Forgotten Truths (The Forgotten Truths Series) (24 page)

Jason stepped back, then released the binding around James’ hands and took the gag out of his mouth. James rubbed his jaw as he stretched it, but kept his eyes on me. I walked over to him, and stood between him and Shawn.

“So what now?” Jason asked as he looked at Shawn.

Shawn shrugged
before he turned away. “We leave and she stays.”

“That’s it?” Jason looked at me. “You want to stay here?”

I glanced up at James, who was looking at me with an intense gaze. I turned back to Jason as I reached back and took James’ hand. “Yes. I want to stay here. “

Jason shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you, Andy. After everything you’ve been through, you just want to go back with someone you barely know?”

“I know him better than anyone else, Jason. I feel safe with him in a way I’ve never felt before, and I know my life isn’t in danger every moment of the day.”

He was about to comment when he thought about it a second longer. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Understandable.”

I looked at Shawn.  His focus was on his shoes. “Shawn?”

He slowly brought his attention up to my eyes, an uneasy expression on his face. “Andrea?”

“Can I ask you one thing before you leave?”

“What?” He took in a hesitant breath.

I stepped away from James. He let go of my hand so I could close the distance between Shawn and me. I looked up at the man who I had believed was my father for ten years. Even though what he did was wrong, he had still saved my life. He had done his best at raising me even though he hadn’t needed to. I still didn’t understand why, but then I realized that he didn’t either. He had no idea why he’d held onto me. He may have said it was because nobody would have believed him, but I could see the truth in his eyes. He was lonely. It was that plain and simple.

Before he could react, I reached my arms around him and pulled myself to him. It was an awkward hug. His back was straight as a board and his arms hung at his sides. But I still held onto him. I closed my eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”

“For what?” He asked, though his voice had become quieter.

I tilted my head up to see him better. “For protecting me. For doing your best to raise me when you hadn’t needed to.”

He stayed tense and swallowed loudly. “That’s not a question.”

“No, it’s not.” I started to step back, but he quickly wrapped his arms around my waist. He looked as if he was surprised he had reac
ted so quickly, or at all. It made me smile and gave me the last bit of courage that I needed. “Would you please come to my wedding?”

I could hear Jason gasp behind me, but I didn’t turn to glare. My attention was solely on Shawn. His arms dropped from around me, and I quickly dropped mine as well. But I stayed where I was. He continued to stare at me, as if trying to decide if I was serious or not.

“Please,” I whispered.

He looked up at the moon for a moment before
he turned his attention back to me. “I don’t know. I can’t make any promises.”

I nodded. “I know. Just know that I want you there, either way.”

He averted his gaze and glanced at James. “He’s really worth this?”

I smiled. “Yes.”

He grunted. “He better make you happy. I don’t want to hear any different.”

I stepped back. “You won’t.”

He turned his gaze away as if this satisfied him.

“So…” Jason spoke up suddenly. I
turned to face him. His expression surprised me. He was watching James with a curious expression, which James seemed to be giving back to him. Jason quickly glanced at Shawn, then me, then back at James.

“What is it, Jason?” I asked as I walked
back to James.

“I, uh…” He glanced back at Shawn. “I think I want to stay too.”

Shawn snapped his head up, but didn’t say anything.

“What?” I gasped
slightly at the sharp pain in my chest. James glanced down at me. His eyes quickly ran over my body and stopped for a moment when he saw my feet. I looked down too and saw the one was bleeding. I had forgotten how I had made my entrance. My eyes met his, but I shook my head before he could ask. I brought my attention back to Jason.

“I’ve been thinking for awhile that I was going to jump ship anyway, but I only stayed so that I could keep an eye on you.” He looked at James before
he quickly added, “and Mark. He’s not to be trusted you know.”

“He’s dead.” Ja
mes spoke up for the first time as his arm slid around my side.

“Well, that’s good I guess.”

