Before Sunrise Read online

  Forcing her mind and body to work together, she answered on the final ring before the voicemail claimed the caller. “Hello?”

  “Hi. I-I-I’m looking at the news, sis. Is this for real? Is Liam alive?” Harper stammered.

  “Yes.” Kennedy smiled slowly. “He’s alive.”

  “But how? How is that possible?”

  “It’s a miracle.”

  “A Christmas miracle,” said Harper.

  With all the disruption, Kennedy had forgotten about the holiday. This would be Liam’s first Christmas home since the nightmare began. She could see him standing before a tree, with Mackenzie. Oh, she longed for that moment. “Yes, it’s a Christmas miracle.”

  “I’m on my way over there right now. As soon as I get dressed. Girl, can you believe it? Liam is alive. I want to cry and laugh at the same time. I can’t wait to see him!”

  “He’s not here, Harper.” Kennedy picked up the empty cereal bowl. She carried it to the sink as Mac raced for the TV room.

  “Oh, crap. What am I thinking? What does ‘the pretender’ say about all this?”

  Kennedy rolled her eyes. “I told you not to call Phil that.”

  “Whatever. I guess I was right, huh? He can’t pretend to be Liam with my boy alive, now can he? Too bad for him Liam ain’t gonna stand for that crap.”

  To this, Kennedy couldn’t respond. Her sister was eighteen now, and of her own mind. Harper had told Kennedy on more than one occasion that Phil’s devotion appeared to be more that of a stalker than a suitor. Harper found everything genuine about Phil creepy. But Phil never deviated from his affection or support, and had tried to change her sister’s mind about him many times.

  Of course, Harper remained biased. She and Liam shared a special bond. After Harper caught Kennedy and Liam sneaking out of her parents’ boathouse years ago, he’d done everything in his power to win her over to their team. And it didn’t take long. Soon Harper had considered Liam her boyfriend, too, and as a result, their sexytimes were cut short. Most stolen moments at her parents’ place were spent with Harper right between them with her head resting on Liam’s arm and Kennedy off to the other end of the sofa, fuming. Liam, on the other hand, seemed to love it. Bought her sister presents and talked about her favorite, silly Disney Channel shows. But all of it had been pre-discovery. When her mother found out who ‘Liam’ was, everything changed.

  “I’m sorry, sis. You must be so…this has to be hard for you, and my God, Liam too. Have you two talked about this?”

  “Not really. More like screaming, crying, and slamming doors,” Kennedy said.

  Harper laughed. “Like old times!”

  Kennedy drew down the door to the dishwasher, she noisily stacked the breakfast bowls and milk-stained glasses. “Not quite. But yes, it’s not a good time for either of us. There’s a lot to work out.”

  “Damn, Liam is alive. Has he seen Mac? Oh man, he’s going to flip to know you named her after his kid sister. Especially when he sees how much she looks like him, got that cute smile of his. Liam will get such a kick out of that.”

  “And his stubborn temper, she has that, too. Yes, they met. Apparently he saw her first. It’s all screwed up.”

  “I don’t understand. How could he see her first?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Kennedy turned on the dishwasher. The cranky machine purred into action, then sputtered to a stop. “Shit,” Kennedy said, surprised to hear the word slip from her lips with Mackenzie in earshot.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Nothing.” She leaned back against the counter, chewing on her nail. Not only did she have to deal with her pregnancy scare, but she had terrorists out there looking for Liam, and her. She was too stressed out for a busted dishwasher on top of that. Everything was happening so fast. When would she be able to catch her breath?

  The phone beeped.

  “Harper, hold on,” Kennedy said. She pressed the button to switch lines. “Hello?”

  “Kennedy?”

  “Mom?” Kennedy’s eyes stretched wide in surprise. She hadn’t heard from her mother since earlier that month, when they discussed plans for Mackenzie’s birthday.

  “Sweetheart, the news says….” Gail’s voice became tight with emotion. She heard her father asking for the phone.

