Love,
Marcy
As I reread the letter I felt her sincerity, and tears filled my eyes. She was right. I had no one. “Except you, baby girl,” I whispered as I snuggled Natalie closer. Even my friendship with Marcus seemed to be in jeopardy. At least his mother, Trish, had warmed to me.
I decided to give Marcy another chance. After putting Natalie in her swing, I wrote a letter to Marcy letting her know that I would come for a visit in a few weeks. I didn’t tell her I was going on a cruise—I figured she’d worry about Natalie going and I didn’t feel the need to explain myself—then I put the envelope in the mailbox and flipped up the flag.
The next morning I woke early, eager to get going on our big trip.
Chapter Eight
Natalie and I arrived at the Sacramento airport early and I dropped our luggage off with a curbside porter, then parked in the long-term parking lot. We caught a shuttle to the terminal, made our way through security, and walked to the gate. I was glad I’d been able to print off our boarding passes at home. I kept Natalie entertained as I waited for our flight to be called.
With Natalie on my hip, and the diaper bag over my shoulder, I made my way onto the airplane. The airline didn’t have assigned seats, so I chose the first empty seat I came to. I sat Natalie in the seat while I placed her diaper bag in the overhead compartment, then I sat in the window seat and put Natalie on my lap.
I watched as the other travelers got on the plane, and smiled inwardly as people glanced at Natalie, then passed by the empty seat next to me. I couldn’t blame them for not wanting to sit next to a baby, but as more and more people streamed onboard, I knew someone would have to eventually sit next to us as the flight looked like it would be full.
Sure enough, the last person to board stopped at the head of the aisle and looked out over the rows of seats, then looked at Natalie, frowned, and sat in the seat next to mine. I would have felt sorry for him, except I knew Natalie was an easy-going baby and would probably be just fine. The man looked like he was only a few years older than me, so at least I’d have someone my age to talk to during the flight—assuming he wanted to chat.
“Hey,” he said as he sat, glancing at Natalie again and pretty much ignoring me, then he immediately pulled out his laptop and seemed to immerse himself in reading a document. In the moment I’d looked at him, I’d noticed that he was quite attractive—strong jaw, light brown hair, blue eyes. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk, and I assumed he was on his way to Seattle on business.
I turned my attention to Natalie to make sure she was happy and comfortable. As the plane took off, I put a pacifier in her mouth, and thankfully, she accepted it. The flight was just under two hours. I fed Natalie a bottle of supplemental formula partway through the flight, and before I knew it, we’d arrived. The man next to me got off as soon as the doors opened, but I waited until everyone else had deplaned. I had plenty of time before the ship left, so I was in no hurry.
When everyone else had left, I took the diaper bag out of the overhead compartment and carried Natalie to the baggage claim area. Several shuttles to the pier were waiting nearby, and the driver of one of them helped me get my bags onto the shuttle, and then Natalie and I boarded. A short time later we pulled up to the drop-off point and the ship came into view.
This is going to be so fun, I thought as I gazed at the massive ship. A worker helped me unload the bags and get them checked in, then I took Natalie to the check-in area, got our boarding cards, went through security, then headed to the boarding area. I hugged Natalie closer, excited to finally be here. I glanced around, looking for Alyssa, but didn’t see her. She’d given me her room number in an email, and the plan was for me to meet up with her once I’d gotten settled in my room.
As I followed the other cruisers toward the ship entrance, I didn’t see any other babies and wondered how many would be on board. Oh well, it didn’t really matter. I was there to see my friend get married and to enjoy a week in Alaska. I looked up at the ship and noticed the rows and rows of balconies. I smiled, glad I had decided to splurge even more and get a balcony room. I’d figured it would be nice to be able to sit on the balcony when Natalie was napping. The room had cost more than an interior room, but since I didn’t know if I’d ever go on a cruise again, I’d decided to make this trip as fun as possible.
