He shifted and found Kaylee sitting in front of the Christmas tree with wrapped presents spread around her feet. Petite for a twelve-year-old, she wore Christmas pajamas with red slippers tucked under her knees. Mom's auburn-colored hair framed her sleepy face, but bright honey-colored eyes scanned Zach.
"It's Christmas morning! You can't go anywhere. Look, I found a present for you." She waved a wrapped green present in the air, making it rattle against the sides. "It's from Santa!" A full smile spread as she rolled her eyes.
"Are Mom and Dad up yet?" His eyes snapped back up the stairs.
"No, but I'm going up there soon to wake them. I'm dying to find out what this one is." She presented a small box, holding it as if it were the most precious object in the world.
"Kaylee, a friend just texted me. Something has come up, and she needs to stop by and talk. Can you please wait till I'm done before you wake them?"
"On Christmas? Who is it? A new girlfriend?" Her mischievous smile and teasing exaggeration of the word “girlfriend” had his eyes narrowing at her.
"No, just a friend." Zach grabbed the doorknob.
She stuck out her bottom lip, releasing an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, but I go first when we open presents."
"No problem." He hurried out the front door before her curiosity peppered him with any more questions.
Olivia
Olivia's hand shook while she held her phone. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart as the memory of her parents clutching each other tore her apart. Her mind reeled, trying to fathom why he had returned home, but there was no way she could stomach his excuses, his lies, his fake love. Determined to leave before they ambushed her, she cracked the door and listened. No one stood outside, nor did she detect their voices.
It's now or never...
Please don't let them hear me...
Biting her lip, she rushed downstairs as quiet as possible. She hit the last step and lunged for the front door. Pain zipped through her knee as her hand closed around the front doorknob and turned. She pulled−
"Where are you going?" Mom asked quietly from the living room chair.
Startled, Olivia spun around and faced the woman who had betrayed her. "I'm going to Zach's." Her lips peeled back as she shook her head. "I can't be here. I can't even look at him... and you... you were holding him−"
"Wait a minute−"
"No, I'm not listening to you or him.... I have to get out of here.... I—" She tried to speak, but the words stuck in her throat. Her mom reached out, but Olivia pulled back in revulsion. "How could you let him touch you?"
"Let me explain—"
"Mom, I can't..."
Olivia opened the door and ran out into the dusky street. The brisk air hit her face, taking the last of her breath. Calling Sergio was her first impulse, but she knew their family Christmas morning started early. She had to leave her house before she exploded, so she took a chance and called Zach.
Please be out there, Zach.
A tall figure moved across the porch. Her heart fluttered, hurrying as fast as her bum knee took her, not stopping until she hurled herself into his waiting arms. A soft groan escaped him as he held her close, burying his face in her hair.
"Hey, are you hurt? Did you see a demon?" His breath was warm on her scalp as she leaned into his strong embrace.
She shook her head against his chest, unsure she could speak. Her throat raw and her body numb, she gripped the back of his shirt as she grappled for control. His hand skimmed over her hair and down her back.
"Liv−" he whispered. "What's happened?"
She sniffled, pulling back to look up at him. Zach's brow dipped, his eyes bright with concern.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know where else to go−" Olivia whispered.
"It's okay, Liv." He ran his hands over her arms as she shivered. "Let's go sit in my truck. I'll turn on the heat while you talk." He took her hand and led the way. "Besides, my sister is probably peeking out the window, dying of curiosity." He smiled, nodding back at the house.
Olivia stopped in her tracks. "Oh no! Were you opening presents?" She tried to pull away. "I'm so−"
"No. Our parents are still asleep. It's all good."
They jumped inside and Zach started the truck, turning on the heat. The plastic taped to the broken window blurred his house. She turned and gazed at Zach with his arm draped over the steering wheel, she appreciated his patience while she found her voice.
She glanced out the front windshield, which faced her house. It looked so peaceful from the outside, but not anymore. Her hands clenched into fists.
