“I’m so—”
“Don’t, Leo. It’s I who owes you an apology. I already spoke with Everett about all this, but you deserve to know as well.”
I go and sit next to her bed, unsure if I should reach out my hand or keep it in my lap. I decide that may be oddly inappropriate, so I keep it to myself.
“First, I am deeply sorry for how I treated you all those years ago. I was small-minded and hateful toward anyone who threatened my relationship with Everett. He was the only bright light in my life, and I was terrified that you were taking him from me. I should have but didn’t understand that Everett was capable of keeping us both safe. And I am even more sorry that I tried to tear you apart with this pregnancy. I was…well, my father convinced me that a pregnancy would bring Everett back to me, securing the relationship our parents have been pushing on us since we were young.” Her head dips, eyes downcast as she reveals her truth. “The pregnancy was not an accident. I stopped taking birth control and lied to Everett about it. He never… He never slept with me after he found you, and to be honest, I don’t ever think it was me he was thinking of anyway.”
I want to be angry with her. Maybe a small part of me is, but a bigger part of me sees that she is a victim of her parents’ control, just as Ev was for years, till he met me.
This time, I do reach out. Laying my hand atop hers, I feel connected to her in a way I never thought I could.
She turns her hand and laces her fingers through mine. Clinging to me. Desperate for forgiveness.
“It wasn’t until I saw the ultrasound and heard her heartbeat that I realized I had made a terrible mistake. Not her, but listening to my father. I tried to pull out of the arrangement my father had pushed upon me, but then he… Well, it doesn’t matter now. Aurora is gone.”
“Aurora? Is that her name?” I ask, stroking my thumb against the back of her hand.
“Was.” A tear falls from her eye, trailing down her cheek.
“Hey, look at me.” And she does. The same eyes that were once filled with disgust when they met my own are now filled with pain. “Is. Itisher name. She will always be with you, Natasha, with you and Everett. You both share her, and no one can take that from you.”
“Why are you being so kind? I have been awful to you.”
“Yes, you have, but I don’t think that it is unforgivable or irredeemable. I think that everyone deserves a second chance. And from the sound of it, most of this wasn’t on you. Seems like you were manipulated more than anyone.”
“Don’t make excuses for me. No one forced me. I could have told them to get lost or chosen to be brave, like Everett was with his own parents. He really loves you, Leo, you know that? I thought for a long time that what I felt for Everett was love, and it is, in a way, but it is nothing compared to what you two share. I see that now.”
There is a pull in my chest toward Natasha, a desire to forgive and move on. “You may have made those choices, but choices made out of fear are not a reflection of who we truly are. I have made some decisions based on fear that I regret, and if I hadn’t forgiven myself, I would still be running.” I stand and lean over the bed, wrapping her in a hug, and we stay there a moment, in our bed of healing and forgiveness.
“Okay, I think I may be in the wrong room. Are you two hugging?”
I pull away at his voice, and Nat smiles.
“Just some girl talk. She’s all yours.” Nat nods toward Ev.
She doesn’t have to tell me twice. I make my way to him, and he wraps me in his arms. My blanket of warmth and love.
“You came back.” He leans his forehead to mine.
“I could never resist you.”
“I know.” His tone is full of sarcasm, and I slap him on the chest.
“Okay, okay. I am still a heartbroken woman here. Take your happiness elsewhere for the time being.”
I instantly feel awful. God, how insensitive of me. But when I look at her, there is a smile on her face. She looks genuinely happy for Everett, and that makes my heart soar because there is nothing this man deserves more than to have everything he has ever wanted in life.
“Ready to go home?” I ask Ev.
“I am…but I need to stay here right now. I’m sorry.”
I know he does. That’s the kind of man he is, and I realize that the thought of him staying here and supporting Nat doesn’t pain me like it once would have.
“Okay. I’ll see you when you come home to us.”
Because I know he will.
Nat was discharged from the hospital this afternoon. She only needed the one unit of packed red blood cells, and her blood count had returned to normal. She has a long recovery ahead of her, and I am not talking about her physical recovery. The grief of losing Aurora hit her in waves. Leo came to visit today, bringing her a scone from Henry Leo's and Nat's face lit up when she saw Leo.
