Uncharted (Unexpected Book 3) (39 page)

I lost my way
I lost my soul, my heart
I lost myself the day my shining star moved into a different sky
My bright light that illuminated my path

[Chorus]

As it was written in the stars, you came back
One day you appeared high in the sky
Twinkle, you fixed my battered heart
I only need one more chance
Let me love you until the end of time

I promised to wait
But destiny played me again and again
Until one day I could no longer breathe
Some days I wished death would take me away

[Chorus]

As it was written in the stars, you came back
One day you appeared high in the sky
Twinkle, you fixed my battered heart
I only need one more chance
Let me love you until the end of time

I want to hold your hand
Taste your heavenly lips
Love you every night while you shine for me
Wander the eternal life with you by my side

[Chorus]

As it was written in the stars, you came back
One day you appeared high in the sky
Twinkle, you fixed my battered heart
I only need one more chance
Let me love you until the end of time

“Did you hear the new song?” Maeve wakes me up at midnight. “I swear it’s you.”

“Really, the last time I called you and said that, you swore he probably didn’t even remember my name.”

“I doubt I said that. And that was ten years ago, Cypriana. Are you seriously coming to San Diego tomorrow and leaving him behind?”

I have no idea.

“What happened to being ready to fight for your guy, Pria?”

I said that after they released me from the hospital in Ecuador. The fear of dying from some terminal illness had me thinking about being old Pria, and that perhaps I need to find some middle ground between Ana and Pria. Dare to get my feet wet with the muddy life of a celebrity. Fight for the rock star that stole my heart years ago. Coming back and finding him still tangled with Norah had erased all those resolutions.

“Maybe San Diego has what I’m looking for,” I cowardly suggest. “I want to be close to you.”

“You want to hide behind me, and I won’t allow it.” Her voice muffles for a few beats. “I’m happy, because I decided to open myself to the possibilities of life. Once, when our mother died, a wise girl told me I had to live the way I’ll make myself and my mother proud. How about that girl starts living in a way that, fifty years from now, she’ll be proud of having that life?”

“I have to go if I want to head to the hospital tomorrow before my plane takes off, Mae.”

“God, Cypriana, you’re making a mistake.”

“Goodnight, Maeve Philomena.”

I rock back and forth while holding Grace, who is almost three weeks old and should head home in a day or two.

“Hello, beautiful ladies,” AJ whispers as she enters the room.

“You’re walking normally. I’m going to miss the wobbling.” AJ smiles as she waltzes into the incubator room, where I’m holding her precious daughter. “How are you feeling?”

“Still weak. Controlling my blood sugar is tricky now that I’m breast feeding.” Her face dims and she gives me that sad smile. “Are you really leaving today?” I bob my head twice while I’m rocking the most beautiful baby I’ve ever held. “I thought you’d stay longer since…you met her.”

“I stayed long enough, and it’s time for me to leave, Ainsley Janine. Though I’m going to miss you. You’ve my best friend almost since the day I met you. Meeting you was one of the best things that could’ve happened to me. Not because of all the help, but because of our friendship.” I touch Grace’s tiny fingers and then lift my gaze. “This was a good visit though. My sister moved south and that’s where I have to be. I’m planning on settling close to Maeve. It’s close to Los Angeles, and if your parents can let me say that I worked for them…I could draw a huge clientele.”

“But Jacob…” I glare at her, hopping to stop her from talking on his behalf.

“Is it because he can’t have kids that you won’t give him a chance?” AJ frowns. “He’s the reason why you’re leaving. You promised things wouldn’t change between us. Now you’re saying goodbye forever. He loves you. You know that, right?”

I drop my gaze and look at the adorable girl in my arms, and I shake my head.

“No, it wouldn’t matter at all. There’s other ways to have children.” I pause, lift my head and look at my best friend. “He released a new song. Is he going solo?”

“You should ask my brother about his plans …Pria.”

“You called me Pria.” I chuckle.

“Yeah, he hates the name Ana.”

“I don’t know what to do, AJ.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t dive in with an answer. We both look at her precious bundle and I sigh, thinking how much I am going to miss them both.

“I believe every person has a soulmate,” AJ says, breaking the silence. “My fathers say that when you find that person that makes you want to become a better version of yourself, you’ve found your other half. Promise you won’t close yourself to the possibilities.”

