Shadows of the Past (26 page)

When we leave the bathroom, I'm feeling much better, more relaxed and at peace.
 

"I think I want to go see them tonight. Get it all over with now."
 

I don't know how they are going to react to seeing me. I don't know if they are still upset with me for running away, for ignoring their phone calls and letters all this time, or if they've forgiven me for being a scared, broken girl.

We get dressed, taking extra time to calm my nerves before heading over to the house I haven't seen in years.

CHAPTER 45

Oliver has the car pull up to the curb in front of the small house my mother has lived in most of my life. Taking one of my trembling hands in his, we get out.

"Are you sure about this, Kayla? We don't have to do this tonight. In fact, we don't have to do this at all. If you'd rather, we can go back to the hotel and call them from there. Maybe calling first is better. It will let you gauge how they feel."

"No, I need to do this."
 

Pressing a kiss to the back of my hand, Oliver nods. I have a moment of panic and start to tell him I changed my mind, but he puts a finger to my lips to stop me.
 

"Stop fretting, love. It will all be fine. Now, let's go meet your family."

I swallow hard, my stomach turning flips as we walk up to the door. Just before we reach the steps, the door flies open, and my mother is standing in front of me.
 

"Kayla O'Mally," she whispers, lifting a shaking hand to her lips as tears fill her eyes. I can't tell if her reaction is good or bad until she wraps her slim arms around me. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again. Is everything...are you?"

Answering her unspoken question, I say, "I'm fine mom. It was just time to come home."

"Past time, sweetie." She narrows her eyes as she meets mine, and I know she hasn't forgiven me for leaving.

Before she can speak, I owe up to my mistakes. "I'm sorry I left you. I’m sorry I ran and didn’t say anything. I couldn't deal with everything, and I didn't know how to handle all the emotions. I broke, Mom."
 

My mother's eyes turn glassy with tears. Cupping my cheeks in her hands, she kisses first one and then the other.
 

"Darling girl, you should have talked to me. That's always been your problem. Shannon will talk to anyone; she's never met a stranger. But you, you internalize so much, letting it fester and hurt. I've been waiting for you to come to me." She laughs a little. "If it were up to your sister, we would have followed right behind you to force you to talk to us. But, you needed time. Time to deal with what happened." Mom searches my eyes, smiling finally at whatever she sees in them. "You're at peace now." Acknowledging Oliver, she says, "Is this because of you?"
 

He looks away, unsure how to answer.

"Yes, Mom, a lot of it because of him."
 

His eyes fly back to mine, shining with love for me, and he steps up on the porch to stand with me. He holds out a hand to my mother, but she doesn't take it right away.
 

"My name is Oliver Jackson and I'm in love with your daughter." I can do nothing but stare at him in shock. He just put it all out there, claiming me in front of my mother. It doesn't bother her a bit.

Mom laughs before she wraps her around him.
 

"Welcome to my home, Oliver. I'm very glad to meet you." When she releases him, she gestures for us to follow her inside, where she's making supper.

I take Oliver on a tour through the house, showing him the walls covered with pictures of Shannon and me growing up. He stops to study the few of me while I was pregnant. These pictures are bittersweet for me; even though it was hard, I loved being pregnant. It was everything that came after that I never want to go through again.

Watching him look at these pictures makes me self-conscious. I was carrying twins, and I was huge. Shame had nothing on me those last few months. Mom used to joke that my belly entered the room a full five minutes before the rest of me did. When I tell Oliver that, he laughs heartily.
 

"Your mom is a character." He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. "I like her. She reminds me of someone else I know."

Continuing down the hall, there are pictures I haven't seen before. One of me the day before I went into labor, looking tired but happy, but the rest are my mom and sister. In the first few pictures, they look sad and drawn. Tired, but not the same way I was in the other picture. It's obvious I wasn't the only one hurting the past few years. I have this strong urge to go back to the kitchen and hug my mom again, to thank her for never giving up on me.

Proving once again that Oliver knows what I'm feeling, he puts an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side so I can absorb some of his warmth.
 

