Stepping out of the closet in my boxer briefs, I went to the bed and sprawled. God, I was tired. Too tired to even make a pass at my beautiful wife, who looked adorable in a strapless short romper thing. That said, I was certainly able to rise to the occasion if she propositioned me.
Eva sat on her side of the bed, then leaned over the edge to help Lucky, who tried to scramble up and couldn’t quite make it. A moment later, he was on my chest, whining in protest as I held him off from slathering saliva all over my jaw. “Hey, I get it. I like you, too, but I don’t lick your face.”
He barked at that. Eva laughed and lay down on her pillow.
It struck me then that this was it. This was home. In a way it had never been before. Nothing had really felt like home since my dad died. But I had it back, now, better than ever.
Tucking Lucky against my stomach, I rolled toward my wife. “How did things go with your mother?”
“Good, I guess. We’re pretty much ready for Sunday.”
“You guess?”
She shrugged. “She got a headache during your interview. Seemed like she freaked out a little.”
I studied her. “About what?”
“That you were talking about our personal stuff on television. I don’t know. I don’t get her sometimes.”
I remembered Eva telling me about how she’d discussed Corinne’s book with Monica and using the media to our advantage. Monica had cautioned her against it, told her to value our privacy. At the time, I agreed with Eva’s mother and—today’s interview aside—I would continue to agree with her. But in light of what little I knew about Monica’s identity, it seemed probable that Eva’s mother was concerned about her own privacy as well. It was one thing to appear in brief mentions in the local society papers. Quite another to gain the attention of the world.
Eva had her mother’s face and some of her mannerisms. She also had the Tramell name, which was a curious error. It would have been better cover to give her Victor’s last name. Someone might be looking for Monica. If they knew at least as much as I did, having Eva’s face on national television would put an X on the map.
My heart began to pound. Was my wife in danger? I had no idea what Monica might be hiding from.
“Oh!” Eva bolted up. “I didn’t tell you … I’ve got a dress!”
“Jesus. You damn near gave me a heart attack.” Lucky took advantage of my startled state and pounced, licking madly.
“Sorry.” Eva caught up the puppy and rescued me, pulling him into her lap as she sat cross-legged beside me. “I called my dad today. My grandmother asked him if I’d want to wear her wedding dress. He sent me a picture of it, but it’s been in storage so long, I couldn’t really make it out. So he scanned a photo of her wearing it on her wedding day and it’s perfect! It’s totally what I didn’t know I wanted!”
I rubbed my chest and smiled wryly. How could I be anything but captivated that she was so excited to marry me again? “I’m glad, angel.”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “My great-grandmother made it for her, with the help of her sisters. It’s a family heirloom, how cool is that?”
“Exceptionally cool.”
“Right? And we’re about the same height. I get my butt and boobs from that side of the family. It might not need to be altered at all.”
“I love your butt and boobs.”
“Fiend.” She shook her head. “I feel like it’ll be good for the relatives on that side to see me in it. I’ve been worried that they’ll feel out of place, but now I’ll be wearing the dress, so they have to feel like they’re included in a big way. Don’t you think?”
“Agreed.” I crooked my finger at her. “Come here.”
She eyed me. “You’ve got a look.”
“Do I?”
“Are you still thinking about my butt and boobs?”
“Always. But for now, just a kiss will do.”
“Hmm.” Leaning over, she offered her mouth.
I cupped the back of her head and took what I needed.
“It’s impressive, son.”
I’m looking up at the Crossfire from street level, but the sound of my father’s voice turns my head. “Dad.”
He’s dressed like me, in a dark three-piece suit. His tie is burgundy as is the handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket. We’re the same height and that startles me for a moment. Why does that surprise me? The answer hovers in the back of my mind, but I can’t grasp it.
His arm comes around my shoulders. “You’ve built an empire. I’m proud of you.”
I take a deep breath. I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed to hear him say that. “Thank you.”
