Embracing Her Heart

by Melissa Foster

  “Reed?” she called out as she headed upstairs. Morgyn had finished the gifts she’d asked her to make, and she couldn’t wait to give Reed his.

  As she walked through the master bedroom, she paused by the foot of the mattress, remembering the adoration in Reed’s eyes as they’d made love that morning. His sweet words—How will I make it through a single night without you in my arms?—had plagued her all day, making her warm with emotions and sad about their impending separation in equal measure. Once again, she braced herself for that reality, telling herself to treasure each day rather than ruing the end of them.

  She headed out to the veranda, but there was no sign of Reed anywhere other than his truck in the driveway. Gazing out over the backyard, she caught his silhouette down by the creek. How romantic. She tugged off her high-heeled boots, skirt, and blouse, pulled on a pair of shorts and a hoodie, and put his gift in her pocket. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops, feeling light as air after the amazing day she’d had. Nana and the others had come in to help her organize groups of volunteers and create callback lists so they could coordinate auditions and teams to work on different aspects of the play. There was no way they’d be able to pull it off before she left, even with a big group of volunteers, but it was coming together, and that was exciting as hell.

  She hurried down the stairs and flew out the kitchen door and off the deck, humming the song “Stupid” by Levi Hummon. She wanted to be stupid with Reed and do crazy-in-love silly things together without thinking about the ramifications. She sang a few words as she neared Reed. He was gazing out at the water, his knees pulled up, the crook of his elbows hooked around his knees, hands clasped. She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling his muscles tense beneath her fingers.

  “Hey, handsome,” she said softly, and pressed a kiss to his cheek as she sat beside him in the grass. “I brought you something.”

  He turned, and her heart sank at the tortured look in his eyes, the firm set of his jaw. His gift forgotten, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, babe.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, one hand on the back of her head, keeping her close. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  “Sorry I was so late.” She wondered if that was the problem. It was nearly eight o’clock.

  He pressed his lips to her cheek and said, “How did it go? I drove by, but there were so many people there, I didn’t come in.”

  “It was amazing. We have volunteers for everything—set building, the cast, we even have the place worked out. The Jerichos were happy to let us use their barn, and there are a group of high schoolers who are apparently really great artists, who volunteered to put together posters and flyers. Morgyn came by, and she’s going to help with costumes, along with a group of Hellie’s friends and some high school girls. Lindsay came with Nana, and I swear those two are a powerhouse. You know how Nana loves to celebrate anything and everything. Lindsay is putting together a whole rebellious-Cinderella theme with decorations and food. It’s going to be amazing.”

  One side of Reed’s lips tipped up, but it was a half-hearted smile. “Good, babe. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”

  “Me too. Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry I was late, if that’s what’s bugging you.”

  His hands slid to the nape of her neck, and he touched his forehead to hers. “No, babe,” he said softly. “I’m not sure I’m okay, and it has nothing to do with you or the time. I don’t mind that you worked late.”

  “Then what is it? Did something happen? I saw Roy driving away. Are he and Ella okay?”

  “They’re fine.” He pressed his lips to hers and sat back, gazing out at the water again. His hands curled into fists, and even in the moonlight she could see the muscles in his jaw bunching. “My…Frank showed up here earlier.”

  “Frank…?”

  He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, and the darkness of his stare brought understanding. Her mind reeled with a crazy mix of anxiety and hope. Reed had carried so much anger toward his father, it was no wonder he was acting strange.

  “Frank, as in your father?”

  He gave one curt nod.

  “Here? At the house? Did you guys talk? How was it?”

  “No, we didn’t talk,” he said sharply. “That man has no business anywhere near my life.” He pushed to his feet and paced. “Roy tried to warn me, but I was too tied up all day to call him back, and then Frank was here.”

  She went to him, but he took a step back, holding up his hand to warn her off.

  “I’m sorry, babe, but I’m too tightly wound. I don’t want to take it out on you.”

  She’d never seen Reed like this, but she didn’t want to be shut out, and she really didn’t want him to think he was stuck dealing with this alone. She put her finger into his belt loop and pulled herself forward, until they were standing thigh to thigh. His lips curved up, though his eyes remained tortured, and he lifted his gaze toward the moon.

  “Gracie, please don’t.”

  “Don’t what? Love you?” she said. “Because for me to stay back while you’re hurting, or conflicted, or angry at your father, that’s what would have to happen.”

  “I’m so angry,” he said through gritted teeth. “Too angry. I don’t want you to take the brunt of it.”

  She wound her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest, feeling his heart beating fast and hard. “I know. You won’t let me. I’m not worried.”

  “Who does he think he is, showing up like that?”

  She knew he wasn’t looking for an answer.

  “What right does he have to interrupt my life? What makes him think I’d want to see him?”

  She eased her grip enough to look up at him. Worry lines deepened along his brows and beneath his eyes. His mouth twisted angrily. And yet somehow the weight of sadness overshadowed all that rage, making her ache even more for him.

  “Did he say anything? Explain why he came after all these years? Did Roy offer any clarity?” she asked.

