Page 116 of The Summer that Changed Everything
“What?” she prompted as his eyes met hers.
“I’ll never drink another drop of alcohol again in my life.”
“We can get you into A.A. to help you stay away from it, get you a sponsor.”
He nodded. “If I’m ever tempted, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
She got behind the wheel while he climbed into the passenger seat. “Can you believe we have self-driving cars now?” she asked.
He looked as horrified as he was surprised. “This thing drives itself?”
She chuckled. “No, but my Tesla in Vegas does.”
“I’ll be damned,” he said and shook his head.
The next week, Lucy learned what it meant to be on the receiving end of Southern hospitality. Anna brought over a casserole to welcome her father back to North Hampton Beach, which gave Lucy the opportunity to thank her for being honest about her brother. She admitted it’d been difficult—that Reggie had punched a hole in her wall and her mother had refused to speak to her for several weeks—but all was well that ended well she’d said with a laugh. Part of Lucy wished she could stay in NorthHampton Beach. She really liked Anna, believed they could be good friends. She didn’t think she’d ever like Reggie, however, but she didn’t have to. He no longer impacted her life in any way.
The very next day, Patti and Nelson brought over some corn bread, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and collard greens with pecan pie for dessert. They included a sweet note telling Mick how sorry they were about his wrongful imprisonment. They even came in and visited for a while and apologized for how harshly they’d treated him.
In the days that followed, more food and good wishes arrived—from Dahlia, Stephanie and even Mrs. Zampino.
Mick was reserved but polite whenever they had company. Obviously, he was even more uncomfortable around people than he’d been before he’d gone to prison, but he enjoyed the food they brought, and she couldn’t help but think their welcome made him feel more at home overall.
They spent a lot of time on the beach. Sometimes they’d swim. Sometimes they’d just sit and dig their toes in the sand while looking out at the great expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Lucy tried to stay abreast of what was happening to Ford’s brother and Kevin Claxton, both of whom had been arrested, but after the initial reports, several days would go by without any news. She’d heard that the wheels of justice turned slowly, but at least they were finally moving in the right direction.
One Friday afternoon, only a few days before they were supposed to leave for Vegas, when her father had gone back to the house to shower, Lucy remained on the beach alone. They’d decided to have dinner in town for a change. He hadn’t had a blue crab sandwich in fifteen years, and after settling in for a few weeks, he was finally feeling bold enough to be seen out in public, which showed a marked improvement in his sense of security.
Lucy planned to follow him to the cottage soon, but she wanted a minute to herself. This beach would always remindher of Ford. She missed him so terribly—and was so grateful to him for hiring Friedman and being willing to come forward with the DNA match Friedman found, even though it led to his own brother. As much as she hated the fact that she couldn’t be the woman he loved—the only woman in his life—she respected him. He hadn’t always made the best decisions. He’d hurt her deeply when they were young. But he’d made so many hard choices this summer that showed her the kind of man he’d turned out to be.
She was afraid she’d never find anyone who could compare to him. But at least she and her father were able to put their lives back together, were able to finally escape the terrible travesty of injustice that’d cost them both so dearly. That fresh start was so deeply freeing, so healing, that she was determined to be happy even without Ford.
She watched a distant ship on the horizon for a few moments, which made her think about how big the world really was. Then she forced herself to get up. Now that her father was interested in going out, she didn’t want to make him wait too long.
But as she turned, she saw someone walking toward her and thought her mind had to be lying, that wishful thinking was causing her to imagine things, because it looked like Ford. Only when she forced herself to turn away and start toward the cottage and she heard her name, did she realize itwasFord.
Her heart began to race even as she cautioned herself that this had to be an incidental meeting. He was probably in town to do what he could for his brother. She’d been surprised she hadn’t heard he was here.
Holding her breath, she stayed where she was, waiting for him to come closer. She expected him to stop several feet away, maybe nod his head and speak politely. But the look on his face was so hopeful and so transparently emotional that she was once again confused.
And he didn’t stop. He jogged the last several feet, swept herinto his arms and buried his face in her neck. “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured.
She wanted to allow her arms to close around him, too, but she couldn’t trust this. She didn’t understand it. Pressing her hands to his chest, she pushed him back. “What’s happening?”
“I’m going to marry you,” he said. “That’s what’s happening.”
Lucy couldn’t find the words to respond. Was this a cruel joke? “How?” she managed to ask.
“I just need you to say yes,” he replied with a broad smile. “Well, I also need to get divorced first, but that shouldn’t take too long. I’ll give Christina almost anything she wants if she’ll just let me go.”
Stunned, she asked, “What about the baby?”
He sobered. “There never was a baby, Lucy. It was all a lie.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “How’d you find out?”
“Once I learned that she and Houston had been in contact, I knew something was up. They never really liked each other. I admit I occasionally wondered if Christina had gotten pregnant on purpose to force me back to her, but I never dreamed she’d make up the whole thing! I mean... while I was here, she sent me a recording of the heartbeat of our baby! But her newfound friendship—or, rather, alliance—with my brother seemed strange. So did what I was finding out about preeclampsia. When I went online, I learned it typically doesn’t become a problem until later in a pregnancy. There’s the very rare case when it happens this early, but that, and knowing Christina generally, made me even more suspicious. So I insisted we go to the doctor together, but she kept putting me off—and trying to get me into bed. She needed me toreallyget her pregnant, or she’d have to say she miscarried or something. Fortunately, I was too in love with you to be with her in that way again—and that was what saved me.”
Lucy grabbed his hands. “She admitted it?”
