Rise (Roam Series, Book Three) Page 17

  Sighing with relief, I glance around. The pool is empty; the bleachers are empty. I dive under the water, opening my eyes. The bottom of the pool is my mirror.

  I am… me.

  As I burst to the surface, I immediately see him crouching next to the edge of the pool.

  “Hi, Roam.”

  Beat… beat! I scream at my heart, finally realizing. I wipe the water from my eyes, backing to the center of the pool.

  “Troy,” I tread water, taking deep, calming breaths.

  He grins. “So, he’s already told you about me.”

  “I’m not going to run,” I say evenly. The memory of his hands on my body nauseates me. “I’m going to climb out of this pool, and then you’re going to give me a fighting chance.”

  He rises to his feet, amused. “You’re challenging me? Kid, be my guest.” He gestures to the ladder across from him. “This should be fun.”

  “Okay, then.” I swim to the coping opposite him at the pool, nimbly pulling myself over the edge and climbing to my feet. He slowly rounds the edges of the pool, but I take a step back, watching him carefully.

  “Wait.” I gather my hair, twisting out the access water.

  “I’d forgotten how innocent you looked,” his filthy smile heats my veins.

  “As compared to the whore you turned me into, in your castle?”

  He stops advancing, staring at me. “You remember the castle?”

  “I remember that I almost killed you… and I won’t make that mistake again.”

  He took a step forward. “All this for your red-haired brat.”

  “Mommy,” Eva stood over me, shaking me gently. “Vi says show time!”

  “Hair, makeup, and I got you white roses… they’ll be beautiful for that bronze holder you bought.” I blinked, watching Violet rush around the bedroom.

  “Thank you,” I sat up, reaching for my phone. 5:00. “Where’s West?”

  “You can’t see him until the ceremony. I’m thinking we pin your hair half up, and…,”

  “Violet,” I stilled her hand as she gathered my hair, smiling at her. “Are you happy?”

  Her wide smile answered my question. “Roam, I’m sorry, I had to tell you. Logan is… he’s the only one I will ever want. You understand that, right?”

  “Of course I do.” I reached for her as she sat next to me, on the bed. “Thank you for telling me.”

  “Daddy said I can’t have a popsicle in my dress,” Eva pouted, twirling in circles until she teetered, dizzy. I grinned, jumping to my feet and catching her before she fell.

  I’ve missed two years of her life. The certainty of my love for her astounded me.

  “I love you, Eva,” I gripped her in my arms, still unsettled after the nightmare of Troy.

  “Dress up, mommy!” She giggled, dancing to the garment bag hanging over the door.

  “Show time,” I repeated, kissing her forehead.

  The sun lit the ocean from low in the western sky as I took the stairs over the dune in my bare feet. At the top of the stairs, I froze, my eyes focusing on the shore below. I saw West first, and I had to reach for the railing for support. Logan stood next to him in full dress-blues, and as their eyes turned on me, he started toward the stairs.

  An officiant stood next to West, and to the side, a woman holding a violin sat in a white, folding chair, waiting. An elaborate arch had been erected and entwined with white roses and bronze ribbon. Eva’s fingers curled around mine, and I looked down at her.

  “Daddy said we’re the prettiest girls in the world.”

  I smiled and nodded as Violet gave me a small hug before gathering Eva into her arms. “Logan will give you away.” She said softly, sending him an enamored glance before walking ahead.

  “Okay,” I watched them descend the stairs, my heart pulsing unevenly against the inside of my chest. This is real… this is real.

  Logan kissed Violet as they passed each other in the sand. I walked slowly to Logan, watching his smirk turn into a full-on grin. “Hottest I’ve ever seen you. Better than prom.”

  “Thanks,” I whispered, my voice shaking. He recognized my nerves immediately, linking his elbow through mine.

  “I have a question for you, before I give you away… forever.” He leaned over, his mouth close to my ear. “Even after you’re Roam Perry, can I still call you Cam?”

