Chapter 1 #3
“It multiplied, actually.” He’d been shocked to find his gold and possessions were worth over a billion dollars in today’s market, though he’d gladly give it all away for his wife and children. “Where’s Callesandra’s room?”
“You’re going to wake her up?”
“Damn right I am,” he said, a little louder than he’d intended. Samantha’s initial surprise was quickly followed by a nod of understanding, and she led him to the room down the hallway on the right.
His hand splayed the solid wood panel a moment before covering the large pewter lever that opened her door.
Alexander stood in the threshold as his eyes adjusted.
Soft light illuminated her entire room, and he saw immediately that it was a little girl’s dream; an immense four-poster bed sat against the wall facing the doorway where he stood.
To his left were bookshelves and a desk.
To his right, large picture windows that overlooked the sea.
One corner was filled with a dress-up and play area, another held a small table and chairs.
The table was set for tea, and dolls and stuffed animals filled the chairs.
The entire scene brought tears to his eyes. Amanda had done a remarkable job under the circumstances. That Amanda had held on to her sanity as long as she had was astounding. He’d come close to losing his mind multiple times.
He sat on the bed next to his daughter. She was facing the other way. His hand covered her little back. “Callesandra.”
His heart nearly turned over in his chest at her whispered response. “Papa.” Then she rolled over, rubbed her eyes, and her sweet little face fell in shock. He grabbed her with both hands and pulled her in, rocking her as he buried his face in her neck.
“I knew you’d find us, Papa.”
He was so overcome with emotion he couldn’t speak. It took him a solid minute to choke out, “I’m sorry it took so long, angel.”
“Are you crying, too, Papa?” Callie’s little hands framed his face.
“I am,” he confirmed, nodding his head.
“You never cry, Papa.”
“I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I’d do, Callesandra.” Things he couldn’t speak of. Things that had most likely added to Amanda’s breakdown.
“Did you see Mama?”
“I brought her home,” he told her. “She’s very tired, angel. Having a baby…she got really sad in the hospital. Her memory is taking a little break right now.”
“Aunt Sam said she has anemia,” Callie said, her voice very serious now.
He smiled at her attempt to set the record straight. “Mama has a form of amnesia, angel. She can’t remember—”
“She remembers me, Papa. She called me. She was really sleepy, but she called.” Her eyes got really wide. “At three in the morning.” She grinned and held up her fingers to show him. “Mama said I had a baby brother and he was going to love me so much. And then she said she loved me so much too.”
Alexander smiled again at her summary of events. “We both love you so much,” he assured her.
“Are you gonna stay with Mama?”
“No, angel. Mama can’t remember me right now.
” He kissed her face again about a hundred times.
“I’ll be here, though. A lot.” He noticed Stephen had cracked the door open while he waited in the hall.
He knew Callie would be thrilled to see her uncle again.
“I won’t be staying for now, but Uncle Stephen will. ”
Stephen came in then, and Alexander chuckled as Callie’s mouth fell open, before she gathered herself and scrambled off the bed and into his arms. As Callie and Stephen reunited, Alexander checked on Amanda once more and found her sleeping while Helen rested in a chair beside the bed. Zander lay in a bassinet between them.
When Helen gave them a few moments alone, Alexander knelt at the bedside. Amanda had pushed the pillows to the floor and her head lay pressed to the mattress. He brushed the hair off her face, so overcome at being able to touch her again. She was alive!
He remembered that first time he’d seen Amanda, a dead ringer for his wife, Rebecca, and the difficulty he’d had reconciling his reaction to her.
Why the instant he stood next to her, he was drawn to her and not repelled like he usually was when near his wife.
It was only when she’d looked up at him and he saw her bright blue eyes that he knew she wasn’t the evil woman he had been married to.
His head fell to the bed. Just being able to inhale her scent brought a sense of peace he hadn’t experienced in far too long. But even in the darkness he could see the dark circles beneath her eyes, the bruises on her wrists… She’d fought like hell.
