by Jamie Pope
“It’s just part-time right now. I’m the activities director. I’m teaching health and nutrition to senior citizens four days a week. We even do a cooking class on Thursday. Next fall we’re going to roll out a reading-based after-school program for the local kids. I’m really excited about it.”
“Next fall? So you see yourself settling here. You must really like it.”
“Of course she sees herself settling here,” Patricia said. “She’s pregnant. She’s going to have his bastard baby.”
Tanner cursed. Her mother gasped. Heavy silence fell around the fire. “Patricia!” her husband scolded. His face was stormier than Cassandra had ever seen.
“Why should I be quiet when I find this whole thing disgusting? She got to live!” she spat. “She gets to go on being happy, while my son is cold and dead in the ground.”
“You shut up, Patricia!” Cora left her seat, lunging at the other woman, but her husband caught her. Tanner grabbed Teo and Nova by the hand and led them back toward the house. “Where do you get off suggesting that my daughter should have died and your son should have lived? What happened to them was a tragedy. How can you blame Cassandra for that?”
“He loved her so much. Too much! He took that job in the school to be near her. He did everything for her, and she was in love with him the whole time.” She looked from Wylie to Cassandra as she said that. “You didn’t love Terrance like he deserved. And now it’s your fault he’s dead.”
Tears filled Cassandra’s eyes. Patricia was right. She didn’t love Terrance like he deserved, but hearing it out loud from somebody else was painful.
“It’s not her fault,” her mother defended her. “Terrance took that job because he wanted to. Nobody made him. And, yes, Terrance loved her, but not like he should. He loved her in a sick way—in a controlling way—because he knew all along that Wylie loved her. He was jealous and he only married her to prove that he could, and that he was the better man. But he wasn’t better, was he? He was bitter that she chose someone else over him.”
“Then she shouldn’t have married him! But she did, and she should have loved him.”
“She did!”
“Then why is she throwing him in our face?” Patricia motioned to Wylie. “She should still be mourning Terrance. Not disrespecting us like this.”
“Nobody invited you here,” Wylie said calmly. “If you don’t like what I’m doing in my home, then you can leave.”
“You were probably screwing her while he was still alive. Terrance loved you like a brother, when he should have treated you like the trash you are.”
Cora broke away from her husband; her hand slashing across Patricia’s face in a loud slap. “You shut your mouth!” she screamed. “Wylie is a good man, and the only thing he ever did wrong was being born poor, but he couldn’t help that. And I know they weren’t sleeping together when Terrance was alive. I know that Wylie would never do that to him and I know Cassandra loved your boy. She mourned him. She couldn’t get out of bed for a year—she missed him so much. I know you’re hurt, but don’t begrudge Cassandra her happiness because your son is gone. She’s suffered enough.”
“You’ve been here three months and you’re pregnant. You were married to him for over seven years and you couldn’t give him a baby. You couldn’t have given him the one thing he wanted the most. You couldn’t have left us with a little piece of him.”
“I—I tried.” Cassandra spoke, but her words barely came out as more than a whisper.
“Well, you couldn’t even do that right. You should be ashamed of yourself. You betrayed him. You were the only woman he loved, and you couldn’t even love him back.”
“Patricia, enough!” her husband barked. He looked at Cassandra and Wylie. “Is it true? Are you two going to be parents?”
“Yes,” Cassandra answered. “I’m eight weeks.”
He nodded. “Then I want to be the first to congratulate you.” He came over to her and kissed her cheek. “I’m happy for you. Truly and honestly, and I would like it if I could be a part of this child’s life.”
She could take Patricia’s hatred, the accusations, the anger, but she couldn’t take his kindness. It was too much and she didn’t feel like she deserved it.
“I have to go.” She got up and ran away from them. Ignoring Wylie as he shouted her name.
Chapter 21
Wylie was on his feet, ready to go after Cassandra, when Eric Miller placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Give her time, son.”
“Stop calling me ‘son’!” He shrugged his hand off. “I’m not your son. You made that very clear to me, sir.”
“Damn it, Wylie. I want to talk to you right now!”
“Well, that’s the great thing about being an adult. I don’t have to listen to you anymore.” He walked away from him, heading back toward the house, but Eric was on his heels. The older man was keeping up with his fast pace.
“I’m not going to leave you alone until you speak to me.”
“What? What do you want? You come up here, uninvited, bringing your nasty wife to ruin my first holiday with my family.”
“I apologize for Patricia. She’s in a lot of pain.”
“We’re all in a lot of pain! I loved him too. Everybody seems to forget that. Everybody acted like I was his enemy, but I loved him. He was my best friend and I didn’t want Cass to get between us, but it was inevitable because I loved her as soon as I laid eyes on her.”
“And he loved her too.”
