Into the Light (University of Isles #2)

34. Chapter 34

Chapter thirty-four

My hands were shaking as I shared the one thing I kept close to my heart for a full year. As I took a shaky breath, time stood still as Rain’s hand gave my thigh a little squeeze. I didn’t have to do this. No one forced my hand, but I also knew it would pluck at the last of my dad’s humanity heart strings. It was the answer to solving all this.

I slowly, and with shaky hands, laid the ultrasound photo I had of our beautiful baby on the table. It was so clear because it was one of those 4D ultrasounds. I remember the day I had it done, it was the last appointment before they’d told me she passed. I remember going home and hanging the photo up next to the one of Ash and I sitting on his rock the day of our first date.

I struggled to find the words, closing my eyes to shield myself from the reactions around me. “This,” I began, “is the reason I need you all to keep this a secret. I can’t bear the thought of growing old knowing that my daughter’s only living relative on her father’s side is no longer with us. It would be too painful.”

Rain’s comforting touch, his fingers tracing circles on my thigh, eased my anxiety. He placed his hand on my lower back, drawing me closer to him. I welcomed the closeness; I needed to feel his warmth and support, especially in this chilling moment.

I mustered the courage to speak the truth. “I was pregnant,” I confessed, emphasizing the past tense. “I had to deliver our child, who was born sleeping when I was well over halfway through the pregnancy. No one knows what went wrong, but she chose to join her father in heaven earlier than I expected.”

I inhaled deeply, needing to continue before anyone else could respond. “I understand she’s not with us on this earth, but I don’t want anyone else close to me to leave or be threatened to leave again. There has been far too much sorrow and loss in the few decades I’ve been alive. I know you both may not value human life the way I do, but as your daughter”—I pointed to my father and then turned to Mr. Ortiz—”and as the woman who deeply loved your only biological son, so much that we created a life together, I implore both of you to please . . .”

My dad’s usually stoic face shattered. His mouth shaking, his eyes watery, his lips turned in what resembled a cross between a frown and worry.

“I need to keep him alive so that I can remember Ash. God—” I chuckled, almost manically. “Of all people who don’t deserve to be on this earth, it’s you.”

Now my words were directed at Mr. Ortiz. “The way you treated your son throughout his life, the way you disregarded his struggles and crippling mental health because it didn’t align with the future you had planned for him, was utterly despicable. ‘Foul’ isn’t even a strong enough word. I never wish for anyone’s death, but if there’s one person who deserved it, it’s you, not him.”

As my fingers gently traced the ultrasound paper, my face softened at what could have been, what should have been. “But I need to protect this small piece of history for her—for him,” I added, turning back to my father.

“Please,” I begged, reaching across my brother, my hands outstretched toward my dad. Walsh grasped one hand while my father held the other.

“Of course, precious. I didn’t—God. Fuck.” My dad was struggling to hold back tears. “I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me? Who was with you?” He fired off a series of questions in a frantic manner.

“Santiago was there. He was the support I needed at the time. I just didn’t want to tell anyone, but it happened, and you were around more, so you were helping in a way, you just didn’t realize it.” I sighed.

“We can’t change the past, but we can change the course of the future by making just this one decision. Please think wisely,” Rain chimed in behind me, his hand giving my lower back a reassuring squeeze.

My father’s head bobbed before the words tumbled out in rapid succession. “I know. Yes, of course. I’m so sorry, Ember. You have my word. I won’t tell anyone. How can I?”

We all turned to Mr. Ortiz, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. His stoic demeanor softened, and the corners of his lips downturned in a frown. It was hard to discern his thoughts from such a subtle expression.

“You hurt my pregnant wife, Solis.”

My jaw dropped. When I thought I knew the entire story, there was always another surprise. “She died after giving birth to Ash.”

“What?” Rain and I shouted in surprise.

“You didn’t know?” I asked him.

“No. I had no idea.”

