A Life Earthbound (39 page)

She wandered into the Greenhouse and saw her father sitting studiously at his drafting table, working away. It was the most industrious he’d been in a long time, and it brought both relief and joy to her to see it.

When he heard her approach, he turned and looked up, his warm smile stunning her.

“Rhiannon,” Rohan greeted, setting down his pencil and rising to his feet. He walked toward her and pulled her into his arms. “I was hoping you would come see me.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, relishing the familiar scent of his cologne and the soft feel of his dress shirt. Her proper and elegant father.

“I was so scared,” he admitted, pressing his face against her hair, his eyes shut tight against tears that threatened to fall. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

Feeling her heart swell, she sighed against him and felt her own eyes tear up. “You didn’t. I’m still here.”

“You’re my heart, Rhiannon. You always have been,” he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Feeling hot tears stream down her cheeks, she pulled away to look at him, impossibly moved. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to say those words to you.”

“Likewise.” She shakily returned his smile, wiping away her tears. “Perhaps we have all been foolishly cold.”

They heard the sound of footsteps behind them. When they both turned they spotted Serendipity hovering in the doorway, looking out of place and embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, I just…” she trailed off, seeing her daughter and her husband both staring at her distrustfully. Feeling unwelcome, she started leave. “Maybe I should just go.”

“Mother, come here,” Rhiannon said, pulling away from her father to stretch out her hand toward Serendipity.

She approached apprehensively, but clearly something was different in her demeanor. Thea was right. She did look truly sorry.

Rhiannon met her mother’s eyes, fighting to push aside her ill feelings for the moment. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Serendipity pursed her lips and took a deep breath, her head instinctively rising in an attempt to mask her embarrassment. But it was still there in the tears that silently streamed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“You knew Burke was going to kill me,” Rhiannon said, her head shaking disdainfully. “And still you handed me to him. I accept your apology in part, but it is going to take a long time for me to fully forgive you. I hope you can understand that.”

Serendipity’s eyes darted to Rohan and then back to her daughter. “I understand, Rhiannon.”

“Good.” Rhiannon reached out then, and to her mother’s surprise, gave her a somewhat awkward hug. It was the most physical contact she had had with her mother in years.

Pulling away, Rhiannon turned back to her father.

“Well? What do the two of you want to say to each other?”

Rohan crossed his arms over his chest and stared warily at his wife. “For now, Serendipity, I cannot trust you. Perhaps, in time, you will earn back my trust. But until then, I feel it is best that we stay separated.”

For a brief moment it looked as though Serendipity was going to retort in anger. But when she looked at Rhiannon and saw the disapproval on her daughter’s face, she nodded solemnly.

“If that is what you wish, Rohan,” Serendipity said quietly, turning to look at him with hard acceptance in her eyes.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sierra appeared in the doorway, looking a bit weary and cautious. She stepped forward, stopping beside their mother and eyeing Rhiannon thoughtfully. “Are you doing okay?”

Rhiannon nodded, oddly touched to hear her selfish, little sister utter words of concern. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” Sierra nodded, pouting as she glanced at each of their parents, sensing the tension in the air. “Is this, like, our first family get together or something?”

Rohan laughed then, and the sound of it had Rhiannon jolting around to face him. But his smile was real, and the relief in his eyes palpable.

“I suppose it is.” He chuckled, reaching out with one arm to pull Sierra to him, and wrapping his other around Rhiannon. He met his wife’s eyes and he beckoned her forward. “Let’s all enjoy this moment. It certainly is a first for us.”

Rhiannon sighed against him as her other arm wrapped around her mother, her heart, at last, content. Maybe they weren’t completely whole, but at least they were making headway.

The first thing she did when she left her parents was to look for Brogan. It didn’t surprise her to find him in the kitchens, tending to her vegetable garden.

She stepped inside the little greenhouse, her lips curving into a warm smile at the sight of him, crouched down beside her tomato plants, pruning and placing select tomatoes in a basket beside his feet.

When he heard her, he glanced up, and though he flushed a little with embarrassment, his answering smile was honest and open.

“Hi,” he greeted, standing up to meet her as she walked toward him.

“Hi.” She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly, needing no words. His arms came around her as well, and she felt him relax.

Backing away, she smiled up at him. “Thea told me what you did. I can’t thank you enough.”

With a shrug, he let out a small laugh and averted his eyes. “I knew you weren’t guilty. You’re the kindest person I know.”

“No, you’re much kinder than I am.” She reached up to cup his cheek, and turned his head until his eyes met hers. “Really, Brogan. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He grinned, then pulled away to reach down and lift the basket full of tomatoes from the floor. “Since you haven’t had much time lately, I figured I’d come take care of these for you.”

“Thank you.” She took the basket he held out and retreated into the kitchen to set it on the countertop. Inspired and a bit curious, she whirled around to stare at him again, her eyes questioning. “Were you going to tell me that you had looked into Michael’s things and found out where he had gone and what he was doing? Or were you going to let me go on believing Blythe and Jax had done it all?”

He smirked, leaning against the doorframe to the greenhouse. “Remember Boo Radley, Rhiannon?”

With a quiet laugh, she nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Well, like him, I don’t do well in the limelight. But I still want to help.”

