A Place Beyond: Book 3 (The Danaan Trilogy)

by Laura Howard

  “I’ll take a walk over now. I could ask Ethan for help carrying some furniture. They likely won’t think anything of it, since the Irish don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.”

  I smiled, thinking. “Gram will probably force you to make up a plate.”

  Liam’s eyes sparkled as he walked toward the front door. “Can’t say I’d mind that.”

  After he left, I dropped into one of the chairs at the dining room table. “I can’t believe Gram’s having a big Thanksgiving at our house this year.”

  Ethan sat beside me, raising one brow. “Why not?”

  I shrugged, looking out the window. “I just thought with Pop gone she wouldn’t be up for it.”

  “I can almost hear my mother and your aunt talking her into it,” he said with a laugh. He pursed his lips and waved his hands dramatically as he mimicked his mother’s voice, “You can just relax and we’ll take care of everything, Jane.”

  I laughed. A lot. “I can totally hear the whole conversation.”

  “I just hope there are plenty of leftovers. Missing Thanksgiving dinner bites.”

  “Well, if you get that condo, we could always make our own turkey dinner,” I said, offhand.

  Ethan’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “You’d cook me a turkey dinner?”

  I shoved his shoulder lightly. “I said we’d make a turkey dinner.”

  Ethan’s mouth stretched in a wide grin. “I like the sound of that.”

  I smirked. “What are you, some kind of caveman?”

  “What? No girls have ever cooked for me.” He sighed, watching me for a minute. “Well, besides my mom.”

  “You’d really like that, wouldn’t you?” I said, chuckling.

  He closed his eyes and sighed dramatically. “You and me alone with a turkey dinner? Hell yeah, I’d really like that.”

  “You really are a caveman,” I said shaking my head. “I may have to rethink this.”

  He opened one eye and peered at me. “Oh, no you don’t.”

  I laughed in earnest. “Okay, okay. You can have your turkey. As long as we can have meat stuffing.”

  He crinkled his nose. “But, my mom always makes bread stuffing.”

  I shrugged, playing along. “Take it or leave it.”

  He exhaled slowly. “Oh, fine. Meat stuffing.”

  I grinned. “Good, that’s settled then.”

  Ethan took my hand, looking at me through his lashes. “You drive a hard bargain, you know.”

  I wiggled my brows. “It’ll be worth it.”

  Liam came back about forty minutes later, followed by our decoys. As soon as they walked through the door, their glamours dropped, revealing two Danaan I’d never met.

  Liam cleared his throat, raising his hand at the Danaan man first. “This is Padraigh and Máiréad, they lived in Aoife’s home for many years.”

  I smiled and stood. “Thank you both.”

  They nodded, faces impassive. Liam asked them to tell us what had happened since we’d left Stoneville in early November.

  With solemn voices, they told us everything we’d missed, down to the last detail. Thanksgiving dinner would be in two hours, much to Ethan’s delight.

  Liam excused himself as he escorted the pair down to the portal in his basement.

  “They were sort of… creepy,” Ethan whispered, eyes wide.

  I let out a dry laugh. “Just a little. I hope they were a little more animated while they were pretending to be us.”

  “Yeah, I can just see how my mother would react if I walked around acting like that guy. She’d make me have my head examined.”

  The cellar door opened and closed and Liam came in, smiling at us.

  I tilted my head to the side. “What?”

  He shook his head. “Nothing, nothing. I’m just keen to end the geis.”

  “I’m sure you are,” I said. “How long does it seem like to you?”

  “Since the last time I was with your mother, you mean? Well, apart from the time in Tír na n’Óg,” he said.

  I nodded.

  He scrunched up his face. “About a year and a half, more or less,” he said.

  I shook my head. “It’s hard to wrap my head around that.”

  “It felt like I was in Tír na n’Óg for about five years before I met your mother. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it. The world was… very different. Imagine how much of a shock it was to see the world powered with electricity. And now,” he said, holding up his cell phone to demonstrate his point. “This just boggles the mind.”

