Love Forever After (Candle Light Series) (5 page)

“Morris just paid your bail, you are free to go.”

I stood up in a rush to get away from her, from all of them. I just wanted to be alone.

“William, you need to speak to someone.”

“I’m fine.” I grabbed my things and hurried to my car. I drove a few miles to the shadiest streets I could find. I wanted to be around mayhem, to be someone other than myself for a few hours, to try and forget all my pain.

I walked into a pool bar; it was dark, noisy and had a heavy cloud of smoke, enough to think there was a fire in the small space. It was a place I wouldn’t be caught dead in if I was my normal self. But I’d lost that person, I wasn’t him anymore. This was my journey of self discovery, again. My first journey was with Kristy and I loved every step of it.

This journey... well...it looked promising.

My first step was trying to kill Jared, which didn’t work out too well since he was still alive. My second step was to try things I never had before, like starting a bar fight- dangerous, yes, but definitely worth the distraction.

I looked around the room again. It had prospects. Step two would definitely be a success, unlike step one.

I pulled my hoody over my head and sat at the bar.  “I’d like a beer?”

The guy gave me an inquisitive look. He wasn’t trying to sum me up in one word; he was trying to figure out where I stood in the trouble maker scale. “Would you like a couple of shots with that?”

“The strongest you’ve got.”

I sat there throwing them back one at a time, no pauses in between. I was going to numb myself, physically and emotionally. It was three in the morning when the bartender called last call. There were a few mumbles behind me but people were streaming out one by one.

Placing a shot of vodka in front of me
he said, “Dude, this is your last drink.”

I tossed it back and pushed the shot glass down the bar to him, “No its not.”

“Yeah it is, I called last call,” he said moving to me, his hand open, “Pay up.”

“I’m not done drinking. Another round for the whole bar!” I yelled, holding my empty bottle of beer up. There was a loud cheer as people crowded at the bar.

The bartender reached under the bar, “Pay for your drinks first.”

I stared at him, and then at his disappearing arm. There was only one guess what he was reaching for and it wasn’t a bottle of vodka. “No.” I said bluntly my drunken eyes settling on his face.

“No more drinks,” he yelled out livid, “Everyone out! Now!”  The order wasn’t met with any protest. They all knew what he was reaching for and I was the only one brave enough- no stupid enough to still be sitting down refusing to pay my bill.

“Pay up!”

“Kiss my fucking ass!”

He pulled me up onto the counter by my neck and began raining blows on me. The pain of his ten stone fists against my bones was excruciating but a pain I welcomed with open arms. Concentrating on that one pain helped me forget, in between punches, the agonizing shredding of my heart. After what felt like an eternity being kicked around the bar, I blacked out happy the darkness was enfolding me and hoping it would hold me there forever.

*

I turned on my side and regretted that decision. The pain shot through my ribs forcing my eyes open.

“Serve you right!” Sandra scolded with a cracked voice. Her eyes were full of tears and they looked puffed. She’d been crying for a while. I felt guilty for making her cry but at the same time I wished I’d never woken up.

“Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Something along those lines.” My mouth hurt when I spoke.

“That’s not funny!”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny.” When fresh tears spilled over her cheeks I tried to change the subject, “How did I get here?”

“Someone left you and your car at the front of the hospital. We thought you’d being kidnapped until the doctor measured your alcohol level. I told him to hold off calling the police until you woke up. Just in case you started a bar fight.”

“Good decision.” I assessed the damage on my lips with my tongue. They felt fat and tender and tasted like blood. “So what’s the damage?”

“Nothing is broken but you have a few bruised ribs and cuts on your body.”

I felt disappointed. I chuckled, I was disappointed the damage wasn’t worse...something was definitely wrong with me.

“The doctor said you can leave when the sun comes up, and its up. I called in sick today, so I’ll stay with you for a while.” She stood up and walked away.

“I don’t need a babysitter,” I protested. Pain shot from all parts of my body as I struggled to sit up.

“Of course you don’t!” she yelled back sarcastically.

*

The trip home was quiet and bumpy. I was sure she was hitting all the bumps and taking hard turns on purpose just to punish me. I got the picture, loud and painfully clear. I was ready for a tongue lashing from Kristy the second I opened the door, but she wasn’t there. I waited around the entire day for her but she still didn’t come. I figured she was mad at me, and like her sister, she was probably giving me the silent treatment until her temper had simmered down.

I fell asleep waiting for Kristy and woke up to her lovely scent filling all my senses. I didn’t feel her weight on me but I knew she was there, lying on my chest, because I could feel her finger trace shapes up and down my torso.

I brushed my hand over her hair. “It’s a good thing you’re as light as a feather.”

“Why did you do this?” her voice was below a whisper.

“For once in my life I wanted to live on the edge. I don’t want to be the safe Englishman anymore.” I jumped in pain when she pressed her hand hard on my bruised ribs, “What the hell was that for?”

She sat up and looked at me, “Are you trying to punish me? Is that why you’re doing this?”

Not up for the conversation, I carefully got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, “Is Sandra still here?” I turned on the tap but before I could splash the water on my face it was off. “Do you get super powers when you become a ghost?”

“William, if you’re tired of having me around, I could always leave.” Immediately she said that she disappeared. I felt my heart drop into my stomach when she did that.

“Kristy no! Come back Kristy!” I ran back into the room, she wasn’t there. I wobbled into the living room, my legs heavy under me, “Okay I’m sorry! I’m sorry now come back!” I yelled on the verge of tears. “I swear I won’t do something as stupid as that again! I swear on my love for you!”

