Reunion Pass: An Eternity Springs novel (8 page)

Denial formed on his lips, but when he went to speak the words aloud, another truth emerged. “I love you, Lana.”

“I believe that. And I love you, too. But I am who I am. I will never be a traditional wife. I will never be a mother to any children you may decide you want. I will never be a small-town, hearth-and-home kind of woman.”

“That’s not what I want,” he fired back, meaning it.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I could have had that. I
did
have it. I walked away.”
I let Lori go.

“And I wonder if you’re coming to regret it.”

Chase shifted his gaze away from her. He shoved his fingers through his hair and demanded, “All this because I’m unhappy that we unnecessarily put our wedding off?”

“All this because you’ve been unhappy ever since you returned from Eternity Springs after New Year’s. What happened there that has left you so unsettled?”

“I damned sure didn’t realize that I’m pining for small-town life.”

She stared at him thoughtfully. “I wish I could believe that. I believe you believe it. Truly, I do. But I think it’s probably a good thing that you’re leaving with the advance team on Monday. You should spend this time that we’re apart examining your heart.”

He imperceptibly stiffened. “Are you dumping me?”

“No. I’m saying you need to make a choice. I love you, Chase, and I want to wander the world with you for the rest of my life. I want you to be absolutely certain that you want the same thing from me in return.”

I’ve been down this road before.
“Lana, I—”

“Ssh.” She rested her finger against his lips. “No more talking. Not tonight. Take me back to our room and let’s finish what I so foolishly allowed Amanda to interrupt.”

They spent the balance of their time on Bella Vita Isle in a state closest described as a truce and departed for New York with an underlying tension humming between them. On Monday, Chase phoned his parents before boarding the first leg of the flight that would take him to Chizickstan. The conversation was stilted from his father’s end, tear-filled from his mother’s, and as uncomfortable on Chase’s part as any he could remember. Not quite ready to say good-bye but desperate to fill the awkward lull in their exchange, he asked what was new in Eternity Springs.

His mother answered. “The biggest news of the month is that the Callahans are expecting again and Nic wants to be a full-time mom. She has convinced Lori to take over her practice. Sarah and Cam are over the moon. Lori is coming home.”

Chase closed his eyes and told himself that the ache in his chest had nothing to do with yearning.

MAY
ETERNITY SPRINGS

Lori Murphy, DVM, walked arm in arm with her mother up Spruce Street toward Ali Timberlake’s restaurant. Her father followed behind them holding her two-year-old brother Michael’s right hand. Her brother Devin held the toddler’s left. It was a beautiful Saturday evening in Eternity Springs with spring in all its glory. Flowers bloomed everywhere you looked. Pots of red geraniums decorated sidewalks and porches. Window boxes filled with purples and whites and pinks and yellows dressed every sill. Cascading baskets of color hung from every conceivable spot. Townspeople did love their color.

“There are the Callahans,” Sarah said, slowing and lifting her free hand in a wave. “I’m so glad you asked them to join us for dinner, sweetheart.”

“Me, too.” The casual invitation Lori had issued to Nic when she’d called to explain why she couldn’t attend the graduation had done the trick, though Ali had assured her she had backup plans for getting the Callahans there.

Lori tried to keep the excitement humming through her from bursting free. She was honestly amazed that no one had spilled the beans. Things were working out perfectly.

The Murphy family paused and waited for Nic, Gabe, and the girls. Her smile wide, Nic rushed up to Lori and gave her a fierce hug. “Dr. Murphy. I am so proud of you. I am so sorry that I couldn’t make it to the graduation. It broke my heart not to be able to see you walk across the stage.”

“You’re the lucky ones,” Devin piped up. “Graduations are a beating.”

In a show of sisterly affection, Lori stuck her tongue out at her brother. Then she turned back to Nic. “I know you were there in spirit, and nothing is more important than this little guy.” Lori patted Nic’s baby bump. Per her doctor’s orders, Nic was confined to Eternity Springs until she delivered her baby.

“I’m just as important as Twig!” seven-year-old Cari Callahan declared, scowling up at her. Twig, Lori knew, was the nickname the Callahans had taken to calling the baby after Gabe suggested naming their little boy after his father, Branch.

“Me, too!” her twin, Meg, chimed in. She folded her arms and glowered.

