When Fates Align

by Isabelle Richards

  “I used to.” Gavin cups my face. “Until I found you. You are my family. You’re what keeps me grounded, my motivation to keep going. I will never be lost as long as I have you.”

  Teardrops fall like rain. “I always said you’re the wordsmith in this relationship.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lily

  Gavin steps out of the bathroom, straightening his tie. “I don’t have to go.”

  “Yes, you do.” I pull my knees up to my chest. “It’s Olivia’s funeral.”

  He looks in the mirror over the dresser and messes with his hair. “The only reason her parents are having the funeral so quickly is so they can get back to the second leg of their trip. Their last daughter dies, and they just want to return to their holiday! Gah, I despise them.”

  I fold over my blanket, then smooth down the wrinkles. “That’s why you have to be there. James needs people around him who actually cared about O, and regardless of how she’d been behaving in the last year, you loved her. You took care of her like a sister.”

  He sits on the edge of the bed. “I’m nervous about seeing James.”

  “Why?”

  He sighs. “I worry he’ll see how thankful I am that it was her and not you.” His head falls. “I feel like a cad saying it, but God help me, it’s true.”

  Seeing him struggle with this is so hard. O was like a sister to him. He took care of her and carried so much of a burden after her sister’s suicide. Having O die the way she did must wear on him.

  I take his hand. “I’ve thought the same thing a million times. If she hadn’t been there, I’d have been the one stung up on that wall. But the flip side is, if the cartel hadn’t show up when they did, would she have shot me?”

  “I can’t forgive her for that,” he says quietly. “For what she wanted to do to you… I just can’t.”

  “You have to. She saved my life. Focus on that.”

  He smiles weakly and squeezes my hand. “I’ll try.” He walks to the closet to get his shoes then sits next to me while he slides them on. “It’s a shame Emily can’t get here until tomorrow. This would have been a good time for you two to catch up. Max’ll be here though. Do you want him to come up here, or do you want to go downstairs?”

  The thought of leaving this room still makes my throat close up. “Have him come up here, please.”

  He wrinkles his nose and stands. “Fine. But please don’t lie about in the bed. One, I think he enjoys it far too much, and two, his ghastly cologne gets on the sheets. I’d rather not have any reminders of Max whilst I’m in bed with you.”

  I smile. “Seems reasonable. His cologne’s horrible.”

  He slides into his suit coat then sits in front of me on the bed. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

  “I’m positive.”

  “Will you try to eat something please?”

  I pull my knees up to my chest. “I’ll think about it.”

  I haven’t had an appetite since I got back. I didn’t eat for four days, so I should be starving. I have a free pass to eat everything in sight and not feel bad about it, but the thought of food makes me nauseated. I’ve been drinking lots of Gatorade, which apparently is hard to find in the UK. They sell Powerade here, which I find disgusting. When Gavin brought me a bottle, I turned up my nose at it. So Gavin worked his magic and had a bunch of cases delivered by some distributor. It’s one of the few times I’ve appreciated dating a gazillionaire.

  “Hazel made steak and kidney pie that is insanely good. You must try it.” I try to mask my revulsion, but Gavin’s laughter tells me I didn’t do a very good job. “She also made macaroni and cheese—I told her that was your favorite. For her first attempt, I think it came out pretty good.”

  “How is this her first stab at macaroni and cheese? Didn’t she cook for you when you were a child?”

  He fiddles with his platinum cufflink. “Yes, but that wasn’t on the menu.”

  I cluck my tongue. “A childhood without mac and cheese? There’s something seriously wrong with that. It really explains so much.” The grandfather clock chimes. “You’d better go, or you’ll be late.”

  He kisses my forehead then holds me tight. He’s reserved still with his affection. At first I thought it was because of me and what I’d done, but I think he’s scared of doing something wrong. I wish he’d stop treating me as if I’m glass though. But then again, maybe he’ll stop treating me like glass when I stop acting as if I am. I don’t think of titanium when I think of someone who’s afraid to leave their room.

