Providence (33 page)

“I wasn’t ready. It went by too fast,” I murmured, looking out the window of the plane.

“We’ll take another vacation soon. The moment you finish your last final, I’ll have Robert take us to the airport and we’ll get on a plane…just you and me. Somewhere with air conditioning,” Jared promised, kissing my hand.

I sighed and nodded. Even though the prospect was infinitely appealing, I couldn’t rise above the morose I felt.

Jared lifted my chin to look into my eyes, appraising my mood for a moment. He seemed to deliberate something, finally pressing his lips together. “I was going to wait, but I think I should give this to you now,” he said, standing up to dig inside his duffle bag.

He sat down beside me and placed a small woven box in my lap. “Open it,” he smiled.

I pulled at the lid. Sitting on tiny shreds of palm fronds sat the ring I’d tried on in the village. A smile broke across my face.

“You liked that one, right?”

“I loved that one,” I said.

The sadness from our departure intertwined with how touched I was that he somehow went back to the village and bought the ring without my knowledge. Tears formed rapidly in my eyes.

Jared lifted the ring and held it between his fingers. My eyes darted from his hand to his eyes; he seemed nervous about something.

“I have a request,” Jared said, smiling sheepishly.

I raised an eyebrow. “A condition?”

“No, no…just a request. Once I put this on your finger, I’d like for you not to take it off until I replace it.”

My pessimism all but forgotten, I didn’t hesitate. “I promise.”

“You don’t have to promise, it’s just a request,” he said, heartened by my reaction.

“I promise,” I insisted.

Jared beamed as he slipped the silver band on my left ring finger. It fit perfectly.

“You had it sized?” I asked.

His smile widened. “I wanted it to be perfect.”

He laughed at me each time he caught me lifting up my fingers to stare at my left hand. I was still sad to say goodbye to our island, but knowing I had brought a piece of it with me made the trip home a bit easier.

Once we landed, I stepped onto the wet tarmac and pulled my coat tightly around me. The bitter cold wind swirled around me, and I was glad when Jared offered his warm arms as insulation.

“Why don’t you go ahead with Cynthia? You don’t have to stand in the cold with me,” Jared said.

I began to argue, but I saw the clouds in his eyes. “What is it?”

Jared’s brow fell inward, and I could see he didn’t want to tell me. Beyond Jared’s shoulder, a tall dark figure caught my eye.

“Samuel?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said through his teeth. “It must be pressing, or he wouldn’t have come.”

“I’ll meet you in the car.” I choked back the tears. We had barely touched the ground and already the harsh reality of our lives in Providence insisted we pay it attention like a spoiled child.

“If you love him, you’ll have to accept that this is the way it will be,” Cynthia said apathetically.

I watched Jared from inside the car. His expression was grave; it was not good news. He nodded once and walked towards the door Robert dutifully held open. Samuel was no longer there. He didn’t disappear, he didn’t fizzle out or his form blink from the space it occupied; he was there one moment, and then he wasn’t.

Jared slid into the seat beside me. “You can go, now, Robert.”

“Yes, sir,” Robert said, nodding in the mirror and then looking ahead.

I watched Jared work to keep the tension from his face. I didn’t need supernatural perception to know what he was feeling. He had the same look on his face when he pulled the book from the safe. He was afraid.

Chapter Fifteen

The Last Supper

Jared instructed Robert to drive us to the loft, and then take my things to Brown. I noticed that he didn’t speak much on the way, but there was no point in trying to talk to him. Not with Cynthia sitting on the other side of me.

When the car slid in next to the curb, I kissed my mother goodbye. Jared led me up the stairs with one hand, his duffle bag and luggage in the other. He put a few things away, and then trotted down the stairs.

From the railing I watched him mill about. I wasn’t sure when reality would finally set in. His perfection was something only seen on the silver screen or a magazine cover, and yet he casually walked around just below me. He was thumbing through his mail until he paused to look up at me.

“Everything all right?” he asked.

“I should be asking you that, shouldn’t I?”

“No, not necessarily, why?” His face was too relaxed, his features intentionally at ease.

“You’re not going to tell me what Samuel said?”

Jared smiled, seeming to ignore my question. “If you’re worried about your things, I had Robert take them to be laundered. We’ll pick them up later and swing by Andrews to get anything else you need.”

“Jared…Samuel—,”

“Lillian wants to meet you,” he interrupted.

“She wants to meet me? But…I’ve met her,” I said, bewildered.

“Nina, you haven’t been around her since you were a girl. And she wants to be properly introduced to my girlfriend, not to mention Bex has been dying to meet you. You’re sort of a celebrity at my house.”

“A what?” I said dubiously.

Jared laughed. “Imagine your father guarding the king, and your big brother, whom you idolize, guards the princess. You’ve never met either of them….wouldn’t you be excited to hear that a princess is coming to dinner? He’s eleven. He’s excited.”

