“Lily? My favorite daughter in the world is back!” Lily’s mother, Scarlett, exclaimed.
Lily could not help but roll her eyes at her mother’s remark. She responded, “Mom, you can’t have a favorite daughter. I am your only daughter!”
Scarlett laughed. Lily’s father, Kaleb, who was sipping tea in the living room, also laughed.
Yes, she was still living with her parents at thirty-three years old. Since her work often took her to different stations, having a place on her own was unnecessary, especially since she had Aiden.
“How was work, Lily?” Kaleb asked.
“Um.” Lily put down her bag on the floor. She replied, “It was a counter-drug operation. Pretty easy.”
“Did you get shot, Sweetie?” Kaleb asked while studying her.
Lily smirked. She proudly said, “I would not be here if I got shot.”
“Very good,” her mother remarked. She sat beside Kaleb and asked, “Why don’t you join us for tea?”
“I -” Lily paused. “I think I’ll go see Aiden.”
“Anything the matter, Lily?” Scarlett asked with a frown. “You seemed bothered?”
Lily had already walked to the foot of the staircase. She stopped, thinking if she should tell her parents about Lucas.
The Thompsons and the Wrights used to be good friends and business partners, but Lucas’ disappearance ten years ago created friction between their families. The Wrights blamed the Thompsons for breaking the trust they had built as friends.
It wasn’t just them, though. Back then, Lily sensed Lucas’ mother had become aloof towards her. It felt to Lily that Lucas’ mother blamed her instead.
Decades of friendship were flushed down the drain because Lily’s oldest brother found evidence suggesting the Thompsons hid their son’s whereabouts. So, given that fact, was it wise to bring up the pain of the past? She did not think so. Thus, she replied to her mother, “Nothing, Mom, I’m just tired.”
“Then, take a rest, Lily,” Kaleb said. “Your mom and I are going to enjoy our alone time.”
Her parents giggled while Lily choked. She knew exactly what that meant. Her parents were already seniors, but they still had an active sex life!
She ran up the stairs and first checked in on Aiden. It was a weekend, and he did not have school. The young man was sound asleep. So Lily went to her room and bathed. After getting changed, she called her boyfriend, Jake, and let him know she had arrived.
Jake was out of town and on a business trip. Thus, she had no other commitments and meant to spend more time with her son. She returned to Aiden’s room soon after.
Seeing that Aiden was awake, Lily called, “Hey!”
The boy turned to her, and he screamed, “Mommy! You are back!”
Lily wasn’t a crybaby. Oh, no, she wasn’t at all. However, seeing her son and how he looked so much like the man from earlier simply brought tears to her eyes.
Ten years ago, she gave herself to Lucas. She lost her purity, but that experience gave her Aiden.
Since Lucas was nowhere to be found and the relationship between her family and the Thompsons became stained, no one knew about Aiden except for the Wright family - her family.
Lily gave birth to a private clinic. Her family opted to home-school Aiden for the first few years. They finally let Aiden enroll in a regular school when they were sure the Thompsons were no longer checking on them, and all their business ties were canceled.
“Hey, Mom. Why are you crying? Did you get hurt from arresting bad guys?” Aiden asked with concern.
“No, Aiden,” Lily quickly shook her head. She sniffed her tears away and said, “I just miss you.”
Aiden embraced her and said, “I missed you too, Mom. Can you take a break from Black Hawk? Can you practice martial arts with me after school?”
Lily chuckled. She answered, “Sure, Aiden, but you know, any of your uncles can also teach you martial arts.”
“I know. I just want to learn from you!” Aiden said.
“Okay. Okay! It will be better if you learn from the best, anyway,” Lily winked at her son.
Lily and Aiden played video games for the first hour of their bonding. Next, they had dinner and watched a movie. It was supposed to be an adventure movie, but it featured a father and son thriving through obstacles. The film probably reminded Aiden of his father. He asked, “Mom? Is my real father still missing?”
Hearing her son, Lily’s body stiffened. Should she tell him about Lucas now? Right now, she did not know what to do. She wanted to give it a lot of thought. She gulped and replied, “Yes, Aiden. He is still... missing.”
