying no. I just need some time to consider it. And…maybe it would help if we walked through the house and talked about the changes we would make?”
“That sounds fair,” he says smiling.
“So,” I begin. I need to start this conversation about all the exes and their children before we run out of time. Wes may have already told Eliana and I know Will’s going to need to process some of this with her. “I was thinking about something you said.”
“What’s that?” he asks, stroking the inside of my arm sweetly as we let our legs dangle from the dock.
“Do you really wish you had gotten to know Marcus?” I ask softly.
“Yeah...well, the Marcus that you knew. Not the Marcus that got twisted by his mom and our dad,” he says.
“You really think you wouldn’t have felt so alone? It’s not like you would have been raised in the same house, or even in some co-parented manner,” I say, trying to fully understand where he’s coming from.
“Maybe not, but I can’t help but feel like just knowing him in a brotherly capacity, that the simple biological connection, would have counted for something. I’ve thought a lot about that. It’s why I’m actually looking forward to meeting Erin now.”
This is when I tell him.
I tell him about Victoria and Cheryl. I tell him about Michael and Sarah. I give him as many details as I can remember about who knows what about whom. I also tell him about the pattern of the children being born the same or following year as his father divorced their mothers. I explain to Will that he actually has four siblings. Including Marcus, he has two brothers and two sisters.
I do my best to explain how Cheryl doesn’t want to testify. I also tell him that not only does Erin want to meet him, but that everything indicates Michael does, too.
Will is quiet as he processes what I’m telling him. A few tears escape his eyes, but other than that he shows little emotion. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling. To have been so desperate for so long to not be all by himself and now to find out that his desperation and grief could have been healed by knowing he wasn’t alone after all. It must be devastating.
“Will?” I prompt.
Will says nothing, only starting to shake his head.
“Baby?” I begin to rub Will’s back in an attempt to comfort him.
“It’s not fair,” he whispers. “It’s just not fair.”
The tears begin to fall in huge drops for both of us. Will, for the pain his father caused him by keeping him from his siblings and for me, the pain of watching Will grieve. It’s a devastating feeling to watch the person you love most in the world wrench with pain and not be able to fix it.
Chapter 16
After an hour of alternating between tears and rage, Will is starting to ask questions. Many of them I know the answers to since they’re just a recap of what I’ve already told him. He wants to know names and ages, but as he begins to ask deeper questions for which I don’t have the answers I suggest we see Luke. Some of the answers Will is looking for may be found in the file Luke showed me earlier. I didn’t read everything on each form so I’m hoping that we’ll find the answers there.
We find Luke and Wes in the office and Will immediate checks on his mother through a question to Wes.
“Did you tell my mother?” he asks Wes.
“Yes, but…” Wes begins, knowing that Will is asking if his mother knew about the other children…Will’s siblings.
“But what?” Will’s face is hard. When it comes to his mom he’s even more protective of her than he is of me. It’s been difficult for him to let go and let Wes take care of her.
“Well…Luke and I didn’t know this, but…she already knew.” Wes’ delivery is straightforward, the only appropriate approach for this scenario.
“What?” Will doesn’t wait for a response. He moves from the bedroom and immediately starts calling for his mother. His face is actually turning red and I know that he’s more hurt by her secrecy than his father’s. I immediately follow him, feeling like Luke and Wes are on my heels, almost tripping on me, since I’m having trouble keeping up with my short legs.
“William? What it is? Are you ok?” Eliana rushes from the kitchen into the Great Room.
“No, I’m not ok,” he says sternly. I’ve never heard him use this tone with her. “You knew! You knew and you never told me!” Eliana looks at Wes and he gives her a tight-lipped nod.
“Oh, William, it’s not what you think,” she says in defense.
“Really? Because what I think is that you knew I had brothers and sisters and you never told me. What I think is that you faked your way through our whole conversation about Loretta and Erin, acting like it was all news to you,” Will shouts.
“C’mon, Will, settle down. Let’s just calm down and talk about this,” Wes tells him.
“Back off, Wes! This doesn’t concern you.” Will’s tone and volume are just as aggressive with Wes and now I know just how angry Will is. “How could you do that to me? All the times I
cried to you, telling you how much I wished I had a brother or a sister. How could you not tell me? All those years you told me I didn’t have any siblings because I was special. Lies!”
“You were special. You are special!” she pleads with him. I’ve never seen Eliana look this pained. Even when she watched her husband get shot, or when he died. “By the time I had you I knew I was going to spend the better part of my life walking on egg shells with your father, fearful that he would take you away from me.” She pauses, collecting her thoughts. Wes comes to her side, draping a comforting arm around her. “Marlene came to see me one day when you were almost two. I think Marcus would have been close to four then. I knew who she was, remembering when she and Gregory came to my family’s store in Hickory. She told me about how she couldn’t go through with the abortion Gregory told her to have, and that he had been supporting her since Marcus’ birth.
“She came to tell me how unfair her life was…how hard Gregory had been on her, leaving her with so little compared to what he could have afforded. And then she told me about his other ex-wives and their children. How cruel he had been to them, especially Cheryl, leaving all of them to take care of themselves. She came there to warn me that if I wasn’t careful, I’d be out next. The thing was, when she left, all I felt was envy. I envied those women. They thought they were kicked aside like garbage, but I knew they had really been set free. Life with Gregory was a prison sentence. I had any material thing I wanted, but I didn’t have freedom. I couldn’t come and go as I pleased. I couldn’t dress as I wanted. I couldn’t eat the food I liked. I couldn’t even watch television or see the movies I wanted. I lived for the times your father was out of town for even just a day or two just so I could go to a movie! I couldn’t even be the mother to my son I wanted to be.” Eliana is trying her best to explain, but Will is so distraught over finding out that his mother knew everything all along that I’m not sure if what she’s telling him is really sinking in.
“You knew how alone I felt. You knew how badly I wanted a brother or a sister,” Will pleads softly.
Safe Harbor (The Lake Trilogy, Book 3) Page 13