“That I can do.” I sigh, relieved she’s not making me promise that I’ll wait for her brother to stop pining for Norah. “As long as you promise that you’ll come and visit us often. Mae would love to meet this precious girl. I might need you soon, so please promise you’ll be there.”

AJ reaches out for a couple of tissues. She hands me one while she clears the tears she shed. I mirror her movements. Before leaving, I’m going to have a chat with him. Fair is fair.

“Of course, Pria, you’re my first best friend.”

“There’s Donna and Karen,” I remind her. I like them, but we never clicked because they’re married and have children. I don’t have much in common with them. “Remember the mommy and baby parties you’re going to organize with them.”

“I love them, but it’s not the same, Cypriana Walker.” She sniffs.

“Is this a good time?” Chris Decker opens the door. “This is nice, three of my favorite girls in one room. But crying?”

“She’s leaving, Papi.” AJ points at me.

“I heard, and I’m not happy.” He closes the door and looks at me with a determined gaze. “Anything I can do to persuade you to stay with us?”

“No. There’s nothing you can say that will persuade me, but if you allow me to update my website,” I squeeze my eyes getting ready for a no, “my business will bloom if I advertise I’ve worked for your record company. Perhaps include that I did a few implementations to your husband’s production company. Now that I’m moving to California, I need something that’ll put me on the map.”

“If I don’t agree, will you stay?” I shake my head. By the sad expression on his face and the placement of his hands on his hips, I can see he is disappointed by my decision. “Update that website, and quote me saying something nice about your firm—make me sound smart.”

“You’re smart, Father,” Ainsley reminds him. “Pria, add the Academy too. Even post pictures of my brother, before and after.” She releases a huge laugh. “Kidding, but you can put him on the list of clients, can’t you?”

I shrug. “Thank you for everything. I’ll send you a picture of my new place once I find it. Promise to send pics of Grace?”

“As I’ve been doing since day one. Now hand over my baby.” I kiss her tiny head and hug her one last time before I surrender her. Chris takes a couple of strides and takes the baby away from me. I rise from my seat and hug AJ, shedding more tears while I’m saying goodbye. “Call us if you need us. We’re your family too.”

“You’re family, never forget that,” Chris reassures me, giving me a hug. I’m going to miss this man, and his husband too. I haven’t experienced a present father for over five years now, and the love and acceptance they have shown me has warmed my heart. “Don’t close yourself to love, child. It’s scary, but worth it.”

I’ve done a lot of crazy things since I met Jacob, including risking my mother’s wrath. I need to say goodbye to him. One more risk shouldn’t harm me.

“Do you know where I can find Jacob?” I ask.

“My house. He’s in the studio.” Chris smiles at me. “Gabe is there, so he’ll be able to open the door for you.”

I brace myself and head to face the music.

As I play the last chords on my guitar and open my eyes, a vision is in front of me.

“That was…great.” Her voice is a faint whisper. “Heard you’re going solo.”

“Part of the master plan to regain my life, my freedom.” …
and you.

She stares at my wrist, which no longer has the leather cuff but syringe wrap. It hurts like hell after all the damn laser removal I went through for the past weeks, that plus the new tattoo I had done on top of it. A music stave with a segment of “Never Endless Sky.”

“Do you have like a minute?” Her fingers fidget with the hem of her sweater. “I’m leaving, but…I want to know if what you said the other day is true…that you love me? You asked me not to give up on you… I want to fight for us, but… Something happened to me during my trip and when I came back I wanted to…”

I smile at her. She’s nervous and looks adorable.

“I—it’s a long explanation.” Her voice reminds me of a soft flute. “Can we talk?”

“What if I go first?” I set my guitar on the stand and take her hand, leading her outside the studio, to the backyard, and settling on the bench facing the lake. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask for the last ten years.”

She releases a laugh. “Ten years?” A war of emotions flit across her face. “You’ve waited so long, can you wait a little longer?”

I rub my hands, then wipe them on my thighs, rise to my feet, and then squat in front of her. I need her to see she has my complete attention. “I’m all ears.”

