Forgiving Reed (Southern Boys #1)

by C. A. Harms

  “Well we changed our minds. We need to be there by nine. Which means we should have left twenty minutes ago. Now meet me at the door to get Rhett.” She didn’t even wait for me to hang up. My mom hated being late. That was unacceptable in her book. I had just made her late. In my defense, though, she did say ten.

  When I opened the door, Rhett leaped at me and wrapped his arms around my legs. I bent down and picked him up. He was getting so big, so fast. He was wearing his cowboy boots, and it was so damn cute. He loved them almost as much as Reed loved his.

  “Mornin’, sunshine.” My momma laughed. “You have a late night?”

  “You could say that.” I rolled my eyes, watching her walk away, waving goodbye over her shoulder.

  “Let’s make some pancakes for our Reed. You wanna help Mommy?” I asked Rhett as I closed the front door. He was full of energy today, and I was dragging my zombie form to the kitchen.

  By the time breakfast was ready, we had batter in our hair. Rhett was responsible for dipping it out onto the flat skillet. So it got everywhere but on the pan, for the most part.

  I did my best to clean us up. Placing a stack of pancakes onto a warming plate, I took them to the table and set up everything else. When everything was ready, it was time for the fun.

  “Hey, buddy, you wanna help Mommy wake up Reed?” He didn’t answer me, instead he darted off toward the bedroom. I hurried after him as he struggled to climb up onto the bed. Once he got his footing, he crawled up beside him and began bouncing on his stomach.

  “Up…up,” he chanted as he continued to use Reed as a human trampoline. I laughed from the foot of the bed. Reed grunted each time Rhett’s butt connected with his ribs.

  He grabbed him around his little waist and rolled to the side, pinning him down. “Well, look what I have here.” Reed held up his opened hand above Rhett, making it appear as if it were a claw. “It’s the cowboy tamer, and it found a tiny cowboy who needs to be whipped into shape.”

  Reed began tickling Rhett’s ribs and stomach. His giggles filled the room, and he wiggled from side to side. Reed’s laughter followed, and I was in awe of them. They were both beautiful in that moment, smiling, completely lost in the happiness of one another. Sometimes it was so hard to accept that this was my life. I got to experience these amazing moments, and I was so blessed.

  Their laughter finally slowed down as Reed crawled from bed. Lifting Rhett into his arms, he said, “I smell pancakes.” His eyes got big, and he began bouncing up and down, still holding Rhett close. “Did you and Mommy make me pancakes?” he asked Rhett. In return, my little man smiled proudly. He nodded and looked my way.

  “Rhett made them, I just observed.”

  Reed walked toward me, kissing my forehead. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  ***

  To say I was nervous would have been an understatement. Today would be the first time I talked to Blake’s mom since the funeral. I felt sick to my stomach.

  Last time, she was very hateful. She made me feel like Rhett and I were so beneath her and her lifestyle.

  I got a text telling me they would be on our scheduled Skype chat at eleven a.m. I sat in front of the screen with my hair styled, wearing the dressiest blouse I owned. Rhett sat on my lap—dressed, clean, and spit-free. My leg was bouncing, and my heart was racing.

  “Kori, relax. It’s gonna be just fine, I promise. She wouldn’t have agreed to this if she felt like the past couldn’t be left there. Give it a chance.” Reed sat just out of view at my side. He lightly traced his hand over my thigh, attempting to soothe me.

  “I know, I just…” A window popped up on the screen before me. After a few seconds, Blake’s dad filled the screen.

  “Hi, Kori, can you see me?”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I can see ya just fine. All good on your end?” I adjusted Rhett on my lap, making sure he could see him.

  “All good, thanks. Wow, he is getting so big.” A large grin spread out over his lips. “I can’t believe just how much he looks like Blake.”