“Ash didn’t know either,” Mr. Ortiz added pointedly.

This meant everything Ash did to take down his dad, he had no idea what my own father did to his mother. I wonder…

My dad’s voice shook that thought out of me. “She was at the spring bonfire one year. It was all…an accident.” My dad hung his head. I couldn’t believe this, but this is what Walsh was saying last year when he said that dad hurt someone who Mr. Ortiz loved. “I was looking for Mr. Ortiz because he was the leader of the Den. I went to try and find him and one of my men accidentally hit her car as she was pulling out of the house. It was truly an accident.”

“That is what started the ploy to get Mr. Solis’ wife wrapped up in the Cartel?” Rain asked for clarification.

Both men nodded.

This was so incredibly messy I could barely follow. The old Ember would have gotten up, stormed off and never talked to anyone ever again. I was no longer that version of myself though. I had found the power and strength to keep walking forward on a path that was full of bumps.

“We are not the mistakes of our parents,” I said to both Walsh and Rain. They both tilted their chin in agreement.

“You,” I pointed to Mr. Ortiz. “Whether it was a mistake or not, there has already been so much life lost. Your wife, my mom, Rain’s dad, your son and…my daughter.” The last word came out softer.

“Please,” I begged. “We need this violence to stop.”

There was a long silent pause in the room.

“Okay, then.” Mr. Ortiz finally responded. I hadn’t expected some grand revelation from him, where he’d suddenly confess to being the worst father. I had to accept what we could get.

“Pico will take over after graduation. I’ll need one month to train him, but then he’ll take over. I’ll remain on the advisory board,” Rain added.

“There is one more thing,” Rain whispered as he pulled out the will that was notarized by the lawyer. “This is the will that Ash left. He had an account with money that he received from his mother’s death settlement. The money won’t leave the account, so whatever debt you have to pay back, you’ll need to figure a way out on your own. This money isn’t yours.”

Mr. Ortiz ripped the paper out of his hand, scanning over it quickly.

“What the fuck?” he demanded, his voice now high and mad.

God, this man was a fucking joke. Talk to him about his son’s death and he is emotionless, but when you start discussing the money that was never even his, he starts to go ape shit.

“It’s mine,” I conceded coolly. My dad and Walsh wanted to jump to my defense, but I held up a hand. “Period. You fucked yourself. Got yourself in a hole. Now you’ll figure out how else to get the money back into the pots you skimmed.”

“Fuck,” he growled.

This time Rain stood up.

“This conversation is over. You are to leave.” He was so fucking sexy I could have ripped—

“Now.” My panties were one hundred percent soaked. I was so hot and bothered, and while I loved my independence, my feminism ran out the door while watching Rain stand up for me.

Mr. Ortiz grumbled something about how he’d get with us about the change in leadership because there was some traditional event they needed to hold, and then walked out the front door. The little bell rang in his wake. A blanket of silence swept over the diner before Walsh started to slow clap.

Rain grabbed me by my waist, hoisting me out of my chair and spinning me around rapidly.

“We did it, mi pareja,” he announced.

He set me on my feet while I glanced over at Walsh and my dad before turning back to look at my favorite pair of deep blues.

“We . . . did it,” I repeated.

Walsh came over and I turned, only to get wrapped up in one of his big, bear hugs. Something that I admit I missed so much over the last year. Right as he dropped me to the floor, I locked eyes with my dad.

“Ember . . .” his voice trailed off in a quiet, saddened way.

“It’s okay, Dad.” I went over to him, letting him wrap me up in my arms. “My little baby girl had to go through that all alone. You felt like you couldn’t come to me, let me help you, let me protect—”

“No. I am tired of having the men in my life protect me.” I turned so I was speaking to my dad, Walsh, and Rain. “You all need to stop. I begged Ash to stop. I am now desperately asking you all the same. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. This entire day should prove I don’t need anyone in my life. I am strong. I am resilient, and if you are just recognizing it, then I am sorry you haven’t been able to see it for a while.”

