Leave it for the Rain: A Love She Couldn't Remember—A Woman He Couldn't Forget (Grayson Brothers Book 6) (30 page)

Rebecca’s father said, “I do—and with great honor.” With Rebecca still on his strong arm, he turned to their guests. “I have never seen a man work so hard or give so much of himself in the name of love as this young man has done. In the ten years I’ve known Adam, he has taught me more about humility and honor—and love--than most folks learn in a lifetime. He believes he needs to live up to the Grayson name, but it is I who feels privileged to have him carry on the Grayson family name.” He turned to Adam, who stood in stunned surprise. “I haven’t been easy on you, Adam, and I’ve asked a lot, not because I doubted you but because I knew the caliber of your character and that you deserved to reach the goals you’d set for yourself. You’ve surpassed my expectations at every turn. I’m pleased and honored you chose my daughter as your lifelong companion, Adam, and I wish you both every happiness. I know you will love her and protect her and be a good father to your children. This day... this moment, I give my daughter into your safekeeping.” With those words, Radford lifted his daughter’s hand, once so tiny she could barely circle his finger with her own, and placed that precious hand in the palm of a man who would move a mountain for her.

It was time for him to let go.

And time for Adam and Rebecca to realize their dream.

In that moment Adam knew the journey had been worthwhile.

Time seemed to slow, as if this moment they had anticipated for ten long years was theirs and would be lived breath by breath.

Rebecca passed her bouquet—a small sprig of wildflowers tied to Princess Cecily’s mirror with a pink satin ribbon—to Mary. “This belongs to you and your family. Thank you for being my true friend.”

Mary’s mouth parted and her eyes welled up, but she managed a small nod and a wobbly smile.

When Rebecca turned back to Adam, her face shone with love and certainty. He could see in her eyes that she wanted this moment, this love, and their marriage as deeply as he did.

He slipped his hands around hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. Her eyes, dark as the earth beneath their feet, drank him in.

As Adam stood in the midst of family and friends with his beautiful bride, he realized he had reached manhood with the traits of a Grayson man. He loved his wife and family. He respected and helped his neighbors. He valued honor above all and would always live his life with integrity. Looking into Rebecca’s beautiful eyes, he knew there was nothing he wanted more than what was in front of him. He didn’t need the past because Rebecca was here, now, ready to become his wife.

Emotion tightened his throat, but his hands were steady and his heart beat solid and strong as he spoke his vows. “It’s taken us a long time to get here, Rebecca, but this is our moment,” he said, rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles. “I promise to always honor the spirit of the girl who loves skipping stones, climbing the rocky walls of the gorge, and driving our Sleigh of Hope each year as we help our neighbors. I promise to respect and cherish the woman who loves barn dances and fireworks and riding like the wind on her beautiful mare. All you are and all you’ll ever become is precious to me, Rebecca. I admire your passion for life, your tremendous courage, and the joyful spirit in which you greet each day. Wherever our journey takes us I will walk beside you solid and certain in my love for you. I pledge my heart to you and will love and protect you and our children all the days of my life.”

Tears brimmed Rebecca’s eyes and her hands trembled in his. “I know our path to marriage has been a winding road, Adam. But no matter what we find along the way I’ll always recognize the warmth of your spirit and the sense of homecoming I feel in your arms,” she said. “I’m deeply honored to be marrying a man who would sacrifice his life to save another.” She gave a small nod to indicate she knew the truth about Micah Crane’s rescue and why the Crane family was moved to give him such a precious heirloom. “I promise not to taunt you when I win at croquet and to let you occasionally beat me when we skip stones.” The laughter—hers and Adam’s and their guests—was laced with tears. When Rebecca got hold of her emotions and wiped her wet cheeks, she continued. “I want our love to soar like the seagulls at Crane Landing, to expand and fill our lives as the wind filled those beautiful sails when the schooners sailed out of the harbor. I will cross oceans and climb rickety lighthouse stairs with you, Adam, but we don’t have to because...”She swallowed and inhaled as if she needed to make way for the word “... because the only place I truly need to be is in your arms. So wherever our lives may lead us let our path be filled with joy and love and... and babies.”

Another wave of laughter and sniffling surrounded them.

As they gazed at each other with love-filled eyes, Pastor Ainsely pronounced them married and nodded for Adam to kiss his bride.

Finally, in a moment Adam had waited years to experience, he cupped Rebecca’s face in his palms and kissed his wife with tender adoration.

Rebecca’s eyes flooded but her smile shone light and love on all.

They exchanged hugs with Leo and Mary. Then together they turned to their family and guests as Mr. and Mrs. Adam Grayson.

As their guests surged forward with joyful hearts to hug and congratulate them, Rebecca stepped into her father’s waiting arms. He rocked her as if she were still his little girl. In some way she knew she would always be his little girl, and that knowledge warmed her heart.

