by Rome, Ada
“I’ll take it from here, Cayne.” Bobby removed a set of handcuffs from his belt and closed them over Granton’s wrists. “Granton Langley, you’re under arrest for kidnapping, assault, attempted murder…”
“Me? You’re arresting me?” Granton spit blood. Bobby lifted him to his feet. “Don’t you know who I am?”
Cayne laughed. “Nice try. But you’re on my turf now.” He grabbed a fistful of Granton’s collar and delivered one more walloping punch to his stunned and blood-streaked face. “Welcome to the South, asshole.”
Bobby dragged Granton toward the waiting police car, reading his rights in an official sounding voice. Cami sobbed in Jasper’s arms. Cayne ran over and knelt beside Aunt Lu. He held her hand and rested her head on his lap while I continued to apply pressure to her wound.
Cayne’s eyes met mine. In that moment, I knew that everything would be alright. I also knew that I would never again leave his side.
Chapter 13
I shifted uncomfortably in the red plastic chair and listened to the squeak and shuffle of shoes in the corridor and the blips and beeps of machines. Aunt Lu breathed steadily in the bed, looking shrunken beneath the blankets, her feet resting far short of the edge.
“Here you go.” Cayne slid through the partially open door and handed me a paper cup of coal black coffee. “Any news?”
“The doctor said she’s making good progress. She should be able to come home in another few days.”
Cayne and I had camped out in Aunt Lu’s hospital room nearly every minute since the showdown with Granton almost a week earlier. She’d sustained a bullet wound to the leg and a head injury, but neither proved to be life-threatening. The doctors expected her to make a full recovery. We placed Georgie in the care of a neighbor for the time being, thinking it best not to let him see his grandmother poked through with needles and tubes.
The past week had been busy and chaotic. Granton’s arrest created a flurry of scandal in the New York newspapers. Wall Street Financier’s Southern Love Triangle, read one headline. His colleagues lined up to profess shock and dismay.
“Why on earth would Granton Langley be threatening and kidnapping people in some hick town in the middle of nowhere?” one of them asked.
They threw up their hands from behind their sleek desks in shining Manhattan high-rises and declared that it simply did not make any sense. Rather than believe the truth, some turned me into the villain. They described me as a young temptress who had callously used Granton for his money, stolen his heart, and shamefully run away to my lover in the southern hills. It was a tale that made me laugh for its sheer absurdity.
My phone rang day and night with inquiries from reporters. I willingly told the truth about my life with Granton to anyone who would listen. What was once a terrible secret now became public knowledge. All traces of shame and guilt melted away. I was glad to tell the world my secrets. Maybe my story would reach another woman silently struggling through the same ordeal. Maybe it would remind her that she was not alone and provide a portion of the strength that she needed to break free.
Aunt Lu stirred in the bed, shaking her head back and forth and mumbling softly. Her eyelids fluttered open.
“Brinley?” Her voice was hoarse. I jumped up from my chair and leaned over the bed, massaging her cold fingers. Cayne stood behind me with his hands placed protectively on my shoulders.
“I’m here, Aunt Lu.”
“I need to tell you something.” She attempted to sit up, but immediately sank back down into the pillows with a sigh. “It’s about your mother.” Her words were spaced far apart with the effort of speaking.
“My mother?” I asked with doubt in my voice. I looked back at Cayne, but he seemed as dismayed as I was.
“I know where she is. I know where Charity is. I’m sorry.” She took a few shallow breaths to gather strength.
“We don’t have to talk about this now.” I placed a calming hand on her forearm.
“Yes, we do.” Her fingers gripped mine. “You deserve to know. She called me last year.”
My heart leapt in my chest. My mouth went dry. Cayne’s hands tightened reassuringly around my shoulders. Aunt Lu took several more shallow breaths.
“She didn’t want you to know yet,” she continued. “She didn’t think you could forgive her, not yet. I promised to wait. I should have told you sooner. You should talk to her, Brinley. Forgive her, please. She’s not a bad person. She was young. She made mistakes. We all do. Her phone number and address are in the top drawer of my nightstand. Call her. Write to her. Anything. For me. Please.”
I was too stunned to speak. Aunt Lu was visibly exhausted. Her whole body sank into the bed. She closed her eyes.
“Thank you for telling me,” I said quietly. She nodded softly and went back to sleep.
Cayne wrapped me in a strong hug. All those years, when I did not know whether my mother was alive or dead, I watched and waited for her. A part of me never gave up hoping that she would return. But now, with the prospect of a reunion before me, was I ready to let her walk back into my life?
I thought of Cayne’s tattoo and his words to me on the banks of the river. Each of us is all the sums he has not counted. I could not escape the past and all of the pain that my mother’s absence had caused me. That pain was a part of me and always would be. But I also did not have to let it control me.
I rested my head on Cayne’s chest and let his heartbeat steady my nerves. Aunt Lu’s words rang in my ears. She still loved her sister and chose to forgive her. If it meant so much to Aunt Lu, the woman who had raised me and acted as a real mother throughout all of those years, then perhaps I could find it in my heart to forgive as well.
