Southern Bride

by Knight, Ciara

  “Any. Just make a choice. Don’t fall into what you think is expected. Go back to dreaming. Pull out your writing and give it a try. See the world.” He let my hands go and cupped my face. His fingers were bigger, stronger now from his seventeen-year-old version. I rested into them as if they were holding me up. “Be with me.”

  My mouth fell open. I studied him to see if he was joking, but not even a smile creased his lips. “Did you get hit with a cannonball in your head when you were overseas?”

  “We don’t use cannonballs anymore,” he said with the most serious expression, despite his humor. “I’m serious, Aves. We’ve lived apart too long. Our family ran off or checked out on us, but we survived. I left this town a broken boy, but I returned a solid man. Look at me.”

  He nudged my head so that our eyes met. “I have never stopped loving you. We know each other’s darkest secrets and still care about each other. I don’t make a lot of money, but I plan to go to officer training school. If we choose to end my military career in another four years, I’ll have a degree to work in the outside world. I’d be the first to finish college in my family. I’ll support you while you write. I’ll take care of you the way our parents never took care of us, or I’ll give you freedom to take care of yourself. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t settle.”

  I couldn’t breathe. It was as if the room had been fumigated and we were left with no oxygen, only rib-stinging, toxic air. His lips were as full as they were when we were teenagers. His eyes held the same amount of blue specs. He was right… I knew him. I loved him. But I wouldn’t survive another person leaving me. “I can’t.”

  “Don’t be scared,” he urged.

  I shoved from him and paced the room. “I’m not. Listen… You left. You have a life away from here. This is my home. Things change. We grew up, and we grew apart. Even if you hadn’t left without a word, we still wouldn’t be together because I won’t abandon my sisters like that. I won’t run away like my mother.”

  Dylan rose and crossed the room, towering over me. “You are nothing like your mother,” he said with such conviction in his voice I almost believed him.

  Almost.

  “You came to apologize, and you have. You’re forgiven, so now you can return to your new life with no guilt. We can both move on with our lives. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed so I can try to beg the university administration to let me register.”

  Dylan only nodded, retrieved his boots, and went outside. My heart followed him, but my mind slammed the door between us. No. I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t run from Magnolia Corners, I wouldn’t give up on my plan to give back to my community as a social worker, and I wouldn’t give Dylan my heart again. I didn’t need anyone in my life but my sisters. They were the ones I had always counted on, and they had never let me down.

  And right now, Sadie needed me to man the store in Magnolia Corners while she expanded the business. She’d given me everything, and I hadn’t made it easy for her. Now it was my turn to give back to the one who never gave up on me, never ran away, never abandoned me no matter how difficult I made it for her to love me.

  I hopped into the shower, dressed, and headed from my room to go rescue my plan.

  Zoey sat on the couch watching television and texting. “Where you off to?”

  “School. Since you didn’t wake me up to register for my classes, I have to go beg them to let me in. I’m not sure it’ll work, but I have to try. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “I did, but you told me to go away, that you were having an amazing dream about Dylan,” she said in a little-girl-teasing way.

  I couldn’t think of a witty comeback, so I headed for the door.

  “You might want to rethink your plan.”

  I whirled on her. “I am not running away with Dylan, so stop pressuring me. And you do not get to decide my future. I do. I’m the only one who gets to choose what I do for the rest of my life. Not Sadie, not you, not Dylan, not Sheriff Milton. No one. Only me. Got that?”

  “Got it, but it won’t do any good to drive to school today.” Zoey returned to her texting, but I knew she was waiting for me to ask.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. Why not?”

  “Because it’s Sunday. The school offices are closed.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, I was dressed and ready for battle, but I paused at the door, knowing Zoey was in for a rough day at the bakery if I abandoned her. “You sure you can handle the morning rush without me? You have two staff members, but one of them is new.”

  “I feel guilty about letting you miss registration. You go and get to the bakery as soon as you can.” Zoey shooed me toward the front door. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

  I hopped off the front porch, skipping the two steps, and ran to my car. If I hurried, I’d be waiting outside the administration office when they opened. I slid the key in the ignition, but it only clicked. “No!” I turned it again and again, but nothing.

  A 4X4 truck pulled up behind me. I spotted Dylan through the rearview mirror with flowers in his hands. Not just any flowers—wild flowers he had to have handpicked from our spot by the lake. My heart stuttered harder than my car. He tapped his knuckle against the window.

  I hit the button, but the glass didn’t lower, so I opened the door.

  He squatted by my side. “What seems to be the problem, ma’am?”

  Okay, if I admitted it, I kind of liked the sweet, sexy soldier routine. “My car won’t start.”

  He handed me the flowers. “These are for you. Why don’t you go put them in water while I take a look?”

  “Thanks, but hurry. I need to be at the university as soon as possible.” I raced up the steps, but Zoey met me at the door. “I’ll take those. You go figure out your car. I can’t take you to the university since someone has to be there to oversee the bakery.” She smelled the flowers and then looked over them at me. “Of course. I’m sure Dylan would be happy to save the day.”

