by Ashlee Price
At the memory of the expression on her face as I left her, of her sobs bouncing off the steel walls, pain grips my chest.
She probably hates me now, but that’s fine. That means she can go on loving Michael as she did before. He’s who she belongs with. I was just an accident.
I tell myself that as I walk towards the front porch.
Toby lifts his head and looks at me sadly.
“Don’t give me that look,” I tell him. “She’s right where she belongs—in the city with the man she’s supposed to marry.”
Toby drops his head and lets out a snort.
I pause on the steps. “What? Are you getting mad at me because I gave her up?”
He looks away.
I sigh. “I guess you have a right to be mad. You were the one who found her, after all, and you didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”
I sit on the steps and he crawls over to me and places his head on my lap.
I pet him. “You miss Grace, huh?”
Of course he does. She was a part of the farm, a member of the household. She was my wife.
And now, she’s my brother’s.
She’s happy, and I should be happy for her. For them.
Toby lets out another sigh and so do I.
Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t forget Grace, much less be happy for her now that she’s with another man, even if it is my brother. Every morning that I wake up, I reach for her and frown to find the bed half empty. Every night, I wish I could sleep with her in my arms. I eat alone and wish it was her food I was eating. I feed the horses and see the foal so strong and healthy and wish Grace were around to see her grow into a beautiful mare.
I pat Toby’s head. “I know, Toby. I miss her, too.”
“I thought you did.”
I turn my head to see Phil approaching the house. Toby lifts his head and looks at him as well.
“Phil? What are you doing here?”
“Hoping to talk some sense into you,” he answers. “If not, I might just punch you in the face.”
My eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean?”
Phil sits beside me on the steps. “I mean, my boy, that you’ve been a fool.”
My eyebrows go up.
“I was hoping you’d realize it on your own, but I’ve waited long enough. And it’s not just me. It’s Nancy and Jerry and Stu. Everyone in Hope Creek has been waiting.”
“For what?”
“Grace, of course.” Phil nudges my shoulder. “You should never have come back without her.”
“But I have.” I fix my eyes on the horizon. “She found out who she was, and I left her right where she belonged.”
“Bullshit!”
I throw Phil a puzzled look.
In all my years of knowing him, I don’t think I’ve ever heard him curse so emphatically before.
“That girl belongs here in Hope Creek just like you,” Phil tells me.
I shake my head. “How do you know?”
“Because fate brought her here.”
I give my head another shake. I’m not exactly a fan of fate right now.
“And because the man she loves is here.”
I pause at that.
“Besides,” Phil goes on. “Nancy keeps on talking about how everyone wants Grace to make nice clothes for them after they saw what Nancy was wearing at her birthday party. You’d think they were wearing rags before.”
I ignore that.
“How do you know that?” I ask again.
“Nancy told me so.”
“No. That other thing you said. How do you know Grace… loves me?”
Phil shakes his head. “Son, I’d be a fool not to know. And just so you remember, I’m actually a genius, not that it takes a genius to see that.” He looks at me. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
“She told me,” I confess.
He punches my arm. “Then why the hell are you asking for my opinion when you know for a fact that she loves you?”
“Ow.” I rub my arm. “For an old man, you sure can punch.”
“So don’t make me punch you in the face,” Phil threatens. “And don’t change the subject. You knew Grace loved you. She said it herself. And still you let her go?”
“She said it before she found out who she really was.”
“Who cares? When you love someone, it doesn’t matter who you are or who the person you love is. Love is love, and unlike the mind, the heart does not change very easily.”
I say nothing.
“You didn’t leave her because she didn’t love you,” Phil expresses his thoughts out loud. “You gave her up.”
I look at him.
Damn. The man really is a genius.
I stand up. “She was supposed to marry my brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Michael, my younger brother. I never thought I’d see him again, but he’s there at City Q with my parents. And Grace was his girlfriend.”
“Good Lord,” Phil mutters.
I glance at him. “Now you know why.”
“Yes, I know why you wanted to leave her behind,” Phil admits. “But I still don’t understand why you did.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “I thought you were a genius.”
“Travis, you left her because you realized your brother loved her first,” he says. “You left her because you didn’t want to hurt your brother or have him hate you.”
“I think he already does.”
“Exactly. So why did you still leave Grace behind?”
“Because it was the right thing to do,” I answer. “Grace was never meant to come to Hope Creek and meet me.”
“Horseshit!” Phil stands up. “Tell me, Travis. When you left Grace in the city, did you ask her if she wanted to be left behind? Did you let her decide, or did you just leave her?”
I don’t answer.
“Did you ask her how she felt?”
Still, I don’t answer.
To my surprise, Phil grabs the front of my shirt. “You didn’t ask, did you?”
“She didn’t have her memories back yet, so she wasn’t in any condition to decide.”
