by Ambere Sabo
Chapter 11
Adan
Present day…
Before Alex, I never knew what a home was. After her, every night with her in my arms, regardless of location, could only be described as home. Without her, home was gone. I remembered searching for the perfect house to give her. A place for us to call home…
***
Fourteen years ago…
School is almost over for me, so it’s time to start a new chapter in my life. A new official chapter with Alex. I need to find a new place to live for after graduation. I can’t just crash in Alex’s dorm room for the next year. I need a place. We need a place.
I haven’t spent much of the money I’ve earned working the past few years. Alex is the only thing I ever care to spend money on. Her happiness is the only way to cleanse the tainted money. Buying her a house is a perfect use of the funds sitting in my secret bank account.
It takes me months of house hunting to find the perfect home to buy for Alex. I start before graduation. She’s spent so much time describing the home she imagined having one day, I have an image in my mind.
I’ve walked through so many homes, nearly deciding the perfect home doesn’t exist. And then one day in the paper, there it is. A new listing. It’s just outside the town limits, has a good-sized yard, is the perfect style. When I meet the realtor there, as soon as I set eyes on it, I know it’s the one. I buy it the day it goes on the market. Right after my graduation.
I spend weeks after the deal closes finding the perfect furnishings for it. Whenever she takes those design classes, I pay close attention to everything she shows me, everything that she adores, remembering each piece for future reference.
Those classes awaken something in her I thought died years ago in a cell. When she first showed such interest in something, I vowed right then to do everything I could to give her the life she deserved and surround her with things she loved. I comb shops, estate sales, dealers. It takes some time, but finally, I have the house perfect for her.
I plan to show it to her tomorrow. She’s disappointed I can’t come over early today. I lie and tell her I have to work. Well, it’s not really a lie. I do have work to do. Work on getting everything perfect for her to see tomorrow. I could’ve paid people to come do everything. But I have this strong urge to do it all myself. For her.
After spending hours in our new home, I stand back and inspect my work. The hardwood floors gleam so brightly they throw my reflection back at me. The furniture is placed perfectly. The kitchen sparkles and smells of lemony freshness. The fridge and pantry are stocked with all the foods I know are her favorites. Dishes fill the cabinets. Wine chills in the wine cooler. A vase of lilies, her favorite, sits on the dining room table. The painting she fell in love with at the art gallery we visited a couple of months ago, hangs over the fireplace. The master bedroom is my crowning jewel. Candles cover the surface of the dressers and nightstands. Rose petals sit on our new bed.
Everything is perfect. Or it will be once she’s here.
Chapter 12
Alex
Fourteen years ago…
“Keep your eyes closed,” Adan tells me as he leads me by the arm out of the car.
Giggling, I reply, “They’re closed, Adan. Will you tell me what’s going on?”
“We’re almost there. Alright, there are three steps here. Be careful,” he directs, his arm securely around my waist as he keeps my blind steps steady. “Ok, now wait right here,” he finishes after leading me a few more steps.
The sound of keys jingling tickles my ears. Then a door creaks open. In seconds, he’s back by my side, shuffling me forward. “Okay, open them,” he tells me, excitement clear in his tone.
The living area in front of me is magnificent. My eyes move over every detail. I feel like he memorized every piece I raved about in my design classes, because they’re all here in front of me. I’ve found my niche in school, despite my parents’ protests, with design, and Adan has been nothing but supportive of my dreams. But this, this is amazing.
“Adan,” I whisper bringing my hand to my mouth. “This is amazing. Whose house is this?” I ask turning to face him.
“It’s mine… and yours if you’d like,” he tells me with a hint of fear in his eyes.
“What?” I exclaim. “What do you mean it's yours, Adan? I don’t understand.”
“The house is a gift from my father for graduating. Though I hope you’ll make it a home and live here with me,” he finishes, casting his eyes to the ground before I can respond.
There’s something he’s not telling me. That’s his tell. He always looks at his feet when he isn’t being honest with me.
Hooking my finger under his chin, I force him to make eye contact with me. “Adan, what aren’t you telling me?” I ask, searching his eyes for the truth.
“Well… I kind of had it furnished with all of your favorite pieces from class this last semester,” he admits sheepishly.
I can’t help the smile that spreads on my face, as I turn and run down the hallway to the left. It only takes me a few tries of throwing open doors to find the master bedroom. When I see it, I leap onto the gorgeous four-poster, mahogany bed. It’s a renaissance style with curtains and ties. The bedding is done in a light purple, my favorite color, and I can’t help but think of Lena.
“What’s wrong?” Adan asks reaching to cup my face. “I can have anything you don’t like changed, mi Amor,” he rushes out.
“No,” I exclaim, quickly shaking my head. “It’s perfect, Adan. I was just thinking about Lena.”
“Come with me,” he says as he takes my hand.
I slide from the bed and follow him through the house. We pass through a gorgeous kitchen. Then he stops me in the dining room. The pictures on the wall take my breath away.
“Oh, Adan, where did you get these?” I ask reaching for the frame, running my hand down the side.
