Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

***SIMON***

S imon opened the oven to check on the fish one more time, then looked around the kitchen, sure that he'd forgotten something. "Will you stop fussing already? Dinner is going to go fine," Max said from the table where he was watching, a look of amusement on his face. "I've never seen you this nervous before."

"I just want everything to be perfect," he said. "I want Kira's parents to like me. If we're going to be together, it's important."

Max studied him for a second, "Simon, you know how happy I am that you've……well, seen the light so to speak, but this thing with Kira……" his words trailed off, then he took a deep breath and started again. "I'm just worried that you're rushing things……I mean, everything in your life was turned upside down overnight. It wouldn't be surprising if you were clinging to……"

"That's not what's happening," he said. "And it's not like we're talking about getting married or even moving in together, we're just dating, I guess, but that doesn't mean it's any less important that her parents like me. "

Max shrugged, "I just don't want to see either of you hurt or disappointed," he said. "That's all."

"Thanks for worrying about us," he said. "I hope that doesn't happen, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Kira is special, Max. There aren't very many women like her out there. I'm not going to give her up without a fight."

Just then there was a knock on the door, "They're here," he said, jumping to his feet. "Wish me luck."

He opened the door with a smile on his face, telling himself it was going to be fine, "Hi, everyone," he said, surprised when Kiley let out a little cry of happiness and reached for him. "Hey there, princess, don't you look pretty."

The baby giggled and waved her arms at him, "Come here then," he said, taking her from Kira. "I made you a special dinner, little lady. I hope you like macaroni and cheese."

Kiely just ginned up at him, "That's her favorite," Kira said, smiling at them. "You really know how to charm a girl."

He laughed, "Come in. Dinner is ready," he said, stepping back. "I thought we could eat on the deck. The view of the ocean is fantastic from there."

Once everyone had a place to sit and a drink in front of them, he reluctantly handed Kiley back to Kira, "I'll go get the food," he said. "Be right back."

He'd just put the last dish down on the table when Max and Mary Beth came out of the house, "Just in time," he said. "Come and sit down."

Once they'd all filled their plates, Mary Beth cleared her throat, "I don't want to spoil the meal, but I have an update for you all," she said, looking over at Kira and her parents. "Do you want me to wait until after we finish dinner?"

Kira shook her head, "No, I think you should tell us now," she said. "You've been working so hard, Mary Beth. I think you should be able to relax and enjoy your food."

"No thanks needed. You know I do this because I love it, but I am ready to put it aside for a while so we won't wait," Mary Beth said. "I filed for restraining orders for all four of you, and the judge approved them. I don't know how necessary it was for Virginia, but I'll get to that in a second. I filed for an amendment to the custody agreement restricting Virginia from ever seeing Kiley again, and I think the judge will approve it."

Kira let out a long sigh of relief, "That woman is insane," she said. "Is she getting some help?"

Mary Beth nodded, "She's been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment," she said. "I don't think she'll be getting out any time soon."

There was a long silence at the table, "Well, I guess that's over then," Kira finally said. "Mary Beth, I'll never be able to repay you for everything you've done for us, but I'm sure going to try."

"Just be my friend," Mary Beth said. "That's enough for me."

After another short silence, the conversation turned to lighter things, and to his relief, the night went smoothly. Kira's parents seemed to be softening toward him, and by the time he cleared the plates, his insecurities had disappeared. When he came back from the kitchen, Kiley was curled up in Molly's lap half asleep, and Kira was digging through the diaper bag.

"We must have left it in the cabin," Molly said. "Maybe we should just head back. Kiley is tired. She should go to bed."

"We haven't had dessert yet," Kira said. "I'll just run back to the cabin and get it. It will only take me a few minutes. If she falls asleep, we can put her down in one of the beds inside. I'm sure Max won't mind."

"I'll join her," Mary Beth said with a big yawn. "She and I can snuggle under the covers together."

"I'll put the coffee on while you're gone," he said. "We can have dessert when you get back."

When Kira disappeared into the darkness, the gleam of her flashlight all he could see, he turned to go back into the kitchen. "I'll help you," Molly said, shifting the baby over to Kira's father's lap. "You've already done so much already."

Pleased with the praise but suddenly a bit nervous, he followed Molly into the kitchen, "That really was a wonderful meal," she said. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"Honestly, I just picked it up here and there," he said. "But I will tell you a little secret, cooking shows are my guilty pleasure."

Molly laughed, "Well, if that's as bad as it gets, I guess I can stop worrying about my daughter," she said. "I promise your secret is safe with me."

"Phew, that's a relief," he said, smiling at her. "And I just want you to know that you don't have to worry about Kira being with me. I know how lucky I am to have her."

Molly studied him for a second, then nodded her head, "You're beginning to grow on me, Simon," she said. "Kira might have been right about you."

