A Time To Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance)

by Angelina Rose

  “You do? Just like that?”

  “Yes. I do,” Gracie said wiping Eva’s tears now.

  “How can you forgive me?”

  “Because I know you’re being sincere. All I ever wanted was for you to admit what you did was wrong and understand how you hurt me. I want us to have a fresh start.”

  “I do too,” Eva said smiling as she squeezed her sister’s hand. “So, do you want to tell me what happened with Randy?”

  Gracie stood up and pulled Eva’s hand up with her. The two women sat on the bed, as they had when they were young girls, and talked. Gracie explained Randy felt attacked because she kept bringing up in vitro and adoption, and he knew they couldn’t afford it.

  “I told him it wasn’t fair for me to live my life without a child just because of money. It’s the same argument over and over with no solution. We can’t pull money out of thin air,” Gracie said, her voice cracking through the emotion. Eva had never seen someone want something so much.

  “It’s going to be okay, Gracie,” Eva said. “You’re going to be a mother soon.”

  “How can you possibly know that, Eva?” she said leaning back against her pillow. “IVF and adoption are both expensive, and we are nowhere close to affording either of them. I feel like everyone else has a baby so easily, and here we want to be parents and can’t have one.”

  “I know it’s hard, but you have to trust me, okay?”

  “Eva, I know you mean well, but this is one of those impossible situations that cannot be fixed,” Gracie said standing up and looking in the mirror. “Some women are apparently not meant to be mothers.”

  “Well, you’re not one of them,” Eva said hugging her sister from behind. “Listen, I need to make a quick phone call. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yes, I’ll be okay. I’m going to text Randy and apologize before I hit the sack. Thanks for talking to me. It’s nice to have you back in my life, Eva,” she said hugging her sister back as she shut the door.

  Now Eva had a choice to make.

  ***

  Eva stood over Gracie’s shoulder watching her make the same type of biscuits their grandmother had made when they were young. The kitchen was full of smells from times past - fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, green beans. She loved Southern cooking, especially the kind that was actually homemade.

  “Smells so good!” Eva said smiling as she went back to preparing the sweet tea. Ever since mending their relationship a week ago, Eva had been the happiest she’d felt in years. Randy and Gracie seemed to be doing better, and she was happy for her sister.

  “When will your friend be here?” Gracie asked Eva.

  “Oh, he should be pulling up any minute now.”

  “What is his name again?” Randy asked as he walked through the kitchen and attempted to get a bite of macaroni and cheese before Gracie slapped his hand away.

  “Clayton Emory. He’s an old friend from Atlanta.”

  “What does he do?” Randy asked.

  “Um, he’s a lawyer.”

  “Did you date him?” Gracie asked with a sly grin.

  “Lord, no. He’s a nerdy little fella.”

  “Why were you friends then?” Gracie asked laughing.

  “Hey! I don’t always judge a book by its cover, sis,” Eva said lying. She didn’t want her sister to have any idea the sole reason for Clayton Emory's visit was to have proof for himself Eva had made nice with Gracie so she could get her hands on the two million dollars.

  When Clayton arrived, Eva made the introductions. They sat down and had a nice, cordial dinner. Eva made sure to chat up her sister, get her to laugh and giggle a few times and even told some stories from their childhood. Before long, she knew for sure she had Clayton in the palm of her hand. Once dinner was over, she offered to walk him outside while Gracie and Randy started cleaning up the kitchen.

  “Well?” she said as they reached his car. Her body was full of nervous tension as she waited to see if Clayton had believed she and Gracie were sisters again.

  “Looks like things are mended with you two ladies. I have to say I was pretty surprised when you called to tell me you and Gracie had repaired your relationship, and I’m sure I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. Congratulations, Eva,” he said shaking her hand.

  “You mean the money will be released to me?”

  “Immediately. I still have your banking information if you’d like it deposited in your account,” he said.

  “Yes. Please do that. When can I expect to receive it?”

  “Hopefully in about seven to ten days. I’ll be in touch,” he said as he sat down in his car and drove away. Eva stood there for a moment, trying to stifle her smile before re-entering the house.

  As she walked back into the house, she found her purse and coat before telling Randy and Gracie she needed to run a couple of errands. As she drove toward O’Malley’s, her stomach churned. She had something to say to Brice, and she really didn’t know how it was going to turn out. One thing was for sure, she was tired of holding back in her life. This time, she was going for broke no matter what happened.

  Chapter 8

  As Eva pulled into the parking lot at O’Malley’s, she saw Brice’s Harley parked in the back already. It was early for him to already be there on a Saturday, but he’d been working on the books a lot lately. She figured he was trying to stay away from her after their passionate kiss the previous week, but this time he was going to talk to her.

