Since You've Been Gone (Welcome to Paradise) (16 page)

A sharp rap on the front door interrupted the conversation, prompting Nate to stand up. “I’ll get it.”

Once he was out of earshot, Charlotte lowered her voice and said, “Honestly, Mari? I know Nate’s pissed, but I’m not sure I blame Austin for feeling the way he does.”

Mari was startled. “Really?” She’d figured Charlotte would take her husband’s side on this issue.

“Della is a wonderful woman, don’t get me wrong,” Charlotte said quickly. “When I was younger, I secretly wished that she was my mother—my own mom was a total flake, but that’s a story for another day.”

Mari’s legs were shaky as she walked to the table and sank into the chair Nate had been occupying.

“But that’s a pretty big secret to keep from your son,” Charlotte continued with a sigh. “I mean, I grew up here. I saw the way Henry Bishop treated his family. Austin could have had a real father in his life, someone to look up to, but Della deprived him of that. And now she and Rice expect everything to go back to normal, for Austin to be that open, carefree guy he used to be, and yeah, I guess that does put a lot of pressure on him.”

Mari couldn’t say she disagreed with the other woman’s assessment of the situation.

But that didn’t make Austin’s desertion any less painful.

“I can’t believe he left without saying goodbye. I thought I meant more to him than—” She stopped talking when footsteps sounded from the hall.

A second later Nate entered the kitchen with Rice Bishop at his heels.

“Mari, you remember my uncle Rice, right?” Nate said, glancing in her direction. “I think you met at my mom’s party?”

“Yeah, we met. Briefly.”

Rice cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Can I have a word with you?”

When she realized he was addressing
her
, Mari furrowed her brow. “Me?”

He nodded. “It won’t take long, I promise.”

“Oh. Um, all right.”

Charlotte quickly got to her feet. “We’ll give you two some privacy. There’s plenty of coffee left if you want to help yourselves.”

After Nate and Charlotte left the room, Rice walked up to the table and sat across from her. There was no mistaking the unhappiness in his eyes.

“I guess you know that Austin left,” Mari said flatly.

“Yes. He left me a message on my cell phone.”

“He did?”

“Believe me, I was as surprised as you are.” Rice rubbed his temples as if warding off a headache. “He apologized for the way he’s been shutting me out, but said he’s not ready for us to start over and that he’s definitely not ready to view me as a father figure.”

As Mari waited for him to continue, she thought she heard the muffled creak of the front door, but then the house went quiet again and she figured she’d imagined it. Either that, or Nate and Charlotte had gone out on the porch.

“I’ve been in love with Della for almost thirty years.”

The confession came so abruptly and was spoken so rapidly that Mari wondered if she’d misheard him. “Pardon me?”

“You heard me.” Rice smiled ruefully. “I was Austin’s age when I met her, twenty-five years old. I’d just come back from the army and was finally going to meet my little brother’s new wife. They’d been married for four years by then. Nate was about three, and the twins were just babies. I took one look at Della and I was a goner.”

“Did she know how you felt about her?” Mari asked curiously.

“Not initially, but I think she figured it out once I started finding any excuse to pay her a visit. Henry had always been a big drinker, and after the boys were born he only got worse. He disappeared for days or weeks at a time, doing God knows what, leaving Della to raise those boys alone. So I’d stop by from time to time to help her out, and the two of us became friends.”

Guilt crept into his expression. “And then, for Nate’s eighth birthday, Henry decided to take the boy on a trip. Again, God knows why. But with him gone, I saw Della transform before my eyes. She was more relaxed, she was laughing all the time, and I fell even harder for her. One night I came over for dinner, and after she put the twins to bed, I ended up telling her how I felt.” He looked embarrassed. “And, well, you know the rest.”

Mari nodded. “You had an affair.”

“We had an affair. But Della broke it off at the end of the summer when Henry came back. By then, she knew she was pregnant, but she begged me to let Henry think the baby was his. I think she was secretly afraid of him. He never raised a hand to her or the boys, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen.” Rice’s gaze darkened. “Our father beat us—did Austin tell you about that?”

She shook her head, unsure of what to say.

“So you see, violent tendencies were already in Henry’s blood. Della and I didn’t know how he would react, so I agreed it would be best to keep the truth from everyone. And I never touched my brother’s wife again.”

Mari felt awkward, but she had to ask, “Not even after he died?”

“Not even then. Della made it clear that it was over between us and I promised her that I would never make another move on her, not unless she asked me to.” He cleared his throat again, uncomfortable. “I’m still waiting for her to ask, even after all these years. I think what always held her back was the thought that Austin might suspect something if we got together after Henry passed. But he knows the truth now.”

She had to smile. “Which means Della is free to be with you without worrying about your dirty little secret coming out?”

He sighed. “You make it sound like a soap opera.”

“You have to admit, this whole situation is
exactly
like a soap opera.” Her smile faded. “Complete with the plot twist of the hero sneaking away without a word.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” Rice shifted in his chair. “Della called me after Austin left her place. He’d mentioned to her that he asked you to go with him and you said no.”

“I said I’d think about it,” she protested. “He didn’t even give me a chance to answer!”

“The boy’s smart. He must have known there was no chance you’d go, otherwise he never would’ve taken off like that.” The older man raised an eyebrow. “Would you have said yes?”

Mari bit her bottom lip. Then she slowly shook her head.

“Well, I came here this morning to try and change your mind.”

“You did? Why?”

“Because my boy needs you. This whole year, he’d been going through this identity crisis alone. Each time he came home, he looked even more lost than before. But this time, he was…different. I think it’s because of you. I think you helped him.”

