“I’m sure it will be.”
With that, we bid our farewells. I pulled McKenzie to me and escorted her out of his office. “Did you enjoy yourself in there?”
“Oh, yes.”
“I have to say I think Niles has a small crush on you.”
“No, he doesn’t. He’s just a nice man who’s proud of you.”
“If you say so, my dear,” I crooned, mocking Niles.
“I think someone’s a little jealous.”
I stopped walking and turned her to face me, holding her flush to my body. “Damn right I am. You’re mine,” I growled as I pressed my lips to hers. She gave into my kiss freely, our mouths moving in sweet harmony against one another.
“We have to stop,” she whispered against my lips.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you arrested again for indecent exposure,” she stated with a straight face.
I laughed, releasing McKenzie from my grasp. “God, you’re adorable. Let’s get something to eat and head over to the park. How’s that sound?”
“Perfect.” She stretched out her hand, motioning toward the door. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Six
McKenzie
The summer sun basked down on us as we made our way to the park. There wasn’t a single cloud in the bright blue sky. Fresh blooms swayed in the soft breeze. Trees bowed in obeisance to the wind’s gentle command. While the breeze was welcomed, the humidity made the atmosphere thick. Being from the South, I’d expected summer to be cool in the North, but man was I wrong.
“Did you know,” Drew started, “Boston Common is the oldest park in the country?”
I rested my head against his shoulder. He’d just fed me the best pizza I’d ever had, and now was not only giving me a tour of the city as we walked to the park, but also a history lesson. Drew never ceased to amaze me with his knowledge and wit. “Nope. I didn’t know that.”
“It was also the platform for many great speakers, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II, and Gloria Steinem.”
“Do you even know who Gloria Steinem is?” I teased.
His mouth twisted into a cocky, tilted grin. “Of course I do. But do you?”
I almost blurted out her significance when I realized Drew was setting me up to give him the answer. “Oh, no you don’t, Buster. I’m not falling into your little lawyer traps. You tell me, who is Gloria Steinem?”
Drew laughed, pressing a tender kiss to the top of my head. “She was a major advocate for the feminist revolution.”
“Wow, Mr. Wise. I’m impressed.”
“Feminine studies was a required course in grad school.”
We entered the park to discover nature at its finest. The trees were in full bloom, filling the air with their beautiful aroma. Grassy knolls swelled and fell in waves of plush green. Drew directed me through the paths, his memory guiding us to a specific destination. We stopped at a large willow just off the path. Drew sat down beneath the tree and pulled me down into his lap, holding me close to his chest. He trailed his nose along my jaw and down my neck. “I love this place.” His lips brushed against my skin. “When I was in school, I would come to this very spot to think.”
I closed my eyes and allowed the warmth of his touch and the scent of the park to consume me. Peace and arousal mixed into a luscious cocktail running through my veins.
“It’s very peaceful.” I tilted my head, meeting his waiting lips. That kiss was more than I’d expected and everything I needed. His fingers curled into my hair, fusing our mouths together in a dance of passion and want. Our tongues moved with urgency. All of our past, present, and future somehow lingered in that one explosive moment. I felt his heart reach mine, beating in complete synchrony. My hands wrapped around his toned arms, holding tight to him, unwilling to ever let him go again.
Time disappeared into a shadow of heat and desire. There was only Drew and me. Nothing else. The sound of children playing in the distance seeped into my thoughts, reminding me that we weren’t alone. I pulled back, breathless and wanton, to find passionate blue eyes staring back at me. His lips already showed signs of our kiss as they hung open in a question of why I’d stopped. “What if someone sees us?”
Anger flashed across his face. “Who cares? This stupid plan of Jared’s has been nothing but a nightmare.”
“Andy, baby, he was right. Olivia and your father would’ve ripped us to shreds, and that would’ve caused undue pressure on the wedding. It was exactly why I said no to coming here in the first place.”
He tensed up, hands loosening from around my body. His gaze dropped from mine, his eyelashes masking his disappointment. “Why did you come then?”
