CHAPTER 18

'After what I told you back in Salem, I thought you understood.' Bo said, stunned at the question.

'A lot of time has passed since Ma was taken away and I also recall that you chose Hope over the woman you were engaged to.' Olivia hated the question she was about to ask. 'Would that had been Ma's fate if things had been different? Would you've chosen Hope over Ma?'

Bo took her hand, holding it firmly. Since the fateful night Omar Naveen had shown up at his office, the memories of Carly he'd kept locked for so long had come back with full force. Their journey; their fight for love against Victor, the Mayan Wedding, their happy life on the boat, how they'd always been there for each other in the true sense of the world. Like he'd told Brady, Carly's type of woman was rare; which was why he'd fallen in love with her after believed he could never love another woman besides Hope Williams. Hope had been his first love, and while their relationship had been loving, passionate and exciting; he'd been more of the rescuer and she'd been his damsel. He and Carly were two of a kind in spirit and personality; they took care of each other and always talked things out squarely. When they'd first met, she was never afraid to point out his faults yet her way of doing it never made him look bad, like Shawn, she'd been his wise counsel. Shawn once jokingly said she probably had Irish blood in her. Bo would never have given her up for anyone, not even Hope. He said so to Olivia.

'And,' he added, 'in answer to your question... yes, I DO love her. Deep down, I guess I never stopped.'

Olivia closed her eyes, refusing to succumb to tears of relief. 'See, that wasn't so bad.'

'I just needed to know; without hurting you. But Ma...' she shrugged. 'We've always told each other everything; but I never asked her about her feelings for you because her first priority was getting us out of that bloody house.' She smiled. 'You think she feels the same way about you?'

'Even if she doesn't,' Bo replied softly, 'I'm sure as hell going to do all I can to win her back. Because I'm NOT going to lose your Mum again.'

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'I don't understand why you're being this way with me.' Hope said. 'I thought you of all people would be glad that I've decided to work things out with your Dad.'

Shawn Douglas looked at Hope, arms folded, face hard. 'Not this way, I'm not.'

Hope stared at her son, very hurt at the words as well as his tone. 'What are you saying?'

'I can't support your decision, Mum, not when you're obviously doing this for the wrong reason.'

'Wrong reason?'

'For God's sake...' Shawn Douglas snapped, the temper he'd inherited from Bo in full gear, 'I'm not stupid! You're just doing this to stop him from getting back with Carly!'

Hope turned away, red in the face. 'I don't like what you're insinuating, Shawn Dee.'

'Of course you don't Mum, because it's true! Months ago, you left this house with Ciara...'

'I needed time to think!' Hope shouted, angry that she was being forced to explain herself to her own son.

'Then why did you file for a divorce?' Shawn Douglas demanded. 'Why, Mum? Dad's the love of your life, or so you keep saying. Was it some way of punishing him, to call him to heel?'

Hope opened her mouth but Shawn Douglas impatiently waved her answer aside. He knew what she was going to say; that Dad heard but never actually listened to her opinions, which always made her feel he treated her like a stubborn child. 'Don't even bother. What really bugs me now is this sudden change of heart.'

'I still love your Dad.' Hope insisted heatedly. 'Why's it so hard for you to believe that?'

'Because you're threatened by Carly's history with Dad; you're afraid they'll fall in love again and you're going to end up being the one staring through the window.'

'My decision has nothing to do with that woman!' Hope denied, 'and I'm really hurt that you think that!'

' "That woman"... and my sister, went through a lot over the years at the hands of a bastard who wasn't fit to wipe Dad's shoes. She almost died but you didn't think about that for a second, you were far too focused at being jealous of her for being a huge part of Dad's life while you were gone,' Shawn Douglas said coldly. 'Now you suddenly move back in after she comes out of the coma; only an idiot will find that difficult to figure out!'

Hope's hand made contact with his cheek. 'How dare you!' she hissed. 'How dare you speak to me like that; how dare you think I'm that devious!'

Shawn Douglas' eyes glinted with anger. 'Truth hurts, doesn't it, Mum?'

'You actually want Carly back in your Dad's life?' Hope said, her voice shaking.

'After the way you treated him; after the way you've been treating him after Zach died, topped with this sudden change of heart; yes, I do.' Was the blunt answer. 'This decision of yours isn't based on love, no matter what you say. You've always blamed Dad for your marital problems and getting everyone to side with you. And with everything Dad's been through, it's time he got some stability in his life and if you want to stand in his way, just know it makes you a very selfish person- because you brought this on yourself in the first place.'