  He shook his head and finally put his arms around her, letting out a long sigh before responding. “Roy said Frank had stopped by his place asking where he could find me. Roy asked the same questions you did, but I don’t have the answers. I sent Frank away. In my head, he’s like an infectious disease I don’t want to risk being around. I’m sure that makes no sense. There was a time I would have given anything to have a relationship with him. But that’s gone, Gracie. Maybe it makes me a terrible human being, but I don’t want it. Frank Gilbert does not exist to me. As far as I’m concerned, I’m Roy Cross’s son. I don’t want or need to hear excuses about why Frank’s been absent from my life for all this time. He abandoned me once, and it took forever for me to move past it. Hell, babe. I’m still not past it. He’s not a part of my life. He never was.”

  She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to say, but none of them mattered, because she wasn’t Reed. She hadn’t been the child asking Santa for his father’s love or the preteen harboring resentment, curiosity, and hope, all of which went unanswered. And she wasn’t the boy who had to find his way to manhood with all the unanswered questions Reed carried on his shoulders. She was only the woman who had loved him long enough to try to keep those thoughts and questions to herself in an effort to help him heal.

  Chapter Twenty

  IN A SPAN of forty-eight hours a man could reunite and fall in love with his high school sweetheart, he could finish renovating a Victorian porch, and, Reed discovered, his house could become a home. What he didn’t expect was that just as quickly that home could become the place where his demons came back to haunt him. Reed stood in the kitchen, staring at the shoe box and wondering if it held the answers he’d always wanted or decades of hurt. Twice he’d driven by that damned hotel at the edge of town where Frank was staying. And twice he’d cursed a blue streak and driven away.

  He still wasn’t ready to play that game of Russian roulette.

  “I’
m ready,” Grace said as she rushed down the stairs. They were meeting Meggie, Roy, and Ella at the Majestic to take a tour of the inside. “Sorry we ran late with the auditions today. I can’t believe how many people want a part in this play. I changed as quickly as I could.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control of his emotions and felt her arms circle his waist. Her cheek pressed warm and loving against his back, and he reached behind him, keeping her close. She’d been careful not to push him toward seeing Frank, but he knew in his heart she thought he should. He also knew she didn’t need any more angst in her life. She had enough on her plate with running around town to coordinate the play, dealing with the director about her next production, which seemed to take hours of emails, texts, and phone calls, and handling the asshole actor who was causing problems on her current production. Reed wanted to head to the city and shake the shit out of him, tell him to grow up and do his fucking job. It was probably a good thing Grace was more levelheaded, because his unresolved anger and hurt toward Frank made him less than rational. He tried to concentrate on Grace and happier things, like the fact that he finished the porch two days early, celebrating this coming Friday night with their families at the barbecue, and buying the Majestic. He needed the distraction of that project now more than ever, as Grace’s—and Frank’s—departure loomed.

  Grace spread her hands over his stomach and said, “How about if we move the box out of sight until you’re ready to deal with it?”

  He turned and embraced her, telling himself to man up and look in the damn thing already. She smiled up at him, and it sliced right through the heartache to his very soul. Grace was what mattered, not his past. He’d never be able to bring his mother back, and no matter what Frank had to say, it wouldn’t repair the damage he’d done. It was time to close that door for good, and putting the box away was a start.

  He pressed his lips to hers and then said, “I’ll put it away after we get back. Everyone’s probably waiting for us.”

  They arrived at the same time as Roy and Ella and greeted them outside the theater.

  “Grace, we’re excited to see your family Friday night.” Ella embraced Grace. “It was awfully nice of your mother to invite us.”

  “Everyone is looking forward to it. Amber is even planning to close her bookstore early so she can be there.” Grace looked lovingly at Reed and said, “Reed did such an amazing job on the porch, Mom and Dad want to break it in properly. I think the words my father used were ‘timeless perfection.’”

  “This get-together is a long time coming,” Reed said.

  As Grace and Ella talked about the barbecue, Roy ran an assessing eye over Reed and slung an arm over his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

  When Roy had shown up at their house minutes after Reed had sent Frank away, he’d listened to Reed bitch for a long time. Roy had always been good at knowing when to listen and when to push. The thing was, the few words he’d said were still battering Reed’s head. That man’s your blood, and where you take it from here is your decision. But keep in mind, your mama loved him, and she was no pushover.

  He stood up a little taller for the man who had raised him and said, “You know that feeling when you’re working on an old foundation and you pull out a brick only to find that what lay behind it was never solid?”

  Roy rubbed a hand over his jaw and lifted his brows. “So, you find a bit of decay, some crumbled mortar. Son, how many times has a poorly built foundation ever gotten the best of you? You’re a Cross. You find the best parts of everything, and you breathe life into them. It’s who you are at your very core. Nothing behind those bricks is strong enough to change that. The question is, are you strong enough to face it? I believe you are.”

  Grace’s fingers slid into Reed’s, offering silent support. Reed thought about how they’d hidden their relationship and how much potential angst they’d saved by doing so. They could have challenged those old rivalries and they could have spent their senior year of high school arguing with their friends. His answer didn’t come easily, but it came just the same. “Sometimes just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Come on. I assume Meggie’s already inside? Let’s go check out our next project.”

