Wildflower Redemption

by Leslie P. García

  “Dinner,” she insisted firmly, and he sighed plaintively. “And don’t wolf your food down, either!”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes before he looked up thoughtfully. “Would it screw up the mood if we talk?”

  “When you put it that way, it might.”

  “I hope it won’t. But your speech got me thinking.”

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No. But you mentioned Atlanta. Luz, I know about the divorce—how bitter it was, and how he let that woman steal Lily away. You told me you thought that the stress helped lead to your father’s death. Those are hard knocks. But you must have had friends. A career. Yet you came back here. Why did you leave Atlanta? Or maybe my real question is, would you ever want to go back?”

  She shook her head. “No. I left a bunch of people I thought were friends. Because when push came to shove, they weren’t.” She finished a bite of her food then pushed the plate away. “Teaching is more political than people know, sometimes. I was new and excited. They named me the grade head in my second year.” She shot him a rueful smile. “I thought all those more senior teachers congratulating me meant it.”

  “They didn’t?”

  “Not all of them. I suppose I stepped on toes.”

  “You?” He couldn’t imagine Luz stepping on anyone’s toes. “And you left it all because of some false accusation. I really don’t know how anyone could accuse you of hurting someone.”

  “What brought out this curiosity?” She got up and removed their plates. “Don’t get up,” she warned, as he started to. “I even have desert.”

  “You did all that in twenty minutes?”

  She went to the refrigerator, opened it, and pulled out a bowl of grapes.

  “Yeah,” she answered, grinning. She sat back down, plucked one off the stem, and fed it to him.

  “You mentioned Atlanta, and that’s tied to who you were before. I just wondered.” He took another grape. “I know that if things hadn’t worked out the way they did, I’d still be in Alabaster,” he added, shrugging. “Guess I just wondered how you felt about Atlanta before everything happened.”

  “I liked the city just fine. Loved my job. I could have my career back, but I don’t want it anymore, okay?”

  “When Esmeralda called me, while I was back in Alabaster, she mentioned that Brian had gone to the school. Then you mentioned Atlanta, and it made me wonder. I just want to know how things are, Luz. To be sure he’ll never be part of our lives.”

  “I should have left him the week after our wedding,” Luz retorted. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his. “We need to let go, Aaron. Our doubts will kill anything else we can have.”

  “Why didn’t you leave him, though?” He flipped his hand, catching hers and squeezing it gently. “You were married as long as I was, pretty much.”

  “Lily. She was a week and a half old when Brian brought her home—two days after our wedding.”

  “And you stayed with the creep even after he surprised you that way?”

  Luz shoved her chair back, tucking her arms against her stomach. “I listened to lies, okay?” she snapped. “Lily’s mom had a drug problem. She’d been arrested. Brian told me he’d never see her again. That he had sole custody of Lily.” She paced the length of the kitchen and came back, propping herself on the edge of the kitchen table, almost shaking with emotion.

  “Do you remember the first time you held Chloe?” she demanded. “Do you remember the way she felt in your arms?”

  “Yes.”

  She pushed off the table and shrugged. “Then you know why I couldn’t leave him. Nothing that ever happened was Lily’s fault.”

  “Luz, maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”

  She went to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, stopping him as he started to get up. “I’m glad you did,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. “I want you to know about Lily. Sometimes it still hurts to talk about her, though.”

  He leaned his head back and turned his face into her neck, rubbing his lips over her neck until she shivered. Then he turned the chair a little, careful to avoid her feet, and clasped her hands.

  “You got such a bum deal, though,” he pointed out. “There was never any proof, right? Just that the child had taken migraine medicine? How could they just have removed you so quickly?”

  “A lot of times, if there are complaints against teachers, we’re removed immediately from the classroom. You’d want that if you thought Chloe was in danger from a teacher.”

  “Yes, but…”

  She sighed in his ear and let him go, going around to sit down next to him again. “I could deal with the suspicion. Although it hurt, I knew they’d find out the truth. But my principal never spoke out in my defense—not once. That really destroyed me.”

