by Claire Adams
“You’ve seemed so happy here, Austin. Seeing you and Rebecca together again has been so nice, and I’ve gotten used to you being around all over again.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “What are you planning to do about her?”
“I’ll bring her with me. She’d enjoy seeing the city while I’m tying up loose ends if I let her know she’s coming back here as often as she wants to.” Mom gave me a dubious look. “What?”
“Rebecca loves this town, and she won’t want to leave. Her sister is staying now, and that’s all the more reason that Rebecca won’t go anywhere. She’s going to want to help her sister with all the library plans as well as keeping her job. Rebecca doesn’t care about your money, Austin. She doesn’t want to be sitting in a house that you pay for, not doing anything. That goes for here or New York, unless you’re planning to give her what she wants for her future. Can you let go of your dreams enough to see hers?”
“Why can’t we combine our dreams into one? Why can’t we compromise?”
She shook her head. “Austin, you’ve made your money there. What more do you need? What can you have there that you don’t have here?”
There was no way I could describe to Mom what I had there. It was more than the business and the apartment to me. I enjoyed being home with everyone now, but I had to get back to reality. I could visit them as often as they wanted me to with Rebecca since she would want to see her sister as well. I could completely compromise with Rebecca on what we both wanted. I didn’t want to avoid North Reed any longer, or avoid my ties here. If anything, they were stronger now, and I’d be here a lot more than before.
I wasn’t worried about anything now. Rebecca would go with me. I was sure of that.
“I just need to deal with some things is all. I have a lot of financial matters to handle there,” I told her as she stared at me. “It’s hard to explain.”
“I think that you need to really think about life. Is money that important to you, Austin?” Mom looked at me with a serious gaze. “Seems to me that with all of the money that you have now, you’d be able to get someone to take care of this for you.”
I could, but I was a control freak. Maybe I needed to see the city again to make a final decision. I had to feel what it was like there again and compare it to now, but the idea of Rebecca saying no again broke my heart a little. There was no way that she would refuse to come with me again.
“I know that Rebecca loves North Reed, Mom. She loves me, too, though. She’ll come with me.”
We dropped the subject, and she asked if salad sounded good for dinner tonight. It was weird seeing Mom serving things like that, even if it was a loaded salad with plenty of vegetables. I knew she was going to have a blast buying fresh veggies from people in town, and I could even see her starting a vegetable garden of her own. I’d tell the guys about that and have them help her set it up.
“Perfect. I like that you’re embracing all of these new things, Mom.”
She beamed at me. “Anything for your dad,” she assured me.
I reminded myself to order her a new laptop so she could get a Pinterest account going and find new recipes. Nothing fancy, but something portable that she could carry around the house if she was cooking or relaxing on the couch. They had a computer in the office, but it was a dinosaur and way too slow for anyone to work with. She’d love something smaller. I mentioned the site to her, and Mom perked up at the idea of looking at so many different ideas to do. I knew that Rebecca and Kim would enjoy it, too, as some of the women I knew in New York were all over it. It wasn’t my thing at all since I wasn’t all that into decorating. I knew there were recipes, but I liked a few preferred dishes that I’d been taught to make in New York.
I’d surprise Mom with the computer. I thought that Dad might like it as well. He was relaxing a little more nowadays, and there was a lot of stuff on the internet.
After our talk, Mom asked me if I’d stick around the house while she went to town. I agreed and went to see if Dad was sleeping before I wandered over to the table. I went online and checked a site that I bought all my personal computers from, ordering a lightweight computer for them that would be here as soon as possible. That way I could set it up for them, and they would be set when I was gone. It would be a nice way to keep in touch with each other. I wandered outside once that was completed and sat on the porch with another cup of coffee to think.
It was beautiful here, with land for miles. Houses were scattered about, and the town was close by, but there was still a sense of privacy here that I’d never found in New York. Is this what I wanted from life, despite fighting that idea so hard for the last several years? Would I be content if Rebecca didn’t want to come along with me when I had to return? Could I stand the idea of missing her again, now that we were seeing each other once more?
I had no idea.
I dropped back into the chair, not that phased by the cold air. I’d lived in it since I left, so that wasn’t as new to me as the whole change in my life in general. I thought back to all the years in New York and played back the memories like a movie, knowing that I never let anybody in the way that I did Rebecca. How could I? I hadn’t met anyone who affected me the way that she did.
I heard the front door open and glanced over to see Dad. He stepped outside and grinned at me before taking a seat. “Did you mother want you to babysit me?”
“There’s no need to babysit a grown man, Dad. I was already here, so I stuck around for a while. How was the nap?”
He relaxed and took a deep breath. “Good, son. I reckon that you don’t get a chance to do a lot of that over in New York.”
I shook my head. I didn’t sleep a lot, much less nap. I’d learned to go without, but waking up here in Rebecca’s arms made me think twice about that lifestyle.
“No. There is always too much going on there.” I sipped my coffee again, taking in the relaxed lines of his face and the way he looked at me. “You look good, Dad. Keep taking care of yourself, and you won’t have to worry about anything like this again.”
