by Stacy M Wray
I look straight into her eyes so she can see my honesty when I tell her, “I have never stopped loving you, Addie. God knows I tried – I really did. It’s just not possible. You’re it. You always have been.”
Another tear escapes but this time she gives me a small smile. “I’ve never stopped loving you either, Trey. I have been so empty without you.” Her words just filled me with the optimism that might just get us past this hurdle. I reach out and take her hand and she let’s me keep it.
“Will you ever be able to forgive me?” I hold my breath, afraid to hear her answer.
“I already have,” she says quietly. “A very good friend of mine once told me that you can’t look back and judge how people behave when they’re young and stupid. He’s right, you know. It’s how we turn out that counts. So, yes, I forgive you.”
As soon as the words fall from her lips, I take her face in my hands and possessively kiss her, speaking against her mouth, “I love you so much.” She opens up immediately and our tongues dance wildly in unison. It’s like not a day has gone by. My mouth remembers every little detail of every kiss I’ve ever given her. It’s electric, filled with so much passion, sorrow, forgiveness and desire. Being caught up in this moment, I pull her body up against me, not being able to get close enough and our kiss gets even more heated.
She gets frustrated and throws a leg over me, straddling me. The thought of her sitting on me in that dress is doing wild things to my imagination. Every sensation I’m feeling at this moment is so familiar to me, yet so foreign.
Breaking our kiss, I hold her face still and lock eyes with her. They are wild and alive as we try to catch our breath. It’s time to get serious. I don’t want to waste another minute after all we’ve been through.
“What?” she asks, still panting heavily.
“I was just wondering where we’re supposed to go from here. I don’t want to waste anymore time without you.”
Her eyes travel all over my face and then she gets a concerned look on her face. “I know what you mean. I’m not sure what the answer to that is.”
What pops out of my mouth next comes without thinking. “Come home with me, Addie. Even if it’s just for a little while.”
She looks at me in disbelief. “Are you kidding?”
I laugh at her. Her nose is all scrunched up just like she would do all those years ago when something didn’t make sense. “I’m not kidding.” I know everything seems to be moving at lightening speed. I can’t be without her anymore. I won’t.
“Trey – ”
“I came back today for the dedication and for you, but I have to get back home today. I’m in the finishing stages of a huge job, and I can’t afford to be away any longer than today. Will you come stay with me so we can sort this out?”
“But we just talked things out. And now you want me to come stay with you?”
“I know it doesn’t sound logical, but I have to be back on the job site and I can’t let you go right now. I won’t. I’m not saying permanently, Addie. I know you have a life. I just feel like we could maybe jumpstart this in the right direction if we could be together and talk all of this out.”
I can tell she’s fighting something in her head, battling something out. I’m afraid I’m not going to like what she has to say.
She finally comes to a decision and smiles that gorgeous smile of hers. “Yes! Yes, I’ll come with you.” I take her face and join our lips again. I’ll never get enough of her. All of the memories of our bodies joined together come crashing though my mind, and I physically feel like I’m going to explode. I’ve never wanted her more than I do right now. My body remembers everything about her and I feel like a teenager all over.
I break our kiss before I end up taking her right here in this field. Gently laughing, she says, “So what’s the plan? My car is still at the library and I need to get it. I can follow you.”
My brain is scrambled and I just nod at anything she says. She laughs again and adds, “First we need to stop by my parents’ house. They deserve an explanation since they are expecting me back today.”
My senses are finally coming back to me and I tell her, “That sounds like a plan.”
She gently climbs off of me, her eyes going to my crotch, blushing. “I feel bad leaving you like that.”
I laugh. “Don’t – we’ll take care of it soon enough.” I give her a chaste kiss as we get up from the log. Grabbing her hand, we start walking in the direction of my truck, both of us probably praying that this is a good idea.
When we get there, I put the tailgate back up in position, and walk Addie to the passenger door. After she’s tucked in, I walk around and climb behind the wheel, turning the engine.