That night, Lily remained by Aiden’s side. She stayed up for a few hours, acknowledging how her son needed a father figure. ‘Should I introduce him to Lucas? Or maybe Jake and I should get married.’
‘I can’t stay single forever,’ Lily thought.
***
The sun’s rays hit Lily’s face. She winced and woke up beside Aiden, hugging her tightly in bed the following day. Her phone rang, and she panickedly picked it up, hoping it would not wake her son.
“Lily Wright speaking,” she said, still in a daze.
“Sergeant Lily Wright, This is Sergeant Major Patton. I need you to report to the Fort Eagle Military Camp this Wednesday,” the officer said on the other line. “You have been called for an active duty.”
“Active duty? If I may ask, Sir, what for?” She asked with a frown. “I - I had just reported for my monthly service at Koplin Troop Command -”
“Sergeant, we all know that even serving as a part-time National Guard, you can be called for duty at any time,” the officer reminded her. “For now, I can only say that it is classified. You know the drill.”
“Yes, my apologies, Major. I will be there on Wednesday,” Lily reluctantly acknowledged.
“And Miss Wright,” the major said. “Prepare for a long assignment. You may need to put your full-time job on hold. Inform your family because we don’t know how long this secret mission will last.”
After the call, Lily fell silent. She was going on a secret mission, and the length of the job was unknown. She turned to Aiden and felt regretful because she was going away again.
“What in the world is this secret mission?” She muttered to herself. “On the bright side, Lily. This mission might help you decide what to do about Lucas, maybe even help you stop thinking about him.”
That was what Lily thought until... Wednesday came.
"Somebody has guilt written all over their face," Lily softly commented, seeing her oldest brother, Liam Wright, in the dining area of their home early that morning. If anyone knew about the arrival of one Lucas Thompson, her brother would be it. After all, Liam previously managed the joint businesses between their family and the Thompsons."Good morning, Lily," Scarlett greeted with a smile from the far end of the table. "Your dad and I made waffles. It's special today because you are home, and your brother Liam came to visit. It's such a wonderful surprise!""Take a seat, Lily," Liam urged, eyeing the chair right in front of him.Lily narrowed her eyes at her older brother, sarcastically saying, "It is a surprise that Liam is here. Wonder why big brother flew out here early in the morning?"She made sure to enunciate every word that left her lips. At first, Liam did not respond. He studied their parents, and after seeing they were busy preparing for breakfast, he leaned closer from
"He is an important person who needs protection. It will be your primary responsibility to oversee his security," the major loudly said to Lily while they were on a military helicopter, flying ten thousand feet above the ground. This was one of those odd assignments. When Lily arrived at the military camp earlier, Sergeant Major Patton only let her sign a confidentiality contract, and then they hopped on a helicopter. It was while in the air that the major explained the mission. It seemed like she would protect a private individual from a threat, but who? Even that was kept a secret.After some time, they ultimately arrived at their destination. Earlier, Lily thought they were closing in on a familiar city, but her senior officer often distracted her, and she had to answer many of his questions. She wasn't able to identify where they had landed. The helicopter landed on a rooftop building. Again, it all seemed familiar to Lily; however, looking at everything several feet above the
"You know what, Lucas? You are insane!" Lily yelled, pulling her arm away from him. She did it so forcefully that the necklace around Lucas' neck bounced to reveal that golden tag with her name carved on it. Instantly, Lily stilled. Her heart skipped a beat while her eyes were glued to the pendant. This was the same necklace and pendant Lucas bought the week before he disappeared. More questions formed in her head, ‘Why was he wearing this? Did he still care? If he cared, then why did he leave in the first place?’ Lily's eyes could not help but brim with tears as she stared at the pendant. With this discovery, she looked into his eyes and begged, "Please, Lucas. Tell me why you left, and maybe we can set aside all this misunderstanding." Lucas maintained eye contact. He clenched his jaws and said, "I can't, Lily. I just can't." “Then -" Lily finally snapped. "I don't want this assignment. Talk to the major about this because there is no way I can stand being in the same room as
