Page 77 of The Image of You

She leaned forward, suddenly earnest, clasping my hand tight. “Life’s too short, boy. Stop taking sad pictures and grab this opportunity. Marry her and take her away—show her the world. Make sure she knows what she means to you. Make lots of babies and memories.”

I squeezed her fragile bones carefully. “I will.”

“Your decision of a career change is a good one. You can still do what you love and be close. She needs you here—she suffers when you’re gone, more than you know.”

“How?”

“Not only does she miss you terribly every time you leave, and worries herself sick, but Sarah and Ronald use every excuse to try to cause trouble for you. They smother her in darkness when you’re gone. Use guilt on her every time you’re absent. She needs you here with her. Get her away from them, or they’ll control her forever.”

I had suspected everything she told me, but Ally had never breathed a word. I felt the stirrings of anger in my gut. “Why can’t she break free?” I growled. “I’ll take care of her. She knows that.”

Elena shook her head. “Adam, she was a child when the accident happened. A child already unsure of her place in life, given the way she was treated. It’s been drummed into her head all these years that she isn’t enough, that what happened was her fault, and she had to make amends by being perfect.” She sighed. “An impossible task for anyone, but she’s tried so hard all her life. It will take her time to finally accept it’s okay for her to be happy. To think of herself, to think for herself.” She patted my hand. “Be patient and keep loving her. She needs to be loved—openly. It’s what she’s always needed.”

“She’ll have it forever.” I leaned closer, worried. “I’ll get called away again before this is over. I promised Sean.”

She nodded. “I’ll watch her. But promise me, as soon as your final commitment is done, you’ll take her away.”

I hummed in agreement. I was already planning a trip to Fiji. I wanted Ally to see the beauty of the island, sleep the mornings away with her every day, and dance on the sand under the stars until late into the night. I wanted her to lie by the pool and see her pale skin kissed by the sun and watch the stress leave her body.

And marry her.

“Come with us.”

Elena looked startled. “What?”

“Come with us. I’m taking her to Fiji. It’s beautiful, and the villa I plan on renting is huge. You can have your own suite.”

“You don’t want an old lady there,” she scoffed, but I saw the flicker of delight in her eyes.

With a grin, I lifted her hand and kissed it. “No, we want you. Ally would love it. You can stay for a week or a month—whatever you want.”

“You want to see me in a bikini.”

I threw my head back, laughing. “You got me.”

“I won’t go with you, but I’ll come visit for a few days.”

“At least a week. Two would be better.”

“On one condition.”

I grinned. “Negotiations? Excellent.”

She grinned back. “I want to be there when you tell Sarah and Ronald.”

“You’ll have to say it,” I teased.

She leaned forward, cupping my face in her hands. They were as soft as powder, the skin thin and pale, her veins a map of bruised purple under the skin. Her rings were cold on my cheeks, but her expression was filled with affection.

“I love you, boy. You and your Ally. The two of you are my heart.”

I held the gaze of a woman I had come to love dearly. She was blunt, honest, and snarky—and underneath all the bluster was the sweetest woman I’d ever known, aside from my girl. We loved spending time with her.

I kissed her cheek. “Front and center, Elena.”

She beamed back at me.

Ally walked in, carrying a tray, smiling at us.