Chapter 50
Chapter Fifty
A shower was exactly what Willow needed to clear her head.
Oh sure, she was still drowning in guilt over her family and spiraling in confusion over her feelings for Eric. But at least now she had a game plan for right this second.
She towel-dried her hair and met her own gaze in the mirror.
Studying her reflection, she tried to make sense of everything that had transpired this morning, her lips involuntarily twitching as she relived the feel of Eric’s lips pressed against hers, then the tip of his tongue softly exploring…
awakening something inside her that no man had ever managed to do before.
Snapping her eyes shut, she shook her head, guilt charring those tendrils of warm pleasure.
How was this ever going to work?
If she wasn’t careful, she’d be right back to spiraling and need another shower!
“First things first, Willow,” she muttered, walking back into her room to get dressed.
She had to keep her promise to Eric. It was an easy action she could take.
Something simple. He’d put a lot of trust in her, handing over those letters they found on his property.
And hiding them in No Man’s Land would not only be a much-needed distraction, but it would also be an enjoyable one.
She’d fallen in love with that patch of land and felt her spirits rise whenever she went there.
And now that she could picture Rose dancing between the trees and singing, the place would only feel more magical.
With that in mind, she hurried to zip up her jacket, then find her old boots in the mudroom. She wasn’t sure what was up with the family pow-wow in the kitchen, but she was grateful her siblings were all together and distracted so she could slip away without being caught.
She made record time getting to No Man’s Land, and she was grateful she had her winter gloves on so she could brush aside the dusting of snow that covered the box.
Without even realizing it, she started humming, “Someone to Watch Over Me.” She smiled, then tried to sing the words, although she didn’t know half of them.
But still…
Pausing for a moment, she turned to look through the trees and could see Rose in her mind’s eye. Her voice rose through the branches as she smiled up at the sun, her arms outstretched.
No wonder Charlie fell instantly in love with her.
With a dreamy sigh, she hunched down beside the box, fully meaning to safely stow the letters and then go before anyone realized she was gone.
But one glimpse of Rose’s letters tucked inside the treasure chest and she couldn’t help herself. She sank down next to the tree and sifted through them. Rose and Charlie’s letters side by side. The sight had her tearing up.
Eric would laugh if he saw her. The thought of his response had her swiping away the tears with a wobbly smile.
He hated tears. But he was so sweet in the face of them. So much gentler and kinder than she ever would have imagined when they’d first met.
With a sniffle, she read Charlie’s first letter and then Rose’s reply.
She didn’t stop until she reached the end. But it was a bittersweet feeling. There was no resolve. No answers.
All she knew for certain was that they’d both died, and that their love story had ended in tragedy.
But if it hadn’t…
If they had survived…
Would it still have been a tragedy?
Not for the two of them, maybe. But for the families?
They would have had to cut ties with their parents and siblings in order to be together. Surely their families never would have understood, which meant no matter how this love story ended, someone paid a very high price.
There was still loss…a breaking of trust.
Had that already happened before they left, or would it all have come out after they ran away together?
Hearts were broken either way.
Parents would have lost their children. Siblings would have mourned.
But at least Charlie and Rose would have been together, right?
They would have been happy.
“Bittersweet happy,” Willow murmured, leaning her head back against the tree trunk. What she wouldn’t give to be able to talk to Charlie and Rose. Just once. She had so many questions…
And now, with the kisses she’d shared with Eric lingering in her mind, those questions seemed more urgent than ever.
She stared down at the letters.
No. She and Eric weren’t caught up in some secret love affair. Not yet.
She pressed her lips together. But was this how it had started for Charlie and Rose? Sweet stolen moments. A forbidden, delicious kiss…
At what point had they realized there was no turning back? And had they grappled with how they’d tell their families?
Willow couldn’t imagine how she could ever make her family see reason when it came to the Spencers. Especially Eric.
Would she go against them just to spend more time with him?
The thought hurt. She loved her family. They were her whole world.
But the thought of telling Eric she couldn’t see him again…?
The mere idea made her heart hurt. She didn’t know what this was between them, but she didn’t want to end it. There was a part of her—the part that was separate from her family—that desperately wanted to see where they could go. How they would be together if given half a chance.
She nibbled on her lip as she carefully put the letters back where they belonged—together. Hidden away together for all of eternity.
Willow sighed, but her lips curved up in a smile.
She could only imagine the way Eric would tease her if he’d heard her romantic wonderings. He’d tease the heck out of her, and she’d give as good as she got, and…
Oh dear.
Willow sighed once more.
She wanted to hear his teasing. Right now. Rather desperately. And she wanted to talk to him, and share more meals together, and…
How on earth was this going to work?