“Okay, guys,” Madelaine said, reaching for her camera. “Get in front of the Christmas tree. I want to take some pictures.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Aw, Mom …”
Madelaine made a sweeping gesture with her hand, laughing. “Come on.”
Lina and Zach came awkwardly together. He slipped his arm around her tiny waist, and she held the wrist corsage up for the photo. Behind them, the Christmas tree sparkled in a hundred multicolored lights.
Grinning, Madelaine snapped a few quick shots. “Okay, one with your dad now.”
Zach faded to the left, and Angel took his place. He curled an arm around Lina and drew her close, smiling for the camera.
Madelaine saw them through the viewfinder and frowned, easing the camera from her face. “Don’t give me that poster-boy smile, Angel. I want to see her father, not some Hollywood hotshot.”
Angel looked nonplussed for a second, then a slow, admiring grin spread across his face. “God, she’s a demanding woman,” he said to no one in particular.
“Cardiologist,” was Lina’s laughing reply. “They’re all like that.”
Madelaine laughed, clicking away. God, how she loved this moment, this feeling. It was the antithesis of every memory of her childhood, the coming together of every dream she’d ever had.
She wondered how long it would last this time, how long a person could be allowed this happiness in life.
She wanted to go to him then, slip her arms around him and know that he would always be there, standing in her living room as if he belonged, smiling down at her with that recklessness in his green eyes.
“Mrs. Hillyard,” Zach said, interrupting her thoughts. “Let me get a picture of the whole family.”
Whole family.
God, she wanted it so badly, she hurt.
She relinquished the camera and hurried to the fireplace. She saw the three stockings hung from the evergreen-laden mantel and couldn’t help smiling. She slipped into place beside Angel and felt his hand settle possessively on her hip.
It felt so incredibly right to be standing here, the three of them, linked by so much more than the arms that bound them together. If only it could last She knew the smile she gave the camera was sad and more than a little wistful.
“Smile, Dr. Hillyard,” Zach ordered.
She forced her melancholy away and focused on the joy of the moment. At the tiny click of the camera and the blinding flash, Madelaine knew they’d captured the moment forever.
And she told herself that it was enough for now.
The high school sat on a big corner lot, its brick sides lit here and there by spotlights implanted in the winter-brown grass. A huge dark sign identified it as the home of the Panthers. When she saw it, Lina’s nervousness jumped up a notch, her mouth went dry.
Zach maneuvered the car into the student lot and parked it. He rushed around to her side of the car and opened her door. She stepped out into the cool night air, clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking.
All around, kids were getting out of cars and congregating in giggling, chattering groups. The boys slapped each other’s hands in high-fives, and the girls oohed and aahed over each other’s dresses.
Lina recognized a dozen faces as she and Zach came up to a crowd of kids. There was a moment of stunned surprise as everyone turned to gape at her. But it was one face that held her attention, one pair of eyes she couldn’t look away from.
Cara Milston stood in the center of the crowd. She was staring at Lina.
Zach slipped an arm around her and squeezed gently. “You all know Lina?”
Slowly Cara let go of her jock boyfriend’s hand and moved toward Lina in a cloud of glittery white satin. “Killer dress, Lina.” Her voice was quiet, a little uncertain. Lina hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath until it came whooshing out of her in a sigh. A tentative smile crooked one corner of her mouth. All at once she remembered a
million things about her and Cara—times they’d shared lunch on the playground and spent the night at each other’s house. She realized with a sudden ferocity that she wanted that again. “Thanks.” She tried to think of what to say to Cara, but nothing came.
Cara smiled. “I missed you, Lina.”
Lina realized then how simple it was. All she had to do was say what was in her heart and it was a beginning. “I’ve missed you, too, Cara.” She smiled.