  I shook my head but didn’t argue.

  Dylan sat in the driver’s seat, and I heard the engine clicking again and then nothing. “Afraid it’s your battery. How old is it?”

  “Um, as old as my car.”

  He looked down at my dented, army green, get-me-to-and-fro car and then shook his head. “You need a new one, then. Listen, I’ll take you to the university.”

  My breath caught with the idea of riding next to him all that way. “No, I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “Why not? I have nowhere else I need to be.” He shrugged. “Besides, I owe you an apology.”

  He stood, and I took a few steps back to give him room. Boy, he was a package of awesome muscleness with a side of uniform. “For what?”

  He handed me my bag he’d retrieved from the passenger seat, closed the door, and headed for his truck. “I’ll explain on the way. Get in.” He held open my door. Once I was tucked inside safely, he hopped in the driver’s seat and we were off.

  I fidgeted with my bag zipper. “So…apology?”

  “Right. When I came to Magnolia Corners, I had assumed you wanted out now as much as you did then. I believed that our parents were so unhappy here, and I didn’t want that for you. I wanted you to live the life you’d always dreamed of and for us to live happily ever after. Now I understand that things change, and you might want to stay. If that is what you want, then I understand, and I won’t get in your way.”

  My chest tightened at his words, but this was a good thing. My life was here, and his was in who knew where next. “I’m glad you’re giving up your quest to win me over. It’s for the best since our lives are so different now.”

  “You misunderstand. I’m coming back. Not in a week, but I'll be back the minute that I can.” Dylan turned down Taylor Street, and I saw his gaze travel to the home where his father lived now.

  “No, you don’t want to live here. Besides, you have what, twenty more years to give Uncle Sam?”

  He turned onto the main street that lead to
the interstate. “Four. I’ll work hard, and I’ll be back. We can live here, and I’ll commute into Atlanta for a day job.”

  “What makes you think I won’t be married in four years with a kid or two?” I teased, but based on the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, he wasn’t finding humor in it. “You can’t put your life on hold while I finish college and you finish your military career. Besides, you seem happy being in the army.”

  “I am,” he said with no doubt in his voice. “But if the army isn’t for you, then I’ll get a civilian job. I don’t care where I work, as long as I have a job and I’m happy.”

  I toyed with the fraying seam on my bag as if it was more interesting than the zipper. “What makes you think you could be happy here this time?”

  He pulled onto the interstate. “This time, I’m in charge of my life. I’m not a victim of a low-socioeconomic single drunk parent.”

  We drove in silence until we reached the university. When he pulled into a parking place, he faced me with a smile. “Go knock them dead. Don’t worry about our future right now. Concentrate on what you want, and everything will work out. Let’s enjoy the time we have together, get to know each other again, before I have to report back.”

  I heard his words, but his expression betrayed him. I could tell he was churning away on a plan to convince me to wait for him to get out of the military, and I was trying to think of a way to make him stay in. The man I saw next to me would never be happy in his old life. I couldn’t ask him to do that for me. That’s when I realized the dangerous truth.

  Even after all this time, I still loved him.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day I found Dylan standing guard once more in front of the bakery.

  Zoey came out of the kitchen with a tray full of treats and set them on the counter for me to put into the case. She paused by the front door and then quirked a brow at me.

  I ignored her. “It took a lot of begging and pleading, but I managed to get two of the four prerequisite classes I needed for the program. At this rate, it’ll take four years for me to complete the two.”

  Zoey rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re still clinging to school as an excuse to stay here?”

  I glanced out the window and sighed. “How long do you think he’ll continue this?”

  “Until you invite him inside,” Zoey said in an are-you-stupid tone. “By the way, that coffee he left you this morning on the front steps with a bow on it is delicious. We need to order some for the bakery.”

  “You stole my gift?”

  “You said you didn’t want him…I mean the coffee, or any of his little presents he’s been leaving for you.” Zoey snickered and waltzed by me. “Give the poor man a break before he draws enough attention that Sheriff Milton shows up again.”

  The thought of Dylan being escorted out of town made my pulse quicken. “Fine, but only because I don’t want any more attention over this business.” I marched to the front door and swung it open. “Get inside.”

  “Some invitation.” Zoey headed back to the kitchen to make more scrumptious treats while I focused on putting the scones in the case.

  “Good morning,” he said, removing his hat. “Can I help?”

  I eyed Sadie’s apron hanging on the hook at the register. The one with the pink ruffles and swirly script words. Not to mention the bling Aunt Cathy had added. “Sure, but you have to wear an apron.” I held it out to him, figuring this would drive him away for sure.

  A grin spread across his face. “If this is my punishment, I accept.”

  And he did. Each morning, Dylan arrived, put on his apron, wiped down tables, swept floors, served food, and ran the register. He was the best employee I’d ever worked with.

  On Friday, Dylan went to visit his father, so I was on my own. While cleaning the top of the cabinet, I noticed a circle in red on the wall calendar. “Zoey, is there some event this Friday?”

