by Claire Adams
“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?”
He set his book down and sat back as if he knew this question was coming at some point. “I must admit, I thought I would get this question a lot earlier than right now,” he teased. I shook my head and looked at him expectantly. “Is this referring to the woman I think it is?”
I nodded slowly, and he smiled at me with a soft shake of his head. “Yeah.”
“You dated a lot of beautiful women over there in New York. I saw the pictures, but you know what I didn�
��t see, Austin?” I looked at him with a frown. “The smile that you’ve always had with Rebecca. Even now, you just relax and let all your walls down with her. You look cold in the pictures that I’ve seen on television and in the magazines that your mother has brought home over the years. I’ve missed the Austin who I’ve seen here over the last few weeks.” He folded his hands on his lap and took a deep breath with a sweet smile on his face. “Your mom and I were high school sweethearts right here in North Reed. It feels like a hundred years ago, now. Anyway, I thought she was the most beautiful girl that I’d ever seen when I saw her my sophomore year. We began dating immediately, and while I was smitten, I made the mistake of thinking that I should date other girls a little later.” He chuckled. “We both dated other people during our breaks, Austin. It’s what people do when they’re trying to figure things out.”
“Nobody has ever turned me upside down like Rebecca before, Dad. I went to one of the best colleges in New York without a second thought. I’ve worked investment deals that involved hundreds of millions of dollars without breaking a sweat. I’m good at what I do. Why does a woman get me all twisted inside?”
He smiled. “That is what the best women do to us, son. I’ve thought the same thing about your mother repeatedly,” he admitted. We both laughed. “I was that way, and then I graduated high school. I got the job that I’d been dreaming of, as you know, and I was ready to be on the fast track. At some point, I realized that I needed Sally to be there with me, and we went out to dinner. We talked about everything and decided that we were going to make this work. I had to prove it to her, believe me. I’d taken off like a scared rabbit in the past but not this time. I bought this house for her and asked her to marry me the same day I brought her in here for the first time. She said yes, through a flurry of tears, and I’ve been working to prove how much I love her ever since. Now, look at us. Still in the same house years later and happy. I had the job and the family, and I wouldn’t trade any of that for the world, Austin.”
I nodded and tried to imagine my life working out that way. It wasn’t as easy for me, given that they already lived here and didn’t have to change that much. I thought how much Rebecca wanted to stay here, and I still wasn’t sure that I did, even though I loved being here with my family.
I felt like I was being pulled in two directions. I leaned my head back.
“You think too much, Austin. Always have. That works in some things, like business. You can control that a lot easier than you can something personal with a woman. That’s where you have to bend some. I understood why you left to go to that college, Austin. I understood why you stayed in New York, even if you didn’t always look happy. It was the thrill of the chase when it came to your work. I saw what you were missing, though, from the start. One thing about life is that we’re supposed to learn from the mistakes that we’ve made in the past. I can tell that you’re trying to turn things around with Rebecca, but you seem like you don’t think it’s enough.”
“What’s enough, Dad?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “If you’re asking me that, you probably aren’t doing it.” He sipped his tea slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Everybody is different, but you know Rebecca well. Deep down, you know what to do.”
“That’s the thing. The women in New York all wanted the same thing: my money. They wanted the life that came with it, but I didn’t want to give that to any of them for too long. I just didn’t care about them.” A flush came over my face, knowing what my parents must have heard about me over the years. Something I was proud of back then faded into an intense dislike of myself sitting here in the living room with him. “I used them, Dad.”
“I’d say they used you too, Austin. They got a little bit of what they wanted, and they wanted more. It’s just a bigger scale than my dating in high school, is all. Nothing to worry about if you make everything right.” He shrugged.
I gave him a long look. “Rebecca doesn’t want my money, Dad. She seems to resent it most of the time.”
He considered my words and then smiled. “Compromise. Show her the good parts of it and how that can work for the two of you. Bigger scale. Remember?”
I nodded with an understanding smile. I could do that. We talked for a bit longer, about Mom and how he was handling the changes in his life. He appreciated all of Mom’s efforts, as well as mine, as hard as they were for him to accept at times. Dad knew that being alive and with us was the most important thing of all and reminded himself of that often.
“I know that I was a stubborn man to live with, Austin. I told you how it was, and now I have to listen to everyone else to get through this life. It’s crazy to me.”
