Easter's Lilly (7 page)

“
No,” he answered. “I need to get going.”

“
Why?” I asked. “Just one more night… please… please John.”

“
Well…” He paused. “Rudy was right about one thing.” He put his arms around my waist. “You do make me weak.” He laid me down on the bed and we made love. When I awoke and found him gone; I was devastated.

—

I walked into the leasing office, just to discover white lilies all over the room. “What’s wrong?” Cammy asked. “I’m guessing these are for you. You should be smiling.” She pointed towards all the flowers that were everywhere around the room.

“
I woke up and he was gone without a trace,” I answered. “I don’t know, I felt kind of abandoned.” I had to fight back to urge to cry but my voice was cracking and I’m sure she could hear it.

“
Johnny does that ‘disappearing without a trace’ thing, well,” she admitted. I looked down, trying to hide my face. “He left a note.” She handed me a card that was stuck to one of the flower arrangements. I took it out of the envelope and read it.
You’ll always be my Easter Lilly. I’ll be back for you
. I put it back in the envelope and I cried a little more. Cammy hugged me until we saw Diego walk into the office with a grim expression on his face. Cammy seemed to be analyzing his look and then out of nowhere cried, “Oh no! Do
not
tell me what I think you’re gonna tell me.”

He came over to me and said, “I need you ladies to go into the back office with me for a minute.”

“
NO!” Cammy shouted. “NO! You didn’t!” He looked at her a little surprised.

I followed him into the office and Cammy followed behind. “Johnny was in an accident on his way home.”

“
Where is he?” I asked breathlessly. “I need to be with him.”

“
I’m sorry Lilly,” he answered.

Cammy started screaming and punching him in the chest. “No! No! I don’t believe you!” He held her back and I sat there frozen. I ran into the bathroom in the back and threw up. When I came out, she was calmer and I sat down feeling disoriented. “I’m really all alone, now,” I said. “What am I going to do?”

“
Lilly, go back to your apartment,” Cammy told me. “I’ll meet you there in a few minutes. Let Diego take you.” I think I walked on my own but I felt as though I was in a dream. He drove me in his golf cart and he unlocked the door for me with his master key. He walked around looking at my things as though he was looking for something specific. “Is this your dad?” he asked, as he picked up Mick’s picture.

“
Yeah,” I said. “That’s him.”

I could not believe all the changes that had taken place in such a short period of time. I think I was happy for a minute. Just for
one
brief minute and then it was all over.

A little time went by, I’m not sure how much and Cammy came barreling in with a paper bag in her hand. “What’s that?” I asked.

“
Johnny told me before you got here that he thought you might be pregnant.”

I grabbed the bag from her and threw it on the floor. “I’m not taking that.”

“
Lilly,” Diego got on one knee in front of me. I was sitting on the couch, motionless. He took my hands and said, “You are not alone.” I could not make eye contact with him. I looked at the floor. “I have a lot of money. I could take care of you. You can have your own room…” He paused for a minute. “I will ask nothing of you, but I could take care of you
and
your baby.”

“
Why… why would you do that?” I asked.

“
Cammy and I go way back. Let me do this for you.” I got up feeling like a zombie, picked the bag up off of the floor and went into the bathroom.

I could hear the two of them arguing outside. I waited for the stick to give me an answer. My life changing decision was riding on a plus or a negative sign. After the test was complete I stayed in the bathroom a little longer. They were having some kind of heated argument out there and Cammy was definitely blaming Diego for Johnny’s death. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to re-enter the room just yet. When I came back they got quiet and waited for me to say something. I looked over at Diego. He looked so sincere and he was so very beautiful. But still… I took a deep breath and finally found the courage to speak. “Well Diego…” I started. “It looks like we’re going to have a baby.”

Chapter 7

Family?

He took me home with him. Needless to say I was very depressed. He had a million servants and lived in some ridiculously huge mansion. How a maintenance supervisor in an apartment community could afford to live here, I had no idea. He said his brother would be in the kitchen doing some work and to ignore him if he was rude. When we arrived, that is where we found him. He was in the kitchen crunching numbers. There were wads of paper all over the floor. He was as handsome as Diego, if not more so. He was light-skinned however and Diego was bronze. His eyes were icy blue and to my surprise he was blond. He was sitting at the table in a button down shirt, which was hanging open. I could smell the coffee that was still in the air from breakfast mixed in with delicately flavored cologne. It was strange. He never looked up at me.

“
Max?” Diego tried to get his attention. “Max, this is Lilly.” He looked up at that point but didn’t smile. “Lilly and I are getting married next week,” he continued.

“
Why?” he asked. Then he looked at me. “You knocked her up? Know what a condom is bro?” He was very sarcastic. I didn’t like him. Diego smacked him in the back of the head.

“
Ouch!” Max yelled.

“
Respect, Max, show some respect.”

“
Pregnant?” he asked me. I nodded but said nothing.

“
Loud mouth too…” he continued. “You hit the jackpot.” He smacked him again in the back of the head.

“
Stop hitting me!” he shouted.

“
Behave,” Diego insisted. “She’s moving in here with us. Have Leticia get her a room.”

“
Not
your
room?” he asked.

“
Mind your own business,” Diego answered.

“
Not
your
baby,” he said with certainty. “Didn’t
think
you’d be that irresponsible,” he added. “If not yours, then whose? And why you?”

