by LuAnn McLane
28
The Real Deal
AFTER THE CONCERT ADDISON AND REID WERE INVITED to the private celebration being held in Sully’s Tavern. While they waited for the party to begin, at Addison’s request they sat in Reid’s truck so that they could talk. Addison could feel Reid’s apprehension and she couldn’t really blame him. Rick Ruleman’s sudden and altered appearance, along with his plans to build a recording studio, was quite a shocker. But before they could even get to the subject Addison’s cell phone rang. “Oh, it’s my mother.” She looked at Reid.
“You should take it, Addison.”
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Addison answered, and was prepared to tell her mother she would call back later, but her mother’s voice sounded even more excited than the conversation they’d had earlier when her mother said she’d wanted Addison to come out and be a guest on her show promoting small business.
“I have some more exciting news, sweetie. You know those pictures your father took of your shop?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we were out eating lunch with the Grangers earlier today and Julia is interested in opening another From This Moment here in LA and perhaps one in her hometown in Houston, Texas. She simply adored the layout and the mix of old and new.”
“You mean like a franchise?” Addison asked.
“Yes! You could oversee the stores. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Addison frowned. “But I just opened the shop here in Cricket Creek. We don’t even know if it will be successful. Maybe this is premature,” she protested with a glance at Reid.
“Normally I would agree with you, Addison. But with the low interest rates and lots of strip malls begging for business this is the opportune time to go full speed ahead. And with the backing of the Grangers, well, you can’t go wrong. Why don’t you fly out here next weekend and chat with Julia about the prospect?”
“I . . . um, I don’t know. This is so fast and sudden.”
“That’s how opportunities like these often happen. And they can be gone just as fast. Listen, I’m not trying to push, but you needed to know right away so you could think about it. You need to strike while the iron is hot, though. Call me later and we’ll talk, okay?”
“Sure, Mom. I love you. Give Dad a hug for me.”
“Love you too, Addison, and I miss you terribly. Bye, now.”
Addison ended the call and then turned to Reid. She explained briefly.
“Your mother’s right. The timing is perfect,” Reid said.
“Not for us, though, Reid. It would mean extensive travel. I’d have to spend most of my time getting the other locations up and running.”
He shrugged. “I know that. But this is a huge opportunity and your mother was also right in that these things only come around so often. If you miss out you might never get another chance. This could be huge for you, Addison.”
“But . . . but I’m in the middle of so much right here. I have weddings to plan . . .” Her throat constricted at the thought of leaving him when their relationship was going so well.
“Sara won’t have any classes at the farm during the summer break. I’m sure she could fill in at your shop while you’re away.”
“But she’s busy planning her wedding and overseeing the barn renovation.”
“The renovations are going smoothly. Believe me, Sara of all people knows how to juggle her time. She is an expert in multitasking.”
“But I would miss you too much,” Addison said softly, and gave him a trembling smile. She looked at him, thinking of how much time her mother and father lost over the years and it came close to ruining their marriage. She put her hand over his but he withdrew it, making her heart pound. Please don’t do this, she thought. Please care about me more than that.
“Addison, you should go to LA and listen to your mother. She knows her stuff. She won’t steer you wrong.”
“But what about . . . us?” Addison asked in a strained voice.
Reid shifted in the leather seat. He was silent for a long moment and then said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
Addison felt her heart rate speed up. “And?” she asked when he hesitated. She had felt that he’d wanted to tell her that he loved her for a while now. “You can be honest with me, Reid. We’ve grown so close. Don’t hesitate to tell me how you feel,” she urged.
“I . . . I’m moving back to Lexington. My firm called and wanted a final answer about whether I’m returning.”
Addison swallowed hard and felt the impact of his words like a punch to her gut. “I thought you loved the farm.” I thought you loved me, she wanted to shout.
“I do, but I came back to help get things under control. They are and then some. I’m not needed any longer. I can return to my job, knowing things are fine here.”
“So, when were you going to tell me?” she asked in a shaky voice.
His gaze flicked away. “I was trying to find the right time, I guess.”
“And so you thought after this amazing night with your family would be the best time to break it to me?”
“Addison, I had no idea what was going on here tonight.”
She nodded, on the verge of tears. “Is this about Rick Ruleman being in town? I really didn’t know, Reid.”
“I believe you.”
“Then—”
“We should get inside.”
“Um, I’m not sure I want to go to the party. I have a lot to think about and I would really appreciate it if you would just take me home. Please tell Jeff congratulations for me, okay?” She forced a smile.
Reid nodded. “Sure. I understand.”
He drove her back in silence. Absorbed in her thoughts and aching sorrow, Addison didn’t speak a word. She hoped the entire way home that Reid would suddenly tell her how much he loved her and couldn’t bear it if she weren’t in his life. But he didn’t.
When he pulled up to her apartment he came around and opened her door. “You don’t have to walk me up. I know you want to get back to the celebration.”
Something flickered in his eyes and Addison held her breath. “You’re right.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek—the cheek!—and her heart shattered.
Once again she’d believed in and let a man into her life, only to have her heart trampled on.
