by Skye Taylor
Tears prickled in Elena’s eyes. All the things this woman might have done, or the things she might have said and had every right to do or say, and instead, she’d hugged her as if Elena was already a cherished part of the family.
“I’m so glad you came,” Philip’s mother said, releasing Julie and Elena. She brushed the tears off her face and smiled. “Y’all come right on up, now. Philip, you get their things. Your father has been on the edge of his seat, waiting for you to get here.” She grabbed both Julie and Elena’s hands and towed them toward the stairs. No mention of the rest of Philip’s family who were obviously also here and waiting to meet Julie.
Nathan Cameron and three more dogs met them at the top. With a smile twinkling in his blue eyes and a dimple puckering his right cheek, Philip’s father looked so much like his son and granddaughter, it caught Elena by surprise. The alikeness tore at her heart all over again when she glanced at her daughter’s face and considered how many years she had denied Julie the knowledge of these people. Her family. Her birthright.
Her grandfather kissed Julie on the forehead, then hugged her. “Call me Gramps. Please.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “Another beautiful granddaughter . . . how lucky can one man get?”
Then he turned toward Elena. She started to offer him her hand, but he scooped her into a bear-hug of an embrace. “You can call me anything you like except late for dinner.” He laughed as he set her free. “But Cam is probably easier.”
He half turned and pulled a petite, blond teenager forward. “This is Ava. She’s been almost as antsy as me.” Ava was Philip’s youngest brother’s daughter, and she’d been two that long ago summer, which made her sixteen now, almost three years older than Julie.
“Oh my God! You can’t begin to guess how glad I am to meet you.” Ava air-kissed Julie with a bright sparkle in her brown eyes. “Someone else my own age at these family powwows! I hope you don’t mind sharing a room with me. Otherwise I get to bunk in with the kiddos.”
“Cool,” Julie responded, her earlier trepidation quickly melting away.
Philip arrived with two overnight bags over his shoulder and the dogs on his heels, Julie’s backpack in one hand, and the box of pastries in the other. Julie reached for her backpack and let Ava tow her off toward the door. Elena slid her bag off Philip’s shoulder.
“I told you they’d be glad to see you,” Philip whispered in Elena’s ear. He gave her hand a squeeze, then let go.
“Put that box in the kitchen,” Sandy Cameron directed her husband. “I’ll get our girls settled while you catch up with Philip.” She led the way inside and turned to ascend a wide set of shallow stairs leading to a balcony that looked down over the family area. At the top of the stairs, she gestured to several doors that all opened off to the left.
“I’ve put you in Philip’s room.”
“But where will Philip stay?” Elena protested. She’d assumed she and Julie would share a room. She hadn’t considered the possibility that she would be sleeping in Philip’s bed where there were dozens of memories to haunt her.
“He gets to bunk with the boys. If he’s lucky, they’ll be asleep by the time he goes to bed.” Sandy laughed happily and led the way to a room Elena remembered all too well.
Philip’s mom was obviously comfortable having her house packed to the eaves with family, and reveled in the confusion and noise. Elena couldn’t tear her anxious thoughts away from all the introductions. The questions and frowns of disappointment and disapproval.
“We’ve been waiting lunch on you,” Sandy said turning back to the stairs and starting down. “But we’re not starving so take your time.”
A jumble of memories surged through Elena’s heart as she stepped over the threshold of the room Philip had grown up in. Memories of falling in love with Philip here in this space. Memories of standing on the deck just beyond the sliding doors, kissing in the moonlight, and, come morning, sitting with Philip’s back to the wall and her tucked between his bent knees watching the sun come up. Making love in his bed.
“You okay, Mom?” Julie stuck her head into the room.
Elena shook off the vivid, poignant memories and plastered a smile on her face. She felt so off-kilter. “I’m good. You go on down. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Julie’s head disappeared and a moment later came the distinct sound of two young girls galloping down the stairs.
