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As the sun set, the wispy clouds above turning from pink to a bright red and gold, Cal thought how lucky he was to have Sky. She was priceless to him. One day soon, he would show her just how much of a warrior she really was. He wanted to reset her view of what happened down in Costa Rica, but it would take time.
First, Sky needed to start the healing process. This afternoon, the first huge and most important step had been taken, thanks to Lauren’s intervention, her wisdom that came from her own tragic experience growing up. A fierce love welled up in him, and he squeezed her gently, kissing her temple. Cal would find a thousand different ways to show Sky his love. She’d opened his heart, allowed light to flood into his dark, miserable life for the first time. She didn’t realize how her love for him had given him a reason to live, given him happiness that he’d never known. Cal silently promised Sky he’d show her. Then, with time, she would be able to put this kidnapping behind her. It would become a dark memory, but without the emotional power to wound her again, because he would help heal her wounds and replace them with his love. Sky would look forward, never backwards again.
CHAPTER 22
August 4
Five days hadpassed since Sky had talked with Cal about her captivity. She walked the early August meadow, simply absorbing the sunshine and the soft breeze, following the bank of the winding creek. It had been a strange time for her, feeling things she’d never felt before. Maybe it was because of the hormones, the pregnancy. Maybe because she was desperately wanting to heal quickly from the kidnapping. Her heart was raw, but she felt some of her old strength returning to her. If it hadn’t been for Cal’s support and understanding, Sky knew she wouldn’t be where she was today. It bothered her she hadn’t been able to make love to Cal since returning home. She wanted too, but there was some kind of internal disconnect within her, and as much as she tried to find it, understand it, she couldn’t. At least, not yet. He seemed to sense it and hadn’t made any sexual overtures towards her. For that, she was grateful.
She crouched down by the creek, watching several fish swimming beneath the grass bank of the clear mountain stream. They must be rainbow trout, she decided, the sunlight revealing their green, iridescent pink, and silver bodies as they swam languidly through the water. For the first time, Sky felt the desire to try and draw them with her pastel chalks. That was comforting to her. It was another sign that she was slowly beginning to heal. Beginning to hope once more. Before the kidnapping, she was drawing and painting nearly every day. Since her return, all she could do was put angry slashing red and black lines on art paper and then hide them from Cal. She didn’t want him to see them, too ashamed of the internal rage that came and went without warning.
She sensed more than heard Cal approaching. Rising to her full height, she turned and smiled up at him. He was carrying a picnic basket to her favorite spot beneath a pine tree near the creek. It was noon, and she found herself famished for the first time she could remember. Since returning home, her appetite had been nonexistent. Daily, Cal fixed her the foods she loved, and little by little, Sky was eating more, regaining a bit of her lost weight back. She loved watching him move. He wore a dark green polo shirt that showed off his magnificent upper body. As always, he sported his black baseball cap, the brim low over his eyes as they held hers. His movements were confident, filled with masculine grace. He met her smile with one of his own.
“Ready to eat?” he called, arriving at the pine tree.
Sky turned from the creek. “I am.” She wandered over as he drew the red wool blanket from beneath his arm and spread it out for them to sit on. The pungent scent of evergreen filled the hot afternoon air, and Sky inhaled it deeply, a natural perfume, giving her a sense of calm.
Cal patted the blanket after he sat down, crossing his legs. “I just received a very, very interesting phone call,” he said, opening the basket.
“Oh?” Sky sat opposite him, watching as he drew out sandwiches from the basket, a bowl of potato salad he’d made earlier this morning, and bottles of water.
“Yeah,” and Cal gave her a wry look, slipping the sandwich into her extended hand. “Now, I don’t want you feeling any fear or getting scared when I tell you this. All right?” and he pinned her with a look that made her become suddenly serious. Cal wanted nothing to interfere with Sky’s progress. She’d been making slow but steady steps forward in her recovery. He saw it daily in so many small but important ways.
“Okay,” Sky mumbled warily, pulling the wrap off her tuna sandwich. “Who called you?”
