Part 02: Billy - The Hidden Truth

"Why is New Year's Eve so special?" I asked, thinking aloud.

She shrugged. "I suppose it gives people a chance to hope for better things."

"I suppose so. I hope next year is a better one."

She sat on the bed beside me. "So do I," she said. "For us both."

I stood up and pulled her toward me and she let herself fall against me, our lips meeting, my arms around her shoulders. Then, gently and gracefully, I pulled her toward the bed and we sat again. I turned her so that we were facing each other. I kissed her hair, her forehead, her eyes, the tip of her nose, before pressing my lips to hers. When our tongues touched, I felt my body loosen up.

"You smell so good," I told her. "I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a garden."

My hands dropped below her shoulders and found the zipper on her dress. As I lowered it and the garment became loose around her bosom, she moaned and let herself fall back on the pillow. I brought my lips to her chin and then moved over her throat and down the valley between her breasts.

"Billy, we're not being careful," she whispered, but she still held tightly to me, as if wanting to contradict herself.

"I know," I said. "We will," he promised, but I started to slip her dress over her shoulders and down her arms. It fell to her waist. I sat back and she stared up at me as I peeled off my sports jacket, loosened my tie, and unbuttoned my shirt. She closed her eyes and did not open then again until she felt me toying with her bra until I had it unfastened and then my lips were against her naked breasts, kissing each of them softly, until she pushed me away and pressed her lips to mine.

My hands were under her dress, groping for her panties. We should have stopped then, but instead I slipped her panties off. I moaned and whispered her name, as I brought myself to her opening.

"Billy," she cried, weakly.

"It's good, Lucy. It's beautiful and meant to be. Otherwise, we wouldn't love each other as much as we do."

She didn't resist. She let me enter her and touch her even more deeply than I had touched her before. I don't know how often she cried my name, but this time our love making was so intense, it brought tears to my eyes. She embraced me so tightly, one would have thought she was afraid of being thrown off the bed.

We reached our climaxes at the same time, ravishing each other with kisses, moving our lips over one another's faces like two people starving for affection. We smothered our cries against one another's neck and shoulders to prevent our parents from hearing anything. We wound ourselves down with deeps gasps, our hearts pounding against one another's, both of us so surprised at our passion we could only laugh.

"Feel this," I said, placing her palm over my heart.

"You feel mine."

We lay side by side, silent for a while, our heartbeats tapping against our hands. Then I sat up and leaned over her, gazing down at her.

"I love you," I said. "I can't say it enough."

"Will you love me forever and ever?"

"I can't see how I could stop," I said, and kissed her softly.

On the radio, the announcer, in a very excited voice, began a countdown. "Ten, nine, eight . . . "

Lucy took my hand and we recited the rest of the numbers together.

"Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one—HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

"Auld Lang Syne" began to play on the radio.

"Happy New Year, Lucy."

"Happy New Year, Billy."

We kissed each other, and for a few seconds it seemed like nothing in this world was strong enough to tear us apart. I hadn't felt this happy and contented for such a long time. It was a good feeling. I guess I needed it more than I had realized.

We got dresses, fixed our hair, and straightened ourselves up so that we looked almost as prim and neat as we had at the beginning of the evening. Then we left and went downstairs to join the party. It was a blur to me, because I could not take my eyes off Lucy. I was happier than I could ever remember being and I was terrified that it wouldn't last.

At the end of the night, I stood at my mother's side and politely greeted everyone as they were on their way out. After all the guests were gone, I said a goodnight to my mother and went upstairs to pack my bags. After I had finished, I undressed down to my boxers and climbed into bed.

A few minutes later, Lucy came to me. She opened and closed my door so quietly that I didn't know she was there until she lifted the blanket and climbed under the covers with me. I put my arms around her and pulled her close to me, kissing her forehead.

"I don't want you to leave," she whispered.

"I know," I said, my voice low, "but I'll be back when school lets out for the summer. I'll be yours for two whole months."

She smiled up at me. "All mine?"

"All yours," I repeated.

We made love again that night, as if it would be our last night together. This time it was different, lasting three times as long as before. Then, she pushed me over until I was on my back and soon, she was riding me. Her cries were becoming louder and more intense. Afraid they might have heard us, I rolled her over and our lovemaking continued.

When our lovemaking ended, we lay still, listening to each other's trembling breath, our hearts still pounding.

