The next morning, Lalie, Kevin, James, Carole and Harold headed to the airport and boarded their flight back to Pennsylvania.
"I can't believe we're really going home," Lalie said, sitting down next to the aisle.
"We came in a group of four," James observed as he looked around the group. "We're going home in a group of five, but we're missing one of the members from our original group."
"The person we're missing will be spending the rest of her life paying for what she did," Lalie added, looking around at the other passengers. She noticed a man with curly hair sitting a couple seats ahead of her. Suddenly, an image of Phil appeared in her head. She shook her head, trying to erase that image.
"Is something wrong?" Kevin asked her, noticing the tension.
Lalie looked at him with a confused expression. "No," Lalie quickly replied. "Why?"
"You were distant," Kevin answered.
"Distant?" Lalie wanted to know with a laugh. "What would I have to be distant about?" she asked rhetorically.
"She's probably just nervous about going home," Carole cut in. "Don't worry, Lalie, I'll make your favorite eggs and bacon tomorrow morning!"
Lalie remembered Phil giving her the bacon. "Bacon?" she asked.
"Your favorite breakfast hasn't changed, has it?" Carole wanted to know.
"Of course not, Mom," Lalie told her in a warm tone. "I can't wait for that breakfast tomorrow morning."
"There was something I wanted to ask you, Lalie," Kevin began, as Lalie turned to look at him. "I don't think the timing is right now, though."
"Of course it's right," Lalie assured him, putting her hand in his. "What did you want to ask me?"
Kevin looked reluctant. "I can wait," he replied. "I want to get it right this time."
Lalie gave him a serious look. "Whatever you wanted to tell me, please do," she whispered, a smile forming.
"I can't begin to tell you how much I missed you," Kevin started, his eyes connecting with hers. "Not knowing where you were, not hearing your voice or feeling your presence," he continued, pausing after he said that. "I never want to experience those feelings again," he told her. "I know this plane isn't the most romantic of places to ask you this," he began as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box and tried to get on one knee in that small aisle, as Lalie put her hand over her mouth. "I know I made my mistakes last time but I know I'm not making any this time," he smiled. "Will you be my wife, Lalie?"
"Oh, my God," Lalie whispered in tears. Just then, images of when Phil gave her the deck of cards, when she awoke on his shoulder and when he told her that he would never leave her all flooded back into her memory.
"Is that a, 'yes'?" Kevin asked her in a hopeful tone.
Lalie swallowed hard, she knew she was in love with Kevin. Why were all these memories entering her memory? "How could you even ask that?" Lalie asked him, tearing up even more. "Of course it's a yes," Lalie told him, as Kevin pushed the ring onto her finger and they kissed passionately.
Congratulations went around the group. Carole had composed herself better than she did when Kevin proposed to Heather.
"Lalie, we have another wedding to plan!" Carole told her in a thrilled tone.
"We'll take our time," Kevin told her, looking directly at her. "It won't be rushed."
"I can't wait," Lalie replied as she looked down at her ring with a smile. She excused herself and walked down to the bathroom.
Once inside, Lalie looked at herself in the mirror. "What is going on with me?" she asked herself.
A while later, the Mills' returned home. Kevin and James walked in with them before they left to go see Vivian.
"I never thought I'd be walking through that door again," Lalie pointed out as she walked into her living room and breathed in the smell of her house.
"I'm so glad you made it home safely, the future Mrs. Kevin Neelan," Kevin said, putting his arm around her.
"You made me so happy on that plane," Lalie told him as she kissed him and looked at her ring.
"I can't wait for us to walk down that aisle," Kevin replied. "I'll let you get some rest, I'll call you later or tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure," Lalie replied. "If not, I'll see you Monday!"
"Monday?" Kevin asked in shock. "There's no way you're going back to work on Monday."
Lalie laughed. "Why not?" she argued. "Okay, we'll see," she quickly answered before he had a chance to say anything.
"Take care," James told them as he and Kevin left.
As Carole locked the door, Lalie envisioned that infamous door in the room as Phil walked through it. Lalie closed her eyes tight and tried to erase these flashbacks.
The doorbell rang and Lalie went to answer it.
"Layla Mills?" a voice on the other end of the door said. "These are for you," he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers.
"Who are they from?" Harold wanted to know as Lalie closed the door and walked over to the table.