"I came downstairs to make breakfast for my mom," she whispered. "And there he was... kneeling before my mom." Her mouth dried up at the memory.
"Who?"
Silence filled the truck. She looked back at her house. "My dad."
"What? I don't understand−"
She twisted her head to him. "He left us twelve years ago on Christmas morning. Poof. Never seen or heard from again." Her eyes narrowed, and she hated the tears filling them. She stabbed her finger at her house. "And then... this morning... he shows up out of the blue. And my mom..." She punched her leg with her fist. "…is holding him. I can't believe she did that!"
Fresh waves of anger and betrayal crashed through her. Zach grabbed her hands and pulled her over to him. She leaned into his open arms, needing the comfort he offered.
"Wow, " Zach said. "Must have been a huge shock."
She snorted against his chest.
Understatement of the world.
"Did you ask him why he was back?"
"No. I yelled at him to leave and then came to see you. I don't want to listen to his sob story. He needs to return to whatever rock he crawled out from under and leave us alone. We were fine without him." She pushed herself back, looking up at his handsome face. "But I doubt he'll turn around now, so what do I do?"
His reached over and twirled a small piece of her hair around his finger. He unraveled it and sighed as he tucked it behind her ear. "Somehow, some way, you gotta find the strength to walk back and face him because—"
"But I−"
"And you may not like this either, but, there's got to be a reason he's back, Liv."
She shut her mouth and looked away.
"And you need to find out why."
She shoved away from him. "That's easy for you to say. You don't understand, Zach. I hate him. I don't know if I can speak to him or even listen to him. He's just going to hurt us again."
"I'll go back with you if it'll help." She closed her eyes, running her hands over her thighs. She took a deep breath, trying to relieve the tightness in her chest.
"No, it's okay."
"Liv−"
"You're right. I need to get this over with, because the sooner I find out why he's here, the sooner he can leave." She sagged against the seat. "Thank you for talking to me... Jeez... On Christmas morning... I don't know what−"
He put his finger over her lips. "You're welcome."
Her heart raced as the shade of green in his eyes darkened as they gazed at her lips. Moving his finger away, he kissed her with a warmth and gentleness that surprised her, sending a sharp current through her body.
He pulled away and smiled. "For good luck."
"Yeah. I'll need it." Olivia cleared her throat and smiled back before she scrambled out of the truck. Her face flushed from both the kiss and the realization of confronting her dad for the first time since she was five. Could she set aside her anger long enough, or would she just blow up in his face? As she approached her house, she was still unsure, even as she licked her lips across where Zach had planted his good-luck kiss.
Olivia
The smell of coffee drifted to Olivia as she shut the front door. With her jaw set in a hard line, she strode to the den. When she'd gotten out of Zach's truck, his kiss had lifted her confidence to face her dad. Now the reality of confronting him made her want to vomit. Her parents both stood up from the co
uch, holding hands. Her anger rose at their blatant reunion. She, on the other hand, wanted to punch something. She crossed her arms and waited for the lies to begin.
Conner and Stella Drake. What a joke.
"Honey, I realize your dad's return is shock−"
"Mom. I just want to find out what he has to say, so he can take off again." Her eyes zeroed in on him. He was bigger, more muscular than she remembered. A full beard masked his angular jaw and his longer brown hair covered most of his ears. He dressed as if he lived on a mountain with his flannel shirt and boots. She hated the fact that the eyes staring back at her were the same color and shape as her own. He took a step toward her, but she held up her hand, irritated that a minuscule part of her wanted those unfamiliar arms around her. But she wasn't that five-year-old girl anymore.
"Livy, I surprised you coming home today and completely accept your anger and confusion. But I hope one day you and I can move past this and heal our relationship. I’m sorry−"
She stared at him in disbelief.
"You're kidding, right? You think you can just waltz back in here, throw out an 'I'm sorry' and I'll welcome you back with open arms?" She jabbed her finger at him, her body vibrating at his audacity. "Well, you're mistaken."