Elena had been uncertain how this weekend would go to start with. Now she was totally adrift. She was afraid to hope, yet unable not to. Whatever her sins of the past, it appeared Philip’s parents were not going to condemn her for them. But would Philip forgive her as easily? And even if he did, was she ready to entrust her heart to him whatever his future held?
Chapter 40
May 2015
Tide’s Way, North Carolina
ELENA LEFT THE relative sanctuary of Philip’s room and headed down to face the rest of his family. As she approached the chatter coming from the kitchen, Meg intercepted her.
“I can’t believe you kept the fact that Philip was Julie’s father from me all these years,” she hissed in Elena’s ear as she tucked her arm through Elena’s and stopped her in the hallway.
“I would have told you,” Elena whispered back. “But you were on your honeymoon. Then you were in Europe.”
“But all these years since? And not a single word? I thought we were BFFs.” Meg made a derisive noise and shook her head. “I can’t believe you slept with him back then, and now you’re worried about bending a few rules about dating him?”
“There weren’t any rules to bend back then,” Elena defended herself, but she felt the rush of heat coloring her neck and cheeks. She’d slept with him in spite of the rules, which was a lot bigger than just going on a date.
“You could have told me. I wouldn’t have tattled.” She dragged Elena into the living room, her faithful shadow Kip at her side. She pulled Elena into a quick hug, then set her away but kept her hands draped across Elena’s shoulders. “So?”
“So . . . what?” She glanced past Meg at the spacious, comfortably decorated room, avoiding Meg’s eyes.
“So how are things between you and Philip now?” Meg shook her lightly, and a frown puckered her brow.
Elena raised her shoulders and let them drop.
“Do you love him?”
Elena nodded. “He’s upset with me, and I don’t blame him. I should have trusted him, but I didn’t. Now I don’t know how to fix it.”
Meg wrapped her arms about her in a real hug and whispered into her ear, “He loves you, too. It’ll work out. Just talk to each other.” Meg pulled away and snickered again. “Listen to me, Dear Abby, the woman who had to be brought to her knees before she shared her worst fears with her own husband.” She reached down and scratched Kip’s ears. “But seriously, Elena. Just talk to him. You two can work this out. He was talking about you while you were upstairs and—”
“He was talking about me? To the whole family?” Kip got to his feet, on alert at the tone of Elena’s voice. Her pulse thudded in her temples at the idea of her sins of omission being openly discussed in her absence.
“Well, actually, just to Jake. I eavesdropped,” Meg admitted with a shrug, giving Kip another reassuring pat.
“You guys eating or not? Better hurry or these scavengers won’t leave much behind,” a deep male voice called from the dining area. One of Philip’s brothers, but Elena wasn’t sure which.
“Let’s go eat.” Meg turned toward the other room. “We can talk later. Or better yet, you and Philip can talk.”
What had Philip said to Jake? The question burned through her as she followed Meg to lunch.
“DON’T LET MOM intimidate you.” Jake, seated to Julie’s right, patted her hand before passing her a plate of sandwiches. “She gives everyone the third degree until th
ey’ve told her all their secrets.”
“I do not!” Sandy Cameron defended herself. “I’m just trying to get caught up here.”
Julie chose tuna on a croissant and passed the plate along. She set her sandwich down on her plate and held up one hand. “I’ve got no secrets to hide.” She shot an accusing glance toward Elena, then looked back at her grandmother. “So . . . I love surfing and going to the movies. I especially like action flicks. I like to read. I gave away tons of books before we moved, but Mom got me a Kindle, so now I’ve got tons of books on that. I’m a pretty mean tennis player, I like football, and I’m an honor student.” She folded a finger for each item of interest until she ran out of fingers. “And I love your house.”
Sandy laughed. “Me too. Good thing since I live here, huh? And we hope you’ll come to visit us often. Maybe you can come down for a week or two come summer vacation. If it’s okay with your mom.” Sandy glanced at Elena.
