by Leah Atwood
It was the most natural action in the world. “Even the stray dogs wouldn’t eat it.”
Deep laughter rumbled from Dominic. “Fine, I may have lied about food once or twice, but I did it with good intentions.”
A passing couple walked by. They stared at Dominic then smiled in response to his infectious laughter.
“You’re drawing attention.” A blush crept into her cheeks as she scooted into her side of the truck.
Dominic’s arms stretched across the opening and he leaned in with a devilish grin. “We can really give them something to talk about.”
His face was close. Too close to allow her breathing to come at a normal rhythm. The air hitched in her throat. The mood shifted again and the jesting smile left him. Eyes met and locked, and the depths of what she saw terrified her. Unconscious of the action, her hand rose to his chest. Under her palm, his heart also beat at an erratic pace.
In the distance, horns blared from cars stuck on the interstate. The noise barely registered in her ears. A family walked out of their room, but she gave them little heed. Nothing could tear her gaze away from Dominic. His eyes spoke a thousand words, asked the questions they couldn’t answer.
Is it too late? Can we move forward?
“We should eat.” Dominic ripped away and stalked to his side. He started the truck, drove across the street and down a quarter mile to the restaurant, all without a single word.
He was spooked—she knew that feeling, was experiencing it as well. Every time they came close the air between them thickened and arced with a tenuous energy. Old feelings died hard, or never went away and only hid deep within pain and grief. She’d never buried hers, but his were surfacing and it would be a bumpy ride to the top.
Chapter 9
“I can’t do it, Roxy.” Dominic paced the length of his sister’s living room and it had nothing to do with the fact he’d been sitting for the last six hours and needed to stretch his legs.
“Be her friend? Resume a relationship?” Roxy sat cross-legged on the couch, sipping from a glass of sweet tea.
“All of it. I can’t have her in my life.” In a matter of forty-eight hours, his world was in upheaval. “Why’d you even suggest she come find me?”
“Because I want you to be happy.”
He pointed to his scowling face. “Do I look happy?”
“Can I ask one question?”
“Stop answering my questions with your own,” he snapped. Her frown made him backtrack. “Fine.”
“Do you still love her?”
He glared at his sister. “You know the answer to that.”
“Yes, I do. More importantly, do you know?”
Roxy’s words slammed into him, freezing him in his tracks. Did he? “It’s not that simple.”
“It’s a yes or no question.” Man, she had a stubborn streak when she was set on something.
Sinking into a recliner, the cold hard truth hit him. “Yes.”
A smile that could light the room stretched Roxy’s mouth. “Good. Now that you admit it, that’s half the battle.”
“I might love her, but the damage she caused when she is left is irreparable.” He leaned back, splaying his hands on the armrests. “I was fine without her in my life. I’d moved on.”
“Have you forgiven her?” Roxy sobered and entered mother mode as he’d always called it.
“Yes.” He took a deep breath. “I told her that Tuesday night, but I didn’t mean it until I started to really think about it. By the next morning, I knew I didn’t want to hold that anger anymore. It wasn’t doing me any good.”
“That surprises me, but in a good way.” Roxy set down her glass on a cork coaster.
“Don’t get too excited.” He pushed off the chair and stood again. “Her arrival threw me for a loop. I wasn’t prepared for it, and honestly, I’m not sure I could ever trust her again.”
“Understandable.”
“Or if I even want to try.”
“But what if you take a chance and it all works out? You’ve loved her since you were six years old. Isn’t that love worth the risk?” She stood and moved the three steps it took to reach him.
The familiar ache tugged at his heart. “I wasn’t worth it to her.”
Roxy grabbed his arms. “But you were, Dominic. You absolutely were or she wouldn’t have laid bare her heart and moved to Nashville to try and make amends.”
“Do you have any idea how much it hurt when she told me I’d never be enough?” The extreme level of his emotions played out in his hardened voice. “All my life, she was that person who never once looked down on me, who believed in me. In a single sentence, she tore all that away from me.” He took deep, rapid breaths and ran a hand through his hair, shaking her hand from him in the process. “She messed me up.”
“We grew up suffering the same experiences. I know how you feel. I’ve cried the tears, begged for a different life.” She gripped his arms with a tighter hold. “Let it go. Accept who you are, who you’ve been and where you came from. Our childhood was tough—there’s no way around that, but it’s not who you are.”
“I want to believe that, Rox, but every time I think I’m getting somewhere, echoes from the past haunt me.” Staring out the window, he swallowed hard. “I thought that would finally change when I signed the contract with Bryce. The guys couldn’t be any better about including me, but I still don’t feel like I measure up.”
“You never will until you accept that your worth doesn’t come from those around you.” She moved back to the couch. “I’ve been there, little brother.”
He took a seat near her. “How’d you do it? How did you’d rise above everything we’ve been through?”
“God.”
“I knew you’d say that.” A forced chuckle followed. “How’d you discover Him or however you say it?”
“Quite by accident.” She looked at him cautiously. “Are you sure you’re ready to talk about it?”
