Page 9 of Then Came Love
“It really was, and everything after that is a blur of police, funerals, and endless crying. I had nightmares about my sister all alone in a cold, dark place. I slept in her bed after the accident, praying every night that they’d find her. Shortly after the funerals, I moved in with my aunt and uncle in Massachusetts, and they got me into therapy, and eventually they had to sell the house in Prairie View. The first couple of years were…I don’t know. I looked for Casey in every little girl I saw. But after a while, the therapist and my relatives urged me to let it go. I don’t talk about Casey with my aunt and uncle anymore, either. They just want what’s best for me, and to them, that’s letting Casey go.”
“But you can’t.” Lord knew he wouldn’t be able to.
She shook her head. “She’s my sister. How do you just turn off those feelings when you’ve had no closure?”
“You don’t. Did your aunt and uncle hire a private investigator?”
“They worked with a detective for a long time, but there weren’t even any clues. There were a lot of different theories about what happened to her. Everything from alien abduction to being picked up by sex traffickers or being holed up in some crazy person’s basement.”
“Don’t think like that. What about your fiancé or his family? It sounds like they have the means to hire someone to search for her. Have they tried?”
“I would never ask that of them,” she said softly. “Todd thinks I need to let it go and accept the very real possibility that she’s gone. But I can’t. I think I’d feel it. I’d know, and I can’t shake the feeling that she’s still out there somewhere. That’s why I went to college in Maryland and moved back to Prairie View right after graduation. I know if Casey is out there, the chances of her remembering anything about me or our lives here is slim. But if she is alive and somehow finds her way back to Prairie View, I want to be there waiting. That’s one of the reasons I put off my wedding so many times.”
“Because Todd doesn’t support your belief that she’s alive?”
“Partially, yes. We also agreed that I would move to New York after the wedding, and I just don’t know if I can do that.”
Why would he want her to? What kind of man disregarded the emotions of the person he loved? “But your wedding is back on. Jordan, I’m sorry for asking, but why are you marrying this guy if he doesn’t support your beliefs?”
“Because maybe he’s right and I need to move on with my life. Maybe I’m the reason he works so much, because Casey takes up a lot of space in my head and in my heart, and it’s probably not fair to expect him to accept that.”
“You shouldn’t have to choose one or the other.”
“Maybe not, but maybe I should. We’ve been together so long, he knows what I’ve been through and he’s stuck by me during some trying times. He protected me in college and helped me to make friends and fit in. I’d just come back to Maryland, and I was a little lost and alone. I knew not to talk about my sister, but that always made me feel different from other kids my age. He shielded me from situations that were overwhelming and made sure I never felt alone. When I wasn’t sure which way to go with my education, he helped me figure that out, too. I know I’ve told you some things that probably seem unfair, like him not coming to see my family for Christmas, but we had a plan and that included his working hard to get ahead. I’m the one who’s breaking our plan by wanting to stay here.”
“But for good reasons, and true love has no timeline.”
“But long-distance relationships are hard enough, and I’ve postponed our wedding four times. It’s amazing he’s still with me. I’m starting to wonder if I’m hurting our relationship by holding on to the hope that Casey is alive. Besides, I’m sure things will get better after we’re married and I move to New York.”
But what if they don’t?“You just said you might not feel comfortable moving there.”
“I know, but maybe it’s time. You must think I’m crazy, postponing my wedding so many times and holding on to the hope of finding Casey after all these years.”
“I absolutely do not think you’re crazy.” But I think you’re as confused about your relationship as I am. “Casey is your sister, and if you don’t hold on to hope, then who will?” He paused, letting his words sink in. “I think you have a lot of important decisions to make, and I’m a firm believer in following your heart and listening to your gut instincts, wherever they may lead you.”
He gazed into her eyes, feeling her struggle and wanting to find out the truth about her sister to give her closure in whatever form it came in. He wanted to be there for her, to show her what it was like to truly be loved by a man. But he was getting in too deep, and he needed to break the spell he was under before he crossed a line he’d promised he wouldn’t.
He withdrew his arm from around her, putting a little space between them. “My instincts are speaking very loudly right now, telling me it’s time to enjoy our croissants and lattes and this beautiful afternoon.”
“I like your instincts. They’re far less confusing than mine.”
If you only knew how wrong you were.
They kept their conversation lighter as they ate, discussing Nick and Trixie’s wedding and how beautiful it had been. Jordan gushed about Trixie’s wedding gown and how meaningful their vows were, and they both raved about the dinner and wedding cake. They laughed over silly things, and the more they talked, the more Jax wanted to know about her.
“You said you have a mouth full of sweet teeth, so what’s your absolute favorite food?”
“Anything sugary. That croissant was delicious, but this is like heaven to me.” She touched her finger to her tongue, then dabbed it into the pile of powdered sugar on the napkin in her lap and held it up to show him, before painting her lips with the sugar and licking it off with an adorably mischievous expression.
He wanted to kiss that sweetness off her lips. Heat slithered through him as he imagined her body painted with powdered sugar, tasting his way down her breasts and over her luscious curves, all the way down to her promised land, her long legs draped over his shoulders.
“What’s yours?” she asked, snapping him from his fantasy.
“My…?”He tried to wrangle his desires into submission, but his mind was hung up on pleasuring her. He’d bet his life her inattentive fiancé couldn’t please her the way he could.
“Your favorite food. Is it sweet or savory?”
“Both.” Because I know damn well that’s how you’ll taste. He needed to move before he said or did something he shouldn’t. “Let’s take a walk. There’s a lake just over that hill.” He collected their trash and threw it in the garbage can.
They headed down the footpath, and he tried to get his mind off kissing her. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Pale pink. What’s yours?”
Like your Kate Spade bag.“It was steel blue, but pale pink just rose to the top of my list.”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “No flirting, remember?”
“Right.” As if he could help it.
“This is fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to know someone like this. What’s your favorite movie?”
“That’s a hard one. I’m not sure.” He knew damn well what it was, but it was too embarrassing to tell her. “What’s yours?”
“That’s easy. It’s 50 First Dates.”
“The Adam Sandler movie? What do you like about it?”