  I burst with breathy, nervous laughter, and he kissed my cheek as I nodded. The violinist began playing, and I waited for the wedding march.

  Instead, I recognized Can’t Help Falling in Love With You, the Elvis Presley violin cover masterfully integrating with the sounds of the waves at the shore. Tears immediately filled my eyes.

  Well, I made it three minutes without crying.

  We reached the shore, but strides back I’d already focused on West. He wore a black tuxedo with a classic Windsor tie that matched the green color in Eva’s gown. His face was freshly shaven, his sandy-blonde hair curled just slightly at his forehead, and those beautiful, blue eyes locked with mine.

  I was captivated.

  “I guess we’re history, Cam,” Logan said softly, lifting my fingers to his lips for a parting kiss. Violet stood with her arms wrapped around her small sister, her green dress matching Eva’s satin ribbons.

  “He looks like Santa Claus,” Eva whispered loudly, pointing at the reverend. Logan laughed, and the man grinned, winking at Eva.

  West reached for my hands, pulling the roses that I had nearly crushed to potpourri from my wringing fingers and handing them over to Violet. The officiant of the ceremony cleared his throat, smiling over bi-focal glasses at the two of us.

  “This evening, we will witness the joining of two souls in marriage. Throughout their journey, they have not always understood where life has taken them.”

  West cupped my face in his palm, his thumb brushing over my tear-stained lips. I closed my eyes, covering his fingers with mine.

  “Through the words of Socrates, we are reminded that true wisdom comes to each of us… when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”

  I opened my eyes at the quote to focus on West, and the loving smile on his face told me that he had prepared the entire ceremony. Tears slid down my cheeks, and I made no attempt to wipe them away.

  “West, do you take Roam to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day, forward?”

  The ocean wave nearly reached where we stood as the tide came in. He carried my hands to his lips, nodding. I watched as Logan handed him a diamond ring and wedding band; West separated my fingers, sliding the platinum over my skin.

  “I vow to love, honor, and protect you, Roam… for longer than we both shall live.”

  Swaying on my feet, I remembered the first time he kissed me, and lost my breath.

  “Roam, do you take West to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day, forward?”

  I nodded, trying to form words. Violet attempted to give me a matching, platinum band, but I missed her hand as I reached for it.

  Finally, West leaned down to my ear. “Just breathe, baby.”

  I took a steadying breath, taking his left hand in mine and sliding the band onto his finger. “I do… I will love, honor, and protect you, West… for longer than we both shall live.” I repeated his words, my voice breaking by the end of the most important sentence I’d ever spoken.

  The reverend smiled brightly. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. West, you may kiss your bride.”

  He wrapped both arms around me, lifting me up and against him as his lips met mine. I turned into his familiar kiss, sliding my arms over his neck and holding on.

  My feet no longer touched the ground as I kissed my husband for the first time.

  The violinist began to play again, and I realized that applause had broken out all over the beach as onlookers attended our small ceremony. In seconds I was in West’s arms as he slowly kissed me, carrying me through the sand. When he s
topped at the deck to lower me to my feet, I was lost in an indolent dream.

  “I love you, Mrs. Perry,” he whispered, and my stomach tightened, fire coursing through every nerve ending. “And… I will keep you this time.”

  “West,” I whispered, clinging to him. “I’m so afraid to be happy… please tell me everything is okay,” I begged between drugging kisses on the wooden stairs.

  He pulled away, meeting my eyes assertively. “It will be,” he promised, his mouth returning to mine.

  “Save it for the honeymoon,” Logan’s voice interrupted us as he carried Eva up the stairs, Violet close behind. “Innocent eyes.”

  “Daddy,” Eva reached for him, and West swept her into his arms, kissing her neck until she giggled delightedly.

  “Where is the honeymoon?” Logan asked, wrapping his arms around Violet as she leaned against his chest.

  “Chicago… a cruise?” I lifted my eyes, and West glanced at his watch. His tuxedo clung to his body in the best possible way, and I longed to just sit back and stare at him.