  He reached over and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. “On the offhand chance I ever meet Chambers, I get to smash his face,” he muttered.

  She smiled against his neck. “Having someone defend me is nice. You’re a few years too late, but thanks. And it wasn’t Brian’s fault that the administration didn’t back me up. He didn’t take sides—not even his wife’s side. He and his parents worried more about themselves than what happened to Lily.”

  “So you had to fight everyone alone?”

  “Nah. My dad came over to fight my enemies. He told anyone who listened that the Chambers—Brian and his parents—were railroading me because they didn’t stand up for me. As powerful as the Chambers are in Georgia, a word or two from them in my favor would have ended everything so much faster. Dad insulted a lot of people on my behalf.”

  “Good for him!” Aaron whispered and sensed her smile die.

  “Yeah, but you know what happened. He hadn’t been well.” Her fingers traced his face. “He died the month after I was cleared of any wrongdoing.”

  He clasped her closer, rocking her gently. “You can’t blame him for trying to help you. He wouldn’t want you to feel guilty.”

  “I know.” She slid to the floor and pulled him to his feet, clasping his hands. “You probably wanted to add that you’d do the same for Chloe, right?”

  He fidgeted uncomfortably. “Luz—”

  “Aaron, it’s okay. It’s what I’d want the father of my children to say…to mean. Brian never acted in Lily’s best interest. Ever.”

  He squeezed her hands and bent over to kiss her. “We’re both good at putting kids first, aren’t we?”

  Luz took a deep breath. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “We could have the drink Ann wanted to smash over the truck.” Aaron grinned. “She’s probably still mad you wouldn’t let her christen it properly.”

  She laughed. “Or mad she can’t drink wine.” She pushed him toward the living room. “Go get the entertainment set up. But I have to warn you, I don’t drink very often. I’m not responsible for anything I do tonight.”

  He grinned. “I’m counting on that.” Then he laughed. “We’ve never spent an actual night together. We’ve spent all our time hiding from the sunlight. We may just roll over and fall asleep.”

  Luz shrugged. “If that’s all my city boy’s up to,” she teased. Then she caught his face in her hands. “I hope you know I’m kidding, Aaron. You can feed guinea hens and muck stalls with the best of them.” Then, remembering, she turned serious. “You saved my life, finding me. I don’t know that I’d have gotten away from Ross without you.”

  He looked uncomfortable with the praise, and she straightened and stepped away, wiping a tear away with her fingers. “I’m getting all mushy. I’m going to check my e-mail and see if I have anything I need to take care of. Then we’ll call it a night.”

  “Go ahead.” He stood and reached for his plate. “You cooked. I’ll rinse these off and come drag you away from your computer if you forget we’re spending our first night together. Ever.”

  Most of the new e-mails were spam, but she had a letter
from a nearby feed dealer inviting her to pick up donated feed and set up an account for the shelter to purchase at discounted prices.

  I can do this, she thought. Hearing Aaron come into the living room, she corrected herself. No, we can do this.

  She discarded a couple of e-mails without doing more than glancing at the source, and then her gaze and fingers froze. Aaron, standing nearby checking his messages on his phone, must have noticed.

  “Something wrong, Luz?”

  She swallowed. “I have an e-mail from Brian.” She reached for the touch pad. “I’ll delete…”

  “Why would he try to contact you again?”

  “I don’t know. But there’s no need to find out.”

  He caught her hand, leaning over. “There’s an attachment,” he noted, then read the subject line. “Atlanta video.”

  “Maybe you should open the e-mail,” he suggested finally. “Later you might want to remember more of what you had back there.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll leave the room,” he offered. “You decide.”

  He turned, but she grasped his arm. “Pull up a chair. Please. I want you here.” She managed a grin, though she felt shaky, nervous about what Brian wanted to do to her at this late date.