Elena just nodded.
Julie was an outgoing, friendly girl, but Elena had never seen her so animated so quickly after meeting new people. It gave her another jolt of guilt to realize Julie might have been enjoying this family her whole life if she hadn’t kept Julie’s existence from them. Meg’s hissed question echoed in her ears along with Philip’s angry accusations.
“I’ll have to teach you how to appreciate basketball. More specifically, the Tarheels.” Philip’s father joined the conversation. “As for football, you’re probably a Chargers fan, but around here, you’ll have to pretend you’re rooting for the Panthers.”
“Oh, the Chargers are okay,” Julie said brightly. “But I root for the Patriots. My best friend in San Diego was from Boston, and she’s the one who introduced me to football in the first place. Her father used to play for the Patriots.”
Philip barked out a laugh. “Proof. If I needed any. You are definitely my daughter.” He held up his hand and Julie high-fived him.
“Traitors,” Cam grumbled with a grin.
“He gets that from me,” Sandy confided. “I grew up in New Hampshire. The Patriots are my team too. Cam’s outnumbered.”
“Hey, hold on just a minute.” Will, one of the twins, joined the good-natured rivalry. “I’m a Panthers guy. So’s Ben.”
“Go Pats,” Jake interjected. “You’re still outnumbered.”
The rest of the meal passed in similar fashion with a lot of good-natured joking and sharing of past history. Elena couldn’t help comparing the easygoing, laughter-filled luncheon to the stilted, joyless meals she’d shared with Eli’s parents. Julie had always been subdued and unhappy whenever they’d made the journey to Seattle, sensing, if not understanding, the antipathy Eli’s mother felt toward Elena and her bastard child that she didn’t make any effort to hide. The entire Cameron family could not have been more accepting of what might so easily have been an awkward situation filled with recriminations.
Then lunch was over and everyone scattered. The kids headed to the beach carrying a variety of buckets and sand toys with Philip’s twin brothers in tow to keep an eye on them. Zoe was putting her baby down for a nap and Meg had disappeared, too. Even Julie had taken off with Ava, leaving Elena feeling very alone and left out. She grabbed the nearly empty platter of sandwiches and what was left of a bowl of chips and started for the kitchen. Cleaning up after the meal was the least she could do.
“You’re family and all, but you don’t get to spend much time at the beach. So you’re off the hook today. Go out and enjoy the day.” Sandy shooed Elena out of the kitchen.
“Are you sure?” Elena asked, feeling even more adrift.
“Of course, I’m sure. Grab that boy of mine and make him take you for a walk.” Sandy bustled about her kitchen, tidying up.
Elena wandered out onto the deck. Too late to grab Sandy’s boy to go for a walk, though. He was already on the beach with Julie at his side. They were unfurling a kite with their heads bent close.
Elena started toward the stairs.
“Elena?” Cam’s voice stopped her.
She turned back.
“We’re glad you came.” His eyes sparkled with warmth.
Tears stung Elena’s eyes, and she didn’t know how to respond.
“I don’t know how things stand between you and Philip, but I want you to know, you are always welcome in our home. I hope you two can work things out, but even if you can’t, you’re still family.”
Elena’s throat ached with emotion and a threat of tears. All the mistakes she’d made, and not a single word of condemnation. She didn’t deserve it.
She retraced her steps and bent to give Philip’s father a hug. “Thank you.”
He hugged her hard, then set her away. “Better go help fly that kite. They aren’t doing too well so far.”
Elena turned and headed down the stairs, dashing the tears from her eyes as she went.
Julie held a spool of kite line in her hand while Philip had hiked up onto the dune to untangle the kite where it had crashed and gotten caught by a piece of driftwood. Elena approached, doing her best to shake off the feeling of being on the outside looking in.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Apparently, she hadn’t tried hard enough.