To my even greater surprise, Phil punches me in the jaw.
I rub it and look at him with wide eyes.
I can’t believe he really punched me.
“You deserved that. You asked for it, you lily-livered wimp.”
I look at him with creased eyebrows. “Phil?”
“I bet you didn’t ask because you were afraid she’d choose you and then you’d have to whisk her away from your brother right in front of his eyes. You were afraid she’d tell you wholeheartedly that she loved you and then you’d have to love her the same way and not your half-assed way.”
“Yes!” I raise my voice. “I was afraid. I was afraid she’d choose me and then regret it. I didn’t want her to choose me because I was the only one she remembered, because I was the one she was with recently. I want her to choose me knowing that she has a choice.”
“Then why did you leave before she could make that choice, hmm?”
I sit down and run my hands through my hair. “I don’t know. I was scared and confused and… I don’t know.”
Phil sits beside me and pats my knee. “We all make bad decisions when we’re overwhelmed with emotion. And then, when the emotions clear, we regret them.”
I say nothing.
“The good thing is that for you, regret is not the only option. You can still change your decision. You can still go back to the city and bring Grace back to Hope Creek.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head. “She’s probably married to my brother by now.”
“So you’re just giving up. That’s it?”
I don’t answer.
Phil squeezes my knee. “Son, you’re a soldier, aren’t you? You’re a fighter. So fight!”
“This isn’t a battle I know I can win.”
“It’s a battle you need to fight,” Phil tells me. “And you won’t know whethe
r or not you can win until you try fighting.”
I sigh.
“Go to Grace and tell her you love her. Ask her how she feels. If she loves your brother, you can let her go and move on, not sulk like you’ve been doing lately.”
I look at him. “I’ve been sulking?”
“If she loves you, bring her home. She’ll be happy. You’ll be happy. Even your brother will be happy, because he won’t have to live with a woman who no longer loves him. It’s that simple.”
Is it?
I shake my head. “I don’t know, Phil.”
“You’re scared. I know. You don’t want to hope, but you’re from Hope Creek. Of course you’re hoping for the best.”
I glance at him. “And preparing for the worst?”
Phil nods. “Do that. Just go after her, Travis. Give yourself another chance, or maybe a real chance this time.”
I let out a deep breath.
Phil is right. I shouldn’t have given up Grace so easily. That was a mistake. It’s a mistake I’m not making again—that is, if I still have time to correct it.
“But how do I get back to the city so quickly?” I ask Phil. “You know I stole a hovercraft from the Lab, which I why I got back here in four days, but that’s now buried in the mud outside. If I go on foot, I’ll—”
“Of course you can’t go on foot,” Phil interrupts. “Time is of the essence.”
I shrug. “Then how do I get to City Q?”
“Are you seriously asking me that? After all these years, do you not have faith in me?”
My eyebrows furrow.
“Come on.” He grabs my arm. “I have just the thing for you.”
Chapter 27
Grace
“It looks perfect on you.”
Elisa lets out a gasp of awe as I walk out of the cubicle in the dressing room, a few rooms away from the function hall where my wedding is set to take place.
And as I stand in front of the mirror and gaze at my reflection, I have to agree.
The tiered white gown which hangs off my shoulders may not be made of chiffon or organza, and it may not have beads, pearls or crystals, but it’s well-made and it fits my curves like a glove.
I have to admit it’s one of my masterpieces.
I turn to Elisa. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.”
She shakes her head. “You did most of the work. I just pricked my fingers like always.”
She holds up her two bandaged fingers.
I grin. “I guess some things never change.”
Elisa smiles, then suddenly wraps her arms around me.
“Oh.”
“I really am happy for you,” she says. “You’re marrying the man of your dreams and more importantly, the man you love, the man who completes you and brings out the best in you, the one who makes your heart ache and flutter at the same time.”
She pulls away and wipes a tear.
“I’m sure there’s no better kind of happy in the world.”
I fall silent.
The man who completes me and brings out the best in me…
“Grace?” Elisa sniffles. “I’m sorry. Did I say too much? Weddings make me sappy.”
I shake my head. “No. You said just what I needed to hear.”
She gives me a confused look.
“Sorry, but can you leave me alone for a moment?” I ask her.
“Of course.” She squeezes my hand. “These are your last moments as a single woman. Your life is about to change. Take it in. Take it all in.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“I’ll wait in the hall.”
She leaves the room and I look back at my reflection.
I see a bride in a wedding dress, yes. But do I see a happy woman? Do I see a woman in love?
I sit down as I go over Elisa’s words, which blend in with the other jumbled thoughts in my head.
I know I said yes to Michael. I know I’ve been telling myself I’m going to marry him and be happy with him. I’ve been trying to forget Travis.
But it’s no use.
