WindSwept Narrows: #20 Fleur & Liliana

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  “Lili, what happened at Easter?” He watched the dark eyes go round, her head shaking even as he could see panic in her gaze. “Talk to me, Lili. What happened?” He thought of her actions, of the words and fear in her voice and felt his blood run cold. “Did someone attack you, Lili?” She’d never rejected his touch, the physical side of their relationship had been strong, imaginative and lively. So he’d never thought along those lines before. “Were you raped, Lili?”

  “No! No,” her head shook adamantly, fingers curled tightly around the edge of the blankets. “No, Oliver…Marcus stopped him…he…Misty…”

  “Who, Lili? Tell me what happened,” he fought to keep his voice gentle, struggled to keep the white hot anger inside.

  “I…it was at the reception your mother gave us,” she whispered after a few minutes, her sigh tired of holding the secret inside.

  “We arrived separate because of work stuff,” he recalled thoughtfully, working to gather the memory. “I saw you across the room and then got…sidetracked…my father and some friends talking about their business.”

  “I know…Rosemary said you wanted to talk to me and took me to this room next to the kitchen…but it was a lie,” she whispered, panting softly as the fear returned. “Jonathon…they…she was taking photos…laughing because I tried to fight him…said…said their friends would get a kick out of the pictures…”

  “You had a bruise on your jaw and cheek,” he felt his stomach clench. “You told me you’d hit a cabinet at work. He struck you?”

  “He backhanded me when I tried to scream…he tried to…he said…your father would pay…pay a lot of money for photos of me…of me and him…” she felt the hot stinging behind her eyelids. “That it would prove to you I was a…a slut after your money and…but Misty and Marcus…Marcus hit him and Misty took her phone.”

  “That’s why you changed clothes,” he said coldly.

  “My blouse was torn…Misty took me to our room and helped me. I made them promise….promise me you won’t tell,” she breathed thickly.

  “Why, Lili? I should have beat the living hell out of him for that!”

  “That’s why,” she answered simply, tired as the warmth crept back into her. “I never wanted to come between you and your friends…your relatives…but the more I tried, the worse it was…nothing I did was right. They said I’d never fit…never be good enough for you.”

  “Marcus kept his promise,” Oliver brushed her head with his lips, holding her close as he felt her slipping back to sleep. A more settled peaceful sleep that held her until morning. But it was a long time before he let himself relax enough to sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lili heard the radio go off and automatically reached to slap the snooze button, the male grumblings breaking into her sleep fuzzed brain. Both of them lay on their stomachs, her palm patting over a pair of broad shoulders and onto a neck.

  It was only when her fingers came in contact with a scruffy, bristled chin that she jerked her hand back and her head up. Dark lashes blinked repeatedly, taking in the bare shoulders and single blue eye staring at her. The memory came back and her head crashed back down with a low groan.

  Oliver reached out carefully, fingers padding over the top of the clock radio until a semi-familiar button was beneath his finger. He pressed it hopefully and silence filled the room once more. He wasn’t sure how they gravitated toward one another but he did remember it once she was on her side and spooned against him. It took every ounce of self-control to keep his palm from sliding down her side, onto her thigh and then the rounded ass pressing against him.

  The steady, smooth breathing told him she had slipped back into sleep at the same time his body told him his sleep time was finished for the night. He moved carefully back just enough so they weren’t touching where she’d know immediately where his mind had gone.

  She stretched when the music began again, the sounds of her soft purrs echoing in his memory when she instantly sat up with her hands reaching high above her. He watched the oversized t-shirt rise and grinned.

  “Nice t-shirt,” he commented softly, keeping his voice low since there wasn’t any noise from the crib yet.

  Lili worked to hide the jolt that soft, sexy voice sent shooting through her and glanced negligently over her shoulder at the grin.

  “Yeah…some guy gave it to me,” she answered, tossing the blankets back and stepping onto the floor. A quick peek at the crib and she was headed to the bathroom. Hopefully enough time for a quick shower. She left the door open, listening to the monitor on the counter as she set the water to hot and went through her routine. Less than ten minutes later, freshly minted and still a little damp, she stepped into the room and over to the large walk-in closet.

  Oliver leaned on his side, palm holding his head as memories of watching her in the mornings filtered through his mind. She’d glanced toward the crib, breathing a sigh that things were still quiet before she draped the towel over the chair and wiggled into a pair of pastel girl briefs that hugged her hips enviously with hints of lace.

  Next came the fitted, snug lace tank that she wore beneath her clothes. He knew from experience she had three colors. Beige, white and black, and wore whatever her fingers snagged because she rarely looked into the drawer, just reached in and grabbed.

  The tank was pulled over her head as she stepped into the closet, hands up and tugging either slacks or a fitted black skirt free. This morning it was a skirt she dropped over her head before reaching for a black scoop necked tee shirt to wear beneath her work tunic. It wasn’t until she had the t-shirt tucked in and zipper up that she turned and realized he’d been watching her the whole time. He grinned as her eyes swept back through her actions and then narrowed on him.

  He shrugged.