  The message was short. Luz, you wouldn’t take my calls or talk to me when I went to visit, but I want you to have something to remember Atlanta by. Something good. Take care. See you later.

  She waited until Aaron sat down, then opened the file and hit the full screen button.

  They watched the video in silence. Luz barely recognized the woman on the screen. She was so in control, so bubbly, so clearly adored by all of the kids clustering around her, calling her name, asking for help.

  “That was one of my best classes,” Luz whispered eventually. “I’d forgotten how much fun and how bright they were.” She didn’t say so, but she was thankful that it was also the year before she’d had Lily in her class.

  She’d drunk too much wine and tea, and got up to go the bathroom, glad that Brian really had sent such a harmless video. Maybe he had a single decent bone in his body after all.

  She rejoined Aaron on the couch just as the ceremony naming her as a “Rising Teacher of the Year” ended.

  “Pretty spectacular!” he crooned, kissing her. “What’s next, Most Beautiful Teacher?”

  There was a brief empty space, and she returned his kiss. “No, maybe just the school Christmas Party or something. I know Brian went to that.” She grimaced. “Probably kissing up to run for the school board or something.”

  But when pictures flashed on the screen, she gasped. The picture of Luz holding a tiny baby in pink blankets filled the screen. The camera caught her smile, the tears glistening in her eyes, the wonder as she held Lily.

  And more footage followed quickly, edited to make the greatest impact: Lily sitting by herself, walking…

  “Do you want me to stop it?” Aaron asked, but his voice sounded far away.

  Wordlessly Luz shook her head, and watched the story of her little girl going from infant to kindergarten graduate in a few short minutes. She herself appeared in most of the video, holding Lily’s hand, kissing her, reading to her, singing to her. And then the screen went blank.

  “Luz…”

  “Don’t say anything. It’s not your fault.”

  “I should never have urged you open it!” Aaron stood up and helped her to her feet.

  “Someday I’ll be glad I have it,” Luz said tonelessly. “Let’s call it a night.”

  • • •

  They walked to the bedroom together, and even though they were alone, Aaron locked the door.

  When Luz walked to the bathroom to change, he knew how deeply the video had affected her. He stripped down to his briefs and waited for her on the bed. She lay down beside him, but not touching him.

  “Aaron, could you just hold me?” she asked, and he folded into her arms, holding her close, hoping he could help her find comfort in the loss of her child, knowing that her loss was real and soul deep.

  • • •

  Sometime in the early hours of the night, Luz woke. Aaron’s arms still sheltered her, and she felt cherished and protected, able to bear the sadness of reliving those days and years with the little girl who could never be hers again. She snuggled closer, burrowing her face into his bare chest. She doubted he’d planned on this kind of a night when he’d let Chloe go.

  She smiled against him. Maybe there were a few hours left to make up for lost time. She let her hand run the length of his body from his chest down, and felt him stir as she teased and touched.

  He moved suddenly, sitting up and reaching out to catch her and slide her up his body until his lips found hers.

  “Ssssh,” he whispered, when she started to say something. “Just kiss me.”

  Words didn’t seem that important anyway. She shivered in pleasure as his hand ran down her back, caressing bare flesh and concentrated on pushing the past away and seizing the moment.

  • • •

  “You’re only doing this because you don’t think our breakfasts are romantic enough,” Luz complained as he pulled her chair out from the table. She smiled as Pam hurried over to clear their table.

  “It was nice to see you all so early,” the waitress said cheerfully. “Y’all have a good day now.”

  “Well, I don’t know that I’d call this romantic, but neither of us had to eat the other’s burned biscuits or spilled milk,” Aaron pointed out.

  He paid and ushered her out on the sidewalk. “I’ll have to pick Chloe up around noon. Mrs. Barnes said they talked all night.”

  “Spring break’s almost here,” Luz observed. “I still think—”

  Aaron stopped and touched a finger to her lips. “Don’t nag,” he said gently. “I’m better, but I’m not going to look for wildflowers on purpose.”

