We all enjoyed the delicious feast which Reese had prepared for us. She gave her grandmother time to explain all to Granddaddy…the short version, and then I had my own catch up talk with Thomas. Dessert was served in the form of Lila’s award winning apple pie. She even made homemade vanilla ice cream to put over it. Jackson was in heaven and helped himself to two servings. Thank goodness Lila made more than one pie.
Our happy reunion soon came to a close. The grandparents said their good nights, and the four of us were left on our own. Riley gave Jackson a tour of our sleeping space. Thomas had converted one of the barns to look like a mini bed and breakfast. It held the old world charm of a country inn. It was equipped with a huge en suite, a living room, and two bedrooms. I was hoping I wouldn’t need to book a hotel room anywhere and was thankful to Lila for extending an invitation to stay.
Before turning in to sleep, she gave me a hug and told me “No funny stuff tonight, buddy.” I laughed and hugged her again. She reminded me that she wasn’t too old to hit me upside my head with her ladle if I broke the rules while under her roof. Her warning was also extended to Jackson and Riley. As much as I teased Reese about fooling around while here, I would never do anything to upset Lila and Thomas.
They knew we were together, but in the eyes of the law, Reese was still a very married woman. She didn’t want her grandparents to judge her, even though deep down, we knew they wouldn’t. All they ever wanted for Reese was to be happy, and now she was.
The kids were in bed, and I finally had a quiet moment with Reese. I held her in my arms under the Georgia sky. Thousands of stars were out tonight. I was hoping to see a falling star to make a wish on, but all I ever hoped for had come true already.
“I want to take you somewhere tomorrow.” I said, as I kissed her along her neck.
“I’ll go anywhere with you, Walker.”
“I’m counting on that.”
“Walker.”
“Yes, my love.”
“Thank you for not listening to me and arriving a day early. I don’t think I could have waited until tomorrow to see you.”
“As if you could keep me away. I love you, Peaches.” Even under the moonlight, I could still see my girl blush. I watched as my beautiful angel walked into the house, and I joined Jackson out in the barn.
I knocked on his door and hoped he was still up. This would be my first chance to really catch up with my son since we arrived.
“Hey, son. So what do you think of Pottersville?”
“It’s everything you said, and more. I can see why you love it here.”
“Everything okay with Riley? You two appeared to have worked it out.”
“We’re okay, dad, let’s leave it that. So tomorrow is your big day with Reese?”
I smiled at his question. “It is, Jackson. Let’s leave it that.”
SLEEPING IN MY childhood room and smelling the sweet scent of freshly picked flowers on my nightstand, I felt happy to be home. I couldn’t remember when I had a more blissful sleep. Yesterday was a whirlwind of revelations. I had finally come clean to Nana, and then to see Walker back here in this home felt like a dream coming true. He was taking me somewhere, but where? This town was too small to have any hidden spots I wasn’t aware of. It didn’t matter, as long as we were together. I quickly showered and dressed for the day. It would be a hot one, so I put on a light sundress and wore my hair pulled back. I left a few curly tendrils hanging along my cheek. Walker loved to wrap my hair around his fingers while kissing me. I had to keep in mind to keep my hands in check when Nana was around.
Coffee was already on, and the house smelled of fresh bacon and cinnamon rolls. Granddaddy greeted me with a floor lifting hug.
“Granddaddy, put me down before you hurt your back.”
“Nah, don’t worry about me, honey. You’re light as a feather.” He laughed and went back to reading his morning paper.
“Where’s Nana?” I asked my grandfather.
“Your Nana is already out and about with the youngsters. They went into town to do some sightseeing, and then are going to the book depot. Your spunky daughter wants to show Jackson all around town and then have lunch with Nana at the shop.”
“That sounds lovely, but I hope they don’t wear Nana out.”
“Don’t go worrying about your grandmother; she’s the one that will wear them out first. We Mitchells come from strong stock, baby girl. Don’t you know that by now?” He winked.
“I believe I’ve heard that once or twice, Granddaddy.” I gave him a hug and kissed the top of his head. I poured two traveling mugs of coffee and wrapped up some cinnamon rolls for Walker and me to enjoy. The car was outside, ready to take us on our mystery trip.
“Bye, Granddaddy. Be good today.”
“I should be saying that to you, my darling girl. Have fun.” Oh, he was wiser than I ever gave him credit for, him and Nana.
“Good morning, baby. Are you ready?” Walker said while slowly walking over to me, as if I were his morning breakfast. He was licking his lips as he reached me, taking one of the coffees out of my hand.
“I am, but where are we going?” I replied.
“All in good time, all in good time,” he said with a smirk.
He kissed me and held the door for me as I entered the car. We enjoyed our coffee and light breakfast while we talked about the kids and how happy they seemed to be. In just a few weeks, they would both be graduating high school and beginning their summer vacation. They had a good month head start before summer actually began. I wanted to take that time to pack up my house and vacate it, so Samuel could move back in. That Baltimore home was always his more than it was ever mine, and it would please Walker to no end if I could join him in California.