  “I’m a victim of my gender,” he said without remorse, tossing the blankets back and sitting up at the same time the gurgling began in the crib. Feet were up and kicking, little fingers pulling at the bars until a very tousled looking blonde head came into view. Sleep filled blue eyes scanned the area at the same time she put another set of fingers around another bar and pulled herself to her knees. Hands shook the sides as a burst of chatter broke free, pale lashes blinking and eyes shooting from one adult to the other in what appeared to be glee.

  “A minute,” Lili held up one hand and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a towel and warm, damp cloth. “The bathroom is yours now,” she told him, chattering happily to the baby who had dropped to her behind and was busy waving arms in the air.

  Oliver thought about her comment while he was in the bathroom. He found a new toothbrush in the drawer and stared at the stubble on his face. They’d never lived in such close quarters. The apartment he had in Manhattan was easily three times as large with two and a half baths. With the exception of not having his personal things there, though, it wasn’t a bad place to be, he concluded, dragging the t-shirt on as he wandered into the bedroom and then out into the main room. Lili had dressed and buckled Hailey into the highchair, tiny fingers stuffing little oat circles into her mouth.

  “Lili, about the birth control thing,” Oliver waited while she finished adding things to the travel bag for Hailey.

  “What about it?” She returned absently, frowning and adding a few more oat circles to the tray.

  “We’d talked about having one child, remember?” He met the dark eyes that were up abruptly, blinking as if words were just registering. “We have our one child, Lili.”

  “I…but…” her mind churned. “We have a girl.”

  “I did notice that,” he said with a chuckle, pouring himself some orange juice and meeting her gaze over the rim. “I think the first clue was all the pink.”

  “But she’s not a boy,” Lili tried again, chewing her lip.

  “So?”

  “But…I thought…”

  “A daughter is a fine way to continue us, Lili,” one brow went up at the confusion in her eyes. “Why do you think we need a boy?”


  “Well, your parents told me…how very important it was…” She stopped suddenly when his finger was up and touching her mouth seconds before he kissed her and sunk into a chair next to Hailey. It had been told to her repeatedly that she’d failed him by not providing him with an heir, a son.

  “Not in front of our child, Lili,” he repeated with abruptly neutral features. He lifted a spoon of the cereal and fruit mixture Lili had waiting and offered it to Hailey. “I’m perfectly happy with our decision and our daughter. I’ll contact a friend I know and fix the problem for us.”

  “I…you…Oliver, this is something we should discuss and not talking about your parents…” She stopped and stomped a foot when he held up a warning finger, lips pulled into a taut pout.

  “Let’s try not to pass that behavior onto Hailey,” he teased, another spoonful of cereal making it safely through the waving fingers and into the mouth.

  “What are you talking about?” She demanded, striding into the kitchen and preparing the day bottles for Hailey.

  “The stomping foot and sulking when you don’t get your way,” he commented, both brows up when she glared at him. He watched her eyes widen before she looked at her feet.

  “Oh, god…I did…it’s you,” she said flatly. “Now I’m running behind. I can’t argue with you in the mornings, it totally throws off our schedule.”

  “Then go. We’re fine,” he told her easily, dropping a few of the oat circles to the tray before slipping another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

  “I…fine? You…what do you mean?”

  “I mean I can handle this, Lili. I’ll finish feeding her, clean her up and drop her off at the daycare. I don’t have hours like yours,” he told her with a shrug. “I think I can handle mornings with my daughter without the world falling apart.”

  Lili was stepping into her shoes, her head tilted. She carried the baby bag to the front door and went to the table. “You’re serious?”

  “Serious,” he tapped his lips. “Kiss me good bye and go. I’ll see you tonight.”

  Lili did as he said and found a clean spot on Hailey’s cheek. “Oliver, are you sure about this?”

  “What don’t you trust about it, Lili?” His eyes caught on the heavy silver chain around her neck. One he’d given her to hold her wedding ring. He set the spoon down and lifted it with one finger. “You used to trust me.”

  “I…I do trust you,” she swallowed and stepped back, looking from the baby happily being fed by her father to the man who seemed very comfortable with his morning routine.

  “Then go off and bake things and we’ll see you tonight,” Oliver lifted the cup of juice and offered it to Hailey, grinning at the excitement when she knew what she was after, two little hands clasping the cup greedily. “Bye, Lili.”

  “Alright. Bye…later…” she reluctantly lifted her bag and set it down again, her head shaking. “Oliver, I’m not sure…”

  “Have a great day, Lili,” he said firmly. “Go.”

  Lili remained in place, her hand on the door for a minute before she wiped both palms down the sides of her skirt. Her tongue traveled slowly around her lower lip after she’d bitten down on it.

  “You…you really did take a child care class?” She asked, unable to stop from looking at Hailey and then Oliver. Her breathing stopped when he dropped a few oat circles to the tray, made certain things were out of grabbing distance and pushed himself to his full six foot three.

  Lili felt her eyes widen, watching him cross the distance, bare foot and looking very, very different than the man who was always pristinely dressed in imported suits and silk shirts. She felt the edge of the door against her back, only then realizing she’d backed up a step.

