Chapter 19
SATURDAY/SUNDAY
TAYLOR COULDN’T HIDE the perma-grin on his face.
His moments kissing Chelsey were perfect.
He just hoped he had a few more of them before flying out.
He made two more sandwiches for his parents against weak protests.
They sat at the breakfast nook and finished off every last crumb of food while complimenting Chelsey and her successful night.
“We’ll be able to build at least two more small houses for our vets.” Dad leaned his elbows on the table. “You should be very proud of what you’ve accomplished tonight.”
Chelsey pasted on a smile that Taylor had come to recognize as her “business” smile.
“I can’t take all the credit though. A lot of people volunteered their time and talents to make the auction a success.”
Taylor’s mom nodded. “You are the perfect choice for taking over Dan’s business. We can’t wait to see how you bring the business to the next level.”
Chelsey stared at her empty soup bowl and thanked them for their kind words. Her shoulders slumped a little. Taylor wondered if it was exhaustion or feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of running Event Planners. In any case, he needed to take her home before she passed out on the kitchen counter.
Taylor grabbed his keys and jangled them. “Chelsey claims she will turn into a pumpkin if she doesn’t get home before midnight.” He glanced at his phone. “Oops. We’re almost an hour late. We’d better go.”
Chelsey straightened and smiled sheepishly. “I am a little sleepy.”
“And looking a little orange—” Dad waved in the general direction of his face.
“Stop teasing her, Husband.” Mom swatted Dad’s arm as she stood. “Don’t listen to him. There’s only a tinge of orange around your eyes.” She pulled Chelsey into a quick hug.
Chelsey covered her face with both hands. Taylor couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying—until she snorted.
“What did you just tell me not to do, Vivian?” Dad cocked an eyebrow at Mom. “You’ve made the poor woman cry.”
“That’s enough.” Taylor covered his own smile and tried to act stern. “It’s time to take Ms. Hooper home before she falls into a hysterical stupor.”
Chelsey snorted again. “Anything is possible for this pumpkin.”
Taylor put a hand on her back and led her to the garage. He stumbled when she stopped suddenly. “What about my car?”
“I’ll make sure it gets back to you tomorrow.”
“But—”
He opened the car door for her. “You’ll be sleeping all day, remember? No need for a car.”
“You’re right.” Chelsey nodded as she sank into her seat.
“I’m always right.”
He glanced over as the gentle sound of Chelsey’s snore filled the car.
She was asleep before he even backed out of the garage.
He watched her sleep for a moment, her face soft in slumber.
He’d missed so much of Chelsey Hooper’s life over the years, he didn’t think he could handle missing even another day.
He didn’t regret one moment he spent on his career.
He loved what he did and where he lived.
What he regretted most was cutting her completely out of his life.
He’d thought he was the brave one, the hero to “allow” her to lead the life she always said she wanted here in the valley.
As if it took so much effort on his part.
The reality was that it was easier on him to push down the pain he’d created for both of them by leaving so abruptly and asking family and friends not to update him on Chelsey or her life.
If what Annie said was true, he’d hurt Chelsey more than he ever intended to.
But what did he think would happen? The future shone so bright for the two them when they were teenagers.
They’d planned their whole lives, even which nursing home they would end up in together. They had always planned to be together.
He drove around town for an hour before he finally pulled into her driveway.
He didn’t have the heart to wake her. Her hair had come out of her updo and laid across her shoulder.
He ran his fingers through the strands. It was as soft as he remembered.
His touch released the scent of coconut.
Her eyelashes fluttered a little and he held his breath so as not to wake her.
“Are we home?”
He liked the use of the word “we.” Taylor reached over and rubbed his thumb over Chelsey’s satin cheek.
She leaned a little into his touch and sighed.
Their gazes caught and for a moment it seemed they’d both stopped breathing.
Taylor cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her on the forehead.
He wanted her fully awake when they finally kissed without interruptions.
“Let me help you inside.” He wanted to stay with her and talk. He didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to see her again, but he’d rather spend time with her when she was awake and alert. Right now, the best thing he could do for her was make sure she got home safely.
