Uncovering You 11: The Lost Chapter Page 3
Then he sees me. The sight makes him relax. His shoulders slump down.
He reaches up and touches my face. “Lilly…” he whispers. “Lilly Stonehart. I had a dream. I almost lost you. You wouldn’t look at me.”
“Never,” I tell him. I turn my lips into his hand and kiss his palm. “I’ll never look away. It was a nightmare, Jeremy. Nothing more. I’m here. I’m yours. For life.”
“For life,” he mutters. The words seem to give him strength. “Yes. Yes. I like that.”
“You know I’d never leave you, right?” I ask.
“Of course,” he whispers. But the nightmare is still fresh in his mind, and it fills his voice with doubt.
I take his hand. “Come with me,” I say. “I want to show you something.”
I lead Jeremy out of bed, through the quiet hall, and into the private room I’d converted into my painting studio. Jeremy’s not once been in here since I made my claim. He’s given me the privacy I need.
But now, finally, I feel ready to share with him the painting I’m most proud of. It’s the same one I’ve worked on for weeks.
I walk him to the easel. A dark cloth covers the canvas. “Stay here,” I say, as I turn away to increase the dimmer. A soft yellow light fills the room.
I come back to Jeremy, who’s watching me curiously. “I want to show you what I’ve been painting all this time,” I murmur faintly. “I wasn’t ready before, but now…I am.”
I reach for the cloth and pull it away.
Jeremy’s breath catches.
I look at the painting, so full of flaws, but so representative of all that I’ve been through.
It’s a panoramic of the view from the sunroom. The sea is stormy and dark clouds fill the sky. A single, gleaming white pillar stand in the middle of it. Beside it, the shape of a frail, decrepit girl, almost a skeleton, supporting herself with one arm. She’s looking out at the dark, raging sea.
“That’s you,” Jeremy says, pointing at the girl.
“No,” I say. “It’s who I could have been.” I take his hand and move it to the side, where two dark figures are hidden by the night. They’re standing together, a man and a woman, looking in from outside the window at the poor girl.
Neither have any care for the storm going on behind them.
“That’s me,” I correct. “And that’s you. We’re both on the outside, see? Looking in at the ghosts of our past. The sky, the storm, see how that doesn’t touch us? Do you see the rain falling everywhere? But we’re not wet. Do you know why?”
“Why?” Jeremy asks.
“The storm doesn’t touch us because you protect me. I protect you. We are each other’s guardian. The clouds, the angry waves, the awful gales…those are representative of our troubled past. My own childhood, and yours. It represents all the struggles we’ve been through and overcome. It is our history, and even though it is always there, it cannot touch us. Not anymore. Because…”
“Because we have each other.” Jeremy finishes for me. His voice is choked with emotion. “Lilly, this is spectacular. I can’t believe you withheld it from me for so long.”
“It wasn’t done,” I say. “It’s still not finished.”
“It looks complete to me,” he says.
“No,” I shake my head. “Not quite. It—“
I break off with a gasp. Sudden inspiration strikes.
I step away from Jeremy and grab my pencils. Quickly I sketch out the shape of a bird, a large bird, taking flight from the cliffs. The cloud cover—no, it’s too much. I dab a bit of white over it, softening the harshness of the sky. I draw a beam of light, a thin, precious ray, breaking through the clouds and shining onto the bird.
Jeremy watches me work in utter silence. It’s the first time he’s witnessed me paint.
The bird—I add details to it. I give it soft wings, glistening with a hint of moisture. A perfect beak, a little head. I emphasize the light, making the bird stand out against the other dark colors. Making the bird pure white. But making it somehow ethereal, too.
And then it’s complete. I drop my brush and stare. Everything…everything has come together perfectly.
“It’s a dove,” Jeremy murmurs.
“Yes,” I confirm. “The dove brings peace. It symbolizes forgiveness. And this one… it’s not just any dove, Jeremy. It’s a spirit dove. The one I once took in.” I look at him. “But it’s free now. just like I am. Just like I am free, with you.” I cast an arm over the painting. “The whole thing…shows all we’ve been through. Our past and our future merged into one.” I tap the end of my brush at the skeletal girl. “This was the darkest time of my life. If I could get through it, face that and live, twice, with you and with Esteban, well…” I glance up at Jeremy, then shift the brush tip to the two figures looking inside, “Well, just imagine what we will do together, when we return to America…” I thread my fingers through his. “As husband and wife.”
Jeremy holds me tight, and in that moment, I know he’ll never let go
The End.
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been use fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
UNCOVERING YOU 11: The Lost Chapter
Copyright © 2015 Edwards Publishing, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Edited by Gail Lennon.
Cover design by Scarlett Edwards.
Interior design by Scarlett Edwards.
Published by Edwards Publishing, Ltd.
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