  Inside the lobby, Reed was as awestruck as the others, just as he’d been when he’d first seen the multicolored inlaid marble floors and intricate woodwork around the refreshment counter.

  “Just like I remember,” Ella said as she wrapped her hand around Roy’s arm and snuggled closer. “It was right here at this counter that your uncle proposed to me.”

  “At the popcorn counter?” Reed laughed. “Real romantic, Roy.”

  “It was more romantic than roses and diamonds,” Ella said. “He pointed to the soda fountain, which was right there at the time, and asked me what I wanted to drink. I told him it didn’t matter. I’d share whatever he was having.”

  “And I said, ‘How about you share the rest of my life with me?’” Roy leaned down and kissed Ella. “If I were able to do it all over again, I’d probably do it just the same way. I caught you off guard and got you to agree to marry me before you had time to think about it. I’d say that’s the biggest win of my life.”

  “Oh, Roy.” Ella wrinkled her nose.

  “I think it’s perfectly romantic.” Grace squeezed Reed’s hand. “It was on this property that Reed first told me he loved me.”

  The look in her eyes told Reed she was remembering that night as clearly as he was. He’d told her he loved her behind the theater, as they lay kissing, naked as the day they were born, beneath a blanket of stars, only moments before they’d made love for the very first time. Afterward, as they lay in each other’s arms, basking in the aftermath, he’d gazed into her eyes and said, I’m going to marry you one day. And he’d meant it.

  The heels of Meggie’s boots tapped out a hurried rhythm as she raced out of the auditorium in a red paisley dress belted around her thick waist, with a short jean jacket over it. Her blond hair was gathered on one side in a thick braid, a few long, wispy bangs framing her rosy cheeks and bright brown eyes.

  “Hey, y’all! I’m so glad you made it out. Isn’t this place just to die for! Can you believe the shape it’s in?” Her arms moved animatedly as she spoke. “Gracie Montgomery, get on in here and give me a hug, girl!”

  The amusement in Grace’s eyes was priceless as she embraced her old friend.

  “Hi, Meg. It’s been a long time,” Grace said. “It’s nice to see you. You look gorgeous.”

  “It’s Meggie.” She patted her hair and set one hand on her rounded hip. “Yes, I do look mighty fine, don’t I? After all those years of being thin as a twig, I finally got my groove on. Country livin’ will keep a girl in shape.” She dragged her gaze down Grace’s body, taking in her blousy blue top, skinny jeans, and high-heeled boots. “Looks like the city’s gotten its trendy claws into you.” She waved her hand and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t you worry yourself none. I’m sure Ella can plump up those hips, give Reed something to hang on to. You must not have time to eat with your crazy schedule, Miss Big-Time Producer.” She gave a little whoop and headed back toward the theater, motioning for them to follow. “Wait until you see the auditorium. Reed sure got a steal on this baby…”

  Grace looked down at her body as they walked in, and Reed pulled her close and whispered, “You’re perfect, baby. Thin, fat, in the middle, makes no difference. It’s what’s inside that counts.”

  “My heart?” Grace said softly.

  “Well, I was talking about what’s beneath those clothes, but your heart works, too.” He chuckled, dodging her hand as she swatted at him.

  A look of awe came over Grace as she took in the auditorium’s domed ceiling, elaborate chandeliers, and balconies. “This is gorgeous, and it’s in amazing shape. I can’t believe it.”

  “It sure is,” Meggie said.

  As Meggie ran through the details of the property at breakneck speed, Grace w
hispered ideas to Reed. “There’s so much you can do here—presentations, weddings, outdoor movies. But you have to crunch the numbers. It’s easy to get carried away and excited, but it takes money to keep a theater afloat. And in a place like Oak Falls, you need to have a niche.”

  The more ideas Grace had, the more infectious her enthusiasm became, and by the time they’d toured the whole facility, everyone was tossing out ideas.

  “You could have Tweet seats,” Grace suggested.

  “I hear they do that in the bigger cities, give away seats so people can tweet during the show and drum up buzz,” Meggie said. “I bet you’d have customers from all the neighboring areas.”

  “And a mailer,” Ella offered. “We used to do them for Roy’s company when things got slow. People love to get mail.”

  “Yes, but these days email works better, and it’s more cost-effective,” Grace said. “I read about one stage company that put a call out for original material, and they received more than four hundred submissions.”

  “That sounds like a job in and of itself, to weed through them.” Reed inhaled deeply.

  “Yes, but it also gave the company an identity, a niche,” Grace explained. “They’re now known for producing original plays, and they have an audience of more than thirty thousand loyal followers from all over the world, not just their small town.”

  Reed was blown away. “I know very little about running a theater, but you guys are way ahead of me. I still have to do all the work, remember? That’s going to take a long time. I’ve got meetings scheduled next week with subcontractors to discuss the project, and my buddy Graham Braden, a structural engineer, will come down and help me out when I’m ready. But hiring is a long way off, and while I thought I’d hire people to run it, you’re talking about really specific experience. I’m not sure we have that around here.”