A Forever Masterpiece (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 3) (38 page)

"Rebecca. You're looking rather well, all things considered." Francine Lange swept into the room, shocking Becca with her almost compliment. "Hello, Hunter. And who is this?" Her steely, cold eyes landed on Jesse.

Becca sucked in a deep breath. "This is Jesse Laughlin. H-he's my brother."

The woman's jaw dropped. "Brother?" Her skin paled, and she grabbed hold of the bookcase close by to steady herself.

"That's right. I know you both believed your son stole me for his wife, but that's not the case. I came by today to clear Rusty Lange's name. He's not a kidnapper, and Hunter's parents didn't help steal me. I want to tell you the real reason behind my non-biological connection."

Two hours later, the trio left the Langes house and for once, Becca actually felt good about it. They'd actually listened without judging and commenting to her story, and when she asked about Vince, they spoke honestly. None of them knew his plans, and Francine admitted that Vince did in fact kill Stuart Ellis, but they used the cover that Becca wasn't in the right mind and had defended herself. Nothing had ever come up of it before now, so they'd left it alone.

It turned out Vince had people following Hunter and Becca to find Sylvia. The Langes had no idea about it. As for her grandmother's health, she'd been a little tired lately. No one knew why Vince threw that out there weeks ago.

When she left, they actually thanked her for telling them the truth about Rusty. Becca figured the closure was good for them. She spoke to Vince's sister for a little while over the phone. That suited Becca just fine.

They visited Rissi and her family next. She threw around huge hugs to Becca and Hunter, and when introduced to Jesse, she hugged him too, then punched his arm. "Don't you scare my sister at heart like you did, ever again!"

Becca gasped and covered her mouth. Jesse was taken aback, but he nodded in response.

"Fair enough." He cracked a smile. "I deserved that. It even hurt, too."

"Good!" Rissi's lips twitched. "Sorry. Ask these two. I don't hold back. Really good to actually meet you this time. Come on in, and welcome to the family."

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Christmas Day, everyone gathered at the house. The Sundstroms- including Eva and Sienna, the Whitemores, Cherie, Henry, baby Miranda, Shara, Jesse, and Elizabeth. Hunter glanced over at the tree, surrounded by wrapped presents. This was a special first Christmas, and he couldn't be happier that he had both his family and Becca's attending today.

Today would be a first in so many aspects.

Hunter held his breath as Becca, Elizabeth, and Jesse sat together in front of the Christmas tree. Today, their mom seemed to completely understand and be aware of her surroundings, and she knew she was in the present. She even started referring to her daughter as Becca instead of her biological name of Ariana, even though Becca had told her if she wanted to call her by the name she'd been given it would be okay.

Elizabeth sat in between her daughter and son. She put an arm around them, and the three faced the camera.

"I'll take a series of photos. Ready?" Hunter focused the camera on the tripod and waited for the three to stop wiggling and laughing. Nah, forget it. He wanted to capture every single minute. Candid shots and poses, Hunter wanted them all, and he knew Becca would, too. She'd been on the phone with Elizabeth each night. Jesse always called her to say goodnight, so now the two took turns. Hunter snapped photos.

"All right. My turn with Becca." Hunter straightened. Elizabeth and Jesse scrambled to get to their feet.

"I'll take the photos of you two," Beverly offered.

"I want a few with Sienna, too." Hunter glanced over at Eva. She'd been good about Becca and Sienna's relationship lately, but he didn't want to push. She sent him a nod of approval. Becca waited for him by the tree. She looked stunning, wearing a pair of black jeans and a red sweater that hugged her body in all the right places. Most of all, she looked happy and content. It wouldn't be long before this sweet angel became his wife. Hunter couldn't believe the day was coming closer, but still seemed so far away.

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in for a kiss. "Merry Christmas, angel. I love you."

Becca leaned close and kissed him back, sliding her arms around his neck. Her eyes glittered with love and adoration. Once again, she proved her strength by picking herself up after a traumatic event. They both continued with appointments. Hunter ended up buying a punching bag of their own, which he set up in the garage, and they made good use of it, sometimes daily. What a major stress reliever.