  His gaze shifted just off camera, and he waved someone over. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I watched Molly, Blake’s mom, step into view. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. A sob broke out as she dropped down into the chair next to Richard. “Oh my, he’s beautiful, Kori.” Tears fell heavily as she stared at Rhett with complete awe. “How could I have been so stupid?” she whispered, and for a moment I was confused until she continued. “So much time wasted, so many things we’ve already missed.”

  Her eyes shifted to mine, and she let her hand fall from her face. “I am so sorry, Kori, so very sorry for everything we didn’t do. We should’ve been there for you, for both of you. I was a bitter woman, and I turned that on you. None of what I was going through was your fault, it was mine…all mine. I wanted control, and when I didn’t have it, you were the easiest one to blame. For that, I will always be regretful. You were mourning the death of my son, and I was so hurtful and cold.” Her tears continued to pour as Richard soothed her the best he could. “I am so sorry,” she whispered.

  Rhett began to wiggle on my lap, and I gave him his cookie to calm him. I looked over at Reed, and he nodded, gesturing that it was okay for me to say what I needed to.

  “You’re right, Molly, you were both very harsh and cruel toward me. All I ever wanted was for you both to accept me. To understand that I loved and still love your son. He will always be a part of my soul. Blake gave me something that I will forever be grateful for. He gave me the most amazing part of him.” I looked down at Rhett and kissed his forehead. “This little guy right here is my piece of Blake.”

  Molly nodded, and Richard smiled.

  “He can be a part of your lives too. I just need to know you will never treat him or me that way again. I couldn’t take it if you hurt him.”

  “I know it’s going to take time for you to trust us. That is something we must earn. I can promise you we will never again make the same mistakes.” Molly spoke with confidence. She spoke clearly as she looked me directly in the eyes.

  “Okay.” I took a calming breath before continuing. “We’ve decided to take you up on the offer to visit, Richard. If it’s still okay.”

  “Of course…anytime,” he answered.

  “There are a few things I need you to know first. I don’t want any surprises.” They both nodded and waited patiently, attentively.

  “When I left Georgia to go to Boston, I left behind a few very close friends, friends who have helped me recover and heal from the loss of Blake. I believe one of them you already know.” I looked over at Reed and motioned for him to join me.

  Once he moved his chair around and sat next to me, I looked back at the screen. I could see they both already knew what I was about to say. It still needed to be said, though. “This is Reed, my best friend and boyfriend.” I smiled up at him, and he put his arm over the back of my chair. Rhett climbed off of my lap and onto Reed’s.

  “Hello, Reed, nice to see you again.” Richard grinned at the man he knew was responsible for this entire reunion.

  “Hello, sir,” Reed greeted him in return.

  “Reed treats both of us very well. He knows how important it is for Rhett to remember his daddy. He’s nurturing and loving to your grandson. I just need to make sure that you both understand how important he is in our lives.” They both nodded. “Good, because he’ll be coming with us when we visit.”

  “We have the guesthouse. You’re welcome to it,” Molly announced.

  “I think we’ll actually just stay at the hotel, but I appreciate the offer.” It just didn’t feel right staying with another man inside the home Blake grew up in. A hotel would be the best place for us. It would allow us some distance after a visit I was sure would be stressful.

  We finished the Skype visit by Rhett throwing a fit. Molly laughed, saying he even got red faced like his daddy when he got mad.

  We agreed to visit the last weekend in February, and planned another Skype in a week.
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  When the call was ended, I let my body relax against the chair. It was a stressful, highly emotional call. With my lack of sleep from last night, everything hit me. I was exhausted.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “What do you mean, you had a little fun?” I questioned Maria over a cup of coffee on our first day back at school. We were gathered in the teachers’ lounge before classes began.

  “Just what I said, a little fun.” She shrugged as if I knew what exactly a little fun consisted of.

  “You kissed, fondled…what?”

  “We had sex in his truck.” She paused and looked down into the cup in her hands. “In your parents’ driveway.”

  “What?” I gasped in surprise. “Wait, why the hell would that surprise me? You had sex with Matthew Middleton in my parents’ bed, when they were out of town.”

