Page 65 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
“I don’t know what I want,” he said honestly, drawing her into his arms. “Other than more of you.”
“I can’t help but think…I spent all those years feeling hurt and deceived because I thought you left town for someone or something else. When we first saw each other again, if we hadn’t taken the time to clear the air, if you hadn’t pushed me to talk to you that night by the creek, we might never be where we are today. What if Frank has something to say thatyoushould hear?”
He thought he’d be ready to talk about Frank by now, but apparently he wasn’t, because his gut roiled at the thought of the man.
Grace reached up and caressed his cheek. “I’m not saying you should talk to him. I will support whatever you decide to do or not do. Just be sure that when Monday comes and Frank leaves,you’reokay with your decision, whatever it is.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
GRACE ROLLED ONTO Reed’s side of the bed Thursday morning expecting to feel the tickle of his leg hair and his hard, muscular frame as he gathered her close. Instead, she landed on an empty mattress. Blinking the fog of sleep from her eyes, she said, “Reed?”
“Right here, babe.”
She crawled to the other end of the bed. Reed sat against the wall wearing only a pair of jeans, his long legs crossed at the ankle. The shoe box lay open beside him. He met her gaze with a pained expression, and her heart pitched.
“Are you okay? How long have you been up?” She climbed off the bed, wearing one of Reed’s T-shirts over her panties, and sat down beside him. His hair was damp, and the scent of soap clung to his skin. How had she slept through him showering?
He draped his arm around her and kissed her temple. “I’m okay. I’ve been up for a few hours, I guess.” He waved a photograph he was holding. “I just started going through these.”
“You should have woken me so you didn’t have to face them alone.” She rested her head on his shoulder, and he held her a little tighter.
He laid the picture on his thigh, and her breath caught in her throat at the young pregnant woman in the picture. She had thick dark brows and long lashes, green eyes that seemed almost too big for her slim face, full lips, and an angular nose, like Reed’s. Her hair was a few shades lighter than his, cut just past her shoulders. She was lying on a sofa wearing a red-and-white flannel shirt, which was buttoned only between her breasts and fell to the sides of her round belly. One hand rested over her chest, the other on her baby bump. She had a wondrous look in her eyes, as if she were having a secret conversation with her unborn child. She looked so young, soalive, it was hard to believe she had died giving birth.
“It’s Lily, my mom, pregnant with me,” Reed said softly. “I’ve seen dozens of pictures of her, but never anything like this. Look at her face. It’s like she didn’t know the picture was being taken, and yet whoever took it must have been right there.”
A lump formed in Grace’s throat. “Or she was too caught up in thoughts of you to care.”
A half-happy, half-sad expression came over him. He picked up a few pictures from the box and said, “Look at her jacket in this picture. Suede collar, black fringe on yellow shoulders, and that choker…” He smiled and ran his fingers over the thin black choker circling her slender neck. A single jewel hung from the center. She was looking over her shoulder at the camera, and her hair was blowing across her face. In the sunlight her hair had a reddish tint. “She sure wasn’t boring, was she?”
He set that picture down and studied another. His mother was laughing, her lips painted bright red, her eyes faintly lined. She stood with a man who could have been Reed’s brother, the same toffee-brown hair, serious, thoughtful midnight-blue eyes. His mother wore a fancy black dress with a white collar, and he wore a suit. Her hair was longer, and she looked younger than in the first picture. Eighteen, nineteen maybe?
“I guess that’s Frank,” he said tentatively. “He looks nothing like that now.”
She knew his parents had met at college and wasn’t surprised when he handed her another picture of the two of them sitting on the grass with a bunch of other college-aged kids in front of an academic-looking building. His mother’s expressive eyes were hauntingly carefree.
He set that picture down and picked up the last two. One of his mother with a bowl of popcorn balanced on her pregnant belly, reading a book as she leaned against a tree.
“I wish so many things right now,” Reed said quietly, “and it’s crazy knowing none of them can ever come true.”
Grace hugged him. “I’m sorry.”
Reed studied the last picture for a long time. It was a photograph of a tiny baby in a man’s arms. The picture covered the man chest to belly, the only identifying marks the scars on his arm.
“Do you think that’s you?” she asked.
He nodded. “I saw Frank’s scars.”
“What happened?”
Reed shrugged. “Who knows.”
He set the picture down and picked up a faux-leather journal, his uneasy gaze shifting to her. The world seemed to still around them.
Reed inhaled deeply and opened to the first page. They both silently read the inscription.
Lils, thank you for bringing our love to life. Here’s to forever and a day, Frankie.
Reed’s eyes misted over, and Grace was right there with him. She cuddled closer, hugging his arm and trying not to let her emotions swamp her. She needed to be strong for Reed. She was so glad he was going through the box. She knew how much courage it took, but as much as she wanted to tell him so and praise him for his strength, she didn’t want to break the spell and interrupt his search for answers.