I cupped his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. The warm ocean that had been so alive during our kiss had turned into cold icebergs that chilled me to the bone. “I came because I couldn’t stand being away from you for one more day. I love you, Andrew Wise, and if it meant facing the firing squad, I was willing to do it.”
The sweet, charismatic smile that always charmed me into submission spread across his face. His body relaxed as he pulled me to where my head rested on his chest. I listened to the deep rumble of his voice and the constant beat of his heart as he spoke. “I needed to hear that, Beautiful. The thought of being apart kills me, too. I hate that we haven’t had more time together.”
“We’re spending time together now,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to the valley of his neck.
A soft moan rumbled in his throat. “Yes, we are.” His hands roamed up my back, coaxing me further into relaxation.
“And so far I’ve had a blast. You know, I really liked Niles. He was quite charming and witty. Much like you.”
“He’s a good man. I learned a lot from him growing up.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Niles was once a close friend to my parents.” And that was where he left it. There was a sort of sadness to his voice that ripped through my heart. I wanted to hold him tight to me and I wasn’t sure why. He seemed lost and alone.
“What ya thinkin’ ‘bout?”
Drew rubbed soft circles along the small of my back. “Nothing.” He paused, “Everything. Like why didn’t you run from me screaming when I told you what I’d done?”
And there it was. The elephant that had basically haunted us since the day I’d met Drew. I just didn’t know it then. My strong, confident man was just as broken on the inside as I was. Maybe even worse. My mother once told me that whatever you’re feeling, however low you might be, there’s always someone feeling worse and even lower than you are. Be grateful for the good things in life. Boy was she right. Never in a million years would I have imagined Drew’s secret. Not only was he nearly a father, but he was once someone’s husband. He’d faced atrocities far worse than my own. Nate might’ve emotionally left me, but at least he never cheated on me like Drew’s ex-wife did him. Of that I was certain.
“You act as if you did something on purpose. Like you intentionally caused the accident. The way I see it, you and your ex are both to blame. Does that make you monsters? No. It makes you human.” I lifted my face, honing my gaze on his. His eyes watered but no tears fell. “Andy, we both know what it’s like to lose a child. To be so close to our dream of a family only for it to slip away in the blink of an eye. You didn’t deserve what happened to you, and I know you’ve more than paid for your mistakes.”
“If only that were true.”
“It is true. If you could only see things from my perspective.” I shook my head, trying to gather my thoughts. “I would never wish any of those things on you, but I’ve come to know the man who followed those events.” My voice cracked, revealing my overwhelming emotions. I touched the side of his face with my knuckles, stroking ever so gently. “He’s arrogant, stubborn, sometimes childish, and impulsive.” Eyes narrowed, his mouth dropped and his brow furrowed. It took everything inside me not to laugh, yet I continued. “He’s also kind, caring, gentle, underst
anding, brilliant, and deep down, he’s stronger than any person I’ve ever met. Yes, you faced tragedy, but without those tragedies, we would’ve never found one another.”
Cocooned in Drew’s arms, I felt the weight of the regrets he carried. I reached around his back, my hands wrapping upward to grip his shoulders. “I don’t deserve you,” he muttered.
“You deserve me as much as I deserve you.”
Drew squeezed me tighter. If it didn’t feel so good to be held by him, I might’ve complained. “You remember that first day on the beach?”
I smiled at the memory of the first time I encountered Drew. He seemed so sure of himself, running, more like strutting, across the white sands of Siesta Key Beach. His wicked smile would be forever etched in my memory. Little did I know, he was as lost as I was that day. Both searching for redemption, peace, and truth, along with the other half of our souls.
“I do.”
Drew released me to breathe. I pulled back to find a smile starting to bloom over his handsome face. He traced my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb in the gentlest of manners. It almost felt as if he would stop breathing if he weren’t touching me in some way. “And that night at Olivia’s house?”
“You mean the night I broke up with Nate.”
