Lily glanced over. In the middle of the pool, Michael had turned over to float on his back. Alarm flooded her. She would have scrambled into the pool if Hakon had not grabbed her wrist.
“He’s still okay,” Hakon said quietly. “But he’s probably hit his limit.” He raised his voice. “Get out of the pool. You’re done, kid.”
Michael raised his head to stare at the bleachers before swimming slowly to the edge of the pool.
Hakon and Lily were waiting next to the pool when Michael surfaced and hauled himself out of the water. Exhausted, he slumped on the tiles, his shoulders and chest heaving.
Hakon tossed a towel at Michael’s face. “You’re done for today.”
Beneath the towel, Michael nodded slowly.
Hakon looked at Lily. “You call me if the crazy kid gets back in the pool any time today. Remember what I said.” He thumped his chest lightly, over his heart, and then turned and walked out of the pool complex.
A long silent moment passed before Michael dragged himself to his feet. His limbs quivering, he staggered over to sit on the bleachers. Water dripped off his body to pool on the concrete floor. His face was pale beneath his summer tan.
Lily sat beside him, so close she could feel both his body heat and the chill of the water evaporating from his skin. They did not touch.
Michael broke the silence first. “Was it the night we sneaked into the chapel to make love?”
She nodded. “Our first time.”
“I wish you’d told me.” He stared out at the pool, as if it was easier to talk if he did not have to look at her.
Guilt rose up to swamp her.
He grimaced. “I know why you didn’t, though I wish you’d have known that my swimming scholarship didn’t mean that much to me.”
“You would have lost that scholarship if anyone found out that you’d gotten me pregnant.”
He looked at her then, his eyes filled with emotion that clogged her throat with tears. His voice was steady, barely. “I wanted you, and I would have wanted Miki, more than the scholarship.”
“But your chance at an Olympic medal—”
“Didn’t work out for reasons that had nothing to do with you.” He placed his hand over hers. Their fingers entwined. His grip tightened moments before he asked a terse question. “Why did you marry Raphael?”
“He figured out I was pregnant; I was dizzy and nauseous at Lindsay’s wedding.”
“That’s why you were leaning on him.”
“It was lean on him or pass out.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “He threatened to report us to the coach if I didn’t dump you and marry him.”
Fury roared through Michael’s mind. He shot to his feet, his hand tearing from Lily’s. Dimly, he realized that her eyes flared wide, but he was beyond being careful. Rage slammed his fist into the seat on the bleachers. Wood cracked with a sharp retort.
“Michael!” Lily wrapped her arms around his chest. Her cheek pressed against his back.
He twisted around to face her. “He blackmailed you. He raped you. And I did nothing to stop him!”
“You didn’t know.” Her hands fluttered against his face, stroking his hair and caressing his cheeks. “You didn’t know, and I made that decision not to tell you. It’s not your fault.”
“Oh, God. Lily.” He crushed her to his chest, and she clung to him as if he were the only anchor on a boat that tossed on crazy waves. She trembled, or perhaps they both did.
“I was young, pregnant, and in love with you. I couldn’t think straight,” she whispered. “I was stupid. I should have told you and my parents the truth about Miki.”
“When did you tell them?”
“When I woke up in the hospital.”
“After he shot you? After the divorce? You endured all this alone for so long? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Your sister guessed.”
“Ariel?”
“She came to see me after Miki was born, and the first thing she said was that Miki looked just like you. Bright green eyes. Mop of black hair. Raphael was furious and tossed her out of the house.”
“And Miki?”
“He tried to make me abort her, but I refused. He became even angrier when I insisted on calling her Michelle, but I never left her alone with him. He never touched or hit her. After we divorced, I thought I was safe. I thought she was safe, until that day—”
“What day?”
Lily pulled away from his embrace. Her face was pale as she tugged on his hand to lead him back to the bleachers. “Can we sit?”
If she wanted him to sit, it had to be bad.
