“Abby will pick you up, but if you need something, you have my cell.”
Eve watched as Lily disappeared into Dr. Amari’s office. Over the last few weeks, they’d settled into a comfortable routine. Eve would bring Lily to therapy while Abby looked after Sky. Then Eve would do whatever errands she had, following up on her hospital lawsuit or stopping by to visit with Bree Whitaker’s family. She’d been lucky to get Lily back but the Whitakers’ daughter was never coming home. Eve would sometimes drop off food, but most days she’d just sit and listen. Listen to Mrs. Whitaker talk about Bree, who she was, who she might have been. While Eve was busy, Abby and Sky would pick Lily up from therapy. Some nights they’d go out to dinner; other nights they’d all meet back at the house and Eve would whip up one of her specialty dishes.
It was still early days, but Lily was making progress. She spent less and less time in her room, instead choosing to hang in the den with Eve or Abby. Sometimes she’d slip out the back door with Abby and Sky and take a walk around the neighborhood. Eve would never be able to thank Dr. Amari enough. She’d been there with Lily, Abby, and Eve every step of the way, dealing with the press and the protestors. Eve had been convinced that news of Lily’s miscarriage would be met with skepticism, but Dr. Amari took charge. After consulting with the police, she’d been able to release Lily’s medical records, which contained explicit details of the abuse Lily had suffered at Rick’s hands. It was easy to assume that those injuries had led to her pregnancy complications. Even if the public hadn’t believed her, a mass shooting at a middle school in Texas resulted in the death of six children, and just like that Lily’s sorrows were old news.
Eve tried not to think about Rick Hanson, his other victims, all the damage he’d wrought. She was determined to put him out of her mind and focus on the future. In just three days, they’d celebrate their first Christmas together. For Eve, holidays had always been the personification of everything she’d lost. But now, they would build new traditions. Her parents and Meme were returning. Abby had even called a truce (or so it seemed) and invited Wes for Christmas dinner. Eve was cooking a turkey, and Lily and Abby were making enough desserts to open a bakery. And if Eve had her way, there would be so many presents in the house she’d give Santa a run for his money. It was safe to say that all her Christmas wishes had come true.
Of course, she still had a million things to do before she headed to the mall. Eve pulled into the motel and quickly made her way up the stairs. She’d seen Tommy’s car in the parking lot and quickly picked up her pace, knowing they didn’t have a lot of time. She’d told him they’d wait to see each other until after the holidays, but he’d insisted on one last night together before he went to Boston with his family.
Eve slipped the key in the door, pushed it open, and gasped. Inside were dozens of red poinsettias, her favorite holiday plant. White lights hung from every conceivable surface, and a miniature Christmas tree was proudly displayed on the makeshift desk. But the biggest surprise was Tommy, sitting on the bed wearing a ridiculous green Christmas sweater with a fuzzy kitten on it, holding a sprig of mistletoe.
“Merry Christmas, Eve,” he said, beaming.
Eve could barely believe her eyes.
“What… what is this?”
“Our first Christmas together.”
Tommy reached for her and kissed her gently. There was still passion but she felt the shift, the promise of something more. She’d tried to tell herself that this was temporary, that the stolen moments they had together were enough. But maybe things were changing for both of them.
Tommy pulled away first.
“We’ll get back to that in a moment. First, your gift.”
Eve playfully swatted him.
“That’s not fair. We said no gifts,” she reminded him.
Tommy laughed. “You said no gifts. I made no such promises.”
He handed her a tiny package, and Eve carefully undid the gold and red wrapping. From a tiny box, she pulled out a delicate gold locket.
“I figured you’d find the right picture to put in it.”
Eve felt tears well up. She leaned in and kissed him, wanting him to know what this meant to her, wanting him to feel everything she felt. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, the two of them sitting side by side on the bed, the twinkling lights casting shadows on their faces.
She knew they were headed down a dangerous path. That at the end of this road more people could get hurt. But Eve didn’t care. After all she’d been through, after everything, she deserved to be selfish. She deserved this. She deserved him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
LILY