Her proud, strong uncles hugged her to their hard chests where she felt the solid beat of their loving hearts as they wished her great happiness. They turned her loose with a kiss on her cheek, and then, one-by-one they gave her husband, Adam Dearborn Grayson, a hearty backslapping hug and a lot of good-natured ribbing that made his face and ears red. Laughing, Rebecca turned to their other guests and embraced Helen Fiske, the longtime friend she couldn’t remember but knew in her heart.

o0o

With his face burning from his uncles’ private heckling, Adam was still laughing when Boyd shoved a glass into his hand.

“I need another lemonade, young blood.”

“Oh, boy,” Kyle said, stepping back with his hands up as if to distance himself from a potential wrestling match. Radford and Adam’s father just laughed and shook their heads.

Adam simply tucked the glass between Boyd’s arm and ribs. “Sorry Uncle, you’ll need to get that lemonade yourself.”

Amidst their combined laughter, Boyd snatched the glass and hooked his arm around Adam’s shoulder. “Ata boy, Adam. I knew you’d pull through this!”

And so it went while Adam stood among the Grayson men, his uncles and father and business partners who had lifted him up into a world he had once only dreamed of.

His dad pulled him into a fierce hug that would have made a lesser man wince. “You’ve had a long, hard road, son, but by the look on your face I’d say the journey was worth the struggle.”

“It was, sir,” Adam said with a half-laugh. “But I would have been content with a much shorter and less eventful trek.”

His father nodded. “Yes, but you would be half the man you are now, Adam. It’s through our darkest times and most challenging struggles that our real character emerges. Count your blessings, son. Some men never get the opportunity to find out what they’re made of. Now you know.”

He did know—and he could easily face that man in the mirror.

“Thank you for holding me to a higher standard and helping me become a man worthy of Rebecca and the Grayson name,” Adam said, trying to find the words to express the depth of his love and appreciation for the great man who had made him his son. “To become even half the man you are is a probably impossible, but I’ll happily spend my life trying.”

Duke shook his head. “Adam, all I’ve given you is guidance. Becoming the man you are today was your own doing, and I couldn’t be more proud of you, son.”

Son.
The meaning of that word still created a thrill in Adam’s chest.
He
was Duke Grayson’s son. “It would have been a lot harder to get here without your belief in me and those side-armed hugs you give that make me feel ten feet tall.”

Duke laughed. “You give me too much credit, Adam.” He clapped his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “I failed to protect you from my brothers’ bad influence,” he said, shooting a glance at Kyle and Radford who were in a fit of laughter over something Boyd was saying. “I’m beginning to see a marked resemblance between you and your uncles. Looking at you is like looking at one of them.”

Stunned and deeply honored by his father’s words, even in jest, left Adam speechless. To resemble any of the Grayson men was an achievement he’d only ever dreamed of. And yet in that moment, he knew he was his
own
man. He was Adam Dearborn Grayson, a blend of names and life experiences that had molded him into the man he was today. He was living up to the Grayson name and bringing pride to the Dearborn name. That knowledge settled in his gut like a truth he would protect with his life.

“Mind if I shake this young man’s hand?” Stephen Cuvier, the man who had sired Adam, asked.

Adam welcomed him with a warm hug.

“I’m filled with pride and happiness for you, Adam,” Cuvier said.

Adam had been thirteen years old the first time he met Stephen Cuvier, and though Adam considered Duke Grayson his real father, he deeply admired Cuvier. The man hadn’t known about his children until ten years ago. But once he’d learned the truth he’d spent every day of his life getting to know his children, Adam and Faith, and his grandchildren and extended Grayson family. He was a good man that Adam liked and admired.

“Thank you, sir.” Adam said, realizing in that moment that it was Stephen Cuvier who had planted the seed of Adam’s character. That man loved his children so much that he let Duke Grayson adopt his only son. Duke Grayson nourished that seed and helped Adam grow into a Grayson man.

As Adam stood between the men who had loved and raised him, he was honored to carry the traits of both men.

He hooked his arms around the mighty shoulders of his two fathers and said, “Thank you both for... everything.”

Faith cried as she watched them.

Adam took her in his arms, quietly thanking her again for finding the courage to lead them out of a life of pain. “You remind me of Princess Cecily,” he said.

Sniffing, she asked, “Who is that?”

“I’ll ask Elias Crane to share her story while we eat,” he said, reaching out to link hands with Rebecca. “Right now, I need to hold my beautiful bride and assure myself this is real.”

Rebecca smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “It’s real, my darling husband.”

He looked down into her radiant face and understood why he’d never wavered in his love for her. She was his stunning bride... his life-mate... his beautiful Rebecca—and he’d known it the minute he’d first laid eyes on her.

Hours after they had spoken their vows and spent the evening in celebration with their friends and family, Adam and Rebecca went to their little house on Mill Street. They closed the door and stepped into each other’s arms. In the candlelit privacy of their new home, after years of waiting and sacrificing, Adam and Rebecca finally expressed the full breadth of their powerful love.

