Page 66 of A Lonely Road
Though I thought she might be eager to head home after the many hours of conversation and chaos that always made up family events for the Lincolns, she surprised me yet again with a tiny shake of her head when I asked if she wanted to go. We all lingered around Sam’s little fire pit until well after dark. Eventually, Nora and I were sent off not only with hugs and boisterous farewells, but with huge containers of leftovers, too.
When we finally got into the quiet cab of my truck, Nora laid her head back against the seat and sighed.
“You have an amazing family,” she said softly. “Like, fairy tale, picture perfect. Your parents are still so in love even after all this time. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It makes me feel . . .”
When she trailed off, I waited, watching her with a patient smile on my lips, until she drew a deep breath and continued.
“Hopeful. Like it’s possible to find true happiness and seize it, hold onto it with everything you've got.”
I took her hand and stroked the back of her knuckles with my thumb. “My parents have had their ups and downs, just like anybody else, but you’re right. They’re head over heels for each other. Their thirty-fifth anniversary was this past spring, that’s why they ended up planning this extended vacation they’ve been on. You really didn’t believe in happily ever after, did you?” I asked, lifting her hand to my lips and studying her expression in the dim interior of the truck.
The existence of true love was not something I’d ever doubted, but it was clear that was hardly the case for Nora. My heart broke for her, the younger version of her who hadn’t known what was out there waiting for her, even as it swelled with my love for her and with pride for this remarkable woman who’d made it so far without all the little things that had helped me along the way.
She smiled a little, her expression caught somewhere between sadness and self-deprecation. “No, I definitely didn’t.Haven’t. My mom was so unhappy. I don’t even know if they were in love to start with, because for as long as I can remember, that’s just how it was. He tried to be there for us as much as he could, but I’m not sure it was ever enough for her.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like for any of you.” I wished I could think of something more to say, but she seemed to understand.
“Sometimes, I wonder if she was happy with Shawn, even for a short while, before it went downhill,” she said quietly. “Or if she’s happy now. I don’t even know what her life is like. Am I a terrible daughter?”
When she buried her face in her hands, I slid across the seat and wrapped my arms around her. “Of course not. Not at all. I hope she found happiness, too, one way or another.”
Though she wasn’t crying, her shoulders trembled and I kept her tucked tightly against me as we waited for it to pass. In all honesty, I'd expected some kind of aftereffect from the evening. Her simple need to be held was far less dramatic than what I might have imagined. Nora was barely used to sharing her emotions withme, nevermind tolerating a prolonged visit with my entire family.
After another long moment, she rubbed her face with her hands and smiled weakly up at me. “Okay. Enough with the maudlin ponderings. Let’s go home.”
As promised, I took a short detour past my parents’ house, a beautiful old Colonial that looked like a dollhouse. It wasn’tuntil she finished exclaiming over it that Nora finally brought up how long I'd been gone while walking her father out.
“What did my dad say to you this time?” she asked. “Let me guess—he threatened to break your knees?”
I laughed. “Well, yes, that was thrown in there, but it seemed like just a token threat, a bit of an afterthought. I don’t think his heart was in it.” I sobered as I glanced over at her. “The guy from the bar is named Frank Scarpella. His friends said that after the wedding, he told them he was going to visit family. Apparently his family told Chief Roberts they haven’t seen him. No priors or history of violence, so all we have is a name to put to the face.”
Nora nodded. “I should probably be offended that he gave you the information instead of me, but since he also threatened your kneecaps, I guess I’ll let it slide this time.”
“You’re a hell of a woman, you know that?”
“Yes,” she replied simply. “You are truly blessed, Jake Lincoln.”
I placed a hand on her knee, my warm, rough palm shifting against bare skin below the hem of her dress. “Oh, believe me, I know,” I murmured.
She laughed. “You’re a hell of a man, you know that?”
Her echo of my words was equal parts taunting and breathless as my thumb drew heated circles against her bare thigh. “A match made in heaven,” I said, my voice low.
“I think you might just be right,” she replied. “You know, your parents did a damn good job making you.”
I grinned as I pulled into the driveway and shifted into park. “Wanna see just how good?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows at her.
“Yes,” Nora said very primly, then hopped out of the truck before I could reply. She danced away when I tried to kiss her, kicked off her sandals while I armed the security system again, and ran upstairs barefoot.
I caught up to her in the bedroom, running my gaze over her flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes.
“Oh, hello,” I said casually, but I slowly stalked toward her.
Instead of twirling out of reach again, this time she moved straight into my arms, offering her mouth up to me with a smile. “Hi,” she replied, just before my lips covered hers.
There was something different about this kiss, something light and playful, carefree almost, like another one of those fragile glass walls around her heart had crumbled and been swept away like dust in the wind. I was content to follow her lead in this sweet, teasing dance, so I let her propel me toward the bed. When the edge of the mattress hit the back of my knees, I sat, drawing her down onto my lap.
Coherent thought had just about left my mind when Nora drew back and said, “So Sam and Casey are finally dating, it seems.”