I looked back at Shawn. He was standing uncomfortably and I could tell he wanted to leave. He brought his attention to me, but didn’t say anything. We stared at each other, neither of us making a move toward each other. I finally nodded to him, a small smile on my face. A faint one appeared on his lips as well, but he turned away before I could tell if I had actually seen it. He looked at Jason, who nodded to him as well, and then Shawn stepped off the dock into a boat that was tied there. He cut the line and began rowing back to the ship.

I felt James slide his arms around
to my stomach. He pressed his lips against my neck and whispered, “I love you.”

I took my eyes off the boat to look at him. “How much?”

“More than you’ll ever know.” He kissed my forehead, and the three of us watched the boat fade into the darkness.

~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~

“How’s everything going?” Captain Brown stepped into my doorway.

“Well, it fits.” I adjusted the dress, then stood sideways in the mirror. I looked at him. “What do you think?”

He smiled. “You look just like your mother. Absolutely breathtaking.”

I smiled back at him as I looked in the mirror again. The dress James had made for me was the most astonishing thing I had ever seen. The dress started at the base of my neck, just high enough to cover the scar, but not actually around my neck, a personal request I had made. The bodice, as I had learned it to be called, fit snugly around my upper body until it flared out at my waist into a full, puffed-out skirt. The sleeves were tight to my elbows, and then flared out a little to midway down the exposed part of my arm. The dress was the color of sand on a bright and sunny day. Dark green swirls and curvy lines ran up the skirt, stopping at my waist where a cream sash was tied. I also wore dark green colored lace on my hands that went up to just below my elbows, but they weren’t gloves. I had pulled them on like I would have with gloves, but instead of having places for my fingers, a laced ring slipped over my middle finger to hold them in place. I had never seen anything like them, but I liked how they looked the moment I saw them on.

I couldn’t imagine where James had gotten the idea for my dress or accessories. He hadn’t seen me in it, not that it mattered to me, but he had wanted to do the wedding correctly. It was one of the few things that he had refused to adjust due to the time limit.

A month had passed since I last saw Shawn. Captain Brown had returned that night, and after being filled in on everything that had happened since he left, he’d rarely left the house. James didn’t seem as worried about Captain Brown’s and my relationship, and I found that I, surprisingly, got along with him really well. I couldn’t call him Father still, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was just happy that I knew the truth and that I had decided to stay.

Also a surprise was that Jason and Will got along very well. Will was more cautious since Jason had been a pirate for so long. He didn’t trust him at all, but he seemed to respect Jason since he had been like a brother to me for years. It helped ease the transition to Jason being over a lot in the past few weeks. He had been looking for a place to live but politely declined to stay in the house with us.

“Are we ready up there?” Will shouted from downstairs.

Captain Brown glared out into the hallway. “I hate when he yells like that.”

I looked back in the mirror, and studied my face. I looked like a different person than when I had first arrived all those months ago. My eyes had a spark of excitement in them that had never been there before. I was ready for anything, especially
since I knew I’d never be alone again. My face seemed fuller as well, probably because I had been forced to change the way I ate. My hair had grown long enough to where it fell to my shoulders in big curls. I had always hated long hair, but now that I saw it, I never wanted it short again. It fit with my new lifestyle, and I knew James liked it better that way, even though he’d never admit it.

“Well, I am ready.” I walked toward Captain Brown. He stepped outside the door to let me through, and then walked me to the top of the stairs.

“Andrea, I’m very pleased that you’re marrying James. He’s a wonderful man.” He held his arm out to me. I took it, and we went down the stairs.

“I’m glad, too.” I smiled at him. “And I know he is.”

Will and Jason were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. They couldn’t take their eyes off me.

“Wow.” Will smiled. “You look amazing.”

I smiled. “You look pretty good yourself.”

He looked down at his suit. “I clean up pretty nicely. But you should see James. I’m nothing compared to him.”

I turned to Jason, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. I gave him a look. “What, Jason?”

“I never thought I’d say this, but you look absolutely amazing wearing a dress.”

I rolled my eyes. I could hear music coming from outside. Will glanced at the door and then turned back to us. “I guess that’s our cue. I should be with the groom anyway.”