He shifts, turning to face me. “And you’re married. Congratulations.”
“You should come to the penthouse with me and meet my wife.” I’m anxious. I don’t want him to say no. There are so many things I want to say to him and we never have time. Only a few minutes here and there, snatches of conversation that can only scratch the surface. And with Eva there, I would have the courage to say what I needed to. “You’ll love her. She’s amazing.”
My dad grins. “Beautiful, too. I’d like a grandson. And a granddaughter.”
“Whoa.” I laugh. “Let’s not move too fast.”
“Life moves fast, son. Before you know it, it’s over. Don’t waste it.”
I swallow past a hard lump in my throat. “You could’ve had more time.”
That’s not what I want to say. I want to ask him why he gave up, why he checked out. But I’m afraid of the answer.
“All the time in the world wouldn’t have seen me build something like this.” He looks back up at the Crossfire. From the ground, it seems to reach to infinity, an optical illusion created by the pyramid at the top. “It’ll be a lot of work, keeping this standing. Same with a marriage. Eventually, you’ll have to put one before the other.”
I think about that. Is it true? I shake my head. “We’ll keep it standing together.”
He slaps a hand on my shoulder and the ground reverberates beneath my feet. It starts out faintly, then builds, until glass begins to rain down around us. Horrified, I watch as the distant spire at the top explodes outward, then radiates down, windows bursting under the pressure.
I woke with a gasp, breathing hard, pushing at the weight on my chest and feeling warm fur. Blinking, I found Lucky climbing over me, low whimpers rumbling in his chest.
“Jesus.” I sat up and shoved my hair back.
Eva slept beside me, curled in a ball with her hands tucked beneath her chin. Through the windows beyond her, I saw the sun was fading fast. A quick glance at the clock told me it was just past five in the evening. My alarm had been set for quarter past the hour, so I reached for my smartphone to turn it off.
Lucky shoved his head beneath my forearm. Picking him up, I held him at eye level. “You did it again.”
He’d woken me from a nightmare. Who the fuck knew if he was doing it consciously or not? I was grateful either way. I gave him a brisk rubdown and slid out of bed.
“Are you getting up?” Eva asked.
“I have to go to Dr. Petersen’s.”
“Oh, yeah. Forgot about that.”
I’d debated skipping the appointment, but Eva and I would be leaving for our honeymoon soon and I wouldn’t see the good doctor for a month. I figured I could tough it out until then.
I set Lucky down on the floor and started for the bathroom.
“Hey,” she called after me. “I invited Chris over for dinner tonight.”
My stride faltered, then halted. Turning, I faced her.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fists. “He’s lonely, Gideon. He’s on his own, without his family. It’s a rough time for him. I figured I’d make something simple for dinner and we could watch a movie. Take his mind off the divorce for a while, maybe.”
I sighed. That was my wife. Always circling the wagons around the lost and wounded. How could I fault her for being the woman I’d fallen in love with? “Fine.”
She smiled. It was worth going along with anything, just to see that.
“I just finished watching your interview,” Dr. Petersen said, as he settled into his armchair. “My wife told me about it earlier and I was able to catch it on the Internet. Very well done. I enjoyed it.”
Tugging up my slacks, I sank onto the sofa. “A necessary evil, but I agree, it went well.”
“How’s Eva?”
“Are you asking me how she reacted to seeing that photo?”
Dr. Petersen smiled. “I can imagine the reaction. How is she doing now?”
“She’s okay.” I was still shaken by the memory of hearing her being so violently ill. “We’re good.”
Which didn’t change the fact that I seethed with fury every time I thought of it. That photo had existed for months. Why hold on to it, then release it now? It would have made news in May.
The only answer I could come up with was that they’d wanted to hurt Eva. Maybe put a wedge between us. They wanted to humiliate her and me.
Someone was going to pay for that. When I was done, they’d know what hell felt like. They would suffer, the way Eva and I had suffered.