  Oliver put a hand on each of her shoulders, gently cupping them.

  “Lili…I spent three nights a week…three hours a night…for eight weeks…in a child care class that covered from birth until four years of age,” he told her clearly.

  “Why?” Lili knew she heard the word whispered in her mind. She just wasn’t sure it had broken from between her lips until she heard his answer. She watched him draw in a long breath, casually glancing over at the baby playing with the oat circles.

  “Because I needed to know what I was missing,” he said softly, meeting her eyes and continuing. “Because I wanted…no, I needed to believe I’d need the skills in the near future. Because I needed to believe I could find you and make things right, Lili.”

  “Umm…oh…” she was positive her knees were shaking but nodded and backed up, her fingers wrapped around the pack she carried. “I’ll…I’ll pick her up after work…at the center…”

  “I’ll meet you there,” he promised, grinning as she nodded again and turned to disappear out the door. Oliver let the door latch before going to finish feeding Hailey.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lili wandered into the small deliciously shrouded garden Mia had constructed outside her kitchen. Roses and shrubs created a nice barrier from the world and it’s where she took the tall smoothie she’d created for herself, sinking to the wide bench and sliding her feet free of her shoes before lying back on the warmed stone. The sun was overhead but a shadow formed next to her, making her raise one hand to shield her eyes and squint.

  “There’s a snitch in my kitchen,” she murmured, not protesting when he lifted her feet and sat on the bench, hands absently massaging. “Okay…the snitch lives for another day,” she breathed, ignoring his chuckle.

  “That’s not a very good lunch, Lili,” Oliver lifted a bag from the side and set it on the flat of her stomach. He watched her nose twitch once and then once again, a frown forming. “Gyro and Greek fries,” he confirmed, amazed at the speed when she straightened up, hiked the skirt on her thighs and sat cross legged staring from him to the bag. “I know your weaknesses,” he opened the bag and offered her a large container and a fork.

  “You’re very clever,” she said after several bites and a sigh, accepting the tall bottle of water he pulled from his side. She leaned slightly, checking for other things but coming up empty. “I thought you had an office to build?”

  “The office is already standing, Lili,” he said through a grin and a bite of the savory lamb mixture. “One of the disgusting things about being a boss is I make my own hours. So if I want to spend lunch with my wife, I simply make it happen.”

  “It’s a nice date,” Lili said after a few seconds, nodding almost to herself. She felt another part of her melt when the sun caught the gold and silver of his wedding ring.

  “I never took it off,” he said as if reading her thoughts, their eyes meeting. “It meant a great deal to me when you slid it on at our wedding, Lili. I have something to show you tomorrow. After breakfast. Then I think taking Hailey for a ride on the carousel would be a fun afternoon.”

  “You…you really brought all our things from New York? From the apartment?” She licked her fingers and picked up a crispy potato, biting down and chewing.

  “Everything is in storage. When we unpack, keep what you want, donate it, I don’t care. Lots of places here to find what you want in our place,” Oliver shrugged. “Some of it…not my style. But I never cared enough one way or the other to change it. I don’t think I spent as much time there alone as I did after we got together, maybe that’s the difference. It never felt like a place I wanted to be.”

  “My apartment is much too small…” She thought about what he’d said. “You found a place to live. That’s where we’re going tomorrow, isn’t it?” She stared at him and knew immediately that she was right.

  “I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said with a long, only slightly exaggerated sigh.

  Lili dropped the container into the bag, full lips pulled into a taut little frown.

  “A surprise.”

  Oliver tossed his container to join hers and stood up, taking her hand and walking over the flat stones laid out behind the large buildings.

  “A surprise, Lili. For you.” He saw o
ne brow rise. “And before I get the lecture, I earned the damn money I have. I worked for it and I damn well enjoy making it. I like the puzzles and challenges in turning a company around and profiting from it, even if I pace and swear at the time I’m doing it. The point being, it’s my money and it’s my responsibility to provide for my family, you and Hailey. I know you don’t give a flying fuck about it and it’s not why you hooked up with me. That’s fine. I always knew you didn’t give a damn about my money, no matter what anyone else claimed. Yes, it’s a present for you. It’s in your name. And I bought it because I believe I know what you like and I wanted you to have it.” He pulled a slow breath into his lungs. “I wanted you to have it whether you gave me a second chance or not, Lili.”

  “Wow…I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that speech before,” she said after a long pause.

  “Yeah, well…”

  “You’ve never said that before,” she said after a few seconds. “About enjoying what you do.”

  “I never realized it until we started dating and talking. Anyone else always wanted to know how profitable it was,” he carried her hand to his lips. “You’re the first person who ever asked if I enjoyed what I was doing. It threw me. You, threw me, on a regular basis and on so many levels. I also never realized how much I missed it until…until you withdrew from me,” Oliver swung their hands between them as they walked. Another something she did when they’d walk around New York City instead of hide in the back of a car or taxi.

  “I never needed your fancy presents,” she said softly.

  “I know. And I’m not sure a house qualifies as a fancy present.”

  “It does if you had anything to do with it,” she murmured, imagining some mansion with high gates and spires.