“Yes. I want to know.” A better brother would have listened before now for the plain reason her newfound faith was important to her. Instead, he’d been uncomfortable and shirked any mention of it.
“Jesse attended a service at a truckers’ chapel one Sunday on the road, and he was drawn into the sermon.”
He cleared his throat and simultaneously laughed, producing a croaking noise.
“Why’s that so funny?” Roxy looked at him with hurt in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, it’s not what you think.” He wiped his eyes. “Something tells me God’s trying to get my attention. On the way from Nashville Maisy and I had a conversation about truckers’ chapels. Until then I’d never heard of them.”
Roxy gave him a half-smile. “They say He works in mysterious ways.”
He nodded. “Anyway, continue. I’m listening.”
“When Jesse came home from that run, I could see a change in him right away. We’d been fighting a lot, but he came home calm.” Her eyes shifted and her sights fell on a wedding picture. “He told me what happened in the chapel, that he’d discovered a faith he wanted to share with me. After that, we began going to church as a family.”
“And you just started believing?” Everyone posed it as such an easy thing to do.
“Not right away. A few months passed and I soaked in everything I could. Then one Sunday, the pastor preached from Ephesians.”
“E-what?” He’d never heard the word, had no idea what it meant.
“It’s a book in the Bible.” She grabbed a leather-bound volume that rested on the coffee table and opened it. After flipping through the pages, she handed it to him, pointing to a section of words. “Here, read this. Where it has the ‘two’ and then the ‘ten’.”
“Out loud?”
“Yes.”
“All right.” He looked to where she pointed and found the spot. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
“Do you hear that? We
are God’s masterpiece.” Roxy’s voice rose with excitement. “If the creator of all the universe created me, shouldn’t that give me value?”
He wanted so badly to believe. Staring at the pages, he read the words again. “But what if someone falls short? What if God messed up on one of his masterpieces.”
“There are no mistakes that God makes, but we’ll all make mistakes from time to time. It’s our nature, but because of His love, we don’t have to live with shame.” She took the Bible from him and scrolled through more pages. “Read this one now.”
‘Romans’ was printed at the top of the page and Roxy pointed to an ‘eight’ and then a small ‘one.’ He read the verse. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
“If you accept Him, that’s it. And with that comes the freedom to know you are wholly loved and wanted. You’ll never have to doubt your worth because it comes from Him.” Roxy grabbed his hand. “I know what you’re thinking, and I can tell you that God is real and He loves us, even when we’re at our lowest.”
Was that the void he needed to fill? Love hadn’t. Even when Maisy and he had been happy, he’d needed more. He’d told himself he needed success to validate his value as a person. Still, signed contracts promising more money than he’d ever dreamed of didn’t fill that hole. Only a few weeks ago, he’d told himself if he found love again, then he’d be happy.
Like a swinging anvil knocking him over, he realized that his quest for happiness was cyclical. He would never find it because he was searching for the wrong thing. He looked at Roxy. Ever since she’d started talking about God, a contentment rested over her. There was no denying she’d changed, and even in the wake of her and Jesse’s financial woes, she hadn’t been discouraged. He thought of Jay and Bryce, and their histories versus how they lived now.
Chills coursed through him. Everything Roxy and Jay had told him—he believed it was true. It was an absolute he felt in his heart.
Roxy squeezed his hand. “You can have that peace.”
“I want that, Roxy. I’m ready.”
Chapter 10
Maisy sat on Maureen’s expensive, custom-upholstered couch. She held her glass of tea over her lap, lest any liquid drip. If it weren’t so unseasonably hot outside, she’d suggest moving to the front porch. The last several days had passed in a whirlwind and she was ready to leave tomorrow.
Her sister swept into the room, her skirt swishing as she walked. Maureen projected the perfect picture of a southern, high-society wife. “That was Aaron on the phone. He’ll be home around seven.”
“I think I underestimated him.” After all that her brother-in-law had done for their family in the last four days, Maisy found herself eating humble pie. “He’s a good guy.”
“Yes, he is.” Maureen sat down and smoothed her skirt around her. “I wish I would have come to that conclusion sooner.”
“What happened?” Maisy crossed her ankles. “You were miserable in your marriage, now all of a sudden you love him.” Realizing her statement came across crass, she added, “That’s a good thing. I’m happy for you.”
Maureen’s eyes shifted to the right. A regretful sigh occupied the space between the sisters. “He left me.”
“What? When? Why?” The questions poured out in real time with her thoughts.
“In February.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” She set her glass on a ceramic coaster that probably cost more than her entire outfit.
“I was embarrassed.” Maureen turned to face her. “I only married Aaron because Dad pushed me into it and I was trying to make him happy. Because of that, I assumed Aaron married for similar reasons, therefore, held the same feelings of resentment.”
“He didn’t?”
Shaking her head, Maureen dabbed at the corner of her eye with a napkin. “No. He loved me, but I refused to see or accept it. I treated him poorly, hurled horrible insults at him.”
“I’m sorry. I knew you weren’t happy, but I had no idea it was that bad.” She reached over and covered her sister’s hand with hers. “How did you get back together?”
