Connected (Twists of Fate #1) (15 page)

And she did know that, with cell in her body.

She nodded her assent as she thought about her reaction, flushing as her liberal use of swear words echoed in her head. “I’m sorry about the rant and all.” He chuckled.
I can’t believe you kissed me with that mouth.

A watery laugh slipped through. “Quiet.”

Come to me. This one last time.

Addison’s smile faded as she closed her eyes, and was immediately enveloped in his tight embrace, surrounded by his love and his warmth.

Oh, God. This was it.

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life,
Rhys murmured softly in her ear, his deep voice soothing the ache in her heart.

“Are those lyrics?”

It’s a quote.
He became distant as he contemplated the words.
Didn’t make one bit of sense
to me until now.

“Who said it?”

Originally? Beats the shit outta me. But Masamba—
His thoughts shifted and came back as he laughed in remembrance. She couldn’t track what he was thinking, but she caught a glimpse of a dreadlock-sporting guy.

He was a tripped-out hippy I met in New Guinea; the one who told me about the Solomon
Islands. Shit, he said that quote all the time, like a damned spiritual mantra, even when the plane
was going down. But it makes sense now. The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life.

Addison mulled over the words, still encased in the loving presence of her man. “What does it mean?”

It means I want you to be happy, so you have a good life.
His lips brushed over hers and pulled back.
Be happy, Addison. Have a good life. For me.

The tears couldn’t be stopped any longer. They ran like torrent rivers down her cheeks. “I’ll try.”

I’ve got to go, baby. I can feel it.

“Go where you need to, Rhys. Go there knowing how much I love you. And always will. I’ll never forget you. I’ll never stop loving you.”

He took her mouth fiercely, his tongue seeking hers in honest desperation. They clung to each other and let their emotions flow uninhibited, as if trying to experience as much love as they could in their final moment together.

Not nearly enough time had passed when Rhys gentled his hold and began peppering soft kisses across her cheeks. Cupping her jaw in his hands, his lips reverently caressed hers one last time as his spirit began to dissipate.

She felt him with as he faded from existence, the echo of his last thought whispering through her mind and clenching her soul.

My Addison. In death, I found you…the love of my life.

Rhys felt like he was losing his mind along with his soul as he drifted away from Addison.

He let loose a primal roar of anguish as the distance between them grew, his spiritual being aching with his loss.

The pull at his gut snapped him back at a faster clip, and then he was plummeting at break-neck speed. He didn’t know where he was going, but who the hell cared? He wasn’t with her.

And she was all that fucking mattered.

Rhys slammed into a surface without give, his back and head jarring with the sudden landing. His soul felt confined, strapped into place by a taut tether.

This couldn’t be good.

There was an incredible pressure on his chest as it dropped and lifted with his breaths, something—

Hold up a tick. He was breathing?

Little tingles erupted over the surface of his…skin?...as his eyes popped open. Water-stained tiles greeted his vision as his surroundings became more clear. He heard the increasing beeps of a heart monitor next to his head, smelled the tell-tale stink of antiseptic common to all hospitals, and felt the rough fabric of a gown rasping against his skin.

Holy shit!

His first reaction was to find Addison, to reach out for her. He sat up with jerk, the sheet spread over him dropping around his waist. A quick dart of his gaze confirmed he was alone in a small room, but with a little concentration he found her—honing in on her like some sort of spiritual GPS.

He felt her distance, her pain, her sorrow, and it tore him the fuck up. He had to get to her.

Now.

Spying a phone across the room, he flipped the covers back and swung his legs over. But the pull at his chest froze his muscles. It took him a sec to realize it was a physical restraint and not a soul-related one.

He hooked his fingers into the collar of his gown, and ripped the cheap-ass fabric right down the middle. He plucked off the suction-cupped wires attaching him to an array of machines lined up next to him. A grimace, tug and a curse had the IV out as well.

The machines screamed in protest, but so the fuck what?