Oops.
Lori knew better than to tread on sibling sensitivities. Didn’t she have a few twinges of her own in that area from time to time? And she had almost twenty years on the Callahan twins! “That goes without saying, doodlebugs,” she said. “Actually, you’re more important because you are the big sisters. Being a big sister is a very important job. In fact, now that I’m going to be living in Eternity Springs, I think we should form a club. The Big Sisters Club. What do you think about that?”

Both girls’ eyes lit. Meg asked, “Could we have a clubhouse?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“We can get Cousin Brick to build it,” Cari added. “He’ll do anything we ask.”

The adults all laughed, recognizing the truth of that statement. Brick Callahan loved all of his young cousins, but Meg and Cari held a special place in his heart.

As the group continued toward the Yellow Kitchen, Gabe and Cam talked about the latest shipment of fishing rods to arrive at Refresh, her father’s sporting goods store. Devin regaled the women with a story about a friend who’d decided it was a good idea to adopt a Saint Bernard puppy and keep him in his college dorm room, while the Callahan girls made silly faces at Michael that made him laugh.

The Yellow Kitchen’s front door opened as they approached, and as arranged, Celeste Blessing stepped outside. She wore a white tunic over a broomstick skirt, and when Lori noticed her earrings, she did a double take. Instead of her customary angel’s wing earrings, gold dog bones dangled from her earlobes.

“Well, if it isn’t Dr. Murphy!” Celeste said, her delight genuine, the surprise not so much. She held out her arms for a hug. “Congratulations, sweetheart. We are all so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Celeste.” Lori stepped into the older woman’s embrace and returned the hug with enthusiasm. Without Celeste and the economic turnaround her decision to open Angel’s Rest had brought to Eternity Springs, she honestly didn’t know if she would have managed to complete her undergrad degree, much less vet school. “I couldn’t have done it without all the support from family and friends.”

“I know that family and friends helped to clear some of the obstacles in your path, but I firmly believe that you would have achieved your dream in any case. You are a determined young woman, Lori Elizabeth. Such a trait is a blessing. It is something you’ll be able to call on throughout your life when circumstances require strength of resolve.”

Celeste moved to hug first Sarah, then Cam. “Careful there, Mr. Murphy. All that pride filling your chest … if you’re not careful you’ll pop your buttons.”

“It could happen.” He bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Watching my daughter receive her diploma was one of proudest moments of my life.”

“As is only right. You know, when I was living in Charleston, my next-door neighbor graduated three children on the same day. A horrible-weather day it was, too. Why—”

While Celeste held the Murphy family politely captive with her tale, Lori murmured, “Excuse me,” and slipped into the restaurant. She’d wanted to be in position to see her mother’s and Nic’s faces when they entered, and Celeste had been charged with the task of making it happen. Ali met her at the door and handed her a glass of champagne, asking, “So, did we pull off the surprise?”

“Completely! Oh, Ali, thank you so much.” She gave Ali a quick, hard hug.

Lori knew that Ali had worked hard to keep the party secret from Sarah and Nic—not an easy feat in a town the size of Eternity Springs, especially when all of their close friends were in on the surprise. But Ali had pulled it off, and as Lori took in the scene—the restaurant filled with dear friends and the banner she’d requested hanging on a wall—joy filled her heart. “I am so blessed.”

The door opened and Celeste led the guests of honor into the room. Sarah and Nic were chatting with each other, so it took them a moment to notice that this was no ordinary evening at the the Yellow Kitchen.

Nic’s gaze scanned the crowd—all of whom were staring at her. “What in the … oh!”

Sarah covered her mouth with her hands as she read the banner. “My dream came true because of you. Thank you, Mom and Nic!”

A wide smile spread across Cam’s face as his gaze shifted between his wife and daughter. Ali signaled the waiters, who handed champagne to the newcomers and sparkling grape juice to the children. “Oh, Lori,” Sarah said, her voice choked. Tears spilled from her eyes when Lori stepped forward and raised her flute of champagne. She’d been planning what she wanted to say for weeks, but now that the moment was upon her, emotion pushed her speech right out of her mind. So, she spoke from the heart.