“After he left, I realized I loved him. All the little things he did for me became obvious.” Maureen swiped an invisible fleck of dust from the furniture. “I swallowed my pride and went after him. Our marriage isn’t perfect, but he’s become my rock.”
Maisy inched over to the middle cushion and gave her sister a hug. “That’s really great.”
“I’ll admit, I was worried when the news about Dad broke.” A cringe pinched Maureen’s face. “Aaron’s family is so political, I thought the arrest would drive a wedge between us after we’d worked so hard.”
“I was curious what his family thought. Levi’s father-in-law hasn’t said a word that I’ve heard.”
“That’s the difference between my in-laws and Levi’s.” Maureen frowned. “The Stapletons have a long-standing reputation that goes back centuries and have built a following based on family loyalty and ethics. The McAllisters are new to the scene and haven’t garnered the public’s trust yet. They’ll shy away from the slightest hint of scandal.”
“And what if Dad and Levi are guilty?” For the first time, she admitted her doubt to her sister.
“Then they will suffer the consequence.”
“Will Aaron still represent them?” There were so many questions Maisy still had.
“No. He won’t be their legal representation because it would be considered a conflict of interest. Rupert Davenport will be their attorney.”
“I remember him before he became a big shot.” She laughed. “He represented me for my first speeding ticket.”
Maureen joined in with a soft giggle. “I remember that. Dad made you pay for your own counsel to teach you a lesson.”
“Want to know a secret?” She gave her sister a conspiring blink with one eye.
“Levi gave you the money.” Maureen flashed her own wink.
“How’d you know?” Laughter still bubbled from her and it felt good to relax and enjoy time with her sister.
“I was in his apartment when you called.”
Maisy sobered. “I’d forgotten about that ticket until now. Levi has had his good moments, hasn’t he?”
“So has Dad.” Maureen lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug. “They have different priorities.”
That don’t include family. “Tell me the truth. How are you holding up through all this? You seem stronger.”
“A few friends made disparaging comments, and I’m sure more has been said behind our backs.” Taking a deep breath, Maureen smoothed her skirt yet again. “I know who the true friends are and thanks to the support of Aaron’s family, the ones who aren’t won’t dare say much.”
Talk of priorities niggled at her. “I’ll stay if you need me. I can have my car transported back.” The words hurt to say. It wasn’t what she wanted, but she couldn’t turn her back on her sister.
“I know I asked you to, but I was wrong. There’s nothing you can do here that can’t be done from Nashville. You’ve talked to the authorities and they know where to find you if they need you again. I’ll be fine with Aaron by my side.”
“Are you sure?” Locking gazes with Maureen, Maisy read her expression, trying to decipher the veracity of her answer.
“Yes.” A smile curled Maureen’s lips. “Besides, you need to be near Dominic. I saw the way he looked at you the night he dropped you off. If ever a man was in love, it’s him.”
“Weren’t you the one who told me to be careful?”
“And you still should, but anyone can see he’s still crazy about you.” Maureen stood. “Give him time, and he’ll come around. What happened isn’t beyond forgiveness.”
“I hope you’re right.” She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing it to be true, but he hadn’t called since he’d dropped her off at Maureen’s house, not even to confirm a time to leave tomorrow.
By Thursday evening, she’d lost track of how many times she�
��d begun to dial his number, and she didn’t have to lift a finger to count the number of times she completed the call. Zero.
“Speaking of coming around…” Trailing off, Maureen reached up and adjusted a vase on the mantel.
“Don’t say it.” Maisy stood and rubbed her temples.
“You came all this way.”
Goodness, Maureen can fit a world of subtext into a single sentence. Maisy clenched and unclenched her fists several times. “I can’t see him. Not yet.”
“He’s our dad, Maisy, for better or worse.” Maureen peered at her with gentle reproach.
“I’m still angry with him.”
“Why? We found out he didn’t have you fired, not directly, at least.” Crossing her arms, Maureen hitched an eyebrow.
“It was still his actions. If he hadn’t been under investigation, the Feds never would have gone poking around my place of employment and spooked my boss.” But that’s not why she was angry.
“Then tell me it’s because he was arrested, but don’t hide behind an excuse.”
“You want to know why I’m angry?” Her voice rose to a shout. “He’s the reason I left Dominic.”
“We’ve been through this.” Impatience wore on Maureen’s voice. “You could have defied him and still married Dominic. I’m not saying it would have been easy, but you could have.”
“No, I couldn’t.” She turned away so her sister wouldn’t see her frustrated tears. “You don’t know the whole story. He backed me into a corner and no matter what I chose, Dominic would get hurt.”
Maureen came to her and placed her hands on her shoulders. “What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.” She wiped at a tear.
Guiding her around, Maureen embraced her. “If you want to tell me, I’m a good listener, despite my most recent words.” Her nervous laugh tickled Maisy’s scalp. “I’m sorry I upset you.”
“You’re forgiven.” Maisy sniffed. “I know you mean well.”
“I love you. No matter what happens, we’re sisters, and I’ll always be here for you.”
“And the same to you from me.” She broke away. “Thanks for everything.”