Chapter 6

Cade

“You saw Amelia?”

My mother’s eyes were wide as she looked over at me from across the kitchen table. Georgia Masters was my tough as nails mother who hid behind a polite, friendly exterior. Her silver hair was shot through with a few lingering strands of dark brown. For many years, she’d left it long, but now it was short, the curls still a tad wild. I’d inherited my green eyes from her, along with the unruly brown hair. My mom was the town librarian—smart, friendly and as close to the town’s nerve center as anyone was.

I took a gulp of the coffee she’d made for me and nodded. “Yup.”

Mom leaned back in her chair. “Her mother is worried sick. Amelia ran, actually ran, out of the church and left Earl behind. Sarah said she hasn’t returned her calls since she took off.” She paused only to lean back and snatch her phone off the kitchen counter. “I’m calling Sarah. Where is Amelia now?”

I pondered what to say. I knew exactly where I’d left Amelia, but I didn’t know whether she wanted anyone to know where she was. I might be wrestling with my resentments when it came to her, but I felt protective of her. She hadn’t asked me to hide where she was, so I finally lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Mom, I dunno if she wants anyone to know.”

Mom narrowed her eyes, her lips thinning. “What happened?”

Her question didn’t surprise me. In the years since I’d moved away, my mom had never stopped saying she wished I’d tried harder to talk to Amelia. She’d only shut up about it once Amelia got engaged to Earl. My mind spun back to the roughly twenty-four hours I’d spent with Amelia. After kissing her on the sidewalk in Anchorage, I’d spent the rest of the night mentally kicking myself for so easily falling prey to my desire. Yet, our past was what it was. Once upon a time, she’d meant the world to me. No woman even came close to what she meant. Not that I’d given anyone a chance to matter. I didn’t think about it much, but I knew I might be perceived as cold. I eschewed attachments and made that crystal clear to any woman who crossed my path. A night between the sheets ended before I fell asleep. In fact, the other night with Amelia had been the first night I’d allowed myself to fall asleep with a woman since she’d walked out on me.

My heart clenched. Fuck. This was far more difficult than I’d anticipated. I’d figured on moving back to Willow Brook and learning to live with Amelia being married to someone else. I hadn’t counted on what it would feel like to see her, and I certainly hadn’t counted on her not being officially with someone else. Yesterday afternoon, she’d started crying and run out of my truck, the sight of her that upset nearly annihilating me. Even though I’d known she probably wanted to be left alone, fool that I was, I’d followed her out of the truck to the benches running along the railing at the viewing spot on the highway.

With a gorgeous view of Denali in the distance and a river winding in a glittering ribbon through a field by the highway, I’d sat down beside her and waited. It had taken most of my discipline not to yank her into my arms, but I managed. Eventually, she’d wiped her face with the edge of my t-shirt—the one she’d been wearing—and looked over at me. Without a word, she’d stood, her eyes shuttered, and nodded. “I suppose we should get going.”

I’d had so many things to say, but none of them seemed right. I hated, fucking hated, to hear she’d thought marrying Earl was the best chance she’d get. She had no idea—no fucking idea—how I would’ve given anything for a shot to clean up the mess between us. I had an idea why she thought that. I knew plenty of guys thought she was hot. Hell, I’d been in high school with most of them. Yet, she was a handful and intimidating as hell. Seeing as she stood eye to eye with most men at five-foot eleven and could hold her own just about anywhere, well, she wasn’t easy. I’d been intimidated myself, but I’d wanted her so fiercely I hadn’t let that stand in my way.

The flip side to her passionate, no-holds barred attitude—well, when she got mad, she got really mad. Just like she’d thrown her phone away after running out on Earl, she’d never once picked up my repeated calls to her in the days and weeks after she’d stormed out. Truth be told, I was so angry, I’d only tried a few times after I moved away if only to tell her off. Yesterday, I’d looked over at her and bit back my words. I needed time to get grounded in my own head before saying much more than I already had. So I’d driven the rest of the way to Willow Brook and dropped her off at her brother’s cabin on the outskirts of town. There was no phone there, but she’d insisted she wanted to be left in peace, so I’d driven away. I’d made no promises to keep her whereabouts secret.

My mom cleared her throat, and I glanced up.

“Were you planning to answer my question?” she asked.

I took another gulp of coffee and considered what to say. After a moment, I ran a hand through my hair with a sigh. “Mom, nothing happened.”

She arched a brow. “I’m not stupid, Cade. I can tell by the look on your face something happened. Please tell me you two came to your senses and figured out you belong together.”

“Mom, it’s been seven years. Amelia just walked out on her fiancée yesterday. You can’t seriously think I’d show up and everything would be sorted out that fast. I don’t even know…”

“Don’t even start with me,” she snapped. “You two never got over each other. Good grief, Amelia was so determined not to talk about you, she’d walk out of the room if I even said your name at her mother’s house. And you? You stayed in California six years longer than you planned just to avoid seeing that girl.”

My mother’s words were like a kick to the gut—the sickening kind. She was quite right, but I didn’t like thinking about any of it. It stung to hear how hard Amelia worked not to hear the truth about what never happened with Shannon. She was as stubborn as me. If not more so.

My mom actually huffed before standing and snatching my empty coffee mug. She practically stomped to the counter and refilled it before returning. After a moment of silence, she looked back over at me. “Could you at least let me tell Sarah you ran into Amelia and she’s okay?” she asked, referencing Amelia’s mother.

“Yeah. If she’s worried, tell her I dropped Amelia off at Quinn’s cabin. I think Amelia wants a little peace and quiet before she has to face the music for running off right before her wedding. She didn’t ask me to keep it quiet, so I figure her mom should know where she’s at.”

My mom eyed me for a long moment. Not for the first time, I wished she wasn’t so damn perceptive. I could feel her trying to read into me. My heart and mind were one giant mess, and I sure as hell didn’t want to try to make sense of it all with my mother. I loved her to pieces, and I knew I was blessed to have her as a mother, but a little privacy wouldn’t hurt about now.

“Mom, don’t stare me down, okay?”

She flashed a knowing smile. “You’re just uncomfortable because I know you so well. Maybe you don’t want to talk, but I will. I’ve said it before, so I’ll say it again: don’t let resentment keep you away from someone you love. Shannon stirred the pot and made an ugly mess for you and Amelia. Don’t let her actions dictate your future. You finally have a chance to make things right with the only woman you ever loved. Do it.”

At that, she took a slow sip of coffee and picked up her phone, standing to leave me at the table by myself.

“Sarah, it’s me. Just talked to Cade and believe it or not, he gave Amelia a ride yesterday…”

My mother’s words faded as she walked down the hallway. I savored another gulp of coffee and stared out the window. My parents’ home was situated a few miles from downtown Willow Brook. They had a sprawling log home tucked into a cluster of cottonwood. This area of Alaska a mix of fields and rocky area as it was situated in the distant foothills of Denali, the famed centerpiece of the Alaska Range. The cottonwood opened up to a grassy field with a river running through it. I’d missed this view, missed it every day I’d been away.

Yet, I hadn’t missed it as much as I’d missed Amelia.