The ice broken between them, conversation flowed freely and it was a while before they carried the coffee tray out to the patio, along with the dessert he'd worked on for most of the afternoon. He figured winning over Kira's mom was half the battle, and was feeling pretty good about the night until he noticed that Kira wasn't back.

"Isn't Kira back yet?" he asked, looking out into the darkness, hoping to see the bob of her flashlight. "It shouldn't have taken her this long."

"I was beginning to think that myself," Dan said. "Do you think we should go check on her?"

Before he could answer, the walkie-talkie Max was never without began to spit out a bunch of static, then a scratchy voice came on, "Max, this is Toby, I'm down at the marina, and we've got a problem," the man said. "I think you'd better get down here right away."

***Kira***

Kira smiled as she walked down the path, Kiley's blanket slung over her arm, the flashlight beam lighting her way. Dinner was going better than she could have hoped, and it was beginning to look like she'd never have to see Edward again. She felt a little bad that Kiley would never know her father, but that had been his choice, and she hoped that someday her daughter would understand.

She was just about to take the turn that would lead her to Max's cabin when a dark shadow standing under the trees caught her attention, and her heart began to pound. The island is safe, she told herself, but only a second later, the shadow stepped out into the moonlight, and she let out a little scream when she realized that it was Edward.

"Surprise, imagine running into you here," he said, an angry glint in his eyes. "It must be nice to be able to run off to paradise. You must be celebrating ruining my life."

"I didn't ruin your life, you did," she said, trying to stay calm. "You are the one who lied, you're the one who had me fired when I refused to get an abortion, and you're the one who tried to take Kiley away from me. Don't blame me for fighting back and don't blame me for winning. You're unfit to be a parent, and the judge saw that."

"You stupid bitch," Edward snarled at her. "Do you have any idea how much damage you've done? Virginia is in the hospital because of you. She broke under the strain. I've been fired from my job, we're going to lose our house, and here you are living it up in Bermuda. But I know how to fix everything. The answer is so obvious, I should have seen it sooner."

Edward slipped his hand into the pocket of his jacket, and when he pulled it out, the glint of moonlight on metal made her heart stop for a second, "What are you going to do?" she asked, wishing her voice hadn't started to shake. "You can't just shoot me; you'll never get away with it."

"I'm not planning on shooting you. No, you're going to have a little sailing accident," Edward said, the evil glint back in his eyes. "This is just a little insurance that you'll behave yourself for a change and do what I say. If you would have just done that from the beginning, none of this would have happened."

"If you're not going to shoot me, why should I listen to you?" she asked, stalling for time, hoping that she'd be missed soon.

"I may not be planning to shoot you, but there are a few people on this island I'd like to see disappear," Edward growled. "Starting with your good buddy Mary Beth, she's made my life hell. Now get moving. We're going down to the marina and borrowing one of those pretty sailboats tied up to the dock. It's just a shame that you're too drunk and inexperienced to sail in the dark. I'm sure your funeral will be very moving. Let's just hope they find your body."

"Edward, this will never work," she said. "No one will believe that's what happened."

"Oh, don't you worry, I've got all the details worked out," he said, pulling a bottle of alcohol out of his pocket and waving it at her. "This will be found on the boat with you. That's all it will take. Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or should I go find Mary Beth?"

She looked in the direction of the Max's cabin, "Oh, I know exactly where they are," Edward said, waving the gun. " Just think how much damage I could do with them all right there together. Bam, bam, bam. I bet I could get at least three shots off before someone stopped me, I have nothing left to lose. You destroyed my life. Getting rid of you is the only way I can get it back."

Not willing to risk the people she loved most in the world, she started for the marina. With each step, she thought about Simon and sent him a silent message in her head. "Miss me, miss me, come find me, come save me," she thought over and over until they reached the dock and she began to give up hope.

Edward stopped at the first sailboat they came to, pulled the top off the bottle, and began splashing her with the ill smelling spirits inside. "Now get in there," he said, pointing to the boat. "No, wait, untie the lines first."

She didn't move at first, and he started waving the gun around, "I mean it, Kira," he said. "Get moving or I'll find your family and start shooting."

Looking down the dock at the shore, it became clear that no one was coming to her rescue. She would have to save herself or die trying. Taking a deep breath, she walked slowly past Edward, then knelt down and began messing with the line, pretending that she couldn't get it untied.

"What's taking so long?" Edward demanded. "If you're trying to stall, it won't work."

"I can't get it untied," she said. "It's all tangled up, and the rope is hurting my fingers."

"Worthless female," Edward grumbled, walking over to her. "Get out of the way. I'll do it."

When he bent down, she gathered all her strength, turned, shoved her hand into the middle of his chest, and pushed. Edward let out a panicked yell as he went flying backward. She sprang to her feet and started running, not even looking back to see if she'd hit her mark. She was halfway down the dock when Simon came barreling out of the trees, Max right behind him, her parents bringing up the rear, and she started screaming at them to go back, sure that any moment she was going to hear gunshots ring out in the night.