At the sound of my ex’s name, Drew’s nose flared. “That’s the one.”
“Of course I remember it. You saved my life that night.”
Drew leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine. “No. You saved mine. You didn’t know then, but it’s true.”
For the longest time, we sat under that willow talking about the past. The mid-afternoon sun hung high in the sky, baring its truth on the world below. Drew told me about his childhood. He loved his mother, but he struggled to understand her. His father and he never got along. When he was a young boy, Niles doted on him, and that seemed to rile his father even more. “Truth be told, I was the reason Niles was exiled from our lives,” he said.
“How so?”
“I can’t remember everything that happened. I was young. Maybe seven or eight. Possibly younger.” I slid off Drew’s lap and curled up in a ball in the curve of his side. His arm draped over my shoulders as he rubbed his forehead, trying to force a memory that wasn’t quite there. “All I remember is my father and Niles yelling and my name being mentioned several times. My mother cried so hard when my father informed Niles he wasn’t welcome back into our home. After that, I didn’t see him again until I was accepted into Harvard. To be honest, I hated my father for exiling him. Niles treated me as if I were special. He treated all three of us kids as if we were important.”
“That doesn’t mean you were the reason. There has to be something more.”
In an attempt to come off indifferent, Drew gave a nonchalant shrug. “Who knows, but what I do know is that this is your first time in Boston and there has to be at least a half dozen places you wish to see. Where would you like to go next? You name it.”
I placed some distance between Drew and me, contemplating his suggestion. Boston was a place of history. To see the Old North Church or the Bunker Hill Monument would be amazing, but there was one place I wanted to visit above any other. Not just for me, but for Drew. The only problem was, I didn’t quite know how to suggest it to him.
“Um, well…” I rubbed the back of my neck, nervous. “Maybe you should pick,” I suggested.
“Mick,” Drew reached for my hand, “what is it?”
“Nothing. I just…well…um. You know what, it’s nothing. Show me something monumental and historical. I bet you know all of the best places.”
Drew narrowed his eyes, taking me in. “No. It’s something. Now, tell me.”
I gave his hand a good squeeze. “Promise you won’t be mad.”
Pulling my knuckles to his lips, Drew whispered against my skin, “I could never be mad at you.”
With my eyes closed, I let the words fall hard and fast from my tongue. “Take me to see Autumn.”
Silence. Utter silence. Nothing but the gentle breeze and the rustle of the whispering willow. Not even the sun dared to speak. There were no children laughing. No mothers crying out to keep them in line. No runners on the path. Not even the tourists made a sound. I opened my eyes. Somehow in the span of a breath, Drew had maneuvered to his feet. He stepped out from under the tree. His hands linked at the crown of his head.
“Why?” he gasped. “Why would you want to go there?”
I leapt to my feet, meeting him in the sunlight. “Because,” I started, pulling his wrists to where I could take his hands in mine, “I want to meet your daughter.”
Drew hung his head, his chin meeting his chest. His brow furrowed until deep lines appeared. A war waged inside him. I could see it as plain as day, but there was a nagging voice inside my head telling me this was where we were meant to go. Long ago I learned to listen to that voice. More often than not, it was right.
“You know I haven’t been back there since I moved to Sarasota.”
And that was the confirmation I needed to prove my gut instinct was correct. I released his hands and cupped his face. “Take me there.”
There was no fight. No standoff, as I’d expected. Drew simply nodded, took my hand, and directed me back to the coffee shop where we’d started our morning trek.
It shouldn’t have surprised me to find Drew had driven himself to the coffee shop. An orange Porsche Cayman sat in the parking lot waiting for us.
Drew rushed to the passenger side and opened the door for me. I slipped inside, muttering something about how bright the car was, to which he responded, “It matches my bike.”
If this car scared me half as much as that bike did, I was in deep caca.
Twenty five minutes later, with a bouquet of white tulips in hand, Drew and I arrived at the cemetery to pay respects to his child.
