“I’m good,” Lily said. “I came by because…” She sighed. “It’s complicated. I need your help. ”
“Name it,” Callie said. “Whatever it is, we’ll help you in any way we can. ”
Lily reached over to squeeze the other girl’s hand. “I’m so grateful to have you as a friend. ”
Callie smiled. “The feeling is entirely mutual. Now tell us. What do you need?”
“I need you to go to Denver with me,” she blurted.
Holly’s eyes widened in surprise.
“There are two things I want…need…to do. The first one might sound silly. ”
As she spoke, she drew out the paper she’d put in her pocket and carefully unfolded it. The two other women leaned over to look.
“It’s beautiful,” Callie murmured. “It’s them isn’t it? Seth, Michael and Dillon. ”
“How did you know?” Lily asked in awe.
Callie smiled and pointed first to the circular band, threaded with four colors. A vibrant blue, green, brown and burnt orange. “This is the four of you. Unity. Never ending. This symbol is for Michael, the healer,” she said, pointing to the intricate caduceus that Lily had drawn into the band. Then she pointed to the shield that was equidistant from the other two symbols embedded in the colorful band. “
And this is Seth, the protector. ”
Holly pointed to the sword, the last symbol in the band. “This must be Dillon, the fighter. ”
“Fierce,” Lily murmured. “He’s fierce and loyal. ”
“And then there’s you,” Callie said quietly as she traced the lines of the delicate lily coiling from the midst of the circle, blooming, the petals just unfurling.
Lily smiled. “Do you think it’s stupid?”
“I think it’s awesome,” Callie said. “Absolutely amazing. What are you going to do with it?”
“I want to get a tattoo. ”
Holly’s mouth dropped open, and Callie’s lips split into a broad grin. “Oh my God, that’s perfect! Absolutely perfect! Where? You have to tell me where. ”
Lily brushed her fingers over her hip. “Here. I want it to be private, but I want it to be something they see. And know that it’s us. I’m a little scared and I have no idea where to go. That’s why I was hoping you would go with me. Dillon said you went with him when he got his ink done in Denver. ”
Callie clapped her hands in delight. “I know the perfect place. The guy there is an amazing artist. I might even get a tat myself while we’re there. I would have done it when Dillon got his, but he got all snarly with me about it. ”
“As he should have,” Holly said.
Callie rolled her eyes.
“You don’t approve?” Lily asked Holly. The last thing she wanted was to drag her future mother-in-law to a tattoo parlor if the idea horrified her.
“Oh it’s not that. Callie was a lot younger then and had no business getting a tattoo. What she does when she’s older is her business. And I’m going with you two. It sounds like a lot of fun. ”
Her eyes twinkled and Callie and Lily cracked up laughing at the idea of Holly hanging out in a tattoo parlor.
“Oh God,” Callie groaned. “We can not tell the dads what we’re doing. They’d have ten kittens and they’d tie us to chairs for the rest of the day. ”
Holly put a hand over her mouth but she nodded her agreement.
“There’s another thing,” Lily said softly.
“Go on,” Callie encouraged.
“We’d need to be there overnight. I want to get the tattoo first. But then…then I’m going to go see my ex-husband. ”
Callie sucked in her breath and Holly’s smile dimmed. She reached over and took Lily’s hand in hers, squeezing.
“Do you really think that’s wise? He hurt you, honey. Don’t give him another chance to hurt you again. ”
“That’s just it,” Lily breathed. “I let him do and say all those things. I never fought back because I didn’t feel like I deserved better. I believed in my heart that everything he said was true and that he was justified. But he was wrong,” she said fiercely. “He had no right. He was wrong, and I won’t let him get away with it. I have to confront him. I have to lay my demons to rest if I want to go forward with a new life with Seth, Dillon and Michael. I want to look him in the eye and tell him what a bastard he was for telling me I killed our child. ”
Tears ran freely down her cheeks. She was angry. Furious, even. But just saying the words. Her child. It made grief soar through her all over again.
Callie hugged her from one side while Holly wrapped her arms around both girls and rocked back and forth.
“You get mad, honey. You get pissed off. You’re exactly right. He was a cock-sucking bastard for what he did to you. ”
“Mom!” Callie blurted.
Lily shoulders shook with helpless laughter at the shock in Callie’s voice over Holly’s crude language.
“Well he is,” Holly huffed. “What kind of asshole lays the blame at his wife’s door when he wasn’t man enough to step up and help ease her burden? I hope you don’t blame yourself anymore, Lily. ”
Holly leaned away and brushed her fingers through the strands of Lily’s hair. “You have to know it wasn’t your fault. What happened was a terrible, horrific thing that no mother should ever have to endure. But it wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault. ”
“I know that now,” Lily said in a low voice. “For so long, I didn’t feel like I deserved forgiveness. Now I realize that I first have to forgive myself. And I have to face down the man who betrayed me in a way no woman should ever be betrayed. I can’t not confront him. I’ve been thinking about this all week. It’s something I have to do for me. So I can be whole again. ”
She glanced between Callie and Holly. “The guys asked me to marry them. ”
Callie’s entire face lit up. “And? You said yes, right?”
“I asked them to ask me again in a few days,” Lily said quietly. “I need to do this first so that I can come to them free of my past. Without any baggage. So we can have a fresh start. ”
Holly stood. “Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this girl to Denver so she can get back and put my boys out of their misery. ”