Bitterness rose in her throat. “Clearly not, seeing as he left me without batting an eye.”

“He didn’t leave you. He left Paradise,” Rice corrected. “He still hasn’t come to terms with any of this, and I understand that he needs more time. But I hate to think of him dealing with it alone again.”

“So you want me to go to Malaysia.”

“Do you love him?”

The question caught her off-guard. “I…I think so,” she said, her voice wobbling slightly. She paused, then lifted her chin. “Scratch that—I
know
so.”

“Well, he loves you too, or at least that’s what Della insists. And when you love someone, you make sacrifices,” Rice said gruffly. “Della told me about the job offer you got, and I know it’s real selfish of me to ask you to give it up, but I’m doing just that. I’m asking you to help my son through this tough time, so he can eventually find his way back to his family.”

Mari’s chest tightened with emotion, a lump obstructing her throat as she suddenly pictured Austin getting on that plane alone. Feeling lost again.

God, she knew what it was like to feel lost. Out of place. Yet from the moment she’d stepped foot in Paradise, she was overcome by a sense of belonging.

But Austin had misplaced that feeling. He thought he’d lost
himself
, but maybe he simply needed someone to remind him that he
did
belong.

And who better to do that than the woman who’d fallen in love with him?

Swallowing hard, Mari met Rice’s eyes and said, “Can you drive me to the airport?”

In the shadows of Nate’s hallway, Austin felt the sting of tears in his eyes. He’d been standing outside the kitchen door listening to Mari and Rice’s conversation, and every word they’d said sliced right into his heart. His chest was tight, hot, as if someone had released a flood of emotions inside him.

It was the same way he’d felt back at the airport. Clutching his boarding pass in his hand and watching the passengers at the gate line up to board the plane, he’d been rooted in place. Unable to move. Unable to breathe.

Last night he’d been so certain of his decision to leave. This morning, too. He’d left messages for his family, he’d gone to see his mother, he’d written Mari that note.

And yet he hadn’t been able to get on the goddamn plane. Something had stopped him. Something had propelled him to make the thirty-minute drive back to Nate’s house.

Now, as he stood there eavesdropping, he knew what that something was.

It was Mari.

Mari was the reason he couldn’t go.

He’d fallen for her, head over fucking heels, and the thought of not seeing her for who knew how long had been like a dull blade straight to the heart. The woman had been there for him since the moment they’d met, and she deserved more than a hastily written note and a man who skipped town whenever life got a little too painful for his liking.

So when she voiced that soft request to Rice—“Can you drive me to the airport?”—Austin swiftly took a step forward and marched into the kitchen.

“She’s not going to need that ride,” he announced, his voice so hoarse his throat actually hurt.

Rice and Mari swung their heads toward the doorway, surprise filling their eyes.

“Austin! What are you doing here?” Mari shot off her chair and hurried over to him.

He instantly yanked her into his arms and held her tight, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her sweet, feminine scent. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have taken off like that.”

He could feel her body trembling in his embrace, and when she pulled back and met his eyes, he saw the questions in her gaze.

“I couldn’t go,” he said quietly. “I was standing at the gate, lining up to board the plane, and I realized that I couldn’t do it. I realized that I loved you too much to leave you.”

Her blue eyes widened, her mouth parting, but he didn’t give her the chance to respond.

“I know how much you love Paradise and how much you want to say yes to that job, and I want you to do it, Mari. Take the job, and I promise I’ll stay for the whole summer, even the school year if you end up getting the teaching position.” He hesitated. “I’d have to leave every now and then for the odd assignment, but I promise you, I’ll always try to come home as fast as humanly possible.”

Moisture clung to her eyelashes, and now she was smiling. “Hey, I’m a teacher, remember? Normally I get the summers off, which means I can travel with you, dummy.”

He smiled right back. “Does that mean you forgive me for almost skipping town on you?”

“Of course I forgive you. In case you’ve forgotten, I was about to go to the airport and follow you all the way to Malaysia.” She blinked through her tears. “I love you, Austin. I want to be there for you.”

He touched her face, gently stroking her smooth, freckled cheek. “You already did that, baby. You’ve been there for me since the moment we met. Now it’s time for me to be there for you. You love Paradise, which means I’m gonna have to learn to love it again too.”

With that, his gaze strayed to his uncle. No, his
father
.

“The hurt and resentment won’t go away overnight,” he said quietly.

Rice nodded. “I know.”

“But I’m here, Rice. I’m here, and I’m going to try to let down my guard and actually give us a real shot at a relationship. With Mom, too.” Austin swallowed. “I can’t promise we’ll ever be as buddy-buddy as you might want, but I’m done shutting you out. I’m done running away.”

“It’s good to hear it, son.” Slowly, Rice stood up, one hand extended.

Austin hesitated for only a second, then reached out and shook the other man’s hand.

“Do you mind if I tell your mother that you’re back?” Rice asked gruffly. “I’m heading over there right now.”

“Yeah, you can tell her. And make sure she knows I’ll be stopping by later.” Austin bit the inside of his cheek. “Maybe…maybe the four of us can have dinner tonight?”

The pride on Mari’s face chased away any reluctance he’d been feeling. “That sounds great,” she said firmly.

Rice looked equally touched. “I’ll let your mother know.”

A moment later, Rice was gone, and Austin turned back to the redhead standing in front of him. Christ, she was so tiny, so beautiful, so fucking incredible he wanted to kick himself for ever considering walking away from her.

“So,” he said tentatively, “I know it’s only been a month, but how would you feel about being roommates?”

A smile stretched across her pouty mouth. “I’m listening…”