I don’t want her to, so please don’t say anything to her,” Luke pleads.
“I won’t say anything, but I think you should tell her. She needs to know why you changed your mind about having another baby,” I tell him. For almost eight years Claire has lived under the assumption that Luke couldn’t stand to have some kind of replacement child. If she knew that he changed his mind in order to protect her, the pain she’s lived with might just go away.
“I can’t, Layla. I don’t think I could look her in the eyes and tell her I lied to her about the thing that meant the most to her in this world.” Luke hangs his head, the weight of all he’s carried for so long shifting along his shoulders.
“She’ll understand if you tell her it was to protect her, to protect your potential baby. It won’t be easy for you to say, or her to hear, but she needs to know. Believe me…I know. The day I found out about my father and the explosion, the hardest part was having been lied to. And today…you kept the real cause of my parents’ death from me to protect me. I don’t like being lied to, but now that I know and understand, I actually feel pretty loved.”
“I’ll…I’ll think about it. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Well,” Wes begins. “It’s over now, and despite his efforts to the otherwise, Gregory Meyer made us all stronger. Because of him, there is nothing we can’t handle. So our next move is to get Will and Eliana ready for the press conference.”
“Yes, of course,” Luke says, collecting himself. “ The press conference is in two days. Layla are you planning on being there?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I’m perplexed. Why would my attendance even be a question?
“Will wasn’t sure if he wanted you there or not. Only because the press can be, well, the press. He’s just trying to protect you,” Luke explains preemptively before I get frustrated at the thought of being left out of something again.
“I know, but I’m going to be there to support Will,” I tell him. “He thinks he has to do everything on his own in some show of Braveheartesque manliness. We’re a team and I’m not letting him walk out there into a hungry den of media lions to be eaten alive.”
Luke sighs, clearly not wanting me to go either. But , by now they all know better than to fight me on this. “Ok. Then let’s get your statement to the press ready.”
Chapter 10
We worked on my statement to the press for hours last night. Will and Luke are going to do everything they can to keep me from having to speak, but thought it best to have something prepared anyway. It’s a general statement about how I didn’t know that Will was faking his death, and that my move to Tallahassee to go to Florida State had been predetermined before I even moved to Davidson and met Will. While I’m glad to be prepared, I hope to God I don’t have to say a word.
“Hey babe,” Will says as he finds me in the loft in my big green chair. I’ve missed this spot and could cozy up here all day. I won’t stay here all day, though, because Will and I are going to take a slow, deliberate walk down the flagstone path out to the lake. I’m more excited than I can bear and am so glad Will finally finished working on his statement so we can go.
“Hey! I thought you’d never finish! How is it? Are you feeling good about it?” I ask.
“As good as one can feel about a statement designed to confess to having lied to an entire community about my death. But…I can’t worry about it too much. I know that what Mom and I did was for the best for us, and my future with you.” Will kisses the top of my head and takes my hand, pulling me from my comfy spot.
“ I’m proud of you, Will. I know this isn’t going to be easy, but you’re handling it so well.”
“Like I said before, I’m not as concerned about me as I am you and Mom. Regardless of the truths about my father that have come to light, there are some real
“I won’t say anything, but I think you should tell her. She needs to know why you changed your mind about having another baby,” I tell him. For almost eight years Claire has lived under the assumption that Luke couldn’t stand to have some kind of replacement child. If she knew that he changed his mind in order to protect her, the pain she’s lived with might just go away.
“I can’t, Layla. I don’t think I could look her in the eyes and tell her I lied to her about the thing that meant the most to her in this world.” Luke hangs his head, the weight of all he’s carried for so long shifting along his shoulders.
“She’ll understand if you tell her it was to protect her, to protect your potential baby. It won’t be easy for you to say, or her to hear, but she needs to know. Believe me…I know. The day I found out about my father and the explosion, the hardest part was having been lied to. And today…you kept the real cause of my parents’ death from me to protect me. I don’t like being lied to, but now that I know and understand, I actually feel pretty loved.”
“I’ll…I’ll think about it. But I’m not making any promises.”
“Well,” Wes begins. “It’s over now, and despite his efforts to the otherwise, Gregory Meyer made us all stronger. Because of him, there is nothing we can’t handle. So our next move is to get Will and Eliana ready for the press conference.”
“Yes, of course,” Luke says, collecting himself. “ The press conference is in two days. Layla are you planning on being there?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I’m perplexed. Why would my attendance even be a question?
“Will wasn’t sure if he wanted you there or not. Only because the press can be, well, the press. He’s just trying to protect you,” Luke explains preemptively before I get frustrated at the thought of being left out of something again.
“I know, but I’m going to be there to support Will,” I tell him. “He thinks he has to do everything on his own in some show of Braveheartesque manliness. We’re a team and I’m not letting him walk out there into a hungry den of media lions to be eaten alive.”
Luke sighs, clearly not wanting me to go either. But , by now they all know better than to fight me on this. “Ok. Then let’s get your statement to the press ready.”
Chapter 10
We worked on my statement to the press for hours last night. Will and Luke are going to do everything they can to keep me from having to speak, but thought it best to have something prepared anyway. It’s a general statement about how I didn’t know that Will was faking his death, and that my move to Tallahassee to go to Florida State had been predetermined before I even moved to Davidson and met Will. While I’m glad to be prepared, I hope to God I don’t have to say a word.
“Hey babe,” Will says as he finds me in the loft in my big green chair. I’ve missed this spot and could cozy up here all day. I won’t stay here all day, though, because Will and I are going to take a slow, deliberate walk down the flagstone path out to the lake. I’m more excited than I can bear and am so glad Will finally finished working on his statement so we can go.
“Hey! I thought you’d never finish! How is it? Are you feeling good about it?” I ask.
“As good as one can feel about a statement designed to confess to having lied to an entire community about my death. But…I can’t worry about it too much. I know that what Mom and I did was for the best for us, and my future with you.” Will kisses the top of my head and takes my hand, pulling me from my comfy spot.
“ I’m proud of you, Will. I know this isn’t going to be easy, but you’re handling it so well.”
“Like I said before, I’m not as concerned about me as I am you and Mom. Regardless of the truths about my father that have come to light, there are some real
Similar Books
The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey Into the Minds of Sexual Predators
Stephen G. Michaud, Roy Hazelwood