“It’s a hard thing for a man to do when people start telling him to take it easy. I worked so hard all those years, and I was sure that retirement wouldn’t get the best of me.” Dad shrugged. “I suppose it might be nice to relax a little bit and enjoy the rest of my years here with Mom.” There was a question to his voice that made me wonder if he was hoping that I’d move back soon as well.
I could do anything with the amount of money that I had, but just where was it that I wanted to settle down?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rebecca
Austin took off for his parents’ after we enjoyed some breakfast at my house, along with a little extra time in my bed. I was deeply in love with him all over again and watched him drive away. Then, I looked at my phone sitting on the table.
I hadn’t spoken to my parents for longer than a few minutes at a time in a couple of weeks. Mom hated texts and said that they were too impersonal for her. So, I sat down with a fresh cup of coffee and made the call.
“Rebecca,” Mom greeted me with a smile in her voice. “How are you?”
“I am so sorry that I haven’t done much else besides text you the last few days. It has been a little chaotic around here.”
She chuckled at the other end. “I’ll say. How’s Mel doing now? You said that he’s home.”
I nodded, reminding myself that we were talking on the phone and not in person. I still missed them so much sometimes.
“He’s home and settled. I think the doctors finally got it into his head that he needs to ease up some.”
“How are Sally and Austin handling things?” Mom asked.
I thought about how much his mom had put into the changes needed for Mel. “She is doing everything he needs and then some. She tried before, but Mel wasn’t too thrilled about it. I think now that he’s gotten a second warning, he’s willing to let her do her thing. Sally loves it, though.” I paused and licked my lips. “Austin is still here.
He had worked with the doctors and even had one come in from New York, Mom. Can you believe that? He didn’t think that a small-town hospital would be up to par with the city, but it turns out that Mel is under fine care here.”
“He is just doing the best that he knows how, sweetheart. Men aren’t always the emotional types, but he knows that he can do other things for his father. I remember how much Austin took care of you back when you were both in school. I know that Mel is in good hands with that boy.” She was right about Austin. He always did take the best care of me, and I used to call him overprotective most of the time. Dad was always right there, supporting him in that, making me miss the two of them at this moment.
“I suppose so. It’s just so much money, and he seems to always be working for more. He’s getting his parents some help with that big yard of theirs, though. Mel’s had a hard time not getting out there to work on things. And Austin took care of all of the medical bills and even the new prescription that is supposed to do wonders for his dad.”
“Maybe Austin worked so hard for his parents,” Mom said. “As well as all the other reasons. Maybe he wanted to take care of them the way his father did with him and his mom. They had a great life and look at how wonderful Austin turned out to be. They have to be so proud of him,” Mom gushed. I knew all too well how good he’d turned out because I was in love with him. “Have you seen a lot of him over the last few weeks?”
“Oh, Mama.” I sighed, feeling like an awkward teenager all over again. “I’m seeing him all the time. We’re back together now.”
“I knew that Kim was hiding something from me!” Mom told me. She spoke to Kim a lot more frequently than she did with me the last several days, especially with the news about the library. “She told me the basics but nothing about this. That’s wonderful. Are you guys anything like you used to be?”
“I think we’re better. I’m not sure, though, with everything going on. I don’t know what he wants from me.”
“What do you mean?” Mom asked.
I tried to think of the words to convey my feelings. “He still lives in New York, Mama. Austin even brought an assistant here with him to help work on stuff over the holidays. I know that Austin is here right now, but what if he goes back? I’m settled here.” I stopped and thought about something that I’d wanted to ask her for a long time. “Why did you leave North Reed with Daddy?”
“Oh, sweetie. You do things for love that you don’t always expect. When your dad retired and was told that he needed a warmer climate for his breathing issues, I listened. We found a place that we could love, and I came here for him. I can’t imagine life without that man at my side. It’s been an adjustment, and I miss you and your sister, but when he’s happy and healthy, then I am content. That’s what love is. Have you talked with Austin about this?”
“I’m scared to. I already watched him walk away once, and it nearly broke me. What if he does it again?” I felt the familiar fear fill my body.
“Sweetie, talk to him,” she urged me. “You shouldn’t hold all of this in and sabotage it before it’s even over. When your father told me he needed to move for his health, I was scared. I knew North Reed, the people, and just the way life there. I had no surprises. The idea of moving made me worry about you girls and what might happen, but we talked about it. He assured me that you were grown up now and would be fine in this town that we loved for so long. He was right. You are both doing wonderfully. I love it here now, apart from some of the hot weather, but there are ways around that. We have a good group of friends here and a good life.”
“You do seem very happy,” I agreed.
She laughed at the other end. “He didn’t have anyone serious in New York who he was dating, did he? I never heard about his getting married or anything along those lines.”
I fought the urge to choke on my coffee. “No, nothing like that. He dated a lot of actresses and models. They were all so beautiful, Mama.” My voice sounded wistful. I dropped against the chair, comparing myself to them, yet again.