“
We’ll talk later, Max,” he answered. “Too many questions.” Diego and Max both looked at me at that point and I sat in a chair awkwardly at the table with Max. “Max will be your bodyguard,” Diego continued. “You’ll need someone to watch you and I trust him.”

“
Bodyguard?” Max asked. “Oooo, this sounds way more fun than my usual gig.”

“
Can you keep an eye on her for me, Max?” Diego asked. “Seriously, if you won’t, you’ll have to assign someone for me.”

“
No, no… I’ll gladly do it,” he answered.

“
Max is in charge of…” he paused, “security.”

Max looked at me and winked. “Don’t worry, Lilly. I’ll take good care of you.”

“
Not
that
good,” Diego replied. “Try to remember she’s marrying
me
.”

“
She looks worried,” he said. “I was just trying to reassure her.” I began to understand where the big house came from. He and Johnny were in the same business and that’s how he knew Johnny was killed. Max got on the radio and called to Leticia and said a few words in Spanish. “She’ll have something for you in a few minutes,” Max told me. “In the meantime, let me tell you the rules.” He looked at Diego. “She does talk, right?”

“
Yes, I talk,” I answered sarcastically.

“
Whew,” he said. “Lovely voice too.”

“
Max…” Diego warned.

“
You can
not
leave the house without me,” he continued. “And when you’re in the house, I need to know where you are.”

“
Okay,” I agreed.

“
And…” he paused, “I think it might be important that you tell me who the father is.” He paused again. “Come on Diego, what if he shows up here?”

“
He won’t,” he answered. I looked at the floor.

“
Okay then. We’re clear, Lilly?”

“
Yes sir,” I answered.

“
Oh no way!” He looked at Diego and laughed a little. “You can call me anything but that. Max or Maxwell is fine. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

“
Okay Max,” I answered and I winked back at him.

“
I like her,” he said to Diego. “Where’d you find her?”

“
At the apartment community.” Max got a look of revelation in his eyes and looked back at me. “No… she’s not…”

Diego nodded. “That’s her.”

“
What’s up with that skinny little drug addict?” Max looked at me. “How does he get so many women?”

A voice came in on Max’s radio and said something in Spanish. Max smiled and said to Diego, “Her room is ready. Want me to take her there?”

“
Yeah thanks. I have to get back to the property.” He hesitated for a moment. “Behave, Max.” Max smiled mischievously. “And button up, will you? We’ve got a lady in the house now.”

He stood up to button up his shirt. He was a little shorter than Diego but not by much. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the well-maintained six-pack on his stomach that was exposed when he stood. He watched me watch him intently. Our eyes were locked and I couldn’t pull away. I couldn’t help but wonder if Diego looked like that under
his
shirt. “Yes,” he said as though he was reading my thoughts. “Diego looks something like this too.”

I could see Diego smile and look at us peripherally. “Mine is better,” he said and laughed a little. I was so embarrassed that I was busted.

“
When are you going to show her what you’ve got?” Max asked him. I was starting to get a little nervous.

“
That’s not part of the deal,” he answered. “I told her I’d take care of her. And I will.”

“
Can
I
have her?” Max asked. I
think
he was kidding.

Diego looked at him with a silly smirk on his face. “No, you can’t
have
her. She’s not a Barbie doll.”

“
Well, someone’s got to have her, why can’t it be me?”

“
She’ll be
my
wife, Max, keep that in mind.” He was still smiling.

“
Can I take her out and play with her once in a while?” He finished buttoning his shirt, still staring at me. I knew my face had to be red by now.

“
Forgive my brother,” Diego answered. “He’s a little... quirky sometimes.” Then he looked at Max and said, “Clothes on at all times, got it?”

Max saluted him, “Clothes on… got it.” They both laughed and Diego shook his head in comedic disbelief. Then Max said something disconcerting. “You may change your mind later right? And… well… you know.”

Diego walked over to me and kissed my hand. “I promise, you’ll be safe here.” He left the two of us alone, still shaking his head as he walked out the door, muttering something in Spanish. I looked at Max and he went back to playing with his calculator. I tried to break the tension in the air. “What do you do, Max?” I asked.

“
Unspeakable things, Lilly, unspeakable things.” He still did not look up. “But I like my new job. It sounds like it could be fun. Follow me, I’ll help you get settled.” He took my bags and we climbed a flight of stairs. He pointed out Diego’s room and mine was two doors down. “Mine is next to yours.” He smiled. “You know, in case you get scared or just need something.” I could tell he was embarrassed that I might have thought he was hitting on me for real this time. He was very sweet and I think under that entire ‘bad boy’ image, a little shy. His humor was obviously what he used to cover up that fact. He brought in my bags and quickly got out of the room. “If you need me, I’ll be downstairs,” he said. “One more rule.” He looked at me quite seriously.

“
Yes Max, anything,” I answered.

“
You’re not allowed to be afraid of me. I’m here to keep you safe. If you need me, you find me.” He handed me a radio. “Push this button and call me. It’s quick and easy. Like Johnny,” he continued. I made a face. “I was just making a joke,” he said. “Sorry… too soon.”

I walked over to him, hugged him and kissed his cheek. He backed away. “Thank you.” I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m all alone now, you know.”

He took both my hands and brought them up to his lips. He kissed them but never took his eyes off of mine. “You’ll never be alone again,” he said, softly after releasing my hands. Then he walked off.