The Heart Remembers (Harlequin Heartwarming)

by Irene Hannon

  Dear Ms. Fitzgerald,

  Millicent Trent gave this to me and asked that I send it to you. I am sorry to inform you that she passed away last week after a brief illness. But she did so at peace and with joy. She said she wanted you to have this because you would understand, and that she hoped your story turns out happier than hers. She also asked me to remind you that very few people get a second chance, and to consider carefully before you let yours slip away. I confess I don’t understand the message, but Millicent said you would.

  The letter was signed by a Reverend Thomas Wilson.

  Maggie’s eyes filled with tears as she removed the lid from the small box and gazed down at the two-part heart pendant nestled inside. She was deeply touched by Millicent’s gift, for she knew that of all the woman’s possessions, this was the one that meant the most to her. Perhaps in death she would at last find the reconciliation that had eluded her in life.

  Wiping a hand across her eyes, Maggie reached next for Pop’s letter. It was brief, and written very much in character.

  Hi, Maggie.

  I got your address from Jake. I hope you’re having fun. We’re not. Don’t get me wrong. Things are good between Jake and me. Real good. Jake turned out fine after all, and I’m proud to have him for a son. But he’s been moping around the house like a lovesick puppy, and it’s driving me crazy. So please come home soon and put him out of his misery. He misses you a lot. So do I.

  Maggie smiled through her tears. Obviously Pop and Jake were getting along fine. Jake had told her he’d make it work, and he had. The undertone of affection in Pop’s letter also confirmed the two of them were back on track.

  And then she settled back in her chair and opened Jake’s letter. His notes were typically chatty and warm as he filled her in on his daily life, making her feel that she was sitting next to him on the couch while he shared his day’s adventures. But it was always the opening and closing that she reread several times. He never failed to remind her how much he missed her or that he was counting the days until her return. Though he never pressed for an answer to his proposal, she could sense hope—and anxiety—in every line. The closing of today’s letter especially tugged at her heart.

  The days are long, Maggie, and without the sound of your voice and your sparkling eyes, they seem empty. The nights are even worse. I find sleep more and more elusive as I anticipate your return. I hope you’re faring better than I am on that score. And then again, maybe I don’t. In my heart, I hope you miss me as desperately as I miss you. I don’t know what hell holds for those who sin, but I feel that in the agony of uncertainty I’ve endured during these past few weeks I have somehow made reparation for at least some of my transgressions. I love you, Maggie. More with each day that passes. I look forward to the moment I can tell you that again face-to-face. Until then, know that thoughts of you fill my days—and nights.

  Maggie’s eyes grew misty again, and she drew in a long, unsteady breath. This was the most direct Jake had been about his feelings. Until now, his letters had been mostly lighthearted, written to make her smile, not cry. But now he was baring his soul, letting her know just how much her answer meant to him. It was a courageous thing to do, giving someone the power to hurt you that way. But it was honest. And from the heart. And it touched her at a soul-deep level.

  Maggie pressed his letter to her heart as she extracted Millicent’s pendant from the tiny box and cradled it in her hand. She thought about the gift of love Jake was offering her. And she thought about Millicent’s sad story of love thrown away. She thought also about all that Jake had done in the past few months to prove his steadfastness and his ability to honor a promise. How he had diligently cared for his father and painstakingly rebuilt that relationship. How he came to her aid when she was ill. How he stayed by her side at the hospital, and was there for her to lean on during the twins’ emotional send-off to college. Since coming back into her life, he had never once failed to be there when she needed him.

  All at once, the image of the painting she was just now completing came to mind. With a startling flash of insight, she realized that she had made her decision long ago, in the hills above Florence. She’d just been too afraid to admit it. But today’s letters had brought everything into focus and banished her fear.

  With a sudden, joyful lightening of her heart, Maggie gathered up her letters and headed back to her room.

  Jake shoved his hands into his pockets and drew a long, unsteady breath. It had been three months since he’d said goodbye to Maggie. Three eternal, lonely months. She’d written regularly, but letters hadn’t eased the ache in his heart, nor filled his days with joy and laughter and his nights with tenderness and love.

  He sighed and reached up to loosen his tie as he gazed out into the night. Nothing had seemed right without Maggie. The fear that she might reject his proposal when she returned, had plagued him, etching faint lines of worry at the corners of his eyes. And yet, he knew he had done the right thing. He’d given her the time she needed to be sure. Because he hadn’t wanted her to commit to him unless she felt the same absolute certainty, trust and deep, abiding love for him that he felt for her.

  Jake heard a door open and he turned slowly, his gaze softening into a smile as Maggie entered. She always looked beautiful to him, but never more so than right now, as she walked toward him resplendent in her wedding finery. He held her at arm’s length for a moment when she joined him, memorizing every nuance of her appearance as she stood before him, more dazzling in her radiance than the illuminated Eiffel Tower visible behind her through the French doors on the balcony.