Free of the wires and tubes, and the now shredded-and-useless gown, Rhys flew to his feet and skidded to a stop at the phone. Snatching the receiver up, he began punching numbers.

A squeak of a door, and a feminine gasp had him dropping the phone to cover his man bits.

Fucking hell!

*****

Addison’s knees shook as she pushed to her feet. Her legs were noodles as they somehow lead her to the door. And when she turned the knob and saw Xavier’s face, she felt like her entire being would shatter.

Sucking in a breath, she tried to stay strong. She wrapped her arms around her torso, literally holding herself together as she approached Xavier and then sat down next to him.

“Is he…” Xavier’s voice was quiet, reserved.

As if trying to convince herself before saying the words out loud, Addison searched within.

She could still feel Rhys…but not. She finally nodded, eyes averted and blinking hard. She would not cry. She would not cry.

“He’s gone,” she whispered.

Ah, hell. The tears sprung from her eyes without permission and without remorse. They had a mind of their own as they poured down her face to drip off her chin. A quick gasp from her side told her Xavier noticed, and she nearly laughed at his ridiculous response.

Nearly.

After a minute she felt his arm come around her shoulder and pull her to his chest. At first, she resisted.

“It’s okay, Addison. Lean on me. Let it out.”

And then she did, clutching his tee shirt, drenching it as she sobbed. His large hand stroked her hair, and it wasn’t long before she felt the little hitches in his chest as he shed a tear or two himself—not that he’d ever own up to it.

Xavier held her close and soothed her with murmured words. She didn’t know what he was saying under the sound of her grief, but the sentiment was exactly what she needed.

Eventually her tears dried and her breathing evened out.

“Are you going to be okay?” Xavier asked, running his hand up and down her back.

“Yes.” She pulled away to look at him with guilt in her tear-swollen eyes. “I’m sorry for falling apart on you like that. Here you lost your brother…” He shook his head. “I lost my brother weeks ago, and you brought him back to me.” He cupped her cheeks. “What a gift you gave me.”

She flushed at his words. “I wish he could have stayed. For you, for me. For the world.”

“I’d made my peace with his death. And now I got to say goodbye.” He smiled gently. “I couldn’t ask for more.”

She nodded as he dropped his hands and sat back, giving her a comfortable bubble of space to compose herself in.

“Did you want to stay for a few days? I can see if the hotel will extend the reservation.”

“No. I should get back. I need…” She ran her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “I don’t know
what
I need, but I know it’s not hiding out in this room.” She touched his knee briefly. “Thank you for the offer.”

He smiled gently and patted her hand. “I’ll go check on flights for you.” Addison went to the bedroom to gather her things. She didn’t bring much, so it was no time at all before she was sitting on the couch again, her packed bag at her feet.

“I was able to get you on the next flight. First class.” He grinned at her wide eyes.

“You didn’t have to—”

He held up his hands to ward off any argument. “It’s all they had left, so it’s what you get.”

“Thank you, Xavier.” She smiled in appreciation. “Should we get going?”

“There’s still a couple of hours before we need to leave. Are you hungry?” Although she shook her head, her stomach rumbled in response.

He arched a brow and held out his hand. “Looks like we eat.” She took his hand. “Looks like.”

Xavier lead her down to the hotel’s restaurant where they sat in a secluded table near the back. Addison knew she needed to eat something, but had no appetite whatsoever. She ended up ordering a chef salad—filling, but light—and a peaceful silence surrounded them as they ate.

“Tell me about Rhys,” Addison said, pushing away her half-empty plate.

Xavier smiled, nudging his plate to the side as well as his cell rang.

He dug it out of his pocket and frowned at the display. “…crazy-ass number…” he muttered as he turned the phone off. “Sorry about that. So…what do you want to know?”

“Anything. Everything.”

“Oh, I love telling Rhys stories. You might never shut my ass up.” He chuckled as he launched into the first, a tale about when Rhys finally got his first car and promptly wrapped it around a telephone pole. He’d been rubbernecking to gawk at a woman jogger.