“But she loved me back, and that was the difference. You spoiled him. You told him he could be whatever he wanted, have whatever he wanted—the cost be damned.”
“He didn’t steal Cassandra from you. You walked away from her.”
“What choice did I have? We went through this already.” He threw up his arms. “I wasn’t good enough. You told me I wasn’t good enough. But I am now. I may not have gone to an Ivy League school. I may not be as smart as he was, but I worked hard every damn day of my life for everything I got. I fought for my country. I take care of my family. I would be a son that any man would be proud of.”
“I know.”
“Then why the hell weren’t you proud of me?”
“I am. I was.”
Wylie shook his head. “I didn’t expect you to treat me like him. He was your flesh and blood, but you let her treat me like shit. You all went out of your way to make me feel like I didn’t belong, and that was fucked up. I just lost my dad. My mother was a drunk. I was grateful to have a home, but I needed a family. I needed more than just your financial support.”
“I know. Cora was right. Terrance had a lot of good qualities, but my son was insecure. We did everything to make him feel special. We gave him all of our love and attention, but when you came along, he saw you as a threat.”
“A threat to what? He was smarter than me, more popular, better than me at everything.”
“That’s not true, Wylie. In some ways he was smarter than you, and in some ways you were smarter than him. Your intelligence is not comparable. He thought himself weak compared to you, less of a man. Girls liked you more and he hated that. He hated that Cass liked you when she only saw him as a brother, and that hurt him. Maybe I should have said, ‘Too bad, suck it up,’ but I couldn’t. You’ll see that when your baby comes. You’ll see how hard it is to let your child be hurt. I had to keep building him up. Can you blame me for that?”
“No. I don’t get the point of this conversation.” He shook his head. “I’m grateful you took me in, sir. Don’t think that I’m not, but I think this relationship is over. There’s no point in seeing me again.”
“But there is! You were a huge part of our lives for ten years and then you were gone. I needed to stand by my son, but I missed you. I loved you. I love you. You brought something to my life. You brought back your father. He was my best friend, and every time I think about how I let you just go, how I missed your college graduation, and your military honors, it kills me, be
cause I know he would have wanted me there.”
“You don’t have to feel guilty. You don’t owe a dead man anything.”
Wylie turned to walk away, his head spinning. There were too many thoughts going through his mind.
“It feels like I’ve lost two sons!” Eric called after him. “I’ll never see Terrance again and that is something I can’t change, but I can’t bear the thought of not seeing you again. My heart won’t take it.”
That caused Wylie to pause. “I’m not a replacement for him.”
“No. You’re not. You could never be, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need you in my life.”
“What do you want me to say?” Wylie felt weak in the moment, so sick of feeling hurt by a past he couldn’t change, so confused about the future he was trying to move toward.
“Just say that you’ll try. You’ll let me stop by at Christmas. You’ll let me see your firstborn child. We may never be close again, but we don’t have to be strangers.”
He didn’t want to relent. His head told him not to, screamed at him not to, but his heart ached. He had spent years feeling angry, feeling slighted and bruised. He was exhausted by it, tired of holding on to so much past hurt when forgiveness seemed like the easier choice. The choice that would make him happier. He let out a breath, feeling lighter as he did, feeling some of the pain ease out of him. “Okay, Eric. Okay.”
“Okay? You’re going to let me be a part of your life again?”
“I think I have to. I didn’t get to see Terrance before he died. I wanted to. I wanted to make things right with him. I’m never going to get that chance, but I can make things right with you.”
“I’m the one who needs to make things right with you. It’s what Terrance would have wanted.”
He nodded, sure that there was so much more to say, but he just didn’t have the words. “I need to see to Cass now.”
“Go on. I’m taking Patricia away from here.”
Wylie took off once again toward the house. When he got there, he saw Tanner with his arms around his sister. Nova was in tears; even from behind, Wylie could tell she was crying.
“What happened?” The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and that cold feeling of dread trickled along his backside.
“She’s gone, Wylie,” Nova cried. “She’s packed a bag and left.”
* * *
On the outside Harmony Falls hadn’t changed much. It was still that picturesque little town with the beautiful, ancient oak trees lining the streets. Her childhood home looked the same; her high school looked the same. However, the town was fundamentally different. It was quieter. The GOD BLESS FARNSWORTH signs still hung in store windows, and a large banner hung on the fence where the school used to be.
Used to be. It had been knocked down. She hadn’t known. Nobody had told her. She didn’t know what made her drive past there. To prove she could. To prove she wouldn’t fall apart seeing a place that held so many happy and painful memories for her. This place had been a huge part of her life, one she never thought she would leave until she retired, but life was funny that way.
She drove on through town, down Main Street, past the post office and the church where she and Terrance had been married. She didn’t know where she was going. She hadn’t planned on going anywhere when she woke up that morning; but when she had ended up at the cemetery, she wasn’t surprised. She had moved on. She had fallen in love again. She was going to have a baby, but she had never said good-bye to her old life, to her good friend who made her life better in many ways.
