by Skylar Cross
At dinner, we had a conversation that caught my attention as well as Caden's.
"Kiri," she said, "is that your mother's locket you're wearing?"
"Yes," I said.
"Oh my. May I see it?"
"Sure."
I took it off and handed it to her. She opened it up.
"This is your great great grandmother, Kiri. I'm so happy you have this. Oh, and look, the bank account numbers are still there."
Caden jumped in at that.
"Bank account numbers?" he said.
"Yes," said my Aunt Chantrea. "Maru Huang had this locket made for Mealea. He was a poor young man at the time with a bank account that had only a few dollars in it. But he made a promise to her that he would become a rich man. So he had his bank account number carved into the inside, promising her that one day it would be full."
I looked at Caden, who must have had the same astonished look on his face.
"That's odd," he said. "I heard a legend of some sort that Maru Huang knew the location of some gold mine somewhere and that he carved the coordinates of the location in that locket."
"Oh, balderdash!" said Aunt Chantrea. "Maru Huang was a storyteller like you wouldn't believe. He told some people he was the heir to the King of Siam. No offense, Kiri, but your father was a bit of a bullshit artist."
Caden's mouth was hanging open. I just looked at him then back at Aunt Chantrea.
"So Aunt Chantrea," I said, "are you saying there's no gold mine?"
"Of course not, dear," she said. "Maru made it up."
"Then how did my father get the money to build this place?"
"He made a deal with the devil himself, that's what he did. He got a loan from that notorious criminal Hiro Fareani but he could never pay it back. Then when your parents vanished, Hiro Fareani took over this place and ran it into the ground. Then he himself went missing about a year later."
She handed me back the locket. I looked at the tiny numbers carved into it.
"So there was no gold mine?" I said, still astonished.
"Have you ever read Nostromo by Joseph Conrad?" said Aunt Chantrea.
"No," I said.
"It was your father's favorite book. There was a silver mine in it called the San Tomé mine. Your father always talked about finding a real San Tomé silver mine, only he said he wanted it to be gold. Whenever anyone would ask where he got the money for this place, he couldn't tell them he got a loan from a mobster. So he came up with this crackpot story about finding the legendary San Tomé gold mine where you could just walk in and pluck gold off the walls. Two miles deep. Ha! Pure bullshit, dear."
I closed the locket and put it back on. I turned to Caden.
"Wasn't Nostromo the name of the Decouds' sailboat?" I said.
"Yes," he said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm."
We finished our dinner and Dara showed us to our room. The sun was almost setting and I was tired. It had been quite a day and I was looking forward to getting some sleep. We were staying here for at least two weeks so there would be plenty of time to do more catching up.
I was about to unpack my luggage when Caden took my hand.
"Not yet," he said. "I want to show you something."
He led me outside down past the beach. The warm Tahitian air felt refreshingly nice. The sun was dipping toward the ocean horizon in a glorious flame of purples and reds.
The beach had changed. Docks that led to the new overwater bungalows lead this way and that.
But one old dock was still there. It looked out of place, all old and rotting.
I stopped as I remembered it. This was where the yacht went out that day.
"Oh Caden," I said. "I don't know. I can't go there."
"It will be okay," he said. "You're with me. I promise."
He took my hand and I followed him, realizing he was right. I had to face it. And better to face it with him by my side.
He led me out onto the old dock and we sat. Our feet dangled in the warm water. I held him tight and cried a little.
He just let me.
"This is a sacred spot," he said. "I've done my best to keep it exactly as it was nineteen years ago, but the wood is rotting and will soon need to be replaced."
I just nodded.
"It's a sacred spot for a couple of reasons," he said. "Not only was it where I made the terrible mistake of letting your parents leave that day, but it was also where Caden Storm was born."
I looked up at him.
"What do you mean by that?" I said.
"I came here and sat one night very much like this one," he said. "Your mother had just fed me a delicious meal and into my hand she had given me some money to spend. Her own money. She didn't want your father to know about it. Kiri, I loved that woman. Your mother was the mother I had always wanted. Your childhood was the childhood I had always wanted. I sat here on this spot that night, with the sun setting like this, and I created a new Caden Storm. Not the one who lies and cheats and steals. But the one who gives love and is loved. And it's all because of your mother. I only wish I had stopped them that day."
I stroked his arm.
"It wasn't your fault," I said. "My father shouldn't have done what he did. Nor told the stories he told. His and my mother's death are partly his fault, if not all his fault."
It hurt me to say that, but it was the truth. If my father hadn't been involved with criminals... taking shady loans from mobsters... trying to con professional thieves... not to mention telling silly stories about gold mines... he and my mother might be alive today.
"I'd like to convince myself of that, Kiri," he said, "but I'll always have to live with the memory of losing your mother, the woman who taught me the value of love."
I squeezed his hand and put my head on his shoulder. The sun was approaching the horizon. It was the most beautiful sunset I ever saw.
With his other hand, Caden reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He took my hand. I looked down.
I gasped.
The most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen was going on my finger.
"Kiri, before this dock rots, I want to redeem it by making it the location I ask you this question. Kiri, will you marry me?" he said.
Between yet more tears, I said "Yes!" and threw my arms around him.
I can't believe this! I'm going to be Mrs. Caden Storm.
Thank you, God! Thank you!
My life is complete.
I sobbed a while more. Caden and I kissed as the sun touched the edge of the world.
Then we just held each other, our feet making splashy sounds in the water.
"So you never went in search of the gold mine?" I said.
"No," he said.
"Do you think there ever was one?"
"No. I think Sebastian had nothing to believe in. He never understood love. So he made something up. Something higher to pursue. Likely his grandfather and great-grandfather made it up too. I don't think there ever was a gold mine."
He kissed my forehead.
"Give fools their gold," he said, "and knaves their power. Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall. Who sows a field, or trains a flower, or plants a tree, is more than all."
I lifted my head off his shoulder.
"I've heard that before," I said. "Who said that?"
"John Greenleaf Whittier," he said.
The sun was almost gone. One stream of light colored the sky in a splendor of purple-blush-gold.
"I have one more question," I said.
"Anything," he said. "I'm all yours."
"You told me you made up the name Caden Storm when you met Sebastian and Valentina. When you sat here on the dock and created a new Caden Storm, why did you keep the name? Why didn't you go back to your original name?"
"Because Caden Storm needed to find redemption. He needed to suffer and pay for his sins. He needed to reclaim his self-respect, hopefully making up somewhat for his terrible past. Plus, I didn't know how to be anything but Caden Storm
. The original me was replaced by Caden Storm when I was twelve and got in the back of that Bentley in Tampa. I have no idea what he would have become if he hadn't made that choice."
I looked up at him. He was staring off at the sunset.
"Hey," I said.
He turned and looked at me with his magnificent aquamarine eyes, aglow with the colors of twilight.
"Caden Storm is redeemed," I said. "You can be yourself now."
He kissed me.
"I love you, Kiri," he said.
"I love you, Jacob," I said.
The sun dipped below the water.
* * *
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Also by Skylar Cross:
Controlled by His Voice
Controlled by His Voice 2
Controlled by His Voice 3
Controlled by His Voice 4
Controlled by His Voice 5
Controlled by His Voice Box Set
Mastered by His Touch
Mastered by His Touch 2
Mastered by His Touch 3
Also by Skylar Cross, writing as Taylor Shade:
Eyes
Lips
Also by Skylar Cross, writing as Adriana Cruz:
Wanda Awakened
Devoured