  After Gavin leaves, Max comes in, and we watch an entire season of Mythbusters. Captivated by them playing a real life Fruit Ninja game and investigating if you really can kill someone by throwing a soda can out of a moving car, I don’t think about my life once. Who can worry about a bounty on her head when someone’s proving what really happens when you drop a penny off of the Empire State Building? It was just what I needed, and I love Max for it. He doesn’t ask me how I’m doing or prod me to talk. For a few hours, we’re just Max and Lily, and it’s heaven.

  We’re starting the next season when the door opens, and Gavin, Liam, and James come in. James and Liam gasp in unison at my battered appearance. Max jumps up and offers his sympathies, but their eyes stay focused on me.

  Max pats James on the back then says, “I’ll leave you guys alone.”

  When he leaves, they just look at me with those puppy dog eyes that break my heart.

  “Come on, boys, put your pity away. Black eyes are in this season. Smokey eyes, last season, black eyes, this season. It’s all the rage,” I say, hoping to ease the tension. “Get it? All the rage?” I look down. “Wow. Tough room.”

  Liam cautiously crosses the room and sits next to me on the sofa. He extends his hand as if he wants to touch me, but from the look on his face, I can tell he doesn’t know where to touch without hurting me.

  I tilt my neck so I can look him in the eye. “I’m tough, you know.”

  “Honey Bunny…”

  “Hey now, you’re a big bad hooker. You’re not supposed to get weepy at a few scrapes and bruises.”

  “I’m not used to seeing my wife beat to pieces.” His voice cracks as he speaks.

  “Ex-wife,” I whisper.

  He cups my face. “You don’t have to go to such great lengths to get my attention. I would have come to visit you without all the hysterics.”

  I turn my face and kiss his hand. “I’ll remember that next time.”

  Gavin pats Liam’s back. “Come for a walk with me, mate. It seems we need to revisit your relationship status with my girlfriend.”

  Liam looks puzzled but kisses my cheek, then he follows Gavin out the door. My eyes meet James’s.

  He points at the seat Liam just vacated. “May I?”

  “Please.”

  He folds his hands in his lap as he stares ahead with a vacant look in his eyes.

  “I won’t be obtuse and ask you how you are. I personally hate that question. ‘How are you?’” I say in a mocking tone. “How the fuck do you think I am? I’m awful. I want to crawl inside a hole and never come out.” I snicker. “I think it might be poor form if I said that though.”

  He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “My favorite is, ‘She’s in a better place.’ No. We just put her inside a box and buried her beneath the cold, dark ground. I don’t call that a better place.” He sighs. “Granted, it was the nicest box they sold. Usually reserved for nobility and lower-ranking royalty, but still. She’s not in a better place.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask. “You know, to someone who won’t say stupid shit like, ‘It’ll get better. Just give it time.’”

  He looks at his hands. “Do hearts regenerate?” His voice cracks. “Because if not, you could give me all the time in the world, and it’ll never get better.”

  I rest my chin on his shoulder. “I promise not to tell you it will get better.”

  “Today was abysmal. Well,
O’s parents got what they wanted out of it. They got to be the grieving parents and receive the sympathy of all of London’s upper crust, but the whole thing was a farce. I wish I hadn’t gone.”

  “That sounds awful,” I reply. “She deserved better.”

  He laughs quietly through his nose. “No, she didn’t. Her life was a farce. The funeral was fitting.”

  I put my hand on his arm. “You don’t mean that.”

  His eyes go wide. “Oh, I do. I mean that and much, much more. You know they say there’re stages of grieving? Well, I’m in anger, and I like it here. I think I’ll stay a while.”

  “I felt that way when Ash died. The anger fades.”

  He shakes his head. “Mine won’t.”

