“Blue, I need to tell you-.” Sarah faltered with her words and she bowed her head.
“What’s going on?” He reached out and took her chin in his hand, tilting it upwards so he could see her expression. Tears shimmered in her eyes. She opened her mouth but no words came out. “Sarah, please don’t cry. Anything but that, baby. Scream at me, vent all you want. But no tears. I just can’t take it.” He pressed a hand against his chest as an actual physical ache began to rip through him.
“I’m so sorry, Blue.”
He wiped a tear away from her cheek as astonishment filled him. Sorry? What did she have to be sorry for? He frowned, puzzled by her statement.
“Sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Sky blue eyes pleaded with him for understanding. “Yes, I do. For the last four years I’ve been proud and stubborn and unyielding. I had blinders up, and instead of listening to you, of trying to understand, I could only wallow in my own pain. You hurt me so badly, and all I wanted to do was lash out at you. In the process, I didn’t pay attention to you, Blue. I didn’t stop to recognize what you were going through. I pushed you away. I was so angry with you for ruining our wedding day, but I never stopped to think about the fact that you showed up.” She began shaking her head and laughing. “Even though you were over two hours late you were there. And I never stopped to think about what that meant. Here I was, ready to pledge my faith and fidelity to you before God and all our family and friends, but I stopped having faith in you the minute my plans went off track.”
“You have to know that if I could go back in time and change things, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’d make other choices, ones that didn’t bring us so much pain.” Blue rained kisses on her forehead and cheeks, erasing the tears that had slid down her face.
“Me, too. I wish that I had listened to you, really listened. Maybe then we wouldn’t have lost four years of our lives when we could have been together.”
“Together?” Was Sarah saying what he thought she was saying? Or was she simply speaking with regret about the past. As far as he was concerned, the only thing that might repair the past was to dedicate themselves to a shared future. But Sarah had already told him it wasn’t possible, hadn’t she?
Either way, he needed to know once and for all. He’d still go on loving her, but it would be from a distance. And even though his heart would go on beating, it would be broken in a hundred little pieces.
“I love you. More than I can put into words. Then, now, always...it’s the most important thing.”
Blue sucked in a deep, stabilizing breath. Had he heard Sarah right? She loved him?
“You love me?” Hope registered in his voice. He felt slightly unsteady on his feet.
Although he’d dreamed of her saying those three little words, he’d almost given up hope of every hearing it slip past her beautiful lips.
Sarah sent him a weak smile. Her lips trembled in the semblance of a smile. “Yes. I love you. You are the love of my life, Blue Donahue. Four years ago I was ready to pledge forever to you. That didn’t work out so well.”
“No, it didn’t,” Blue said soberly.
“The other day you said that you wanted forever with me. Does that offer still stand?” She held her chin up proudly. He knew her well enough to know she was terrified on the inside, unsure as to whether she was laying her heart and soul on the line, only to be hurt once again. If it took him an eternity he would prove to Sarah that she would find safe harbor in a life with him. As his wife. His soul mate. His forever.
“One hundred percent, absolutely, positively, the offer still stands. I love you Sarah Dalton. And I’ll go on loving you for the rest of my life.” Tears were running down Sarah’s face and she was choking back sobs. She raised her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound of it.
“Sweetheart, please don’t cry.” The sound of her sniffles made his soul ache. From this day forward all he wanted to do was make her happy, to walk through life with her by his side and to hear the tinkling sound of her joyful laughter. He ached to meet her at the altar and be joined with her in the most sacred of ceremonies. Until death parted them. He wanted to see her stomach gently swollen with pregnancy and to be by her side as they ushered their children into the world. If he could accomplish those things, his life would truly be a blessed one.
Sarah swiped at her face with the back of her hand. “This time it’s tears of joy, with a dose of regret. I wish my pride hadn’t gotten in the way four years ago.”
“Sarah, that’s not true. You had no way of knowing about my birth father and why I went to Florida. That was my doing. With a few simple words I could have broken down all of our walls. But I wasn’t able to do that four years ago.”
Her curls bounced as she fiercely nodded her head. “I knew something was wrong between us. I’d felt it for weeks. Something was so off in our connection. We were fighting about every little thing and you were becoming more and more distant. I allowed myself to get so caught up in the wedding details—the dress, the reception, the guests. The most important thing has always been us. Without that, everything else fails to matter.”
Blue wiped the residue of her tears away from her cheeks. “You weren’t the only one who lost the way. I was so caught up in getting closure with my birth father that I didn’t stop to think what it might cost us.”
“Our actions cost us everything. But,” she said with a wide smile that almost overtook her face, “because of what we’ve been through we won’t lose our way again.” She stood on her tiptoes and leaned up towards him. He reached down and met her half way, placing a triumphant kiss on her lips as his arms encircled her waist. The kiss deepened and soared, swept up in the euphoria they were both feeling. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so hopeful. So incredibly joyful.
As the kiss ended he murmured in her ear, “Now that I’ve found my way home, no place but here will do. Right by your side. As your husband, if you’ll do me the honor of getting things right the second time around.”
“I’d love to be your wife,” she said as tears sprung to her eyes. “My life is so much sweeter with you in it.”
