Page 67 of Redemption
Breakfast.
I slept all night. Impressive. I must have needed the sleep.
Normally, I get by on a few hours. I’ve never been one to feel at ease while in the blackness of oblivion. As a child on the streets, I learned to rest while maintaining awareness of all my surroundings at the same time. It’s not exactly a skill they teach Boy Scouts, but it kept me alive through more than one close call. But right now, I can’t remember a damn thing after I kissed Keira and my head hit the pillow. I was out.
Perhaps my body knew that it was finally safe to let go completely, and it took the opportunity to recharge at deeper levels than it would normally be able to access.
I squeeze the note between my thumb and index finger and lift it to my lips. My family is safe. They’re having breakfast. I got a solid night of sleep. All is well.
So far, I have to say that this trip to Italy has been the best decision I’ve ever made.
Feeling more alive and revived than I have in years, I spot the empty duffel bags on the luggage stand and stride over to the closet to dress.
It takes no time at all to toss on a white collared shirt and a pair of slacks so I can find my wife and daughter. And my brother, mother, and father, I remind myself, still shocked that those thoughts are in my mind. It’s a first.
Now, onto breakfast with my family.
I can’t help but release a short laugh. Who would have ever guessed? I have a family.
I wonder immediately if my father is still here or if he has returned to Milan already. Given that his son rose from the dead after more than forty years, I’m willing to bet that he’s still on the island. If it were me, I wouldn’t leave.
With bare feet registering the chill of the marble floor, I make my way out of the bedroom and take a right turn. I haven’t seen the entire house, so I haven’t had a chance to memorize the layout in detail, but I would never forget the route that got me to this room. Years of milling around in my own maze-like domain help me quickly lock routes into my mind and body so I don’t have to think about where and when to turn in the event of an emergency.
But you weren’t there during the emergency when V really needed you.
The thought is unwelcome, but true. I allow the guilt and grief to hit me like a punch to the gut, but right now, it’s the last thing I want to focus on. Instead, I let it wash over me and pass through.
“I’m sorry, brother. I’ll lay your ashes to rest somewhere beautiful, I swear it,” I whisper to V’s spirit as I continue toward the sounds of life coming from the lower level of the stunning Italian villa.
My focus on life as opposed to guilt, grief, and death allows the emotions to dissipate into the ether before I reach the bottom of the curved marble staircase.
A right and then another left lead me to the warmth and light of the large dining room—where I find my entire family. It’s surreal. They’re all here. My mother, father, brother, wife, and daughter. Gratitude replaces grief, and it grips my entire being.
This is an experience I never knew I could have, and I’m so damn lucky I get to have it, regardless of whether it feels real or not.
But what does feel real is my stomach grumbling as I breathe in the delicious scents coming from a sideboard and table loaded with enough food to feed an army.
I haven’t been this hungry in weeks. Maybe months.
“Lachlan! Finally! You’re awake!” Keira half rises from her seat with Aurora on her lap.
I raise a hand. “No need to get up,” I reply as I walk directly toward her and press a kiss to her lips. “Thank you for the note.”
When I lift my head, I take in my brother, mother, and father, all staring at me.
“My apologies for oversleeping. Thank you for letting me rest. I must have needed it.”
“You were sleeping like the dead,” Keira replies with one hand reaching up to graze a thumb across my jaw. “A whole night and day, plus another night. It was my decision to let you sleep. I don’t think you’ve ever been out like that, not since I’ve known you. I think you needed to recharge more than anything.”
A whole night and day, plus another night. Stunned, I blink several times. “I slept that long? I missed an entire day?”
Such a thing has never happened in my entire life. I’ve never missed a day. Not even when I was doped up on narcotics and recovering from a gunshot wound.
“It’s okay. Nothing happened. We’re all safe and sound. It’s beautiful here. Rory loves it.”
My wife and daughter look as carefree as I’ve ever seen them. Aurora is dressed in a yellow sundress with a smear of what appears to be strawberry jam across her lips, and Keira looks radiant in a white linen tank top and vibrant green skirt.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I reply, meeting the gaze of my mother next.