  “We’ll be leaving from Cherbourg, France, and getting off in Ireland.”

  I listened to his words, the locations pulling at my memory. Cherbourg… Ireland…

  He watched my face closely. Finally, I took a backward step. “We’re going through a fountain?”

  “Why not?” His eyes lit as they often did during a history lesson. “There’s nothing to worry about… and we’ll get off before it hits.”

  “What hits?” Logan half-followed us. “Where are you going?”

  “The Titanic,” I whispered, overcome. “We’re going on the Titanic.”

  “If you can handle it,” West added, wrapping his free arm around me as Eva played with my hair. “I purchased two first-class tickets. And they look very real.”

  “Are you freaking serious?” Violet shook her head, glaring at her father. “You finally have everything you could ever want, and you’re going through another fountain?”

  “Vi-…,”

  She interrupted Logan, color staining her cheeks bright red. “No! What is wrong with you? You are not immortal now! What if something happened and you couldn’t get off the ship in time? Are you going to ride the freaking thing down into the ice water?”

  “There is a port of call in Cherbourg, and one in Queenstown. We get on, we get off.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I hear is blah-blah-blah-stupid-history-lesson!”

  “I want to go,” I realized out loud. Violet stopped talking, staring at me in irritation. I imagined walking along the promenade deck in 1912, arm in arm with my new husband. “Not just the ship… to France, and to Ireland… and see what it was like, be there…,”

  “I knew you would,” West grinned, gesturing to my arm and the coordinates. “The Buckingham Fountain in Chicago-…,”

  “Ugh.” Violet stormed past us and threw the sliding glass door open so hard it rocked the frame. Logan turned to me, shaking his head.

  “I’m with Violet on this one. Dumb. And also creepy.”

  “You and I both know that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself,” West defended me, and I raised my eyebrows.

  “I’ll be fine, Rush.”

  “Whatever. Bring a lifeboat.”

  He followed Violet into the house. “Can I have a popsicle now?” Eva asked, and I grinned at her.

  West kissed her forehead, nodding. “Anything, babe.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Our scheduled flight for nine PM slowly began to weigh on my mind. I held Eva on the couch, watching her eyelids flutter softly while she slept.

  West sat next to me on the couch, having finished carrying our bags to the door. He had insisted on a limousine to the airport, though I protested the unnecessary luxury.

  I kissed him, reveling in the taste of his mouth. God, I’ve missed you. I rested my head on his shoulder. “Tell me about her.”

  He sighed. “You were born in Algeria, near Morocco. I found you in Morocco when you were twenty years old. You were an only child, and cared for your ailing mother.”

  Surprised, I lifted my head. “I left my mother for you?”

  “You remember what the numbers do… and the dreams. You couldn’t help what you felt.”

  “Was I smart?”

  He grinned. “That’s your first question?”

  “You never know. Julie seemed pretty superficial, and Annie made sure there were encyclopedias in the house before a washing machine. Isa was a resourceful little bar maid. Kind of a potluck of brainpower.”

  He laughed breathily, careful not to wake Eva. “You keep your mind when we travel, Roam, remember?”

  I nodded, turning to stare at the dark window. “I wish I had a break from my mind. These new memories are… awful.”

  Troy’s face rapidly surfaced, and I stiffened, gripping Eva tightly. She stirred in her sleep, and West reached for her, standing and shifting her into his arms.

  “Let’s put her to bed and talk, okay?”

  I followed him silently to Eva’s polka-dotted bedroom, tucking her into her bed with a soft kiss. Back in the living room, I nodded toward the long hallway that led to Violet’s room. “You think they’re going to be able to pull themselves out of the bedroom long enough to watch Eva?”

  He froze, and I watched comprehension pass over his gaze as his neck tightened. “I have been so focused on you, I didn’t even- I should talk to Logan.”

  I wrapped my fingers over his forearm, shaking my head. “West, they are both adults.”