  No one else was there yet, so she used her key to get in. Cara wasn’t due to be there for another hour and a half, and the cooks usually didn’t get there for another hour. That should give her plenty of time to get what she needed to get done.

  She walked toward the door to his office and found him sitting at his desk, hands in his hair out of frustration.

  “Eva? What’re you doing here so early?” he asked.

  “Quitting.”

  “What?” he asked as his eyes enlarged and his mouth dropped open.

  “I quit. See ya,” she said as she turned and walked out of his office. He almost tripped over his chair as he ran after her and caught her in front of the bar.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked grabbing her by the arm.

  “I told you. I quit.” She tried to maintain a straight face. If her plan didn’t work, she was messing up a really good thing right now.

  “Are you kidding me?” he asked with his mouth hanging open.

  “Nope.”

  “Why are you quitting?” he asked holding onto her for dear life.

  “Because I no longer need this job. My financial situation is about to improve dramatically, and I won’t need a job at all.”

  “Okay…” he stuttered as he released his grip.

  “But thanks for employing me the last few weeks. And good luck, Brice,” she said, hoping this little plan of hers was going to work as she turned to walk out.

  “Wait!” he said. “When will I see you again?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll probably be going back to Atlanta soon. No need to stay here really,” she said.

  She could tell Brice was having trouble processing everything she was saying to him. She could also tell he was trying to make a decision in his own mind.

  “What if I gave you a reason to stay here?” he asked.

  “What kind of reason could you give me to stay here, Brice?” she asked leaning against the front door.

  “Me.”

  “You?”

  “What if I told you I would be heartbroken if you left Mill Creek Crossing?” he asked throwing his hands up by his shoulders.

  “Go on…”

  “And what if I told you you’ve opened my heart in a way I didn’t think it was possible?”

  “I’m listening…” she said allowing a small smile to escape.

  “And what if I said I think I could fall in love with you?”

  “You could?” she asked as her purse slid to the floor.

/>   “And what if I told you the reason I’ve been distant is because I am so scared I am falling in love with you already... and I don’t want my heart broken again?” he said softly.

  “Again?”

  “During those thirteen years away, I was married, Eva.”

  “You were?” she said shocked.

  “No one knows. Not even my father. I was married to a woman for three years. She cheated on me with my best friend.”

  “Wow… I’m so sorry, Brice…” she said walking toward him slowly.

  “And when I started feeling more for you than I did for her, it terrified me.”

  “You know, I have feelings for you too. And it scares the crap out of me,” she said smiling. “I’ve never loved anyone, Brice. I’ve always cared more about myself than anyone else, but you showed me I could be better. That I didn’t have to live with my hands gripped on material things. That loving didn’t always mean losing…”

  “Eva, please stay. I know I have no right to ask you to leave your life in Atlanta, but…”

  “I have no life in Atlanta. My life is here.”

  “Then, why did you say you were leaving?” he asked smiling.

  “Because I needed to know.”

  “Know what?” he asked softly as he pulled her closer to him with his hands around her waist.

  “If you cared enough about me to fight for me. Because no one ever has,” she said looking up at him.

  “You little spitfire,” he said leaning down as he brushed his lips over hers. He slowly licked across her bottom lip sending quivers all over her body.

  “Brice…” she moaned against his lips.

  “Yes?” he groaned back.

  “We have to take this slow. For both of us. Agreed?” she asked against her libido’s advice.

  “Agreed,” he said kissing behind her ear. “As long as kissing is still allowed, because that kiss the other night rocked my world,” he said laughing.

  “Oh, that is definitely still allowed,” she said as she reached around his neck and pulled him in for another passionate kiss to knock his socks off.

  ***

  A week later, Eva and Brice had dinner with Randy and Gracie at Brice’s house. It was nice to do something normal with her sister for a change. She’d missed those times early in their lives where they were close. It seemed like their mother always pitted them against each other, choosing Eva over Gracie any chance she got. Now Eva had some distance, she could see the way her mother had favored her over Gracie for years. Part of her believed Gracie reminded their mother of her late husband, and maybe she was unable to deal with the pain the memories caused her.

  “Brice, this pot roast is fantastic!” Gracie said. “We need you to come cook at Stella’s,” she said grinning.

  “How about I just give you the recipe?” Brice said with a grin. “I’m already too busy romancing your sister.”

