Page 3 of Reclaiming his Honor
“So what is the problem? Are you getting cold feet?”
“Feels like my whole body is freezing.”
“Shonda, if you don’t want to go through with this wedding…”
Her voice trailed off, and into the silence her daughter demanded, “Then what? What happens if I’ve changed my mind?”
“Have you changed your mind because you don’t love Marshall, or because you’re afraid your life could end up like mine?”
Shonda’s lips tightened, and she shook her head. “Forget it. Just forget I said anything.” She walked away.
“Shonda,” Ellie called after her.
Shonda held up a hand, but didn’t turn around. “It’s okay, Mom. Everything’s okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Ellie watched as Shonda walked to the parking lot and got into her car. After a second or two, Turner came back to stand by her side. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
“I think so. She just has cold feet.”
Turner took her hand again. “Let’s walk for a bit,” he suggested, leading her toward a spot overlooking the waters of the Jacksonville reservoir. “It’s going to be a beautiful wedding, Ellie.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
She bumped his shoulder companionably. Shonda would get over her worries and the wedding would go off without a hitch. Nothing could ruin this night for her, the joy she felt for her daughter and the possibilities for the future. It was time for her to look forward. To stop looking back. To live her life for herself, instead of for the woman she used to be.
He brought her hand to his mouth for a kiss. “I love you.”
She stopped walking and turned to him, half surprised by his words, half not.
He chuckled. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”
“I think I did.”
“And?”
Her heart rate picked up speed. “You know I enjoy your company, Turner. I’ve never really considered that we might become more than friends.”
“I’d like you to consider it now.” He got down on one knee, the world suddenly spinning for Ellie. “Ellie Hearst, will you marry me?”
“Turner, I…” she stammered, at a complete loss for words. Why was he doing this now, of all nights?
Did she love this man? She liked him, certainly. But love was another matter altogether. If she was being completely honest, she couldn’t believe he’d sprung this on her the night before Shonda’s wedding. “I’ll have to think about it and let you know.”
He stood. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.” He kissed the top of her head.
An image of Mac appeared in Ellie’s mind, and she closed her eyes on a sigh.
CHAPTER3
Lord, help me get through this day.
Ellie picked up the gossamer wedding veil from the dressing table, one side of her mouth curling up into a sentimental smile. Her baby was getting married today. It was hard enough to believe her precocious daughter had grown into a strong, smart woman. But a wife? That was surreal, and it made her heart ache in a glorious way.
It also made Ellie ache to have Mac by her side.
It had been eleven years since she’d walked out the door, taking their three kids with her. Eleven years of making it on her own, of being a single mother, the sole financial provider, the everything for those kids with nothing left over for herself. And ninety-nine days out of a hundred, she was good with that. She’d made the only decision available to her that provided a stable home life for her children, and they were the most important people in her life.
But that one day out of a hundred, she could weep for how much she missed him, and today—of all days—was it. Ellie knew in her heart that if there hadn’t been any children, she would have stayed by Mac’s side through it all, would have strapped herself into his car as he drove himself off the cliff he’d been skirting since returning from the Navy. Her soul had been sewn to his like two sides of a seam, and ripping that apart had left a terrible wound in its wake.
