CORAM
Page 36
Cambria sighed again, tucking her hair behind her ear and going back to her reading exercises the tutor had left for this week. After eight weeks of spending hours a day working, she could finally read simple chapter books. One shelf was filled with children’s classics and some of Egan’s childhood favorites. They made the hour long trip into town once every week or two, and Cambria had made it a habit to pick up at least four or five new books.
From her little office across the hallway, she could see that Egan was still on the phone. Her good news was eating her up inside and she was bursting at the seams to tell him. Running out of patience, Cambria bounded into Egan’s office, marveling as she always did at the spectacular view out the giant bank of floor to ceiling windows. The majestic mountain range in the distance served as the perfect backdrop to the lush green fields surrounding their home.
Several times a day, the scene took her breath away. As she often did, she wondered what she’d done to deserve such a beautiful life after everything she’d been through. Even after three months, she couldn’t believe that this home was theirs. It almost seemed too good to be true.
Egan was listening intently to the person on the other line, responding with the occasional “I understand” but otherwise silent. He waved her in when he saw her, pushing his chair away from his desk so she could sit on his lap while he talked. He slid his hand under her dress, arching an eyebrow at her when he noticed that she wasn’t wearing any panties.
He squeezed her ass, rubbing her smooth skin lovingly and grinning ear to ear as the voice on the other end continued. His hand ventured upwards, and his thumb rubbed across her bare nipples one at a time when he found them resting freely beneath the thing fabric of the dress. Cambria was tempted to take him right then and there, straddling him in his office chair like a naughty secretary, but she was on a mission.
The naughty secretary was going to have to wait.
Egan hung up with the man after thanking him profusely for his help and promising a big bonus was on its way for his efforts. Cambria sat still, letting Egan fondle her breasts for a bit longer before she pushed his hands away. He smile was wicked as he looked at his sweet Cambria, pushing a loose tendril of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. She could tell that something heavy was on his mind, but he was searching for the words to tell her.
She wanted to tell him her news first, but something about the way he was looking at her said that he had to get this off his chest before he would be ready to hear anything else. She was frustrated because she was impatient, but waiting another few minutes wasn’t going to kill her.
It just felt like it would.
Cambria waited still, her apprehension growing as he sat there in silence. When she thought she couldn’t take another second of his silence, he finally spoke.
“Do you remember telling me about how you didn’t remember anything from before seven or eight years old?”
“Yes. But I am twenty now, so I would guess that is normal not to remember all of your childhood.”
“Not exactly. Maybe a few things here and there, but you should have remembered something. Unless something traumatic caused your mind to push out old memories to protect you.” He took a deep breath, still searching for the words to tell her what was on his mind. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I guess I’ll just spit it out. I hired a private investigator to look into your childhood. It’s the same guy as before. Like I said, he’s the best. At first, I wanted to know who these people were who had destroyed you. But I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew why they kept you away from everyone, and why you couldn’t remember anything from your earlier years.”
He took a deep, shaky breath again, and Cambria’s heart sank. Were her parents dead? She didn’t know what to think if they were, but she was shocked that she felt sadness at the thought. They didn’t deserve her pity, or her love. Yet she couldn’t help but mourn the loss.
Egan cleared his throat and continued, clearly struggling to find the right thing to say. “Those people you thought were your parents never were. You were in America on vacation with your parents when you were six and you were kidnapped.”
“That’s impossible. I would remember that.”
“You do. You just don’t realize it. Some of the things you say, the way you talk, are all remnants of who you were before they took you. The only way to protect yourself was to push those memories away so you could deal with your new reality.”
“Where are my parents? Why did they just leave me?”
“They never stopped looking for you. But with you having no contact with anyone outside where you were held, no one was ever able to find you.” He pulled a paper out of a stack on his desk. “Here’s the age progression from the missing person’s website. I think it’s pretty spot-on.”
Cambria held it in her hand, touching the face of the innocent looking child from nearly fifteen years before. “I looked so happy.” Cambria didn’t know why, but the sweet little smile of the child she’d once been was her undoing. She dissolved into tears, leaning against Egan’s chest and letting the tears flow as he held her close.
He kissed her head tenderly, holding her tightly until her sobbing quieted and she began to stir.
She stood up, looking at Egan with an expression that was filled with determination. “I have to see them. I need to tell them that it’s not their fault and that I’m happy now.”
“Are you? I mean, really, deliriously happy.”
“Yes, Egan. I am.” She held up the picture again, studying the face of the little girl and trying to remember being her.
“What else did you learn?” she asked.
“They were vacationing in Atlanta from Portugal. You have two brothers and one sister. Your parents immigrated about ten years ago, hoping to eventually find you.”
“They’re here?” Cambria was excited.
“Well, not here in Montana, but in Atlanta.”
Cambria couldn’t hold in her enthusiasm. “I want to see them, when can we go?”
“That’s the thing. I didn’t think things through, and I should have asked you first. But they’re flying in this weekend. I thought you might be more comfortable meeting them here than dragging you across the country and so close to where everything happened to you. I really should have asked you.”
Cambria threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. “Oh Egan, that’s just perfect. I can’t wait to show them our home and see them.”
Egan let out the breath he’d been holding. “That’s good, because I told them we had plenty of room for them here.”
“You would do that?”
He grabbed her hands in his, “Cambria, we’re family. They’re my family now too and will always be welcome in our home.”
Cambria’s eyes filled with tears. She loved this man so, and could never have imagined herself with another. He was her soul mate, though she’d fought the notion for so long.
“What about you? When you came in earlier, you looked like you were about to burst. What did you come in here to tell me?”
Cambria weighed her options, wondering if now was the right time to tell him. Could there be such a thing as too much good news in one day? “Well. I don’t know quite how to tell you this, but I’m pregnant.”
Egan stared at her in shock. “Are you sure?” he asked, but he was already reaching for her, pulling her into his arms and off her feet. He swung her around, laughing merrily and planting a kiss on her lips. He set her down gently on her feet, cupping her cheek in one hand and pulling her in for a long, passionate kiss. “This is the best news I’ve ever gotten.”
Cambria smiled. “It’s been one hell of a day.”
“It has. And now we have to get ready for company. They’ll be here in a few days.”
Egan and Cambria walked out of the office, hand in hand. Egan stopped, looking at the paper she still held in her hand of the little lost girl who had turned into the woman of his dreams.
�
�Hey Cambria.”
“Yes?” her voice was soft and distant. She was already deep into planning her family’s visit.
“Did you happen to see what the name listed on your missing photo?”
Cambria hadn’t noticed. She stopped, slipping her hand out of his and tracing the name with her finger. She threw her head back and laughed, the sound filling the hallway.
“No way,” she exclaimed in disbelief.
It was written on the paper as plain as day. Her name was, and always had been, Elise.
THE END
Message From The Author:
Hi!
This is Bonnie Burrows and I hope you enjoyed my book! If you want to see all the other books have written then just head over and check out my Amazon Page HERE! :)
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