We drove out of town, up to a look-out spot where you could take in the mountain scenery. I knew this spot all too well. I shared many happy times here with my parents and grandparents. We were at Clover Lake. Luscious greenery surrounded the lake with wild flowers and of course clovers. This was my father’s favorite place to bring me when I was a child.
I remember spending hours with him looking for four leaf clovers. Nana had a picture of us canoeing taken the year before he died. I turned to Walker, who was nervously smiling up at me, not sure if he had picked the right place to bring me to today. I smiled back, showing him that it was perfect.
Walker had a picnic basket packed for us and brought a blanket for us to sit on. We walked down to the lake and picked a spot for lunch. The sun was shining, but it was a few degrees cooler up here. He wrapped my sweater around my shoulders and pulled me to his chest.
“Are you okay that we’re here?” he asked me.
“It’s a beautiful spot, Walker. Thank you for coordinating with Nana.” We both laughed. He wouldn’t have known what meaning this place held for me if Nana hadn’t told him. He held me in his arms, and I could feel his mood changing. Something was weighing on his mind, and we both had enough secrets to last us a lifetime, so I simply asked him what was wrong.
“Are you okay, Walker? Do you want to tell me something?”
“You know me so well, but what I have to tell you will hurt you. And I can’t bear to ever do that to you. You have been through so much already, baby. I love you so much.”
“We’re together now, and no one or anything can ever hurt me again.”
“Let’s hope that’s true, baby,” I replied.
He took my hands in his and let out a few deep breaths.
“REESE, FROM THE minute I saw you walk into that New York restaurant and back into my life, it has been a non-stop ride of revelations. Secrets that have been kept from me for all of these years were finally revealed. I not only heard from you, but literally from beyond the grave—my father’s grave. He must have known his time was coming. In the end, my father was very sick. When he came out to California to talk with me, I guess he was trying to make amends and say his goodbyes. He left me a box of personal items in it and a dossier of the crimes he com
mitted against you and me.”
“I was out of my mind when I discovered it all. It was one thing to hear it from you, but then to read it from his own hands completely decimated me. I confronted Miles Jacobson, his lawyer, to tell me the truth. I could have killed Miles, if it weren’t for my mother interrupting us. He took his beating like a man, and then told me everything. The story didn’t end with my father; it was only beginning. The true master of this grand illusion was Henry Townsend.”
“Elizabeth’s father?” Reese questioned.
“Yes, the one and only. You see, he had the deluded notion that if he removed you from my life, then it would pave the way for Elizabeth and me to be together.”
Reese shifted out of my arms and stood up to look out to the lake.
“He succeeded, Walker. They both did. You married and had a child with Elizabeth.” I watched my girl cover her eyes to hide the falling tears that were now drenching her beautiful face.
“Reese, I’m so sorry. Please, baby, look at me.”
“You’re sorry? Why would you say that to me, Walker? You have nothing to be sorry for. You thought I had left you for good with no hope of ever returning. How could I expect you to wait for me when I did the same thing with Samuel? It may have appeared to the outside world that I moved on, but here is where it counted. I never strayed from our love.” She held her hands over her heart as she once again cried out her feelings for me.
“I feel the same way, Reese. Yes, my feelings for Elizabeth were real, but never in the same way as how I felt for you. And you said it yourself that we can never regret our children.”
“Of course not! I will always be grateful to Samuel for giving me the chance to become a mother, but Walker, you were the man that made that dream happen for me first…with our son. Why didn’t he make it? I wanted him so much, and I couldn’t wait to tell you that you were going to be a father.”
She cried, holding her face, and then fell slowly to the ground. She was mourning our son, my son. Damn, this hurt. It felt like a thousand knives piercing my heart. God, I hated this! It was breaking my heart to go through this with her, again and again. I could never bear to see her cry, and I would do everything in my power to prevent her from ever shedding a sad tear again.
“Reese, look at me, please?” She dried her eyes, and did what I asked. “Reese, I know how hard you fought to protect him, but some babies are not meant for this world. And, sadly, our son was called home before we had a chance to be his parents. I will never blame you for losing him. Please believe that.”
“I dreamed of him the other night, but he wasn’t alone. I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell you, but for the first time since losing him, I actually felt peace and a sense of closure.”
“Our son? You said he wasn’t alone? Who was with him?”
“Elizabeth. She was holding him and rocking him to sleep. She looked beautiful. Our baby was healthy and looked like you. You said that Elizabeth would want you to be happy and move on with your life. Did you mean that, Walker? Was she this saint that could do no wrong and die a martyr? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that about her.”
“Reese, you didn’t say or do anything wrong. Elizabeth was simply a kind soul. She loved fiercely with her heart, and I think she would laugh at the saint reference. If I can be certain of anything, I know Elizabeth would want me to be happy again. For so long, I’ve been alone just raising my son and working. My assistant told me to get a life when I left for New York. Little did she know that my life has never been the same without you in it, beautiful girl.”
