A Reason to Love (3 page)

She sounded sure of that. He wasn’t. “I wouldn’t mean to, but I can’t promise anything right now.”

Before she could respond, people came pouring out of the church, laughing and having a great time. They all formed up in two lines in the glow of the front lights of the church as they waited for the bride and groom to make their appearance. Spence lost track of Melanie in the crush. Rather than risk being recognized too soon, he faded farther back into the shadows and waited for his former friends to appear.

He hadn’t thought through what he wanted to say to them, but he’d make damn sure it was memorable.

A
handful of minutes later, Leif and Bridey finally made their appearance, followed closely by Callie’s parents and another couple, most likely Nick’s folks. It wouldn’t be long now. Spence’s gut did a slow roll as he waited to confront them. His conscience, what was left of it, was screaming at him that he should just leave. He was mad at Leif and even more so at Nick, but before tonight he would’ve sworn there was no way he’d ever risk hurting Callie.

As it turned out, he was wrong about that. He couldn’t seem to find the strength to jump on his Harley and haul ass out of there. Even if he had been able to go, it was too late now. The happy couple had just stepped out of the church.

Then Nick yelled something, but Spence couldn’t hear anything above the roar in his own head. Whatever had Sarge hollering also had Leif charging through the crowd and—oh, shit!—heading straight for Spence.

And he wasn’t alone.

Mooch cleared the crowd of people, his nose to the ground. Two more steps and he brought his head up to look straight toward the shadows where Spence had taken refuge. He yipped and charged forward. A few feet out, the dog took to the air, clearly trusting Spence to catch him. He held out his arms and stumbled back several steps from the impact of the happy dog hitting his chest.

The furry beast wriggled with everything he had, which made it impossible to hold on to him. Rather than risk dropping him, Spence knelt down to set Mooch back on the ground. He remained at the dog’s level, letting the dog lick his face like crazy, the whole time whining and wagging his tail at a million miles an hour.

For the first time since touching down in the States, Spence felt as if he was back with family.

A pair of shiny dress shoes appeared at the edge of his peripheral vision. Leif. It had to be. Spence kept his face buried in Mooch’s fur for another few seconds before releasing the dog to stand up.

The familiar sound of Leif’s voice washed over him. “Damn it, dog, let the man stand up. Sorry, buddy. Mooch likes soldiers.”

Spence lifted his eyes to meet Leif’s gaze head-on and waited for the man to make sense of what he was seeing. It didn’t take long. Leif’s eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened and closed soundlessly like a damn guppy’s.

He managed to choke out, “What the fuck? Wheels, is that really you?”

Spence nodded as he stood up and moved back out of reach when Leif would have started toward him. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Evidently, some of the other guests heard what Leif had said, because a shocked silence spread through the crowd, punctuated by a series of stage whispers as people spread the word. It took everything Spence had to step into the soft glow of the lights of the parking lot and stand his ground in front of all that intense scrutiny. It was too late to retreat. All he could do was let the drama play itself out.

Eventually, the news reached the bride and groom, because he heard Callie cry out as Nick shouted his name. A few seconds later, the pair broke through the line of people facing Spence. He glanced briefly at Nick, noticing he wore a tux instead of dress blues. Guess that confirmed that Sarge had left the military.

“Wheelman, where the fuck have you been?” Spence’s friend’s voice was little better than a growl choked with emotion.

Spence ignored both the question and the man, choosing instead to focus on the woman who had been his best friend for most of his life. “You look beautiful, Callie.”

Her eyes were huge and shiny with tears and her face looked ghostly pale in the dim light. “Spence.”

He wanted to grab her, hold her, maybe stake his claim, but that sparkling diamond band on the hand that she held out toward him stopped him in his tracks. She already belonged to someone else. He understood that. She’d thought he was dead, and she’d moved on. He hadn’t expected her to pine away for him and wouldn’t have wanted her to. It was who she had chosen that had him clenching his hands into fists.

When she tried to close the distance between them, he shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. She gasped and looked to Nick for help. Spence hated that his actions had hurt her, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her touching him. Not now.

When she tried again, he shook his head. “No, Callie, don’t.”

