Page 73 of Fate of the Fallen
I peered up at the ivy-covered brick when we stopped out front. Three of the car doors opened and Liam came to help me from my seat. His expression still gave nothing away, but I was now second-guessing my original theory about the memorial. This was kind of a strange early-morning stop, but I assumed there was a point to it.
Liam held his hand to my lower back as we ascended the stone stairs that led to a beautifully carved front door. I expected them to stop there, to ring the bell or knock, but they simply walked in.
There was no sound and I found myself wondering if someone lived here or if it was vacant. I gave Liam another bewildered glance and, this time, he smiled a bit.
“Okay, so … is anyone gonna tell me why we’re here?”
Behind me, one of my brothers snickered when I asked.
“Are we moving and someone forgot to tell me?” was my next question.
Elise stepped forward and her big smile and wide eyes made it clear she was about to burst from holding in whatever this secret was no one was sharing with me.
“We’ve been hiding something,” she began, “but I assure you, it’s not whatever you’re thinking.”
The statement only made memoreconfused.
“Don’t be upset that we kept it secret, but … the entire process would’ve been too emotional for us to involve you,” Dallas explained.
“In case things didn’t quite go according to plan,” Elise rushed to add, nearly bouncing out of her expensive shoes with excitement as she explained.
“Any guesses?” Ivan asked.
I turned, so happy to see him on his feet again. “I … no. I don’t have a clue, but you all are making my heart race,” I said with a laugh, feeling their excitement transfer to me.
I was all out of guesses, so I then decided to throw my original theory out as bait, wondering if I’d somehow been on track and just didn’t realize it yet.
“The first things that came to mind was the memorial for Nick,” I shared. “I thought you all might have put something together …”
My voice trailed off when no one confirmed.
Elise’s smile grew. “We … might have done a little better than that.”
She took my hand and I glanced over at Liam as I was led past the grand staircase toward a long hallway to my left. Statues lined the broad space and we passed a beautiful library. Yes, this place held someone’s belongings, but still felt unoccupied.
I was so incredibly confused that I eventually stopped guessing what the surprise might be. Even as I was taken close to a set of French doors at the end of the hall. They were partially open and faint voices wafted in, but …
“Who’s out there?” I asked, turning to direct the question toward Liam.
He didn’t change his stance, still opting not to answer.
I turned toward the door again as the voices came in louder and, for a moment, I … I thought I recognized one of them, but … what IthoughtI heard was impossible.
When my bewildered gaze shifted from Elise to Hilda, both nodded toward the doors, encouraging me to pass through them. So, I stepped closer and, when I did, had it not been for Liam moving forward to steady me on my feet, I might have gotten weak in the knees with what I saw.
WithwhoI saw.
There, seated in a chair with his back to me … a headful of brown hair. And that voice as he sat across from friends—Chris, Lucas, Beth, and a very happy, smiling Roz. It sounded just like …
“ … Nick.”
His name tumbled from my lips in a whisper because I only half-believed my eyes. With the vivid dreams I had lately, I didn’t quite trust what I was seeing. He shouldn’t have been here. Shouldn’t have been sitting on this patio, breathing.
I was stunned when I was no longer staring at the back of a head, but into a set of blue eyes that had brought me so much comfort. Tears welled, clouding my vision.
“How are—”
He stood, his foreboding stature blocking out the sun from behind as he came closer, causing my head to tilt back as I stared up in disbelief.