It was cold that day, but she still sat on the ground when she found his headstone. She wanted to be closer to him. Just for a moment she wanted to recapture that feeling they shared when they were kids and best friends, and nothing had stood in the way of that.
“I really loved you, Terrance. You should know that. I want you to know that. I need you to know that. You made me laugh and you made me think, and I am a better person for having had you in my life. We were good friends, but we weren’t good married. I want to blame you for that, but it was my fault too. I just didn’t understand how I could love you so much and not be in love with you. I’m in love with Wylie, Terrance. I should have told you that ten years ago, but I was afraid to tell you. I thought I was going to lose you. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry that you didn’t end up with a woman who was in love with you like you deserved. But I want you to know that you were the best friend I’ll ever have, and there’s a hole in my heart without you. I miss you. I still love you.”
She put her hand on the cold grass, not caring that the dampness of the earth was sinking through her clothes. “I’ve come to tell you good-bye, and I hope that you’re with our baby.” She choked on her words as the tears clogged her throat. “I hope the baby looks like you. I hope that wherever you are, you see the baby grow up into the son or daughter you always wanted. I’m going to think about our child while I carry this new baby inside me. And I am going to be happy too, because I know that is what you want for me.” She stroked her fingers over the damp grass, as if she were touching him for the last time. “Good-bye, Terrance.”
She got up and walked away from his grave, feeling weary but much lighter. She didn’t care what Patricia said. Terrance was placed in her life for a reason. He brought her joy, but it was time for her to move on.
“Mrs. Miller?” A woman ran up to her. She recognized her immediately. It was Kayla’s mother. The woman whose husband had murdered hers. “I’m—I’m so sorry to intrude. I know you must hate me, and I’m the last person you want to see while you visit your husband’s grave, but I needed to say thank you. You almost lost your life that day to save my child’s.”
“Please don’t thank me.”
“I have to.” She grabbed her hand. “She’s not scared anymore. She doesn’t flinch when I touch her. She doesn’t dread six P.M., because that’s when her father came home. She’s a different kid and she’s happy. And I have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t stepped in, he would have killed us all.”
“Mrs. Hammond . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Campbell. Ms. Campbell. I don’t go by that man’s name anymore. Call me Suzie and please don’t say anything. Kayla has been writing to you. I’ve kept all her letters, because I didn’t know if you wanted to hear from her. But I would like to send them to you, if that’s okay. She’s writing so well now, and she’s reading up a storm.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Kayla had struggled. Cassandra had seen that beaten, bruised child and wondered if things were ever going to get better for her.
“You made an impact on our lives, you know. I pray for you. I pray that you find some sort of happiness again, even though it might seem impossible.”
“It’s possible.” She touched her belly. “I’ve learned that anything is possible.”
* * *
When she drove back that afternoon to the house she had shared with Terrance, she saw a familiar truck sitting in the driveway. Her heart lifted as she saw Wylie sitting on the porch steps, his face tight with worry. He stood as she stepped out of her car, saying nothing, just staring at her face.
“Hi, honey. What took you so long?”
“Cassandra.” He jumped down the steps and yanked her close, pulling her into a hug so tight she couldn’t breathe for a moment. But it was a good hug. A safe hug. A warm hug. “Two days. Two entire days. I’ve been out of my goddamn mind.”
“I’m sorry, Wylie.”
“I don’t want to hear you’re sorry. I want to hear that you love me and you want to marry me and raise a family. I spent my life thinking I wasn’t good enough, running away from the thing I wanted most. But I’m done running. I want you, because you make me smile, and think and feel. I deserve that. I deserve the chance to prove I can make you happy. And I want to hear you say that you are going to give it to me.”
“I was saying good-bye to Terrance. I was settling things here. All the stuff I was putting off, all
the stuff that was hanging in the air. The house is going on the market. I’m having our things donated. I’m closing this part of my life. I had to do that before I could marry you.”
“You’re going to marry me?”
“I’m in love with you, Wylie James. I don’t think there is any other choice.”
He smiled at her, tears filling his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I thank you for loving me exactly how I needed to be loved.”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. His warm lips slid over her cold ones; his body enveloped hers. She felt at home in his kiss and in his hold. and, for the very first time in her life, there were no doubts, because he was exactly where she wanted to be.
If you enjoyed HOPE BLOOMS,
Be sure not to miss
Nova’s romance in
LOVE BLOOMS
Coming to you in August 2017!
About the Author
Jamie Pope first fell in love with romance at age thirteen when her mother placed a novel in her hands. She became addicted to love stories and has been writing them ever since. When she’s not writing her next book, you can find her shopping for shoes or binge-watching shows.
