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“Courtney was my best friend, first girlfriend, first lover and I had assumed my future,” he said, his dark eyes trained on some unseen horizon sitting outside her kitchen window.
Turning, he sank into a chair. “You plan things, you know? I was going to Tulane Law; Courtney was at UNO working on her business degree. We were comfortable, and I thought happy, even if I studied too much. She was lonely, and when Ben came home for Christmas and stayed to find a job, he took her to the movies, for drinks with friends, and they job hunted together. I was relieved because I didn’t have her nagging me about studying too much and ignoring her, but joke was on me. They fell in love.”
Addy made a sympathetic sound in her throat.
“No, it was partly my fault. I took her for granted, and she was lonely. Ben didn’t intend to betray me. I could see that in his eyes. He was torn up about it, but I guess they couldn’t stop it. I had saved for a ring and planned to propose to Courtney. I’d booked a condo in Destin, picked out the gulf-view restaurant for the proposal, and sent in my resumes to intern at some big law offices. All planned out… except Courtney was pregnant with Michael.”
“Oh, Lucas,” she murmured, stretching out a hand. He pushed it away, lifting fierce eyes that still mirrored pain.
“A real Jerry Springer special, right? I couldn’t believe they’d done something like that behind my back. I dropped out of law school and left New Orleans. You know the rest.”
“So why did you come back?”
He lifted his eyes, and she saw straight into his heart. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do,” she said.
He shook his head. “When mom called me about Ben getting hurt in Afghanistan, something tore loose. All that bitterness and hate rusting away inside me just broke away. I took a ride on Cisco-”
She lifted her eyebrows.
“My horse. And as I stared across the prairie, I knew it was time to let the hatred and shame of losing out to Ben go.”
“Did you love Courtney?”
“Yeah, of course. You know her. She’s hard not to love. But I think it was more a comfort thing. We’d both decided we were better together than apart. She just hadn’t banked on finding true love instead.” His words fell soft on her, and she could feel the change in him even as he spoke.
“You don’t ever plan on true love, do you?”
He leaned toward her. “I kind of figured that out. That’s what I wanted to tell you earlier. Maybe that’s why when you asked me about love, I froze and panicked.”
Addy smiled.
“Fate brought me home. Now I know what it’s like to find the person you’re meant to be with. I know what real love is.”
Addy clasped his hands. “You came home for me.”
“I did.” He set his forehead against hers. “We don’t have time for more, but I’ll take a kiss before you go.”
“I’m not leaving. Just taking a shower.”
The devil danced in his eyes. “Want me to wash your back?”
Addy’s kiss told him all he needed to know.
Lucas watched as Courtney rolled Ben up the side ramp he’d installed after painting the porch. His brother wore a gray sweat suit with his unit’s emblem on the front. Very noticeable was the empty right pant leg. He tried not to look, but it drew the eye and made his heart clench.
The kids hung back watching their father move toward them in a wheelchair. Fran gave Michael a push, but he resisted.
“Look at the porch,” Courtney breathed, stroking the glossy satin of the rail, looking up with a pasted-on smile. Her eyes pleaded with her children. “And who put the ramp in?”
“It’s temporary,” Lucas said from behind his parents. “I figured Ben wouldn’t be in a wheelchair long.”
At hearing his voice, Ben looked up. His dark eyes were unfathomable, his expression fierce. Courtney’s eyes reflected gratitude and a certain wariness. He didn’t blame his sister-in-law. The situation was awkward and carried enough tension to smother the neighborhood.
With another small push from Fran, Michael moved toward his father. The other two followed clustering around Ben, hugging him, chattering about winning races, making the lacrosse team, and getting a new Creampie stuffed kitten. Ben’s smile lit up the porch, and though he’d lost much weight and looked older than his thirty-five years, Lucas could see a glimpse of the old Ben within his face.
“Let’s all go inside,” Fran said, opening the front door. The kids tumbled in, Chris already asking about cutting the cake.