Nick pushed his way in between them. “Wheels, what the hell happened to you? Where have you been?”

“Like you care, you bastard!”

When Spence tried to shove him away from Callie, Leif joined the party. “Spence, cut it out. It’s their wedding.”

Yeah, like that truth didn’t just pour gas on the fire. “Believe me, I know.”

He got right up in Nick’s face. “What’s the matter, Sarge? Feeling a little guilty for stealing my life when you couldn’t find one of your own?”

Nick gave him a hard shove. “What the hell is wrong with you? We thought you were dead! The whole fucking squad dug through the dirt with their bare hands looking for you. All we found were your bloody dog tags!”

He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end. “Damn it, Spence, I thought I got you killed.”

What could Spence say to that? Even if he had the words, right now his throat was nearly closed shut with pain and regrets. He closed his eyes, trying to figure out what to do next. When he opened them again, all he could see were the tears streaming down Callie’s pretty face.

He did an end run around Nick to get to her. Already he could feel Leif’s hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him back. He shook him off. “Let go of me, damn it. I just want to tell her something.”

He stared down at her, memorizing how she looked at that moment and feeling sick that he’d put that expression on her face. “Sorry, Callie. I shouldn’t have come. Forget I was even here. Be happy.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and went into full retreat. Turning his back on her and on the future he’d hoped to have was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he did it anyway. He had no memory of how he reached his motorcycle without falling apart completely, but somehow he made it. Shoving his helmet on his head, he straddled his bike and tore out of the parking lot.

•   •   •

Melanie hovered on the outskirts of the parking lot, horrified by what had just happened. Yeah, she hadn’t heard that Spence was alive before seeing him at the cemetery, but she’d figured that was only because she’d been out of town on business and only just returned. If she’d had any idea that neither Nick nor Callie had known about his return from the dead, she would have done something to soften the blow. Called Callie or maybe her mother. Anything to have prevented this whole fiasco.

In a sudden outpouring of sympathy laced with a goodly amount of shock, the other wedding guests surrounded Nick and Callie. No one seemed to know what to do exactly, but finally the pastor took charge and started shepherding everyone toward their cars with instructions to head for the hall where the reception was to be held.

He asked for everyone’s patience while the bridal couple took a few minutes to recover and regroup.

Good. Maybe with his help, some of the evening’s celebration could be salvaged. For Callie’s sake, she hoped so, but they’d have to do it without her. Someone needed to keep an eye on Spence. She wasn’t sure why she felt such a powerful need to volunteer for the job, but it was obvious no one else was going after him.

Melanie ran for her car. Spence had gotten enough of a head start that he was out of sight by the time she pulled out of the parking lot in hot pursuit. Where would he go? It was doubtful that he was headed for his family home if for no other reason than that it was in the opposite direction.

No, Spence had looked more like a man in need of a stiff drink. She’d start by checking the closest bars in the area to see if she could spot his motorcycle in the parking lot. If that didn’t work, she’d go to plan B. She wasn’t sure what that would entail; all she knew for sure was that she wouldn’t rest easily until she made sure he was all right.

Luck was with her. She’d almost given up when she remembered there was one more bar out past the city limits. Sure enough, there was a Harley that looked like Spence’s parked at the end of the graveled lot alongside five or six other motorcycles. She pulled up behind it to get a better look and decided it was his.

Melanie left the engine running, contemplating her options while staring at the blinking neon sign in the window that simply said
BEER
. Dare she go in? She wasn’t in the habit of hanging out in any kind of bar, especially not on her own.

As she tried to make up her mind how to proceed, a pickup truck pulled into the parking lot in a spray of gravel. Two guys got out and headed inside. They both wore jeans, heavy work boots, and hoodies. Okay, they didn’t look so tough. More like a couple of construction workers stopping for a cold beer on the way home from the job.

“Come on, Melanie. Either get out of the car or go home. Dithering isn’t doing anyone any good.”

Neither was talking to herself. After parking the car, she headed for the entrance to the bar. There was nothing saying she had to stay any longer than it took her to find Spence. Once she knew he was all right, she could march right back out of the bar and head home.

“Right. So here goes.”