“That’s good,” Blue said, “because you’re not getting rid of me. Not in this lifetime.”
“Amen to that,” Sarah whispered as she drew Blue down towards her for another lingering kiss. As the kiss ended she let out a sigh that sounded a lot like contentment to Blue’s ears. He felt the same way—joyful beyond belief for this second chance at love. They would be together for the rest of their days, he vowed. For now and for always.
Epilogue
As the first crocuses began to blossom and May flowers were in full bloom all over Breeze Point, the Donahue family gathered to celebrate the opening of Blue’s media center. Media Point, Blue’s brain child, would officially open in two days’ time. The Donahue clan, along with Sarah’s family, and friends both old and new, were celebrating. Soft music drifted in the air as black and white attired waiters handed out hors d’ouevres and champagne.
Sarah, standing right by his side, reached out and smoothed down his mouth. “Hey, what’s that frown for? You should be on top of the world.”
Blue leaned over and pressed a kiss against her cheek. “Of course I’m happy. Over the moon, in fact.” His mouth quirked as he swung his gaze back toward Ryder.
“But?” she prompted. “I can see a look of worry on your face.”
“I wish all my brothers had the same type of joy in their lives, Ryder in particular.”
“Give it time, Blue. They’ll get there. Ryder’s journey may be a little more difficult as a widower, but he has a lot of love in his heart. I know he’ll find someone to share it with. Have a little faith.”
Have a little faith. That was quickly becoming his personal motto. Blue grinned at Sarah, feeling all his concern about Ryder flow out of him based on her words of encouragement. Could a man be any more blessed than he at this moment? He was standing at a crossroads, ready to embark on an exc
iting new work venture and prepared to make a wonderful life with the woman he loved beyond all measure. God is good. Despite all his mistakes, he’d learned through God’s grace that holding on to one’s faith was an important step in the journey. He’d never really given up on Sarah or the love they shared. He’d believed in love everlasting even when all hope had seemed lost.
Blue sent a discreet signal to the DJ, letting him know it was time to mute the music. Suddenly, the music stopped and a hush fell over the room. With a sharp sounding whistle, Blue got everyone’s attention focused on him. “Welcome, everyone, to Media Point.”
Loud applause rang out in the room accompanied by enthusiastic shouts from his brothers. Leave it to the Donahue boys to get rowdy, he thought, as warmth spread through him. He looked towards the side where his parents were sitting. The sight of them caused him to choke up, and he wasn’t sure if he could speak without losing it. Sarah edged closer to him and clasped his hand in hers, giving it a little squeeze as she did so. He looked over at her, marveling at the monumental ways his life had changed since he’d come back home.
“I’m blessed to be back home in Breeze Point where I belong,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier than to be surrounded by all the people I love most. And from the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for all your support.” More applause rang out and he raised his hand to simmer the crowd down. “Four years ago, I made the mistake of a lifetime.” He locked gazes with Sarah. She frowned at him, a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She raised her eyebrow, silently asking him why he was digging up their past in front of a large audience. “I’ve never stopped regretting my foolish choices. And since you were forced to deal with the fallout in front of a church crowded with our friends and family, I thought it fitting that I give you back a little bit of what you lost that day.”
He handed the mike over to Remy, who was standing nearby ready to help out. Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out a sky blue box with little white doves on it. He sank down to the floor on one knee, popping open the lid of the box to reveal a sparkling antique engagement ring. Sarah gasped and raised her hands to her mouth. It was the original ring he’d given her, the same one she’d given back to him on that fateful day four years ago. He’d held on to this ring this whole time, all the while knowing it only belonged to one woman. Sarah. His wife. His forever.
“Blue!” Sarah cried out. “My ring. You held on to it.”
“Of course I did,” he said with a huge grin. “I could never let go of the idea of the two of us finding our way back together. And this ring could never belong to anyone but you.”
“Don’t you have something to ask her?” Remy asked with a nudge of his elbow. Blue looked up at Remy and laughed, while the sound of laughter rang out in the room.
As he looked back towards Sarah, his heart gave a little hitch at the sight of tears pooling in her eyes. “Sarah, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? This time around I’ll be wiser and more open with you. Not a day will go by that I won’t cherish you and the love we share. I promise to never let anything come between us. Because I lost it once before, I vow to never take your love for granted.”
Tears ran down Sarah’s face as she nodded her head up and down. “You never lost my love, Blue. You just needed to find your way back. And you did. You came back to me. I can’t imagine anything finer than being your wife.”
“You’ll be a perfect Donahue bride,” Blue said as he reached for her hand and placed the ring on her finger. He stood up and swept Sarah into his arms, swirling her around in an act of triumph and celebration as loud applause rang out around them. As he lowered her to the ground he brushed a lingering kiss across her lips, one that heralded all the beautiful things their future had in store for them. It would be a life full of cherished moments with Sarah by his side. Finally, after all these years, he’d found his way back home.