"Don't dwell on the pictures that show the pain. Yes, they were hurt when you pushed them away. But, look at the other pictures, both before and after the twins. Your mom loves you, no matter what."
 

Looking at the photographs, I realize he's right. My mom and sister do look sad in the first few pictures, but it doesn't last. Soon, the pictures are of them smiling, of them living. They didn't let the tragedy break them the way I did, and even though they didn't feel the same emotions I did, it was close. Not only did they lose granddaughters or nieces, but they lost a daughter and sister as well.

The front door slams shut and I hear my sister shout, "Mom? There's a limo parked out front. Did we win Publisher’s Clearinghouse or something?"
 

My mom doesn't answer, and I hear Shannon's footsteps coming closer to the hallway where Oliver and I are standing. I try to get closer to him, and he tightens his arm around me, knowing I'm most nervous about her reaction. A mother will forgive her child for pretty much anything, but a sister could hold a grudge for life.
 

Shannon comes around the corner into the hallway, stopping dead in her tracks when she sees us. Her eyes widen and her skin pales. I'm worried she's going to pass out.
 

"Kayla?" she whispers, not much different from how my mom reacted. I just nod, waiting for her to blast me.
 

"Where the hell have you been?" she yells. "Do you know how worried we've been? I can't believe you would just..." she starts to cry and is unable to continue. Shannon flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and I tentatively wrap my own around her waist. "I can't be mad at you. I'm just happy that you're alive."
 

Pulling back, she brushes tears I didn't know I was crying from my face.
 

"God, you're so stupid!" She buries her head back in my neck and squeezes me.

Oliver removes his arm from my waist, backing away to allow my sister to hug me tighter. When I feel his warmth step away, it jolts me enough that I hug her back just as tightly. Shannon pulls back, her face wet with tears, but her smile radiant.
 

"I can't believe you're here! Oh, Kay, I've missed you so much! There's so much I need to tell you..." she trails off when she notices Oliver standing in the hallway.
 

"Well, well, well. Just who is this scrumptious piece of man?" she asks, eyes laughing as she goads me.

Taking his hand in mine, I tug on his arm until he's standing beside me once more.
 

"This is Oliver. Oliver, my sister Shannon." I introduce them quickly, wanting to get it over with quickly. My sister is beautiful and doesn't come with anywhere near the baggage I do.

"Hi Oliver," Shannon practically purrs, winking at me as she holds out a hand.

He takes her hand in his and presses a kiss to the top of it. I glare at both of them, letting them know they're skating on melting ice, and Oliver laughs.
 

"It's not funny, Ollie. Those lips are mine." The laugh dies quickly, and soon he's glaring at me. Good, that's better.
 

"Oh, Kayla, stop being so uptight. Take the stick out of your ass and relax for a minute." She flashes her left hand at me, showing off a huge engagement ring.

I grab her hand, squealing over the ring, before I look up at her in shock.
 

"When did this happen?"

"Six months ago," she says with a shrug like it's no big deal. Before I can ask, she shakes her head. "You don't know him. His name is Phillip, and he owns a construction company here in town. Oh, Kayla, he's so sweet and he loves me so much. We're getting married in June." Excitement dances in Shannon's eyes and she bounces on the soles of her feet. "Please, tell me you'll come back for the wedding! You can be my maid of honor. Please, please, please!"

My mom yells from the kitchen, "That's enough, Shannon! Leave your sister alone. She just got here for goodness sakes. I'm sure she isn't leaving in the next little bit."
 

The lecture is so reminiscent of the way my mom has always reprimanded us that I grin at my sister, glad once more that I grew a pair and came home to face my past. She follows up with a call to supper, so I don't get to show Oliver my bedroom, which is probably a good thing. I don't remember what it looked like back when I lived here, but I'm sure the boy band and teen magazine posters would embarrass the hell out of me.

