"You went to Oxford University?"
Dominic shrugged. "That's where I was headed before you got pregnant with George."
So he'd picked up his life where he dropped it when they were married. Their three years together were just a bump on his road to success.
His parents got their way after all. They'd done everything in their power to persuade him to go to college and leave her behind, yet he gave up his promising academic future to marry her and raise George. It was years since she'd thought of the terrible arguments with his parents when they found out she was pregnant, the horrible things they'd said about her.
They'd wanted her to get rid of the baby—they'd wanted her to disappear from their son's life. She could still hear Mrs. Sinclair's words to Dominic: "That girl's nothing but a pretty face. Don't saddle yourself with the stupid little tart for the rest of your life."
Dominic stepped back, his hands raised in defeat. "I'd hoped…" He closed his eyes for a moment then turned away. "It doesn't matter. Forget it."
With her back still to the wall, Lucy watched Dominic disappear. She heard the creak of the sofa and then the click of the laptop keypad. She pressed a hand to her chest, suddenly aware of her racing heart.
Grabbing the newel post at the bottom of the stairs, Lucy sat on the third step and rested her forehead in her hands. It didn't matter why he'd published Flowers on the Water; the result was the same. He turned her life upside down and hurt her for a second time.
She couldn't stay here with Dominic. It was too distressing. All she wanted to do was dash upstairs, pack her suitcase, and leave before they had another fight. Before she did that, though, she would walk down to the beach and do what she came for.
When she went in the living room, Dominic didn't glance up, his fingers busy at his keyboard. Lucy trod quietly across to the kitchenette and dug her mobile phone from her bag, collected the bunch of lilies, then headed for the door.
When she stepped outside, she drew in a welcome breath of warm, flower-scented air. Even the lovely fragrance didn't lift her mood. She took the familiar narrow path through the shrubs to the steep steps that led down to the beach. At the bottom, she pulled off her shoes and wiggled her toes in the warm sand.
She had a ritual when she came here each year. It was time to get back to that and forget the distraction of Dominic. Lucy shaded her eyes and scanned the sandy beach. The place was off the beaten track and usually quiet, even in the height of summer. Today, the expanse of golden sand was all hers. Sun sparkled off the gently rippling water as it washed against the rocks bordering the cove.
She headed for the sea, remembering George's tiny hand in hers, and how proud he'd been of his bucket and spade. Dominic had kneeled, building sand castles with the enthusiasm of a kid while George giggled and flattened them as fast as Dominic turned them out of the plastic bucket.
She halted at the ocean's edge. Cold, clear water flowed over her toes, making the sand sink away beneath her feet. This had been paradise for the first five days of their vacation, paradise until it became a living hell. She glanced over her shoulder at Beach View Cottage. Dominic stood at the window, watching her. She quickly averted her gaze and tracked the coast from the slipway, across the rocks, to the headland that formed the southern end of the bay.
Her body hummed as she turned back to stare out to sea, aware of Dominic even when he wasn't with her. It was crazy that after ten years apart, there was still chemistry between them, a spark that ran along her nerves in a way she had quite forgotten.
Her phone chimed. She fished it out of her pocket and checked the screen: a text from her mum checking she'd arrived safely. Lucy sent a quick affirmative reply. She was about to drop the phone back in her pocket when she stopped.
Instead she scrolled to the reading app and searched for Dominic's book. Flowers on the Water had a beautiful cover, a picturesque English cove just like this one, with a scattering of colorful flowers floating on the water. Exactly what they had done after George's funeral, cast flowers onto the sea. A tradition Lucy continued each year as a symbol of remembrance.
Perhaps she should have read Dominic's book. Reading it changed her mother's opinion of him. It even prompted her to suggest Lucy contact him again. But the hurt went too deep.
Lucy instigated the divorce proceedings but Dominic hadn't contested them. He'd made no attempt to see her at all. She hadn't heard a word from him since the divorce—except for the signed copy of his book.
The gentle wind played with her hair and she tucked the strands behind her ears. She wandered along the water's edge and sat on a flat rock.
She returned her attention to her phone, bought the e-book, and waited while the file downloaded. With the gentle swish of the water in the background and the sun warming her skin, she started reading the foreword.
This book has been a long time in the writing. Four years to be exact. I started it twenty-four hours after a tragedy that tore my life apart, the death of my two-year-old son, George. At the time, I had no intention of my words being read by others. The pouring out of my thoughts and feelings was therapy of the most basic kind. If I had not purged these emotions onto the page, I am certain they would have destroyed me. As it is, writing this book kept me sane when I lost everything I held dear.
My son drowned—on my watch. His death was my fault. I accept complete responsibility. There is nothing I can ever do to bring him back, no adequate words I can ever say to the woman who carried him in her body for nine months, gave birth to him, and loved him with all her heart from the moment he came into this world. I let them both down so badly that I find it difficult to live with myself, still, after four years. I foresee no change in this state of being.
