Her Secret Life

“You know why he could do that?”

She expected Lacey to shake her head. To spew more frustration, to try to gang up on her with kindness or with anger to get her to change her mind. Instead, her sister said, “I do.”

She was staring at Kacey.

“Because you always knew my heart,” Kacey whispered, losing her battle with her tears. “You had faith in me even when I was being a selfish bitch.”

“You were never that, Kace. You were just kind of blind sometimes.”

“Discernment has always been more your strong suit than mine. But don’t you see, Lacey? That’s what makes me so certain about this. Because I can discern. Michael’s love changed Willie. The years of support, yes, but when he moved into Michael’s home, when Michael changed his schedule to drive him where he had to go, or sit home with him, he understood that Michael wasn’t just being a good guy—he was loving him. All that seven-year-old kid ever needed was to be loved.”

And in the end, that kid had rescued her.

“I believe he will make good on this chance,” she said. “But I also think Michael deserves and needs this chance. He has to see that his faith was not misplaced. That his love has the ability to transform.”

Lacey was staring at her, wide-eyed. “You really do love him.” She had tears in her eyes, too.

“Yeah, I do.”

“So what are you going to do about that?”

That was where the bottom fell out of her world. “Nothing,” she said. “I’ve done what I can...setting Willie free.”

“Excuse me?” Lacey pulled back. “Earth to Kacey. The woman who pushed everyone else to take the hard steps?”

She wasn’t afraid of hard steps. Not anymore. She’d take a lifetime of them if it would bring Michael to her.

“I can’t ask him to live my life with me, Lacey.” She told her sister about the awards dinner. About Michael’s sense of humor, his conscience, his strength. And told her how all of that slowly slid away from him while he sat there that night. “And you and I both know, I’d go plumb crazy if I sat here in Santa Raquel all day every day. I have to live at least two people’s lives just to keep up with myself.”

Lacey nodded. Acting had exhausted her. It energized Kacey. Fulfilled her. Kept her sane.

“And now, this thing with his brother... Michael already feels like I’m way too good for him, being semifamous and beautiful and all. There’s no way he’ll ever, ever ask me to face one of my attackers over Thanksgiving dinner. Or ever have to face him again, for that matter.”

She told Lacey how seeing Willie had made her throw up. Her sister gave her a long speculative look. “So you do the asking.”

“What?”

“You said he’d never ask. So you ask.”

Throwing her hands up, Kacey felt like giving Lacey’s shoulders a good shake. “Have you heard a thing I’ve said?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve heard all of it. Maybe even more than you have.”

Was she missing something? Even now? “What?” If she was, it was up to her other half to tell her. It was the way it had always been.

“Michael’s love is transformative, you said so yourself. You and Willie, you’re both living proof, right?”

She nodded.

“But, you see, Kace, that’s not Michael’s love...it’s love itself.”

Of course. It made sense. She nodded again, waiting.

“You just told me how certain you are of how much you love him...”

The light went on.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR