Hearts Through Time

TWELVE

Nick nodded, his throat growing tight with emotion. "I am happy, Mom."

His mother sat on the couch beside him again, took his hands, and stared deeply into his eyes. In the past when she'd done this, it had made him uncomfortable. Now, more than anything, he wanted her to look into his soul. Would she be able to read his mind, feel what was in his heart? He wanted to talk about Abby, but he didn't dare.

She nodded and smiled. "I feel this woman is indeed your soul mate."

"I know she is."

Tears formed in her eyes, and then she hugged him. Nick put his arms around her, realizing he couldn't remember the last time they'd embraced. Suddenly, he missed all of those years he'd been without her.

He pulled away and gazed into her eyes. "Mom, I want—" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Please forgive me for all the mean things I've said to you in the past. For the first time in my life, I see clearly. I feel terrible for the way I've behaved. I promise never to hurt you again."

Tears streamed down her face. "There is nothing to forgive, my dear. Your father had a lot of influence on you. In a way that's good, because it made you successful."

Nick shook his head. "But it also kept me away from a loving mother."

She cupped his face in her hands and smiled. "Thank you, Nick. I've always loved you, and I couldn't be more proud of you."

She kissed him then hugged him again. "Before you leave, I must tell you what little I've seen of your future."

Nick held his breath. Earlier, she'd mentioned everything was good. What was she holding back? "What did you see?"

She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I haven't been able to make sense of anything." She looked at him and grasped his hands. "Nothing is as it seems."

"What does that mean?"

His mother shrugged. "Like I said, I can't figure it out. All I know is that it's not right. You have to make it right. Don't set your mind on thinking things are going a certain way, because they're not. Nothing is as it seems."

Confusion filled Nick's mind as he kissed his mother goodbye and left. Her "sights" had always been a bit disoriented, yet she'd always been correct somehow. So what did her vision mean this time?

* * * *

Abigail paced the floor, praying Nick and his mother could talk things out. He seemed to long for a good relationship with her, and it tore at Abigail's heart to think he was raised without her.

She didn't remember much about her mother, but her father kept miniatures and paintings of her around the house. He'd told Abigail that her mother often took her on picnics while he was at the office, and she wished she could remember those times.

Although she loved her father dearly, she spent much more time with the servants than with him. They knew her heartaches. They knew about her frustration when her father or Harry had chased away another beau. And they especially knew what a lost and lonely girl she had been all of her life.

Thinking about the past upset her, so she walked behind Nick's desk and sat, looking for something to keep her mind occupied until he returned. The computer on his desk was still on. Since she'd been watching him for a while, she knew the miracles this contraption could do.

Abigail rested her hand on the object that fit in the curve of her palm. Why in the world they called this a mouse, she'd never understand. She moved the arrow around until she found the picture of a blue "e." Nick had called this the Internet, whatever that meant.