closed both eyes and flashed on the final moments before their last fight, when his suspicious became too much and he cut loose a barrage of accusations, ones she refused to denounce. “Anyway, probably better for the both of us. Julie remarried a politician of her statue, and I – I’m still searching for the one that wants me for who I am.”
“I’m sorry, Reece. I shouldn’t have asked.”
He released a poignant smile, as if he’d just suffered from an old dagger being twisted within his heart, again. “Haven’t shared that with anyone since it happened; feels strangely comforting to hear the words, the emotions, out in the open. Especially with someone that always placed me on a pedestal, deserved or not.”
With an air of caution she ventured a new topic. “Seen your dad since you got back?”
Reece bit down on his lower lip and narrowed the gap between his eyelids. “No. Too much bad blood between us. Besides, I don’t think he even cares, given our last words when I took off on my own right after the prom.”
“How about Jimmy, your brother?”
“Nope, not him either.” He softened his expression. “Didn’t understand it back then, but now, I think the family saw me as a bad seed. Maybe it was the kid pranks, running old man Smith’s tractor off the cliff, shooting the bull in the ass with the pellet rifle; just stuff a little boy would do, yet they never let me forget.”
The volume of the conversation shifted enough to draw attention from the next table, and he reduced his voice. “But Jimmy always played the game, the silver spooned brother, and Dad could be hard if ya crossed the imaginary boundary around his tightly controlled kingdom.”
Reese sensed the touch of cooler flesh against the back of his hand and redirected the conversation. “What about you, Mama Bear. I see a ring. What lucky man reeled you in from your wild side?”
“Little Joe.”
Reece conveyed a genuine grin. “Well I’ll be damned. He always did have a thing for you. Even when we were dating, not a month went by that LJ wasn’t testing the romantic waters, asking if I was serious about you.”
She returned the favorable expression. “He’s been a good man to me, Reece, and a great father. Can’t ask for more than that, can we?”
“No, we can’t, Tami Sue. No we can’t.”
Her head tilted to one side, and the smile she wore faded.
“I’ve often wondered why you didn’t call or write. Figured maybe it was the weight. Lord knows I love to eat, and hell, you could always do better than me with that handsome, boyish face.”
Reece grabbed both hands and squeezed tight. “No Tami. Of all the ladies I’ve known, none possess your inner wonder, and you’ve always been gorgeous to me. Funny, I’ve considered the same question myself. What if I’d stayed here in this tiny little town, maybe I’d have someone like you, who always saw me not as second best, but her number one papa bear.”
“Then why?”
“Wasn’t your fault, Tami. It’s taken me all these years to push out the demons that nip at my heels each time I think of home, and when I remember you, even with all the joy you gave me and the great times together, in the background, I always smelled that damn dairy farm, remembered the sting of my father’s…”
Reece rubbed his lips with two fingers. “Tell ya what; maybe you, Joe and the kids could come out to the lake, have a little cookout, take the boys for a ride in my sailboat. We’d have a ball.”
“I’d love that, Sticks, and I know Joe would. We’re going up North to Gettysburg to visit his brother for a week at the end of the month. What if I call you when we get back?”
Reece removed a card from his wallet and placed it in her hand. “Please, Tami. Don’t forget.”
“Promise I won’t.” She glanced up at the wall clock. “Lord, all this talking, I’m late for an appointment.” She pushed out of the booth, hovered for a moment, leaned down, and kissed the top