  He took a calming breath, moving back to the couch. According to the clock, we had less than an hour before the limo arrived to pick us up. “I want to talk about something difficult. Okay?”

  I nodded, pressing my face against his chest. He gathered a long strand of my hair between his thumb and forefinger.

  “I knew that Eva was the key three months before Logan came to find me.”

  Slowly, my mind traveled back to the castle, and settled on the red chair by the window. Three months… the sound of Troy’s boots against the floor thudded through my memory, and I gasped for air. He tightened his grip. “You couldn’t… come… Eva could have been killed,” I managed, struggling against the couch to get away from him.

  He let me sit up, and I backed away, counting slowly to find my breath again. “Roam… I know that you understand that, but it doesn’t take away the guilt that I feel, or the… betrayal… that you feel.”

  “If you had put Eva in danger by rushing through, I would never have forgiven you.” I turned to him, finally finding the courage I’d learned in the castle. “You trusted me to fight for myself. I don’t feel betrayed… I’m thankful that you trusted me.”

  “God, I love you.”

  “I just want you to hold me… forever,” I felt the desperation in my voice, straddling my legs over his hips and hugging him to me with all of my strength.

  He pressed his flat palms against my back, and I held his face, my lips hovering only moments from his. He reached for me, and I backed away teasingly.

  “We only have forty-five minutes, and that is not enough time for me to thoroughly make you my wife.”

  “Really,” I grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Now, I’m intrigued.”

  His fingers slid over my lower back, his gorgeous face alive with smiles. “We finally have time… real time,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

  “You know… in the beginning, when you texted me the years and the places I was born, you mixed up 1790 and 1912.”

  Leaning back against the couch, he grinned. “I was a little preoccupied that evening.”

  “With what?”

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about the way you figured out the order of the coordinates. The mirror-reflection. I think that was the exact moment,” he touched his lips to mine, speaking into my kiss, “…that I fell in love with you.”

  Grinning, I nipped at his lower lip. He responded by trailing his fi
ngers over my jaw, brushing his lips over mine once, and then twice. His adoring kiss reminded me of the day that I gave birth to Eva, and I threaded my fingers through his dark blonde hair with a sigh.

  “What was my name, in 1912?”

  “Amina.”

  He called you Mina… I pulled away suddenly, my face falling.

  He narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “I wish I didn’t remember Troy.” I pressed the back of my head against the couch, closing my eyes tightly. “Will told me that long ago, when this all started, he called me ‘Mina.’ I can’t run away from thoughts of him and I hate it. When I took a nap with Eva today, I dreamt about him, at the pool in the high school. On my wedding day.”

  He sat up, and I could feel his muscles tensing through the couch. “What? Are you sure it was him?”

  “Oh, it was him. The floor of the pool was a mirror, and we spoke to each other. He was just as nasty as ever. Thankfully Eva woke me up before he drowned me again.”

  “Roam,” my heart thudded at his expression. “You shouldn’t dream about him.”

  “I can’t help it!” I cried, tears quickly rising.

  “No… if he’d dead, the dreams of him killing you… end. That is part of the prophecy.”

  I stood, whirling around as West moved behind me, catching me before I fell over the chair. “Is he alive? Is Troy alive?”

  “I don’t know,” he gripped my forearms, reaching for me, but I shook my head. “Asher said that if I touched you, time reversed there. I don’t know if that can bring back the dead.”

  “Oh my God,” I covered my mouth, remembering the blood dripping from my face as I carried the sword through the castle. I knew I was going to vomit.

  Making it to the bathroom adjacent to the kitchen just in time, I bent over the bowl. He wrapped my hair into his hand, continuing to brush my shoulders with his fingertips.

  “I know.” He slid against the wall in the bathroom, pulling me into his arms while I broke into tears.

  “Of course turning back time will bring back the dead! West, the Peterhof Fountains… they are intact. The explosion never happened, in this version of our life. All of the people who died… are alive today. That is bringing back the dead.”