Safe Harbor (The Lake Trilogy, Book 3) (35 page)

“I more than love it. It’s amazing, honey…you’re amazing. You just keep proving to me why I am the luckiest man alive.” I’m giddy with excitement that Will loves the space so much.

“We cut down the pool part of the pool house so much. Maybe we should start calling it the workhouse! I hope I haven’t created a space where I’m going to lose you. I’m not going to become a work house widow am I?”

“I make no promises. These tools are ridiculous! They are seriously the best
on the market!” he says picking up tools, turning other machines on.

“Well then I better see some pretty amazing, hand-crafted pieces for the house!”

“I will make you whatever your heart desires.” Will glides across the room to me and takes me in his arms in the most fluid of motions. This is by far the best thank you kiss I’ve ever received. Will moves us through the door and into the living area of the pool house, kissing me with every step and shuffle. Before I know it, we’re on the couch, christening the pool house with perfection.

The doorbell rings at
6:30 and I rush into the foyer with such frenzied excitement that my sock feet slide across the hardwood floors, causing me to almost slam into the front door. When I open it, Luke, Claire, Eliana, and Wes are all standing there like little kids trick-or-treating for the first time, so excited they can hardly stand it.

“Come in! Come in!” I step back and hurry them in so I can throw my arms around all of them
. “You’re here!”

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” Claire says, holding me tight. “We missed you so much!”

“I missed you, too, Mom! Does Eliana have something to tell us?” I whisper in her ear. I know Wes was going to propose, and I know Eliana would say yes, but sometimes you never know how things play out.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Claire answers, releasing me into Eliana’s arms.

“Are there congratulations in order?” I ask.

“Yes, I believe there are,” she says with a huge smile, holding up her hand.
The ring Wes has given her is very different than the umpteen karat one Will’s father gave her. This one is a simple, solitaire diamond that I’d guess is about two karats. It’s perfect and symbolized the beautiful simplicity of their relationship. There are no strings attached and no stipulations, just a simple love between the two of them.

“So, Wes, you’re going to make an honest woman of my mother,” Will says entering the foyer with an extended hand. “I’m happy for you both…but I’m
not
calling you Dad.”

“Oh, dear God, no
, don’t do that!” Wes says with wide eyes. “Thanks, Will. It means a lot that you’re supportive. I’d marry her anyway, but things will go much smoother with you knowing how awesome I am and how ridiculously in love with her I am.”

We all have a good laugh and
move into the Great Room. I’ve had a brisket in the oven cooking low and slow for several hours already, so the house smells divine.

“This might be what I miss most about having you living with us,” Luke says opening the oven to peak.

“Gee, thanks!” I say giving him a playing smack to the arm.

“Yeah, thanks!” Claire says with a small laugh.

“I’m kidding…sort of,” he says. “So let’s hear about Ireland and Bali.”

“Oh my goodness! They were amazing!
Ireland is greener and more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The people were wonderful and the culture is so rich. We stayed in these two converted castles and it was simply magical. And Bali! Oh, my gosh! I could have gone blind from the reflection of the sun on the water there. It was…it was unbelievable. My husband has spoiled me and now he has to spend the rest of his life living up to standard he set!” I wrap my arms around Will’s waist in another show of appreciation for the amazing honeymoon he gave me.

“How was New York?” Eliana asks. “William and I always had the best time when we were there. We shopped and saw matinees of Broadway plays. Did you take her to the deli you always made me go to?” she says with a smile. It’s lovely to see her reminisce about her time with Will. Despite the fact that Gregory Meyer most likely took them with him for show,
and to have Eliana on his arm at some social function, she and Will made the most out of their time together and that makes me so happy for them.

“It was great! Yes, I took her there, and guess what? Ira is still there and remembered me! We haven’t been there in, what, eight years?” Will and his mom share a smile, remembering a moment in their past that was sweet, and not marred by the controlling of Will’s father.

“I’m so glad it was everything you hoped it would be,” Claire says.

“It was more,” I tell her with a smile.

“Well…Loretta and the others should be here any minute,” Luke says, breaking the jovial mood. I look at Will and his demeanor changes. He becomes a little tense and apprehensive.

“Hey,” I say stroking his arm. “It’s going to be great.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rings and we all look at each other not quite sure how quickly we should move. I take the first step and Will follows when I take his hand pulling him with me.

“Are you ready?” I
ask quietly as we stand in front of the door.

“No, but open it anyway.” Will squeezes my hand and then lets it go.

When I open the door, there are three beautiful women and one very handsome man standing in front of me. Erin is obviously the youngest of the three women. She’s average height and has long, wavy, dark brown hair that is cascading over one shoulder. I assume the older woman with slightly lighter colored hair is her mother, Loretta, leaving the blonde haired woman to be Victoria, Michael’s mother.

“Hello. Thank you so much for coming.” I open the door as wide as it will go and motion for them to enter. The ladies enter first with Michael entering last. I close the door and we all seem to stand there, unsure of who should do what first.

“I’m Will,” he says, extending his hand.

“Michael.” He reciprocates and shakes Will’s hand. Michael is not warm and fuzzy. In fact, he’s a little on guard. It seems that maybe this wasn’t his idea and that he’s really just here for his mother.
He’s tall, like Will, and has classically short dirty blonde hair. His facial features are strong, also like Will, and it’s clear to see that these two men are related.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Will says with a tightlipped smile. He moves his hand to
Erin and she looks at him as if to say
I don’t do handshakes
.

T
hen, in a flash, Erin steps forward and throws her arms around Will’s neck. Not sure how to respond, it takes Will a moment before he gives in to his emotions and hugs her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. Will buries his face in her shoulder and they both cry softly, so happy to finally meet another part of them.