He reached for her hand and rubbed the scar that ran diagonally across her palm, then he kissed it. Evidence of their time together when she first came to him in his century. Her other hand showed the evidence of the night he’d lost her and Callesandra back to hers.
He thanked God again that he’d found them, that he, Stephen, and Gregor were allowed through the portal, not the portal in the tunnels that had brought Amanda to him in the first place, but the one that ultimately took her back out—with his daughter.
That they’d created a life together as well, that was bloody amazing.
Letting go of his wife’s hand, he stood and took Zander from the bassinet, sat in the chair Helen had vacated, and marveled at what a miracle he was. Eleven pounds, four ounces. “You gave your mama a difficult time, didn’t you?”
“Stan said you’re the new owner of JDL. That you bought the hospital to get me out.”
Amanda hadn’t moved; the side of her head was still pressed to the bed, but her eyes were open now, her voice painfully hoarse. He thought for a moment about what she’d said. “I only gave an endowment big enough to pay for a new hospital,” he chuckled.
“Why?”
“Besides the fact that Art Fisher considers you the daughter he never had and would have my hide if I wasn’t inordinately overprotective of you, you’re one of our most influential clients, Ms. Marceau.
I take my responsibilities very seriously.
So seriously, I’ve put my brother in charge of your keeping.
And my brother and I are very close—family means everything to me—so I’ll apologize now for many upcoming intrusions. ”
Her eyes teared and she smiled just a bit. “I like family.” Then she said, “Thank you for taking me out of there.”
“You already thanked me at the hospital,” he reminded her, shaking his head. He stared at her for a moment, wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed next to her and take her into his arms. “How do you feel?” he asked instead.
“As good as I look.”
She patted the bed and reached out her hand, motioning for Zander. Alexander brought him over and laid the baby next to her. He knelt again, watching as she examined him.
“Helen will be back in just a few minutes,” he told her.
She was trying to remove the blanket he was swaddled in but didn’t have the strength. He could feel her frustration. “Shh…” Alexander said, unwrapping the baby. He placed her hand on Zander once he had him down to his nappy. She smiled, eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
“Can you see his little fingers?” he asked her. She shook her head, so he held up one hand at a time and counted off each finger for her, then he did the same with Zander’s feet and toes.
“What color are his eyes?”
Alexander smiled at her and shook his head.
“I don’t know,” he told her. “They’ve been closed each time I’ve held him.
” She tried to smile but sighed instead and closed her eyes.
She was asleep seconds later, her hand firmly on top of their son.
He laid his hand on top of hers, where it remained until Helen returned.
“I’ll be back later today,” Alexander said once he’d stepped out into the hall with Stephen. He touched his brother’s shoulder as he passed him, squeezing once for good measure.
Then he walked out of Amanda’s house, and down the marble stairs, stopping only when he reached the circular stone drive.
Five Navigators, two Escalades, one Range Rover, and a 911 Turbo S Cabriolet lined the road that led to the gates far below the estate.
The Navigators’ engines started in unison, headlights on as they circled.
He climbed in the back of the third, the one Gregor was driving.
Alexander only wished Amanda remembered so she could “see” it. She’d always said if they could figure out how to safely use the portal, Gregor would take to the great fantastical future the best.
His chest tightened as he thought, We figured it out, sweetheart.
His men remained quiet as he flexed his hand and got his bearings. Then he punched the seat in front of him. “Bloody hell!” he yelled, as Trevor pitched forward.
“God damn it, Alex!” Trevor, Alex’s technical boy-genius, sounded none too happy.
“Chris secured the house next door,” Gregor said, clearly trying to calm Alexander. “He’ll have the paperwork ready today. We’ll be in tomorrow.”
“For now?” Alexander asked.
“We’re forty minutes from our accommodations.”
Alexander leaned back as Siri instructed Gregor how to get to wherever it was they were going. His hands pressed the sides of his head. He was in America. His family was as well.
Cosmic joke.
It was two hundred and forty-five years later.