Chapter 18 Eve
EVE
Eve stood rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the father and daughter reunion unfolding before her.
David and Mia were on the ground, clinging to each other, both sobbing. Twenty-eight years of separation, of loss, of longing, all pouring out in that single moment.
The world around them had gone silent. No one moved. No one spoke.
Eve felt pressure against her side and looked down, startled to find Lila pressed into her, trembling.
She’d been holding her this entire time without even realizing it.
Lila shifted, sniffing, and looked up at her with tear-streaked cheeks. “Do you have a tissue?”
Eve blinked, pulled back to herself, and fumbled in the pocket of her jeans. Her fingers closed around a small pack of tissues, and she pulled one free, handing it to Lila.
Then she pulled another for herself.
Her hands shook as she wiped at her own cheeks.
Shell-shocked.
That was the only word for what she was feeling.
Shell-shocked and unable to fully process what had just happened.
Questions swirled through her mind, each one chasing the other in dizzying circles.
How had Mary kept this secret for thirty years? Why hadn’t she ever told Eve the truth? What had happened that was so terrible it forced a mother to erase her entire past, change her name, take her daughter, and run?
And David.
Eve’s stomach clenched as images of their kiss flashed through her mind. The way his lips had felt against hers. The heat. The connection. The rightness of it.
She’d just kissed her late best friend’s estranged husband.
Guilt crashed over her like a wave.
“Aunt Eve,” Lila whispered beside her, her voice small and confused. “What does this mean?”
Eve looked down at her, at those green-gold eyes that were suddenly, strikingly familiar. David’s eyes stared back at her from Lila’s young face.
“I think,” Eve whispered back, wiping away fresh tears, “you’ve just found your long-lost grandfather.”
Lila’s breath hitched. She turned back to stare at David and Mia, still holding each other on the ground.
“Uh...” A woman’s voice cut through the silence.
Eve looked up to see the blonde woman, Milly, standing at the edge of the group. Her expression was gentle, but her posture was alert, watchful.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Milly said. “But I think we all need to move indoors.”
That’s when Eve saw it.
The way Milly moved. The way the tall man beside her, Dan, scanned the perimeter with practiced efficiency. Military precision. Tactical awareness.
Her eyes moved to Nolan, and for the first time, she noticed his intense, watchful gaze as he, too, checked the surroundings.
These weren’t just David’s friends.
They were operatives.
A soft voice drifted up from where David sat on the ground, cradling Mia in his lap.
“Mor...” David’s voice was gentle, careful. He stopped himself. “We should go inside.” He shifted slightly so he could look at her face. “We’ll have some tea and talk.”
Mia looked dazed, her eyes puffy and wet from crying. She nodded numbly.
Nolan was there in a flash, gently helping Mia to her feet.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” Nolan said to her, his voice low. “It wasn’t my place.”
“Wait...” Mia stopped, wiping at her cheeks with shaking hands. “You said you worked for your stepfather.”
“It’s a long story,” Nolan told her, glancing at David, who had risen to his feet and was dusting off his jeans. “But let’s get inside.”
They moved as a group toward David’s cabin, the warm light spilling from the windows a stark contrast to the cold darkness of the woods around them.
Dan paused at the door, his hand on his wife’s arm. “We’ll check the perimeter and do a quick sweep to ensure no one followed the kid.” He glanced around the room, his eyes landing on David. “It looks like you have a lot of catching up and explaining to do.”
David nodded, his jaw tight.
Dan and Milly disappeared back outside.
Inside the cabin, the fire still crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the walls. The warmth was a relief after the tension outside, but Eve still felt cold.
Nolan moved to the kitchen area, his voice cutting through the quiet. “Coffee? Tea?”
“I’ll have a coffee,” Lila said, raising her hand.
Nolan looked at her, then glanced at Mia, one eyebrow raised.
“No,” Mia said, shaking her head. “Nice try, though.”
“Worth a shot.” Lila shrugged. “Just some tea, please.”
“Same,” Brian added quietly from where he stood near the door, looking uncertain.
“I’ll help you,” Mia offered, and she and Nolan disappeared into the kitchen.
David turned to Eve, and their eyes met.
Eve’s heart stuttered.
“We need to talk,” David said, his voice rough. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I...” He opened them again, looking lost. “How did this happen?”
Eve frowned. “David. Did you really not know Mia was your daughter? Or that she was here in St. Augustine? What’s your relationship with William that he’s been keeping an eye on Mia and Mary all these years?”
“Mary?” David’s brow furrowed. Then realization dawned. “You mean Nancy.”
