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“So you finally decided you have a family still did you?” Richard questioned his youngest daughter as the room quieted.
“Dad, I’ve always admitted I was part of the family. I simply was busy with life and work,” she stated while her mother slid an arm around her waist to look at her husband.
“Richard Crawford, don’t you stand there pretending you’re not just as happy as I am,” Valerie said giving him a long look.
“Of course I’m happy to have my little angel home,” Richard said breaking out a full smile that surprised her before he enveloped her in a massive hug that brought tears to her eyes. “Don’t think you’re running away again young lady.”
“Dad…”
“Don’t Dad me,” he replied stepping back to look down at her. “You are not about to run out of here and not show your face for ten more years. Where have you been? Why couldn’t you bother to come home even once?”
“I was going to school and working. I needed some down time and coming here wouldn’t give me that,” she said hiding the truth of what she really was avoiding.
“Well you’ll have all afternoon to tell us what you’ve been up to,” he stated before ushering her into the sanctuary spying Tyler’s parents coming into the vestibule. She could easily tell which members of the family were currently feuding the most by the way they avoided looking at the others, and her father was deftly avoiding Tyler’s father Grant.
She was met with a plethora of more hugs and greetings from their extended family before she found herself sitting between her parents. Tyler chose the moment just before the service began to walk into the sanctuary and she held in a groan seeing the only available seat on the other side of the church would put him directly in her line of sight. Hadn’t she suffered enough? Did she truly need to have him within her view for the entire service?
The sermon didn’t register to her, not the words said or the feelings behind it the way it used to, she was too busy keeping her breathing steady as she gazed at Tyler’s face. His profile had gotten stronger in the last ten years; the slight boyishness was gone and replaced with a rugged handsomeness that threatened to steal her breath. His shoulders were wider, the muscles evident beneath his jacket and she recalled the feeling of his long body against hers this morning.
It was the last thing she should be thinking of, not only was she sitting in church with her family, but also hadn’t she just lived through the worst ten years imaginable? She didn’t want anyone or anything to begin to pick at the scabs formed over the wounds it’d left. Blood still oozed when pressed against them, and it would be nothing compared to what would happen if the families found out about their past.
Her father would kill Tyler if he discovered that far from leaving home his perfect little girl, she had given herself completely to Tyler. Wanted nothing more than to go away with him that night. She hadn’t because she had overheard the argument between her parents, what the Andersons were attempting to do that they were arguing over because her father was livid. How he wanted to strike out before Grant Anderson had the chance which had her mother warning him she’d never forgive him if he tried something that ruthless.
She’d left the house, slipping through the woods to find Tyler, warn him that they should stay away longer than they’d first planned, but when she snuck up behind the old garden shed at his house, she’d overheard his parents in their own argument. She’d moved back through the woods to sneak over to his window without his parents seeing or hearing her movement to talk and found him reading to his little sisters. Her heart ached when she saw what she’d be taking from him.
He adored the twins, despite the eleven-year age difference. Spent the rest of his free time with them. If she and Tyler had married that summer, told everyone, that would all have ended.
“Did you drive here?” she heard her mother ask and realized everyone was standing, ready to leave.
“I walked from the hotel,” she replied, and her mom smiled more.
“Then you can ride to Grams’ with us,” her mom stated, and she knew arguing right now wouldn’t be wise. The larger part of the family was already outside, and she realized that the church was certainly a house divided. The Andersons were standing on the right side lawn while the Crawfords were on the left just as it’d been inside the building, and it dinted her a little more.
“Mom don’t forget you brought the breakfast dishes today,” Noah’s wife Olivia said as they began to move across the lawn towards the cars.
“Thank you honey,” Valerie said handing the car keys over to her as she pulled her husband back inside the building.
Justine moved into the lot, but she wasn’t sure which car was theirs. Her father liked to trade them in regularly for the newest model and the insignia on the keys simply showed they were for a Toyota. She clicked the unlock button hoping to see the lights flash but there were too many rows to see all at once.
She moved to the next row and hit the button again, her heart jumping when she heard Tyler’s deep voice come from behind her, “It’s the last one on the next row over.”
She turned her face towards him, wishing she hadn’t when she discovered the look in his eyes. “Thank you—I’m surprised you bothered.”
“Let’s just call it the last favor I ever do for you,” he stated taking in her outfit, wondering what she wore underneath as memories of the past flowed through him. He’d been fighting himself since he’d seen her outfit when he’d walked into the church. The sweetheart neckline highlighted the soft swells of her breasts, the heels lengthened her legs, showing the slenderness of her calves and ankles making him wonder how she managed to stay upright in them.
“Sure,” she said walking away from him.
He hated seeing her do it. As much as he knew that he should just let it go, let her go, the sight of her voluntarily leaving him yet again, hit him hard. It stopped the incredibly stupid ideas such as kissing her from flowing through him, but it didn’t begin to diminish the anger that’d been simmering since seeing her earlier.
Unfortunately he had to follow her in order to reach his truck and he couldn’t stop from asking, “How long do you plan to be in town for?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Justine said, hitting the unlock on the keys once more, seeing the lights on the SUV at the end of therow flash. “Don’t worry Tyler, I got the picture this morning that you want as little to do with me as I do with relationships.”
“What’s wrong Justine? Did someone finally break your heart the way you shattered mine ten years ago?” he questioned, and she stopped, turning around to look at him suddenly, nearly causing him to crash into her.
“Do youhonestlythink my heart didn’t break when I left you? Look me in the eyes and tell me that’s what you think. Tell me that it’s seriously what you think, and I’ll leave town right now. It’s obvious you don’t want me around and wouldn’t care about blowing up my world to get back at me so if that’s what you’re after, then just say so and I’ll go,” Justine said, barely holding onto her anger, shattered at the thought that he’d ever try to hurt her.
“If your heart was as broken as mine you wouldn’t have stayed away from here and me for tenyears, Just. You would have come back two weeks in becausenothingelse would have helped make it better but each other.”