“Yes, Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Crime,” I grumbled.

“Tomorrow night. She’s making pot roast.”

“Ugh! You’re not fighting fair!”

His face contorted from playful to concern. “You don’t want to meet my family?”

“Of course I want to meet your family. It’s just that…being around your mother—who I desperately want to like me—and in the same room is Claire…who wishes me dead. It’s going to be awkward.”

Jared smiled warmly. “It will be fine. Claire will be on her best behavior, I assure you. My mother is less forgiving about Claire’s attitude than I am. And you don’t have to worry about Lillian. She’s always loved you.”

I nodded, wondering what I had ever done to deserve her kind regard.

We set out on perfectly normal errands. He held me against his side while we waited for our developing film, and while walking the aisles of an antique store to find the perfect frame for our new picture. On the surface it appeared that our normal days on the island hadn’t ended, but Jared had purposely made it seem that way. He was hiding something.

He seemed to have to work harder to hide his unease when he wrapped his arms around me for the night.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

I felt him tense. “I was hoping you’d let it go.”

“Why? I thought truth was the cornerstone of our relationship? That was so important to you before Spring Break,” I pointed out.

“It’s still important,” he sighed.
“Then what is it? Why are you keeping what Samuel said from me?”

He sighed. “Before we left you needed normal. While we were gone, we had normal. I want you to have that here, where we live. If that’s what you want then you should have it. We could live like Jack and Cynthia. She didn’t ask questions, he didn’t divulge information, and they made it work.” He pressed his lips against my hair. “Leave the details to me.”

I considered that for a moment. “That’s what you want?”

“I just want to make things easier on you.”

I kissed his shoulder. “And when do things get easier on you?”

“You’re safe in my arms. I’m not outside Andrews in my SUV listening to you talk about some guy you’re dating, wishing it was me. The fact that you know what I am and that we spend so much time together, my job is easier than it’s ever been. This will end soon, sweetheart. I just need you to trust me.”

“Sweet potato fries?” I whispered into the darkness.

Jared pulled me closer to him and kissed my neck. “Sweet potato fries.”

Saturday morning I awoke to Jared standing beside the bed. He held out my buzzing cell phone and I took it, noting the unhappy look on his face.

“Hello?”

“Good mornin’, sunshine. How was your trip?” Ryan said.

“It was perfect. How was yours?” I said, rubbing my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile, Ryan’s voice was strangely comforting.

“It was fun. You should have been there. You didn’t forget about the Bio test next week, right?”

“You’re calling about the test?” I asked, immediately suspicious of his ulterior motives.

“No. That’s just my lame excuse. I’m calling because I haven’t heard your voice in a week and I miss you.”

I could tell by the tension in Jared’s jaw that he could hear Ryan perfectly clear. I sighed, “Thank you. I didn’t forget.”

Ryan chuckled. “Good. I’ll see you Sunday night?”

“What’s Sunday night?”

“You’re coming back to Brown Sunday night. Or did you change your mind and move in?”

I sighed. “No. I’m coming back, but not until late…I’m having dinner with Jared’s family.”

“Oh,” Ryan dramatically exhaled, making a loud noise into the phone. “Okay, then. I’ll see you Sunday night. Later, kiddo.”

I hung up the phone and made a face.

“What?” Jared asked.

“He’s being…weird. He’s being really nice.”

“I heard,” Jared frowned, sitting beside me.

“He’s up to something,” I grimaced.

Jared watched me for a moment and smiled. “I can’t say I blame him. I’ve been in his shoes, and I can testify that it’s torture being in love with you and seeing you with someone else. I don’t take a single second with you for granted.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay, now you’re up to something.”

Jared laughed and shook his head. “Ryan is working overtime to win you over. I’m just doing everything I can to keep you. You can’t begrudge me that.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. I’ve always been yours.”

Jared took my hand and kissed my new ring, content. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

As the evening approached, I grew increasingly nervous. Jared reassured me that Lillian was very fond of me, but it didn’t help to calm my fears.

As soon as we walked in, the wonderful smell from my childhood saturated my senses. Jared’s mother greeted us in the foyer and I grinned how much Jared looked like her. She hadn’t changed, only this time in a sage green apron. Her long blonde hair caressed her shoulders, and her wide, blue-grey eyes wrinkled with her broad smile. She approached me with open arms.

“Nina! Nina…it’s so good to see you, honey. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” She hugged me tightly, and then pulled Jared in to kiss his cheek. The plant Jared held caught her eye. “This is for me?”

“Nina insisted we bring you something. I tried to tell her the poor thing would be dead in a week.”

“Oh! Jared…you’re so silly,” she giggled, lightly smacking his shoulder.

I could see why an angel would fall in love with her. She was a beacon of light, and love seemed to pour from her every word.

“Come in! Come and sit, dinner is almost ready,” she said, carrying the small plant with her.