  “It’s going to be hard for you at first,” I said, thinking. “You won’t be able to spend any time together alone, I don’t think.”

  Liam shook his head. “None of that matters. I’m just so glad she’ll be okay, it’ll have to be enough.”

  I smiled. “Speaking of boggling the mind. My family isn’t going to know what to do when my mother starts talking and acting like herself. The doctors...I just can’t even imagine what they’ll come up with for an explanation.”

  “It’ll certainly be entertaining, if nothing else,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.

  “I wonder if she’ll be able to finish school. Maybe she could start performing again,” I said offhand.

  “She could do anything,” Liam said, eyes downcast. “I’ll give her everything I can.”

  I didn’t like the sadness in his expression, so I changed the subject. “Can you glamour us, so we’re wearing the same clothes as the decoys?”

  He looked up at me and blinked. “Oh, yes. Of course.” He looked at my clothes and although I still felt like I was wearing yoga pants and a hoodie, my outfit changed into a denim skirt and button up top.

  Ethan looked down as his clothes changed and shook his head. “That is so weird.”

  I looked at Liam, thinking of a question. “Do you think it will happen instantly? With my mom?”

  “That she’ll come back to her old self?” he asked. “I don’t know, honestly.”

  “I’m assuming she’s feeling better now, no more coughing,” I said, standing. Enough time had passed that we could go next door. “Maybe Ethan and I can take her for a walk after dinner and we could meet up.”

  Liam nodded, his smile slipping back into place. “I’ll wait for your call.”

  Ethan and I walked in the house and were assaulted by the delicious smells of turkey dinner. I could hardly contain my excitement. It would really happen. My mother might be able to talk to us in just a few short hours.

  I couldn’t remember so many people all being in the house at once. Ethan’s family and my whole family, plus some of the employees from the hardware store, were all scattered throughout the first floor.

  Alarm crept into my heart. My mother didn’t do well with crowds. As we walked into the living room, I scanned the faces for her. She wasn’t on the couch or the chair. She wasn’t in the kitchen with all the women and my Uncle David, who was a notoriously awesome cook.

  “We’re back, Gram,” I said. “Have you seen Mom?”

  She looked up from where she sat peeling potatoes at the kitchen table. “Oh, yes. I just took her upstairs for a rest.”

  I nodded and told Ethan I’d right back before going straight for the stairs. She was in her room, standing in front of the window overlooking the woods between our house and Liam’s.

  “Hey, Mom,” I said.

  She turned and looked at me. Her face was vacant, as usual. But when I smiled at her, I would have sworn her eyes brightened.

  I closed the door behind me and walked slowly over to the window. “Liam’s back, did you see him?” I asked.

  She looked back out the window without responding.

  I tentatively touched her shoulder, not wanting to startle her. “The geis is broken, Mom. You’re going to get better, now.”

  She continued staring at the trees, her face not changing. I watched her, wondering if she really could understand me.

  I swallowed, a tangle of emotions welling
up in my chest. I was happy, of course. Excited. But there was a niggling fear on the edge of my mind. What if she never got better, it said. With the time coming so soon, I felt a little panic clawing through me.

  “I’m so happy, but I’m scared too. I know that’s probably crazy, but I just don’t know what to expect.”

  Conversations with her were always like this, but what about tomorrow and the next day? I would be able to tell her everything. Would she like talking with me? Would she be happy I was dating her best friend’s son?

  I’d always assumed she would. In Tír na n’Óg she’d said she was proud of me, and I clung to that memory with both hands.

  There was a light knock on her bedroom door and Gram stuck her head in. “How are my girls?”

  I smiled. “We’re good, I was just making sure Mom was all set.”

  She walked over and wrapped her hands around mine. “You’re missing him, aren’t you?” she said.

  Tears prickled behind my eyes at the mention of Pop. I nodded. “Do you think Mom misses him, too?”