We’re all smiles as I drive her to her car and she sits close enough so I can touch her the whole time. Words cannot express how happy I am. I don’t know how we’re going to make this work. I know she has a life elsewhere. We can take it one day at a time and come up with something. I will not lose her ever again.
chapter sixteen
ADELYN
I pull into my parents’ driveway, and Trey pulls in right behind me. I know my parents are going to flip out since this is so unexpected.
We get out and Trey grabs my hand as we walk up the drive. It feels so comforting to have his large hand wrapped around mine. He hasn’t stopped smiling since we left our spot. I love this man so much.
I walk in and call for my mom, knowing my dad’s probably out in the fields somewhere. She comes out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. She looks at me, quickly looks to Trey and then down at our joined hands. Then a huge smile appears on her face.
“I’ve come to steal your daughter, Mrs. Winters,” Trey says to her, reminding me of that sweet boy who swept me off my feet all those years ago.
She starts to walk toward him and says, “Don’t you Mrs. Winters me, Trey. Come here,” and she pulls him into a bear hug. I can hear her say into his ear, “It’s about damn time.”
Trey chuckles as she releases him. She looks at me and says, “Looks like I had better call your father in, huh?” I nod my head and she says, “Be right back.”
Trey walks around the room, inspecting it. I watch him and he feels my eyes on him, turning to me, saying, “Nothing’s changed a bit.”
I walk to him and take hold of his hands. “Nope. Nothing’s changed.” He leans down to kiss me - it’s a gentle kiss filled with so much promise.
My mom enters the room and clears her throat. We look up and she announces, “Your dad’s on his way.” She sits on the couch while Trey and I sit on the loveseat to her right.
This seems kind of weird. I’m not sure what kind of announcement, if any, we are supposed to make. I just felt we needed to let them know what was going on.
“Are you surprised by this?” I ask her, reaching for Trey’s hand.
She doesn’t even bat an eye when she says, “Not in the least. You two should be together. I’ve thought that for years.” Then she adds, “So has your father.”
“What about me?” my dad asks, walking into the room. He bends down over the couch and gives my mom a kiss. He looks up and says, “Trey, it’s good to see you, son.” He walks over and Trey stands to shake his hand.
“It’s good to see you too, Dutch.” My dad seems pleased Trey used his first name.
“So, Liz tells me you’ve come to steal our daughter,” he turns to Mom and says, “I believe those were your words, right, dear?”
I stop my dad before he embarrasses us. “Dad, we’re twenty-eight years old, not eighteen. We just wanted to let you know that we want to be together and are taking the steps to do so. I’m going to be staying with him for a bit.”
Trey steps in and says, “Dutch, I love your daughter very much – I always have. I will do everything in my power to make this work. I want to make her happy.”
My mom practically has tears in her eyes and I feel like she’s being a little dramatic, but it’s sweet. I know she wants us to be happy. She�
��s always told me that Trey and I remind her of her and my dad.
“Well, in that case, I’ll tell you that we always saw this day coming, just didn’t think it would take ten years,” he tells Trey. Trey looks a little uncomfortable when my dad says this. I know he feels responsible for us being apart, but I don’t want him to carry that burden.
“Neither did we, Dad, but we don’t want to dwell on it.” I turn to Trey and say, “I’m going to run upstairs and get my bag, okay?”
“Let me know when you’re done and I’ll carry it down for you,” he tells me. He has always been such a gentleman but yet such a man’s man. He’s a lot like my dad.
“I’ll be right back,” and I start to go up the stairs as my dad asks Trey what project he’s working on at the moment.
I go into my room and start throwing things in my bag, so excited to be going to Trey’s. I want to see what his world is like. I know he’s only an hour away, but I don’t have any idea what his days are like or how he lives. I still can’t believe this is happening and I pray we aren’t rushing into this blindly.
I start down the steps and Trey sees me carrying my bag down and says curtly, “Adelyn.”