***
“What are you going to do?” Cayne asked. He was perched on the edge of the bed, watching me as I stared dumbstruck at a small sheet of notepaper with the name “Charity LeClare,” a phone number, and an address in Sedona, Arizona.
“I don’t know yet.” I shook my head and set the notepaper on the nightstand. “It doesn’t seem real right now. It’s just too much to take in all at once. Why did she abandon me for all those years? Why did she never come back?”
“Well,” he said with a thoughtful sigh, “there is only one way to get those questions answered, isn’t there?”
“I guess so.” I still felt unsure. I couldn’t imagine picking up the phone and calling her like we were friends. She was a woman I no longer knew. But a letter seemed too impersonal. How could I adequately convey the depth of my feelings in a letter, and what would I even say?
“You have time to think about it,” Cayne said gently. He stood, placed his palm tenderly on the side of my face, and kissed me. I angled my hips toward him. “There’s something I’d like to do right now though,” he whispered in my ear, his hot breath on my neck.
He scooped me into his strong arms and carried me across the hall to my bedroom. When he set me back on my feet, I was already removing my black tank top while he unbuttoned my khaki shorts and slipped them roughly over my hips. I lifted the hem of his t-shirt, pulled it up over his head, and flung it across the room.
I ran my fingertips along his chiseled torso and kissed his defined chest, letting my tongue linger and glide over his firm flesh. He unhooked my bra and slid the straps over my arms, cradling and massaging my breasts while he kissed the side of my neck. I eagerly unbuttoned and lowered his jeans and pressed my hips against him, feeling his rigid strength.
He reached into the front of my panties, rubbing and probing me with his fingers as my knees buckled with a rush of erotic desire. He tore the skimpy fabric from my hips, aggressively snapping the thin threads. I lowered his boxers and curled my hand around his massive erection while he grunted with approval. I arched my back as he took each of my breasts in his mouth. With a prolonged moan of ecstasy, I grasped the back of his head while he vigorously licked and sucked my taut nipples.
He lifted and deposited me on the bed with a bounce and a creak of mat
tress springs. I spread my legs wide. He bent low and danced his tongue against my wet clit while I gasped with a rush of hot pleasure. Then he climbed atop me, spread my legs wider apart, and entered me in one thick grinding plunge. We kissed, our tongues intertwining, as he thrust into me again. I lifted my knees higher while he pushed himself into me with a series of emphatic groans. His strong steady rhythm grew faster as my breathing grew shorter and raspier.
“Oh, Cayne,” I whimpered and pleaded. “Give me more. I want it. Harder.”
He thrust into me with added force. I panted and moaned, digging my nails into the thick rippling muscles of his back. I crossed my legs around his waist as he pushed into me over and over again, hard and fast and deep. With a sudden rocketing surge, I felt a thousand tingling nerves pulse throughout my entire body, tensing my muscles in a writhing frenzy and forcing a long throaty cry from my open mouth. I gripped my thighs tight around his hips. He buried his face in my neck and growled with a satisfied animal lust as he came deep inside of me with a mighty throb and a torrent of release. He collapsed onto my chest in spent exhaustion. We both breathed heavily into the silence. Then he raised himself up and tenderly kissed my breasts, my shoulders, my neck, and my lips.
“I love you, Brinley,” he whispered.
“I love you, Cayne,” I whispered back.
Chapter 14
“Ok, step up, but don’t look.”
“I can’t look. I’m blindfolded.”
The cotton bandana over my eyes let through only a hint of the bright October sunshine. I lifted my foot in an exaggerated arc and stepped on what I believed to be a street curb. I held my arms out for balance as Cayne walked beside me with one hand on my back and the other gently guiding my elbow forward.
“Hey, I kind of like you in this blindfold. We might have to save it for use in other circumstances.” His voice was flirtatious, and I could easily picture him winking and flashing his irresistible dimple.
“That sounds like a fun time to me.” I laughed and felt a rush of attraction that warmed my skin where his fingertips rested.
The crisp fall air smelled of dried leaves and apple cider. The steady passage of cars and snippets of pedestrian conversation told me that we were probably in the vicinity of Beech Street, Hallow River’s main downtown thoroughfare.
“Stop right here,” he instructed. I felt his fingers untie the knot at the back of my head. The fabric dropped at my feet. When I opened my eyes, I found myself facing a boarded-up storefront. A sheet covered the sign above the entrance. Cayne stood proudly in front of the windows, his hands on his hips like a conquering superhero.
“Am I missing something?” I asked after taking in the odd scene.
“Yes, you are.” He tugged on a string that swung lightly in the breeze. The sheet fluttered to the ground and revealed a freshly painted sign. LeClare Dance Academy. It was written in lovely script and accompanied by a picture of a ballet shoe. I looked at Cayne in confusion.
“I don’t understand,” I stammered. “This is for me?”
“Of course it’s for you. Come inside. I’ll explain.” He took a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. The lobby was a mess of nails, plaster dust, and wooden planks. We tiptoed gingerly through the debris. He pulled me forward and opened an interior door marked “Studio.” I gasped and held my hand over my mouth in shock.