"I love you, too," she whispered after the kiss ended. The camera clicked in the background, but they only had eyes for each other.

He chuckled. "Maybe we should actually face the camera for a few photos, huh?"

"Mmm. Might be a good idea." She winked, then wrapped an arm around Hunter's waist. They faced the camera for photos, then Sienna ran toward them and got in on the action.

"Where's your sister today, Shara?" Hunter asked when the photos were done.

"She's with her boyfriend's family. We'll spend some time together this evening." She shrugged. Hunter detected a note of sadness. Shara and her sister used to be fairly close, but lately, her sister had been distant. Hunter was always closer to Shara, but he did wonder what was up with Fern.

Sienna giggled with excitement as she sat between Joe and Sandra. Hunter went through all the papers Joe had brought weeks ago, and he'd been right. Those files were difficult to read in the sense that it brought up a lot of emotional angst, but they detailed the events of the crash and the reasoning behind them. Joe had nothing to do with it, other than not researching the company his firm used to fly people more than he had. It wasn't really a fault of his, though. There was no way Joe could have known about the suspended pilots still flying when they weren't allowed. Their crash had been the third incident, but the deadliest and most costly by far. So it hadn't been a one time problem. Still, he disliked the reasonings behind the lawsuit, which was Sylvia's threats and the Langes' determination to keep the family drama away from disgracing them.

Joe did admit that he and Hunter's father did discuss making Sylvia disappear in the sense of having someone take care of her, but after reading the in depth letter Elizabeth left with his father, Hunter understood. Curt Everett Laughlin was a dangerous man, and keeping Becca safe was the first concern always, so when Sylvia overheard Joe and his father talking about Jesse, it sent too many warning signals.

Elizabeth's depression and mental state turned for the better. Finding the daughter she fought so hard to save must have been the trigger. After the holidays, they planned to find a good place for her to live here in Virginia so she could be close to Jesse and Becca. Hunter debated on having an addition built to the house so they could both stay here, instead of having to find a place to live elsewhere. If Elizabeth had any medical needs, they could all be dealt with and they wouldn't be far away. Later, when exchanging gifts, he'd bring up the idea to the three of them. He already had a few ideas, but he wouldn't implement them until he had the go ahead from Elizabeth and Jesse.

Today proved to be perfect. Surrounded by those who mattered, the worst was finally over. Cherie rocked her baby girl in her arms, with Henry by her side. The family had become close with Becca and Hunter, and often times Henry would come by when Cherie needed a break.

He was thankful the house and his life had become a safe zone again, that they had a chance to do things like this without so much heartache and pain.

Cherie rubbed her head and winced as her once content daughter began to wail. Becca rushed to her aid, offering to hold her for a while so Cherie could take a breather.

Hunter's breath hitched as he watched Becca with the baby. She was so good. She cradled Miranda in her arms and rocked her. When she sang softly, goosebumps ran over his arms. Becca sang the song Anne Lange used to sing to her. She looked up and met Hunter's gaze. Her lips curved up in a sweet smile.

He loved this woman. For twenty years, Hunter carried a piece of Becca in his heart. He'd been there for the worst moments of a young girl's life, but he'd been able to watch her grow into the beautiful adult she'd become.

"Is my mom okay?" Henry tugged the sleeve of Hunter's sweater.

"I think she's a little tired. You and your sister wear her out sometimes," he teased, messing the boy's already unruly hair up. But the joking manner didn't help. Henry seemed genuinely scared.

"She's in pain a lot. Her head hurts, and she cries. I know she misses Daddy, I do too, but I thought she was okay. Sometimes, she can't remember things or she talks funny," Henry whispered.

The words tugged at Hunter. He knelt down in front of Henry and wrapped him up in a big hug. This seven year old boy had been through way too much recently. He didn't have any good words of wisdom to say that would ease this child's mind.

"Will I see my dad again?" Henry asked in a small voice.

Hunter put his hands on his shoulders. "You sure will. Not for a while, but he's always going to be right here." He covered Henry's heart with his hand.

"I wish I could hug him and tell him I'm sorry. He was mad at me."

He'd said that before, and it tore Hunter up inside. "He's not mad any more. Your dad is happy that you, your mom, and your sister are okay."