  “Whatever, you told me to pick a room.” She put her hand on her hip like it was all my fault.

  “Yeah, but most people would pick a spare bedroom, not their best friend’s parents’ room.” She gasped, and I held up my hand. “Wait, stop, how did we get here? This conversation just went south. We were talking about you and Gavin.”

  She laughed, and I followed. “It’s really no big deal. He told me I had too much to drink, so he took me home. When I realized I lost my house key, he brought me home with him. We didn’t make it inside before I attacked him. I was drunk and horny, it happened. I can’t even remember much of it. Just that the next morning I woke up in his bed alone, and I was aching in spots that told me exactly what I had done.”

  I slapped my hand against my forehead in frustration. “Okay, so have you talked to him since?”

  She only shook her head and made her best attempt to pretend she was okay with that. I knew different; she was not a great liar.

  The first bell rang and cut our conversation short. I blew out a breath and rinsed out my coffee cup. “This conversation is not over.”

  She didn’t even try to hide her eye roll. “Okay, Mom,” she whined as she walked past me and slapped my ass hard, causing me to yelp.

  ***

  I left school and went straight to Reed’s. Momma had taken Rhett with her to her friend’s house and wouldn’t be dropping him off until around six-thirty. I took the lasagna I’d prepared last night out of the refrigerator and placed it in the oven. Lighting my new Yankee candle on the counter, I relaxed back onto the couch. After I found a movie on the TV, I settled in with a fluffy blanket.

  Not meaning to, I dozed off, only to be woken abruptly by Reed shouting. “What the hell, Kori?” I jumped up from the couch and scrambled to the kitchen. I found Reed holding my candle under the running water in the faucet.

  “Hey, I just bought that damn thing. Why the hell are you doing that?” What the hell was his problem? And why was he so angry?

  “You don’t fall asleep with a fucking candle burning. That’s how fires get started, and that’s how people die.” Then it hit me, his mom.

  I stepped toward him and placed my hand on his shoulder, but he jerked away and walked off toward the bedroom. “I’m sorry.”

  He said nothing. A few minutes later the bathroom door slammed.

  I knew he hadn’t talked much about his mom or her death. How could I not remember his hatred for candles to begin with? Apparently his mom had an obsession for them, and that was the cause of her house fire. She was always falling asleep while they were burning.

  I felt a tear drip on my cheek, and I wiped it away quickly. He could have handled it a little differently, but I had to remember the rawness of losing someone. Sometimes the memories of that made you react in the moment and think about it later.

  I busied myself in the kitchen with dinner and fought back the uneasy feeling of knowing Reed was angry with me. We very seldom fought. I hated how it left me feeling empty.

  An hour passed, and the doorbell rang. My momma was here to drop off Rhett. I wasn’t sure if I should grab our things and go home. Nothing ever came of the stranger wandering around my house that night. I was sure it would be okay to return home. Every time I brought it up, Reed would shoot it down, though now I wasn’t sure he still wanted me here. Maybe we needed a break.

  I unloaded my momma’s arms and took Rhett. She kissed us both and said a quick goodbye. I left his bags by the front door and walked down the hall to the bedroom. I needed his favorite pillow and Blue Tractor.

  I turned off the oven and put my coat on. Lifting Rhett back into my arms, I grabbed my keys and purse. Just as I placed my hand on the door handle, his voice startled me.

  He sounded panicked. “Where are you going? I’m sorry, don’t leave.” I turned to face him, and he ran his hand through his hair. “I handled that all wrong. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. I don’t want you to leave, Kori.”

  I let Rhett down because he was trying to wiggle out of my arms. He ran to Reed and jumped into his arms. “I wasn’t sure if I should stay or not. I know I made you mad, so I thought maybe we needed a break.”

  In three steps he was standing in front of me, gripping my hip in his hand. “Of course I want you here. I don’t ever want either of you to leave. I overreacted, and I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t like candles burning. I’ll buy you a million wax burners if you like all the girly shit, but please no open flames. That’s all I ask.”

