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“Oh, Cassidy. I’ve missed you something awful.” Holly was smiling as tears slid down her cheeks. “There’s no one else in the world who I could laugh with over that.”
Cassidy moved toward her, bending over and wrapping her arms around her in the tightest of hugs. She felt Holly squeezing her back and she held on for dear life as pure happiness flowed through her.
* * *
For forty minutes Tate had paced the aisle of the church, his movements lacking the cool, calm and collected air he usually radiated. He’d looked at his watch a dozen times or more, all the while wondering what was taking them so long.
“Will you sit down!” Regina griped. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”
“I need some fresh air,” he said as he pushed open the church doors, squinting as a blast of sunshine hit him square in the face. Regina followed closely behind him, clucking like a mother hen.
He raked his hand through his hair and filled his lungs with gulps of fresh air.
“Sorry. I’m just a little nervous about what’s going on back there.”
Regina rolled her eyes. “What do you think is going on? They’re bonding.”
He raised his eyebrows. Bonding? He hadn’t imagined something as mundane as that, not after such a long separation. Not after all the heartache, betrayal and tears.
“You think?” he asked, scratching his head in confusion.
“Yup,” she said, nodding her head emphatically. “No matter what’s happened in the past, those two love each other. I’ve never seen a deeper bond. Well, other than the one you and Cass shared,” she said sheepishly. “Surprised it’s taken eight years to mend that friendship.”
He studied her for a moment, trying to figure out where she stood in all this. “You okay with that?”
Regina’s brown eyes widened. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“In the past you’ve been a bit envious of Cassidy and Holly’s friendship.” He eyed her warily. Regina and Cassidy’s relationship had always been a touchy subject.
Regina planted her hands on her hips. “I love my cousin, Tate. I want her to be happy.”
“I know you do, but in the past you’ve had your issues with her.” He tried to be as gentle as possible with Regina, but sometimes he found it best to be direct with her.
Regina bit her lip. “Tate, I admit I was jealous. It was hard playing second fiddle to Cassidy when we were growing up.” Her voice got small. “She had everything I always wanted. Most beautiful girl in town. Cheerleader. The pastor’s daughter. Most of all she had two parents who loved her more than anything. That’s hard to deal with when you don’t feel very loved by your own parents. I’m sure I acted out at times, but I didn’t know what to do with all those feelings. I’ve grown up since then.”
“Awww, Regina,” Tate said, placing his arm around her shoulder and drawing her close. His heart ached for her—he knew that being abandoned by her parents had left deep emotional scars.
Regina pushed him away. He saw her eyes welling up with tears. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me, Tate Lynch. I’m a successful Realtor with my own business, I’m pretty easy on the eyes and I dealt with my family issues ages ago!”
He held his hands up to ward her off. “Hey, you’re preaching to the choir. I already know how great you are.”
“Thanks for saying that,” she said, a pleased smile lighting up her face. “I’m going back inside before I melt.”
Everyone had their issues, he realized. Regina had spent her entire life living in her cousin’s shadow while Cassidy had felt the need to run away from everyone she loved. He hadn’t been able to forgive and truly forget despite a fervent desire to do so. When he made his way back inside the church he chose to stand in the back by himself. The way his nerves were jangling, he didn’t think he was fit company for the Blakes.
The whirring sound of Holly’s wheelchair had him turning his head in the direction of the hallway. Holly and Cassidy were making their way toward them. Both of them looked relaxed and peaceful. At the sight of them, something inside his heart shifted. Fear took a backseat. They both looked so content.
While Holly went to talk to Pastor Blake, who’d been patiently waiting in the front pew with Maylene, Cassidy strode directly toward him.
“You can stop worrying, Tate. We’re both still in one piece.”
“Things went well?” he asked. He asked the question as if he hadn’t just been nervously pacing the aisles.
Cassidy smiled. “Very well. We talked it out. She’s amazing, do you know that?” she asked. “She said she forgave me a long time ago.”
Somehow it didn’t surprise him. Holly had reached a state of grace that he could only aspire to. He kept quiet, waiting to hear more about their conversation.
“We ended up laughing and carrying on about something that happened in third grade.” Cassidy shook her head as if she couldn’t believe how things had turned out. “It felt like we’d never been apart. I know there’s still a lot of hurt there, but I’m hoping she’ll let me help heal those wounds.”