He hurried around the car and opened her door. She wobbled a little when she stepped out and he quickly put a supportive arm around her waist. She punched in the code for the garage door and waited until it lifted before pulling away from him.
“Thank you for the late, late dinner and for bringing me home. And for taking care of me. And bringing me home.” She swayed a little and he caught her upper arm to hold her steady.
“I think you already said that.” He stepped closer and brushed her hair off her shoulder.
“Well, thank you. For everything. And for the soup. I love your mom’s tomato soup.”
“Yes, I know.”
She closed one eye and studied him with the other. “Are you quoting Fitzwilliam at me again?”
How was it possible she looked so adorable in her rumbled skirt, wisps of hair sticking up every which way, and mascara under her stunning hazel eyes? Was this love? Seeing past the superficial to the inner beauty that is always in the one you loved?
Chelsey’s eyes opened wide, her mouth forming an O. Before he could ask what just happened, Chelsey stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. Then she disappeared into the garage. Two seconds later, the garage door lowered before his face.
He held a hand over the cheek Chelsey kissed and vowed to never wash that spot again. His couldn’t stop grinning like a giddy teenager.
SUNDAY
THE NEXT MORNING, Taylor walked into the dimly lit kitchen and rubbed his face, still unsure what or where his future would take him.
As soon as he woke up, he changed his flight to leave at the end of the week.
He wanted more time with Chelsey. Time where they could get reacquainted and talk.
He needed a plan. But right now, he needed food.
He opened the pantry door, deciding cold cereal would be the quickest meal of the morning.
“Hey, Son.”
“Dad?” Taylor jumped back, hitting his elbow on the doorframe. “You’re up early on a Sunday morning.” Taylor tried to shake out the tingles in his arm. He grabbed the cereal and held it up to see if Dad wanted any.
He shook his head and held up a chocolate Kiss. “I had to sneak in some sugar before your mom got up.”
“Isn’t it a little early for that much sugar?”
Gerry eyed the cereal box. “I can say the same to you.”
“Touché.” Taylor grabbed a bowl, spoon and milk before sitting on the barstool next to Dad. As Taylor poured the cereal and milk in his bowl, Dad slid a couple of pieces of chocolate in front of him.
“What are your future plans, son?”
“I have a project to finish in Singapore in a couple of months,” he said around a mouthful of food. “I’m also speaking at an engineering convention in Dubai next month.”
“No. I mean, what are your plans with Chelsey?”
Taylor swallowed hard and the milk went down the wrong way. He started coughing and covered his mouth so that he didn’t have to answer. The plans he wanted with Chelsey hinged on what she wanted. It scared Taylor to think of her rejecting him.
Dad interrupted Taylor’s thoughts. “Any fool can see how you still care for her. And vice versa.”
“I…” Taylor rubbed his chest, surprised at the question. The very one that he kept asking himself consciously and subconsciously for the last several days.
“Are you going to let go of her again?”
Those words hit Taylor like a sledgehammer to the gut. Would he let her go again swam around and around in his mind. “I’m not sure she wants me again.”
Dad shifted in his seat to face him. “She looks at you the same way you look at her. Only her eyes are haunted, like she’s trying to figure out if she can trust you. Can she?”
“I don’t want to hurt her again.” He hated the idea of how much he’d hurt Chelsey. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“Do you still have feelings for her?”
“I do. But are they nostalgic feelings of a time that’s over in our lives? Or are they now feelings that can grow into something more mature?” He remembered the way Chelsey’s chaste kiss from just a few hours ago had sent an electrical shock through his system.
“You won’t know until you ask her.” Dad patted him on the shoulder. “When do you fly out?”
“At the end of this week, but I might push my flight back.” Plans formed in his mind that would need a little more time to develop.
Dad eyed him for a moment, then grabbed his keys off the key hook by the garage door.
“You’re a good man, Taylor. One of the best I know.
I’d like to take a little credit for that, but it’s all you.
You’re smart and perceptive and you’ve grown into someone who cares about others.
You’re an asset anywhere you go, and any woman would be blessed to call you her spouse. ”
“But?” Taylor shifted on the barstool, his cereal completely forgotten.