“It’s not even heavy,” I tell him. He walks over to me and takes the bag out of my hand. I smirk at him.
My dad chuckles, saying, “Good luck, Trey. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten how stubborn she can be.”
Trey looks at me adoringly and answers, “No, Dutch, I haven’t forgotten a thing.”
My mom gets up to give me a hug. “Be happy,” she whispers in my ear. Smiling at her, I nod and give her a squeeze.
She hugs Trey as I hug my dad. “Thanks for being so nice to him, Dad,” I say to him softly.
“Nonsense. He’s a good man.” We break away; Trey and I tell them goodbye and promise to call.
We leave and Trey puts my bag in the back of his truck. I look at him before I get in my car. “Ready?” he asks me.
“Yep! Don’t try to lose me now,” I tell him, keeping it light.
“Never, Snowflake.” He gets in his truck and backs out of the driveway, waiting for me to do the same. We take the small highway that leads to Highway 89 – the road that leads to Trey’s life.
*****
The whole drive I can’t believe this is happening. I keep thinking I need to call Wade, but I want to wait until a couple days have passed so I have more to tell him.
Every time we come to a stop, Trey’s eyes are on me in his rearview mirror and I can tell he’s smiling just from his eyes. I’m excited and nervous at the same time, not knowing how hard or easy this may be.
We finally come up to a long, hidden drive, and he pulls in and I follow. After driving for quite some time on this, I finally see a quaint log cabin up ahead. It looks just like something Trey would live in and I love how isolated it is.
Pulling up alongside Trey’s truck, I get out the same time he does. He smiles at me and spreads his arms out. “What do you think?” He’s watching me take it all in – the property seems to go for miles.
“It’s perfect,” I tell him. He grabs my bag from the back of his truck and takes my hand. “Come on.”
Walking up the porch steps, he stops at the door and unlocks it, ushering me in before him. It’s not that big but it’s perfect for Trey. He carries my bag to what must be the bedroom. Butterflies go right to my stomach as I think about his bedroom.
He comes back with a serious look on his face. “I got a call from my head guy at the worksite on the way here, and I’m afraid I need to head over. You’re more than welcome to stay here, but I’d love for you to come with me. I want to show you what I do.” I saw him talking on his phone, now knowing who he was talking to.
“I’d love to go with you,” I tell him. “I just need to use the bathroom first.” He shows me a small half-bath down the hall and I excuse myself.
He’s ready to go as soon as I come out, grabbing my hand. He locks up and we’re off again.
It’s only about a twenty-minute drive from his cabin, and my eyes are getting big as we get closer. These homes are ginormous and Trey is smirking at my reaction. “Um, Trey, how much do these homes go for?”
He shrugs and says, “Depends on the home but they can go for around anywhere from one to four mil.” He’s so matter-of-fact when he says this.
“Four million dollars? Who has that kind of money?” I ask.
He laughs a little and says, “Apparently, quite a few people.” A lot of homes you can’t clearly make out because they are hidden down the long, winding drives. I’ve never been down this way before so this is all new to me.
I turn to Trey. “You build homes like these?”
He grins and pats me on the leg. “One right after the other, baby.”
I’m completely speechless. I had no idea.
We pull into a long drive, a lot like all the others, and we come up to a house that almost looks completely finished on the outside except for the landscaping.
We get out and approach the house and there are workers everywhere. A guy walks toward us and I’m assuming it’s Trey’s head guy. “Glad you could make it, Trey. Sorry to bother you, but I really thought you’d want to make the call on this.”
Trey says, “Of course I want to make the call – you know me too well.” He turns to me and puts his arm around me. “Jake, I’d like you to meet Addie.”
Jake smiles at me and extends his hand. “Pleasure, Addie.”
“Nice to meet you, Jake.” We walk up to the mansion and go inside. Trey says to me, “Wait here, this should only take a minute, and then I’ll give you a tour, okay?” He winks at me and takes off with Jake.