THE END
Coming in July 2014
Still the One – Ryder and Tess
Seven Brides Seven Brothers Book 2
Prologue
The little boy sat at the old woman's hospital bed, his cherubic face streaked with tears. He bit down hard on his lip, trying to stop himself from letting out a wail of sorrow. No matter how many times he'd prayed to God to save Nana, she was taking her last breaths. The lady doctor had told him a few hours ago that there was nothing more to be done for his grandmother. One of the nurses had asked him who she should call to take him home, and he'd told her there was no one else. It was just the two of them. There would be no one else to love him after Nana went to glory.
Nana clutched at his hand, her wrinkled, freckled skin a comfort to him, even in this terrible moment. He'd always loved the way her skin felt whenever she touched him. Soft yet strong. Loving yet disciplined. “Ryder, please don't be sad. I've had a long life, and it's been better than most. Largely due to you. I just wish that I could live a few more years and see you grow up.”
“I don't want you to go, Nana,” he cried out. “I want you to stay here with me. For always.”
“Oh baby, it's in the Lord's hands. If I could stay here with you, I promise you I would.” Her voice shuddered and creaked like a windswept tree.
“Where will I go?” he whispered, the ache in his soul pressing against his chest like a sharp knife. Then she smiled at him, a beautiful, angelic smile that went straight to the center of his heart.
“You're going to be fine, Ryder. I've made some arrangements for you.” She began to cough violently, her small frame wracked by the tremendous effort. “I knew this day was coming upon us quicker than we both might like.” Her yellowed teeth were on full display as her lips parted in a tender smile. “You're going to be a part of a wonderful family, my love.”
He reached for her, pressing her hand tightly as the reality sunk in that he was losing her. Second by second she was slipping away from him. And there wasn't a single thing he could do to stop it from happening. “But you're my family. You always said that. I don't want to go live with people I don't even know.”
“Oh, Ryder. Please don't say that. They're wonderful people. They live in Cape Cod, right by the water. You know how much you love being outdoors. And they have a few other children who've come to live with them...boys, all of them. You'll fit right in.”
“But I want to stay with you, Nana. For always.”
Nana shook her head as a tear slid down her face. “Where I'm going you can't follow. Not now. You've got too much living to do, my love.”
Ryder's mind was racing with a hundred different thoughts. “But these people. How will they find me?”
“Don't worry. I placed a call to my old friend Mrs. Wurther this morning. She's setting all the wheels in motion. Someone from the hospital will call her when—.”
“When you're dead? Is that it? When you leave me!” he shouted.
“Shh...hush.” She reached for him, cradling his head in her lap as she smoothed down the dark tufts of hair. “We can't question why things happen. All we can do is have faith that we're never alone in the world. There's always someone keeping watch over us.”
Ryder couldn't hold back the tears now, no matter how he tried. His pain went too deep. “Why does everybody leave me?”
“I'll never leave you. Not really.” Her breathing sounded ragged and labored to his ears. All the color had been drained from her face. “I hope you always feel that love, Ryder. Put it in your pocket and carry it around with you. You are so very loved.”
“I love you too, Nana. I love you more than anyone. And I always will.” He reached out and pressed a kiss against her leathery cheek, loving the smell of roses hovering around her. She let out a sigh, her chest heaving in and out until it suddenly stilled. Next to the hospital bed the monitors began beeping like crazy, issuing a high pitched sound that made him want to cover his ears. Suddenly the room was filled with people rushing all around. One of the nurses gently pried him away from his grandmother.
There was a hush in th
e room as all eyes turned towards him. Through a haze he heard the words, “she's gone” as his knees buckled and he sank to the floor.
The pain cut so deep he almost felt as if he would die from it. He was alone. Again. Achingly, desperately alone. And he couldn't help but think there must be something about him that made people leave him. Something wrong inside of him that caused all this pain. He loved Nana with every inch of his soul, yet it hadn't been enough to keep her in this world. The cost of loving was too high. If he lived to be a hundred, he was never going to love anybody ever again. That was the only way of making sure his heart stayed in one piece.
“I want you to find someone to love after I'm gone. Because, more than anyone I've ever known, you deserve to be loved.” Lena Donahue
Chapter One
Ryder Donahue woke up on a bright Spring morning feeling a little bit out of sorts. Today was his younger brother Blue's wedding day. He, along with his five brothers were standing up for Blue today. There was no way, he'd said, that he could choose a best man amongst his band of brothers. They were all too close to handpick one above all the rest. That was just the way it should be, considering they were all branches of the same mighty Oak tree.
It would be a day of unbridled celebration for the blessed couple, who had been estranged for four long years. Although he was overjoyed about Blue finding his way back to the love of his life, Sarah Dalton, there was a part of him that ached a little bit. For the Donahue clan, today would be filled with joy and an abundance of love, but for him, it would also be filled with painful reminders of the woman he'd lost. Dear sweet Lena. His beautiful, young wife. Gone way too soon from a ruthless form of cancer. It felt as if she'd slipped out of his fingers like sand through an hourglass. He missed being in love. He ached to hold hands with someone. He'd give anything to close his eyes when the day was done knowing the woman he loved was lying next to him all through the night. Those days were gone forever, and even though the ache had lessened, he was still feeling a bit lost.
The Way Home Page 15