“My beautiful, precious wife,” Adam said, cupping Rebecca’s face between his palms. “We have finally crossed the threshold of our home as husband and wife. This is the beginning of our marriage journey and every memory we create will be ours together.”

“That’s right, Adam. And it will be an exciting journey filled with love.” Rebecca slipped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for holding onto me all these years. We have so much to look forward to and to experience together.”

He tightened his embrace. “Starting right here... right now...” he said, and lowered his mouth to hers, fusing their union with love and long-awaited passion.

With joyful hearts they explored the new facets of their love, and woke the next morning still wrapped in each other’s arms.

o0o

For a long, leisurely week they enjoyed their small home and their new marriage. Together they walked the creek and explored all their favorite places in Fredonia, some Rebecca could remember, many she could not, although she found great joy in rediscovering them with Adam. They talked and laughed and visited their family.

For Rebecca, the time was healing and joyful. At one of their many family gatherings, she spent time getting to know Adam’s outrageous aunts and her uncles’ lovely wives. Later, she partnered with her father for a croquet game that they played in the summer sunshine. Adam and his father were their opponents and gave them a tough challenge. While her mother, and Faith and Grandma Grayson looked on, other family members cheered and chose sides. Rebecca reveled in their play and joked with Adam and her parents. When she and her father finally won their match, he swept her into a hug and swung her in a circle. When he set her feet on the ground, Rebecca was laughing and excitement rushed through her. She gripped his hands and looked up into his handsome smiling face. “Daddy, I... I think I remember you teaching me to dance. I stood on your feet as a girl and you danced me around our parlor. Is this true? Am I remembering?”

His smile fled and his mouth fell open. Tears filled his eyes and he choked out her name as he hugged her to his chest. Seeing her strong father reduced to tears brought her own rushing forth, and she clung to him feeling as if she had embraced a redwood tree. Her strong, protective father would always shelter her. She felt love for him as great and towering as the lighthouse at Crane Landing.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the family, but they returned to their lawn games with joy and a new and deeper bond of love between them. Will, her eldest brother, began to joke with her as he’d apparently done before her accident, which pleased Rebecca and became a fun source of entertainment for the family. Her motherly instinct with her younger siblings felt natural and welcome and she coddled and played with them.

They shared family stories throughout the week that Rebecca listened to with avid interest. She recovered a few more memories, some that made her laugh and a couple that made her cry, but each one a gift she cherished. Although some memories were a bit muddled, and she still wasn’t sure the lady on the beach wasn’t a hallucination, she was hopeful that she would one day remember everything. Until then, she felt a deep sense of peace with whatever her future held.

In the late evenings she and Adam would return to their small home and cuddle together on the sofa. They talked about their future, and Rebecca asked about their past. They enjoyed each touch, each look, each minute of their present as if they might never get another.

Snuggled in Adam’s arms, Rebecca finally asked the question that had been on her mind for weeks. “Adam, what did you wish for that night at Crane Landing when we tossed our pebbles in the ocean?”

“That you were happy,” he said simply.

Her eyes welled with tears to think he’d cast such a loving wish when he could have asked for so much more. “I thought you might have wished for my memory to return,” she said, blinking to clear her eyes.

He shook his head. “I just wanted you to be happy, darling.” He stroked her face with his fingertips. “What did you wish for?”

“That someday you and I would have children together.”

His eyebrows lifted and then a slow smile tilted his mouth. “You never cease to surprise me. You’re like an ocean wave. I think I know how big and strong it is until the thing plows me over. You do that to me with your words and your wit and your remarkable skill at croquet and stone skipping.”

She laughed. “Does that make me undesirable?”

He pulled her into his warm, loving arms. “It makes you even more desirable, my love.”

Laughing, she caught his hand and led him out of the house and to their willow tree. They had survived ten years and great heartache to arrive at this moment in their lives. Rebecca was his ocean—and Adam was the wind that would carry them through their journey together.

Inside their private nest beneath the willow, Adam asked Rebecca if she’d made her decision.

Holding hands, she gazed into the handsome face of her lifelong friend, her lover, a man who would move a mountain for her, and she said, “If you don’t mind, I would like to spend our first year in Crane Landing.”

A delighted smile lifted Adam’s lips. “So would I, darling.”

So when the end of the week came, Adam and Rebecca—and Jojo and her new playmate Bella—returned to Crane Landing, to the pretty little house on the river where a Princess once lived.

Adam and Rebecca would spend their first year as newlyweds, walking the river and the shores along the southern coast of Maine, and their evenings on the back porch of their cottage, visiting with their friends, playing with the kittens, and nurturing their long awaited love. They would visit their family in Fredonia during the Christmas holiday and again in the spring. And when their year as newlyweds ended they would decide whether they would make a permanent home in Crane Landing or return to the beautiful little village of Fredonia where two young sweethearts first fell in love.

The End