“It’s complicated.” Her dark eyes meet mine; they shine with a light I haven’t seen before. “I want to ask if I have a chance. I want to fight for us, because of one simple reason: I love you. My heart tells me that you feel something for me too, and my soul knows it’s true. However, I fear that it might not be enough, and that’s what sets me back from saying anything. Norah—”

“We shouldn’t speak about her, Twinkle. My relationship with her is in the past and that’s where it should stay.” I take both of her hands and kiss them.

I won’t speak ill about Norah. I buried her and the past. The façade she presented me from the moment she entered in my life until she died. My parents were right, I was a stupid kid. Some idiotic brat that couldn’t see beyond his personal pain and ended up caught in a relationship that hurt me even more. I gave up trying to decipher what her motive was for everything she did, including Hunter. My peace with that chapter of my life happened days ago, and I’m ready for the one person I’ve always loved. Pria.

“You lost your turn. It’s now mine. If you recall, since the first time I laid eyes on you, our souls entwined with each other. They interweaved together like the roots of a redwood tree’s grasp onto the ground.”

Pria shakes her head and as she’s about to open her mouth, I reach for her lips, giving her a peck. “That day my heart recognized its lifetime partner, and from that point forward, it tuned to the rhythm of your beat.” I touch my chest and tap it with my palm a few times simulating those beats. “Listen, it’s working again, but only because you’re around. Even though we had to walk alone for the past several years, and learn our hard lessons from the hardships of life, I believe it’s time for us to hold on to each other again. Build together a future based on our dreams, start a new life where our eternal love can run free and outlast the end of times, as it’s written in the stars. I love you, Pria Walker. You’re my present, my future, and my forever. Would you be my—”

“Wait.” She places her open palm in front of me. “What if you change your mind after what I have to say? It’s important that you listen before you make up your mind.”

I stifle a smile; my mouth dries as I wait for the words that will seal my future and explain why she stopped me when I handed her my heart.

“We’ll keep the proposal on hold for now.” Frightened of what she has to say, I stall her explanation that I fear might shatter my world forever. “Unless you want to forget it and say yes; guarantee our happily ever after.”

“What you said is…perfect. I heard the song you wrote, Jace. Did you write it for me?” I nod and kiss her hand. “Thank you.” She’s quiet, and an awful pessimism descends upon my mind. She looks into the horizon, avoiding my eyes.

“A few weeks ago I became ill.” She looks at me and bites her lips. “I developed some of the same symptoms my mother showed when she became sick, like fever, nausea, headaches; I lost five pounds in a week.”

Cold chills run down my spine. I know what she’s talking about. I had a brief glimpse of those symptoms in Norah.

My blood drains, and all I can get out is, “Whatever it is we’ll fight it together.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to do that, not after everything you’ve gone through.” She squeezes me back. “That’s not why I’m here.”

“Pria, I love you, and I want to hold your hand and wander through life with you, as long as I can have you. That includes the good days, the bad days, and the Mondays too.” This can’t be happening. No.
Please
. Everything I’ve lived with her for the past months, including Mae’s discussion about leaving versus living, make me change my anxiety for reassurance. She needs me. “If you leave before I do, I’ll spend the rest of my life living as if you were with me. I’ll make you proud of who I am even if you leave my side. Please, let me be with you.”

Pria looks at me with overflowing teary eyes and wet cheeks; her lips quiver. I move my mouth over hers, tasting heaven, and finally arriving home.

“I haven’t finished my story, Jace, but I’m not sick or dying.” She stops me with that commanding voice I love to hate. “After almost a week of wallowing in self-pity, alone without communicating with the outside world, I went to the doctor.”

“He mentioned that if it were cancer, it couldn’t be stage four. He handed me an olive branch of hope.” Pria twists her mouth to the right. “He explained, from what I told him, that Mom ignored her symptoms for years. They sent me to the hospital to get the results faster. I was poked and tested. They overwhelmed me with questions. My only hope was that if I had cancer, we would catch it in time. You following me here?” I nod, waiting for the worst. “The next morning I went back to the doctor who had my test results. He had a series of follow-up questions, including when was the date of my last period, which I had no idea of because for years I’ve used the injection as my contraceptive. I missed the shot while trekking the world. But I told him that the possibilities of me being pregnant were zero.” She pats my leg. “The only guy I have had sex with in the past years is you and… Sorry, I had to tell him about your accident and that you can’t have children.”

