Chapter 13

Amelia

I leaned my hips against the counter and crossed my arms, fighting the urge to swear.

My mother, Sarah Haynes, stood at the kitchen sink attacking the dishes. My mom was a usually calm person, but one thing that annoyed her to no end: drama. At present, she was taking her frustration out on me hightailing out of my wedding on the dishes.

“I still can’t believe it,” my mom said, her dark hair streaked with gray swinging to and fro. She rinsed another plate and set it forcefully into the dish rack before turning around. She snagged a towel to dry her hands, pinning me with her dark brown gaze. “I wish you’d saved yourself the trouble and not gone so far into the whole wedding thing.”

“Mom, I know it’s a mess. I’m sorry. I really am. But the only person I need to apologize to is Earl and he’s already gone fishing,” I replied, beating back the annoyance with myself for letting things go so far in the first place.

My mom’s gaze coasted over me. After a moment, her eyes softened on a sigh. “I’m sorry hon. You’re absolutely right. The only person you owe any apology to is Earl, and I’m not even so sure about that. Honestly, the way he handled the whole thing—it was like no big deal. I had my doubts about you two before, but after that…” Her eyes flashed with anger. “I’m not upset you called the wedding off. I’m upset you put yourself through it all.”

My mom stepped away from the counter, snagging her walking cane leaning against it as she did. She’d been in a bad car accident two years ago, resulting in a broken hip, a shattered femur and a broken ankle. She’d healed up well, but she’d never quite gotten her walking back to where it had been. She hated it to no end because she’d always lived an active life, but she’d adjusted.

I followed her over to the kitchen table and sat down across from her, resting my chin in my hand. “I get it, Mom. I wish I’d figured it all out a lot sooner. Lucy told me Earl didn’t even seem that upset.”

My mom nodded slowly as she sipped on a cup of coffee she’d left here a few minutes prior. “Not so much. Oh, I think it stung him a little, but that’s about it. How are you though?”

I considered the question and shrugged. The answer was too confusing. At moments, I was overwhelmed with relief at ending things with Earl. In others, I was awash in elation at knowing Cade was back and realizing maybe we could repair the mess we’d made of things. I swung between poles of elation and terror. I didn’t think I could handle trying with Cade again and having it fall apart. I’d never recovered before. Hell, I’d blocked out the pain so completely, I couldn’t even tolerate talking about him and somehow managed to avoid learning the truth of what happened with Shannon. Nothing. The betrayal was Shannon’s alone.

I couldn’t seem to banish the niggling doubts from her manipulation. See, the thing was Shannon was the kind of girl most guys chased after. She was pretty, definitely not Amazon-like as I was, and feminine. Honestly, if we hadn’t been friends from when we were kids, it’s not likely we’d have ended up friends. By the time high school rolled around, she was all kinds of girly, while I was still pretty tomboy and just didn’t have it in me to play those games.

My mother’s perceptive gaze coasted over me. “Cade drove you back to Willow Brook,” she said, a statement of fact rather than a question.

At my nod, she asked, “Don’t suppose you’d like to talk about that?”

I shrugged and marshaled my wits. “It’s kinda hard to talk about when him showing up is like being struck by a bolt of lightning.”

My mom smiled softly. “I bet it is. I’m taking it as a good thing you didn’t change the subject when I said his name.”

I managed a laugh, but it hurt. I’d been so damn determined to change the subject when it came to Cade, I’d missed a few important details.

My mom angled her head to the side. “Well, I kept my distance before because you didn’t let me do anything else. Now he’s back and here to stay from what I hear from Georgia, I’ll say my piece. You loved that man like crazy and never got over him. Don’t be so stupid and stubborn again.”

I stared at her, fighting the urge to argue. After a moment, I nodded. “Let’s just say I’m trying not to. Good enough?”

I only hoped I could manage to get through to the other side of my doubts.

My mom arched a brow. “It’s your life, but I love you and it was awful to see you so torn up. Cade was gone, so it didn’t seem worth dredging up the mess before.”

I was relieved when my mother’s phone started chirping from where it sat in the middle of the table. She flashed a grin. “Saved by your brother,” she said as she glanced down at the screen and picked up the phone.

“Hey Quinn,” she said.

She nodded along at something Quinn said, her eyes flicking to me. “Your sister’s sitting right here. Like I told you, she came back home two days later after a hideaway night at your place.”

“Tell him I said hey,” I offered.

She held a finger up as she listened to Quinn. “She says to tell you hey.”

At that, my mom handed the phone over. I didn’t have much choice, so I took the phone, lifting it to my ear. “How’s it going, Quinn?”

“Well I’m fine, but how are you?” he countered.

I could imagine his concerned gaze. I’d always felt lucky when it came to my brother. He was a good guy all around.

“I’m fine,” I replied, not sure what else to offer after my rather dramatic weekend. I was supposed to be on my honeymoon now, but was nowhere near that. In the span of a few minutes, I’d turned my planned life on its head. I was so relieved, just thinking about it sent another wave of relief through me.

Quinn chuckled softly. “That’s what Mom said. Good to know. Next time you decide to bolt on your wedding day, how about not giving Mom a heart attack and calling one of us back?”

I bit back a sigh, a wash of guilt rolling through me.

“Quinn, I’m sorry. I really am. I wasn’t thinking too clearly and chucked my phone. It was Earl I didn’t want to deal with, but I didn’t think about much else.”

“I figured as much. Anyway, guess I can say now it seems like it’s best?”

I leaned back in my chair and traced the grain of the wood on the table. “It is. It was right before I needed to go in, and I just couldn’t.”

“Okay then. I just want you to be okay, so as long as you’re okay, I’m good. Lacey said to tell you to call if you need to talk.”

I smiled, emotion clogging my throat. Even if it might chafe, I knew I was blessed to have family that cared. “Tell her I just might. Right now, I’m laying low and trying to get back to my life.”

“Good enough then. If you need to stay at the cabin more than one night, it’s all yours.”

“Thanks Quinn. I chopped plenty of wood for you.”

Amidst his laugh, he said goodbye. I stayed a bit longer to help my mother take care of a few things in the yard and then headed to the office. Cade had taken up residence in my thoughts, so whenever I wasn’t busy, he was filling my mind. He had a commanding presence, and I felt caught in the tides of a powerful pull toward him. When I wasn’t busy worrying over how to get through to the other side of seven long years marred by a misunderstanding and our shared stubbornness, I was fantasizing about him. Just now, heat rolled through me, recalling the feel of his lips on mine and his fingers buried inside of me.