It was our turn to enter the ship. I handed our cards to the man at the entrance and he placed them into a machine, then we walked through the metal detector. He handed the cards back to me, and I tucked them in my pocket. The first thing I wanted to do was go to our room and freshen up.
The first room we entered was decorated with bright colors, had towering ceilings, and on one side of the room I saw glass elevators.
“Look at this place,” I murmured in Natalie’s ear. I carried her toward the elevators and punched the button to go up. A moment later the doors opened silently and we walked in, along with some other people. I pressed the button for the eighth floor and we moved smoothly upward. A moment later the doors opened and we stepped into an area bustling with activity. Cruise ship workers were organizing stacks of luggage on multiple carts, then taking them down one of two hallways.
I walked over to the entrance of one of the hallways and looked at the range of room numbers that were down that way, then headed down the hall. I noticed that all the rooms were odd-numbered, and my room was an even number, so I went across the foyer to the other hall and walked down it, looking for my room number. A short time later I found it.
“Here’s our room, sweetheart,” I said to Natalie, who observed our surroundings.
I slid my key card into the slot and the door clicked. When I walked in, I immediately saw the crib that I’d ordered, as well as an umbrella stroller that I had arranged to rent while on board. I smiled, pleased that my baby’s needs were being taken care of. I’d packed lots of diapers, and since I was still mostly nursing her, food wouldn’t be a big issue.
I placed the diaper bag on the bed, and carrying Natalie, we checked out the room. There was plenty of closet space, and though the bathroom was small, it was sufficient. There was no tub—just a small stand-up shower. But I was certain I could manage to bathe Natalie when needed.
I paused and looked at my reflection in the large mirror. Natalie squirmed in my arms, but my eyes were drawn to my face. I’d lost all my baby weight, and my hair had grown to shoulder length since I’d chopped it off when I’d run from Trevor, and now it was back to its natural dark color. I smiled, pleased with my reflection. I didn’t look so different now than when Alyssa had last seen me. My changes were all on the inside. I gazed at myself, and knew I’d changed from the innocent girl who had first met Trevor.
Holding Natalie on my hip, we left the bathroom and went onto the balcony. The Seattle skyline was right in front of us. “Look at that view,” I said to her in wonder. The day was pleasantly warm—much cooler than at home—and I enjoyed the gentle breeze. After a few minutes I carried her back inside and before long her eyelids became heavy—I wasn’t surprised that she was tired after our busy day. After I put her down in her crib, I picked up the phone on the desk and dialed Alyssa’s room.
“Hello?” she said after only a moment.
“Hi, Alyssa!”
“Lily! You’re here!”
“Yes. I’m loving it already.”
“I’m so glad you made it.”
“Me, too. Are you busy?”
“Not at all. Do you want me to come to your room?”
“Sure. I just put Natalie down for a nap.” I gave her my room number and a few minutes later she knocked on the door. I opened it, and after she walked in, I threw my arms around her. “It’s so good to see you,” I said as I pulled away from the friend I hadn’t seen in over a year.
She looked me up and down. “You look great. Just as beautiful as I remember.”
I smiled under her compliment. “So do you. I’m so excited for your wedding.”
Natal
ie made a noise, and I whispered, “Let’s go talk on the balcony.”
Alyssa nodded, then gazed down at Natalie for a moment. She looked at me and mouthed, She’s so cute.
Thanks, I mouthed, then we walked out to the balcony. I closed the door behind me, but could see Natalie from where we sat.
“Oh my gosh, Lily. I can’t believe you’re here.”
I grinned. “I know. I’m so glad I decided to come.”
She looked at me expectantly. “Tell me everything that’s happened.” She paused, a look of concern and sadness on her face. “I heard Trevor died.”
I told her everything that had happened since I’d last seen her—how I’d found out I was pregnant, how Trevor had become abusive, how I’d run, how he’d locked me up, how I’d gone into hiding, how I’d met Marcus, how Trevor had found me, and then, how he’d died.
She slowly shook her head. “Wow.” She gazed at me for a moment. “You seem to be doing okay.”
