SECRETS OF THE PAST
Chapter Thirty
Franklin lay still for a moment,
holding onto Erica. He had never expected to do this. Hadn't he promised Leah? He
let Erica go.
"Is everything okay?"
she asked.
"Yeah. Everything is
fine." He zipped up his pants. He was done with her. He looked in the
mirror, fixed his hair, and splashed water on his face. "I'll be out
there, okay?"
"Yeah." She wondered
why he had just stopped. When he had come into the plane, he had been ready for
her. She knew it had something to do with Leah. It had to.
*****
He felt disgusted with himself.
Everyone was happy, sitting there with their girls, and he was messing around
with Erica when he knew damned well he shouldn't be. He felt like a hypocrite.
How could he be so stupid? Was it a weakness, or did he really love Erica more
than Leah?
In the summer, during the camping
trip, he had loved Leah more than anyone else on earth. What was it about Erica
that made him want her more? He loved her body. He knew that for sure, but he
couldn't treat her like a whore. He had no right to do that.
She was carrying his baby, and he
was thankful for that. He loved her in some way. He knew that he did. It wasn't
a lie.
When she came out, she looked at
him, puzzled.
"Franklin, do you love me or
not?" she asked point blank.
"Erica, it's complicated. I
love you, but it’s a different kind of love," he admitted.
"How so?" She sat down
on the seat next to him.
"You've got to understand,
Erica. I love you and Leah. You both are very special to me, and it is not fair
that I should be happy when the other is not around. Do you understand what I
am talking about?" He looked into her eyes.
"Yeah. You can't be happy
around me while you’re thinking about Leah. Is that what you’re telling
me?" She was upset.
"Sort of." He didn't
know how to tell her exactly what he felt, because even he didn't know.
"But it’s all right to have
sex with me, right?" Erica wanted the real truth.
"Of course not. I love being
with you more than I should." He leaned back in his seat and pulled his
hair back.
"Franklin, I completely
understand. I am not trying to replace Leah in your life. I would never do
that." She closed her hand over his. "The only reason I came here was
to be with you, because I knew you would be alone." She didn't feel any
guilt at all.
"It's all right, Erica,
honestly. Don't blame yourself. I know you love me. I love you, too." He
kissed her lips. As he kissed her, something began to dawn on him. "Erica,
when our baby is born, I wanna be there for you in every way possible. I mean,
I know I am marrying Leah, but I am the baby's father. I would like very much
for it to be a part of me as well as you."
"I don't see how you'll be
married to us both in the state of California. You’re not allowed to have two
wives," she reminded him.
"Yeah. I know, Erica. I'm
gonna call Leah. You'd better stay here." He got up from his seat and
looked for a phone.
He punched in her number and waited
for her to answer. When someone picked up, it was a male voice.
"Hello. Who is this?"
the man asked.
"This is Franklin Abagnale.
Is my fiancée there?" Frank asked.
"Frank, this is Kyle."
He patted Leah's shoulder.
"Kyle, why are you at my
fiancée's house?" Frank asked him.
"Listen, Frank, you haven't
been here. She needed someone to help her through the tragedy." Kyle
looked over at Leah. She was distraught.
"What tragedy?"
Franklin asked.
"She lost the baby. You
weren't around, but I was," Kyle said. He had always felt like an older
brother to Leah.
"Can I talk to her?"
Franklin paced the plane as he scratched his chin.
"Yeah," he said, and
passed the phone over.
"Hello," Leah said.
"Hello, Leah. I am sorry to
hear about the baby," he said calmly.
"I missed you so much. I am
sorry. When you get back, I am giving you back your ring. It was wrong to take
it. I deserve this because of what I did to you." For some reason, she
felt guilty.
"No, Leah, don't hate
yourself. I love you. Listen, I am coming back. The mission is over. I'll be
home as soon as I can. I love you, Leah." In all honesty, he still loved
her, no matter what.
"Love you, too. Bye. See you
soon," she said, and clicked off.
Frank walked over to Erica and
held her. He knew now that maybe he and Leah had never been meant to be. He
needed to take care of Erica, now more than ever, and help Leah to forgive
herself.
"Frank, what is it? What
happened?" She knew something was up.
"Leah lost the baby. She's
with Kyle." He felt the pain in his heart for their loss, but he did feel
there was hope.
"Kyle?" Erica tilted
her head awkwardly.
"Yeah. Apparently, he's been
there for her. I knew he liked her. He just never admitted it to himself, and
now that I am away, he's taken the only girl I ever truly loved." He
looked over at Erica and knew he must have caused her pain when he said it. He
felt like such a hypocrite. Maybe he and Leah had outgrown each other. Maybe it
was time to say good-bye and start a new relationship with someone who loved him
just as much, if not more. "Erica, I love you, maybe not as much as I
loved Leah, but I love you." He kissed her.
"You're on the rebound.
Please don't say what you don't mean." She pushed him away.
"You think I am lying to
you? I wouldn't have made love to you if I didn't feel love for you in some
way, and now that you are the only one carrying my baby, it makes me love you
even more." Franklin admitted the truth.
"How do you know this is
even yours? It could be Danny's," she said out of anger.
"Is it?" he asked.
"What do you think?"
She didn't answer.
"I think we need to chat in
private." He took her by the arm and dragged her to the back of the plane.
"What are we doing back
here?" she asked.
"Out of prying ears, love. I
don't want anyone to hear what I am about to say to you." He was
frustrated so much with her, his anger was increasing.
"All right. What did you
have to say?" She stood still, waiting for him to speak.
"Don't you play with me,
Erica. If this child is not mine, don't let me think it is. Tell me the
truth!" He pushed her against the metal of the plane.
"What do you want me to say,
Frank? I only lost my virginity to Danny because you didn't have the balls to
make love to me then, and I know you wanted to. But Leah was so precious to
you. Where is she now but in the arms of another man?" She pushed him
back.
He got so angry, he punched the
plane, and it began to wobble. He dragged Erica to a seat and she strapped
herself in. Franklin ran to the head of the plane and saw his father struggling
with the controls.
"Dad, what's
happening?" Franklin asked.
"I began the descent, but we
don't have any brakes," Jack said.
"Shit!" Franklin said.
"Get in the back and strap
yourself in. We are heading for a rough landing!" Jack shouted to him.
Franklin got into his seat with
Erica and held onto her hand for dear life. When he felt it touch the ground,
he braced himself. It was a really bumpy ride. He hit his head, and everything
turned black.