“You look like you’re ready to cry.”
Elena stopped trying to pretend. “Your grandparents are too nice. I’m a little emotional. They just—they—”
“They are pretty nice,” Julie agreed with frown. “But I don’t get why that should make you cry?”
Elena looked into Julie’s blue eyes, eyes that had always reminded her of Philip, sometimes with an ache she couldn’t banish. So many mistakes. So much time wasted.
“Because they didn’t make me feel like I’d done something terrible.”
Julie’s gaze dropped, and she fidgeted with hem of her shirt. “I’ve been treating you like crap, and I’m sorry.”
“Maybe I deserved it.”
“Yeah, maybe you do, but—”
“But?”
“I don’t think this bird is going to fly again,” Philip said as he jogged to a stop and held out the wounded kite. “Want to try out the water instead?” His blue eyes seemed to soften for a moment when he looked at Elena, but then he turned toward his daughter.
What had her daughter been about to say?
Julie glanced over her shoulder at the abandoned sandcastle. Will, Ben, and Jake were already in the water, surrounded by shouting kids begging to be tossed into the air so they could splash back into the waves.
She turned back to her father with a daring light in her eyes. “I want to hear you squeal like a little girl when you hit the water.”
“I didn’t squeal at Lejeune. I’m not squealing here,” Philip shot back.
“Beat ya to the water,” Julie challenged and took off running.
Philip yanked his T-shirt off over his head. Then he was pounding across the sand after his daughter. Both of them squealed as they high-stepped into the waves and finally dove through a big breaking curl of green water.
Elena sagged onto the sand with her gut on an emotional roller coaster.
Philip came up, shaking water from his eyes, and joined the lineup of dads lacing their fingers together and launching kids into the air. He held his cupped hands out and Julie stepped into them, her hands on his shoulders. With a mighty heave, Julie flew into the air, tucked herself into a ball, and splashed back into the water holding her nose.
Just a few weeks ago, Philip would not have been able to do that, or at least not without a great deal of pain. Today, the feat was nothing. He was definitely fit for duty. Elena’s heart squeezed painfully with the realization.
She’d done a good job with his rehab regimen, and she was proud of the results, but she had to admit that much of her succe
ss with Philip was due to his grit and determination. He’d done everything she’d asked with the single-minded focus of being cleared for duty as soon as possible. And now he had what he’d been working so hard to achieve.
How much longer did she have to mend the rift that had come between them? How many weeks, or would it be only days, before he announced his next deployment? And even more important, what was the likelihood he’d promise to stay in touch, to call and email her every day?
With Julie, sure. Elena didn’t begrudge Julie this belated but rapidly deepening relationship with her biological father. She had only herself to blame for the estrangement between herself and Philip.
That disquieting sense of being alone and adrift hit her again. During those long months when she’d been carrying Julie, she’d never quite given up hope that somehow he would return, but this time, if she let him go, there would be no hope.
Chapter 41
Memorial Day Weekend, 2015
Tide’s Way, North Carolina
“YOU’VE GOT TO cut your mom some slack,” Philip said as he and Julie paced along the water’s edge as afternoon turned into evening and the sky turned pink.
“She lied to me. She lied to you, too. Why are you defending her?” Julie ignored the peaceful setting in favor of nurturing the grudge she held against her mother.
“She was young, and scared, and alone. And she had a new baby. That’s a huge responsibility even when there are two parents.”
“Lots of single women raise kids every day,” Julie scoffed.
“Yes, they do,” Philip agreed. “But sometimes it’s because they have no choice. Eli offered to take care of you both and make things easier.” Philip couldn’t bring himself to call Eli Julie’s dad. “Your mom had a chance to give you a father, even if it wasn’t me. And she took it. She was just trying to do the best thing she knew for you.”
They walked along in silence for a way before Julie responded. “Are you over being angry? Or are you telling me her lies didn’t hurt you at all?”