  She bounded out of the kitchen, eyed the tea pot and booking calendar, and then looked at me. “No. Don’t you know what next Friday is?”

  “No. Should I?”

  “Dylan leaves that day. You have a week left until you let him leave town without you again.” Zoey grabbed the empty trays on the counter and headed back into the kitchen.

  “I didn’t let him go last time.”

  She shrugged. “No, but this time you have a choice. I’m just saying, the girl who protested the injustice of this sure isn’t doing anything different. Are you punishing Dylan or yourself by staying in Magnolia Corners?”

  “What happened to sweet Zoey who always wanted to make everything better for everyone?”

  “She’s on summer break.” Zoey disappeared from sight. I could hear the clanking in the kitchen with the washing of the dishes.

  I eyed the calendar and then the door. Dylan would be returning from visiting his father soon.

  Only a week left with Dylan. I collapsed into a chair and stared at the clock. Each time the old-fashioned large hand on the wall clock clicked, my decision changed. I’d follow him. I’d stay. I’d wait for him. I’d move on with my life.

  I could give up everything and run away with him, but then who would I be? I could stay behind and work on my degree, but would that make me happy?

  Dylan had been right. Sadie was married now, and Zoey was only home for the summer. I’d be here alone running Sadie’s business soon. Didn’t I owe her that much, though?

  It took an hour to calm down, but I finally decided to see how Dylan and I were together. I still had a week to figure things out. Perhaps it was time to gather further information, see how I felt about him really while he was home. Then, maybe, I’d know what to do.

  The large truck that Dylan had borrowed from a friend pulled into the parking lot. I went bounding outside and threw my arms around him, surprised that he wasn’t in uniform for once. Check one: the comfort of his arms around me made all my doubts disappear.

  Dylan held tight for a minute. “I should arrive late more often.”

  I giggled but then noticed the sad look in his eyes. “How’s your father?”

  “Same. The man is gone. Doesn’t even know who I am, but I’m glad you nudged me to see him.”

  I hated the wounded tone of his voice, and I longed to make it better. “Sadie is coming to help out this afternoon, so I’ll be off. Do you want to do something?”

  By the time the last word left my mouth, he looked happy again. “I was hoping to convince you to go to the lake. What do you say?”

  “I’m game.” I raced back inside the bakery and dropped my apron off. “You’re so keen on me being with Dylan, you’ve got your wish. I’m taking the rest of the day off. Sadie should be here by lunch.”

  Zoey gasped. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I will and I am. Just remember you pushed me. Besides, you’ll be fine.” I headed for the front of the bakery, paused at the door to send a quick text to tell Sadie she had to arrive early, and headed outside. I hopped into the truck, and off we went on a little adventure together. The spontaneity, and the fact that I ditched my sister with work, made it feel like old times.

  Dylan glanced out the corner of his eyes at me. “Something’s different. What is it?”

  “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  He adjusted the ball cap on his head. “Because you didn’t even protest about visiting our old spot. I thought you were resistant to living in the past.”

  I watched Sheriff Milton drive by out the front windshield. The sight made my skin tingle with resentment. “You asked me to give it a chance to get to know each other again, so that’s what I’m doing. No sense in making a decision without all the facts.”

  “Sounds reasonable.” He took a sharp right and barreled down the dirt road between some overgrown trees and bushes until he pulled to a stop at the edge of our little private lake spot. The place where we went to discuss important things and spend alone time together.

  “Will you visit your father again?” I asked.<
br />
  Dylan grabbed a blanket from behind his seat and opened his door. “I don’t know.” Dylan guided me to the edge of the lake where he laid the blanket on the ground. He took my hand and ran his thumb across my knuckles. “I have something for you.” He cleared his throat and nudged me to sit by his side. “I brought you here tonight because this is where we always went together when we wanted to escape and talk about our dreams.”

  I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes at the memories. Whenever I’d needed a break, this was where Dylan would take me. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  He leaned over on his hip and slid a small box out of his pocket.

  My heart raced faster than a shooting star across a summer night sky.

  “I don’t want to scare you, so this is not an engagement ring.”

  I forced a breath into my lungs, but it was bitter. If things were different, maybe I’d be crazy enough to run away with this man. The man who had been trying to win me over since he arrived back in town. The man who’d cleaned himself up and made himself better for me. There wasn’t another man in this town like him. And if I was right, not another one in the world.

  “Well, yes, it is an engagement ring, but I know you’re not ready for such a serious commitment. No matter what your decision is, though, I know that this ring will never belong on another woman’s finger.” He looked up toward the sky. “I know my mother would want you to have it, even if you decide I’m not the one for you.”

  “I can’t… What if—”

  “There will never be another girl who will wear this ring. It has been yours since middle school, when we skipped class and escaped to this spot when your mom left. That day I knew we belonged together. I’ve been waiting ever since to give this to you. I’m tired of waiting.”

  He opened the small box, and I saw a beautiful, simple solitaire that sparkled in the sunlight. “It’s beautiful.”

  I could see it in his eyes. How much it meant to him for me to take the ring. But I knew what it meant. “I can’t.”