  I nodded. I understood his concern, and right now I just wanted this tension between us to be gone.

  ***

  Over the next few weeks, things went smoothly. We set everything up for our weekend trip to Boston. Reed enlisted his best friend Ben to keep an eye on the bar. He needed a backup in case something went wrong. Ben was about the only person he fully trusted to handle his business right.

  Maria and Gavin still had not talked. She was pretending to be okay with that. The problem was, I wasn’t okay with it. I knew deep down she was beating herself up about it. A little insight about Maria, she never thought she deserved happiness. Her daddy left when she was young. She substituted the love loss by no longer believing in love. It just didn’t happen for some people. That was her outlook.

  I tried so hard to stay out of it, but when I pulled into my parents’ driveway and there he was, a surge of anger hit me. I stormed in his direction and poked the center of his chest with my finger.

  “Who the hell do you think you are? Using my best friend to get laid and then brushing her off. What? She ain’t good enough for the long haul, but good enough to get off? That’s a real asshole move. I took you for a nice guy, but I guess I was wrong.”

  Gavin stared at me with his eyes as big as saucers. I was pretty sure I shocked him. “What, you got nothing to say?”

  “I’m not looking for a long term. Hell, girl, I’m not even divorced yet. It’s still in the works.” His comments only angered me more.

  “Then what in the hell are you doing sleeping with my best friend? She is not your plaything.” I was fuming, and I wanted to slug him in the jaw. He was an asshole if he thought Maria was just a quick piece of ass.

  “I like your friend. She’s fun and sweet. She’s a good girl to spend time with. She knew it wasn’t going further, we agreed. It was just a night of fun. It was just sex.”

  This time I shoved against his chest. “Reality check, dickwad. Girls don’t do unattached sex. There are always feelings involved, and you just crossed a line. Keep screwing with her heart, and I guarantee you’ll be choking on your own balls. That girl is my sister, my best friend, and she deserves a guy who has her best interests at heart. The only priority you have is your dick. Keep it in your pants, cowboy.”

  Before he could speak, I turned and walked away. He didn’t deserve another minute of my time.

  ***

  “What did you do?” That was the only thing Maria said the next morning when I walked into the teachers’ lounge.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, don’t you dare play dumb with me. You know exactly what I’m talki
ng about. I had finally gotten Gavin to talk to me when I ran into him a few days ago at the market. He said he felt weird calling me. So we had dinner and decided to move past the awkwardness of our night together.” I shrugged, and she only got more pissed off. “Last night he showed up at my door. He said that you went off on him about hurting me. What the hell were you thinking? I told you it was fine, and I was fine.”

  She stormed off, and I followed close behind her. “Wait, I was mad because he hadn’t called. You never told me you two had talked. I thought he was still avoiding you.”

  “Well, guess what, now we aren’t talking again. Thanks for that, by the way. Not every person finds their knight in shining armor, Kori. There isn’t a Reed for all of us. Just let it go. I was fine with the attention I was getting, now he won’t even talk to me.”

  “Mar, that’s what’s wrong about it. You deserve more than he was giving. You don’t know how special you are. If he can’t see that, then screw him.”

  “Just let it go…please. Stop trying to fix everything.”

  She left me standing there in the school hallway, feeling completely lost.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “I’m so nervous.” I whispered as we walked up the front porch to Blake’s parents’ house.

  “Hey, we got this. I’m right here, we do this together,” he reassured me, and I nodded. I pushed the doorbell and stood waiting for the door to open.

  A butler, yeah a butler, answered the door. “You must be Miss Foster and Mr. Jackson. Please come in.” He held the door open, and we entered into a huge open foyer. It was breathtaking.

  “Kori, Reed, so great to have you here.” Richard turned back to the butler, excusing him, before leading us in further. He took us to the back of the house to a big enclosed porch. It overlooked what appeared to be a small golf course, and in the distance, a lake. There was a large pool and pool house to the right. It was all a bit overwhelming. I knew they had money, but this was crazy.