Adams grabbed the bags at the top of the steps. Alanna called to Prince, but the Irish Setter stayed hidden. She’d be coming back for him in the car. They boarded the helicopter and were soon airborne. She stared down at the mansion surrounded by live oak trees and black water. From up here, it appeared a beautiful home, free of the darkness that lived there.
She scooted as close to Liam as she could get. A bit of his color seemed to be coming back. The chopper lifted into the air, and she leaned over to the window. Debris littered the grand estate below. She caught a glimpse of the gator in the water, then a red streak as Prince raced to hide under the porch. Grady sat with his face pressed against the glass and stared down at the place.
Adams nodded to the estate spread out below them. “This is all yours now, Alanna.”
“What?”
“The rest of them are dead. Your marriage to Barry was legal since Liam was officially declared dead.”
Alanna didn’t want anything of this dark place, only Prince. Maybe Hattie could be coaxed into taking some of it. “It should go to Grady, not me.” Liam squeezed her hand, and she leaned down so she could hear his words above the whup-whup of the chopper blades.
“I have to talk to Jesse’s parents yet,” he said. “I’m dreading it more than you know. Especially Mom. She was good to me. I got to know who Jesse was much better by walking in his shoes.”
“And your own parents. We’ll call them.” In spite of their differences, she smiled at the thought of their joy. Whatever their faults, they loved Liam. She hadn’t told him what they’d tried to do.
Liam squeezed her hand. “Makes you wonder how much upbringing has to do with evil, doesn’t it?” he asked. “And how much is ingrained.”
She nodded. “You were reading my mind.”
“You might have grown up barefoot and motherless, but you overcame,” he whispered. “The person God made you to be stood up under adversity. Maybe he knew you needed to have that stress to realize your full potential. You wouldn’t be the same person if you’d grown up in a different environment.” His other hand went to her belly. “Makes the responsibility for raising our child so important. He’s put our baby with us for a specific reason. We have to do our part, then trust him with the rest.”
Though Liam had tried to tell her this over the years, Alanna understood it now. She placed her hand over Liam’s on her belly. “Feel him? He’s moving.”
Liam’s smile was all she needed. They’d be getting him on his feet, then manage the next few days of explanations and trauma.
The audience rustled out beyond the heavy velvet curtains. This would be Alanna’s last concert for a few months. Her belly hung low with the weight of their son, due in another three weeks.
Ena gave a test tweet on her pennywhistle. Liam picked up his bodhran and sticks. “Ready, my love?” he asked.
“Will you be nervous?” she asked. “Both sets of parents are out there tonight, meeting each other for the first time.”
“It’s not everyone who has two sets of parents,” he said, smiling down at her. “I’m glad they were willing to get along.”
The last few months hadn’t been easy. Jesse’s mum, in particular, had been devastated and still clung to Liam as if some part of her boy lived in him. And really, didn’t it? Liam wore Jesse’s face. It had taken Alanna a little while to get used to the change. They’d discussed having surgery to restore Liam’s looks, but it hadn’t seemed worth the pain and expense. The man she loved was more than his face—he was his character, his integrity, and his spirit.
Things were stiff between Liam and his father right now. She hoped tonight would help mend the breach. Life was too short to hold grudges.
The curtain opened to the stage band’s strains of “Nightsong.” The audience roared when they stepped to the stage. Alanna’s eyes widened when Liam stepped to the mic. He usually had to be coaxed to sing.
“This is a song I wrote for my wife, Alanna, the love of my life,” he said. “Many of you have heard the story of how even supposed death couldn’t separate us. The song has never been more appropriate than this moment.”
He held out his hand to her, and she took it in a daze. Her face could crack from the smile she wore. Liam picked up the mic and began to croon the lyrics to “Nightsong” to her.
“Two souls bound and none can sever. This nightsong is for you. Our love will last through fire and trouble. This nightsong is for you. Though death may try to break our hearts, I’ll find you where’ere you go. This nightsong is for you.”
God had been so faithful, she realized in a rush of emotion that choked any possibility of joining Liam in the song. Even when she had doubted, God had performed the miraculous. She held her husband’s hand and faced the crowd, which was on its feet roaring its approval.
Tears filled her eyes and spilled to her cheeks. Love was the greatest gift of all and transcended death. Her heart full, she managed to sing the final chorus of the song with Liam. He swept her into his arms, and his lips met hers as the crowd nearly lifted the roof from the rafters.
Discussion Questions