“We have been given a second chance, and I will never doubt fate again. I’m done living in the shadows of being half of a man who is so closed up and unwilling to let someone in. You’re in, Reese. God, you never left. I want you, and I know you want me. Please believe in what we have now, because we’re starting over. We cannot change our pasts and how we lived our lives. We have today, tomorrow, and the rest of our lives to be happy.”
I took her into my arms and held her closely to my chest, so I could feel her heartbeat against mine.
“Reese, it was too late for my father to make amends to us for what he did. He left me several letters with words of regret and apologies. I don’t know if I will ever truly be able to forgive him, but I can promise you that his machinations will never be able to hurt us again. As for Henry Townsend, he is only still breathing because of his grandson. I can’t hurt him, Reese, not only for Jackson, but for Elizabeth. She would not want me hurting her father, no matter what he has done.”
“For the sake of her memory, and my son, Henry gets to continue on with his life and live out his retirement out in Arizona. As for continuing a relationship with me, well that’s over. He is dead to me. Jackson knows the truth, but is still hurt and confused by the actions of his grandfather, who he loves. While we’re on the subject, I also took care of Ralston.”
I felt my girl shake with the mention of that bastard’s name. “Yes baby, he will never be able to hurt you again. I gave him a beating he won’t soon forget.”
“Oh my goodness, Walker. What if he comes after you? What will you do then?”
“He can’t hurt me, and he certainly can’t hurt you, not anymore. He may have thought he was only doing his job, but his actions cost us our son.”
“You don’t know that, Walker. I was sick, and it was a tough pregnancy from the beginning.”
“Reese, I know enough, and he got what he deserved. If anything, I was easy on him. Listen, enough about my father, Henry Townsend, and Ralston. They do not matter to us, and you don’t ever have to think about them again.”
“Walker, before we go any further here today, I now need to tell you something. Something that will hurt you, and once again I will be the bearer behind that hurt.”
“Reese, you can only hurt me by leaving me again, and I think you know I will find you this time. So please, baby, no more tears.”
“Not until I tell you this. Please, you have to know.”
I felt it deep inside my core that it was about Samuel, who I didn’t want to hear about, but until I allowed her to say the words, I was just going to continue to fight against my internal struggle.
“Okay Reese, you have my attention. I promise you that whatever you’re going to tell me is not going to change how I feel about you.”
“You may want to hold off on that until you hear it, baby.”
Looking at Reese’s beautiful caramel eyes drew me in like a moth to a flame. She was breathtaking, and if I could, I would climb inside of her and stay there for the rest of my life.
“No one was more surprised than I when Riley opened our hotel room door to find Samuel standing on the other side of it. He looked hopeful and happy to see his daughter. Then he rushed over to me like he was seeing me for the first time. Samuel was in complete denial of what was taking place in our marriage. I asked him for a divorce, and of course he told me that would never happen.”
“He fucked me across his desk and then apologized like he just spilled coffee on the rug. He never got it, and still doesn’t. I didn’t want to leave with him, Walker, but he gave me little choice. And I was back to a place of being scared and letting another person force me to do something I never wanted to do. Thoughts of your father’s bossiness flashed in my mind at that very moment, but I was ordered to pack my things and leave for this magical family trip he had planned for us.”
“Reese, why are we discussing this at all? Baby, I know all of this already. Remember, I was the one who rescued you.” I wiped away more of her falling tears.
“Please, Walker, let me finish. If I’m ever to truly move forward with you, then I have to be completely open and honest with you and tell you everything.”
I held her hand reassuringly. “Okay. Go on.”
“Riley was crying and did not understand what was happening. Samuel took her phone and wouldn’t allow her to call Jackson. I barely had time to think or react. I’m so sorry, Walker, but I ch
eated on you. I wasn’t strong enough to say no, and he reminded me that he was my husband and that my body belonged to him, so I had sex with him. And I have regretted it ever since.”
“Samuel must have known something, but never said anything. We fought on the island, and I begged him to let me go. He did, Walker. He finally accepted my wanting a divorce. The minute he made the connection to who Jackson really was, it didn’t take him long to figure the rest out. He made Riley leave the house and came after me. He smashed things around the room and confronted me about you. He said we wouldn’t be divorcing, and he would never let me go.”
“I decided that I had enough and screamed back. He asked me coldly if I had ‘fucked you’ and I screamed back, ‘Yes.’ Samuel’s words were ugly and sounded so cold. I wasn’t ashamed, and I was done hiding the truth. God! For years, I was living my life in hiding, and I was so done with it all. I repeatedly told Samuel that I loved you, and yes…I did fuck you, and it was the best sex of my life. Well, he hit me after that, and the room went dark for the second time that day. Then you came crashing through the door. Yes my love, you rescued me.”
“Please, Walker, say something.”
I sat there, just silent, and the color slowly drained from my face upon hearing her harrowing plight with that horrible man. I paused for a few more seconds and began to smile. “Best sex of your life, huh? I guess I haven’t lost my touch.”
Reese lunged herself at me, holding on as tightly as she could.
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