She drew one last deep breath and opened the door. Once inside, she stayed within easy reach of the door and kept her back to the wall while she studied her surroundings. Where the heck was Spence? It was hard to see anything clearly in the dim interior of the bar. The few bright circles of light were centered over the line of pool tables. But unless one of the players was taking a shot, they all stood back in the shadows.

A few people sat at the bar, but no one in a uniform. That left the row of booths across the back wall, but she couldn’t see those clearly from where she stood. Pushing off the wall, she took her first shaky step toward the other side of the room.

The bartender came out of the back room carrying a case of beer. Thinking he might know something, she veered in his direction. “Can you help me? I’m looking for someone.”

“Maybe.” He set the heavy box on the counter and gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Maybe not. Most people come in here wanting to be left alone.”

Yeah, she believed that, but she had to try. “I think my friend Spence came in here. He’s in an army uniform.”

When he didn’t immediately respond, she stepped closer to the bar and dropped her voice. “I’m worried about him. He just got back from being deployed and is having a tough time. I just want to make sure he’s all right, and then I’ll leave if you want me to. I promise I’m not here to cause trouble.”

For some reason, he seemed to find that amusing. “Lady, in a place like this, you’re the very definition of trouble.”

He stared at her for several seconds and then jerked his head in the direction of the booths. “Your soldier is in the back corner booth.”

He popped the top on a pair of beers. “He’s probably ready for another one of these. The second one is for you.”

She reached for her wallet in her purse, but he shook his head. “This round is on me.”

Melanie reached for the beers. “Thank you.”

He winked at her. Then as she walked away, he called after her, “If you need any help with your friend, come get me.”

She nodded and kept going. Sure enough, there was Spence. He had his back to her as he stared down at a bottle identical to the ones the bartender had given her. There were also three more empty ones just like it lined up in a neat row on the table in front of him.

Wow, Spence had been a busy boy in the short time since leaving the church. He didn’t say a word as she slid into the opposite side of the booth. Rather than break the silence herself, she set the new beer down in front of him and settled back to sip her own. She would’ve preferred a soft drink, but maybe this night called for stronger stuff. Judging by the number of beers Spence had already consumed, he thought so, too.

He finally looked up. “Mel, you shouldn’t have followed me here. You were never one for pool halls and beer.”

“And how would you know that? Before today, we hadn’t seen each other, much less spoken, since high school. As far as you know, I come here all the time.”

Although he didn’t smile, she suspected that he found that idea humorous. “Well, as I recall, we didn’t talk much back then, either.”

She couldn’t argue with that point. “So talk now. What was all of that about at the church?”

His face turned rock hard. “Don’t go there, Melanie. In fact, finish your beer and leave. Better yet, I’ll finish it for you. We’ll both be happier that way.”

“Sorry, but you’re not in charge here, Spencer Lang.” She took a long drink of her beer to prove her point. “Talk or don’t talk. It’s up to you, but I’m not going anywhere.”

The nameless bartender wandered by and plunked down two plastic baskets, each containing a cheeseburger and a huge pile of sweet potato fries. He pulled a couple of forks and knives out of the pocket in the stained apron he wore tied around his waist. “Here.”

Spence leaned back in the seat to glare up at their host. But when he didn’t say anything, Melanie spoke up. “I’m sorry, but we didn’t order those.”

The bartender didn’t even glance in her direction as he concentrated all of his attention on Spence. “Eat them anyway.”

Spence finally joined the conversation. “I’m not hungry.”

Their host put his hands on the end of the table and leaned in close. “I didn’t ask if you were, but you’re eating them. I’m cutting you off until you do. Got that, soldier?”

Finally, Spence nodded and pulled one of the burger baskets closer to him and ate some fries. Melanie did the same in the hope that would encourage Spence to continue eating.

The bartender nodded in approval. “The nice lady is worried about you, so try not to be too much of an asshole. Let me know when you’re ready for another round.”

When he finally met Melanie’s gaze, his stern expression softened just a bit. “Like I said before, if you need anything, come get me. The name’s Liam Grainger.”

She smiled, grateful for his support. “Thank you, Liam Grainger, I’ll do that. I’m Melanie Wolfe, and he’s Spence Lang.”