by Leah Atwood
“It’s not sweetened because your father has to watch his sugar intake, but here’s some you can add.” She set a clear bowl in front of him and handed him a spoon. “Don’t go anywhere. I’m going to call over to Jamie’s.” She stopped in her tracks and stared at him another long minute before leaving the room.
Rob rapped his knuckles against the table to the beat of a song the band had recorded several years ago. Looking around, he was amazed how much of the house was the same as a decade ago. His gaze landed on a calendar and he read some of the entries. Mary—Hair Appointment. Frank—Dentist. Dinner w/ the Johnstons. Some things never changed.
“They’re coming right over. It’ll be about fifteen minutes.” She grabbed the pitcher of tea and topped off his drink. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything to eat? You’re so skinny now.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Really.” He gestured to the other seat. “Sit down. You don’t have to wait on me.”
She took a deep breath, but sat in the seat opposite him. “I’m just so happy you’re here.” One arm rested on the edge of the table. “Why now?”
“It was time.”
Pinning him with a stare, she softened it with a gentle, but sad smile. “It’s long been time. Something must have changed.”
“I met someone.” He’d waited to tell his mom in person about Dani. Even now, the mention of her made him grin. “She’s amazing.”
Joy lit his mom’s entire face. “Tell me about her, please.”
“Her name’s Dani, and she’s Bryce’s cousin from Louisiana.”
“A Cajun girl?”
“Yep, through and through, except she’s terrified of alligators.”
His mom laughed. “What else?”
“She’s twenty-eight and owns her own restaurant. You’ll like her, Mom. She’s gorgeous, sweet, fiercely loyal, smart, dedicated. Anything good that can be said of a person, goes for her.” Man, he missed her already. “She’s also a Christian. Her faith is deep, not in the in-your-face way, but in a solid, show-it-through-living way.”
“That’s so important, Rob. You can’t imagine how thankful I was when you told me you’d found your faith again. Your father and I never stopped praying for you. We still do every day.”
“Thank you.”
“Will we get to meet Dani?” His mom stood and moved to the counter—she never could sit still for long.
“I sure hope so.” He retrieved his phone from his pocket. “Want to see a picture of her?”
“Of course.” She took a few steps and stood, looking over his shoulder.
“This is her outside Ryman Auditorium when she and Gram came to visit.” Scrolling through the pictures on his phone, he stopped at one that Dani’s mom had taken on Thanksgiving. “This is us last Thursday night.”
“It does your mom’s heart so much good to see you in love. I worried about you, after losing Carrie the way you did, that you’d never open your heart again.” She squeezed his shoulders.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” he confessed. “But now, I think I was being prepared for Dani.”
The front door opened.
“That’ll be your sister and her crew.” His mom tugged at him, prodding him to stand. “Get ready for the ambush.”
“WHEW.” ROB WIPED his brow and collapsed in an Adirondack chair in his sister’s backyard. “I don’t know where you find the energy to do this every day. I always thought I was in good shape, but they’ve worn me out.”
Jamie, sitting in another chair, laughed. “You get used to it.”
Adapting to the role of uncle came naturally to him, he’d discovered. Jordan and Cheyenne were a rowdy pair, and at seven and six years old, reminded him of Jamie and himself at that age. All mischief and imagination. At the moment, they were spending their Friday night playing pirates and treasure hunt in Jamie’s backyard.
“When are you leaving?” Jamie asked.
“In another hour or two. Cheyenne asked if I’d stay until bedtime.”
“I’m not talking about tonight.” She crossed her ankles and looked at him.
His elbow was propped against the chair and he rubbed his forehead. “Another week. I have to be back in Nashville the day after New Year’s and I plan to stop by Oden Bridge on the way back.”
For three weeks, he’d crammed in every second possible with his family, rebuilding bonds that had suffered from his absence. Dani had been right—he needed this trip, but his place was with her. Even returning to Nashville didn’t hold the same lure.
“You won’t make us wait another ten years to see you, will you?” She bit a fingernail, a nervous habit he’d noticed that she’d picked up since he’d left.
“No,” he spoke with absolute conviction. “Those days are gone.”
“I understand why you had to leave, but I thought you’d be back. Every month that passed, and then every year, I got angry. I needed my big brother.”
Until now, his family has tiptoed around the issue, afraid of angering him by calling out the fact that he’d abandoned his family. Almost relieved to get it out in the open, he didn’t bother making excuses.
