Carson pulled up in front of his childhood home, and Sadie climbed out of the Jeep. Rushing to the trees, she quickly found the one where Carson had carved their names in the trunk when she was sixteen. Tracing the lines of the heart first, then his name and hers, she smiled.
Carson came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. “Did you ever think you’d be back here?”
She shook her head. “When I left Fairhope, I swore I’d never step foot in this town again. Seems I was wrong. Very wrong.”
“Glad you were.” He kissed the top of her head. “Ready to see Mama and the girls?”
She turned in his arms, gazing up at him, liking the way his smile touched his eyes. “Absolutely.”
Taking her hand in his, Carson led her to the front door. He used a key from his pocket to let them in, and before the door closed, the heavenly scent of freshly baked bread hit Sadie’s nose. She’d never get tired of that smell.
“Carson? Sadie?” Betty called from the kitchen.
“Hello, Mama,” Carson said.
“You’re early!” As soon as Betty appeared in the short hallway that connected the foyer with the kitchen, Sadie dropped her clutch on the floor and rushed into Betty’s arms.
“Sadie.” Betty gave her a squeeze and kissed her cheek, then held her away from herself so she could get a better look at her. “Carson didn’t exaggerate, child. You are lovely.”
Warmth filled Sadie’s heart. “You haven’t changed a bit, Mama.” The name of endearment slipped out as if she’d been around the last seven years. “How are you? Where are the girls?”
“A little older and wiser, but the Lord has been good to us. And thank you for saying I haven’t changed—but there’s plenty of gray hairs on my head to remind me about the years slipping away. The girls walked to the market to get some ice cream for dessert.”
Betty guided Sadie to the kitchen, leaving Carson by the front door.
“Mama?” he called.
“You know your way around, Carson.”
Sadie laughed and sat down at the table situated in front of a picture window that overlooked a deck and the backyard. Hanging flower pots with an array of colorful blooms decorated the handrails on the deck. The backyard was spacious, with a swimming pool and swing set.
Betty joined Sadie at the table, setting a cup of coffee in front of her. “Congratulations on the job, Sadie. You must be thrilled having a chance to work with the Warriors.”
“Sadie. Mama. I’m going to find the girls while the two of you catch up.” Carson stuck his head in the room.
“They went to Maverick’s,” Betty said.
“OK. Be back soon.”
Sadie liked the way Betty’s gaze lingered where Carson had been standing. “He’s a wonderful man.”
“Yes,” Betty agreed. “I’m proud of him. The whole town is proud of him. He deserves to be happy. So do you.”
Sadie swallowed the small lump in her throat—feeling unusually sentimental. She’d expected some awkwardness with Betty after not seeing her all these years. But honestly, it didn’t feel strange to be back. “Until Carson and I started talking again, I was focused on my career.”
“And has it given you everything you hoped for?”
Sadie nodded. “Yes. The chance to do what I love and financial independence, and I enjoy living in South Carolina. How have you and the girls been?”
“We’ve been fortunate here, Sadie. Carson is a blessing, so much like his father…” Betty sniffled, and Sadie squeezed her hand.
“You miss him,” Sadie observed gently.
“Every day.”
Sadie understood that pain. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t make the same mistakes I did,” Betty warned. “If you want to be with my son, and he makes you happy, find a way to make the relationship work, okay?”
“I-I…”
“It’s okay, Sadie. I’m not going to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. I just wanted you to know I’ve always loved you like a daughter. And if you and Carson are meant to be together—the Lord will show you the path. I put off marrying Carson’s father for four years. Four good years I could have spent with him.”
“I never knew.”
“Yes. It’s not something I’m too proud of. Before I became Betty Savage, I wanted to be an actress.”
“As in Hollywood?”
“Exactly.”
“What happened?”
“My father reluctantly paid for acting school and set me up in an apartment in a nice area of Los Angeles. For the first couple of years, I showed some promise—did some modeling and starred in several commercials. I even did a couple walk-on roles on a soap opera.”
Sadie smiled. “Why’d you come home?”
Betty stared out the window, shifting on her chair. She sighed, and then looked at Sadie again. “About the third year I lived in LA, Carson’s father came for a visit.”
“You fell in love?”
“I already loved him. And he knew it. He just needed to remind me where I truly belonged. We spent a week together. Three months later, I found out I was pregnant.”
Sadie leaned forward, surprised Betty was opening up to her.
“I returned to Fairhope, too afraid to tell anyone the reason why. To make a long story short, I miscarried and spent the next year locked in my bedroom, suffering from depression. Carson’s father did everything he could, but I didn’t have the strength or heart to tell him the truth. Even my parents didn’t know. Once Carson’s father joined the military, I had to make a choice. Risk losing him once he deployed or marry him so we could be together.”
Sadie shook her head and grabbed Betty’s hand.
“I had Carson two years later.”
Betty’s story resonated with Sadie.
“Are you all right, Sadie?”
“Yes—just thinking about everything you shared. I’m grateful your life turned out so happy. You had a fairy tale romance. Five children. A beautiful home. Friends who adore you.”
“You and Carson could have the same.”
Sadie wouldn’t confirm or deny it. She’d always been her own worst enemy. Leonard considered it self-sabotaging. Sadie called it self-preservation. Regardless, there was so much to consider. If she decided to fully embrace this newfound happiness with Carson, there were so many logistics to work out. Where to live. Where to work. How to just live without maintaining that tight control she seemed to have such a hard time letting go of.
Twenty minutes later, Carson arrived with his four sisters, who exploded into the kitchen and hugged and kissed Sadie, asking a hundred questions about where she’d been all these years and if she was staying in Fairhope.