I paused, closing my eyes before exhaling. “But please do not ever protect me from the truth again without my explicit permission. Just because I am a woman doesn’t mean I need a man in my life. I choose to have you all because I love you.”

They all shook their heads slowly. “You were right, Ember. I remember when you told me that you wanted to facilitate a meeting with the two dads right before Ash’s death. I thought you were crazy because there for sure was going to be someone dead by the end of it. But you were right—”

“Words are a very powerful weapon,” Rain finished for him. He knew exactly how powerful they were as an aspiring writer himself.

“They are,” I added for effect before I gave my dad and Walsh a quick kiss, promising them I’d see them soon.

“Sir?” Rain spoke up as they headed toward the front door.

“I . . . I just want you to know that I love your daughter.” The words emerged raw and throaty, accompanied by a swallow. “This past year has been the toughest of my life, but falling in love with her has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

My dad’s gaze shifted between us, transforming into a surprised grin. “I know,” he whispered. “I know. Thank you for loving my daughter the way I do. She truly deserves it.” He sniffled. “I am sorry about your dad.”

Rain shook his head. “Like I said, we are not our parents.”

My dad gave him a tight-lipped smile. “That you both are not. I am proud of you.”

There was another pause before he cleared his throat. “And thank you for honoring his presence in your lives,” my dad added. “I didn’t know him, but I know what it’s like to lose someone you love unexpectedly.”

Tears welled up, but I’d kept them at bay, and I would not break down now.

Dad turned to leave, his arm draped over Walsh’s shoulder, leaving the two of us in the quiet, dimly lit diner.

A prolonged silence settled between us until he extended his arms, and I practically rushed into them, bridging the gap swiftly. This was where I belonged. This was safe.

“I’m not running away anymore,” I murmured into his chest, eliciting a soft moan as he buried his face in my hair.

I pulled back slightly, locking eyes with him. “Well, maybe just in the bedroom,” I jested, and we shared a light chuckle as his hands moved to lift my chin, tilting it upward. He leaned in until our foreheads met.

“I’d cross the earth, traverse heaven, and brave the flames of hell if it meant chasing you, because you are mine,” he declared.

“And you’re mine.” I sealed my declaration with a kiss, and in that moment, the world melted away.

Rain gathered our belongings, stashing the copies of evidence in the backpack he’d brought. He paused to gaze at the ultrasound photo printed on the black crinkly paper before tucking it safely into his pocket.

“I want you to write about her when you’re ready. I want you to write about him. Tell their story, Ember,” he requested. “Your story.”

I fought back tears threatening to escape, determined not to cry.

In silence, we left the diner hand in hand. The rare sunlight in Isles illuminated our faces, as if sending a sign from above.

I stopped right at the entrance to smile as Rain looked at me. “I’ll meet you at the Jeep,” he said, recognizing I needed a moment alone.

He walked toward the car, and my thoughts wandered to Ash, to us, but most of all, to Rain. He had been an unwavering pillar of strength during the most challenging period of my life, believing in my ability to conquer anything and everything.

I loved Ash with every fiber of my being, yet something had always felt incomplete between us. He was often distant and inconsistent, fostering a relationship shrouded in secrecy. With Rain, there was unwavering honesty. He saw me for who I was—a fusion of the sheltered, frightened girl I used to be and the woman I’d become in Isles.

Pausing as the sun bathed my face, I glanced over at the Jeep where Rain was settling into the driver’s seat.

There was one thing I lied about—I wasn’t done running.

I’d keep running, chasing him every single day of my life, pursuing him to the ends of the earth, too. He found my scattered pieces and helped me stitch them back together, becoming an essential part of my entity. I’d never cease chasing that feeling.

“Hey, wait for me,” I yelled, a smile returning to my face as he grinned. “Let’s go to our house in the countryside.”