I wander a little but feel like I’m in the workers’ way. I finally make my way to a huge picture window that overlooks Lake Champlain and I’m speechless once again. I still can’t believe Trey builds these mansions.
As I stare out into the vastness that takes the definition of awe to another level, I contemplate on how I got here. I know most people would think this is a rash move, and maybe it is, but I think it’s time I took a risk. I’m tired of being alone and the fact that I have never gotten over him makes this feel right. The minute it doesn’t – I leave. It’s as simple as that.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I feel Trey behind me. “Can you imagine waking up to this view every morning, Addie?” He wraps his arms around my waist, his chest pressed against my back.
I sink into him and answer, “Never.”
He puts his lips to my ear and says, in a low voice, “Never say never, baby.” Chills runs down my spine. He spins me around and asks, “Want that tour now?” I nod and he takes me all over the house and believe me, it takes awhile.
When we’re all finished and walking back to the truck, Trey says to me, “You’re kind of quiet.”
I shake my head and say, “I had no idea you did this, Trey. Not to sound condescending, but I’m so proud of you.”
He grins, “Kind of a long way from farming, huh?”
I laugh, “I’ll say.”
On the way back to Trey’s, we stop and pick up Chinese since he confesses that he hasn’t been to the grocery for a while. I roll my eyes at his bachelorhood.
The sun is just starting to go down and Trey suggests we eat on the back patio. He grabs us a beer and we sit at the small café table, overlooking a small brook that runs behind the cabin.
After dishing out our food, Trey stops and stares at me. “If someone told me a few days ago that we’d be sitting here sharing a meal, I never would have believed them.”
“I know. It’s kind of surreal, isn’t it?” He leans over the small table and kisses me, and I feel that kiss everywhere, even though it was a short kiss.
“That’s an understatement,” he admits.
We’re quiet for a while, finishing our meal. I still can’t quit wondering how he and Amanda ended up so close, but I don’t know if I should bring it up. It makes me sound petty.
“What are you
thinking about, Addie?” God, he knows me too well. My fidgeting always gives me away.
I don’t answer him right away, still struggling with the topic. He sighs, saying, “Out with it.”
I try to put on my cute face when I say, “I just would like to know how you and Amanda became so close.”
He sighs again; only this time it’s the you-are-such-a-pain-in-the-ass-Addie sigh. I wait and he says, “Are we really going to talk about this now?”
“Might as well get it out of the way, don’t you think? Am I not going to like this conversation?” Now I’m beginning to have second thoughts.
“I don’t know, Addie.” He puts down his fork and continues, “I was bowling one night with some friends and I ran into her. She was in a messed-up kind of way. I offered her a ride home because I felt sorry for her. And before you ask, yes, you and I were still together, but it was an innocent ride home.” He waits for my reaction and when he doesn’t get one, he continues. “Anyway, on the way home she admits to me that she’s pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is and starts crying again. I felt bad for her but she’s always brought all her shit upon herself, you know?” He stops for a minute and then says quietly, “It was that same night that I called you. For some reason, that whole situation made me miss you like hell, so as soon as I got home, I called you.”
We both stay silent, knowing how that all turned out.
“Then I didn’t see her again until she was about ready to have the baby. She was so different and was settled into this tiny, drab apartment, prepared to make it - ”
“How did you know she had a tiny, drab apartment?” I interject.
He gives me that look, “Adelyn, do you want to hear the story or not?”
I know when he uses my real name that he’s getting annoyed. I nod.
“I know because she showed me…like I said, she was really pleasant and was excited to become a mom. But she was afraid she wasn’t going to be able to keep her apartment when she wasn’t able to work because of the baby. I felt really bad for her – she didn’t have anyone.” He stops talking for a minute, and I know I’m not going to like what comes next. “I had quite a bit of money saved, and I helped her out with her rent and expenses until she got back on her feet.”