  “I think so, in her way. It’s hard to imagine what goes on in that head of hers,” she said with a smile just tinged with sadness. “I’m awfully glad to have her, though. She keeps me sane, if that makes sense.”

  Hope surged through me. Even though she would never have Pop back, how amazing would it be for Gram to have her daughter back?

  “Well, I better go see if there’s anything I can do to help,” I said, turning to leave the room.

  “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll be right down to join you.”

  After dinner and the massive cleanup that always follows holiday meals, I flopped back on the couch for a second. Ethan dropped next to me, rubbing his belly.

  “I am stuffed,” I said, groaning.

  “What about pumpkin pie?” he asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

  “Later,” I said, waving.

  “You know, exercise helps with digestion,” he said. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”

  I looked over at him and smiled. It was time.

  “Good idea. Maybe my mom will want a break. I’ll see if I can get her to come with us.”

  I went into the den where Gram and Aunt Jessie sat talking with my mother.

  “Ethan and I thought we’d go for a walk,” I said. “Maybe Mom would like to come, get a bit of fresh air?”

  “What do you think about that, Beth?” Gram said. My mother didn’t respond at first.

  “I don’t know, honey. Do you think she’ll go?” Aunt Jessie said.

  “Of course she will,” Gram said, shushing Aunt Jessie. I gave Aunt Jessie an apologetic glance. Sometimes Gram was a little blunt.

  “Come on Beth, let’s get your jacket and you can go outside with the kids.” Gram stood and held her hand out to my mother. My mother looked over at me and back to Gram’s hand. After a moment, she finally reached out and took it.

  The air was very crisp, so we put on jackets and hats before walking onto the porch. I pulled my hat down over my ears and turned to Gram standing in the doorway.

  “We won’t be long,” I said. “I have my phone, so if I have any trouble I’ll call.”

  Gram nodded, her face completely open. She was trusting me with Mom and I was thrilled with her confidence in me.

  Once we made our way onto the sidewalk, I dialed Liam’s number. “We’re in front of the house,” I told him.

  “Excellent, I’ll be right out.”

  We walked the short distance to Liam’s driveway, and he was there in seconds, his hands shoved into his hair.

  As we walked along, he was quiet, casting looks at my mother every few minutes. Once I thought we were far enough away from the house, I stopped walking.

  “All right, this should be a good place.”

  We were at a place on the road where there were no houses on either side for miles. Liam paced a little, flexing and relaxing his hands. I reached out and grabbed his arm, raising my eyebrows at him.

  “Right, best get on with it,” he said, his eyes darting to my mother.

  He walked over to her and she stood perfectly still, watching him. He cleared his throat and lifted his hand, letting it hover next to her face for a moment.

  With a nod, he laid his hand gently against her cheek, sighing. At almost the same exact second, my mother sighed too.

  Liam stared at her, waiting. She blinked a few times, but didn’t say anything. His shoulders slumped and he looked down at his feet.

  Her hand lifted slowly, shaking, to return the touch to his face. I’d never seen her reach out to touch anyone on purpose. Ever. I held my breath as Liam eyes lifted to hers in wonder.

  “Beth?” he said softly.

  She smoothed her shaking hand along the line of his jaw, to his neck. Lifting her other hand she repeated the same process on his other cheek. He was like a marble statue as her hands made their way back up his face.

  “Is this real?” she whispered. My heart exploded at the sound of her voice.

  Liam’s smile stretched across his face. “Yes,” he said softly, placing his hands over hers.

  I took a step back, right into Ethan. He grabbed my elbows and steadied me. I looked up and he smiled back at me.

  “It worked,” I said, voice shaking.

  He nodded and wrapped his arms around my chest, pulling me back against him. Bending down, he kissed my temple. “It did.”

  Watching as they stood taking each other in felt obtrusive, but I couldn’t look away. After a few minutes, my mother turned her head. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but her smile was full of unbridled joy.

  “I can’t believe this,” she said, holding out her hand. I looked at it, then up into her eyes.

