Mosaic (Dragonfly #4)

by Leigh Talbert Moore

  “I was so confused and hurt.” Her fingers were laced, and she pulled her hand up to look at it. No rings were there. “I trusted you so much. It never occurred to me that you might not trust me.”

  “I trusted you.” He studied his hand on the glass, and the little dragonfly he’d inked beside his thumb all those years ago. “You didn’t have the best track record when it came to him.”

  “You’re right. And I guess it was because of that track record, I was afraid of what you might think, of how you might misinterpret things… and we were so far apart. But I’d promised to tell you everything.”

  In his mind he was back in that isolated place in college. He was working so hard, and all he saw was their future crumbling away. “We were the only thing I believed in back then. My family was a disaster, my mom had taken away my trust. You were the one thing I counted on, and then you were gone.”

  “I was never gone. I was angry at you for giving up on us.” She had moved closer. He hadn’t noticed, but she was slowly walking in his direction. “Still, as I look back, I realize I gave up, too. I left us behind.”

  His eyes flashed to hers across the desk. “You didn’t.” The memory of that night had always been like a knife jab over and over to the chest. It was an open wound that would slowly kill him. “I had the bruises to prove it.”

  “But it wasn’t the truth,” she said quietly.

  Silence filled the office for a moment. He’d always known there was a possibility she’d find out about his lie. He wasn’t sure she’d want to talk about the reason they parted, but he should’ve known as different as she was now, she wouldn’t leave any stone unturned.

  He said the only thing left. “We have a daughter.”

  She looked down, placing her fingers on the glossy desktop.

  “Were you alone when you had her?” His voice was steady. He wasn’t ready to let her know the pain that thought caused him. Her alone in a foreign country, him not there for the birth of his first child.

  “My parents were there.”

  “I wish I had known.” He lifted the glass and took a sip. “I’d like to know her now.”

  “Of course.” Again those hazel eyes flashed to his. “I wouldn’t have kept her from you, it was just, you were so different. I thought…”

  She didn’t have to finish. He knew what she thought, and while he could be angry at so many people in this scenario, he could never be angry with her.

  “Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Without a word, she turned and left his office. Just like that, she was gone and all the lies that had kept them apart were on the table. Only where did that leave them now?

  He wanted to go to her, but it had been so long. He didn’t have the right to barge in on this woman who’d occupied his office like the force she had become. At the same time, what had brought her here if not some desire to mend the past? Was it only to tell him the truth about their child?

  Riding down in the elevator, her insides were a mixture of relief and misery. The secrets had been revealed, and now they both knew the truth. Everything that had come between them was now out in the open. Correction, all but one thing.

  She couldn’t go back to her parents’ home yet. She remembered her daughter there upset, but she knew what she was doing here was just as important, possibly more. She walked out to the beach and stood in the pavilion as the mist grew thicker in the air. Her heart beat pain through her chest with every pulse, and the stress of all the years of loneliness and longing sent tears spilling from her eyes.

  Without thinking about it, she started walking. She knew the way from the summers they’d spent running down here. It wasn’t far, and it was the only place she wanted to be.

  The rain was growing steadier. Her dress was wet, and her hair was ruined. The short distance was covered, and she looked up at the cottage. Rain mixed with the tears on her cheeks. It was dark and quiet. The garage door was closed. She wondered if the door opened, would she find his studio? Would the easel still be there? From their first night to prom night to the summer before she left for New Orleans, so much of their history was bound up in this place.

  Still, it has been seventeen years. She didn’t even know if he still owned the property. It was a foolish dream.

  Turning back, she looked up and saw a figure in the dim glow of the streetlights. It was too far to make out if it was a male or female, or if the person was even coming her direction. She stood and watched, heaviness pushing down on her lungs. That old, familiar cramp in her stomach.

  After a few moments, the person was closer, and she could tell it was a man. It was Julian. He didn’t have on his coat, and his white shirt and slacks were soaked. He was walking fast, without looking up. Why hadn’t he driven?

  When he saw her, he stopped. “What are you doing here?”

  It was all she could do to speak. “I needed to walk. I wanted to walk, and I guess… I wanted to come here.”

  “You’re soaking wet.”

  “So are you.”

  “Come inside, and you can dry off.” He reached into his pocket and stepped past her, going up the porch steps to the door. “You can wear something of mine.”

  Looking up after him, she only hesitated a moment before following him up the stairs into the dark house.

  He flipped the switch, thankful the cleaning service had come earlier in the week. Dashing to the bathroom, he grabbed a few towels off the rack. One was a small hand towel.

  “Here. I brought you one of my tees and a pair of boxers.”

  She held up the smaller towel and glanced at him. “This brings back memories.”

  He could still see her eighteen year-old body not very well hidden behind a towel that size. The image sent a flood of heat to places she’d already enflamed in his office.

  He cleared his throat. “There’s also a larger one there, and you can use the bathroom if you’d like to…”

  She stepped toward him, dropping the bundle on the floor. He waited as she reached out to touch his drenched shirt. It was warm rain, and his skin was hot beneath the thin fabric. His torso was plainly visible through the wet material, and with her palm flat against his chest, he didn’t seem to breathe.