I smiled. “I really am. Marcus is my good friend now.” I felt a twinge of sadness that that was all he wanted to be. “And Natalie and I have made a home for ourselves.” I paused. “I’m happy.”
She touched my hand. “I’m so glad.”
“Now tell me about you and Ty.”
Now she grinned. “I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s with his parents right now, but I’ll introduce you to him after Natalie wakes up from her nap.”
“You said in your email that you’ve known him for a while, but you got together when you went home for a visit?”
“Yeah. We were friends in high school, and last summer when I went home, I ran in to him and the sparks just flew. I guess the timing was right. He’s a great guy.”
We chatted for a while longer, then I noticed Natalie waking up. “I need to feed her, then I’ll be ready to go. Do you want to wait or do you want to meet somewhere?”
“I can wait. I’d like to see this baby of yours.”
“Okay.” We went back into the room and I gave Natalie some baby food, then nursed her.
“I can’t believe you’re a mother. You seem like you’re really good at it too, but it’s just weird.”
I laughed. “It was weird for me at first too, but now that she’s eight months old, I can hardly remember what it was like when I didn’t have her.” I pressed her against my shoulder and rubbed her back. “Do you want to hold her?”
Alyssa held out her hands. “Yes.”
I handed her over and Alyssa cooed over her, and Natalie smiled. “I got her to smile,” Alyssa said, obviously pleased.
“She’s a really happy baby. I’m lucky.”
Alyssa gazed at her, then looked at me. “She has Trevor’s eyes.”
I smiled wistfully. “I know. Even though I knew I couldn’t be with him anymore, I loved him once, and I’m glad our child has beautiful blue eyes like his.”
Alyssa nodded, and after a moment asked if I was ready to go.
“Yes.” I put Natalie in the stroller I’d rented, placed the diaper bag over the handle, then followed Alyssa from the room.
She texted Ty to find out where he was—we were still in port so the cell signal was good. Then we took the elevator to the Lido deck, where the wedding party was gathered to eat from the buffet. I smiled as I looked at all the food laid out—I hadn’t eaten in hours and was really hungry.
“There they are.” Alyssa pointed to a large group sitting at several tables next to the window.
When we stopped next to the group, a man walked over to Alyssa, a smile on his face. Alyssa turned to me. “Lily, this is my fiancé, Ty.”
“I’m so glad to meet you,” I said.
“I’m glad you were able to come.” He drew me into a brief hug, then pulled away and looked at me. “I know your being here has made Alyssa really happy.”
I smiled at Alyssa, then looked at Ty. “I’m glad it worked out. I’m excited for your wedding.”
Alyssa’s parents, Paul and Barbara, came over to meet me. I lifted Natalie from her stroller and held her on my hip.
“What a cutie,” Barbara said, touching Natalie’s arm. She smiled at me. “Would you like me to hold her while you get something to eat?”
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
“No. I love babies.” She held out her arms for Natalie and I placed her there. Natalie seemed okay with Barbara holding her, which made me feel better.
“I’ll go with you,” Alyssa said. “I haven’t eaten yet.”
Alyssa, Ty, and I walked around, seeing what food was available, then got in one of the lines.
“That was nice of your mom to take Natalie,” I said to Alyssa.
Alyssa laughed. “She really does love babies. My older brother’s given her two grandchildren, and I know she’s hoping I’ll produce some too.”
I thought about Trevor’s parents and their desire to spend time with Natalie, and felt guilt slice through me. They’d barely met my baby, and I’d run away from their party before they’d had a chance to get to know her. But I’d promised them I’d come for a visit in a few weeks, which helped to assuage the guilt.
We picked up our trays and selected our food, then went back to the group. I sat across from Barbara, who had given Natalie a shiny necklace to play with. As I ate, I listened to the conversation around me and looked forward to getting to know Alyssa and Ty’s friends and family over the next week. I’d only met a few of them so far, and my gaze wandered among the group, trying to memorize who belonged.
