Page 72 of Lahaina Noon

The brushing paused, “Hmm?”

She turned to face him, taking the brush and laying it on the nearby table. “We need to talk.”

Vaughn stared at her. Those words were seldom followed by anything good, but if she wanted to talk, he would listen. He nodded.

She stared into his eyes, seeing his fear there and hated what she was about to do. “I need,” she paused. He started to speak, and she shook her head. “I need to tell you what happened.”

He gave her a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and she guessed he was probably not looking forward to this.

She’d been told she’d been screaming Brian’s name not long after she collapsed. She figured it had probably hurt him badly. She needed to make it right. She told him about how it had affected her, hearing her husband’s death was the result of mistaken identity, and she was the real target. How she’d felt responsible. How the cold had washed over her, and she was falling down a deep, bottomless pit. She talked about the bone-chilling certainty that she had betrayed her husbandby not making him stay that day, by letting him walk out that door to his death.

She saw on Vaughn’s face he wanted badly to contradict her, but he was biting his lip so he could honor her request. The dear, sweet man. She needed to hurry, before he stopped breathing. She took his hands in hers. “Vaughn, after everything went black, I woke up in my bed in my house. It was the day Brian died. At first, I didn’t believe it was real, but he was there next to me. Warm and alive. I couldn’t help it; I didn’t want to leave. I began to believe that everything from then on had been some sort of dream, some nightmare. I didn’t want to come back. I was happy.”

Vaughn’s head dropped, and she heard his breath hitch. He shuddered as if she’d hit him with iron fists instead of words. This was so hard, but he needed to know it all.

She tilted his chin up and looked into his eyes. “But then I saw you. It was just a flash, but I saw you. That day you asked me to lunch. You were leaning against my office door, you’d just caught me talking to myself and you were wearing those glasses, you remember?”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.

“And then Brian was going to leave. I begged him not to go.”

The smile fell away.

“But then I saw you again. That night, in your room. When you begged me not to leave, when you wrapped your wings around me and held me so tight. I was in your lap, Vaughn, like this.” She crawled up into his lap, letting the robe fall away, revealing nothing underneath but bare skin.

He leaned forward and let his wings spread, then wrapped them around her, like the memory.

She put her forehead to his. “Brian tried to leave, telling me it was time, and I held his hand. I didn’t want to let go, but I kept getting flashes of you, Vaughn. Like waves on the shore or rain on the roof, your name, your face, just kept pounding into me, and I finally let go of his hand.”

She lifted his chin and kissed him. “Brian told me to let him go so I could be with you because he knew you were my true destiny. It hurt Vaughn, and my heart broke all over again into tiny pieces I thought wouldn’t heal this time. He died again, and it broke me. I screamed his name over and over until my voice was gone. That’s probably what you heard.”

He nodded, and a single tear rolled down his face.

“Vaughn,” she sighed, cupping his face and wiping the tear with her thumb. “I need you to understand how broken inside I was. I didn’t want to come back. I was content to stay there in the dark and let Death take me.” She noticed his heart start pounding harder and saw fear in his eyes again. “Shhh,” she told him. “I don’t know how long I laid there, what it was in time out here, but it was years to me. Then I heard a whisper telling me to fight. Just get up and fight, that I had everything to fight for. When I stood up, Vaughn, I could feel you. I could feel your warmth, and I called for you.”

His gaze sharpened on hers, and she smiled.

“In my darkest moments, when I thought nothing was left, I sensed you and I reached for you. I heard your wings, and I screamed yourname so you could find me. Over and over, I screamed until you found me. When you did, it healed everything in me that was broken.”

Vaughn let out a ragged breath and pulled her against him, tightly against his chest.

She could feel his heart still pounding as he just breathed her in. “Opening my eyes, seeing your face, knowing you were the one who pulled me back. I’m,” she gave a little sob, “I’m so grateful and while I know what Brian and I had was love, it was nothing like the flame that burns in me for you. I love you, Vaughn Drake. For the way you love me so fiercely. I love you so much it hurts to breathe. I’m never leaving you again, and I’m so sorry. Oh God, I’m so sorry, Vaughn. Please,” she begged. “Please forgive me.”

Vaughn rocked her gently, feeling her skin on his. “Bridget, my love, there is nothing to forgive. You were dealt a terrible blow. You scared me, I admit, but I knew in my soul you would come back to me.”

She shook her head, “No, Vaughn, I need you to forgive me for not wanting to leave for wanting to stay. I need to know you understand. It was easier to stay there in that moment and avoid all of the pain the heartache. The falling apart and the hard moments. I didn’t think I would survive it all again. But I had to. I had to survive it to come back to you. Please tell me you understand.”

Vaughn pulled her away and looked at her. “Bridget, my dear sweet Bridget. I forgive you. I forgive you for wanting to avoid the pain of not wanting to pick up the pieces again. I will always love you no matter what.” He smiled, and she melted.

She leaned against his lips and kissed him gently. Then it became more passionate. Her hands were at his waist, fumbling with the string on his pants.

He broke the kiss, “Bridget, it’s okay, my love. You don’t have to prove anything; you need your rest.”

She shook her head, “No, I’m tired of resting. The only thing I want to do in this bed is feel you in me and on me. I need to feel alive. Vaughn, I need you.”

He responded by sitting up so she could slide the pants down, then sat back and opened his arms to her.

She could see he was hard and ready. She threw herself into his arms and attacked his mouth with a frenzy, digging her nails into his shoulders and rubbing her breasts on his chest.

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