Life goes on—a hollow shell of a life, empty without my wife and my son.
This is my story, my epitaph to a beautiful little boy and my inadequate attempt at an apology to my darling wife who I miss every day and always will.
I dedicate this book to you, Lucy. I know you want nothing more to do with me, but in my heart, you will always be my wife.
Tears tightened Lucy's throat, flooded her eyes. She clutched her phone to her chest, pressed a hand over her mouth. "Oh, my God," she whispered. No wonder the women she worked with at the florist shop all took Dominic's side when the book came out. No wonder they told her she shouldn't have divorced him.
When George went missing, and they feared he'd drowned, she'd been furious with Dominic for falling asleep when he was supposed to be watching George. She said some terrible things. She blanched now at the thought of how much she must have hurt him when he was already distraught.
Lucy's parents had descended on Beach View Cottage and taken her home with them. Too lost in her own grief to think of anything but her son, she'd been content to hide in her childhood home and be looked after.
She barely glanced at Dominic at the funeral. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing left between them but grief and bitterness. Divorce seemed like the only option.
Wiping her eyes, she read on. The sun dipped into the ocean on the horizon. Pink and orange clouds streaked the sky. Shadows lengthened and the tide came in, eventually washing the sand at her feet. She stirred and glanced up, bleary-eyed from reading through her tears for hours.
Every word in this book resonated with Dominic's love for her and George. Why had she been so stubborn and not even opened the book five years ago when he sent her a copy? If she had, maybe they could have tried again.
But it was too late now. He wouldn't have waited all these years for her to come to her senses. A sick sense of loss settled in her tummy. He must have another woman in his life by now.
Lucy closed her eyes and waited for the surge of pain to fade. She would go on as before, and leave Dominic in the past. That was all she could do.
It was time to cast the lilies on the water, say her prayer, and get back to her life. She dropped her phone in her pocket with a sigh and waded ankle-deep to the much reduced b
each. The water was approaching the high tide line. Soon it would turn, and carry the lilies out to sea where they belonged—with her little boy's spirit, playing forever among the waves.
She stared at the horizon for long minutes, then unwrapped the cellophane from the bouquet. Something made her turn, a noise maybe, although she hadn't consciously heard anything. Dominic strode down the beach towards her, a bunch of wildflowers in his hand.
He angled his head, a sad smile on his lips. "Can I join you, Luce?"
Almost unbearable sorrow welled in Lucy's chest. For so long she'd been empty. Like a cracked vase, everything inside her had leaked away. She'd loved Dominic so desperately, but taken him for granted. At twenty-one, she had no idea how rare it was to find that total love and devotion. Ten years down the line, she now realized what she had thrown away.
That day in August, when the ocean took George from them, they lost so much more than their little boy. They'd been too young and grief-stricken to fight for each other.
"I've just read your book on my phone," she said.
Dominic halted. Hope flashed across his face, then his expression grew wary. "What did you think?"
"It wasn't what I expected."
He pulled off his shoes and joined her at the water's edge. "I guessed that from your comments earlier."
"Why didn't you contact me, Dom?"
"I did. I sent you the book."
Lucy tipped back her head and stared at the darkening sky. She knew why he hadn't done more to get her back—he blamed himself for George's death and thought she did too. He had every reason for that belief after the horrible things she'd said to him.
"You weren't responsible for George's death," she said softly. "It was an accident."
Dominic dropped his gaze, separated out some stems of pink campion, and tossed them into the water.
"It wasn't your fault, Dom. If you'd been the one to go shopping, and I'd stayed here, it could just as easily have been me who dozed off in the sun."
"But you didn't."
"I was the one who kept you up late." Memories she'd banished to the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind rose from the depths, memories of fooling around with Dom, of drinking wine, laughing, making love. George slept soundly after being out in the sea air all day. The vacation gave her and Dominic rare undisturbed evenings and nights.
Dominic tossed a few more flowers into the water. They both watched the delicate stems and papery petals bobbing around on the waves, so fragile against the mighty power of the ocean.
Lucy separated her lilies and tossed them out one by one, whispering a silent prayer, asking that her baby boy be happy wherever he was, and that she would one day see him again. Dominic threw his final few flowers to join hers.
"I owe you an apology," Lucy said. "I was terrified that day. I lashed out at you."
Dominic stared silently out to sea, his lips pressed tight. He'd remained silent ten years ago when she screamed and shouted at him, kept his head when she lost hers. He called the police and the Coast Guard. He phoned both sets of parents. He tried to comfort her, but she hadn't let him touch her. She shut him out and ran away with her mum and dad like a child, instead of turning to her husband so they could support each other and get through the tragedy together.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things to you," Lucy said.