Bex’s eyes brightened as he stood to greet me.

Jared gestured to the boy. “Nina, this is my little brother, Bex. Bex, this is Nina Grey.”

“Nice to meet you,” Bex said, surprising me with a hug. His blonde hair was nearly white, and his big, blue-grey eyes matched his freshly ironed shirt. Even at eleven, his muscles were already well on their way to his older brother’s size, and he was almost as tall as I. Jared watched me with adoration as I hugged his brother. Bex pulled out my chair and I smiled appreciatively before taking a seat.

I caught Claire rolling her eyes and Jared cleared his throat.

“Claire? Could you help me in the kitchen for a moment?” I heard Lillian say in a slightly firmer tone than she’d had moments before. Claire stiffened and then quickly joined her mother in the kitchen.

I sat between Bex and Jared as Lillian and a significantly more affable Claire brought the dishes of food to the table.

I felt seven years old again as Lillian circled the table, scooping out side dishes to each plate. After Lillian served me, she leaned down and kissed my cheek.

“I have missed you, sweet Nina,” she crooned.

When she retreated to the kitchen, Jared pulled me to him and kissed me affectionately. “I told you. She loves you.”

I smiled, feeling a little overwhelmed at the outpouring of love. Aside from Jared, the only person that I felt loved me so deeply was my father. It felt as if I’d had a secret family my entire life that I wasn’t aware of. They had all—but one— loved me from afar and watched me grow. Gabe’s occasional proud paternal glances made more sense, now.

I looked over at Claire and wondered why they didn’t regard me in the same way that she did. My family had kept Gabe away much of the time, and now I occupied the majority of Jared’s and, until recently, Claire’s time. I couldn’t fathom the pure goodness in Lillian for loving me despite what my family had done to hers, but she sat across from me, watching me like I was a long lost daughter that had finally returned home.

I looked down to my food, the deluge of emotion threatening to bring tears to my eyes.

“Nina?” Jared whispered, gently touching my knee.

I nervously chuckled. “I’m fine,” I said, looking up at him as if he’d given me the greatest gift in the world.

He was confused at first, but my overwhelming happiness prompted a wide grin across his face. We ate and laughed as Lillian and Bex told funny stories about Jared. Even Claire allowed herself to laugh a few times. Jared and I shared our time in Little Corn, and Lillian rushed over to look at my ring, kissing her son on the head in approval.

Lillian looked at her watch and smiled at her youngest son. “I’m afraid it’s bedtime, Bex,” she smiled.

Bex fought a look of disappointment and nodded, stopping to hug me before he retreated upstairs.

“Wow. What a great kid,” I mused, watching him leave.

“He is. All of my children are exceptional,” she said, watching Bex as he climbed towards the second floor.

“Yes they are,” I enthusiastically agreed. We all shared a laugh at that, and Claire cleared the table of our pie plates.

Jared leaned over to kiss my forehead and Lillian beamed with joy. “You make my son the happiest I have ever seen him. You don’t know how wonderful it is to see finally see him smile that way.”

I looked at Jared, who scanned my face with deep adoration. He touched my cheek and I tore my eyes away from his affectionate stare, embarrassed by the intimate way we were behaving in front of his mother.

I struggled to deflect the three pairs of eyes staring at me. “So…how does that work? Bex having a bed time, I mean. Isn’t he awake by midnight?” I asked.

Lillian’s musical laugh filled the air. “He really has told you everything, hasn’t he?” she said, winking at her son. “The younger they are, the more they sleep. They slept almost as much as other infants when they were newborns. By their first birthdays they no longer need naps, but they still slept nearly through the night. My goodness, you and I would have our work cut out for us if we had babies that only slept two hours a day!” She laughed again and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

Jared shifted in his seat. “We haven’t really…discussed that, yet, Mom.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” she smiled sweetly. “I’m notorious for wishful thinking.”

I felt Jared’s warm hand gently encompass mine. “Let’s just take one thing at a time. We don’t want to scare Nina off.”

I smiled at Jared. “It would take a lot more than that to scare me off. As if that could ever happen.”

Claire stiffened in her seat, and almost simultaneously Jared did the same. Lillian watched her son. She was waiting for something, but didn’t seem afraid. Jared turned his head, listening intently. He reminded me of a wild animal sensing danger, on alert, ears scanning the air for movement. Suddenly Claire stood up and kicked her chair against the wall. I jumped at the noise, and then it was dark.

“Bex,” Claire whispered.

Jared grabbed my arm and whisked me up the stairs, with Lillian just behind us. We rushed down a long hall, and then entered the last door to our right. He backed me into a corner and gently put his finger to my mouth. It was then that I realized something was very wrong.

I could barely make out Jared’s form in the darkness as I saw him lean over Bex’s bed and whisper in his brother’s ear before disappearing silently from the room.