“She was always Mary to me,” Eve told him, and guilt racked through her again. “Dr. Mary Gray.”
“I’ll explain everything,” David promised. His expression shifted, darkened. “You said William was looking after them all these years?”
“Yes,” Eve nodded. “He visited at least twice, sometimes three times a year. And phoned at least once a week.”
“That old goat!” David hissed, his jaw clenching. “He knew the risks, and he still took them!”
“He loved Mary, Mia, and Lila,” Eve defended William. “He still does.”
“I know,” David said, his voice softening. “William is like that with family and his closest friends.”
The word family jolted her.
“Who is William to Lila and Mia?” Eve asked.
“He is their Uncle,” David said. “Their real blood uncle.”
“So he is related to Mary,” Eve said. That explained the locket.
“No.” David shook his head. “William isn’t related to Mary. He is my uncle. My father was William’s older twin brother.”
That stunned Eve into silence.
She gaped at him. “You’re William’s ghostly nephew?”
“I am,” David said. “David Moore, now living as Lawson.”
“Oh!” Eve stared at him. This day had been one shock after another. “I’d like to say I’m someone different, but I’m still just Eve Reynolds.”
“And I love that about you,” David said, his voice dropping low. His eyes held hers, and her heart nearly stopped. “And I want nothing more than to pull you into my arms right now and kiss that shocked expression off your face...” His voice was for her ears only. “But...”
“You have a whole lot of explaining to do,” Eve managed to say, her voice barely above a croak. Had David just said he loved her?
“But we’re coming back to this conversation,” David promised.
Eve could do nothing but nod in stunned silence as his words were still sinking in.
David turned and walked toward the large dining table where everyone was starting to gather.
Eve stood there for a moment, alone, and whispered very, very softly, “Oh, Mary, I’m so sorry. I’ve fallen in love with your estranged husband.”
From nowhere, a soft breeze sprang up and danced around her.
Soft. Gentle. Not even chilly despite the winter night.
It seemed to gently hug her, and her heart warmed as a feeling of contentment engulfed her.
That’s when she knew.
They hadn’t come to St. Augustine by chance but rather by design. They were here to finally put the past to bed and fix whatever it was that David and Mia needed to fix in order to move on with the future.
A future that Mary wanted them to share.
“I promise, I will do whatever it takes to help,” Eve whispered softly. “I miss you, my friend.”
The breeze hugged her once more and then was gone.
“Aunt Eve?” Lila called from the table. “Are you coming?”
“Yes,” Eve said.
She took her place at the long table, suddenly feeling like she was part of an inquisition.
Mia and Nolan brought the beverages and then sat beside each other across from Eve.
David sat at the head of the table. Lila settled beside Eve, and Brian took the seat beside Lila.
Brian shifted uncomfortably, looking around at everyone. “Should I be here?”
“Yes, Brian,” David said with a warm smile. “Your family has been a part of mine for generations.”
“Oh!” Brian visibly relaxed. Then his brow furrowed again. “Do you mean like a blood relation?”
“No.” David shook his head. “Like extended family.”
“Phew,” Brian said, his relief clear. He smiled at Lila. “That’s a relief.”
His eyes met David’s, and Eve saw David’s expression shift. His eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the teenage boy sitting close to his granddaughter.
Brian noticed. He moved a little away from Lila.
“So are you my grandfather?” Lila blurted out.
“Lila,” Eve admonished her gently. “Sweetheart, that’s rude.”
“What’s rude is knowing that you have a grandchild and daughter right here and not acknowledging them,” Lila seethed, glaring at David. “That’s not cool, David. Not cool at all.”
“I didn’t know, Lila,” David told her, his voice patient. Eve saw his eyes darken with emotion. “When I first saw you that first day...” He paused, his gaze moving to Mia. “It was a shock, Lila. You reminded me so much of my daughter that I had to let go twenty-eight years ago.”
“And you didn’t find it strange that there was this teenage look-alike that William had invited here?” Lila’s sharp mind was trying to make sense of his reasoning. “You seem like a clever guy. Yet you couldn’t figure that one out?”
“Lila!” It was Mia’s turn to admonish her daughter.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Lila said, but anger flashed in her green eyes. Eyes that Eve could now see were just like David’s. “But I’m not buying it.”
“It’s true, Lila,” Nolan spoke up, defending David. “David didn’t know who you were. William told him that you were good friends of his from Los Angeles.”
“It’s true, Lila,” Mia told her daughter, giving her a soft smile. “Nolan also only found out tonight who I was.”