"Oh, my God!" I gasped. "Lucy."

She leaned up and looked down at me. "Something to remember me by," she said, smiling mischievously.

I grinned up at her. "I could never forget you anyway."

"I hope not, Billy."

I reached out and gently held the letter B that was hanging from her necklace. "This here is my promise, Lucy."

She nodded and then pressed her lips against my chest. Soon, we fell asleep in each others arms. That was the best feeling in the world.

When I woke up the next morning, Lucy was gone. I got up and took a shower and then took my bags downstairs. David was gone, but I found my mother in the kitchen. Lucy was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. We exchanged smiles when I walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sweetie," my mother greeting. "Are you all packed?"

"Yeah," I told her.

She nodded. "Good." Then, she looked at me for a long moment. "I can't believe you're leaving today. Time flew by so fast."

"Usually does when you're having fun," I told her.

She glanced at Lucy and then back at me. She just smiled.

"I can't believe you're making me fly back to West Virginia," I told her.

"I know. I would drive you, but I've gotta work."

"I know. I guess I'll forgive you this time, Mom."

She looked at me quickly. "That is the first time I have heard you call me Mom," she said.

"Oh," I said.

"Thank you," she said.

I just nodded.

Lucy rode to the airport with us. My mother gave me a goodbye hug.

"I hope you come back for the summer," she told me.

"I will," I promised. Lucy stood off to the side, with tears in her eyes. My heart plunged. I took her into my arms. "Please," I pleaded. "Don't cry."

"I can't help it," she said, her face buried in my chest.

I laughed, softly. "I love you. I'll be back."

She nodded. "I know. I love you."

"I love you more," I replied. She glanced at my mother when I began to lean in for a kiss. "It's okay," I promised. "She knows."

She nodded and then kissed me. "Don't forget," she said, toying with the identification bracelet she had given me for Christmas.

"I won't."

"Here," my mother said, handing me a cellphone.

I looked at her. "What is this?"

"It's a cellphone," she said. "So we can be in touch always."

"Awesome. Thanks, Mom."

"Call us when you get home," she said.

"I will."

I hugged them both again and then I boarded the plane. I was so nervous, but I relaxed once we were in the air. I slept most of the way and before I knew it, I was home. My friends were there to pick me up in Devon's van.

"Hey!" I cried when I saw them waiting at the gate.

"Welcome home," Lance said.

"It's good to be home."

It was an hour and a half drive to get back home. We stopped at a restaurant along the side of the road to get something to eat. After the waitress had taken our order, I took my cellphone out of my pocket and dialed my mother's number.

It rang twice and then someone picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom," I said. "Hey, I made it here safely," I told her.

"Oh, good," she said, and let out a breath.

"You weren't worried, were you?" I asked her.

"I wasn't," she replied. "But someone else was."

"Oh. Can I talk to Lucy?" I asked her.

My friends looked at me so fast, I thought they might have broken their necks.

"Who is Lucy?" Dalton asked me.

I ignored him and got up and walked outside.

"Billy?" came Lucy's voice on the other end.

"Hey, Baby," I greeted. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"Yours, too. I'm missing you already."

"I know," I said, leaning against Lance's pickup. "Me, too."

"I think I might sleep on your bed tonight," she told me.

I smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll feel close to you that way."

"That's sweet," I told her. "Anyway, I better go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too."

We hung up and I walked back into the restaurant and when I sat at the table, Lance and Dalton looked at me.

"What?" I asked them.

"What is that?" Dalton asked me.

"It was a Christmas gift from Lucy," I told him, remember the night she gave it to me.

"I know that look," Lance told me, recognizing the stupid smile that was on my face. "Very well."

"Who is she?" Devon asked me.

"She is my mother's stepdaughter," I told them.

"Stepdaughter?" Dalton repeated. "She remarried?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but she seems happy."

"So . . . the girl?" Devon pressed.

"Her name is Lucy and I, uh, I think I fell in love with her," I told him.

"Wow," he said. "Really?"

"Yeah. I know it's probably wrong, but . . . " I looked at Lance. "I couldn't stop it any more than you could."

He didn't say anything, just looked away.

"Well, if there's no blood shared," Ronnie told me.

I looked at him. "That is true."

