Abound in Love (23 page)

Dan
bent and kissed the top of his head.  “You did good, son.  But you’ve always
been the best son a man could ask for.”  He reached for Krissy and tugged her
close.  “And you are the best daughter.”

“We’re
blessed,” Candace said with a soft smile at her husband.

Dalton
suddenly appeared in the room.  He immediately registered the shift in the mood
of the room, and a definite change in the dynamics of the group.  There was a
renewed cohesiveness in the formerly fractured family group.  Candace and Dan
were standing side-by-side, their children nestled close.  He glanced at Laura,
and she nodded.

He
broke into a smile.  His frustration with her was apparently forgotten, as he
viewed the family with relief.

“Kids,
get your things,” Candace told them.  “We’re going home.”

Dan
winced.  “Well, I’m going to work.  But I’ll be home late tonight.”  He caught
his wife’s gaze.  “By the way, we sold the house.”

She
gasped.  “You wouldn’t kid a girl?”

“No
way.  It’s sold.”

“Oh,
thank God.  I can quit my night job,” she uttered with relief.

“You have
a night job?” Thomas cried.

“Yes.” 
She gave him a bewildered look.  “Where did you think I was going all those
nights you were watching the kids?”

He gave
a shrug and glanced at Laura.  She shook her head, wondering why one of them
hadn’t simply asked her where she’d been going at night.

“You’re
really all right selling the house?” Dan asked.

“Honey,
I love you for wanting me to have something so beautiful, but I never wanted
that house,” she whispered.  “I never needed it to be happy.”  She stared intently
into his eyes.  “All I ever needed was you, and our children.”

“And
God,” Kenny piped in.

“And
Uncle Thomas, and Uncle Dalton, and Aunt Laura,” Krissy added.

“You’re
so right,” Candace told them both.

Dan
still looked sheepish about the house.  “Are you sure about the house?  I
wanted to give you the world.”

“Honey,
you have,” she assured him, her eyes locking on his.  She nodded.  “You have.”

He
smiled in return, and appeared to stand taller, as if his load had been
lightened.  He turned his attention to the kids again.  “Kids, scoot.  Get your
things.  Uncle Thomas needs a break from children.” 

Candace
clapped her hands.  “Hurry!”

They
scurried off.  The adults in the room offered the couple congratulations all
around.

When
the children returned, the family headed for the door. 

“Oh,
Uncle Dalton,” Krissy said, coming to a pause.  “I found this upstairs.  It
belongs to you, I think.  Do you want me to read it?”

“Sure,
honey,” he said distractedly, barely registering the paper in the little girl’s
hand. 

 She
began reading:

Dear
Dalton,

As I
write this, I can’t help but think that in a few short days, I’ll be gone.  College
is over, and real life awaits in Georgia, but…  If you ask me to stay, I won’t
go. 

I love
you, Dalton.  I always have.  

I wish
I had had the courage to tell you before, but, I’m afraid I’m a coward.  I’m
afraid you’ll reject me. 

Who am
I kidding?  Of course, you’ll reject me.

Anyway,
I—

Krissy’s
eyes widened as she understood the implication of those written words.  She
stared first at Dalton and then at her aunt.  Even the eight-year-old knew
she’d opened a can of worms, but she was determined to see it through, even as
her mother made a grab for the letter.  She raced to the top of the stairs and
continued in a rush—

Anyway,
I wrote this letter, in the off chance—the impossible, ridiculous chance—you might
love me too.

I love
you, Dalton.  God knows I do.  If you love me too, ask me to stay.              

Yours
forever,

Laura

Krissy
lowered the letter, shoved it at Dalton, and then ran full-out toward her
bedroom upstairs.  She wisely locked the door behind her, since she knew her
mother would soon be climbing the stairs behind her.  And she did.

The
remaining adults, and Kenny, stared at Laura in stunned surprise.  No one was
more stunned than her, however. 

So
that’s what was in that nondescript, white envelope.  She recalled writing it
all those years ago, however, shortly after penning it, her courage had fizzled
out.  She hadn’t been able to bring herself to give it to Dalton.  She’d tossed
it in the trash receptacle she’d kept beside the old desk, but, apparently,
she’d missed.

She
remained frozen in the living room of Thomas’ old farmhouse.  She really
couldn’t move.  She was afraid to look up, lest her eyes connect with Dalton’s.