  I wish I could say something to make him feel better, but I have no idea what. While I was tied up, I had a lot time to think about O. There are no words for the horrors she faced in her last minutes. That sort of brutality should be saved for pedophiles. But much like my late husband, a tragic death doesn’t wipe the slate clean. No matter how bad I feel about her death, it doesn’t change the fact that if Crazy Eyes hadn’t shown up, I’d be on that slab while she was in some cushy mental hospital. I’m not sure how to reconcile that.

  He jumps up and paces. “It’s a good thing I wasn’t asked to speak today because I would have let her have it. All the shite I’ve been holding back all these years that I never got a chance to say to her because she had to go try to kill my best friend’s girl. I’ll never be able to tell her how much it hurt me that she never saw me as the long-time answer. I was her go-to fuck buddy, the guy who lifted her spirits when she’d been frolicking about with some tool who treated her like garbage. She used me, and I loved her. And now she’s gone. Fucking gone!”

  I want desperately to say the right thing, something that will put a salve on his heart, but what can I possibly say? An idea comes to me, but I’m not sure it’s wise. I don’t know if James knows any of the details of O’s death. I pray for his sake that he doesn’t. Telling him this may open Pandora’s Box, but it’s all I’ve got.

  “She saved my life.”

  He looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. “What?”

  “I was in the bedroom when they came in. She’d dyed her hair blond, and they thought she was me. At any point she could have called out to me—for help or to point out their error—but she never did. When I went in to fight for her, she told me to run and save myself. She was brave, and I owe her my life.”

  He waves his hands in dismissal. “No, my Olivia would never do that.”

  “She did, James. You would have been proud of her.” Probably not during the waving-the-gun around part, but for that one moment when she told me to run, O was a decent human being. I want James to carry that thought with him. Not for her, but for him.

  He runs his fingers through his hair. “I have so many questions about what happened, but I’m not sure I want to know the answers.”

  I sigh. “Did you ever read The Jungle?”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “In junior high—I’m not sure what you call that here—just about everyone in the States has to read a book called The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. It’s about industrialization in the early nineteen hundreds. Anyway, there’s a part about workers in a meat packaging plant, and you find out all the nasty things that end up in your hot dog. I remember thinking there are some things in life you’re better off not knowing.”

  “You Americans and your weak constitutions. My mum makes blood sausage from scratch, and I love it. I’m not sure a wee book would turn me off.”

  “You’re missing my point.”

  He pats my leg. “I didn’t miss it.” James looks away, sniffs, and wipes his eyes with the back of his wrist. “Let’s keep all the namby pamby stuff between us, okay?”

  “Of course.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “This is probably the most insensitive time to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway. She wasn’t the one for you. I promise you, out there is a woman who deserves all of your love. You have one of the biggest, kindest hearts, and it’s going to take an amazing woman to be worthy of you. You may have loved Olivia for all of your life, but I know in my heart she was not the love of your life. Don’t give up, and don’t let her take up any more of your life than she already has.”

  “You submitting an application?” he asks with a smile. “I hear you have excellent references.”

  I laugh and shake my head. “You don’t want me. I’m nothing but trouble.”

  “Ah, but the best kind of trouble.” He kisses my cheek. “I wish I had met you first. I’d have called bagsys, and Gavin couldn’t have done a thing about it.”

  “Bagsys?”

  He rolls his eyes. “Americans! I think you call it dibs or something foolish like that.”

  “We just need to introduce you to some new women. You’ll realize quickly I’m the kind of catch you throw back. But I make the best kind of friend. We’ll find you someone. Not just someone. The perfect someone.”

  He sniffs and wipes his eyes again. “I’d better get out of here.”

  I stand and hug him so tightly, I think he might pop. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

  He taps my nose. “Anything for you.” He winks then leaves the room.

  Seeing James reminds me of how lucky I am to still be alive. That could have just as easily been Gavin crying over a casket.

  Gavin comes into the room and sits on the edge of the bed. “Liam’s just harassed Hazel into making her famous toad-in-a-hole. It’s always been James’s favorite. I think Liam’s hoping James will stay instead of going home and drowning in whiskey. If you were to come down and join us, James may agree to stay.”