When we got home, I put my things in my bedroom and then I pulled out my new guitar that my mother had bought me. I left my old one in Florida, so I would not have to haul it back and fourth.

"Wow!" Lance exclaimed. "Where'd you get that?"

"My mother gave it to me for Christmas," I told him.

"Wow," he said, again.

"So," Devon said, when we gathered on the back patio. "You haven't said, and we've been dying to know. How did it go with your mother?"

"Um, surprisingly well, actually," I told him.

"Really?" Lance followed.

"Yeah," I replied. "Once I got to know her again, she turned out to be a really cool person. She is trying to be an actress. Her husband is some kind of business man."

"Is she loaded?" Ronnie asked me.

I laughed. "Yeah. Lucy and I tried to keep our relationship from our parents, because we didn't think our parents would approve. But my mother knew the whole time and she never said anything."

"That's cool," Ronnie told me.

"How come she left like she did?" Dalton asked me.

I looked at him. "He beat her, too."

"Oh."

"How are you doing?" Lance asked me. "The nightmares, I mean."

"Well," I said, just realizing that I had not had one since my first night it Florida. "I haven't had any in a while, actually."

"Really?" Lance said.

"How did you get them to stop?" Dalton asked me.

I looked at him. "I prayed."

"Really?" Dalton said.

"I thought you didn't believe in that any more."

"I didn't think I did," I said. "But Lucy . . . she changed my mind."

"Oh, really?" Devon said.

"Yeah," I said and told them about what happened that night. "She gave me a Bible and, amazingly, I've actually been reading it."

"Prayer doesn't just change circumstances," Lance said. "It changes us. It's the main reason that I'm not so angry any more."

"Do you ever sit and wonder why all this has happened?" Dalton asked us.

"Every day," I told him.

"Yeah," Lance said. "I've always wondered if it was something I did. Maybe God blamed me for something that I did or didn't do. I mean, why would he bring Miranda into my life if I was only meant to lose her again?"

My mind raced back to everything that had happened. Lance's word made me think.

"Even He blamed me," I said, my voice low.

Lance looked at me. "What?"

"Even God blamed me," I repeated.

"For what?" asked Dalton.

"For Mom leaving," I told him. "He used my father to punish me."

"I don't believe that God would be that cruel, Billy," Lance told me.

"I think He's testing us," Devon spoke up.

"Testing us?" I said. "For what?"

"For life. Maybe he's trying to prepare us for something."

"No," Lance said. "God isn't doing this. I think it goes lower than him."

"Do you think there really is a devil?" Ronnie asked him.

He nodded. "I believe so."

My cellphone rang. It was Lucy. I smiled to myself and answered it. "Lucy," I said into the phone. "Hey, baby."

"Hey, Baby," Devon mocked behind me and the others laughed.

"Billy?" she said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I told her. "We are just reminiscing."

"Oh."

I got up and walked out into the yard. "I miss you, Lucy," I told her when I was out of earshot.

"I miss you, too," she told me. "Do you wish you had stayed?"

"I am beginning to," I confessed.

She giggled. "I know I do." There was a short pause. "Well, I just called to tell you goodnight, so . . . goodnight, Billy. I love you."

"I love you, too, Lucy. Goodnight."

I hung the phone up and walked back up onto the porch. We hung out for a little while longer and then I went to bed.

The next morning, there was a phone call from my father's lawyer. He asked to come out to the house to talk to me. He was waiting for me when I got home from school that day.

"Hello," he greeted, extending his right hand. "I am Jimmy Maxwell."

"Hi," I said. Dalton was there beside me. "Is it okay of he's here?"

"That is entirely up to you, Billy," he told me. "Is there somewhere that we could sit and talk?"

"Sure," I told him and we walked up onto the porch.

"Now," he began. "About this will."

"Yeah," I said. "I didn't even know he had a will."

"Well, he wanted to be prepared," he told me. "He wanted to make sure you were taken care of."

"Taken care of?" I said. "He tried to kill me."

"Billy," Dalton said behind me.

I inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Billy," he told me. "No forgiveness needed. Anyway, your father has left you everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes. The house, along with everything inside, and a very large amount of money," he said.

"Money?" I repeated. I was not sure I had heard him correctly.

"Yes," he said. "Am I to understand that he never told you any of this?"

"He never said much of anything to me, Sir."

"I see," he said. "Well, there are exactly one hundred and seventy five-thousand dollars in a savings account at your father's bank."