Michael’s thoughts raced.
The truth hit him like a blow to the center of his chest. His lips moved as his mind tried to wrap about the only obvious answer. “He tried to shoot her. You got in the way.” His mind staggered, froze.
Lily grabbed his wrists as his fingers reflexively curled into fists. “I would never let anyone hurt my daughter, our daughter.”
Our daughter. Black spots flashed across his field of vision. His heart pounded erratically in his chest. His legs shook as he sank to the concrete floor.
“Michael?” Lily’s voice seemed to come from a long way away.
The black spots expanded like spreading ink.
The last thing he heard was her voice screaming his name.
Chapter 14
The buzz of muted conversation intruded upon his consciousness, tugging him awake. Michael opened his eyes and squinted against the glare of the florescent lights. His throbbing headache made it difficult to focus his vision and his thoughts, but a familiar face set itself directly in front of him. “Michael, honey?”
“Mom?”
She smiled at him, her face haggard. “How are you feeling, honey?”
“Where am I? Where’s Lily?”
“You’re at the hospital. Lily will be back soon. She was exhausted, and the doctor sent her home to get some rest. I doubt she will, though. She said she would be back after showering and changing.” She glanced over her shoulder as the door opened. “Oh, here’s your father. Michael’s awake, Jason.”
Michael sat up and pressed a hand against his chest. His heart thumped, the beat steady. “What happened?”
“You passed out at the athletic center about two hours ago,” Jason said as he approached the bed with two cups of coffee. He managed a tired smile. “The doctor said your heartbeat probably became irregular for a few seconds and didn’t get enough blood up to your brain. Your body did what most bodies do in that situation—put you in a faint so that you’d get horizontal and your blood could reach your brain again without too much trouble.”
“I fainted?” Good thing no one except Lily had been around to witness that particular ego-damaging episode.
Jason nodded. “You would have been all right even if Lily hadn’t called 911 and summoned every EMT in town to the athletic center.”
Never mind. Everyone in Portsmouth would know what happened to him before the sun evaporated the dew on the grass.
“Mom, Dad, about Lily and Raphael—”
Connie’s lips quivered. “We know.”
“What?”
“Katie came to see us yesterday, with Anna. She told us what Raphael did to her and said he probably did the same to all the women he’d ever dated, and the one he’d married.”
Michael released his breath in a sigh. “I never thought Katie would come out with the truth.”
“Someone had to,” Jason said. His eyes were sad, but his voice was steady. “The truth always sets us free. She said that your love for Lily convinced her it was time for her to start her own healing. Anna looked like she had been crying for hours, but Katie…Katie was there for Anna, and in fact, she was a pillar of strength for us. Someone needed to be the strong one, and she stepped up.”
“Good for her.”
Connie sucked in a deep breath. “You were right about Raphael. Your instincts, your conviction that he had hurt Lily—you were right. I
don’t know how we missed it. Surely there were signs…” Her voice trembled as she twisted her fingers together. “But he always said and did the right things. He was my son, and I believed him.”
“Raphael was charming. Manipulative,” Jason said, his grim voice cracking with his pain. “He deceived all of us. We owe Lily an apology—Lily and every woman Raphael hurt.”
“It’s not your fault Raphael turned out the way he did,” Michael said.
“I know he’s accountable for his own actions, but we raised him.” His father looked tired and old. “There’s lots of blame to go around; at least some of it is mine, but we’ve got a chance to make it right. We’ll make it clear what Raphael did, and make it safe for anyone else he hurt to step forward. Your mom and I will be there, every step of the way, to help them.”
Michael stared at his parents’ careworn faces, and the heaviness in his heart eased slightly. Perhaps through helping others, the healing would begin for his parents too. He glanced up as the door opened again, and Lily entered the hospital room. She wore a turquoise sundress; her bullet scar visible at the edge of her curved collar.