Dinner is loud and boisterous and it's obvious Oliver has no idea how to handle us. He looks downright scared by how loud my mom and sister are, each trying to talk over the other to fill me in on the past five years. My mom is dating a nice guy named Mike, although according to my sister it's "nothing serious." By the way Mom's face lights up mentioning him, I suspect it might be more serious than she thinks.
 

Mom’s still working in the diner, a place she loves, while my sister is putting her college degree to good use, teaching elementary school. Apparently that's how she met Phillip. He's a widower whose son was in her class two years ago. She's hesitant to say what happened to his wife, but she finally admits that the woman died in childbirth, an unexplainable complication much like my own.
 

Once they finish catching me up on everything I've missed, they start grilling me and Oliver on how we met, how long have we been dating, what he does... The questions are endless.
 

Oliver takes the lead, telling them about how his dog—who Emily is babysitting—knocked me over in a park before detailing the lengths he took to find me. It turns out he didn’t realize I worked in the hotel.
 

“What?”

“Yeah, we didn’t get a chance to talk about that part. Actually, I feel a little dopey. I thought you were a guest.”

“I told you I had a boss.” I look at him like he’s nuts.

“I was sort of not listening to that part. I assumed you were there with your boss. And you’re really beautiful when you’re ignoring me.” He smiles, showing me all of his teeth. “I told you, I’m not very clever.”

Oliver continues, and makes it seem more glamorous than it is, especially when he tells how we started dating, only to break up after I found out he owned the hotel in which I worked.
 

Shannon sighs, "It sounds like something that would happen in a movie. It's so romantic!" She claps her hands under her chin and grins goofily at Oliver. I have to laugh, because my life is nothing like a movie, even if Oliver is the perfect hero.

CHAPTER 46

It's late by the time we get back to the hotel. Oliver follows me into the room, shutting the door behind us and pulling me into his arms.

"How are you doing?" I love that he's concerned about me, that he worries how today's events will affect me.

"I'm fine. I'm glad it's over, that I did everything I came here to do. My mom and sister don't hate me, and that's a good thing." He nods, agreeing with me silently. "Honestly, now I just want to go to bed."
 

I turn and press my chest against his. Stretching up on my toes, I press my mouth to his, eager to reconnect with him and wanting to show him how grateful I am that he came with me.

Oliver catches on quickly, one of his hands moving up my back to tangle in my hair, holding my head still as he presses a kiss to my mouth. His other hand presses against the small of my back, keeping the length of my body pressed against his as he walks me backward through our suite and into the bedroom. He doesn't stop moving until the backs of my legs hit the edge of the bed, forcing me to fall backward. My legs fall open when I land, inviting him between them, pressing against me in a way that feels so good. We undress each other slowly, lingering in sensitive areas.

As soon as we're both bare, Oliver runs the tips of his long fingers up my sides, briefly caressing the sides of my breasts before cupping my cheeks in his hands. The love in his eyes makes me feel breathless. He's letting me see everything, the way he feels, how strong his love is, and I know that even after everything that happened before, Oliver is going to be there for me. Knowing that makes me brave, and I push him over onto his back so I can straddle his hips.

This particular position leaves me exposed, letting him see every little imperfection, but I'm through hiding. Oliver loves all of me, and he knows all my secrets now.

"God, you're beautiful," he moans, running his hands up and down my thighs and letting me take what I need. There are so many things I want to do to him, to do with him, and I don't have a clue where to start.

Tucking my hair behind my ears, I lean over to press my lips to his. I kiss him softly before trailing more kisses along his jaw, and down his throat the way he's done to me before. I suck gently on his neck, careful not to leave a mark before moving down his body. Oliver stays still, not moving while I explore his body. His chest has only a sprinkling of hair, and his six-pack abs are just begging for me to lick them.

I make my way down his stomach, following his happy trail to the part of his body that's very excited to see me. Wrapping my hand around his base, I stroke him once, twice, and then a third time, watching his face as he clenches his jaw in pleasured agony. I don't have any idea what I'm doing; I've never been in charge like this before. Oliver lets me touch him for a few more minutes before his control snaps, and I'm flat on my back once more.