"You only said what I was thinking."
"Don't blame yourself, Dom." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "We were young. We did our best."
"I miss you, Luce."
Forgotten emotions surged back like a springtide, filling the empty places in Lucy's heart. She stepped towards Dominic as he opened his arms. Relief almost swept the legs from under her as she buried her face against his shirt, breathed in the familiar scent of him.
The years fell away as she snuggled into the embrace of the man she now realized she had never stopped loving. Then fear chased in on the heels of her pleasure, a terrible sick feeling that she had left it too late. "We shouldn't be doing this. Don't you have a girlfriend who'll object?"
His hand cradled her head to his chest."No other woman has ever touched my heart, Lucy. I still love you."
A smile caught at her lips. "Aren't you going to ask me if I have a man in my life?"
"I know you don't. I call your mum every few months. Have done for years. I like to make sure you're okay."
Lucy drew back and stared at him. She'd tried to forget Dominic, but he'd kept tabs on her. And her mum had helped him.
"Knowing you hadn't fallen in love with another man was the only thing that gave me hope."
"You wanted me back?"
"I never wanted to lose you in the first place."
"Oh, Dom." Lucy framed his face in her hands and really looked at him, at his beloved hazel eyes, his thick dark lashes, and his lips. "I still love you too, Dominic. I didn't realize till I read your book."
"Come back to me, Luce. Give me a second chance."
"It's me who should be asking for a second chance." Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. The hollow place inside her overflowed with love for this man who never gave up on her. And as they kissed, she thought she heard the echo of a little boy's laugh on the salty breeze.
Thank you for reading Flowers on the Water
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If you enjoyed Flowers on the Water, you might also enjoy these other books by Helen Scott Taylor
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Unbreak My Heart
Praise for Unbreak My Heart
"Any lover of traditional Harlequin/Mills and Boon novels will especially adore this novel." Heather Hiestand
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"So many tender, touching moments that will make you laugh, cry and sigh." Charlotte
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"Unrequited love, characters from opposite sides of the tracks, family, and poignant scenes make this romance a charming combination of love and tenderness." Rita Herron
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Andre first set eyes on Kate when he was two and she was a babe in her mother's arms. He's twenty-five now, and he still remembers the moment perfectly, the moment she slipped into his heart. But they came from different sides of the track and family conflict tore them apart.
Nine years later, Kate turns up at Andre's prestigious hotel with the paparazzi at her heels and the six-week-old daughter of her celebrity ex in her arms. She has nowhere left to run except back to the place where she left her heart.
Can they forgive the pain of the past, accept each other as they are now, and rediscover the childhood love that was snatched away from them?
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Read a sample or buy Unbreak My Heart on Amazon.com HERE
Oceans Between Us
"I highly recommend Oceans Between Us for anyone who loves Harlequin romances and tender romance novels." Dorothy Johnson
He's a wealthy Italian celebrity used to dating beautiful women. She's a guesthouse cook without a penny to her name. When tragedy brings them together for a few weeks, an unlikely romance blossoms. But he has commitments that take him back to his jet-setting life, while her future lies in a remote English village. Is it possible for two people from such different walks of life to find a way to be together?
Praise for Oceans Between Us
"This is the type of book to snuggle up on the couch with on a slow Saturday afternoon to lose yourself in heartbreak, romance, and happily ever after." Sandy M, The Good, The Bad & The Unread.
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"It was incredibly rom
antic and sweet, and I couldn't wait to find out how it turned out." Abbey, Wendy's Minding Spot
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"You'll adore this romance with a charming hero who has such generosity of spirit and so much love to give the right woman. You'll cheer Maria on and hope she realizes that sometimes you just have to take a risk and follow your heart." Joan Reeves, Slingwords
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Read a sample or buy Oceans Between Us on Amazon HERE
Finally Home
As manager of the charming Greyfriar House Hotel, Melanie Marshall loves her job and spending time with her young son. But she can never forget what she ran away from: her late husband's crimes and her own terrible guilt. Though lonely, Melanie can't afford to let another man into her life.
But when her boss, gorgeous hotel owner Jack Summers, returns from his supposed wedding without a ring or a wife, Melanie discovers there's more to him than she ever thought. For one, the ex-soccer star is her son's idol. But the closer she gets to Jack, the more she pulls away. She can't share her past. Ever.
For too long, Jack's protected his scarred heart by letting gold-digging women make him think love didn't matter. But a sweet single mother and a soccer-crazy little boy change everything. He knows Melanie has secrets. Secrets she'll have to share if he's to help her realize she's finally home.
Praise for Finally Home
"…a wonderful, sweet story about letting go of the past and allowing yourself a happy future." Tina Reiter-Just a Thought
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