  Gracie and Eva giggled like two schoolgirls. Having her sister back in her life was the biggest miracle Eva had experienced in her life. The fact that her sister could forgive her was amazing to her, but finding Brice in the process was another miracle she wasn’t expecting.

  After dinner, Brice poured a glass of wine for everyone while Eva’s stomach churned over the announcement she was about to make. Would her sister forever despise her when she heard the big secret Eva had kept from her?

  “If I can have everyone’s attention, I have something I need to say,” Eva started. “Okay, here goes… When our mother died, I did something stupid and mean without thinking it through. I thought money made me more valuable in the world. I thought the more stuff I had, the more people would think I was important. When I lost it all, I felt like a failure and a fraud…”

  “You don’t have to do this, sweetie,” Brice said.

  “Yes, I do. When I came back here, I fully intended to get what I needed and leave. I didn’t think Mill Creek Crossing had anything to offer me, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, I found my sister still loved me, and I met the man of my dreams,” she said smiling down at him.

  “And I am so glad you came back,” Gracie said smiling.

  “Well, I hope you will still say that once I tell you why I really came home.”

  “What are you talking about, Eva?” Brice asked furrowing his brows.

  “Well, when I went broke, I called Mom’s estate attorney to see if there was anything I could do about some of my investments that had gone wrong. Instead, he told me Mom had actually left more money for me. If I could repair my relationship with you, she had left two million dollars with my name on it. The deadline was three months or the money would be donated to her favorite charity.”

  “I can’t believe this. So you can home fully intending to fake your way into a relationship with me to get even more money?” Gracie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, my God Eva…” Brice said putting his head in his hands. “How could you?”

  “I told you I wanted the money to make me feel important…”

  “I’m outta here. Thanks for dinner, Brice…” Gracie said standing up, anger spewing out of every pore.

  “Wait! I’m not finished, Gracie. Please. Just give me a few minutes to explain…”

  “Explain what? That you lied and pretended you cared so you could screw me all over again?” Gracie said through gritted teeth.

  “Things changed, Gracie. I changed. I wasn’t faking it. The night you cried in my arms was real. It was the first time I realized what I’d done. Knowing Brice had changed me too. It was all so much at once…”

  “Eva, how could you do this all again?” Randy said shaking his head.

  “Please. Everyone listen. It’s not what you think!” Eva said stomping her foot. Gracie slowly sat down, but wouldn’t look at Eva. “Yes, I will admit my reasons for coming home were totally selfish at first. But that changed when I understood what I’d done to you those years ago, Gracie. What I had taken from you. Motherhood.”

  “I don’t understand…” Brice said.

  “Gracie and Randy have been suffering from infertility issues. They wanted to adopt or do IVF, but the money hasn’t been there… until now.”

  “What?” Gracie said as she snapped her head around to look at Eva.

  “Gracie, the money is yours. I don’t want it. It’s in my bank account as of this morning, and I am wiring it to yours. I want you to have it so you can build the biggest family you want to have. Get a new house. Travel. Quit that job. Be a full time mother…” she rattled off all the things she wanted Gracie to do.

  Tears were streaming down Eva’s face as she waited for her sister to respond. Gracie’s mouth was hanging open, her face pale from the shock. Slowly, she got to her feet and looked at Eva who was a few feet in front of her.

  “Clayton Emory?”

  “The attorney. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it had to look totally legitimate or the money would have been donated.”

  “You’re serious about this? You’re giving me two million dollars?”

  “Yes. All I ask is you give me just enough to start over. And that Brice considers giving me my job back…” she said smiling down at him.

  “Eva, I don’t want two million dollars. I want us to split it. That’s only fair…” Gracie said.

  “No. I truly don’t want it. If there’s something I’ve learned about myself recently, it’s that I need to have goals and structure. I need to strive for something and work for the things I get. Plus, our mother spent her life choosing me over you, and it wasn’t right. You wanted a real family, and this money can help you get just that.”

  “This is the most amazing news I’ve ever heard!” Gracie said, finally realizing what this meant. “I’m going to be a mommy!” she shouted as she embraced Eva. Both of them were sobbing when Randy and Brice joined in the group hug.

  “Do you trust me now?” Eva asked as she pulled back and looked at Gracie.

  “Yes, I do. I can clearly see you aren’
t the same Eva who did those awful things years ago. You deserve a second chance too. What I don’t understand is why our mother did this to either one of us…”

  “Oh, I almost forgot! Clayton gave me a letter that was to be read by me to you upon receiving this money.” Eva pulled the letter from her purse and opened it.

  To my daughters:

  You might be wondering what the point of this whole exercise was with my money. You might also be wondering where this money came from in the first place.