Chapter Seven
McKenzie
Neither the temperature nor the sunlight mirrored the darkness that engulfed Drew as we made our way along the path toward what he considered a reminder of his transgressions. His feet dragged, shuffling along the walkway, almost forced. I tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to when the man was barely breathing. He held my hand so tight that it throbbed with each beat of my heart. I was certain that held me so tight because he feared running away.
Not that I blamed him. I knew the pain he felt. I’d felt that way when Nate and I lost Evan. My baby boy, never having been able to see the light of day, all because my body was too weak to carry him. It was impossible for me to compare my pain to Drew’s. Even though Autumn was stillborn after the accident, he still had the ability to hold his child. He saw her face, knew the feel of her skin against his. His little girl wasn’t just a flutter in his belly. She was real.
I kept quiet. To be honest, I didn’t know what to say to him. My mind was blank. This place was beautiful, as much as a cemetery could be. And he seemed to know exactly where our path would take us. Plush trees billowed in the wind. Bright hues of color sprinkled the ground in striking floral arrangements. Gravestones ushered the living to the final resting places of those who were left behind. There was a solemn beauty to this place, yet it haunted the heart with ghosts of the past.
My fingers gripped the tulips tighter. Sweat formed between my palm and the paper that encased the beautiful flowers. Every time Drew pulled in a breath, I felt my heart flinch. I hated the pain he felt. He wore his sunglasses and visor like a mask, covering the agony that I could see written all over his face.
“There she is.” He pointed to a small cherub statue a few feet away. With the face of a child, the concrete angel sat at the head of the grave, its knee pulled to its chest and its head resting on top. It seemed sad but protective of its charge that lay in the ground. Little feathery wings protruded from its back. Wings I recognized.
A small gasp escaped my lips. “The wings,” I paused, squinting my eyes to better look at the figure, “they look just like…”
“My tattoo,” he fi
nished. The tattoo of a battered anatomical heart rested on his shoulder. I first noticed it that fateful night at my apartment when I allowed my desire for him to overcome my resolve. Even in my anger, I knew there was significance to that piece. Drew wasn’t the type to mark his body unless it held meaning. Two sets of angels’ wings encompassed the heart, holding it together. One set was of a cherub’s wings, soft, small, and delicate. The other was the long, flowing, elegant, and beautiful wings of an archangel: one that was meant for peace and protection.
He peered down at me, seeming so lost and helpless. It pained me to see him in such a state. A small, half-smile flattened his lips. He sucked down air, fighting the storm of emotions that brewed deep inside him. The corner of my mouth twitched and I blinked several times as the sunlight broke through the trees, pouring down on us. “The other wings?” I asked, certain I knew how he would respond. Drew had called me his angel once before, but I had to hear it for myself. It was important to know that I held such a high place in his heart and in his mind.
“My heart is broken and bleeding, Mickie. It’s because of you and Autumn that I survive.”
Love swelled inside me. Not that I would ever want to replace his daughter, but to know that I mattered meant the world to me. Everything we’d endured and would endure still was worth it. Our love was worth it. A single tear trickled down my face. I reached up with the back of my hand to wipe it away, the tulips brushing across my cheek in the process. “You’re a survivor.”
“As are you, my love.”
In no time, we stood in front of the grave. Time had leveled the dirt that housed the sleeping coffin below. Soft, green grass, perfectly manicured shrouded the grave with warmth. The alabaster angel pillar overshadowed the grave, standing guard over the child. Along the base of the stone read the words:
A life so innocent and loved now rests in the arms of Heaven.
Autumn Elizabeth Wise.
February 17, 2005.
A spark of jealousy quaked inside me. Drew had this reminder that his daughter existed—something I would’ve given anything to have—and he squandered it by never visiting. If he only realized how lucky he was to have this. I knelt down and placed the flowers in a metal vase encased in stone at the base of the headstone. I never knew this child, but I felt a certain connection to her. We had a bond, our love embodied in one man: Drew.
The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) Page 6