"Mommy, are you okay? You have been staring into spaces lately," Aiden asked. Lily was helping her son with his homework. While Aiden wrote his answers in the book, Lily was in a daze. "Sorry, Buddy. Was thinking of something," Lily said. "Are you done?" "Almost. I'm so glad your mission got canceled," Aiden revealed. Lily was unsure if Lucas had canceled the request for military protection, but since Major Sergeant Patton had not called, she assumed nothing had officially been done. She supposed she still had to make that weekly report to the major by the end of the week, even if it was fake. These past three days, she had been thinking a lot about Lucas. She was furious that he would not tell her what happened to him over the years. She was even more angry that he wanted her back and expected everything to be the same. When Aiden was finally done answering his homework, the mother and son pair had snacks in the kitchen. In the middle of their meal, Lily received a call. She p
"The aortic stent graft collapse," Doctor Steven reported to the Wright family. "That caused him to faint. So, earlier, we inserted another stent, and he is under observation." "I feel that there is a but coming," Lily's oldest brother, Liam, predicted. Behind him, all of Lily's brothers were giving the doctors murderous looks. The doctor sighed and admitted, "There is an endoleak. Despite the new stent, we still see blood flowing outside the graft. This continues to put pressure on the aneurysm." Lily’s family gathered outside the recovery room to listen to Doctor Steven. Her mother, her uncle, and all five brothers were naturally there. Lily's father, Kaleb Wright, was still under observation and would be moved to his private room later. "You said you were the best at this!" Lewis, Lily's other brother, yelled. From there, everyone was nagging the doctor. "I specialize in aortic repair via stent grafts! Yes, I am the best at this," the doctor claimed. Last year, Kaleb Wrigh
“Marry me, tomorrow.” Lily blinked. Eventually, her brows furrowed, and she regained her awareness. She asked, “Marry you?” “Yes, that’s my condition,” Lucas repeated. “Of course, you can seek out other doctors from another state, perhaps from another country, but I am the convenient option, right?” Lily grunted. She answered, “You are so heartless. My father’s life is at stake, someone who was like a second father to you, and yet you come up with a bargain!” “What is so wrong about marrying me, Lily?” Lucas asked. The two remained to stare at each other. Lily did so with anger in her eyes, while Lucas had a strong look of determination. “Why? Because you hurt me, my family, and even your family? Why would I marry you?” Lily expressed. “Whose to say you won’t leave again?” “Because I am back to make it all right,” Lucas answered. “And I will do everything to repair the unfavorable outcomes of my decision to leave.” Lucas grabbed Lily’s arm and said, “I’m staying for good. I
A black Cadillac pulled over in front of Lily. The car's window rolled halfway down, and she saw those piercing dark brown eyes that held her captive for a second. As usual, Lucas had that serious look on his face. He greeted, "Good morning." "I can't be seen in public," Lucas reminded her. "Do you mind getting in on your own?" "I wasn't about to get carried into a car, anyhow," Lily muttered. Prior to flying out to Rose Hills, Lily informed Lucas' assistant of her arrival. So, as soon as she stepped out of the airport, it no longer surprised her that Lucas was there. The man arrived in a caravan of three cars. All of them looked armored and brand new. As soon as Lily settled, the car drove away from the airport, with one vehicle ahead of them and another behind. "I have already ordered Uncle Kaleb to be airlifted to Rose Hills," Lucas revealed. He was leaning back in his seat, looking out the window. "I only allowed a maximum of three visitors, I'm afraid. I will tighten sec
### FLASHBACK ### When Lily and Lucas were kids, their families decided to go on a vacation. They went to a private lakehouse. Lily's brothers were doing their own thing. Lily and Lucas, on the other hand, walked around the lake before settling on a picnic table. From there, Lily shared with Lucas a conversation with her friends at school. "My girl friends at school said that when we are older, we should have our own rings. But my friends like pink! Ewww! My brothers don't wear pink, so I never wear something pink." With a frown, she corrected, "But sometimes, Mommy forces me to wear pink and a dress." "Girls have to have a ring?" Lucas asked. "Yeah, like a diamond ring!" Lily revealed. "My mommy has a big yellow ring on her finger. Didn't you see?" "I think my mommy has blue," Lucas revealed. "I love blue!" Lily said. "My brothers wear blue all the time! When I grow up and meet my special person - because, only the special person gives that ring, you know. I want that sp