“Nic. Mom. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Nic … when you moved back to Eternity Springs and allowed me to hang around your clinic and indulge my love of animals, you changed my life. I don’t have words to explain how much I value your encouragement and support. You’ve been my teacher, my confidant, my friend. I can never repay you, but I will promise to try to fill a similar role for Meg and Cari and Baby Branch as they grow up. I love you.”

“Oh, Lori. Thank you. I love you, too.”

Lori drew in a deep breath, then turned to her mother. Tears blurred her eyes and her throat went tight. “Mom, where do I start? You are my hero. By both word and deed, you taught me every important lesson I’ve learned in life. From you I learned the power of dreams and the necessity of hard work. I learned the value of family and friends. I learned how to love and be loved. You are the best mother in the world and I’m so proud to be your daughter.”

Sarah’s audible sob tipped the scales for Lori. Blubbering, she rushed into her mother’s arms. As they opened their embrace to include Nic, Cam lifted his champagne glass and completed the toast Lori had been unable to finish. “To Nic and Sarah.”

When the women broke apart, Cam lifted his glass once again. “That was lovely, Lori. Now, I’d like to offer a toast. Do you mind?”

She gestured for him to proceed.

“All right, then. I have a few things I’d like to say publicly to my beautiful daughter, Dr. Lori Murphy.”

“Aw, Dad,” Devin Murphy protested in a long-suffering voice. “Are you going to get mushy, too?”

“Probably.” Cam met Lori’s gaze and smiled warmly. “Definitely.”

“Obviously left your man card at home.”

Lori elbowed Devin in the side and teased, “Deal with it, squirt.”

“For a guy who finished high school as an afterthought, I’m still in awe at the idea that my firstborn has earned the right to use ‘doctor’ before her name. I’d like to be able to claim some credit for her accomplishment, but we all know that would be a lie. This is Lori’s accomplishment. Lori and Sarah’s. I’m so proud of you, Lori, and of your mother, too. I’m also grateful more than I can say to this awesome little town who kept my girls safe for me until I found my way back home. So, to my girls. I love you dearly.”

Then, the party got started.

Ali served Lori’s favorite pasta Bolognese as the entrée, the house Chianti, and pizza for the children—of which there were many. Very many. Lori gazed out toward the back patio where the usual tables and chairs had been cleared out to make room for picnic benches and a bounce house. Two high-schoolers had been hired to babysit—another example of Ali’s excellent planning. Although, in another year, the increased munchkin population among their friends would probably require a need to hire three. Lori leaned toward Brick Callahan who was seated next to her and said, “I think we might have to change the name of the town to Maternity Springs.”

Brick sipped his wine. “That’s an idea. Maybe if Celeste’s angel theme ever needs a reboot, they could consider it. It’d be a great marketing tool. I can picture it now. Spend the night at Fertility Falls and nine months later, visit Maternity Springs.”

Lori laughed and Brick shot her a grin. Then, unexpectedly, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You done good with this, Lori. It’s the perfect pick-me-up for Nic. Gabe, too. They’ve been a bundle of nerves since her early-labor scare. It’s nice to see them relaxed and enjoying themselves.”

“Yes, it is.”

When Maggie Romano brought out her famous Italian cream cake at the end of the meal, the guests all cheered, and Lori decided that the whole evening had been just about perfect.

Two beloved faces were sadly missing. Her maternal grandparents, Frank and Ellen Reese, had been irreplaceable influences in Lori’s life during her childhood and early teens. Both were gone now and their absence left a hole in her heart.

So did the absence of another.

Chase.

Her gaze drifted to Ali and Mac, who were seated at the table across from her. She’d spoken to Ali a number of times since her visit after New Year’s, but she’d never brought up the subject of her son. That was nothing new. Since the relationship ended, any conversation about Chase between her and his parents had been awkward.

Of course, the postponed wedding had been quite the topic of conversation in Eternity Springs for a time. Publicly, Ali had said little more than what Chase had told Lori during their middle-of-the-night meeting—that work had interfered. However, Caitlin hadn’t hesitated to give Lori the lowdown when the two met for lunch in Denver in late March. “You walked into the middle of it,” she’d said. “You deserve the truth.”

Caitlin also shared the tidbit that Chase had left for Chizickstan a month later than originally scheduled, which meant that he and Lana need not have postponed the wedding, after all.