As they left us, Jason stopped
at the door to wink at me, back to his old self. Captain Brown placed his hand over mine and walked me over to the front door. We went out on the porch and then started around the house. We stopped at the entrance to the garden, which was where the wedding was going to take place. It was set up at the far end so that the ocean was behind the altar. I had to remind myself to breathe. A few people I didn’t know were sitting in chairs along the path, guests of Captain Brown or one of the other boys I suspected, and at the end was an arch covered in white flowers. James stood off to the right with Will next to him. They were talking, so they hadn’t noticed me yet.

I had never seen James in a suit before. I’d seen him in nicer clothes and commoner clothes like the ones he had given me. This was completely different. He’d even cut his hair so that it was sitting nicely on his forehead. He looked absolutely… there were no words for how he looked.

The music changed, and he looked up. His eyes locked on mine and the biggest smile I had ever seen appeared on his lips. Will nudged him in the side, and laughed quietly as he watched James’ reaction to me.

Captain Brown led me down the path, but I didn’t see anyone besides James, and I knew he had eyes only for me. When Captain Brown and I reached him, he took my hand from Captain Brown and still didn’t take his eyes off me. Through the entire ceremony I felt James’ eyes on me, and the few times I looked at him, he held the same expression. It was the same intense expression that usually made me turn away. This time though, I looked at him with no feeling of unease. This was how it was meant to be.

He raised his hand to my face, and right before he kissed me, he said, “You look utterly stunning.”

I smiled and kissed him back. I didn’t want
it to end.

He suddenly pulled away. Even though I could hear the clapping from the guests, I studied his face. He was looking over my shoulder, out at the ocean. A slow smile appeared on his face as he looked down at me.

“What?”

He turned me aro
und so that I faced the water. He pointed, and I followed his finger to a ship. The sails were just being lowered, and they billowed instantly in the breeze. It was out far from the beach, but I would have recognized that ship anywhere. I gasped, unable to believe it.

“It looks like you had an extra guest,” James whispered in my ear.

“He stayed.” I looked up at him. “He actually stayed and watched.”

James smiled down at me and then hugged me to him. “Of course he did. You’re his only daughter you know.”

I glanced up at him, and then out at the ocean again. I knew it hurt Shawn to let me go, but I also knew that he loved me enough to know it was the right thing to do. And in my mind, just as James said, I would always be his only daughter.

“I’m sorry, Love. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

I hadn’t realized I had been. I wiped the tears away before I looked at him. “It’s not your fault. I’m just going to miss him.”

“I hope you always do.” He hugged me tighter before
he let me go.

I took one last look out at the ship, which was sailing into the distance, before I turned back to my husband. “I love you, Mr. Cony.”

His big grin flashed across his face. “As I do you, Mrs. Cony.”

Epilogue

“Andrea, Love?” James cradled my head in his hands. He removed one to gently brush his fingertips over my forehead.

I blinked, unable to focus on his face. “What?”

“I asked you how you were feeling.” He wrinkled his brow. “You didn’t answer me.”

I looked toward the ocean. We’d been walking along the surf for a few miles, and I hadn’t heard a word he’d said. My mind was in a different place. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

“I can tell.” I heard the smile in his voice. “What are you thinking about?”

I leaned into him, suddenly too tired to hold myself up. He w
rapped his arms around me. His hold on me gently but secure. “I don’t know.”

He sighed. He knew I was keeping something from him. I’d been acting differently since we’d gotten married. I’d been distancing myself from him. I could see it plain on his face that he was hurt, but he hadn’t asked about it yet. I knew it was a matter of time before his concern overcame the hurt. But until then, I didn’t want to tell him why. I wasn’t sure what I thought about what was going on, but I knew I couldn’t handle that and his thoughts as well
. So this left him feeling hurt and confused.

“You know you can tell me anything.” He placed his chin on the top of my head. “You know that, right?”

“I do.” I closed my eyes. “I’m just not ready.”

He leaned back and placed
his hand on the side of my face. Gently, he tilted my head back and stared into my eyes with an expression he had started to use as of late. He was trying to read my expression for any clues. And if my expression told him nothing, which it always did, then he’d search my eyes for the answer. When he came up short there, he’d sigh, close his eyes and drag his hand down his face. This was happening more often, and I knew he was getting to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Is it that bad?”