She just smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me. Now, come on, I’ll walk with you to dinner.”

She waved him over and he followed, pleased when she wrapped her arm around him companionably. They left the kitchens, laughing and smiling together as they headed down the corridor.

Before they could reach the dining hall, Blythe burst through the doors, looking agitated and more than a little frustrated. When she spotted the two of them, she let out a huff of breath and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I need to talk to you,” she said to Rhiannon, an eyebrow cocked in irritation.

Rhiannon and Brogan stopped, both of them eyeing her strangely.

“Alright,” Rhiannon replied, her face carefully guarded as she turned to look at Brogan. “I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay.” He smiled a bit apprehensively, but left them alone.

“Outside,” Blythe snapped before taking off toward the atrium and leading the way into the courtyard. Rhiannon followed behind, rolling her eyes. She had no idea what to expect but certainly it couldn’t be good…

Blythe went straight to the nearest bench and plopped down on it, perched on the edge. Rhiannon followed suit, crossing her legs and folding her hands over her knees.

“Well?” she asked after a moment went by with Blythe saying nothing. Blythe scowled, tapping her hands on her knees restlessly.

Suddenly, she bolted to her feet and stood before Rhiannon, fists on her hips.

“Okay, look. This isn’t easy for me to do, especially since its becoming somewhat of a habit nowadays, but I just wanted to say thank you.” She paused, eyeing Rhiannon expectantly, as if daring her to laugh.

Instead, Rhiannon’s eyebrows raised in an expression of polite interest. “Oh. For what, may I ask?”

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Blythe reached up to run her hands through her wildly curly hair with a frustrated groan. “Ugh, I hate the way you talk sometimes. So goddamn superior…”

Despite the insult, Rhiannon’s lips curved slightly. “Much like I despise the blunt and careless way you speak, Blythe.”

Her hands fell away from her head and she stared at Rhiannon for a moment, one eyebrow arched indignantly.

“Right…well anyway, I’m thanking you because despite what I think actually happened, Liam is claiming that you saved his life. So…thank you for that.” She pouted a bit, looking annoyed and irritated as she scuffed her shoes over the ground. Rhiannon thought she looked kind of childish, but perhaps it was part of her charm.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, biting her lip as she thought. “You know, I should thank you as well.”

“Hmmph, for what? I didn’t do anything for you.” Blythe snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rhiannon smirked and met Blythe’s eyes. “You stood against Michael, albeit for Liam’s sake I’m sure, but you certainly didn’t have to. It was a…humbling experience for me.”

Temper properly deflated, Blythe rolled her eyes again and moved to sit beside Rhiannon once more, turning to the other girl with a knowing look. “As your arch nemesis, even
I
couldn’t stand by and let you marry that prick, rest in peace and all that jazz,” she said, her lips curving into a cocky grin. “And besides, my best friend...my brother...was hurting and I wanted to do all I could, even if it meant, for once, supporting you.”

“It meant a lot, coming from my enemy.” Rhiannon tossed back her hair and winked at Blythe, feeling more at ease than she had felt in a long time with the Fire Dryad.

“Well, I don’t have to like you and I probably never will like you, but…” Blythe began, her amber eyes lit with fiery humor. “That doesn’t mean I can’t respect you. And, I gotta say, after you saved all our asses by uncovering what my mother was up to a couple months ago, and after you faced Dante and saved Liam…damn honey, you’ve certainly earned my respect.”

Rhiannon laughed and in a sign of openness, settled back against the bench seat and shifted to face Blythe. “I definitely don’t like you but I can’t help but respect you, too. You faced Dante all on your own and you survived. I don’t know how you did it.”

“He’s an evil bastard, ain’t he?” Blythe joked, though darkness haunted her eyes. “He’s gotten to all of us, in one way or another. It’s time we take him out, once and for all.”

They both turned at the sound of footsteps, and spotted Liam and Capri approaching, arm-in-arm and smiling.

“Hi girls,” Capri greeted, sitting down between them and glancing side-to-side. She suddenly realized what she was interrupting and her mouth fell open in shock. “Oh God, were you two having a conversation? Shoot, okay...pretend I didn’t sit down and that I didn’t interrupt.” She started to get to her feet only to have Blythe grab her hand and yank her back down.

“Calm down, honey, I don’t think either of us object to you joining in.” Blythe grinned, wrapping her arm around Capri and eyeing Rhiannon. “Right?”

“Right.” Rhiannon smiled as Liam sat down on the other side of her and wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her close.

“What were you two talking about, anyway?” he asked, winking at Blythe who stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

“Dante,” Rhiannon said softly, tilting her head to meet his eyes. A shadow darkened his expression momentarily.

“I see.” He attempted a smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Well, we’ve all faced him now, in one way or another. I think we’re ready to face him again, when the time comes.”

“Do you think he’ll try and attack us again, like last time?” Capri asked curiously, a hint of fear in her voice. Blythe hugged her closer, not just in a show of comfort, but also to soothe her own worries.

“I don’t know. I don’t think any of us can really say.” Liam shook his head, reaching out with his free hand to hold Capri’s. “But we’re together now and we’re strongest that way.”

“Damn straight,” Blythe agreed, meeting Rhiannon’s eyes with a quick grin. “For better or for worse, right?”