  “Babygirl?”

  “Hi, daddy.”

  “Is it true? Is Liam alive?”

  Kennedy burst into tears. If ever she wanted her father, it was right now. He was the only man other than Liam who could ease her fears. “Kennedy, sweetheart, we’re getting on the next flight out. We’ll be there tonight.”

  “No. No. I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure? So it is true? It’s really true!”

  “Yes. He’s alive. It’s a miracle. He’s back.”

  “Sweet, merciful God. Gail, it’s true. It’s Liam. He’s alive!”

  Kennedy heard her mother speaking fast, her voice raised and animated. With her mother, there was never a good thing she could find to say about Liam and he felt the same about her. But Kennedy hoped that this would be a healing for all of them. She heard her mother take the phone.

  “This is great, um, really great, sweetheart.” Gail said. “I’m so happy for Mac. She needs her father.”

  “I need him too, mama,” said Kennedy.

  Gail grew quiet. Then she spoke. “Where’s Phil? How is he dealing with this?”

  “It’s complicated,” Kennedy mumbled.

  “I can imagine. We’re coming, there, to help you both…sort this out.”

  “No. Not yet, everything is crazy right now. Give it a few days, please. I just got so much on my plate.”

  “I understand, sweetheart. Tell Phil to call me. He must need someone to talk to as well. Can you imagine waking up to find out that your marriage in jeopardy?”

  “Are you kidding? Liam was tortured in a desert for five years. How could anyone have suffered more than him?”

  “Of course sweetheart, I only meant—”

  “Mmhmm.” Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Can I speak to daddy?”

  “Hi, honey.” Her father’s deep baritone came through the phone, flooding her with strength, energy she could take to go on.

  “Daddy, I’ll call you tonight okay?”

  “I’m so happy Liam’s alive. I can’t wait to see him. This is wonderful news, for us all.”

  “Thanks, daddy. I’m sure he wants to see you, too. I love you both. Bye.”

  The moment the call ended, the phone rang loudly in her hand. Suddenly, Kennedy remembered she’d put Harper on hold. “Hey? Sorry, sis.”

  “Damn. You forgot about me!”

  “It was mom and daddy. They want to come down here.”

  “Oh, brother. You better block that. Mama is the president of the Phil Freeman fan club. She will just stir stuff up. She’ll pour gasoline on Liam’s temper.”

  “I know. I told them to give me a few days. I can’t take on any more pressure right now.”

  The line beeped again.

  “Harper, it’s the phone. I will see you when you get here.”

  “Okay.”

  “Hello?” she said again, clicking over.

  “Kennedy, its Eric.”

  “Eric. Oh wow, hey. Thanks for calling me.”

  “Hey love, how are you?”

  “Pissed at you.” She walked out of the kitchen.

  “I can explain.”

  “I know I’m not a special agent or some military commando trained on treacherous behavior, but I have a funny feeling you’ve been holding out on me. A month ago I get this call, from some random Department of Defense number. My guess is that Alexa wouldn’t call here to share the news, so that leaves you. You had him, all this time you had my Liam and you didn’t say a word. You of all people, Eric, know how badly I begged that you continue to search for him. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m sorry, I really am. I had no choice. He wasn’t well when we found
him. Hell, at first we didn’t know if he’d even wake up.”

  Kennedy stopped at the door to the family room. Mackenzie lay in front of the TV with her chin in her hands. Eric had all the details, and she had to decide quickly how much of Liam’s suffering she really wanted to know. “How bad was he?”

  “Bad.”

  Kennedy felt light-headed. She pulled out a chair and sat down. “How is he now?”

  “Better.”

  “The truth, Eric.”

  “He’ll recover. Just got a lot on him, lot of shit in his mind he won’t let anyone reach. The world has changed some, things have changed on him.”

  “You mean me. Me and Phil.”

  Eric didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. What was there to say? “You were protecting him, is that it? From me?”