“When Paul left me last year, my world crumbled. It came out of the blue, for me at least. I didn’t even know he wasn’t happy.” She tucked her arms, one under the other, and took a deep breath. “I was heartbroken.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If not for Jordan and Cheyenne, I don’t know what I would have done. They grounded me in a way no one else could.” She gazed out at her children. “During that time, I started to understand that pain you must’ve gone through after losing Carrie. I know how I felt, losing Paul, and imagine it was only a sliver of what you experienced.”
“I wish I would have been here for you.” Regrets slammed into him, and he struggled to accept his failures.
She looked at him intently, her lips in a straight line. “I didn’t tell you that to make you feel bad. I forgave you a long time ago and knew you’d come home one day. I only wanted you to know that I understand, at least to a degree.”
“Have you heard from Paul, lately?” When Jamie’s husband moved out and left separation papers on their bed last year, she’d not said much about it. Nothing, actually. His mom had told him, and other than a brief mention of condolence, he and his sister never discussed it.
“He comes down once a month to spend a weekend with the kids.” She blinked rapidly before speaking again. “We go to court next month to finalize the divorce. It was supposed to be done in October, but the papers were messed up.”
“You don’t want the divorce, do you?”
A sad, sardonic smile settled across her mouth. “I always believed in true love, that it never dies. I guess I watched one too many fairytales as a little girl.”
After all these years, the big-brother need to protect surfaced. Hearing the hurt in Jamie’s voice, he wished he could track Paul down and give him some choice words, and maybe a good punch to the jaw. “I don’t know what your future holds, but promise me you won’t stop believing in love.”
“How could I not believe in it?” Her smile reached her eyes. “After all, you found Dani.”
Chapter 23
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you so much.” Dani took the hangers of clothes from Gina and hung them on her office door.
“Not a problem.” Gina laughed and bounced Erik on her other arm. “Besides, it gave me a chance to show off how adorable the little guy is in his Christmas outfit.”
“He is precious. If I wasn’t covered in food and everything else, I’d give him a big hug.”
“I’ll give you a rain check for tonight.” Gina gave her a quick, sideways hug. “Greg’s waiting in the car, so I have to run. We have some last minute shopping before the Christmas Eve service.”
“Have fun, I’ll see you tonight.” Dani returned to the kitchen, preparing the last order of the day.
Historically, Christmas Eve was a slow day, but today broke that trend, especially in the last hour bef
ore the scheduled early close. When she realized she wouldn’t have time to run home and change before the service as she’d expected, she’d called Gina, begging a favor and asked her to bring a change of clothes. Thank goodness she’d hidden a spare key in a planter.
When the last customer was gone, she helped clean up so everyone could leave as soon as possible. After shooing Mindy out, she was finally alone with room to breathe. The smell of food clung to her. She went to the large industrial sink and used hand soap to clean her arms and face. Back in her office, she changed out of her soiled clothes and slipped into the red dress she’d bought with Christmas in mind.
Once dressed, she pulled out the bottle of dry shampoo she kept in her desk for occasions like these. She pulled her hair free from its ponytail, spritzed the shampoo on and rubbed her locks thoroughly. Her hair had been pulled back too long for it to lay right, so she twisted it into a quick up-do and secured it with a clip. Holding up a compact mirror, she looked at her reflection and shook her head. That will have to do for now.
Someone tapped on the office door. “Knock, knock.”
All breathing stopped when she heard the familiar voice. She looked up. “Rob.”
He smiled and jerked his head toward the main door. “You really should keep the back door locked when you’re here alone.”
Overcoming her shock at seeing him, she stood in slow motion. Returning his smile, she walked to him at a languid pace. “I don’t think so. You never know when a handsome stranger might drop in and sweep you off your feet.”
“I might not be a stranger…” He took the final step for them to meet. “…but I’ll gladly sweep you off our feet.”
Before she realized what he was doing, he’d picked her up and spun her around in a circle. She squealed and laughed until he set her down. Standing back, she took in the sight of him. And he looked good. Uncharacteristically dressed up, he wore black dress pants and a charcoal gray button down shirt. His jaw and chin sported a few days' growth of neatly trimmed facial hair.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were spending Christmas in California?” In her excitement to see him, the words poured out on top of each other.
“I’d planned on it.” He took hold of her hand. “I’m glad I went to see my family. You were right that I needed to go back, and I’ll be visiting more frequently from now on, but while I was there, one thing became increasingly clear.”
Her breath hitched again, anticipating what he’d say. “Which is?”
“Home isn’t in California, or even Nashville. It’s with you, wherever you are.” Raking his free hand through his hair, he took a deep breath. “Gram and I talked and worked out some arrangements.”
“There you and Gram go again, making plans without me.” Her voice was airy.
“I wanted to surprise you. I had this big elaborate plan worked out for tonight.” He looked flustered, his unruffled demeanor lost.