The dinner with Carson’s mom and sisters had gone better than he’d hoped it would. Sadie had always flourished with his family, like she belonged with them, which gave him even more hope, and every reason to convince her to stay with him as his girlfriend or wife. The latter being his first choice. “The girls were happy to see you.”
“Genny and Stacy look like your father.” She turned the volume on the radio down.
“I know.”
“Heather is so beautiful,” Sadie observed.
“And Suzanne is going to win a Nobel Prize.”
Sadie chuckled.
“Do you think it’s a strange goal for a twelve-year-old to have?” Carson asked.
“No. She dreams big.”
“Did you bother asking her how she plans on winning it?”
“Yes, of course. She named a couple ways, including for literature.”
“Suzanne doesn’t write.”
“Not yet,” Sadie said. “But I encouraged her to follow her dreams.”
“Did you enjoy your time with Mama? Did she say anything interesting while I was gone?”
“We reminisced about your father mostly. She told me how she ended up in California after high school.”
“She did?” Carson couldn’t believe it. He knew the story, but his mother guarded her secrets carefully, mostly ashamed about the choices she’d made when she was young, though Carson disagreed with her completely. His mother had just wanted to fulfill her dreams.
“She’s lonely Carson. And she hoped her story would demonstrate why we should treat each other differently.”
“And do you think we can?” Carson asked.
“I think we already are. We’ve learned the hard way, Carson. Being alone isn’t what I ever wanted.” She gazed at him. “But it’s easier than risking your heart.”
“There’s no risk here, Kitty Kat. You’ve owned my heart from the beginning.”
Carson decided to stop by the Fairhope pier so they could talk and enjoy the night air. He parked, then walked around to the passenger side of the Jeep and opened Sadie’s door. “You’re not feeling uncomfortable, are you?”
“No. Don’t worry so much, Carson. If I have a problem, I’ll speak up, promise.”
Carson threaded his fingers with Sadie’s as they circled the fountain located between the parking lot and pier. “I remember dancing with you here, Sadie.”
She nodded. “Ray Dresher’s seventeenth birthday party, right? The chief received several complaints about the loud music, but didn’t do anything about it. Told anyone who called that the football team had delivered another state title and deserved to party as much as they wanted to.”
“Yep.” Carson rubbed his knuckles on his chest. “Fairhope royalty.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “Have you devolved all of a sudden?”
Carson let go of her hand and perched on one of the nearby benches. “Being here makes me feel nostalgic. And if that means resorting to the arrogant, badass high school quarterback I used to be, so be it, because it means I still have you, too.”
“That’s very true.”
Carson reached inside his front jeans pocket and pulled out some change. “Make a wish, sweetheart.”
Sadie chose a couple pennies and walked to the edge of the fountain. “Should I tell you first?”
“If you say it out loud, it won’t come true.”
Sadie threw him a cute smile before she tossed the pennies in the fountain. “There. I made two wishes, one for you, and one for me.”
Carson was damn happy to be sitting in the same park he’d spent so much time at as a kid with the only girl he’d ever loved. She’d chosen him again, and he felt lucky. “Come here, Kitty Kat.” He patted his knee as he reclined on the bench, making room for her to sit on his lap. Just after nine o’clock, the park was relatively empty, just a few fishermen out on the pier.
Sadie didn’t hesitate, she sat on his lap sideways, slipping an arm around his shoulder. “Tell me about the dinner tomorrow.”
“It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
“Really? I already know about it.”
“Not the finer details.” He massaged her back, then kissed her cheek.
She gazed up at him, blinking rapidly like a Southern belle. “Then do tell, Mr. Savage.”
“We’re going to Chasers for dinner with Barbi, Erika, Lori, and Maggie.”
“What? You keep in touch with all of my friends?”
“Wait…that’s just the beginning. Harp, Georgie, Miguel, and even Jonathan are coming tomorrow, too.”
“The Front Five back together again? I didn’t know they all lived in Alabama.”
“Harp and Miguel stayed in Fairhope. Georgie lives in Mobile. Jonathan is catching a flight from Atlanta.”
“I didn’t realize how much this meant to you, Carson.”
He didn’t realize it, either, not until Sadie had agreed to spend the weekend in Fairhope. It did something to him inside, made him want to share his joy with the people he grew up with and loved. Sadie had touched all of their lives once she started dating Carson. When she left Fairhope, their tight-knit group fell apart. It had taken years to recover emotionally for him, even longer for the Front Five to reestablish their close friendships.
“You mean the world to me, Sadie. Don’t blame me for wanting to let everyone know we’re together again.”
Sadie’s cell phone vibrated, and she hopped off his lap, pulling it from her pocket. She answered it. “Sadie Reynolds,” she said.
Carson focused on the waterfront, wanting to take a walk on the pier. Just as he was about to say something, Sadie cried out.
“Who is this?” she demanded.
Carson shot up from the bench. “Give me the phone, Sadie.”
She did, and Carson put it on speaker. But whoever it was hung up.
“Jesus Christ.” Carson said. “The number is blocked again. Do you think it’s Jason?”
“I don’t really care,” she said. “Carson?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we go back to the apartment now?”
“Sure, sweetheart.”
“I’d like to fall asleep in your arms.”
He’d like to do a lot more than hold her. Carson felt an almost insatiable need to make love to her—to keep reminding her how much he cared. How much he loved her. But tonight was about Sadie, not him.
The ride home was short and quiet. Once they were inside, Sadie changed into her pajamas, a Warriors T-shirt and panties. Carson nearly exploded inside his pants, she looked so hot.
“You curl up under the covers. I’m going to take a quick shower.” A cold one.
By the time he finished, Sadie’s little half-snores filled his apartment. He laughed and crawled between the sheets, pulling her against his body, breathing in the clean scent of her hair, wanting to hold her forever.