  He was waiting, just like she was. Holding his breath, just like she was. His elbow bent, and his hand covered hers. Slowly her eyes closed and she leaned forward. His hand moved to her cheek, his thumb touching the velvet lips he remembered so well. Rain dripped from the tips of his dark hair, and he covered her mouth with his. The tiniest whimper came from her throat, and she was in his arms.

  Lips parted, tongues crashed together, she was up—did he lift her? Holding his cheeks, her body fused to his. Their kisses came faster, and it was hard to make out what exactly was happening. The noise of a chair falling over, his hand reached out to find the doorjamb.

  Her lips pressed to his cheek, his eye, back down to his mouth—these were the only things he felt. Other than the burning need expanding low in his stomach. Waves of heat unfurled through his limbs. They were finally in his room, and she had managed to get every button undone on his shirt.

  Her dress was defying him. Why did the neck have to be so high?

  “It’s a halter. Wait.” She reached behind her neck to pull a string and it dropped to her waist. She was bare underneath it.

  “I love this dress.” He breathed, cupping one breast before she crashed her body against his, arms around his neck, mouths reunited.

  Pushing everything down, their clothes were left in a soggy puddle on his floor. He didn’t care—he actually hoped for a watermark, something to commemorate this moment. It was monumental.

  He smoothed his hands down the length of her torso to the curve of her lower back. Her body had changed since the last time they were together. She was more lines and angles, less curves. A new portrait was unfolding in his mind when he noticed her shiver.

  “Are you cold?” he whispered, but she shook her head no, desire burning in
her eyes.

  Their mouths came together again as they moved onto the bed. She was below him, then she was above him as their bodies entwined in a desperate need to be reunited. He kissed her everywhere, remembering the taste of her skin, until at last they were one, and it was as if all the stars exploded in the sky.

  He could hear the sounds coming from her throat, but his mind was a hazy blur of longing finally satisfied, desire fulfilled. She was everything, she was part of him, she the air and the sea.

  Their frantic pace calmed, and once again, she was beneath him. Her hands moved to his cheeks, and she held him, eyes closed. Like their last reunion, she was overwhelmed by the way they fit together. He was hers, just like before, and his strong arms surrounded her, the softness of the sheets behind her, the prickly feel of his chest hair, the scent of the ocean clinging to him. The taste of rain was in her mouth, and her entire body vibrated with the most intense happiness.

  “Jules said you were considering moving back.” His low voice vibrated warmth against her heart. His elbows were bent, and he smoothed back her hair.

  Her eyes drifted open and his blue ones creased with his smile. “I’d like to come home. I miss everything here.”

  “Everything?”

  She lifted her head and pecked his lips. “Some things more than others. Some things not at all.” He actually laughed, and the sound made her laugh. “What’s so funny?”

  “What do you not miss at all?”

  Her lips puckered into a frown, and he kissed them. She kissed him back, and for the next several minutes, his question hung in the air unanswered as they had another private-reunion.

  “I don’t miss your brother Will at all.” She was above him again, her head rested on her hand.

  “Hmm… the ultimate buzz kill. What in the world would make you think of him right now?”

  She exhaled and fell on her back in the bed. He was on his side above her just as fast. With a finger he gently pulled her chin toward him. “Tell me.”

  She moved up to her side, facing him. It wasn’t the greatest timing, but she might as well get it out there. “He was the one sending you those pictures. Of me with Jack at Loyola. He was the ‘Friend.’”

  Julian’s brow creased. “But why? I mean, what does he care? Other than I guess he’d be the type to get off on Jack and me fighting.”

  “It was because of me.” Her eyes dropped. “Or more precisely, to get rid of me.”

  His lips curved into a grin, and he leaned forward to kiss her nose. “What did you ever do to Will?”

  “That’s just it! I have no idea!” She lay on her back again, and he caught her waist, pulling her close against his chest. She traced a finger through the light dusting of hair across the top. “Why don’t I remember this?”

  “I had it installed after you left. I got sick of Brad trying to buy me butterscotch Frappuccinos.”

  She snorted a laugh, and rolled her face against his skin. She took a deep breath before moving back to find his eyes. “You never changed, and then you did.”

  “Just a few little things. Now tell me why Will would want to get rid of you.”

  “I want to hear more about these little things.”

  “Anna…”

  She pushed into a sitting position, holding the sheet under her arms. “I don’t know, really. It started when I was dating Jack.” Then she frowned. “Can I even say I dated Jack?”

  “No. Continue.”

  “Well, whatever I was doing with Jack—he met me once, and decided I was not going to be a part of his family.” She shook her head at the lunacy of the whole thing. “He was very annoyed by my presence in the office back when I was interviewing your dad, and then he threatened me at Mardi Gras.”

  She examined her fingernails, hoping to let that last bit fly past. No such luck. Julian sat up quickly then. “He threatened you?”

  “That’s probably an exaggeration.”

  “Anna.” He held both her hands in his. “What happened at Mardi Gras?”