  She shrugged. “Actually, I was going to say you should take her to visit her grandparents—make her meet them whether they want to or not. She deserves to know them. Besides, they’d have to love her!”

  He sighed. “You’d think.” Then he smiled again. “The morning’s turned out pretty well, hasn’t it?”

  “Beautifully,” she agreed, and stood up on tiptoes to kiss him.

  They walked a few more steps toward the SUV when suddenly Brian came out of the bakery door, a white bag in his hand.

  “Well, hello!” he called.

  Luz went white and sagged against Aaron. Never had she expected him to return; she’d thought she’d never see him again once she’d refused to speak to him when he’d shown up before.

  “Mama! Mama Luz!” a childish voice shrieked suddenly, freezing them in their steps. “Mama!”

  Lily hurled herself at Luz, wrapping her thin arms around her waist. “Don’t go! Mama!”

  Aaron’s face went white and he took a step back. From a few steps away, Brian smirked.

  “Lily, I can’t…Lily!” Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to take a step back, but the child clung to her, clutching her desperately.

  “I love you,” the girl sobbed. “Mama, don’t go.”

  “Lily, baby, you know I can’t. Brian, help her!” Tears streamed down Luz’s face. She tried to pry the child’s fingers away gently, but still Lily clung to her, her body shaking.

  Finally, Brian moved up.

  “Lily, come with me,” he ordered, unfastening the child’s fingers. “She loves you, Luz,” he said cruelly. “You’re really the only mother she’s ever known.” He swept the girl up into his arms and carried her away, still crying.

  “Mama!” Lily screamed again as her father buckled her into the car seat. “Mama Luz!”

  The tortured voice ringing in her ears, Luz ran.

  • • •

  Luz saw the SUV turn into her driveway hours later and braced herself. Aaron would be angry—she’d refused to let him pick her up when he’d come after her, hadn’t let him calm her or comfort her. />
  She’d walked home, and the distance and heat of the day were like salve applied to her wounds.

  Surely Aaron would understand. The shock of seeing Lily again, the little girl’s pain had been more than she could bear.

  Chloe hadn’t come? Sudden dread pricked at her. Chloe had been coming to ride; in fact, they’d talked about inviting Reyna, too.

  She opened the door before he got there, and he stepped into the room slowly, his expression unreadable.

  “Aaron, where’s Chloe?” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “We can’t hog the whole day to ourselves.”

  He gently unwound her arms and lifted her hands, kissing each one, and then moving away.

  “Luz, we can’t do this.”

  She stared at him. “Aaron, what are you talking about? If you’re angry about this morning—how can you be mad at me? Do you have any idea how unbearable, how much what happened hurt? I needed time.”

  “Exactly,” he agreed softly. “And I’m not angry. But I came to say goodbye.”

  Luz stared in disbelief.

  “I’ve talked to Chloe’s teacher and principal. I’m taking this week before spring break and next week to decide some things. But Luz, you need me to step out of your life.”

  “No!”

  “Lily and you need each other.” He circled in his hands, trying to explain. “She’s your little girl, Luz. And I don’t think you’ll ever be able to go on without her.”

  Anger simmered, driving away the dread. “I’ve done without her for four years, dammit, Aaron! What kind of woman do you think I am? That I’d go back to Brian when he used me, cheated on me, took Lily away once? Do you think I’d hurt her by trying again?”

  “I think you need time. To be sure.”

  “That’s crazy! Look, Aaron, you never promised me anything, but don’t you dare insult me pretending this is about Lily. Is it that you think I won’t love Chloe enough, couldn’t put her first?”

  “Luz, as bad it was with Stella, even if I’d known for sure about the cheating, and the bondage, and—whatever—I would have stayed in that marriage if I’d had a choice. For Chloe, because I never had a family. I wanted…I want…her to have a family.” He reached out a hand, but she swatted it away.