Later, while she sat cross-legged on her bed, reliving the evening, Addison wondered if this really did have anything to do with Rick Ruleman or the announcement that Garret would be working with him. Did Reid think that she’d go running back into Garret’s arms? How could he think that?
Addison leaned back against the fluffy pillows and she suddenly had a moment of clarity. This apartment felt like home. She loved running From This Moment and wasn’t remotely interested in starting a franchise. She wanted her shop to be personal and one-of-a-kind, not duplicated all over the country. Whether she made piles of money or just enough to get by, she loved her life and she wasn’t going to make the mistake of doing something because she didn’t want to disappoint her mother, even when it wasn’t what she truly wanted. Those days were over. And if Reid cared so little about her that he could just walk away, then she’d overestimated how much he cared for her. How could she have gotten it so wrong yet again?
Unlike the dull ache of disappointment she’d felt with her broken engagements to Aiden and Garret, this felt like a searing pain jabbing at her heart.
Her throat hurt with the thickness of unshed tears and her eyes burned, but she refused to dissolve into a puddle of despair. Instead, she turned off the light, determined to get some sleep and to get on with her life. Her body, however, had different ideas. Addison tossed and turned, looking at the digital alarm clock with increasing anger. She wanted to fall asleep so badly but, in truth, there was something tapping at her brain. She punched the pillow, kicked off the covers, and then got cold and yanked them back up to her chin. She closed her eyes and then realized she was squeezing them shut, and groaned.
“Okay, relax,”
she whispered, but she knew that part of the problem was that she missed having Reid in her bed. His big, warm body lying next to Addison made her feel safe and loved. Without him she felt a bit lost and lonely. “It just doesn’t make sense,” Addison murmured with a tired yawn.
And then she sat up so quickly that she knocked pillows to the floor. The missing piece fell into place with a mental clink. “Well . . . duh . . .” She smiled slowly as she sank back onto the pillows. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and the soft pillow cushioned her head. She would head over to his cabin first thing in the morning and put an end to this stupidity.
Addison opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. Something didn’t feel right. Rolling to the side she looked at her alarm clock. “Noon? I slept until noon?” Since it was Sunday the shop was closed, but still . . . she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept in this late. Of course, tossing and turning for hours had had a lot to do with it. But she had a mission and needed to get over to confront Reid with the truth. Tossing back the covers, she hurried to the bathroom and jumped into the shower, rehearsing in her head exactly what she was going to say to him.
Less than two hours later she pulled onto the Greenfield property and was going to head down the lane to Reid’s cabin when she spotted Sara, who flagged her down. Addison rolled down her window.
“Reid’s not here,” Sara said glumly. “He left shortly after breakfast.”
“Where did he go?” Addison asked, even though she already knew the answer.
“Lexington.” Sara stood back for Addison to get out of the Mustang. As soon as she did Sara gave her a big hug. “I’m sorry he’s being such a dipshit. Come on over to the porch. Nobody else is home except for me and the dogs,” she said.
Addison gave Booker an absent pat on the head and managed a weak chuckle when Little John came bounding their way.
“Can I get you some sweet tea?”
“Maybe in a minute. Look, Sara, I have to admit that I was floored when Reid told me he was leaving.”
Sara nodded. “He told me about the franchise possibility your mother told you about. Are you considering it?”
Addison shook her head hard. “No way. I like the laid-back small-town lifestyle. I love my loft apartment, and I’m looking forward to planning weddings. I don’t want to travel all over creation, opening up new shops. I know my mother meant well, but for me there’s only one From This Moment. Turning it into a cookie-cutter franchise just feels . . . wrong.
“How’d you come up with that name?”
Addison told her the Shania Twain song story and the dance with Reid. She smiled at the memory. “You know, I asked my cousin Mia how you know when it’s the real deal, how you know you’re really in love.”
“It’s in the kiss.”
Addison raised her hands skyward. “How come everybody knew but me?”
“Because it’s something you have to experience. And you’ve got that special something with Reid, don’t you?”
Addison nodded slowly. “I love him, Sara. With all my heart.”
Sara reached up and brushed at a tear and then raised a fist. “I knew it!”
“I need to go after him. Sara, in the wee hours of the morning I figured it all out. Reid pushed me away because he didn’t want to hold me back.” She put her hand up to her mouth and felt hot tears course down her cheeks. “I know he loves me.” She patted her chest. “I just know it. And he let me go because he put me first over his own feelings.”
“Which is why you aren’t going after him.”
“What?” Addison tilted her head to the side. “Why? He needs to know.”
“Nope.” Sara shook her head. “Let him go back to his desk job. Let him miss you like crazy. In the meantime we have lots of work to do.”
“Like what?”
“Planning a wedding, silly girl.”
“Yours?”
Sara waved a dismissive hand. “Are you kidding? Between me and Mom we have it all planned down to the very last detail.” She tapped Addison on the chest. “We’re planning your wedding. The first wedding in the renovated barn needs to be yours.”
“Um, but I’m missing something important called a groom.”
