Page 102 of Broken Butterfly
Jayson opens the book he’s still holding and begins, his deep voice carrying over the wind.
Chapter 29
Seattle
Daniel and Drew
The long winding drive that leads up to Daniel and Drew’s estate is something to behold. The coniferous trees that grow in the Pacific Northwest are nothing like the spindly loblolly pines that grow in Coastal Plains of North Carolina. When I lived here, the landscape reminded me of Christmas even in the summertime.
It’s been two days since we first visited Elizabeth Ann’s grave. Jayson and I spent hours reading and talking to her before his parents, Ryder, and Julien arrived. They were emotionally exhausting and physically taxing days for everyone. Jayson and I went back again yesterday and planted new flowers amongst the ones that were already growing around the statue. We wanted something from us to grow there with our baby girl. Jayson also helped me make another rubbing as I want both of us to have one. I’m going to get them professionally mounted and framed when we get back home.
“Holy shit,” Julien says from the front seat of our rented Tahoe.
I’ve been snuggled into Ryder’s side in the back seat as Jayson drives. Up ahead of us is Daniel and Drew’s mansion, or what Drew joking calls their country home. I know exactly how Julien feels as I felt the same way when I first it.
“Jayson, you’ll need to stop at the guardhouse up ahead.”
“Are you shitting me? How rich are they?”
If he did a little research on them and on D & D Technology, he would already know how much. He slows down at the imposing two-story gate and stone guardhouse and I roll down my window.
“Miss Elizabeth,” Hank greets me with a toothy grin. “Welcome back.”
“Hey, Hank. You’re looking dashing as ever.”
“We’ve missed your smiling face around here. They’re expecting you. Don’t forget to say goodbye on your way out.” The gates open and I wave to Hank as Jayson drives through.
“I thought Fal’s place was huge, but it’s got nothing on this,” Ryder says, leaning forward to peer through the front windshield as Jayson pulls up to the main steps of the house.
There’s a place located near Asheville, North Carolina, called the Biltmore Estate. My parents took me and Hailey to visit a few times. The expansive beauty of the Vanderbilt home and its surrounding grounds was awe-inspiring and breathtaking to me, even as a child. The outside of Daniel and Drew’s home holds many similar features to that of the Biltmore House but at half the scale. However, where the Biltmore was elegantly crafted in design on the inside, Daniel and Drew’s house is homier.
Home. This was my home for a year. It was a place where Daniel, Drew, and I cooked meals together. A safe place where I grew stronger after I left the medical facility. It’s a place that sheltered me during my darkest nights. Nights when dreams filled with fractured memories would come and nightmares ofHimwould try to drown me in darkness.
I grab Ryder’s hand, but I don’t yet open my door to get out.
“Babe, what’s wrong?”
Jayson and Julien turn in their seats to look at me.
“Liz, if you’re not ready to talk to them yet, we can turn around and go back,” Julien offers.
“It’s not that, Julien. I’m just nervous, I guess.”
Jayson looks back at me. “If at any time you want to leave just say the word.”
I look into the eyes of each of these three men. Each of them so integral in my life, playing pivotal roles in the formation of the woman I have become. “I’m ready,” I tell them.
Even as we approach the house, I don’t know how I should feel or what to expect when I see Daniel or Drew for the first in months. I’ve been so angry at the both of them. But as soon as the massive double oak doors open and Daniel steps out, my feet take over as I fly into his open arms.
“Oh sweet, sweet girl. Welcome home, Elizabeth,” Daniel greets me, lifting me up in his arms to twirl me around. “I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. So very sorry about how I handled everything.”
I was sure that I had no more tears left to cry, but I was very wrong. “I’m sorry too. I’ve missed you.”
“Not as much as we’ve missed you, baby girl.”
Daniel puts me down, but he doesn’t release me. Since getting my memories back, I’m able to see how much Daniel looks like my dad. I hold his face between my hands and examine every feature. His hair is exactly the same shade as Dad’s. His eyes are the same color too, and the shape of his mouth. God, he even smells the same as Dad—clean linen and mint.
“You look just like Daddy,” I say.