  My mother was reaching out a hand to me.

  I stumbled forward and she touched my face, much like she’d touched Liam’s. Tears stung my eyes, and it took me a few minutes to get words out. “I know,” I said shaking my head.

  “How?” she asked, looking from me to Liam. “How is it possible?”

  “It’s quite a long story, but… Aoife is gone. Forever,” Liam said.

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Does this mean I’m…” she broke off.

  “You’re free now,” he said, sliding one hand behind her head and kissing her on the forehead.

  “We don’t have a long time before we’re expected back, Mom,” I said. “But Liam and I think it will probably be best if we sprung this on Gram slowly.”

  She pulled her hand back and smiled, looking up at Liam. “Of course. Whatever you think.”

  Liam wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him, hugging her tight. I stepped back as she returned his embrace.

  “Just try to stay quiet for now, that’s all. Maybe say a few words, keep it rather simple,” Liam said.

  She nodded. “I can do that,” she said, beaming as she pulled back just enough to look at him.

  “Your mum did invite me over for pie, do you think that would be okay? I understand if it’ll be overwhelming for you.”

  My mother’s face fell. “I can manage. She’ll need to get used to you coming by, won’t she?”

  I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. They were both testing the waters with each other, and it was adorable.

  “Yes, definitely come for pie,” I said with a smile. “There are at least eight of them over there. I don’t want to have to eat them by myself, you know.”

  Ethan chucked me on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry about that. I have your back too, you know.”

  I laughed and smiled up at him with a dramatic sigh. “My hero.”

  “No, no, no. I’m not doing it,” I said, laughing but digging in my heels.

  My mother wrapped her arms around my shoulders, giggling. “Come on, Allison. We’ll be doing it together,” she said, trying to push me forward.

  The pulsating beat of the DJ at Nicole’s wedding was nothing compared to the way my heart thudded in my chest.

  “M
om, do you have any idea what you have to do if you catch that bouquet?” I asked.

  She waved her hand at me, still grinning. “Of course I know what you have to do. I may have missed a few years, but I wasn’t born yesterday. Now, please come with me?”

  I glanced over at the spot where Liam sat, looking handsome in his suit and tie. I saw I’d be getting no help from him. He just laughed along with her. “Oh, go for it Allison. YOLO,” he said.

  My mother burst into hysterical laughter and I rolled my eyes, even though I was laughing too. “You did not just say YOLO, did you?”

  He shrugged, his eyes brimming with mirth. “It’s true.”

  “Where is Ethan? I know he’d go ballistic if some other guy got to put a garter on my leg,” I said, scanning the crowded ballroom.

  He stood at the opposite end of the room chatting with his brother and my radiant cousin, the newlyweds. He glanced up to see me watching him and gestured toward the group of single ladies gathering on the dance floor. He was no better than the rest of them.

  In the six months since the geis had been broken, my mother had made a full recovery. Doctor’s scratched their heads, completely baffled. My whole family was just beyond themselves with happiness, myself included.

  “See, Ethan thinks you should have some fun, too. Come on, let’s go.”

  “Fine. But, I’m not going to catch that thing,” I said, shaking my head.

  The ceremony had been beautiful and my grandmother was having a wonderful time chatting with old friends and, of course, making new ones. Once in a while I caught her looking at the empty chair next to her with a wistful expression, but she held herself together.

  My mother squeezed my hand and dragged me up to the dance floor just as the DJ made the final call for single women to enter the bouquet toss. Ethan threw his head back and laughed when he saw me begrudgingly join the group. His applause was louder than anyone in the room, causing heat to creep up my neck.

  Liam had taken to coming by the house more and more regularly as the weeks went by after the geis was broken. It wasn’t long before my parents couldn’t hold back and the world knew there was something going on between them.

  I glanced at my father who was watching my mother, enraptured. She was more beautiful than even I could have imagined. Her skin glowed and her eyes were wide and full of life. I thought of the way Pop would always describe what she was like before schizophrenia.