Kristy hugged my back, her flat hands resting on my chest. I felt like my safety cord had been reattached when she held me. “Sorry, when I get mad I disappear. I still haven’t gotten a grip on this ghost thing.”

I pulled her in front of me and held her tight against me, “That’s fine. It’s not like being a ghost comes with a manual.” My voice was shaky.

“Come on,” she pulled me forward, “You need to rest.” We sat down and she cuddled against me. “That show you like is on now, do you want to watch it?”

I kept my hands around her, afraid of letting go,
“Yeah, sure.”

“Who are you talking to, Kristy?” Sandra asked coming behind me.

“If I said yes you wouldn’t believe me.” I answered not bothering to turn around.

“Aah... William,” Kristy started sitting up, “We have trouble.” She sounded alarmed.

“It’s just your sister and she already knows I’m seeing my dead wife, so no there’s no trouble.”

“You really are talking to her?” Sandra asked sounding scared.

“William, turn around!”

“What Kristy?” I half yelled turning. The second I did, I regretted it. “Hallo mother.”

Chapter Five

The flight to London was a long seven hours. Gloria’s private jet was too small for the both of us- there was no where to hide, unlike a commercial jet where I would just switch seats or move to economy class and hide there. My mother talked about everything and nothing, purposely avoiding the topic on Kristy and what she walked in on.

I had missed London, but I didn’t want to go back to it like this, forced by my mother.

Gloria walked out to the garden and sat down at the table surrounded by red and white roses. “I’m glad you came back to London with me.”

I had missed the mansion. The big, classy yet empty and cold mansion that was full with close to twenty people inside it every day.

I sat down opposite her, “You didn’t give me much of a choice.” I looked around the garden. It looked like a beautiful sea of delicate bloomed flowers.

Kristy didn’t like how big the house was and the fact that only my mother lived in it, while her army of servants stayed in the small house in the far corner of the estate. It was one other thing my mother and my wife fought about.
But she loved this part of the house. She used to camp out in the garden and gaze up at the stars all night.

~

“William, could you just imagine how beautiful this world was before human beings were created,” Kristy said, gently touching the rose petals like they were fragile and precious.

“You mean before man became ambitious and selfish,” I picked a white rose and handed it to her. She smiled. She looked so beautiful, as beautiful as the flowers she held.

“Will, I want a garden like this. Somewhere I could just go and forget the world and all its cruelty but embrace it beauty and love.”

I put my arms around her and held her close, “My wife the dreamer.” I kissed the back of her neck,
“I wouldn’t mind being apart of that world.”

“You will be,” she turned to look at me, “And so will our kids. They’d love a huge garden to play in.”

“Okay. Find a place with a huge beautiful garden, with a nice pond and a large space that can hold a few pets and five kids. If the world can’t give you your Garden of Eden, I will.”

“I know you would. You have a giving loving heart, that’s why I love you.”

“So that’s why. All this time I thought it was my English charm.” She laughed pulling me down for a kiss.

~

My mother stared at me with a wide grin on her face, “I did give you a choice, three choices in fact.”

“Walking into the plane myself, or getting a court order declaring me mentally incompetent or having your pilots bind and gag me? Yeah, so much for choices,” I rubbed my hand over my fuzzy chin. I needed a shave.

“Those were three practical options weren’t they? Adrian, would you be a dear and get us some tea please.”

I hadn’t noticed the butler; he was pretty quiet. Probably why my mother liked him so much- he moved around like a phantom. Adrian bowed his head before he turned and disappeared into the house.

“Mother, why don’t you get your own tea?”

Gloria looked at me as if I had just insulted her. “Then what would I be paying him for? Your father, bless his soul, didn’t leave me well off to serve myself.”

“Of course not mother, we wouldn’t want you to break a nail.” I said sarcastically. “Why am I here?”

She gave me a cut look before she spoke, “You needed a break from that haunted cubical you call home.”

“It’s not haunted.” I struggled to keep my voice steady. Adrian came back with a tray in his hands. He set it down on the table and put the fine china in front of us. “We’ll serve ourselves, thank you Adrian.”

“It’s nice to have you back home sir.” Adrian said with a smile.

“It’s nice to be back, of course depending on mother’s agenda as to why I’m here.”

His smile widened to a grin and then he turned and walked back into the house.

Mother looked at me astonished, and then stared after Adrian. She blinked away the shock before she poured herself a cup. “You keep seeing and talking to your dead wife, it doesn’t take a genius to see it’s haunted and that you are in trouble.” She glanced at me before she looked back at her cup, “You know that kind of thing doesn’t happen in England.”

I wasn’t up to listening to her long list of vices America possessed and how wonderful England was. “I know mother, the English are bred proper and with discipline, and we couldn’t possibly have the supernatural exist among us without a visa and a specific and short duration of stay.”

She gave me another cut look, “Don’t you dare make fun of me William, I’m still your mother.” She said sharply.

“I’m sorry, you are right, as always.” I said, not at all meaning the apology.

Her lips curved up in a smile, “Good, that’s why you are going to see my psychiatrist tomorrow.” She poured some tea in my cup.

I shot off the chair and glared at her, “You brought me all this way to see a shrink!”

She raised her cup to her lips and sipped coolly, “Psychiatrist, shrink doesn’t do him justice. He’s a wonderful doctor. Maybe that’s why you got worse after you saw a
shrink
when your wife died.”