“A minor detail.” Sara grinned. “You haven’t lived in Cricket Creek long enough to know that when we want to get something done the whole town bands together.”
“But—”
“Do you want to marry my brother?”
“Yes.”
Sara put her hands on her hips. “Problem solved.”
“But shouldn’t Reid be asking me that all important question?”
“I’m his twin. I’m asking for him. And I already know he loves you because he told me. Addison, he was even looking at my engagement ring one night, asking questions. I told him that Nicolina needed to design a ring for you and he agreed.”
“He . . . he was talking about buying an engagement ring for me?”
“Yes. So will you marry Reid?”
Addison blinked at Sara and decided to take the bull by the horns. With a laugh, she remembered when she grabbed Reid’s shirt and kissed him. “Yes!” Taking charge felt amazing. “Yes, I will marry your brother.”
“Jason said that the barn will be ready in one month.” She held up her index finger. “Let’s get crackin’.”
“What about things like a marriage license and all of those pesky little details?”
Sara grinned. “Another perk of living in a small town. I know people. I’ll get the paperwork done.”
“This is crazy, Sara.”
“I know. Isn’t it awesome?”
Addison laughed but then grew serious. “I don’t want to railroad your brother into something he doesn’t want. If he wants to marry me I want him to propose.”
“I understand. Let’s just set the stage. You saw how Pete had the entire town at Jeff’s concert. We’ll send out invitations and just call it an open house, a mock wedding to showcase the renovated barn. Invite your parents, giving them the same impression. If everything works out the way I think it will, shit will suddenly get real. . . .”
29
From This Moment
One month later
REID WAS IN A PISS-POOR MOOD. HE DIDN’T WANT TO ATTEND this so-called mock wedding in the barn but Sara insisted. His mother jumped on the Team Guilt bandwagon and so here he was on the road to Cricket Creek. To make matters even worse, the mock bride was going to be Addison. Great . . . he could witness the love of his life wearing a wedding dress while standing at the altar. He thought about the ring he’d spoken to Nicolina about and his stomach lurched.
Not cool.
Reid didn’t even dare ask who was going to be playing the groom. Seeing Addison say her vows to another man, even if it was fake, was something he didn’t want in his memory vault. It was pretty simple. He wasn’t going to go.
Feeling just slightly better, he took the back way to his cabin, not wanting to come into contact with Sara or his mom. He got out of his truck and headed inside, glad that someone had turned on the air-conditioning. “Yes!” he said when he opened the refrigerator and found a cold beer. After he finished it, he was going to call Sara and give his regrets. Maybe he’d find a baseball game to watch, spend the weekend at the cabin, and then head back to Lexington.
The thought of returning to the city, however, held little appeal. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay with the desk job forever, but for now he didn’t know what else to do. Being home reminded him of Addison, but it was where he wanted to live. Reid knew one thing: He couldn’t bear to lay eyes on Addison. He saw her in his dreams every night but seeing her in person . . . in a wedding gown? No, thank you.
She must be well on her way to planning the franchise, and even though it hurt to lose her he couldn’t stand having her give up such an amazing opportunity. It didn’t matter that he knew she loved him. Making her businesses take off would take one hundred percent of her dedication. Taking a dream away from somebody wa
s a recipe for disaster in a marriage—or a family—and he wasn’t about to do that to her. She spoke of how hard her mother’s career had been on her father so she already knew the hardships of separation. He loved her way too much to put her through that, even though it was killing him.
Feeling pretty damned gloomy, he tilted the bottle up to his lips and took a long pull. After the drive the cold beer tasted good, even though it did little to improve his mood. He found the Cincinnati Reds playing Pittsburgh on television and rounded up another beer. “Damn, I’ve got to call Sara,” he said with a wince. She was going to be pissed.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up his cell phone and called her.
“Hey!” Sara said, but instead of being on the phone she came walking through the door.
“Hey, yourself.” Reid stood up and gave her a hug.
Sara licked her lips in that way that said she was about to ask him a favor. “Um, I have a tiny favor to ask.”
“Sara, your favors are never tiny.”
“Okay, I have a big favor to ask of you.”
“Shoot.”
“Well, you know this mock wedding?”
“About that—”
“The mock groom is . . . um, unable to come, so I thought maybe you could fill in.”
“No way. No possible way.”
“Please? It would mean a lot to me.” She paused and said, “And it would mean a lot to Addison. We’ve been planning this beautiful wedding for the past month and we don’t have a groom.”
“Absolutely not.”
Sara sighed and then said slowly. “We don’t want to leave Addison standing at the altar all alone, now, do we?”
Reid set his beer bottle down. There was something in Sara’s tone, something in her eyes that had his heart skipping a beat. No way . . . “Sara . . .” he said softly. “Are you kidding me?”
She shook her head slowly back and forth. “Do you love her?”
“Yes, you know I do,” he answered gruffly. He closed his eyes and swallowed. “She consumes my thoughts. But—”
“She’s not doing the franchise. She never even considered it. Addison loves it here in Cricket Creek. She loves you.” Sara swiped at a tear. “You big idiot.”