  “No. Kennedy. When he came out from hell, he spoke your name first. I know he’s bitter and I heard from Ant how he lost it with you. I’m calling to tell you to keep the faith. Liam loves you. For him, time hasn’t moved on, even if you have.”

  “I haven’t. Not really. You know that, Eric.”

  “Of course. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m trying to say that he loves only you. He needs your patience. He needs to talk to someone about his time in Afghanistan. He rejected it at first, but….”

  “But what, Eric?” The nervousness in his voice alarmed her. Eric Drake was never nervous.

  “Look. I know a guy…Liam would kill me if he knew I suggested this. But I read his psych eval before I landed. You need to convince him to get into therapy. I don’t want him to have a break. Do you understand?”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “I’m probably making it sound worse than it is. He’s tough. He’s always been a tough guy. But he’s human. He has to release his anger, deal with his pain. Your love is a good start.”

  “I’ve hurt him so badly.”

  “Not intentionally, and deep down he knows that.”

  Kennedy nodded. She tried to accept Eric’s words as their truth. But hidden in her heart, she feared there were a lot of truths she wasn’t ready to accept. “What should I do, Eric? If you spoke to Anthony, then you know what Liam wants.”

  “Is it what you want?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I do. It’s just—well it’s not as easy as Liam thinks it is. Phil, he, he’s been a friend, a father to Mac and I owe him…I guess I owe him closure.”

  “Yeah, well you know how I feel about that brother.”

  “He has a stake in this too, Eric.”

  “You know I love you like a sister, but Phil has hated on my boy from day one. C’mon, Kennedy.”

  “That feud between them, it makes no sense. It was Liam who asked him to watch out for me when he was in the field.”

  “Ever heard of keeping your enemies close?”

  “It’s such a horrible mess,” she sighed. Mackenzie looked back at her. She blew a kiss and her daughter smiled. She went back to watching her Dora program.

  “There’s more.”

  “How could there be more?” Kennedy groaned.

  “I wanted to let you know that Alexa is here and she’s doing everything in her power to pull him back into her nasty web. She has some strong supporters on the Senate Intelligence Committee.”

  “She’s pathetic. She’ll never change.”

  “I can’t get into matters of national security, but I suggest you settle the matter of your position as Liam’s wife. Things move fast when under the umbrella of Homeland Security.”

  “Are you saying they want to take Liam away?” How the hell can they make him go when they just brought him back? screamed the voice inside her head.

  “I’m saying you and Liam need to decide on the future now, before it’s decided for you.”

  “They can’t do that.”

  “Kennedy, you’re his wife. You know the organizations he’s tied into. You know how this goes. They can and they will.”

  “Jeez, Eric. How much time do we have?” Kennedy asked.

  “I’d say Christmas at best.”

  “Okay, okay, I get it.”

  “I love you both. I got my boy’s back. But that tarantula Sinclair? Just be on your guard.”

  “I will. Thank you for the warning.”

  “Where is that gorgeous sister of yours?”

  “Oh, she’s on her way. But don’t let Liam hear you talk about her like that.”

  “Girl is eighteen, last I checked,” Eric joked.

  “Going on forty, yes, and you think her crush is cute, but I’m telling you, keep your distance. You know Liam probably thinks she’s still eight. Before he left, she hadn’t even started dating, but he had a contract out on every thirteen-year-old boy who looked her way that summer she stayed with us.”

  Eric gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “Yeah, I was kidding.”

  Kennedy laughed. She saw the stars in her sister’s eyes whenever Eric entered a room. She remembered the potency of that kind of attraction. Eric might see it as harmless flirting, but she was sure Harper didn’t. “Will you come by later?”

  “I’ll try. Got a lot of meetings and other stuff. Call me if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  Kennedy set the phone down. She thought of calling Liam and inviting him to breakfast, but if she did that, it might send the wrong message. She had to be sure of everything, make sure she wasn’t pregnant, before she made any moves. She wouldn’t lie or deny her feelings, but she knew the drill. She would need to wait at least a week to get a good test result. How was she ever going to manage a week of this?

