Chapter Sixteen
Julia’s heart was sinking in a sea of sorrow. She did appreciate the fact that Ray had tried his best to soothe her, but this new realization was so much more than she could handle. There were just no words of comfort available to help her ease her pain. Why? Because: for the past twelve years, she had been living a massive lie; the lie that her mother had so shamelessly passed off to her as the truth. Her father had never cheated. He had not been disrespectful to his wife, or his daughter. Julia didn’t know whether he had done anything wrong or not; yet, he was loyal to his family. And he had paid for his love of her and her mother with his very life…
What really puzzled her was that she had not seen any signs whatsoever. For more than an hour, Julia struggled to recall anything that could at least trigger suspicion, like a snarl, a glare, a growl, things typical to shape shifters, but, nothing even implied that Ronald Stinson was more than the handsome man she used to call “dad”. Everything was as ordinary as it could be. He was a good, caring father, who took care of his family, as best as he could. Ronald was a mellow type. Julia could count his outbursts of anger on the fingers of one hand. Apparently, he could hide his nature very well, much better than the shape shifters she had crossed paths with so far.
“Jules, wake up!” Monica’s loud voice jolted her out of her thoughts. There she was, standing under her doorframe, tension written all over her face.
“I am up,” Julia groaned, her tone lazy, as she leaned her back against the bed board. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Much too long, I’m afraid.” Monica muttered, trotting towards her. “I’m sorry to barge in like this. I just wanted to check on you. You’ve been up here for a while now.”
“How could she do this, Mon?” Julia wondered, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, how could she lie to her child, her blood, about something like that? Wasn’t she just a little bit ashamed?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, sweetheart,” Monica said, seating herself on the edge of the bed. “But I knew your mother. Maybe not as well as you, obviously, but I did know her. She must have had good reason.”
“I think I’m having a nightmare here,” Julia groaned, her eyes flashing with anger, as she glared at her. “You’re not defending her, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Monica countered, maintaining the calm in her tone. “I’m just trying to show some understanding.”
“Ok then, Dr. ‘Understanding’, imagine this,” Julia urged, bringing her knees to her chest. “In fourteen years from now, you and Raul break up. You know his weakness. You know how much he loves you, and yet, when he dies – because die he will – you lie to your own child about the cause of his death, and you taint his memory by calling him a cheater. How does that sound?” Julia’s short rant clearly put her friend in an awkward position. Monica pursed her lips, averting her gaze from her, as she took a deep breath. “That’s what I thought,” Julia grouched.
“What your mother did was appalling,” Monica stated, returning her gaze to her friend’s face. “She’s still your mother, though. You owe it to her to hear her side of the story, before you jump to conclusions.”
“That is exactly what I’m going to do!” Julia exclaimed, nodding emphatically, as she scooted over to the edge of her bed.
“What are you doing?” Monica asked with a shrewd smile on her face, as her friend picked up her cell phone from the nightstand.
“I’m going to start calling airports,” Julia’s answer only broadened her smile, as she swiped her index finger across the screen.
“Put your phone down,” Monica’s teasing tone puzzled her. “You don’t need to.”
“Wh…”
“I know you like the back of my hand, Jules,” Monica interjected, making her voice sweeter. “You may be passionate: blunt; a little weird sometimes; but you always do the right thing. I called JFK, about an hour ago. I’ve book us tickets on the next available flight to L.A. Tomorrow evening, 6:45 p.m.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Julia chuckled, leaning in towards her friend. “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around Monica’s shoulders.
“Ahem…” Ray cleared his throat, drawing Julia’s attention, as she leaned back.
“I’ll be waiting for you downstairs,” Monica spoke, flashing her a happy look.
“I take it you heard all that,” Julia assumed, her tone hesitant.
“I did,” Ray nodded, as Monica brushed past him. “I was there, when Monica called the airport.”
“I’m really sorry, Ray,” Julia heaved a long, deep sigh, as she rose from the bed. “I have to do this.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, Julia,” He replied in a mellow tone, sauntering towards her, as his lips turned up in a polite smile. “Do what you have to do. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Really; you don’t mind?” She shook her head in surprise. “I’ll be away for most of the w…”
He didn’t allow her to finish her sentence. Ray placed his hands on either side of her face, pulling her close, as he tilted his head down. A gasp of surprise escaped her, as he pressed his lips against hers. But, there was no haste in her wolf’s kiss, just the usual tenderness that took her breath away every time their mouths joined. Ray’s strong arms surrounded her, sending her heart into a flurry of wild beats, as he took her into his embrace. He lifted his right hand to her cheek, feathering his knuckles along her jaw, as his warm breath sent ripples of bliss through her body.
“Stop,” Julia gave a short laugh, tipping her head down. “Please, stop.”
“What, you don’t like it?” Ray teased, sliding his hand up and into her hair.
“I like it too much!” She complained, snaking her arms around his waist. “Keep kissing me like that and I’ll change my mind about leaving.”
“No, you won’t, mess,” He whispered, planting a short kiss on the top of her head. “Going to L.A. is who you are. I’m not going to stop you.”
Julia closed her eyes, and rubbed her cheek against his chest, feeling safer in his arms than she had ever been. His words and his kiss had lifted her spirits. She was still hurting deep inside, but she could gaze upon the future with more optimism. The reason was holding her; she could feel the heat of his body against her skin. She could find many men that looked almost as handsome as Ray, but she doubted if anyone of them would kiss her, comfort her, or understand her like he did. For Julia, being with him was a blessing.