Each time I’m with Michael, my thoughts wander. My ears just won’t listen to him, even though I was never bored with his scientific explanations and his compliments before. My eyes keep looking away. My hand just doesn’t seem to fit in his. And each time he kisses me, my lips just won’t kiss him back. Nor does my body respond in any other way. My heart won’t even flutter like Elisa said it’s supposed to.
I remember Michael, but it’s as if I don’t know him anymore.
Should I marry a man I don’t know, much less love?
I glance at the diamond ring on my finger.
I know I loved him before with all my heart and all my soul. I would have given him the world and made him mine.
But looking back, maybe I loved him because I needed to be in love, needed something to live for in such a dreary place. I needed someone because I had no one.
And I loved Michael because he was the first guy who was kind to me, who paid attention to me, who made me feel like I was worth something, that I was even special.
I loved Michael because he saved me.
I run my fingers over the pendant of my necklace and grip it as I close my eyes.
Travis saved me, too, in a more literal way. He saved my life and brought me to Hope Creek. But I didn’t love him because of that or because I was supposed to love him because he was my husband.
I fell in love with him because of who he was in spite of not knowing who I was.
Michael helped me survive. Travis taught me to live again.
I open my eyes and they stare back at me from the mirror, no longer lost or uncertain.
I know who I must choose.
I stand up and look around, searching for something to write on. I see a pen and the torn half of a piece of paper in a drawer and I write.
Michael,
Thank you for being my light in my darkest days, my anchor in stormy seas. You will always have a special spot in my heart, but I’m afraid that someone else owns it now. I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you, but I must go to where my heart is, to where true joy and love wait for me—the same things I wish for you.
Grace
I fold the piece of paper so I can put it on the table, but it slips from my fingers as the door opens suddenly.
Who—?
“Hello, Grace.”
I turn around and see Belinda closing the door behind her.
“So, we meet again.”
My eyes grow wide. “B—Belinda?”
“So it’s true. You remember everything now.”
I step back as a foreboding creeps up my spine. “What do you want, Belinda?”
“Nothing new, actually. Just the same as before.” She pulls a gun from her purse and points it at me. “To get rid of you.”
My face grows pale as I stare at the gun. My breath catches.
I look into her eyes and see the scorching hatred there, the disgust that stabs me like a knife.
Michael told me his mother wasn’t coming to the wedding, that he had told her not to.
I should have known she would still come. I should have remembered that a predator is always more dangerous when cornered.
I should have known she wouldn’t stand for this wedding, that she still hated me.
Yes, some things never change.
“Put the gun down, Belinda,” I whisper.
She steps forward. “How dare you tell me what to do? No one tells me what to do.”
I put my hands up. “Don’t do this. I promise that if you put the gun down, I’ll leave Michael alone.”
“And you think I believe you? Well, I don’t need you to leave Michael alone anyway. I’ll be erasing his memories so he won’t even remember you.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You’d do that to your own son?”
“I’d rather my son lose some memories than lose him.”
My jaw clenches, but I take a deep breath.
/> “If Michael won’t remember me anyway, why kill me?”
Belinda shrugs. “I just want to make sure he never falls in love with you again.”
I nod. Poor Belinda. She’s that scared of me.
“And because I always finish things I start. You escaped me the first time. You won’t be so lucky this time.”
Just then, the door behind Belinda opens.
She steps aside just as Michael comes in.
My eyes grow wide. “Michael?”
“What do you mean she escaped the first time, Mom?” Michael asks her.
She looks at him but keeps her gun pointed at me. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Because I was supposed to drink that drug you prepared for me? Because I was supposed to lose consciousness and then wake up without my memories of Grace?”
Belinda’s jaw drops in shock. “How—?”
Michael holds up a small, triangle-shaped device between his fingers.
“You’ve been very naughty, Mom.”
Belinda’s eyebrows bunch up in anger. “You were spying on me, your own mother?”
“You were going to have my memories wiped out,” Michael points out. “Your own son.”
Belinda moves closer to me. “You. You did this. You turned my son against me.”
“You did that on your own when you talked me into agreeing to that procedure and ordered your men to throw me away,” I tell her.
She puts her finger to the trigger. “How dare—”
Michael stands in front of me.
Belinda lowers the gun for a moment, then raises it again. “Fine. I’ll just shoot you and then her. You already hate me anyway. You might as well be dead.”
My eyebrows go up. Unbelievable. Is Belinda out of her mind?
She looks like it. Her arms are shaking and her eyes are restless. A bead of sweat trickles down her face.
“And you think Dad will let you get away with that?” Michael asks her.
“Your father doesn’t care.”
“He does. About me, and about the law,” Michael tells her.
“There’s no law.”
“There are a few laws, one of which is that you must never harm a woman with child.”
My heart stops. A woman with child? Is he… talking about me?
Belinda lowers her gun. “What do you mean?”