by Leah Atwood
“Thanks for tonight.” That only touched the surface of all he was thankful for, but for now, he left it at that.
“Thank you, too. For the night, for dinner, for my necklace, for everything.”
“I’ll send you a text when I get back to the hotel.” A smirk appeared of its own volition. “I’d call, but then we both know we’d stay up talking all night.”
Melanie burst out into laughter again. “So true.” She dusted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.” He lifted her hand, kissed her palm.
Back in his hotel room, he couldn’t sleep. He walked to the desk and turned on his laptop. An email popped up with a message from his realtor. More paperwork and forms to sign. He’d gladly comply. Thank you, Lord. He’d had to give a higher down payment since he didn’t currently have a job, but the bank had approved the loan. Closing was only two weeks away. One more step in making Hope Springs his home again.
The alarm clock caught his attention, flashing a menacing 3:00 a.m. at him. Regardless of his excitement, he really had to get some sleep. Tossing and turning for a while, he gave up and resorted to the classic counting of sheep.
Nothing worked. He thought of Melanie, and all they’d gone through that brought them to this point. How long did he have to wait to propose? At times, he still struggled with feelings of worthiness, but Melanie never failed to ease his insecurities. He’d kept contact with the chaplain and had several conversations with Dan in the realm of a pastoral relationship.
Zach was confident in his emotional and spiritual state. He didn’t worry he’d walk out on Melanie, as he had before. He’d learned his lessons and was older and wiser—a different person than he’d been five years ago.
Was it fair to ask her now? He wanted to set up the house with her there as his wife.
They both knew what they wanted. Why should they wait?
By five o’clock, he’d gone over every reason why he shouldn’t propose yet, but none of those outweighed the reasons he should.
Love. Love always won.
Hidden in his suitcase, a special ring waited to be used. He’d held onto his mother’s since Dad had given it to him during one of their final conversations. By that time, he’d already had a ring for Melanie and thought to save his mother’s ring for a future daughter. But now that he knew the truth of his parents and their marriage, he wanted Melanie to wear the same ring that had represented their love.
He waited until six when he thought she might be awake. Forcing slow steps, he walked to her house. The outside lights were still on. He knocked on the door, and several minutes later, she hadn’t come to the door. Her car was in its normal spot, and the door was locked. Knocking again in case she didn’t hear the first time, there still was no answer. He pulled out his phone and gave her a call.
“Zach? Is everything okay?”
“Can you come down to your door?”
“I… I guess. What’s wrong?” Worry pushed the sleepiness from her tone.
“Nothing. I just need to talk to you.” His heart pounded. This is right. I know it is.
She answered the door, tying a knot in the belt of her robe. A sleepy smile spread. “You’re a few hours early for church.”
“I couldn’t wait.” His gaze traveled from her ponytailed hair sticking out, to her threadbare slippers. Maybe he should wait… make it more romantic. His body didn’t listen. He lowered to one knee. “I’ve made mistakes, and we’ve had a long road, but we found our way. I know I said we’d take it slow, but why wait when we’ve waited so long and are sure of what we want. I love you, Melanie. Will you marry me?”
Her face registered shock. “Did you just propose to me while I’m in a robe?”
“Yes, and you’ve never been more beautiful.” He held out the ring. “This was my mother’s. It represents the unconditional love she and my father shared. I want that love for us. Forever.”
“Me too.” A single tear rolled on her cheek. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Epilogue
“Stunning.” Melanie couldn’t stop watching the landscape surrounding her.
“I know.” Zach stared at her, ignoring the lush green hills their taxi climbed.
Her cheeks tingled with warmth. She’d never tire of his compliments. “I was talking about the scenery.”
“No regrets?”
Easiest question she’d ever been asked. “None at all.”
“Teaching at Hope Springs won’t seem boring when you could have taught here next semester?”
“How could it when that’s where you’ll be?” She waved a hand in a large circle encompassing their surroundings. “All this is gorgeous and spectacular, but I much prefer spending a week here together for our honeymoon, rather than a semester teaching here without you.”
He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a kiss that made their driver blush. “I love you.”
Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
This manuscript has been sitting around for years. To be honest, it doesn’t look much like the original. When I started reworking it for publication, I realized how much I’ve grown as a writer. Life isn’t meant to be stagnant, is it?
Like Zach and Melanie, we grow as people, and my prayer is, that we also grow in our faith and become more like Christ. That we learn to forgive, love, show compassion and understanding. At its core, that’s what A Summer Homecoming is about—moving forward and toward Him.
Two of my favorite verses are Philippians 3:13-14. We won’t be perfect in this time, but press forward toward Him. Friends, don’t the past keep you from moving forward. The end goal is too precious and beautiful to miss!