“Thank you for seeing us,” Erin says through stifled crying.

“Are you kidding? Thank you for wanting to see me,” Will says as he pulls them apart from each other to look at her. “I’m so sorry.” He looks at Erin and Michael, waiting for their response.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Erin says as she wipes her eyes.
“They were
his
choices, not yours.”

“Michael?” Victoria prompts.

Michael stands there for a moment before he speaks. “I can’t do this.” Michael turns and walks back toward the door.

“Wait…please,” Will pleads.

“What, Will? We find out we have siblings we never knew about and we’re somehow supposed to be all chummy?” Michael sighs and closes his eyes, collecting his thoughts. “Look, I’m not mad at you. Erin is right. Things are the way they are because of the choices he made. But all being victims of his apathy isn’t enough for me to jump in head first here.” Michael is straight and to the point. He doesn’t seem angry, or even upset for that matter. He’s just weighed the facts and determined that he’s not willing to invest himself in this new relationship with his brother and sister.

“Don’t you think it’s worth finding out if there’s more common ground here? I do, and I think it’d be a shame to walk away before you even give us a chance,” Will says to him. It’s the first time I’ve seen Will step up and defend the opportunity to embrace the siblings his father kept from him. This is a huge step for him and I think Erin’s vulnerability helped Will open himself up.

“If you two want to come together and bond, that’s great. I just don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m sorry, Mom.” Michael turns and walks out the door, but hopefully not forever.

“It’s not you, Will. He hasn’t exactly warmed up to me, either,” Erin tell
s him.

“Babe? Are you ok?” I ask Will, taking his hand in mine.

“Yeah…I’m disappointed, but…he has to make his choice, too.” Will gives a tightlipped nod and brings himself back into the moment with Erin. “I’m glad you’re here,” he tells her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Will. I’m Loretta,” she says, stepping forward and giving Will a small hug. “Thank you for having us,” she says to me.

“We’re so pleased you could come,” I tell her, offering her a hug in return.

“Yes, thank you for having us. It was very kind of you. I’m Victoria. I’m very sorry for Michael’s behavior. It’s been difficult for him. I think it’s a father-son thing
, but he’s honest about not blaming you, Will. I’m hoping time will help him come around,” she says.

“I hope so, too,” Will says. “Please, come with us.” Will and I lead the women to the back of the house where the Great Room is, and where our parents are waiting. “You’ve met everyone?” Will asks the women.

“Yes, Claire and Eliana have been very kind,” Loretta says.

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Can I get anyone something to drink beforehand?” I offer. There are echoes of
no, thank you
and
I’ll just have something with dinner
, so I take a seat next to Will on the couch.

“So, Will…here’s the deal,” Erin begins. Will’s eyes get a little bigger in anticipation of what Erin is about to tell him. After her warm and emotional response, I can’t imagine that she would have anything but something kind to say. “I don’t want to talk about Gregory Meyer. I only care about him because he gave you and Michael and Sarah to me.
I’ve known about you since, well, since I was your age, so I’ve had a long time to process and get used to the fact that I have a brother…and I’m thrilled about it. I want to get to know you, Will. I want us to be a part of each other’s lives. The question is, do you want the same thing?” Erin’s brown eyes are soft and warm. She is so clearly at peace with all of this, and seems genuinely hopeful that Will is going to share her feelings about bonding.

“Any hesitancy I had about meeting you came from being scared that y
ou resented me, resented my mom,” Will says.

“We hold no resentment against either of you,” Loretta says sweetly. Her voice is soft and smooth and comforting.

“I can see that,” Will says smiling with joy. “I spent my whole life wishing for a brother or a sister, thinking that it would make life a little less lonely. When I found out I actually had two brothers and two sisters, it was a shock…especially considering the circumstances. I lost Marcus early on, even before…” Will takes my hand remembering the awful conditions by which Marcus died. “I’m disappointed Michael didn’t stay, but I hope once he’s had a chance to digest everything that he’ll come around.  I’ve already connected with Sarah, which has been better than I ever dreamed. So, yes, I want to get to know you, too, Erin. I can’t imagine walking away from you now.”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that,” she says, moving to the seat on the couch next to Will.

“Will,” Victoria says, calling his attention away from Erin. “Michael only found out a few months ago. I wasn’t as forthcoming with him as Loretta was with Erin. Had I known he would act this way, I would have told him a long time ago. I’m sorry.”

“There was no reason to believe we’d ever be sitting here like this
. The only reason I found out about you is because of my father’s death. So, please…there’s nothing to be sorry about,” Will tells her.

“So, let’s get started,” Erin says to Will with excitement.

“What do you want to know?” Will chuckles.

“How about how you and Layla met?” she asks looking at me.

“Hold that thought! Dinner is ready so let’s get everyone to the table and we can start with the barrage of questions. Who’s hungry?” I say as I move to the kitchen. I take the meat out of the oven and put everything into serving dishes while everyone finds a place at the dining table.

“Let me help you with those,” Eliana says as she enters the kitchen.

“No, Mom, it’s fine, I’ve got it,” I tell her. “But…how are you? I mean is it weird sitting here with Loretta and Victoria?” I think I would be totally freaked out.

“Well, I won’t lie and say it’s perfectly fine. But…we talked yesterday at gr
eat length. It was very healing for all of us I think.” Eliana smiles and I can see that she’s growing into a great place of peace. It’s one thing to know about your husband’s ex-wives, it’s another to sit with them and have a pow-wow about each of your experiences with him. I don’t think she’d be able to get through it if it weren’t for how strong her relationship with Wes has made her.