He stared at her. A week earlier, he would have sworn that God didn’t do signs the way he used now, but he would have to blind to have missed this particular sign.
His Lily was coming back to him.
Her brilliant blue eyes locked on him. “Hello, Michael.”
Connie stepped away from the bed and ushered Jason to the door. “Let’s go. Give them some privacy.” As she walked past Lily, she pressed her hand gently against Lily’s. The two women exchanged a quick, warm hug. Lily’s shoulders did not tighten with tension, and the smile did not slip from her lips.
Michael recognized the look that passed between his parents. The reconciliation and forgiveness had begun. He waited until the door closed behind his parents before extending his hand to Lily. “So, when can I get out of his hospital bed you put me into?”
Lily’s guilty twitch was ruined by her stifled giggle. “I ran into Dr. Clark in the corridor. He said he’ll come in to discharge you in a few minutes.”
“How is Miki?”
“Still sleeping.”
He nodded. His head still hurt. The clutter of questions and answers ricocheting in his skull made it hard to think. All he wanted was to hold Lily until the confused tangle in his mind worked itself out. He relaxed against the pillow without letting go of her hand. “You came back to Portsmouth to bring Miki home to me, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I didn’t know if you were ready, or even if she was ready, but I needed her to know that her father was a good man.”
“She’s not ready. She doesn’t want a father.”
Lily shook her head. “She doesn’t want Raphael, but she let you calm her and put her back to sleep. She just needs time; she’ll come around. Her heart’s already yours.”
He chuckled, a tired but contented sound. “My heart was always yours.” He tugged her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “Will you give us another chance?”
She glanced down at the visible scar near the collar of her sundress. “You know things will never be the same.”
“No, it won’t.” His hand tightened on hers. “I’m not saying it will be easy, but it will be better. Second chances take time, and that’s all I’m asking from you. Time.”
“Just time?” Her eyebrow arched. “What about Miki.”
“Miki too.”
“Just Miki?” A half-smile curved her lips. “What about me?”
“All of you.” Michael leaned forward and took both her hands in his. “I want you to heal with me and grow old with me.” He looked up into her eyes. Blue and glittering, they glistened with tears, like the ocean reflecting the light of the sun. “Tell me you’ll stay in Portsmouth. We’ll give Miki a family and make sure all those old cats have something to gossip about.”
Lily’s soft laughter rang with joy as she leaned down to breathe a kiss upon his lips. Her smile, dazzling with love, promised him forever.
Epilogue
The light wind whipped snow flurries into a spiral, and snowflakes danced in the bright headlights of the cab that pulled up at the curb in front of the stone chapel in Portsmouth. The car door opened and a young woman, bundled in a heavy coat, stepped out. The driver retrieved her wheeled luggage bag from the trunk and helpfully blasted two honks before driving away.
Ariel Falconer rolled her eyes and trundled her luggage toward the staircase leading up to the wooden front door. The golden light gleaming from within the chapel punched color out through the stained-glass windows.
She drew in a deep breath; the crisp air filled her lungs. Home had never smelled sweeter.
The front door swung open and Michael, dressed in a cable-knit sweater, denim jeans, and fur-lined brown slippers, scrambled out. “You made it. Dad’s about to carve the ham.” He grabbed her bag and lugged it up the stairs. “Damn, it’s heavy. How long were you planning on staying?”
“Not long enough to get in the way of your newly wedded bliss,” she retorted. “They’re presents, you oaf. How is Lily doing?”
“The hospital discharged her yesterday but she’s still not doing well.”
“It’s just morning sickness, right?”
“Extreme morning sickness. It even has a Latin name—hyperemesis gravidarum or something like that. Last week, she couldn’t keep anything down; she’s actually lost ten pounds since becoming pregnant.” He shoved his shoulder against the door and ushered Ariel in before him.
The cozy warmth and the delicious scent of holiday garlands welcomed her into Lily and Michael’s home.