“The photographer from the quince. I went to him to see if he still had the film, hoping we could get some pictures reproduced. It turns out my mother never had them developed after you both went missing. I thought this would bring her here. Into our home.”
Tears flow down my face, as I look at the collage of pictures from the last night I spent as a child. The last night I spent with my best friend where we were truly happy. Tracing my finger over our smiles, I have no words. Turning into Adan, I hug him, as tightly as I can. In all the things he’s bought for our home this… this means the most.
He smiles down at me. He did this all for me. For us. My heart feels like it could burst with love for him. The mischievous sparkle in his eyes makes heat race through my body. I look up at him seductively. My tongue darts out to lick my lower lip. Heat flashes in his eyes, and his grip on me tightens. I step back just a bit. “Now that we have a home of our own, with all these rooms and surfaces, I think we need to christen every room, starting now,” I say as I take off running. Making sure I go slow enough that he knows I want him to catch me. Damn, do I want him to catch me.
Chapter 13
Alex
Thirteen years ago…
Today’s the day. Four years of college is going to be rewarded with a degree. And not just any degree, but a degree in a field I’m passionate about. A few years ago, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be passionate about anything again. The past four years have been blissful. Being able to freely be with Adan without worrying about anyone’s judgment or disapproval has done wonders to heal a lot that was wounded within me. My heart was battered, but it works, and it loves.
With school so far from home, I don’t have to worry too much about encountering my parents’ disdain for Adan. Just a few words occasionally when I call home. I never tell him what they say. I can’t bear to cause him any more pain on their behalf than what they’d caused all those years ago when Lena and I were taken. Only one of us returned, and that was on my parents.
Today isn’t the day for having those kinds of thoughts. Today is for celebrating. My family
is making the long trip to be here for the ceremony, but they have to leave immediately afterward for the flight back home. I can keep everything civil between the people I love for a few hours at least.
I slip into the new purple dress Adan insisted on buying me. It’s beautiful. Too bad my graduation gown covers it up. A knock on the door distracts me from putting on the finishing touches.
“Are you decent in there,” Adan’s voice asks through the wood.
“Of course,” I say as I open the door to the bathroom. Every time I see Adan in a suit, it steals my breath.
He wraps his hands around my waist and says, “I wish you weren’t.”
Before I can answer, his lips press hotly against mine. I allow myself to get lost in him for a few moments. No matter how many times he’s kissed me like this over the past few years—and it’s been too many times to count—each time causes butterflies to flutter in my stomach as if it was the very first time our lips touched.
“As much as I’d like to help you out of this dress right now, we have to leave in about five minutes, so you can meet up with your parents before the ceremony starts.”
He helps me slip the gown over my dress and pin my cap to my hair. We stand in front of the mirror, staring at our reflections. The pride that shines in his eyes speaks volumes to my heart. “She’d be so proud of you,” he whispers.
I nod, unable to speak over the lump in my throat.
“She’s here. I feel her,” he says into my ear.
Nothing could ruin the day for me after that.
Graduation is a blur. I can’t recall a single thing any of the speakers say. My parents are a bit standoffish to Adan, but at least they don’t say anything outright rude. They even sit up front with him during the ceremony. Once it’s over, they rush off with hurried hugs and reminders of the party they’ve planned next weekend to celebrate.
Adan offers to take me to our favorite place for dinner. Of course, I agree. The pasta there is to die for. Adan is oddly quiet during dinner. I really hope my parents didn’t say anything rude to him during graduation when I wasn’t around to referee. I babble about my upcoming job interview to make up for his lack of conversation. He just nods and mmhm’s me throughout the entire one-sided conversation. He’s sweating. Maybe he’s coming down with something. Adan never sweats, except when he plays futbol.
Once I finish telling him about the company and the design work I’ll be doing, I think maybe I can snap him out of his stupor by seducing him.
“So, I was thinking that,” I say, leaning forward and lowering my voice, “we could skip dessert here and instead have dessert at home.” I stroke my fingers across the sensitive skin between his thumb and forefinger where they rest on the table. Licking my lips, I continue, “What do—”
He snatches his hand from beneath my fingers and stuffs it under the table. I try to hide the hurt I feel. Before I can excuse myself to go to the bathroom for a little cry, his hands are back on the table. They’re clasped around something. He licks his lips and looks at me nervously. He’s scaring me. Adan is never nervous.
His fingers part, revealing a small velvet box. My mind can’t process what it might be before he manages to flip the lid open. The ring nestled inside the pocket of velvet catches the light of the flickering candles. The sparkles are mesmerizing. The diamond winks at me and robs me of breath. My vision blurs. My heart thunders in my chest. And my ears ring. He drops to his knees by my side, holding my hands in his. His lips are moving, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
“…loved you…moment…first saw you… marry me?”
His face looks at mine expectantly. I’ve missed his whole beautiful speech. But I did hear the most important part. The question.
I can’t contain the joy that explodes from the depths of my chest and spreads across my face. Nodding, I say, “Yes.”