  I narrow my eyes. “That’s low, Oxford, using your mourning friend to motivate me to eat.”

  “I never said I play fair,” he says with a smile.

  Come on, Lily. If you want him to stop treating you as if you’re glass, stop acting like it. I sit up and take his hand. “I’ll come down, but there had better be some mac and cheese left. I’m not eating a toad.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Gavin

  It’s so good to see a little light back in Lily’s eyes. Sneaking glances at her when she’s not paying attention, I can see the tension in her face has relaxed just a bit, and her smile seems a little more comfortable. I have to hand it to Liam. Even though it feels a bit manipulative, his idea of playing James and Lily off one another is positively brill. They are both going through so much, but despite their own pain, they want to be there for each other as well. Lily is actually eating something, and James has decided to stay instead of going home and getting hammered. Or worse, going to the funeral reception at O’s parents’ house.

  Neither Lily nor James say much over dinner, but thanks to Liam, they don’t have to. He spends most of dinner regaling us with stories from his victory at the RBS 6. Lily and James seem to appreciate having a night off from their thoughts. I know I do.

  Halfway through dessert, my mobile rings. I fish it out of my pocket and see that it’s Alex. I’ve been waiting for his call for days now. I place my napkin on the table. “Excuse me,” I say, looking at Lily. “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

  “Alex,” I say when the call connects. “How are you?” I walk to my study and close the door behind me.

  “Good, mate. I have the test results,” he replies.

  Sitting at my desk, I brace myself. “And?”

  “So far everything has come back clean. CBC is surprisingly good, considering. She’s dehydrated, but you know that. Her cardiac enzymes look good. I’d still like to have her come in for an echo, but the EKG you sent me looks fine, so whilst I’m not in a hurry, I do want to be thorough. So when she’s finally up and about, bring her in.”

  The chair creaks as I lean back. “That all sounds positive,” I reply, expecting to hear a, “But” coming.

  “The STD panel came back clear as well, but she�
��ll need to be tested again in six months. Do you know if the autopsy has been done yet?”

  I tap my fingers on my desk as I try to remember if Leo had mentioned anything. “Not that I’ve been told. Why?”

  “If you can get the report, it would give us a clearer picture of what the potential risk may be.”

  Sliding the top drawer open, I take out a pen and piece of paper and scribble a note to myself. “Good idea, I’ll get on that. Anything else?”

  “Just get her in here when things start to settle down, and please send her my best,” he replies.

  “Thanks, Alex. For everything. She was in no shape to deal with a hospital that night. Being able to bring her home was a saving grace, and I owe that to you. Thank you.”

  “Anytime. I’ve got to go. Hot date tonight with an archeologist.”

  I return the pen to the drawer. “You know most archeologists are a bit stuffy? I don’t want you going there expecting Laura Croft.”

  “I know. Bridget is better! Cheers, mate,” he says before clicking off.

  I walk back into the dining room to find everyone in stitches. Liam’s red in the face and laughing so hard he can’t even get the words out to finish his story. Both Lily and James have tears in their eyes. Liam has the magical gift of being able to make anyone laugh and lift even the lowest of spirits.

  After Liam and James head out for the night, I give Lily Alex’s update. She doesn’t say much in response, but once she gets out of the bath, we chat casually for hours. When she finally falls asleep, I feel as though she’s taken a monumental step forward. Or so I thought so, until she releases a blood-curdling scream that could wake the dead. Panting and drenched in sweat, she jumps out of bed. Hoping to comfort her, I put my hand on her shoulder. She grabs my arm and twists it backward, almost pulling it out of the socket.

  “It’s me, luv. You’re safe,” I say in as calm a voice as my throbbing arm will allow. She looks at me with wild eyes, and I’m not sure she recognizes me. I hold up my other hand in defense. “It’s just me. I promise you’re perfectly safe. I would never hurt you.”