“Honey, you’re here!” her mother called from the kitchen. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s in five minutes.” Connie flashed her daughter a smile before returning her attention to her lively conversation with Lily’s golden-haired mother. In the dining room, Jason Falconer and Carrington Herald debated the best way to carve the ham.
Ariel nudged Michael and spoke in lowered tones. “I didn’t know Lily’s parents were going to be here.”
“They flew down when she was admitted to the hospital. After she was discharged, they decided to stay through Christmas.” Michael shrugged. “Looks like it’s our first Christmas as one big happy family.”
“With the emphasis on happy.” Ariel smiled. “You look good. You’re piling on the pounds that Lily is losing, apparently.”
Michael patted his six-pack abdomen. “I’m not swimming as much as I used to. It’s still great exercise, but I don’t need it for therapy anymore.”
Lily emerged from the master bedroom. Pale and fragile, she leaned against the doorframe. “Hello, Ariel.”
Michael hurried across the living room to confront his wife. Ariel did her best to contain her amusement as she followed her brother. “Hi, Lily,” she said at the same time Michael said, “Shouldn’t you be resting? Are you sure you’re steady enough to be standing?”
“I’m not an invalid, Michael,” Lily said, affection leaking through the exasperation in her tone. She turned to Ariel, her hands held out. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
Ariel grinned as she leaned in for a hug. “I hope you appreciate the fact that I’m freezing out here instead of basking in Los Angeles’s eternal summer.”
She didn’t miss the glance Michael and Lily exchanged.
“So, what are you guys doing for the honeymoon?” she asked.
“We’re not,” Lily said.
Ariel frowned. “Don’t you want a change of scenery?”
Lily’s mouth twisted into a sardonic half-smile. “The bottom of the toilets at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale probably look much the same as the bottom of the toilets Michael installed here. We may head out somewhere in the second trimester when the morning sickness settles down, but meanwhile, we have all these reservations and—” She glanced at Michael, who nodded. “We wondered if you might want them.”
“Me?”
“Don’t you wan
t a change of scenery? Fort Lauderdale is gorgeous this time of year. We reserved the honeymoon suite at the Ritz-Carlton. What’s not to like?”
“The fact that it’s your honeymoon.”
“That I’m in no condition to take, not that I’m complaining.” Lily ran a hand over her still flat stomach. The look she gave Michael was so filled with love that Ariel had to swallow hard to get past the lump in her throat. Lily smiled at Ariel. “It’s Christmas. Consider it your gift from Michael and me.”
Ariel looked at Michael who grinned and nodded.
“Fine.” She flashed her brother and sister-in-law her brightest grin. “You’ve twisted my arm.”
“Dinner’s ready!” Connie called as she and Elizabeth carried dishes to the table.
Michael raised his voice. “Miki, Nancy, come to dinner.”
“Daddy!” Miki squealed.
Ariel looked up. Miki stood beside her nanny on the second floor of the chapel, in front of a curved wooden slide Michael had installed next to the spiral staircase. White sneakers peeked out from under Miki’s yellow ball gown. Her dark brown hair had grown longer, but it still looked like an untidy mop, and her green eyes were as bright as Michael’s. She bounced like a ball of effervescent energy. “Catch me, Daddy!”
She flung herself headfirst down the slide and whooshed out the other end, straight into Michael’s arms. He snatched her up and smacked a kiss on her cheek. Giggling, she flung her arms around his neck and nuzzled her nose against his. “Good catch, Daddy! ‘Nother one.”
“After dinner,” Michael promised. “You can have as many as you want after you have dinner.”
“No dinner. Just dessert!” Miki pouted.
“Keep on dreaming.” With his daughter in one arm and the other wrapped around his wife, Michael led the two people he loved most in the world to the table for their first Christmas as a family.
Smiling, Ariel stood back to admire their picture-perfect happiness. Just as it was always meant to be.
THE END
Ensnared: A Love Letters Novel Page 10