Dalton and I exchanged glances.

"He left all this to me?" I asked, stunned. "Why?"

"Your father was a very . . . complicated man, Billy."

"I'm beginning to see that."

"So, I just have some papers here that I need you to sign and I will get out of your way," he told me.

"Okay," I said, and, after reading over the papers, signed them.

"If you have any questions, feel free to call me," he told me, handing me his business card.

"Thank you. I will," I told him.

After he had left, Dalton and I looked at each other.

"A hundred and seventy-five thousand?" Dalton said, aloud, looking just as shocked as I was.

"Yeah," was all I said, not sure how to respond.

Later that evening, before practice, Dalton and I told our friends about the inheritance. They were just as taken aback as we were.

"So, what are your plans now?" Devon asked me.

"Well," I said, sitting on the chair with my guitar. "I don't really have any. I just want to get on with my life and put everything behind me."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Lance said.

"It's strange how things happen, isn't it?" Ronnie said.

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I don't think I would ever have seen my mother again if my father hadn't . . . if he hadn't . . . " I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"If he hadn't tried to kill you?" Devon finished for me.

I looked at him. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Anytime."

"I probably would never have met Lucy and she has saved me in so many ways," I said. "I was happier than I had ever been. For a while, I almost forgot everything."

We were quiet for a moment.

"What about a recording studio," I said, aloud. Everybody looked at me.

"What?" Ronnie said.

"A recording studio," I repeated. "We could build a really nice one."

"You are crazy," Devon said.

"Probably," I agreed. "But it could work." I looked at Lance. "Since you are the computer nerd here."

"Hey," he cried, defensively. "I am not a nerd."

I laughed. "Okay," I agreed. "But you know computers better than any of us. Think about it, guys. We could make our own demos."

"This could work," Dalton said, and everyone else agreed.

"But . . . where would we build it?" Dalton asked.

"Well," I replied. "I was thinking about remodeling my house and maybe we could add it on."

"Your house? Are you sure?" Lance asked.

"Yeah. I won't be moving into it for a while. It has to be changed. I would have nightmares."

"You don't need that again," Dalton told me.

Lucy and I wrote letters back and fourth for a few weeks, but then her letters stopped coming. I thought that maybe she had found someone closer to her.

However, one night during a rehearsal, my cellphone rang. It was my mother, telling me that she and Lucy would be flying in for spring break.

"Is Lucy there?" I asked her.

"Yes," she told me after a short pause. "She's upstairs. She hasn't been feeling well."

"Is everything all right?" I asked her.

"Everything is fine," she told me.

"Oh," I said. "Okay. Well, can you tell her I love her."

"I will, Billy," she told me. "I'll see you in a few days."

I hung the phone up and stood there for a few minutes. I should have been happy, but I wasn't. Something was wrong. I could feel it.

"Is everything okay?" Lance asked me.

"I'm not sure," I replied.

"What's wrong?" Dalton asked.

"My mother and Lucy are flying in for spring break," I told them.

"But . . . isn't that a good thing?" Devon asked, confused.

"It should be," I said. "But something doesn't feel right."

"That's strange," Lance said.

"I'm sure everything is all right, Billy," Dalton said. "She would have told you, wouldn't she?"

"I guess so."

School let out a week later for Spring Break. Lance and I drove to the airport the next morning and waited for my mother's plane to land. When she came through the gate, I was surprised to see that Lucy was with her. My mother greeted me with a hug, but Lucy hung back, which stung my heart. I was nearly desperate for a hug from her.

When we got back home, Dalton fixed us something to eat, while we sat outside on the porch.

"Mom?" I said, when no one said anything. "What's the matter?"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. "My husband was, uh, killed in a car accident," she revealed.

My heart sank. "No. Mom, I am so sorry."

She just nodded. "It happened a couple of days after you left.

I looked at Lucy, who stood off to the side, looking as if she were ready to break. "I wish you had called me," I told them.

"I wanted to, Billy," my mother told me. "I tried so many times, but with the funeral and everything else . . . I just couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone."

Dalton poked his head out the door. "The food is ready if you all are hungry."

We went inside to eat, but I could not keep my eyes off Lucy, who just nibbled on her sandwich. Even sad, she was still so beautiful. Dalton noticed that I was staring at her and he just grinned at me.