And the
thought of looking at either Thomas or her brother-in-law wasn’t her idea of a
picnic either.  Remembering the words Krissy had read aloud, those personal, heart-wrenching
words, caused her heart to begin thudding in her chest.  She actually broke out
in a sweat. 

She
desperately hoped her fight or flight instincts would kick in—emphasis on the
‘flight.’  And she was going to fly—if only her feet would cooperate—out of the
house and back to Georgia, where she’d never have to look into the eyes of
Dalton Jance again.  For she was certain, he was as mortified as her.  The girl
he had always considered like a sister had spilled her guts on paper.  And it
hadn’t been pretty.  Sure, the letter had been written eight years earlier, but
unfortunately, the woman she was today felt the same way about him. 

The
humiliation she’d just suffered seared her like a brand to her tender skin.  If
Kenny hadn’t moved to stand beside her and taken her hand, she might have given
herself a slap to her own face.

She was
trembling and knew it.  Finally mustering the strength, she looked directly
into Kenny’s eyes. 

“It’s
okay,” he mouthed.

She
smiled.  It wasn’t okay, but she squeezed his hand anyway.  He was so precious,
her eleven-year-old nephew.  When he gave her hand a shoring squeeze in return,
it was enough to compel her into action.

She
spun on her heel and ran out of the house and into the chilly dusk awaiting
her.  The sun no longer shone, and she wondered, would it ever again?

The
humiliation…

She
began walking briskly down the lane, when she heard someone behind her.  “Oh,
God.  Please no,” she prayed.

She
stopped and pressed her eyelids together to avoid seeing who had followed.  It
was probably Thomas, coming to her aide.  She turned and forced her eyes open. 
It … wasn’t Thomas.

“I
would have asked you to stay then,” Dalton said, without preamble.  “I would
have, because I was selfish, and I wouldn’t have thought about what you needed
at the time.  I would have thought about myself—about how much I loved you and
had always loved you—and how much I admired you, and…” 

She
gasped.  Dalton had loved her?

He took
her shoulders and stared intently into her eyes.  “But, Laura, I won’t ask you
to stay now.”

He had
loved her, but no longer felt that way about her
.  She
felt as if someone had shoved a knife into her heart.

Despite
the pain, she nodded and forced herself to make eye contact.  “I understand.” 
She held her head high as she started to move away from him. 

To her
surprise, he took her arm and gently pulled her toward him.  “No, Laura, I
won’t ask you to stay, because it wouldn’t be fair for me to ask you to give up
your life in Georgia.  I know how much you love it there, so…”  He gave a
shrug.  “I’m going back with you, provided you still … love me.”

Laura’s
jaw dropped. 

He
smiled into her eyes.  “You see, Laura, I loved you back then, and I love you
today.  I’m praying you still have feelings for me, because I can’t bear the
thought of losing you again.  I have to tell you, my biggest fear is that
you’re about to tell me you now see me as a brother…”

Laura
gasped again.  “But…  I was sure you thought of me as a sister.” 

“Uh,
no,” he said crisply.  “I haven’t thought of you in those terms for a very long
time.”

He
stared into her eyes, smiled, and then took her in his arms.  He pressed his
lips against hers.  The kiss was every bit as heavenly as she imagined it would
be. 

When he
pulled back, he met her eyes again, and gently smoothed her hair away from her
face.  “I guess I need to pack.”

“Why?”
she asked, as he brought his lips against hers again.

“Because
if I’m moving to Georgia, I need a few things...”

“More
than a few,” she mused.  “Dalton?”

“Hmmm?”
he murmured, as he kissed her lips again.

“Uh, I
don’t want to go back to Georgia.  It turns out I miss the old hometown, and
well, it also seems I’m rather attached to my family.”

“I
don’t know, Laura.  They’re awfully demanding,” he teased loudly, as he wrapped
an arm around her waist and began leading her back to the house, where the
family was waiting for them on the porch.  “After we’re married, I refuse to
live with your brother,” he informed.

“Hey, I
heard that,” Thomas called from the porch.  “You’re moving out?  I’m doing a
happy dance over here just thinking about it.”

“You’ll
miss me,” he called back.  “And don’t expect me to mow the lawn after I move.”

“You’d
better watch yourself, Dalton, or you’ll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner next
year,” Thomas threatened.

“Uh,
uh,” Dalton said, smiling into Laura’s eyes.  “Next year is…”

“Candace’s
turn,” they said in unison.

The End