  Her hair was drawn back on one side with a cluster of sweetheart roses and baby’s breath, a miniature reflection of the bouquet she’d carried as they said their vows just hours before. Her tea-length white silk gown, subtly patterned to shimmer in the light, was simple but elegant, with slightly puffed sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. Around her neck she wore Millicent’s heart pendant, the two halves seamlessly joined by the hands of a master jeweler.

  Jake would never forget the expression of joy and certainty on her face as they’d exchanged their promises of love in the tiny chapel she’d reserved. Illuminated only by the mosaic of late-afternoon light as it filtered through the intricate stained-glass windows, with the fragrance of roses perfuming the air, it had been the perfect, intimate spot for them to make the commitment so long delayed.

  “You look breathtaking.” Jake lifted a hand to touch her face. To reassure himself she was real.

  She smiled, and a becoming blush rose in her cheeks. “Actually, I feel pretty breathless.”

  He chuckled. “It has been a bit of a whirlwind, hasn’t it?” Since her phone call a week ago, life had moved into high gear. Thankfully her call had coincided with Spring Break. But even if it hadn’t, nothing could have kept him from her side.

  “Everything happened so fast that I can hardly believe it’s real.”

  “You’re not sorry, are you? Would you rather we had waited, been married at home?”

  She smiled and shook her head. “No. We waited long enough. And once I decided, I was determined to have that Paris honeymoon after all. And now I have something to give you. Wait here.”

  She extricated herself from his arms and disappeared into the bedroom of their suite. A few moments later she returned with a large package wrapped in silver paper. As she held it out to him, he indicated two small packages with white bows on the coffee table that he’d retrieved in her absence.

  “Looks like we both had the same idea.”

  “I didn’t expect a present, Jake. Not on such short notice.”

  “I’ve had these for a long time, Maggie. They were just waiting for this moment.”

  He sat on the couch and drew her down beside him, then tore off the shiny paper of his package to reveal an impressionistic painting of a man, woman and small child on a hillside picnic, visible only from the back, surrounded by a golden light. The man and woman were seated, and he had his
arm around the child. He was pointing into the distance, and the woman’s hand rested on the man’s shoulder as she leaned close to him. A feeling of intrinsic love and serenity and unity pervaded the painting, making the viewer yearn to be part of the idyllic family scene.

  Jake examined the exquisite painting silently, then drew a deep breath as he turned to his wife and shook his head in awe. “This is wonderful, Maggie! All of your work is excellent, but…well, this stands apart. You always paint from the heart, but this…it captures something, some essence, I’ve never seen before in your work.”

  “It comes even more from the heart than you realize, Jake.”

  Some nuance in her tone intrigued him. “What do you mean?”

  “I thought a lot about us while I’ve been here. I knew from the beginning that I loved you. That was never a question. But I was so afraid of being hurt again. I just couldn’t decide what to do.

  “And then last week I was sitting at a sidewalk café, and I thought about this painting, which I started in Florence. Suddenly I realized I’d made my decision—about a couple of things—a long time ago.”

  She drew a deep breath and looked at him, her gaze steady and certain. “That’s us, Jake. You and me…and our child. I never even realized it until a few days ago. My heart’s known for weeks what I wanted to do. It just took a little longer for the message to reach my mind.”

  Carefully Jake set the painting down, then reached for her hand and searched her eyes.

  “Are you sure? You’re not doing this just because you know I want it?”

  “Partly. But I’m doing it for me, too. I want to raise our child—together. I want part of us, what we have together, to live on. And I want to share our love with a child.”

  He drew a deep, shuddering breath. This day couldn’t hold much more joy.

  “I love you, Maggie.”

  “I love you, too. With all my heart.” Her voice broke on the last word, and he reached over to frame her face with his hands, his thumbs gentle as they stroked her damp cheeks.

  “Now it’s your turn.” He retrieved the two small packages, handing her the smaller one first.

  Maggie tore off the wrapping and lifted the lid of the small box to reveal an antique, gold-filigreed locket. She flipped it open to find two tiny photos—one of her and Jake taken when they were about nine and ten, and one of them taken by the twins on her last birthday. Those two photos seemed to reaffirm what her heart had long known—that their lives had always been destined to join.

  “That was Mom’s locket. I found it when I was cleaning out the house for Dad. Her mother gave it to her when she turned twenty, and it was always one of her most treasured possessions. I know she’d want you to have it. And so do I.”

  “Oh, Jake! It’s lovely! Thank you.”

  He handed her the other package and waited silently as she tore off the wrapping, raised the lid and folded back the tissue paper. With unsteady hands she withdrew a small, framed document, and her breath caught in her throat as she was immediately transported back to another time and place. At the top, in careful lettering, were the words Official Document. Below that it read, “I, Jake West, and I, Maggie Fitzgerald, promise to always be friends forever and ever, no matter what happens.” It was dated twenty-eight years before, and they’d each signed it in their childish scrawls. Their mothers had signed also, as witnesses.

  A gentle smile tugged at her lips. “I’d forgotten all about this.”

  “I found it in my mother’s fireproof ‘treasure box’ the same day I found the locket. I meant those words then, Maggie. And I mean them now.”

