Chapter 4 #4
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “What?”
“You said everyone thought I was too old for you and how funny it was that you’d been the adult in our relationship.”
Kate grimaced at the reminder of that hurtful comment. “And I acted like such an adult that day.”
“You were right, though. You very specifically asked me not to call in any favors for you, and I did it anyway. I loved you so much. I wanted you to have everything you’d ever dreamed of.”
“I know that now, and I should’ve known then that the only reason you did it was because you loved me and wanted me to succeed.”
“The way I went about it was wrong, though. I regret that. I’ve always regretted it.
I should’ve told you I knew Buddy and Taylor, and introduced you to them and let you decide whether or not you wanted their help.
I wish you knew how many times I’ve wanted to go back and rewrite that chapter of my life.
I also never would’ve lied to my son. That, too, was a very big mistake I paid for dearly. ”
Kate reached for his hand and linked their fingers. “You two are okay now, right?”
“We’re great, but it took a long time. A very long time.”
“I hate that I was responsible for the falling out between you two. I’ve had a lot of regrets about that and my role in it.”
“You weren’t responsible, darlin’. I was the one who lied to him. Not you.”
“Still…”
“How about you and your daddy? All your fences mended?”
“A long time ago. After Maggie got hurt, we put it all aside. I hate that it took such an awful thing to bring us back together, but I was glad to clear the air with him. I also think about that day at the hospital and the way my Uncle Jamie treated you after you’d been good enough to fly me home and get me to the hospital.
I hated that. I always wanted you to know.
I had a big argument with him over it after Maggie was better.
It wasn’t his place to treat you that way. ”
“Sure, it was. I’d had a sexual affair with his eighteen-year-old niece. He had every right to feel the way he did.”
“Still, it was my business and yours, not his.”
“Maybe so, but I never begrudged him for the way he reacted to me that day.”
“I begrudged him enough for both of us.”
Reid laughed.
“How about Miss Martha? Do you see her?”
“She comes to visit for a week every February. She loves to fish, and she’s crazy good at it.”
“Why can I so picture that?”
“She’s a pistol.”
“So many people got hurt,” Kate said. “We might be better off leaving well enough alone.”
“Is that what you want, darlin’?” He looked at her with concern etched into his face. “Because if it is, I’d certainly understand. I’m still way too old for you, no matter how you cut it.”
“You were never too old for me. People spend their whole lives looking for what we had. The age difference wasn’t a factor for us. Everyone else was upset about it, but we never were.”
“No, we weren’t, but I’ll always be twenty-eight years older than you, and you have a right to a young husband and a family and a long life with the man you love.”
“You’re the man I love. You’re the man I’ve always loved. That’s one of the simple facts of my very complicated life.”
He cupped her cheek and leaned over to give her a lingering kiss. “I’m going to go now.”
Startled, Kate said, “Why?”
“I woke up this morning in bed with someone else. I never expected to see you again. I think we both need to sleep on this and make sure we’re making clear-headed decisions and not heat-of-the-moment decisions.”
Though Kate wanted him to stay and had expected him to, what he said made a lot of sense. “When will I see you again?”
“How about I come for breakfast? Would that be soon enough?”
“Yes,” she said, drawing him into another passionate kiss.
“Keep that up and I’ll forget all about my big plan to sleep on all of this.”
“You could sleep on it here.”
“If I stay here, we won’t sleep and you’ve been sick. You need your rest.”
“Do you promise you’ll be back?”
“I promise,” he said with another kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes. “Come on, time to get comfy.” He pulled back the covers and tucked her into bed. “Now close your eyes and have sweet dreams about tomorrow.”
She did as she was told. “And the day after.”
“And the day after.” He kissed her once more. “I’ll see you very soon.”
Kate heard the door click shut behind him.
She was afraid if she opened her eyes, she’d discover it’d all been a lovely dream.
He still loved her. He’d never stopped loving her.
He’d thought about her and come to her shows and remembered all the moments that had made their brief months together so special.
She was nearly asleep when it occurred to her that she still had his number programmed into her phone, if it was even still in service.
He’d probably changed his number years ago when he moved to the island.
Thinking about their late-night phone calls after they first met, she reached for her phone.
After scrolling through her address book, she found his number right where it had always been, and pressed send.
Kate waited to hear that the number was no longer in service.
Instead, she heard his soft chuckle. “You still have my number, darlin’?”
Apparently, he still had hers, too. “I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.”
“Neither could I.”
“God, we’re a couple of hopeless cases, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know about you, but I feel a little less hopeless after today. In fact, I’m feeling positively hopeful.”
“So am I.”
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in there?”
“I keep thinking about my parents and Ashton and Ms. Martha and all the people who didn’t get it before. Why would they feel any differently now?”
“For one thing, you’re no longer eighteen, and for another, clearly whatever we had came with some staying power if we both still feel the same way we did then.”
“That’s true.”
“Don’t worry about it tonight, darlin’. It’ll all work out the way it’s meant to.” After a short pause, he said, “You know what I’ve missed?”
“What?”
“Listening to you sing to me while I drive home. Will you sing my song for me?”
“I’d love to.”