Tears were cutting paths down both their faces. Sean’s eyes were so full of anguish and pain and guilt.
Brady shook him slightly again. “Listen to me, Sean. Because of my guilt, I almost lost your mother. Because of my guilt, I kept from getting as close to her as I might have. I kept from getting close to you. Sure, there was a lot more to it. When Jason died, I felt responsible for that. It was an unexplained death, SIDS or not. What if Agent Orange put a defect in my sperm? What if that was the reason he died? Don’t you see, Sean? I’ve always known how to accept blame and guilt, never known how to accept love and forgiveness. You have to forgive Gary—and yourself. You have to understand that life is short and all we can do is live it the best we can, with all of our heart involved in the process. I think I’ve only lived with half a heart. I realized that when I almost died.”
Gazing into Sean’s eyes, Brady felt an overwhelming surge of pure love for his son. Willing Sean to feel it, he insisted, “I don’t want you to have to almost die to realize that you’re important to us and you’re worth loving. You can grieve over Gary, but don’t you dare die with him. I love you. You are my son. And I’m going to be here for you, whether you want me here or not.”
Then he took Sean into his arms, held him tight and let his tears fall on his son’s hair.
Epilogue
“How do you think it went?” Laura asked Brady as they stood at the front door watching Bob Westcott back out of the driveway.
The August rain had stopped now, though it had pattered hard on the front windows as she’d sat with Brady and he’d talked with the reporter. For over an hour and a half he’d answered questions and related what had happened to him. He’d been honest about it all.
“I don’t know. We’ll see when the article’s in print.”
“You gave him everything, Brady. Absolutely everything. He’ll honor it with a true representation of what you said. He’s that kind of man.”
“He was there. He understands.”
Brady turned away from the front yard and nudged her around to face him. “But I didn’t give him everything. I told him what happened to me. I told him how it affected us…and my family. But I have everything, Laura. I finally understand that.”
Dressed in a light blue polo shirt and navy slacks, Brady was handsome, confident and more at peace than he’d ever been. She felt that her forever and Brady’s had finally begun. That day at the Vietnam memorial, as she’d stood holding on to the stand where the directory of names was encased, she’d watched Brady and Sean truly become father and son. She hadn’t heard what they’d said to each other, but she’d seen Brady drop onto one knee and run his thumb over Mike’s name. She’d watched Sean hunker down beside him.
She’d been too far away to read their expressions as they’d exchanged words, as they’d risen, as Brady had shaken Sean’s shoulders. Her heart had ached for both Brady and Sean because she’d known they were in pain. Yet she’d realized that at last they were getting to know each other. When they’d embraced, she hadn’t been able to stay separate from them. She’d run toward them and Brady had drawn her into their circle.
Since that day Brady’s nightmares had faded. He laughed more. He talked to her. And when they made love, there weren’t any barriers between them. They reached for each other often and expressed physically what they felt in their hearts. Brady had talked to Kat, too, and let her ask all her questions. He kept himself available to Sean, and although their son still withdrew at times, was grieving and would be for a while, he’d talked more to Brady about Gary. Brady had finally forgiven himself and was an example to Sean that he needed to do the same. They’d even gone to church as a family again. Tomorrow their son would leave for college in Scranton, and after a few days or a week, Kat would miss him, though she’d never admit it.
Thunder grumbled outside the screen door, but it was farther away now. Laura gazed up into Brady’s eyes, loving him so much her throat almost closed.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m just so proud of you…and what you did today.”
“It was a long time coming. I don’t know how I’ll feel when I see the interview in print, but I want to close the book. We have a lot of living ahead of us, and I’m ready for it.”
“Are you going in to work this afternoon?” He was tying up loose ends this week and negotiating a deal for the sale of his company.
“Nope. I have other plans for this afternoon.”
She caught the gleam in his eye and asked coyly. “Like…”
“Like…convincing you to spend the next hour or so in bed with me. And maybe after that we can drop in at the travel agency and make plans for our second honeymoon.”
So much love for Brady filled Laura that her throat became thick and her eyes misty. She wrapped her arms around his neck, went up on tiptoe and kissed him. He made the most of the kiss, as she did, until they were hot, bothered, aroused and more than ready for an interlude in bed.
Brady broke away first, reached into his pocket and brought out a small gold box tied with a silver ribbon. “For you,” he said, handing it to her.
“What’s this?”
“Just something you might like. We’re starting a new phase in our lives. I wanted to commemorate it somehow.”
With shaky fingers she untied the bow and set it on the credenza. Then she lifted the lid. “Oh, Brady.” It was a charm—three circles, one on top of the other, each mounted with a diamond.
Brady’s voice was husky when he told her, “You know what they say. Diamonds are forever. It’s a forever charm. A circle for yesterday. A circle for today. And a circle for tomorrow.”
Wrapping her into his arms again and pulling her close, he said, “We’ve loved each other through a lot of yesterdays. We love each other today. I pledge my love to you for all our tomorrows.”
Just then, with Brady’s promise, the sun broke free of the clouds and shone brightly through the screen door. “It only seems fitting.” He bent his head to kiss her again. Right before his lips found hers, he murmured, “‘Let the sunshine in.’”
ISBN:978-1-4268-0426-7
THE BRACELET
Copyright © 2007 by Karen Rose Smith.
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The Bracelet (Everlasting Love) Page 22