Then it was a story about when Rhys was little and Xavier had convinced him that he filled his sandbox with quicksand, and if he went in it, he’d be sucked down forever. When their mom tried to set Rhys inside it one afternoon to play, Rhys had screamed bloody murder, even bringing the neighbors running.

Another was about the time Rhys went on a date in high school and just when he was sliding into second base for the first time, his date’s father busted into the car and dragged her out of the backseat.

The stories continued through the rest of their meal, in the car, and through the airport. They had their own private memorial for Rhys as Addison learned more about the man who would forever own her heart. She laughed. She cried. But mostly she listened, and she loved.

Addison was sad to see their homage to Rhys end as they came to a stop at her gate.

She turned to face Xavier, linking their hands between them. “I can still feel him, ya know.”

“How so?”

“It’s not how it was before, but an echo of his presence. Almost like he left a little piece of himself behind for me to remember him by.”

He squeezed her hands. “Thank you again, Addison, for everything you did for him. And for me.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for sharing all your stories.”

“A pleasure. It was…nice.” He smiled, gently tugging at her hands. “How ‘bout you let me check on you in a few weeks.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She didn’t want to be an inconvenience.

“I know. But I want to.”

She searched his eyes for a minute and, seeing his sincerity, she nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Besides, Rhys wanted us to stay in touch.” He rubbed a thumb absently over the back of her hand.

“He did?”

“Yeah. He was worried about you.”

A warmth flooded inside her. “God, I’m gonna miss him.”

“Me too.” He pulled her close for a quick squeeze and promptly released her. “I’ll be in your area the week after next. I’ll stop in then.”

“Okay. I’ll email you my cell so you can call me when you get into town. I’m going dive right back into my work, so I might not be home. I’m gonna need to stay busy.”

“I can understand that.”

She gave him another quick hug before grabbing her bag and boarding the plane.

Other than the echo of Rhys’ presence, she felt alone for the first time in every way possible.

*****

Since Rhys left, Addison had managed to keep her days busy at the studio. But the nights filled her with a sense of foreboding.

This one was no better than the rest.

Over the last week it felt as if Rhys was there, but not
there.
And Addison couldn’t deny the fact that the overall sensation kept getting stronger and stronger, especially over the last two days.

Xavier was supposed to visit later in the week, but she hadn’t decided how to tell him about what was going on. Should she tell him? Did she even understand it herself?

She stretched out on the couch as she tried once again to fumble through her thoughts. Was it residual echoes she was feeling, or was Rhys trying to come back to her? She wanted him back. Jesus, how she wanted him back. But she wanted him to have the peace he deserved.

Should she have tried reaching out to him? What if she had and stopped him from moving on?

But what if she hadn’t and he was lost out there, seeking her out? She couldn’t turn her back on him.

Just like she had throughout the day, Addison heard the whisper of her name in her head.

Only this time, without work distracting her, it sounded stronger. Closer.

She squeezed her eyes closed in frustration. Should she reach out to him? What was the right thing to do?

To hell with it.

“Rhys?” she breathed.

Addison.
Relief tainted his voice as it grew louder.
There you are.

He sounded the same, felt the same, but it was different. He was distant, disconnected, as if he was still trying to find his way back to her.

Tears seeped between her lids, trailing across her temples to wet her hair. And then she braced herself as she opened up fully to their connection.

Addison? Are you there?

“Oh, Rhys. I’m here. Oh, God. I’m here.” She took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you came back. Are you…okay? Did you…”

I’m perfectly fine,
he assured, the connection feeling marginally stronger.
Where are you?

The question concerned her. What did he mean? Couldn’t he sense her?

“I’m right here.” She mentally reached out to him, their link as tangible to her as it was the night before he left. “Can’t you feel me?”

Now I got you.

She was suddenly struck by how she could hear him all around her—inside her head and out—as if in stereo. Their connection was gaining strength, even surpassing what they had before.