“I understand that,” I replied, being a control freak just like he was. Hell, I was a lot like my father in many ways and respected the hell out of him. “I think we all have to eat a little crow occasionally.”
“That we do,” he laughed.
“I love you, Dad. I respect everything that you did for us. I don’t tell you that enough.”
He seemed to get serious for a moment before he cleared his throat. “I was always so damn proud of you, son. Even when I hated seeing you leaving us, you worked hard, and you made it.” Dad looked out of the window and smiled warmly. “Your mom is home, and she’s going to make us some lunch. She got this new bread that has the consistency of straw, but at least the turkey is edible.”
I laughed again, and Mom walked in to greet us both with hugs and kisses. She made the very sandwiches Dad told me she would, but I ate it without saying a word. It was the best thing for us.
I grabbed my tea and headed outside to make some phone calls. I wanted Rebecca, and I had the money to spoil her just a little bit. I was going to do just that, and I set up the following day with my usual precision. Even without Preston, everyone in my life listened to me.
After all my calls, I went inside and dropped back onto my bed with a smile.
Everything was set. I was going to take a nap before dinner since I knew Rebecca was at work for the evening. She’d traded a shift to get tomorrow off, and I smiled as I played it through my mind.
I thought about what Dad said as I drifted off to sleep, knowing that he was right. Dad was often right, and I felt ashamed of myself for taking off the way that I did and hurting them.
I vowed to make that up to them in the best way that I knew how, along with Rebecca, and not all with money. There was more to life than just money, and I wanted it. I just didn’t know what the perfect answer was yet and had to spend some time with Rebecca to work through that.
I got up in a couple of hours and helped Mom with the spaghetti that she made for dinner. It was different than the old recipe, and she served a crisp salad with it instead of the greasy garlic bread that Dad loved. But he thanked her for the meal and dug in.
I liked seeing him compromise for his health and to make Mom smile. She was a natural caretaker and seeing him allow it made her so happy. She beamed when he complimented her on her food and finished the plate. I saw what it was to make your significant other happy, and I hoped that I could do that, beginning tomorrow, with Rebecca.
Dad went to bed early. Mom and I enjoyed some cookies that she brought from town and watched a movie. He’d been warned to watch his sugar intake, and she was all over that but still enjoyed a treat herself every now and then. I knew that she had a whole arsenal of things that she could make for him.
The laptop was coming the next day, and I was upgrading their Wi-Fi for them so she could find things in an instant. I hadn’t told them, wanting to surprise them with it.
I sent Rebecca a text that night from my bed, asking if she was going to be ready for me the following day.
Rebecca: What are we doing, Austin?
Me: Just be ready by two. And dress up.
Rebecca: Why? Where are we going?
Me: That is a surprise, my love. Relax. It’s good for you.
Rebecca: Who is texting me right now? The Austi
n who I know doesn’t know how to relax.
I chuckled and admitted she was right to myself, silently. I didn’t know how to relax, but I was going to take the cue from some of the people in my life and see how it worked for me.
Me: I love you, Rebecca. I wish I was there with you.
I knew that she had plans with Kim after work. So, I stayed home to give her some space. Plus, she was probably tired and needed to sleep for tomorrow, if she could at all.
Rebecca: Come over. Kim left already.
It was so tempting, but I told my eagerly responding body to calm down. There was time for all that tomorrow in my plans. I was going to give my girl some new experiences to enjoy.
We said good night, and I clicked on the television to watch some of the late shows before I fell asleep.
I was going to make this work.
Chapter Thirty
Rebecca
I pressed my hands down the dark purple dress that Kim loaned me when she heard about this date. She knew that I was insecure about where I stood with Austin and wanted to make me irresistible to him.
It was a sexy dress, with cap sleeves that draped down over my shoulders and a tight sweetheart neck line down to my waist where it flowed down to my knees. She got it on sale at the local thrift store when someone donated it from an estate. She’d snatched it up immediately just in case a special occasion every came up. It was unusual for anything this pretty to come into the tiny store in town that supported the high school. Kim hadn’t worn it yet and was thrilled to break it in on my date.
I looked at my eyes, done in a smoky style of dark gray and a little black with extra mascara. She’d finished the flawless look off with some gloss that had a slight pink tint to it.
When she was done, she stepped away from me and clapped her hands. “You look amazing,” my sister told me as I tilted my head to look in the mirror. “If that boy loved you before, this is going to push him over the edge.”