  Someone knocked at her door.

  Kennedy wondered if Liam would return this early. She rose and checked herself in the hall mirror. Her face was flushed, her hair limp and listless. She didn’t look her best. The knock came again.

  “Mommy, who is it?” Mackenzie emerged; she stood behind her mother with fear in her eyes. Kennedy remembered how disastrous it had been for her daughter the last time someone had come to the door. “Go watch TV, okay?”

  “Who is it, mommy?”

  “Go watch TV, baby, please.”

  Kennedy went to the window first. She carefully parted the curtains. At least three news vans were parked at the curb, one almost-but-not-quite blocking her driveway. Several reporters with cameras milled about under the watchful eyes of military personnel, men Kennedy didn’t know. A young lieutenant stood erect, attentive, and alert on the other side of her door, just like the one who’d visited her to deliver the news that Liam had been killed in action. He’d been confronted by a hysterical, screaming Kennedy who’d flung herself at him, scratching and kicking, screaming at the top of her lungs that they were all liars. Back then, she’d been so confident Liam was alive. She’d shouted it at anyone who said differently. She’d felt it in her bones. He was out there, in need of them. And somehow, she’d let all those non-believers convince her otherwise.

  “Morning, ma’am.”

  “I see the reporters have arrived,” Kennedy said, standing to the side of the doorway, out of view, just in case the cameras were already running. Even the idea of a reporter sticking a camera in her face gave her the shakes. Just knowing they were out there, waiting, made her want to throw up.

  “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be here all day and evening to assist you. My name is Lieutenant Bryant. If you need anything, receive any strange calls, anything, ma’am, please don’t hesitate to let me know. We’ll be posted in two vehicles on the street, and another at the entrance of your subdivision.”

  She nodded, accepting his card. He was in the JAG Corps. She wondered if this man’s presence was Phil’s doing, or Alexa Sinclair’s. Or Liam’s.

  “Your husband is an American hero, ma’am. We are all so proud to have him back. Congratulations to you and your family on his safe return.”

  Kennedy nodded. She loved the fact that the lieutenant afforded Liam respect by referring to him as her husband.

  “Thank you. I’m proud of him, too. If
my sister comes, please let her through. Her name is Harper Washington.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Absolutely.”

  Before she thanked him again, her phone began to ring.

  “Mommy! Phone!”

  “I hear it, Mac.” With a nod to the lieutenant, Kennedy shut the door. Suddenly she felt like an over-wound yo-yo, careening from situation to situation. She grabbed up the phone and nearly yelped into the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “How are you, girl?” Angelina asked softly.

  “Trapped,” Kennedy admitted. She dropped into the chair at the kitchen table.

  “Trapped?”

  “The media. Phil. My folks, Mac, and Liam. All of them want something I can’t give them right now.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Answers.”

  “Oh, Kennedy.”

  “Angie, what am I going to do? How did this happen? How did I give up on him like this? He should have walked through that door into my arms.”

  “Hey! You didn’t give up on him, you didn’t. You never did, Kennedy.”

  “But—”

  “I know. I know.”

  Kennedy dropped her forehead into her hand and stared at her reflection in the polished finish of the dining table. A tear dropped onto the surface, leaving a small, round bead. “He came back to me. If I had just believed a little longer, this would have never happened. He’s been through hell, my poor baby.”

  “So have you, Kennedy.”

  “Not even close. You should have seen the pain in his face. As if he felt he had to compete for my love. I just feel so lost. And Phil. God, I can’t stomach the idea of him and me together now. I feel so guilty over that. Angie, I feel like I used him. I did use him, and all he’s ever been was good to me and Mac. What the hell am I going to do?”

  “Well, there may be a little more guilt to spread around. Phil knew of your love for Liam. He signed on for this.”

  “But marrying Phil was a mistake. I just wanted the pain of losing Liam to go away. I let my mother and Phil convince me that starting over was the best for Mackenzie. I lost faith.”