“So are you,” Mom said. “You are pretty all the way through, Rebecca, and have a heart of gold. Those girls have someone to do their hair and makeup before every picture, and I’ll bet that Austin would tell you that they’re nothing compared to you. It’s a different life there, and he’s got money. They’re going to try and get all of that. From what you’re telling me, he’s here and back with you. That tells me something.” Mom’s voice sounded optimistic and made me smile as I took in her words. “What scares you so bad about living somewhere else?”
“He lives in New York, Mama. I wouldn’t fit in there, at all.”
She laughed again. “There was probably a part of Austin that thought the same thing, Rebecca. He made it just fine, and no one would take care of you there like he would. It could give your father and me somewhere new to visit when the weather gets warmer out there.”
“Oh, Mama,” I said, laughing. “You’re terrible.”
“I learned something in this move, Rebecca. After getting married in Texas and raising you girls, I learned that I’m the same person here in Arizona that I was there. I was convinced that I’d be leaving some huge part of me behind, and while I left a little of my heart with you and your sister, I am still the same person here. The place is different, but I’m not. I’ve learned new things along the way, too. It wasn’t the end of the world like I expected it to be. Maybe you should consider that. You would brighten any place that you lived because you’re you.”
Tears slipped down my cheeks. I felt her love over the miles. “Thank you, Mama.”
“Do you love him?” she pressed gently.
I covered my mouth to hold in the sob rising in my throat. “Yes.” I wiped my eyes. “I love him so much.”
“If he’s anything like the Austin I knew, then he loves you as well. True love isn’t fleeting, Rebecca. If you love him that deeply, then you’re in it for the long haul. That doesn’t mean that you won’t have hard times in life, because you will. That’s a given. All that I’ve ever wanted for you girls was to find a good man and be happy. It doesn’t matter where you live. Think long term and not all about life right now in North Reed. You can succeed anywhere you want, sweetheart.”
“I’ve never cared about any man the way that I do for him,” I told her honestly.
She sighed at the other end. “Your father and I always liked Austin so much. Dad knew that he was going to be successful no matter what he chose to do, and it made him feel good that you’d be in his care. It shocked both of us when you decided to stay back in North Reed. I thought you’d follow Austin to the ends of the earth.”
“I did, too,” I told her as another tear slid down my cheek. “I regretted that choice.”
“Don’t regret any other ones, Rebecca. This is your second chance at love, and you have my support no matter what your decision is. That boy can love you no matter where you live.” I let all of her advice sink in. “Besides, I need some grandchildren to visit from one of you girls.”
I barked out a laugh to that comment.
We ended the call, and I went to the back porch to sit outside and breathe in the cool air. Mama was right, but I was so scared to leave. There was no point in fussing about it, given that he hadn’t even asked me yet. I just needed to focus on life right now and stop thinking so far ahead into the future.
Austin might stay here.
I doubted that, but he might. Maybe I’d get my dream after all, and Austin would choose me and his family. A laugh burst out of me as I looked over the landscape and shook my head. I knew that he loved me, but did he love his money and life in New York more?
Would he leave me for that all over again?
I sank back and sipped the last of my coffee, now cold from being ignored during my phone call with Mom. I missed them so much. I also knew that they were happy in Arizona, now that a little time had passed. Dad was so much healthier in the dryer air, and they were doing a lot of outdoor things that he’d avoided
for so many years here. I just never noticed that before.
My reasons for leaving might not be for my health, but that didn’t matter. I might thrive wherever I lived, too. I could cut hair anywhere, though I could see Austin telling me not to work at all. I couldn’t imagine myself as one of those women who shopped all the time and was content with someone else taking care of them. I’d consider that if I had children to raise, since Mama did such a wonderful job with Kim and me when we were younger.
Sally seemed happy doing that, as well. Perhaps that was a North Reed thing and not what people did in New York, given that Austin mentioned that so many people had nannies.
I’d never do that. I wanted to raise my own kids. I lifted my chin and took a deep breath, telling my mind to slow down and just enjoy the moment.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Austin
I came into the living room to see Dad in his favorite recliner, reading a book as he rocked himself gently with his foot. I remembered sitting in this very chair with him as a little boy while he did the same thing. The memory made me smile. “Need anything, Dad?” I asked.
He glanced over at me with an easy smile. I saw the cup beside him that no doubt held the herbal tea that Mom bought for him once he came home from the hospital.
“I’m fine, Austin. How are you?” Dad asked, a million questions in his tone. He always seemed to sense when I wanted to talk. I still called him from New York sometimes, looking for his wise words when I was stuck with something.
“I’m…okay,” I said and eased myself down on the couch across from him.
Dad watched me with that knowing look in his eyes, waiting for my questions. I felt the bond between us, even stronger now with everything that happened over the last week.
I could have lost him this time. The thought made my head hurt, and I ran a hand through my hair. “When did you know that Mom was the one for you, Dad?”