As my eyes skimmed over the faces at a neighboring table, I recognized the man who had sat next to me on the flight from Sacramento. He didn’t seem to notice me as he chatted with the people sitting near him. He’d hardly acknowledged me on the flight, so he probably wouldn’t recognize me anyway. I watched him for a moment, taking in his perfectly straight, white teeth, and the dimple that appeared on the left side of his face when he laughed.
“Who’s that?” I whispered to Alyssa.
Alyssa followed my gaze, and smiled. “That’s Cameron. He’s Ty’s best friend.”
Cameron must have felt our gaze on him, because he turned and looked our way, and when our eyes met, I felt a jolt. His eyes were the same vivid blue as Trevor’s had been.
Chapter Nine
Like I expected, he didn’t seem to realize I was the same woman he’d sat next to on the flight from Sacramento, as I saw no spark of recognition. He’d been completely absorbed in his laptop during the flight, so he probably hadn’t even registered my presence, except to note that I had a baby with me.
Now, however, he seemed to take notice of me, which did something funny to my stomach. I wasn’t sure if it was his attention, or the fact that his eyes reminded me of Trevor, but when his gaze met mine, I felt exposed somehow, vulnerable.
“He’s single,” Alyssa whispered in my ear.
I broke my gaze with Cameron and looked at Alyssa. “That’s nice.”
She tried to hide a smile. “And so are you, my dear.”
I laughed. “Are you going to try to play matchmaker again?”
“Hmm. I guess that didn’t work out so well the first time, did it?”
“Maybe I should have listened to you when you were pushing me toward Justin.” I paused. “What’s he up to, anyway?”
Alyssa smiled. “He’s doing great. He and Pamela got married.” She looked at me with a question. “Did you ever meet her?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“He wanted to come on the cruise, but it just didn’t work out.”
“Hey, buddy,” Cameron said to Ty, who was sitting next to Alyssa. “How’s it going?”
I looked at him and noticed him glancing at me.
“Hey, Cam,” Ty said. “Come sit with us.”
I felt Alyssa nudge me in the leg, and I bit back a smile. Then I thought about Marcus and how much I cared for him—maybe even loved him. Then I thought about his new girlfriend, and how our future together was so murky. I had no obligation to Marcus. Beside
s, it would be fun to get to know more people on the cruise—it was just a week of fun before going back to my everyday, hum-drum life. I needed to expand my circle of acquaintances, and this would be the perfect opportunity.
“Cam,” Ty said, then motioned to me. “This is Alyssa’s friend, Lily.”
Turning to look at him, I smiled.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” I could see in his eyes that he found me attractive and it made me feel desirable. For the past eight months I’d been so focused on being a mother that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to have a man show that kind of interest in me.
“Where are you from?” he asked as he slid into a seat across from Alyssa, Ty, and me.
Enjoying his attention, I smiled, and told him the name of the small town an hour south of Sacramento.
“Is that so?”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I actually don’t live too far from you. I’m just up in Sacramento.”
I nodded, not terribly surprised, since we’d left from the same airport. “Have you ever been to Alaska?”
“No. But I understand this is a good time of year to go. What about you?”
“No. First time in Alaska, and this is my first cruise too.”
He smiled, which deepened the dimple on his cheek. “Well, maybe I can show you some of the fun things to do on the ship.”
My smile grew as he made his intentions clear. “I’d like that.” I paused as a thought occurred to me. Most likely he didn’t know I had a baby. Would that change his mind about spending time with me? Natalie was part of me, so there wasn’t much I could do about it, but I thought it would be better to make the truth known up front. “I guess you don’t recognize me.”
He looked puzzled. “No. Why? Have we met before?”
I laughed, secretly worried about his reaction. “Sort of. You sat next to me on your flight this morning.”
“I did?” Then he looked confused. “But I sat next to a woman with a baby.”
I pointed to Barbara. “Yes. Alyssa’s mom is holding my daughter.”
Love At Last (Lily's Story, Book 3) Page 6