  “It’s so stupid, really. He just danced with me—it was a masque, remember? So I didn’t know it was him. Then he told me I would never be a part of his family…” Her voice broke off, and for some stupid reason, her eyes grew hot.

  “You’re crying.” Julian’s jaw clenched and he pulled her to him. “Did he scare you? I’m going to punch him in the face the next time I see him.”

  “Oh my god, don’t you dare.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes roughly sitting straight. “I’m not crying over stupid Will, it’s just… he almost succeeded.”

  She blinked up at him, and his blue eyes creased with a warm smile. “Don’t cry, Hazel. You will be a part of this family. Nothing’s ever taking you away from me again.”

  “I thought you were Hazel.”

  “I’m butterscotch Frappuccino.” He slid down in the bed, grabbing her waist and pulling her under him. She laughed, as his mouth started a sizzling trail from her jaw, down her neck, working its way lower until they were once again lost in a glowing haze of reunion.

  * * *

  Light streamed through the east-facing windows, and Anna opened her eyes to the olive walls and navy curtains of a room she remembered well. Julian was on his stomach on the other side of the large bed, and she kissed his shoulder before slipping out, stopping to collect the damp denim dress, which was her only article of clothing in the house.

  He’d given her two towels and dry clothes in a bundle the evening before. Creeping out of the room, she found them lying in the pile where she’d dropped them. His tee and boxers. Pulling them on and tying her hair back in a band, she quickly scribbled out a note for him to meet them at lunch today. Then she set out toward the beach, where she’d left her mom’s old car.

  It was still early when she crept into her parents’ home in Fairview. She tried to be quiet, but Gabi and Jules were both in the kitchen having coffee.

  “Shackin up!!!” Of course her best friend would start yelling.

  Anna stood straight and went to the laundry room to hang her dress on the drying rack. When she re-entered, Jules was focused on the toaster oven and wouldn’t look at her. Gabi, on the other hand was bouncing on her bar stool.

  “He’s as awesome as always, isn’t he? You don’t even have to answer that. I know the answer is yes.”

  “Gabi…” She made big eyes and tilted her head toward Jules.

  “Hang on. Time out.” Her best friend waved her hands. “You’re the one who didn’t come home last night, and now you’re wanting me to pretend like you’re not standing there in Julian’s tee and boxers?”

  Anna rolled her eyes and went to her room for a change of clothing. Once she was in her own underwear as well as her own clothes, she went back to the kitchen, where her daughter was eating a pop tart and drinking a large mug of coffee.

  “I need some of that.” She went to the coffee pot.

  “I thought you didn’t like pop tarts. Said they’re fake food or something.” At least Jules was speaking to her.

  “I’m sorry for being out so late. I got caught in the rain, and then it just sort of… one thing led to another.” This was not going the way she’d hoped.

  “How exactly did you get caught in the rain?” Her daughter’s bright blue eyes were narrowed.

  “I’d gone to talk to your dad. To be sure he knew about you. And well, it didn’t go the way I’d hoped. I decided to walk it off, and this storm just came up suddenly—”

  “It was misting rain all day yesterday, Mum.”

  “I guess I didn’t notice.”

  “She doesn’t notice all kinds of things when your dad’s around, get used to it, twerp.”

  “Gabi!” Anna grimaced at her friend. “Anyway, your dad took me to his place. I mean, his mother’s, well, they have a little cottage right down by the water.”

  She stopped at that point and changed directions. “How are you feeling today? Will you tell me why you were so upset last night?”

  Her
daughter had been slowly chewing her pop tart throughout the entire explanation, and now she was studying it like it was the early phases of the shuttle landing, as Gabi was quick to note.

  “I don’t think I will tell you now, since you’re clearly biased in your position.” Jules finished her breakfast and lifted her mug. “I will say I think you must’ve sustained a head injury or something in your youth the way you can take him back after what he did to you.”

  Her mother’s brow pierced. “What he did to me? Sweetie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Maybe it’s early-onset Alzheimer’s disease?”

  “Juliet. I’m not pleased with this attitude. Either tell me what you’re talking about or knock it off.”

  “She’s acting like an eighth grader!” Gabi called from the living room, where she was on the couch eating popcorn. “Maybe she’s getting messages from the mother ship.”

  “Gab, are you having popcorn for breakfast?” Anna’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up.

  Don’t like waking up to a note. Julian texted, and energy flooded her core.

  Unable to stop the grin spreading across her face, she texted back. I’m sorry. You were so cozy, I had to go or I would’ve stayed.

  What’s wrong with staying?

  Nothing, except we have a daughter, you know.

  When will I see her again?

  Her eyes lifted to Juliet, who was watching her with an expression of disgust.

  “You shouldn’t make that face,” Anna scolded. “You look exactly like your Uncle William, and he’s a wank.”

  Jules’s eyes flew wide. “Mum!” But as she expected, the girl started to laugh. “That is so wrong coming from you!”

  “We’re meeting your Aunt Lucy for lunch today. She’s divine, she has four kids, and your father wants to join us.”

  Their daughter’s shoulders dropped.

  “I’ll tell him you can’t wait to see him again.”