"If you could see your mom and dad again, what would you do?" Henry's inquisitive side came out and caught him off guard.

Hunter thought about it for a second before answering. "I'd hug them both and thank them for being great people. My mom and dad devoted their lives to being great parents, but most of all, they were good people who did whatever they could to help someone." He thought of Becca and peeked up at her again. She'd moved and now sat with the baby in between Sienna, Shara, and Elizabeth. "Then I'd play one more game of basketball with my dad and taste another home cooked meal made by my mom."

"I wish Heaven had visiting hours," Henry whispered. "I don't want to go there yet, but I want to see my dad."

Tears blurred Hunter's vision. God, this kid. So smart and brave. "You know what? I wish that, too."

Becca set the baby down in the little bassinet they'd set up temporarily in Sienna's room. She'd fallen asleep and Cherie lay curled up by the baby, getting a little rest as well. She tip-toed out of the room.

She ran into Eva as she exited the bathroom. Thinking about the portrait of Hunter and Sienna, she gestured for Eva to follow her.

"What's up?" Eva asked, curious.

"I have something I want to give you," Becca said, leading her in to the art room. "I painted something for Hunter with Sienna, so I wanted to give you a different one."

"Oh?"

Becca pulled the cover off the canvas and hoped for the best. She'd captured Sienna touching one of her special Christmas bulbs and, while she knew Hunter would love this, Becca thought giving one to Eva would be a nice idea. They were soon going to be blending families, and she wanted Eva to know she had no plans on taking her place as Sienna's mother. They'd gone through this months ago, and while the two got along now, this was one last gesture to get across to Eva. "I'm sure we're not always going to get along and see eye to eye. I love Hunter and absolutely adore your daughter. I just want you to know I'll do my best to never overstep. You will always be Sienna's mom, and I don't want to take anything away from that. I treasure my relationship with Sienna, but I know who I am and who I'm not."

Eva covered her mouth with her hand. Long, red painted nails glimmered in the light. "How do you do it? Capture every single perfect detail. This is for me?"

Becca nodded. "I made one for Hunter, inspired by them putting the star on the top of the tree, so I thought about giving you one as well."

"Thank you. It's beautiful. Hey, umm ... I was thinking." Eva's arms twitched, like she wanted to hug Becca. "About your wedding."

"What about it?"

"Well, they always do that something borrowed, something blue thing."

"Right." Where was she going with this?

"My mom said something a few months ago about how devastated you were about not having your mom and dad there. I know the Langes aren't your biological parents and you have Elizabeth in your life, but you still don't have your father to walk you down the aisle and give you away."

A pang of sadness hit Becca square in the heart. No, she didn't. She still wished with all her might that Anne, Rusty, and Ellie could be there for her big day. Moving the wedding to the island would help fill that void.

"I won't be upset if my dad walked you down the aisle and gave you away." Eva averted her gaze.

"Eva, I wouldn't-" Becca started.

"No, I know you weren't ever asking or anything. This was my suggestion. I know the pain of wanting someone you lost to be around when they never will be. I miss my brother every day. I'm just saying that it's okay if he does." She swiped at a tear. "And I love Sienna's flower girl dress, if I didn't tell you that already. She looks like a princess."

"Are you crying?" Becca asked. She held back her own tears.

"No. Something in my eye." Eva sniffled. "Okay, fine. Kind of. Thank you for the painting. And since my family can't be put together because Sienna's daddy and I were all wrong for each other, I'm damn glad you're going to be her stepmother. If Hunter dated and married some crazy chick like I can be, I'd have to kick his butt." Then she swatted her arm. "Don't you dare tell him I said that. He doesn't need to know I've become a slight softie. I can't change the past and how I handled things with him, but I'm glad he's happy and that it's you. I'll try to tone down my jealousy a little. So ... welcome to the family."

They both shared a strained laugh.

An hour later, everyone gathered around the tree to exchange presents. Eva took the camera and became the designated photographer for a while.

Becca could hardly contain her excitement as Hunter unwrapped the canvas. "Bec, wow! This is amazing!" He leaned over to kiss her. "I love it! Look, Sienna, it's you and me!"