Inside was a dance studio with a ballet barre running down each side wall and mirrors all around. Everything sparkled with a fresh polish. The sun filtered through the high windows in long shafts and illuminated the gleaming floor.
“This is beautiful. But how can it be?” I turned to Cayne in disbelief.
“I signed the papers a month ago,” he explained. “I’ve been trying to keep it a secret. Looks like I succeeded.” He chuckled. “This all belongs to you now. We still have to finish up with the front obviously, but that shouldn’t take long. I assume you will be able to open by Thanksgiving.”
“This is unbelievable, Cayne.” My mind still had trouble processing what he was telling me. I was going to have my own dance studio? This was more than I could have ever dreamed.
“So, you like it?” he bit his lip with uncertainty. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Of course I like it! I love it! This is amazing!” We kissed long and deep in the warm glow of a sunbeam.
“There’s, uh, one more thing.” He cleared his throat nervously.
“There’s more? Isn’t this enough?” I laughed. He took my hand and guided me toward a small chair in the corner. On the chair sat my old “Escape Fund” jar. When I looked closer, I noticed that the card on the front no longer read “Escape Fund.” It now read “Wedding Fund.”
My heart fluttered with excitement. I peered into the top of the jar and saw a small black velvet ring box at the bottom. When I turned in stunned surprise, Cayne was already perched on one knee.
“Go ahead. Take out the ring,” he said gently.
I reached into the jar and pulled out the box, opening it to reveal a circle of brightly sparkling diamonds. Tears welled in my eyes.
“Beatrice Brinley LeClare,” Cayne said solemnly. “I waited for you for ten years. The last few months have been the happiest of my life. I love you more than anything. Will you continue to make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I got down on my knees and pressed the full force of my body against his, wrapping him in a tight hug and sobbing onto his shoulder.
“Yes,” I said between sniffles. “Yes! I love you! Yes!” I shouted with elation. Cayne removed the ring from the box and placed it on my shaking finger.
An unexpected burst of applause erupted and echoed from the empty walls. I lifted my head and turned to see our friends and family gathered just inside the door. Cami jumped up and down, grinning and clapping with abandon. Aunt Lu hooked her cane over her forearm and clapped softly. Jasper hollered and mussed Cami’s curls in a brotherly tousle. Even little Georgie slapped his chubby palms together as he hugged Pete the Dragon tightly to his chest.
Cayne and I both rose to our feet. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and ran toward them, embracing them one by one. Aunt Lu placed her hands on my shoulders and nodded.
“I always knew you’d come home,” she said softly.
“And now I’m here to stay.” I pulled her in for another long hug. Georgie squealed as Cayne lifted and spun him around with delight. Cami reached for my ring finger.
“Let me see this thing.” She appraised it like a jeweler, viewing the sparkling diamonds from every angle. “Well, my brother has good taste after all.” She grinned wide and winked. “Hey, maybe I can sign up for your dance classes again.”
“Oh no!” I said with a smile and a playful wag of my finger. “You’re too much of a trouble-maker.”
We both laughed. She hugged me close and whispered in my ear.
“Welcome home, Brinley. And welcome to the family.”
Epilogue
On a Saturday morning in May, I walked over a blanket of flower petals on the banks of the Hallow River. Aunt Lu held my arm as we progressed slowly down the aisle. The hem of my dress, a simple design of cream colored lace with cap sleeves and a yellow ribbon around my waist, fluttered softly in the breeze.
Rounding the corner of the assembled guests, I caught a sudden whiff of orange blossom. I turned my head and locked eyes with a pretty blonde woman in a lavender sundress and a string of blue beads that perfectly matched the spring sky. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, I had worried that my mother’s presence on this most important day of my life would be too much of an emotional distraction. But I now realized that my fears were misplaced. In her gaze, I saw a love and pride that bolstered my heart and erased the years of absence.
I nodded gently and returned my attention to the altar. Cayne’s smile was warm and serene as he waited for me beneath an archway twined with leaves and vines. He looked handsome in a light g
ray suit. His eyes reflected a satisfied contentment and tender affection. Cami, my maid of honor, radiated perfect happiness in a dress of pale green silk. She tossed a flirty wink over to Jasper, who stood off to the side as Cayne’s best man. I kissed Aunt Lu on the cheek, handed my bouquet of sunflowers to Cami, and grasped hands with the man who was about to become my husband.
This moment would have seemed impossible to me only a year ago. In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined such a wonderful reversal of fate. Since my return to Hallow River, I had changed and grown in uncountable ways. Under the watchful care of the family and friends who now surrounded me, I became whole again. They knit the broken pieces of my soul together in a bonded and unbreakable patchwork of love and trust. With their strength and guidance, I learned to let go of the dreams of my past and embrace the dreams of my future.
Cayne and I spoke our heartfelt vows. I tried to hold back tears of joy as we promised to love and cherish one another till the end of our days. Later that evening, when the guests departed, the music stopped, and we once again rested peacefully in each other’s arms, I planned to reveal to him my very last secret, one which foretold the next amazing step in our life’s journey together. In eight more months, we would be parents.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Cayne held me close and kissed me. We paused and stared into each other’s eyes. Then we stepped forward as one toward a future filled with hope.
THE END