Until next time,
Leah
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Philippians 3:13-14
Connect with Leah:
Newsletter Sign Up
Facebook
Website
[email protected]
About Leah
USA Today Bestselling Author Leah Atwood is a small-town girl at heart and currently lives in a rural town in the deep South, though Maryland will always be home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in International Business but gave up a career in sales and marketing to follow love, a decision she's never regretted.
From the old west to Cajun country, Leah infuses true-to-life characters with small-town charm to invite her readers into a world where faith and love will always prevail. In both her historical and contemporary works, she believes in delivering inspirational stories that will leave her readers with a smile.
When not writing, she's busy raising two kids and corralling two dogs (an eighty-four-pound shepherd/lab mix and an eleven-pound rat terrier/jack russell mix), or participating in a myriad of community and church events.
Other Available Titles
Contemporary Romances
Come to Me Series
Come to Me Alive
Come to Me Free
Come to Me Again
Come to Me Joyful (Bonus Novella)
Modern Conveniences Series
Love In a Fix
Calling Love
Lost in Love
Waiting on Love (Bonus Novella)
Always Faithful Series
That Was Then
This Is Now
When It’s Forever (Summer 2017)
Love at the Lake
Not This Time
Treasure Harbor
Complete Collection
Standalones
Table For One (Novella)
A Summer Homecoming (Novella)
Historical Romances
Brides of Weatherton Novellas
After the Rain
Fire and Ice
> Winds of Change
Whiter than Snow
Dancing on Dew
Texas Wildflowers Novelette Series
Free to Love
Free to Heal
Free to Protect
Free to Serve
Free to Roam
Free to Forgive
Mail-Order Short Stories and Novelettes
The Ultimatum Bride
A Man to Be Proud Of
Their First Noelle
The Not Quite Mail-Order Bride
The Mail-Order Bride’s Quilt
Riches of the Heart
The Most Wonderful Bride of the Year
Always Faithful Series
In the Always Faithful Series, join three friends as they put their lives back together after a tragic helicopter crash.
Wyatt- That Was Then
When her mother died, only one person came to mind for Meg Bailey to call. Wyatt Deluca—U.S. Marine, first love, ex-husband.
Seven years have passed since they've seen one another. To fulfill a parting promise to always be there for Meg if she needed him, Wyatt--scarred, broken, and in need of healing--returns to his small hometown of Lilston, Pennsylvania.
He went to comfort Meg. In Meg, he finds solace. Can time heal their battered spirits and restore their lost years?
Evan- This Is Now
Widowed for nearly a year, Janie Stroud is lost. All she can do is take each day as it comes. Every smile, each peel of laughter, the rare days without tears—all give her hope of one day finding a new normal, whatever that may be. Can normal even exist for a twenty-five-year-old widow?
After a tragic helicopter crash claims Mike Stroud’s life in the final weeks of a deployment, Evan Jergens takes seriously his vow to look after Janie, Mike’s widow. He considers her a second sister, and he’d do all he could to make her life better in the aftermath of Mike’s death.
Over time, their feelings shift from friendship to something more, but neither wants to love. Evan sees himself as a cripple with little to offer as a husband and is eaten by guilt for falling in love with his best friend’s widow. Janie’s afraid to love again and set herself up for the risks that come with it.
What will it take to break through their barriers and live in the present?
Jared- When It’s Forever (coming late summer-2017)
Enjoy This Excerpt From That Was Then
Taps played outside Wyatt Deluca’s barracks as the late afternoon sun crept through the blinds of the room’s window. A familiar sound, heard every evening as Old Glory was lowered and removed until the following morning.
Only, this time was different for Wyatt. Peering out the window, he watched in resolute attention then gave the flag a final salute. Tonight, he’d be gone, on a road to nowhere in particular—figuratively speaking.
He returned to packing. How did one decide what to keep of the last five years? He pulled out a photo from the nightstand drawer. Tattered edges wavered under his touch. He retrieved his Bible from his laptop bag and slid the picture between its worn pages. The haunting image inflicted more grief than he could bear right now.
Upheaval already marked his life. Despite the twenty-some positions he’d applied for, he’d yet to receive an interview request, much less a job offer. He never liked being in limbo, but that’s exactly where he found himself. He couldn’t even rent a place to live off base since he didn’t know where he’d be a month from now. Fortunately, his friend, Jared Scott, offered him a place to crash for a few weeks until he hopefully had a job.
Someone knocked on the door, followed by a “Hey, Deluca. You in there?”
“Come in.”
Jared walked through the door, still in uniform. His eyes jumped from pile to pile of belongings scattered through the room. “What happened in here?”
“I’ve accumulated more than I realized.” Wyatt shrugged and dropped the Bible on top of the laptop case.
“We’re supposed to meet everyone for dinner in less than an hour, bro, and I still have to go home to shower and change.”
“Chill. I’ve got it under control.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Skeptical brows rose high on Jared’s forehead.
“I’ll finish up and meet you guys over there.” He swept a hand over the room. “All I have to do is throw all this in my bags and trunks.”