“That’s okay.” I am about to shrug it away when my brain puts the illness with the children together. “Wait, are you pregnant?” She shakes her head.

“No, I had a pretty bad stomach infection that they cleared.” She looks at my face and the corners of her lips reach all the way to the sky. She then touches my empty earlobe and her eyes brighten with a different shine—a happier one. “But when they asked me, I toyed with the idea for a few seconds, then realized I want a family with you. Because I love you. I love you so much it hurts not being by your side every night. Then I realized we don’t need to have children to be a family. We can be fun Uncle Jace and cool Aunt Ana.”

“Aunt Pria.” I correct her and she laughs.

“If we ever want to share some parental love, we can adopt.” She gives me a flat smile. “There are plenty of children that need love. Or we can travel once a month to help orphanages. What I’m trying to say is that…I want to have something real with you.”

I clear the corner of my eyes. Damn. If someone can send me to my most vulnerable point, it’s this beautiful woman.

“What kind of cookie-cutter life will we have then?” I wink at her.

“What?” The horrified question makes me smile.

“We agreed to have six children.” I pull out the ring that’s been in my pocket since I picked it up from the jeweler earlier today. I had planned on showing it to AJ when I headed over to visit her and Princess Grace, which is why I didn’t put it in the safe. “Two dogs and a house in one of the islands. I recall telling you—scaring the crap out of you—years ago, didn’t I?”

“You did say all that. Including that you want them to learn hockey so they can beat the crap out of other children in the name of sportsmanship. The weirdest way to pick up a girl. I see now you carry rings. Nice touch.”

“I wasn’t picking up a girl. I was telling you that you were going to be my wife.” I bend down on one knee and she shakes her head. “But you insist on not taking me seriously.”

I scratch my beard as I stare at the house next to AJ’s. Mason told me that I could speak to the owner and convince them to sell.

“We can buy the house next door to the Bradleys.” I point at the neighbor’s house then I slide the ring on her finger without waiting for a yes. “There’s the house on one of the islands, and we’ll figure out the rest.”

“I haven’t said yes.” She looks at the ring on her finger. “I like the originality. A sapphire is perfect, it reminds me of your eyes…but you really have to wait for me to agree. This alpha personality drives me insane.”

“You fighting it and making me work to convince you to do anything drives me nuts—and makes me horny,” I retort. “Good thing there’s no one around here. We can make love until you stop complaining. All the crap you said is sweet, but unnecessary. It’s just the pure joy to have the last word. I better get used to it if I want to spend an eternity with you.”

“You’re making this too simple, Jace.”

I stand up, wrapping my fingers around her delicate wrists, and tug her toward me. Staring into her eyes, I lower my lips onto hers. Taking. A brush at first, then a sweet kiss that increases its rhythm as every image of what’s happened to me since the first time I kissed her plays in my mind. This has been so fucking hard, painful, dreadful, and it has almost killed me. There’s nothing simple about this moment.

“For you to become mine, we had to face so many challenges. We both walked through hot coals, thorny narrow paths, climbed mountains, and faced feral beasts.” I give her another peck. “Honestly, after the jail stunt I thought I’d lost you forever. I had a huge plan to woo you, but then things crumbled. You coming here today is yet another sign that we are both ready to become one. If you don’t think so, then tell me what else you want, woman?” She gentles her expression. “So, are you going to say yes?”

Pria gives me a peck on the lips as she’s trying to bite back a laugh, but the quivering sensation against my lips gives her away. Then she tips her head slightly back staring into my eyes. “I’m saying yes only because I can’t imagine my life without you.” She smiles coyly. “My mornings without your lips waking mine after spending a night together, or dreaming under the stars while being in the shelter of your arms. I want to spend the rest of my life with you because you’re the only man that makes my heart beat to the rhythm you desire. I desire. Because you’re loving, loyal,
and
a softy. Plus, you had me ten years ago at ‘let’s cut the crap.’”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you, Pria?” She shakes her head.

“You’re never going to call me Ana, are you?” I shake my head.

“I love you, soon-to-be Pria Colthurst-Decker.”

“Walker-Decker.” She scrunches her nose. “Fine, I’ll let you win that one, because I love you. Now give me one of those curl-my-soul kisses only you know how to give.”

Fuck yes. I love this girl.