  Maggie could no longer hold back her tears. They streamed down her cheeks unchecked as she stared down at the yellowed document in her hands. She thought about the gifts they had just exchanged—the locket that had once belonged to Jake’s mother, this sentimental document, her painting. None of them had much, if any, monetary value. But they were worth far more than gold to her, for they came from the heart and were born of love.

  When she looked up Jake reached over to brush her tears away.

  “No more tears, Maggie. There’ve been enough of those in this relationship.” He reached down and drew her to her feet, guiding her to the French doors that looked out onto the lights of Paris, the illuminated Eiffel Tower rising majestically into the night sky.

  “Remember how we used to talk about Paris? How we thought it was so romantic, and how we dreamed of spending our honeymoon here?”

  She nodded, a smile of remembrance touching her lips. “Mmm-hmm.”

  He turned to face her, his hands resting gently at her waist. She looked up at him, and the intensity in his eyes drove the breath from her lungs. “Well, our honeymoon might have been a little delayed. But I promise you this, my love. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for lost time. Starting right now.”

  Then he took her hand and drew her back inside, closing the door on the lights of Paris before he pulled her into his waiting arms. And as his lips claimed hers, in a kiss filled with promise and passion, Maggie said a silent prayer of thanks. After all these years, she had, at last, come home to the man she loved. And it was where she belonged.

  For always.

  Epilogue

  Two and a half years later

  “Allison, will you run down to the cottage and tell Pop dinner’s almost ready?”

  “Sure.” Allison pulled off a piece of the turkey that stood waiting to be carried to the table and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm. Fantastic! Sure beats the food in the dorms.”

  “Well, you’ll only have to put up with the food for one more semester.” Maggie shook her head. “I still can’t believe you two are graduating in less than six months!”

  “We can’t, either,” Abby chimed in. “Watch out, world, here we come!”

  Maggie laughed. “More like, world, brace yourself.”

  Jake ambled into the kitchen, sniffed appreciatively and headed straight for the turkey. “That smells great!”

  As he reached for a piece, Maggie stepped in his way. “If everyone eats their turkey in the kitchen, I’ll end up having mine alone in the dining room. And that’s no way to spend Thanksgiving.”

  “Well, I have to nibble on something.” Without giving her a chance to elude his grasp, Jake reached for her and pulled her into a dip. “I guess your ear will have to do.”

  Abby giggled. “You two act like you’re still on your honeymoon.”

  Jake’s eyes, only inches from Maggie’s, softened as he went from teasing to tender in a heartbeat. “That’s because we still feel like we are.”

  Abby expelled a dramatic sigh. “That’s s-o-o-o romantic. I sure hope I meet somebody like you when I’m ready to get married, Jake.”

  “I hope you do too, honey.” Maggie’s final word came out muffled under Jake’s lingering kiss.

  “Mmm,” he murmured. “I like this idea. Start with dessert.”

  Maggie laughed. “That’s all you’re going to get if you don’t let me up before everything burns.”

  “That’s all I need.” He raised one eyebrow wickedly.

  She blushed. “Well, I don’t think the others would agree to defer dinner until after you have…dessert.”

  With an exaggerated sigh, he slowly released her. “Oh, all right. I suppose I have to be a good sport about this.”

  “Pop’s on his way,” Allison informed them as she breezed back into the kitchen.

  “Okay, let’s get this show on the road, then. Everybody grab a dish and let’s eat!”

  It took a few minutes for everyone to settle in. And as Maggie looked around, she was filled with a sense of absolute peace and deep contentment. All of the people she cared about most were with her today, and that alone made her heart overflow with gratitude. Pop, who loved living in his own little cottage and now had a thriving woodworking business. Allison and Abby, still incurable romantics, ready to launch their own careers. And Jake.

  Her gaze paused on him as he
carved the turkey. Every moment with him had been a joy. Each day their relationship grew and deepened and took on new dimensions.

  At that moment, one of those dimensions began to loudly demand attention, and Maggie’s gaze moved to the high chair next to her husband. Her lips curved up as she gazed at the newest member of their family. For the past nine months, Michael had disrupted their household, and they’d loved every minute of it. True to his word, Jake had gone out of his way to make sure that this time, raising a child was a shared experience. He’d attended every childbirth class, coached her through labor, took most of the night feedings and changed more than his share of diapers. And Maggie loved him more every day.

  As Michael demonstrated his hunger in a particularly vocal way, Jake turned to him with a smile and reached over to ruffle the toddler’s auburn locks. “Hold on there, big fella, chow’s on the way.”

  Then he glanced at Maggie, and they smiled across the table at each other. It was a smile filled with tenderness, understanding, joy and love. Especially love. Because both of them realized how very blessed they were to have been given a second chance to find their destiny. And how close they’d come to losing it.

  Though no words were spoken, Maggie knew what Jake was thinking. She could read it in his eyes. And it mirrored her thoughts exactly.

  It didn’t get any better than this.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8994-3

  THE HEART REMEMBERS

  Copyright © 2011 by Irene Hannon

  This book orginally published as IT HAD TO BE YOU

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.