“Didn’t you need me to take some in my truck?”
Wyatt muttered under his breath. “I forgot about that.”
Jared pulled out his phone. “I’ll shoot Evan a text and let him know we’ll be late. He can tell everyone else.”
“Might as well make yourself useful.” He shot Jared a playful grin and threw a duffel bag his way. “Can you shove that pile of dirty laundry in there for me?”
“Yeah—no, not touching those.” Despite the words, Jared caught the bag and started loading it.
After what they’d been through, there wasn’t much they wouldn’t do for each other. Blood brothers, in the worst sense of the term. What was touching someone’s dirty laundry when they’d fought together for survival, bled against each other’s wounds?
Wyatt swallowed. Don’t go down that road. He lifted the plaque his squadron made him as a going away gift. “S. Sgt. Deluca” was engraved in the center, with his stripes below. Above, were replicas of all his awards and ribbons. In the top right corner, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor. On the left, his squadron’s insignia.
“I didn’t think it’d be finished in time.” Jared carried the full bag to the bed and nodded at the plaque. “Gunny Brown said he’d have it finished last week and walked in today at zero nine hundred with it.”
“That explains all the whispering before sending me out to find a non-existent lost bolt.”
“We had to kill some time.” Jared smirked. “You know you wanted a few more minutes with the Hueys.”
“If I never work on those aircraft again, it will be too soon.” A sharp edge he hadn’t meant tinged his voice.
“I know what you mean.” Frowning, Jared tossed the duffel against the bed, hitting the edge of the laptop case.
The Bible flew to the floor, and the picture fell out, skipping several inches across the tile floor.
Jared’s eyes cast downward. “I forgot about that one.”
“It was a long time ago.”
Crouching down, Jared picked up the photo. “We were so young.”
“Our first mandatory fun day.” Wyatt laughed. “If not for Mike’s antics, it would have been the most boring fun of my life.”
“Remember that time he convinced the CO’s wife to get in on a practical joke?” A wide smile erupted on Jared’s mouth. “I’ll never forget Major Lucerne’s face when he showed up for uniform inspection with trousers three inches too short.”
Choking on his laughter produced a snort. “Best prank ever.”
Their merriment ended abruptly, and a moment of silence fell over the room.
“It’s not right.” Jared cleared his throat. “It should have been me.”
Wyatt did the same to strangle the grief. Whoever said time healed all wounds was a liar. The memories haunted him worse now than they had six months ago. “You sprained your ankle and weren’t up for the mission. If anything, why not me? Mike and I switched spots after loading in the helicopter, so I could finish telling Jergens a story. Would Mike have survived if he’d been in my seat?”
The rancid taste of guilt-laced bile rose from his gut. He pounded a fist against the wall and kept his back turned to Jared. Too proud to let through any tears. Too ashamed to face his friend.
Shuffling ensued behind him, the crinkle of the cheap mattress as Jared sat on it. “No amount of blame can bring him back.”
“Doesn’t stop it, though, does it?” Semi-composed, Wyatt turned slowly. “I know deep inside of me somewhere that even if I knew the answer, it wouldn’t make a lick of difference, but the what-ifs won’t shut up. Night and day, they take over my thoughts.”
“You think I don�
��t understand? Mike wouldn’t have been on the helicopter if I hadn’t been goofing off the night before.” Jared tensed his jaw then swallowed. “At least you get out of here. I have another year left on my contract.”
“Yeah.” His halfhearted response matched the lack of conviction in his heart. The best shot at a job offer would keep him in Jacksonville.
Jared jumped to his feet, a plastic smile in place. “Hey, we’re supposed to be celebrating tonight.” He scooped a pile of DVDs and laid them in an open footlocker. “Let’s finish up and get going.”
More than willing to feign joy, Wyatt rushed through packing the remainder of his belongings, deciding to keep it all for now, and sort later. “Sure you don’t mind turning your garage into storage for a while?”
“Nah.” Jared shrugged. “The truck won’t fit inside, so the space may as well get some use.”
Twenty minutes later, they’d confined all his belongings to a multitude of olive-colored duffel bags, black trunks, and a single suitcase he’d inherited from his first barracks roommate back when he’d first arrived at the air station.
He drove ahead of Jared, following the loop around the barracks and then to the main road. Up ahead, the digital commissary sign flashed the week’s grocery specials. In a matter of seconds, it became a memory as he drove past the guard shack and off base.
The reflection of the lit-up welcome sign caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “MCAS New River. PARDON OUR NOISE. It’s The Sound Of Freedom.”
Emotions filled his lungs. He took a deep breath and used an exhale to push them out. Man, he’d loved that sign as a newbie. Twenty-three years old and finally doing something with his life, he was fulfilling his childhood dream of serving his country. He was one of the Few, one of the Proud. A Marine. Ready to face any obstacle or fight thrown his way.