Lalie set down the flowers and took out the card. "They're from Heather," she announced.
"Read the card," Carole encouraged.
"Dear Lalie," Lalie began. "I'm so happy to hear that you're well. I know you're probably wondering what Aunt Nora and I have been up to, so when you read this card, please call me! I know you're dying to know! All my love, Heather."
"Heather has such a way with words," Carole laughed.
Lalie picked up the phone with a smile on her face and began to dial Heather's number.
Vivian sat on the couch in her living room as she gazed around. She knew that Kevin and James were due home today. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Hi, Mom," Kevin said, as he hugged her.
James did the same as they walked in, Vivian shut the door behind them.
"I'm glad that you're back and that Lalie is safe," Vivian told them, obviously nervous about something. "I guess asking if you had a nice trip would be a stupid question."
"No," James assured her. "Saint Paul is a very nice city."
Vivian smiled as James and Kevin walked into the living room.
"Mom?" Kevin asked. "Something looks different in here," he said, noticing the coffee table was missing.
Vivian took a deep breath as she walked in behind them. "What do you mean?"
"I've only lived in this house for the first 26 years of my life," Kevin started. "Wasn't there a coffee table there?"
"There was," Vivian replied, trying not to tear up.
"Where's Dad?" James asked her, looking up the stairs. "Don't tell me he's gone on one of those business trips again."
Vivian put her hand over her mouth and cried, as Kevin and James gave her both very concerned glances.
"What is it?" Kevin reluctantly asked, he knew something was very wrong.
"Your father is gone," Vivian whispered to them through tears. "He left me."
"He can't be," James told her in a serious tone, as he once again looked around.
"You both did a wonderful job trying to keep us together with those counseling sessions, but what I found out, I just couldn't keep going," Vivian explained, sounding out of breath. "He filed for divorce after you left, and then he was gone."
Kevin shook his head, obviously in disbelief. "Why did he file for it if you found something out?" he wanted to know.
"I told him where I stood and he took matters into his own hands," Vivian told them. "There isn't going to be any court involved, we agreed not to let it get to that point. We wouldn't want our sons to endure that."
"What did you find out that made this happen?" James demanded to know.
A look of anger washed over Vivian's face. "He ridiculed and berated me for what happened with Ted Sherman," she started. "It turns out that on one of his many business trips, he had-" she cut herself off.
"Tell us, right now," Kevin firmly ordered.
"God, I can't, how will you take this?" Vivian closed her eyes and turned around.
James gently put his hand on her shoulder to make her turn around. "We have every right to know what happened."
Vivian looked into each one of their eyes before she continued. "He had an affair a long time ago," she explained. "He said that he got another woman pregnant," she quickly said, putting her hand over her mouth immediately.
James and Kevin looked like the wind was knocked out of them.
"You mean," Kevin softly started. "We have a brother or sister out there?"
Vivian nodded in tears, as Kevin and James began to tear up, as well. How could they come back and find out all this information at once? Kevin didn't even tell her about his engagement, he didn't have the chance.
"Kevin, I told you over and over again," James began in anger, as he looked straight at Kevin.
"Told me what?" Kevin asked him, a tear escaping his eye.
"We shouldn't have gone on that trip," James finished. "How many times did I say it? Of course you don't listen to me."
Kevin looked at him in shock. "How could you spout accusations?"
"If you didn't persuade me to go on that trip with you, then-" James cut himself off abruptly, storming up the stairs. A moment later, the slamming of his door could be heard.
"I'm so sorry," Vivian whispered as Kevin looked at her and sadly walked out of the house.
Vivian stood there as the reality of the situation began to sink in. She lost one member of her family. She'd be damned if she lost two more.
The End
Special Thank You<\b>
I'd like to thank Lori Lynn for helping me write this book. Without her creative insight and unique characters, this book wouldn't have been what it was. It was an honor to write this crossover book, I truly think we accomplished our goal in "The Object of Captivity."
If you liked "The Object of Captivity," then I strongly recommend that you read "Paying the Consequences," and "Breaking the Ice." In "Breaking the Ice," you can continue to follow the character of Phil, that was first introduced in "The Object of Captivity."
Again, thanks to Lori Lynn!
Unforeseen Circumstances (Book 3)
Non-Nsync {Fiction}
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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