After he slips the ring onto my finger, he crushes my mouth to his in a soul-searing kiss. No kiss has ever meant more than this one in this moment. When we finally came up for air, I say, “I love you.”
“God, Alex, I love you more than I ever imagined it would be possible to love a person. You are the single best thing in my life. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
His speech is interrupted by our waiter. “Would either of you care for dessert?”
We both answer, “No,” simultaneously.
As the waiter goes off to get our check, Adan whispers, “What was that about dessert at home?”
***
Time flies from the night we got engaged until the time comes for us to fly back to my parents’ house. Every moment when it’s just the two of us is heaven. I really hope we aren’t flying to hell. A large part of me worries about how my parents will react to our news. I sleep most of the flight, keeping me from having to talk about my worries to Adan.
When he wakes me hours later, my neck is stiff from leaning against his shoulder. His tender fingers work the kinks out as the plane lands. In the blink of an eye, we go from disembarking to driving up to my parents’ large estate in the limo they sent for us. Coming back after a few years, gives me a whole new perspective. It’s large and formal and cold. I’m more thankful than ever for the home Adan has provided for me. Our home is everything this one is not—warm and inviting.
Family members swarm me before I can even get inside the house. Happy chatter fills my ears. Adan stays by my side but does his best to not draw attention to himself. He doesn’t want to cause any trouble. My parents have spared no expense in decorations or catering. I make the rounds, thanking everyone for coming and accepting their congratulations. Amazingly, no one notices the diamond-shaped billboard on my finger.
I shoot a look at Adan across the room, silently telling him that I’m going to tell my parents our news.
When he steps to come with me, I shake my head. He meets me in the doorway. “I should probably break the news to them myself first. If that’s OK with you,” I tell him.
“If you’re sure that’s the best plan, Ok.”
I press a quick kiss to his lips and head in the direction I’d seen my parents disappear in earlier. They’re speaking with one of our distant relatives. When they see me, they excuse themselves and come over to me. Enveloped in their combined warmth, I revel in it for just a moment, then push myself back from them.
“Mama, Daddy, I have some news.” I swallow my nerves and soldier on. “Adan and I are getting married.”
“Like hell you are,” my father growls. “I forbid it.” My mother remains quiet, her lips press into a thin, white line.
“I’m a grown-up, and I can do whatever I want. And what I want is to marry Adan. You’ve never given him a chance. He loves me. He takes care of me. He’s always there for me. When I was broken, he is the one who was able to find the pieces and fit them back together. He was the one who helped me survive my nightmares every night after I came back.”
My mother shakes her head as tears fill her eyes. “You deserve so much more.”
“He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. Please, I’m begging you, just try. I don’t want to lose you over this,” I plead with them. The hardness in my father’s eyes tells me it’s a lost cause.
“Alex, it’s time for you to wake up. Let go of your childish fantasies of some princess and the pauper. He’ll never be worthy of you. He can’t give you the life you deserve,” he shouts.
My skin is hot with the efforts of trying to contain my rage. My hands clench into fists. His personal attacks against Adan, who’s been my everything for so many years now, are more than I can handle. I open my mouth and shout back at him. The time for quiet pleading is long over. “Growing up, I always admired your efforts to include and help those less fortunate than we were. I never figured you for such a fraud. Now I see the truth. The lessons you taught me, were lies. You’re such a hypocrite. You always told me to never judge people based on where they came from. Yet here you are, judging my future husband. I hate you!”
A collective gasp fills the room, letting me know our disagreement has gained an audience. He’s humiliated me in front of our friends and family. I have to get out of here.
Adan is instantly by my side. “Are you OK?” he murmurs in my ear.
I nod. “Can we go home now? I’m done here.”
“Of course, mi Amor. Go wait on the porch for me, while I call the airport to arrange a flight for us.”
I do as he asks. Everyone scatters as I leave the house. But they cast looks at me as they pass by. I’ve seen those kinds of looks before—the kids at school wore them when I was returned broken.
I watch as Adan paces the driveway with his phone pressed to his ear.
“Mind if I sit down,” Leti asks in a soft voice.
“Suit yourself.” I’m not in a friendly mood.
“Alex, you know I have loved you as my own daughter practically your whole life. And after… you know… you filled the daughter-sized hole in my heart. I know you think you’re in love. Hell, you probably are. I know you think he’ll fulfill all your dreams and keep all his promises… But he’s not who you think he is.”
She reaches out to grab my hand, but I snatch it back.
“I do love him with all my heart. And he has fulfilled all my dreams. And he’s never broken a promise to me. How could you talk about him like this? He’s your son,” I snap.
“There are things you don’t know about him. He’s my son, so I can say these things. He’s not a good man. If you marry him, you will be sorry.”
“Adan is the best man I have ever known. And I will marry him. Nothing could stop me.”
She shakes her head sadly. “I was young and foolish like you once. I fell in love with a handsome young man. I gave him everything. And for a time, he loved me back. My mistake was thinking love was enough. Because there came a time when it wasn’t. Love doesn’t hide darkness.”
