My lips lifted into a smile that soon turned into a wince when I realized it was cut and a little bit swollen. Still, he returned the smile, an action that lifted my spirits immediately. I knew then that I was forgiven for the kiss Aaron and I shared. I guess almost dying would do that.
My eyes trailed to meet green ones that stared back at me with relief and admiration, “It’s good to have you back, Kat,” Aaron whispered. I nodded my head slightly in agreement before proceeding to stare into dark eyes that followed my every move.
“You scared us for a moment there, Katrina,” Jake said with a smile, although I could still see the fear lingering in those inexplicable dark eyes of his.
I don’t know how long I laid there watching all three of them while in my mother’s arms, but it was quite satisfying until they turned around and began to leave.
“Wait, where are you going?” I asked, hurriedly sitting up even though it hurt. The thought of them leaving – especially Mason – scared me.
Gently, my mom pulled me back to lay down. Her fingers brushed my hair lovingly, “It’s okay, honey, they’ll be back. The doctors said it’s not wise to have too many people in your room at once,” she explained, and I calmed down.
My eyes followed Mason as he came to sit by the edge of the bed, too, taking my bruised hand in his. “I’m right here, Kat, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his eyes full of undeterred promise, and I believed him. His soft lips met the back of my hand, and I felt my eyes close shut at the beautiful feeling. By the time they flew open, the three of them were gone.
Sighing, I turned to my mom, really looking at her, and I immediately felt horrible. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. The woman staring back at me wasn’t the woman I had grown to know. She wasn’t the cheerful, carefree, always full of life and incredibly social wife of a wealthy man. She looked so tired like she had ten years of her life ripped away with no choice, and I knew I was the cause of that. If only I could stop attracting evil occurrences. “It’s all my fault,” I looked away, swallowing back hot tears.
She pulled my head back and planted a lingering kiss on my forehead.
“Never say that again,” she admonished with a sad smile.
“None of this was your fault,” she said, taking my hand and rubbing it against her cheek.
“I should have listened to you when you told me you were being followed. I should have taken you seriously, and maybe all of this wouldn’t have happened.”
I shook my head, “You didn’t know, mom. How long has it been?” I asked, knowing from how tired she looked that I must have been unconscious for days.
“Two weeks.”
I gasped, “That long? You must have been so worried,” I stated the obvious.
She nodded anyway, “It took a while before the boys found you at the border. Thankfully, the sheriff’s partner – who happens to be friends with Aaron’s parents – offered to help them with the search unofficially since you couldn’t be declared missing yet.”
“They found that horrible man just watching you drown in the lake…” her voice caught, and I squeezed her hand to remind her I was here and safe. “He tried to run, but they caught him anyway, and Mason jumped to the rescue, but they were almost too late,” she crumbled into sobs.
“Mom, it’s okay. I’m safe now.”
Sniffling as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks, she said, “Your heart stopped twice, Katrina. I thought I’d lost you just like your father. I thought you were gone…”
Quickly I found the strength, despite the pains and aches my body was feeling, and sat up to pull my crying mother into a hug as I whispered consoling words into her ear. “It’s okay, mom. You won’t have to worry about me anymore, I promise.”
I didn’t know how long we stayed in each other’s arms, and I didn’t care. At some point, the boys came to say their goodbyes, promising me they would be back. Still, I refused to let go of my mom, and we spent the rest of the day in each other’s arms with her caressing my hair gently and singing the lullaby she used to every day when I was a kid.
And to think for a moment in that dreaded water, I had thought dying was the best choice. It was a good thing my wish hadn’t come to pass because the thought of my mother alone without me was too painful to bear.
I watched her fall asleep with a ghost of a smile on her lips and decided I wasn’t going to waste this second chance fate had gifted me. I would live my life to the fullest, if not for anything but her sake.
CHAPTER THREE
Mason Welsh appeared at my doorstep three days later with a large bouquet of flowers, that was any girl’s dream, clad in full suit attire. He announced that he wanted to take me out on a date, and I had thought we were going to the fanciest restaurant in Redwood, especially since he told me to dress nicely. However, where I found myself was even better than I could ever imagine.
There I stood in the clearing, in the middle of the woods not too far from Aaron’s house, in a pretty red dress my nosy mom had picked out for me. She insisted I wear it instead of the leather jacket and jeans I had initially picked out.
The place the boys and I had come to claim as our spot was now different from what it used to be. The very regularity of it that provided us with calmness and quiet was moot as it now looked like something out of a fairytale. How the boys pulled it off, I’d never know.
Lights twinkled from the trees, illuminating the trail of red roses that led to the picnic-style arranged dinner. Food of all sorts and wine occupied the blankets laid on the ground, and soft music flowed from the vintage music box that sat right in the middle. The evident glow of the full moon provided its own natural ambiance. Surrounding the feast were tiny jars filled with fireflies that added their own glory to the gorgeousness of the scene before me.
Mason held his arm out, and I slipped my hand in it and let him lead me toward dinner. We took our seats opposite each other and spent the next few seconds quietly staring into each other’s eyes, his bluer than mine.
“This is amazing, Mason. Thank you,” I whispered with a sweet smile as if speaking louder could ruin the moment.