“A dude by the name of Rolan Pavlovich. He introduced himself as the new leader of the Russian Mafia in New York City.” He saw Sky go white, terror in her eyes.Dammit.“He called to say that we were no longer of any interest to them. He wished us well in our lives and said that we had nothing to fear insofar as reprisals from them. In fact,” and Cal smiled a little, watching her reaction, “Pavlovich was happy when I told him, that Sergeant Mace Killmer, the Special Forces team, had saved us, and had killed Alexandrov. He said it was time for a change of power. I don’t think he wanted a war with elder Alexandrov, anyway, and I told him I killed the father. He almost sound jovial about it.”
“Oh,” Sky gasped, her hand pressed against her pounding heart. “That’s good news, isn’t it? They’ll leave us alone? I was so worried they’d send men after us to get even for Alexandrov being killed.”
Cal gave her a wry look. “I was expecting a call like this. And I told him we were happy to hear we’re off the mafia’s radar. I almost liked the guy. He wasn’t anything like Alexandrov. At least, not on the surface. I’m sure he’s a sadistic son-of-a-bitch, too. He just hides it better than Alexandrov did.”
“Humph,” Sky muttered, holding her sandwich, “there’s no such thing as a nice Russian mafia person.”
“There’s Alex,” he noted, pushing the bag filled with Fritos toward Sky. They were her favorite munchies. “He was in the mafia, although he is Ukrainian. When he met you, he decided to turn against his own kind to save your life,” Cal reminded her gently.
“Yes…,” and Sky sighed. “You’re right, Alex is wonderful. I just have a tough time thinking of him running with Vlad’s team down in Peru.”
“He ran with them for a reason. He was trying to make enough money to get his sister Kira the help and support she needed after being gang raped. Alex and his friend, Nik Morozov, didn’t behave like the rest of Alexandrov’s team,” Cal said, giving her a tender look. “Alex and Nik didn’t murder or rape like the rest of them.”
Sighing, Sky said, “They were combat medics. They would never condone rape or hurting of another person, friend or enemy.” She let out a long, deep breath. “Well, this is good news. It was another silent load I was carrying, and I knew you were too. I was wondering how safe we really were, Cal.”
“And you didn’t even talk to me about it?” he chided, adding a grin, watching blush sweep across her cheeks. It made Sky that much more beautiful to him. Cal wanted her desperately, wanted to make love to her, but he could feel her sorting out so many things deep within herself. He was finding other, creative ways to love her in return, and in his book, that wasn’t a bad thing at all.
“Guilty,” Sky admitted, giving him an apologetic look. “But you were thinking about it too, Cal. And you never brought it to me to discuss.”
He reached over and caressed her cheek. “Because you’re healing. Am I going to keep certain things from you right now because of that? Absolutely. I want your focus on you, Sky. If I felt this news was that important to your healing right now, I sure as hell wouldn’t have kept it from you. Lauren counseled me not to overwhelm you with secondary stuff. I want you relaxed, to have some calm in your life. Not uptight like you are right now, with worry.”
Cal was right, Sky decided. “Okay,” she grouched, nibbling on a salty corn chip, “I’ll accept that explanation for now. But later, you’d better come clean when I’m feeling more like my frisky, usual self.” She watched a grin come to his face, his hazel eyes dancing with amusement. “I mean it, Cal.”
“Oh,” he murmured, eating his sandwich, “I know you do. And I promise you, I’ll share everything. Just… not yet. You need time to heal, sweetheart. I want to give it to you.”Because I love you.
Looking around the oval meadow, brightly colored wildflowers waving their heads in the intermittent breeze, Sky nodded. “We’re really free now, aren’t we Cal?” and Sky turned, holding his somber gaze.
“Yeah, we finally are.” Cal knew the information was really sinking in for Sky, taking hold, because he saw sudden hope flare in her incredible blue eyes. For the first time since returning home, he saw them shine with a radiance that brought him emotionally to his knees. The relaxation in her face was there for anyone to see, the way her full lips parted, that faraway look in her eyes for a moment as she unconsciously rubbed her belly where their baby was growing.
“Are you ready to find out if you’re carrying a boy or a girl this afternoon?” he teased her. They had an appointment with Dr. Anne Simpson, Sky’s gynecologist, at two p.m. today. He saw Sky smile a little. She was back with him. Here. Now. His ploy had worked.
“Today, after I get the blood test, we find out the gender,” Sky responded with a soft smile. “I know it’s a girl, Cal. I can feel her.”