“Plan for what?”
“This.” He dropped to one knee.
Tingles shot down her spine. She backed up a step, leaning against a chair for support. Her attention fixated wholly on him.
“I love you, Dani. For too long, I shoved aside feelings and life, but you brought me back to the living. I know our schedules and lives will be hectic, but I love you and want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” She sank to her knees in front of him. He pulled a ring from his pocket and slipped it onto her finger. Wiping away a tear of joy, she looked at it—a flawless, round cut diamond solitaire. “It’s beautiful.”
“You outshine it.” His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “I love you, Dani. So much that it hurt being away from you.”
“I love you, too. The second I heard your voice and looked up to see you standing at the door, I felt complete for the first time in weeks.” They switched from kneeling, to sitting. She didn’t care that they sat on carpet that needed a good vacuuming.
“There are still times I’ll have to go to Nashville, especially over the next year until I finish with the band, and then the final tour next summer.” He held her hand, circling the engagement ring with his thumb. “If you are okay with the plan, I’m going to move in with Gram until you and I marry. She’s lonely, and the house is too big for her to maintain upkeep all on her own, so I’ll help her out while I’m here.”
“So you’ll live in Oden Bridge, except when work calls you away?” It was too good to be true.
“Yes.”
Her cheeks ached from her broad smile. “I think I could get used to these plans you and Gram devise.”
He threw his head back, laughing. “If you only knew. Did you know her trip to Nashville was a contrived plan between her and Bryce to get us together? She slipped and mentioned it the other day.”
“No, but thinking back it puts things in perspective.” She grinned. “Too bad the joke was on them.”
His laughter stopped, and he sobered. “I really did have a fancy proposal all mapped out. One day you’re going to tell our kids what an unromantic man their father is.”
Brushing her fingertips against his cheek, she shook her head. “No. I’m going to tell them their daddy was so in love with their mama, he couldn’t wait another minute to propose.”
He pressed a kiss against her forehead. “It’d be the truth.”
Epilogue
March roared in like a lion, and Dani feared she’d made a mistake in not setting a later date for the wedding. Ten days of heavy, soaking rain left the earth saturated. Puddles and mini-lakes were everywhere. To her dismay, it showed no signs of letting up.
She stood on Gram’s screened-in porch, praying for a miracle.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Rob came behind her, draping his arms over her shoulders.
“What are we going to do if the rain doesn’t stop? The yard is never going to dry in time—the wedding is in two days.” Attempts at warding off the panic were futile.
“We’ll move it inside, or have it at the church. With such a short guest list, it wouldn’t take much in the way of logistics to change venues.”
She turned in his arms to face him. “You know how much I want to be married here, outside in Gram’s backyard.”
“If it’s that important, we’ll make it happen, even if we have to change the date.” He cupped her chin and arrested her with his gaze. “All I want is to marry you and make you happy.”
He brought her back to reality. Her worry was pointless, and the location wasn’t what mattered. Leaning in to him, she sighed with contentment.
“If we have to change locations, I’m fine with that. Where we marry won’t change how much I love you.” She poked his chest and smiled. “And don’t you dare suggest changing the date again. Your family is already here and the guys and their families are coming in from Nashville today. Plus, if we push the date back any further, we’ll barely have time together before you leave.”
“Have I told you today I love you?” Rob started laughing and pulled her tighter.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just remembering another wedding, where I seem to recall you telling Gina you wouldn’t date me if I were the last man on earth. Not even a year later, here you are, berating me for even suggesting pushing back our wedding date.”
“I wasn’t berating…” She trailed off when she saw him give her that lopsided grin that made her heart puddle.
“Look, there’s a break in the rain.” Turning around, her vision followed the direction of his pointed finger.
An hour after the rain stopped, the sun made its first appearance in days.
TWO DAYS LATER, Dani stood at the rear of Gram’s house, waiting for the music to begin. She wore a vintage-style wedding dress with French lace layered over a satin lining, and she carried a bouquet of white dahlias and coral peonies.
The “Wedding March” played, and she walked down the makeshift aisle, on her father’s arm, toward the magnolia tree in front of which Rob
stood. His eyes never left hers as they recited their vows.
Caught up in the moment, she failed to memorize details of the wedding or the reception afterward, but she’d never forget, and had stored in vivid memory, the loving way Rob looked at her, the enchanting shivers of joy when he called her his wife and the unconditional love she knew they would always share.
Come to Me Again
Copyright © 2015 by Leah Atwood
Cover Design © Covers by Ramona
Cover Image © PeopleImages
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HCSB®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Chapter 1