"That's not what I thought−"
"I don't care what you thought would happen today, but let me tell you what did happen twelve years ago. You left us! Never called, no birthday card, no soccer games. Mom can easily forgive you, but I never will. And never call me Livy again!" The pounding in her ears increased as Mom, with her crestfallen face, moved toward her, but Oliva shook her head. "Mom, please, no."
"Let her finish, Stella." His voice was hoarse as he reached for his wife.
"No. This is my doing, Olivia," Mom said, hands clutched together in front of her.
Olivia's jaw dropped, her hands fell to her sides. "What do you mean, your doing?"
"Your dad returning. I contacted him and explained what happened to you. I told him it was time now for him to come home." She glanced over her shoulder. "So, he did."
Olivia stood dumbfounded as she processed her mom's revelation. Her chest tightened as she wished the pieces of their betrayal hadn't slipped together so easily.
"You contacted him.... You knew how to reach him? You’ve talked to him?" The harsh accusation of her mom's betrayal punctuated Olivia's shock with every word. "All this time?" she yelled.
And there stood her father. The man she had cherished as a child. Why would he not want to talk to her too, and why did Mom go along with it? They denied her this simple interaction, costing them nothing but a few minutes of their precious time?
Any truth she had held dear just shattered.
Honesty.
"I could have talked to him?" she asked in disbelief, staring at her parents, one an intruder, the other now a stranger. "You've both been lying and keeping secrets from me for twelve years... twelve years!" she yelled as a numbing cold penetrated her bones.
"We did it to protect you. To protect us," Dad said. "We had no choice, Olivia."
Pain ripped through her like a bright light. "Oh, there's always a choice, and you both made yours loud and clear. You chose yourselves over me. You were supposed to love me, be here with me... not lie to me."
She stepped backward. "I'm done with this conversation. The two of you make me sick."
"Honey, please listen−" Mom reached a hand out for her.
"No, don't touch me. It's all been a lie... a selfish lie."
She ran upstairs and slammed the door. The white feather swayed when Olivia ran by and threw herself on her bed. Pain and betrayal poured out in sobs only her pillow absorbed. She lost track of time when her exhaustive crying turned into a disturbed sleep, dreaming of demons swarming while her parents clung to each other, absorbed with only themselves.
And of how a chaste kiss, tender and comforting by nature, might weaken her in spirit and open vulnerabilities she had fought against her whole life.
Or at what point during the night she jerked awake when the front door closed.
Chapter Thirteen
Sergio
Christmas morning at the Mendes house was always boisterous. Sergio bent over laughing at the book Dad gave Manny on how to understand women and their love languages. Manny's look of horror was priceless as he mumbled something about knowing more love languages than the author, but they chuckled when they gave each other a big back-slapping hug.
Sergio looked at his gift pile and smiled. He got clothes and new running shoes along with a video game he was dying to play. He wouldn't let the fact that the last time he had played a video game he'd gotten in a fight and seen a demon ruin his anticipation. It was Christmas morning with his family, not the time to worry over those events.
Mom elbowed him and nodded toward Abuela. Sergio's gift lay in her lap while she opened the red wrapping paper with care. She lifted the box top and pulled out the gray scarf. Her smile lit up her face as her fingers rubbed the silky fabric.
"¡Es hermoso, Sergio!" Abuela tied it over the other scarf around her neck. She stepped over the discarded wrapping paper and placed her soft hands around Sergio's face, planting a big kiss on his forehead. "Gracias."
He smiled back at her with all his love brimming in his eyes. "De nada, Abuela. I thought it was beautiful too, and would look perfect on you. It does."
"Who's ready for breakfast?" Mom asked. Cheers resounded as they stood, stretching their backs.
"You know I'm ready, Sofia." Dad reached over and pulled her into his arms. She swatted his arm but returned his kiss as she welcomed his playful adoration.
"Gross," Sergio yelled.
"Get a room," yelled Manny.
"Javier" Mom swatted him again and wiggled out of his arms. She turned toward the kitchen, dodging the land mine of presents along the way.
