Halfway in Between
Page 12
“I don’t like being left in the dark, especially when it made me feel…like I couldn’t be trusted. But Parker, he’s the kind of man you want on your side and…” Her voice trailed off.
“And to trust with your heart?” Melissa hazarded a guess on what she was going to say. “He’s a good man and deserves to be loved by a woman like you.”
She’d watched Wade last night, in bed. There was a moment, when he’d been sleeping, that he’d let his guard down—only a moment—but she caught sight of the man she’d fallen in love with, her Prince Charming. She lost her heart all over again and knew, that no matter what happened today, tomorrow, or even next year, she needed him by her side.
She wanted Parker to have that too. And if he could find that kind of love with Nikki and Ryan, then she wanted that for him.
“Can we start over?” Melissa asked.
When Nikki nodded, Melissa felt a rush of peace flow through her. “Good, because I know Wade is going to want to spend a lot of time with Parker, which means our family needs to be a close one. Wade has missed out on a lot and I don’t want any tension between us to affect his relationship with his brother. I know I made mistakes, but—”
“We both made mistakes, for the right reasons. There’s no judgment from me, Melissa. From one mother to another, we’ll do everything and anything for our children, so trust me when I say, I get it.”
“Mom!”
Melissa turned and caught Abby waving at her. “I’m being summoned.”
“Here.” Nikki pushed a plate of assorted pumpkin baked goods into her hands. “Take this for Wade.”
“Thanks, but why don’t you come with me and give it to him yourself?” Melissa pulled Nikki along with her until she was back at Wade’s side.
Parker wrapped his arm around Nikki and smiled at his brother.
“Is that who I think it is?” Wade looked from Nikki to Parker and back to Nikki. “It’s about time.”
Melissa chuckled as Parker’s cheeks blared bright red and Nikki glanced down at the ground with embarrassment.
“Are you ready to walk around? Grab some hot chocolate and see how your town has changed in the past few years?” Melissa stared up into her husband’s eyes and melted from the look of love he gave her. His hands still shook and she could tell he was beginning to feel overwhelmed but he hid it pretty well.
“Please,” he leaned down and whispered.
“Abby?” She glanced over at her daughter, who stood beside a group of her friends from school. “Should we ask her to join us?”
“I’ve got her,” Parker said. “We’ll meet up with you guys later. I think,” he glanced around and lowered his voice, “there’s a dinner planned for later, but if you’re not feeling up to it, just say the word.”
Wade thought for a moment. “This is all a bit overwhelming, so as long as it’s low-key with not too many people…”
Parker shrugged. “Pub food with pool and friends who want to catch up. Everyone else has made casseroles and desserts and dropped it off at the house already. Becky took care of that.”
Wade nodded. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. What doesn’t sound bad? Going to the pub later or the fact you won’t be eating my cooking for a while?” Melissa pretended to frown, but in reality, anyone’s cooking was better than hers.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m taking cooking in school and Mrs. Wilson has already agreed to teach me how to make some of her casseroles. You won’t have to eat much of Mom’s cooking.” Abby piped up among laughter from everyone around them.
Melissa rolled her eyes and caught the smile from Nikki.
“At least I’m not the only one,” Nikki leaned over and mumbled for Melissa to hear. “I manage to burn frozen pizza on a regular basis,” she admitted.
“Did I hear that right?” Wade asked. “We both managed to find women who can’t cook? Didn’t Mom warn us about that?” he said to his brother who laughed and pulled Nikki close to his side.
“Good thing we know how to cook then, isn’t it?” Parker agreed while both Melissa and Nikki pretended to glower.
“Come on.” Melissa tugged on Wade’s hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Not only could they use this time to help Wade adjust to the surroundings better, to see how their small town had changed and greet people on a one-to-one basis rather than in a group, but they could spend some quality time together, just the two of them.
Nine years without Wade in her life had been horrible and God knew she’d made plenty of mistakes in those years. But thankfully she had a town full of friends who loved her and supported her no matter what. Once she thought she was all alone except for Wade, Abby, and Parker. But now she knew better. She’d never really been alone. Family wasn’t always grafted through blood; sometimes it was through laughter, tears, and understanding. Halfway was her family, her community, her strength—and she would never forget that.
Discover the Halfway Series
Halfway to Nowhere
Halfway in Between
Halfway to Christmas
ABOUT ELENA AITKEN
Elena Aitken is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the best selling Castle Mountain Lodge books, a sweet romance series that takes place in the breathtaking Canadian Rocky Mountains. For a steamier romance, try The Springs. Other favorites are Nothing Stays In Vegas, Drawing Free and Composing Myself.
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Elena@elenaaitken.com
ABOUT STEENA MARIE
This is the softer, sweeter side of NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Steena Holmes.
Writing as Steena Marie, you can expect stories filled with sweet treats, honest hearts and the craving to having something warm in your hand to drink.
Steena has sold more than 2 million books sold and writes Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Fiction and Psychological Suspense. In 2015 she was listed as one of the top 20 women to read by Good Housekeeping.
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www.steenaholmes.com
steena@steenaholmes.com