Hope turned away, her shoulders shaking. Ignoring her, Shawn Douglas went upstairs to kiss Ciara good night. He found her on the floor, drawing.

'Doodle bug, you're supposed to be in bed.' He said, sitting down beside her.

' I wanted to finish this first.' Ciara explained, holding her work up. Though childlike in perceptive, it clearly depicted a woman in a pink ball gown, holding a sceptre, a tiara on her long wavy brown hair. Two bright green circles were her eyes.

'Who's she?' Shawn Douglas asked, although he had a pretty good idea.

'It's Aunt Carly.' Fascinated at what Olivia had told her about her mother, Ciara had formed a mental picture of her. 'I want to give it to her as a present. Do you think she'll like it?' she asked anxiously.

Shawn Douglas remembered the picture he'd drawn as a get well gift for Carly after the elevator accident. After her discharge, she'd had it framed and hung it in her office, to his surprise and delight. 'She's going to love It.' he assured her. He couldn't help but notice that Ciara now regarded Carly as "Aunt Carly" in place of "Olivia's Mummy." Ciara had told him about her talk with Olivia but still insisted to know why Olivia didn't want to be a princess, like in the fairy tales. Shawn Douglas had the feeling that even if Olivia had been an Alamain, she still would have renounced her title, considering the type of man Lawrence had been.

His mind switched to Carly, wishing he'd been able to go to Paris to see her. He never called her 'Mum,' but she'd been a huge part of his life long before she and his Dad got engaged. He'll never forget how terrified he'd been in the deep, dark narrow oil well before feeling Carly's warm, comforting hands touching him. During his stay at the hospital she was there to comfort him when he'd cried for his mother, holding him in her arms as she rocked him to sleep. When his father was kidnapped, with a child's desperation, he'd slipped away to find him; not regarding the dangers...

'Shawn Douglas?' a familiar voice called. Filled with relief he ran into her arms. 'Carly!'

She lifted him up, kissing his cheek frantically. 'Oh, thank God you're safe! We've been so worried about you!'

'I'm sorry, Carly.' He said, ashamed at the distress in her voice.

'Here...' she had his jacket in her hands and slipped it on his shivering body.

'You must be freezing! That's it...' she zipped it up. 'Why did you come here, huh?'

'Green Oaks is Papa's favourite place, if he didn't come home, he'd come here, so I'm waiting for him.'

Carly shook her head, her hair blowing about in the whistling wind. 'Sweetheart, I think you have to come back to the boat with me; it's going to get really cold tonight.'

'I don't care,' he said stubbornly. 'I'm not leaving without Papa.'

'Shawn Douglas...' Carly's hands held his face. 'Remember what I told you about the bad men who took your papa?'

'I remember.'

'Then you know he's not coming home tonight,' she said sadly.

He moved away from her touch, terror and sadness running through him. Suppose Papa never came back... like Mummy?

'Hey,' Carly pleaded. 'I don't think your Papa would like it a lot if you got sick.' She tugged at his hand. 'Come now... let's go home.'

He turned back to her. 'You don't think he's coming back, do you?'

'Of course, I do! Baby, I want that more than anything in this world. We're friends- which means we tell each other the truth, right?'

He nodded.

'The truth is, I don't know if your Papa is coming home. But he loves us very much and I trust he's trying everything he can to get back to us.'

'But...' he said, frightened, 'what if something happens to him? What will happen to me?' Carly's pretty eyes stared at him for a moment.

'I want you to listen to me and I want you to remember this,' she placed her hands on his shoulders. 'You are as much as a part of my life as your papa and you and I, we're going to be together forever.'

'I'm glad, because I love you Carly.' He said truthfully, consoled by her words. He was not going to be alone like he feared. Although he had his grandparents, uncles and aunts- Carly was the closest link to his Papa and he needed her near him always.

'And I love you. I love you very, very much.' She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. He pressed his small cheek against hers, feeling a whole lot better.

Shawn Douglas knew very well his words had shocked and hurt his mother but he wasn't a little boy anymore; he had to call a spade a spade. This was more a rough patch this time; this time it was over. It was almost like divine intervention; Carly coming back during another dark period in his Dad's life. For the first time in ages, Dad had that old twinkle back in his eyes, actually smiling and the way he'd looked so worried when he told him, Phillip and Justin about Carly's cardiac arrest said it all. Dad was falling, has fallen in love with Carly Manning again and Shawn Douglas didn't blame him one bit. If he wanted to forge a future with her, then he had his blessing. Looking down at his little sister who was putting finishing touches to Carly's gift, he wondered how their father's new relationship was going to affect her.