“I just want to wrap my mind around it a little longer.”

“You’ve been doing this for four mont
hs, Andrea.” He opened his eyes and turned his attention toward the ocean. “How much longer do you need?”

I bit my lip and looked down at the sand. “I’m sorry.”

“What is so bad that you can’t tell me?” He spoke under his breath, which made me believe he wasn’t actually asking me the question.

“I’m not sure if it’s a bad thing.” I wasn’t sure why I thought I needed to clarify, but it was still something for him to think about.

He slowly turned to me. “You don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, and bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. I hated keeping secrets from him, but this was big for me. Not once in my life did I ever think of becoming a mother. But the doctor had confirmed it, and I was more scared than I had ever been. I didn’t
even know James’ thoughts on the subject. It had never come up. And here we were, just starting our lives together and we were going to start off with a child.

I felt his finger on my lip
which made me open my eyes. He pulled it back to look at the blood, and then brought his gaze up to meet mine. His expression was one of torture. I turned away quickly.

“Please, Love. I’m begging you.” He dropped to his kne
es as if to prove his point. He wasn’t trying to be funny, he was serious.

I sat in the sand beside him. I could feel
his eyes on me as I dug my hand into the sand. I lifted some of the sand and let it slide through my fingers before I looked up into his face. He was desperate for answers, as desperate as I was to give him the one answer I wasn’t sure I could give him.

“Please,” he begged. He knew
I was close to cracking. “Please tell me.”

I couldn’t bear to see him like this. I knew I had to tell him, and tell him soon. He hadn’t noticed yet, but my body had already started
to change. It was only a matter of time before he saw, and it would make matters worse if I hadn’t told him beforehand. I didn’t know I had started crying until he reached his hand over and let his thumb gently caress my cheek. I looked down at my hands, which were folded on my lap.

“Andrea…”
He took one of my hands in his.

“I’m going to have a baby,
” I said it so quickly that I wasn’t sure if he had understood me. When he didn’t respond, I knew he had.

He was silent, and as I counted the seconds that passed, I stole a glance at him. His eyes were closed and his face was expressionless. I looked down at my hand in his. His grip hadn’t changed, and since he was barely holding my hand I started to pull it back. His grip tightened immediately.
I could feel his eyes on me. I knew he was trying to get me to look at him. When I didn’t, he placed his free hand on the side of my face. When that didn’t work, he slid it under my chin and used his finger to tilt my head back so that I had to look at him. His expression was hard to read and wasn’t one I was familiar with.

“Why were you afraid to tell me this?” His voice was low and soft.

“I didn’t know what you’d think.” I admitted. “I didn’t know what to think myself.”

“Did you think I’d be unhappy?” He crooked his eyebrow.

I wanted to look down at the sand, but his hand under my chin prevented me from doing that. “Possibly. We had never talked about it.”

“Just because we haven’t talked about it didn’t mean I would be upset.” He tilted his head. “I don’t understand. You should know me better than this.”

My eyes drifted over his face and stopped at his eyes. I whispered, “What if I’m not ready?”

A small smile appeared on his lips. “You’re not alone. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But what if I’m a horrible mother?”

“I highly doubt that.”

“How do you know?”

He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on my forehead. “I just do.”

I leaned into his chest. “I’m scared.”

“You’ll be all right.”

I looked up into his eyes. “Will I?”

“Yes.” He k
issed me gently. I pulled back and focused on the ocean instead. He slipped his arms around me and kissed my forehead again. “We won’t be perfect, but we’ll learn.”

I sighed. It was too much to consider after the life change I’d just gone through.

“Besides,” He spoke again when I didn’t say anything. “I have faith in you.”

I lifted my head and gave him a curious look. He l
eaned his forehead against mine. He made sure he had my full attention before he said, “I know you, and I love you. You can do this.
We
can do this.”

I searched his eyes and started
to feel more at ease. How could I doubt him when he was so sure of himself? All I had to do was trust him, and there was no reason not to.