"What?" He spread his arms out before him. "Can't a man show a little affection to his wife?"
"No!" The family called back in unison. Both of his hands shooed them away, causing more laughter to break out.
Javier made his way over to his mom. He bent over, kissing each cheek before wrapping his arms tight around her.
"Feliz Navidad," he said.
"Feliz Navidad, mi hijo," Abuela said, returning his hug.
"Merry Christmas, Papa," Lucia said. She leaned over the side of her wheelchair, holding her arms open for her dad. A fleece Christmas blanket draped over her thin legs, showing only her red sweatshirt with a kitten wearing a Santa hat. He hugged her, then held both of her hands as he spoke to her. The three of them laughed when she lifted her blinking Christmas tree necklace and swung her chin-length black hair, showing off her red glitter earrings.
Sergio came up next to her, kissing the top of her head. Her brown doe-shaped eyes found his as he rested a hand on her shoulder.
Could have been me.... Should have been me.
"Merry Christmas, Lucia," he said taking her hand in his. "Do you like the bracelet?" It was a leather band with her named stamped across it. She held out her arm, twisting her wrist back and forth as various chunky beads rattled against each other.
"I love it! It goes perfectly with the other ones you've given me." Lucia kept her style simple with minimal makeup, but she liked jewelry... a lot.
"Breakfast is ready," Mom called, wiping her hands on her red apron.
Sergio slid into his seat at the dining table. "It smells delicious, Mama." His mouth watered as he loaded his plate. Once everyone got seated and their plates were filled, they glanced at each other, crossed themselves and bowed their heads. Dad started grace, and the rest of the family joined him.
"Amen," they said in unison, followed by the chatter and clanking of utensils on plates.
Sergio sighed as the spice of the chorizo and eggs hit his tongue. He tore off an edge of his flour tortilla and used it to pinch another scoop of eggs into his mouth. "This is so good, Mama!" he said with his mouth full; his next heaping bite of refried bea
ns hovered near his lips.
"Eat up; there's more." She motioned to the kitchen stove full of covered pans.
"Sergio."
He looked up from his plate at his mom's voice.
"I have tamales for you to take to Olivia's later."
"Awesome! She loves your tamales. I'll go after breakfast."
Perfect.
He'd been trying to come up with an excuse to leave today, because he needed to tell her about the vision at the mall. She was the only one he trusted with this secret.
"I'll drive you over," Manny offered. Sergio nearly choked on his eggs.
"Uh... Thanks." Sergio's stomach knotted, his appetite for breakfast fading. The morning cheer continued for everyone but Sergio, who dreaded the drive to Olivia's house.
Once morning clean-up was over, they jumped in Manny's car. He hadn't mentioned the incident at the mall, but Sergio had felt Manny's stare during Mass and this morning. Sergio had ignored him, not wanting to broach the subject. But now, alone with him in the car, Manny could push him for more answers.
"Thanks for the shirt, mano. You know black is my favorite color." He winked at Sergio.
What's Manny up to?
Sergio's brow wrinkled. "You're welcome, and thanks for the video game." Sergio rubbed his hands against his jeans as silence fell between them. He sensed Manny wanted to say more, but Sergio diverted his gaze to out the passenger's window.
Please don't ask.
"You seem better than yesterday," Manny said, turning onto Olivia's street.
"Yeah. I got a good night's sleep.”
Not...
"Uh... listen... about what happened at the mall." Manny pulled up to her house. Sergio looked back, finding eyes full of doubt and... sadness. "I was just hungry−"
"Stop it." Manny pointed his finger at him. Sergio closed his mouth and leaned against the door as Manny moved closer. "Your eyes were locked onto something, and it wasn't a rack of clothes or Olivia. You can lie to everyone else, but not to me." Manny waved his hand towards Olivia's house. "Go talk to your friend. Figure it out, and then you will tell me what really happened, mano. Or I tell Mom and Dad about the torn shirt and your... fainting spell." Manny scoffed as he sat back in his seat. "And soon."
Mark of Orion Page 12
