Better Late Than Never (15 page)

She laughed, and he smiled. “What are you doing?”

The look in his eyes became heated. “I am going to finish what I had planned for us this morning.”

The heat in her own gaze increased while her smile faded. “Go ahead and do your worst.”

When Randy’s lips touched hers all thoughts left her mind, and the only thing that mattered was Randy making love to her.

* * * *

“I am so excited about seeing all of your family again.”

Keirra mumbled something around a sip of coffee that sounded like an agreement with Kayla’s statement. All of them had their own fond memories. Kristen had been able to talk her sisters into coming over to the Strouds for breakfast.

Randy had convinced everyone to ride together. Being his idea, he was the one who had to pick up everyone. She and her sisters had all brought something to go with breakfast. When the front door to the Strouds’ residence swung open, an excited Emily stood there. She and Keirra embraced for what felt like a year before Randy broke up the reunion and ushered everyone inside.

With the arrival of Kristen and her sisters everyone soon became excited. Soon breakfast was ready, and everyone was sitting around the table catching up. Wendy, Cody. Jr., and Tracey were introduced, and the confusion on their face of seeing three women who looked alike was amusing. Kristen liked that Wade was able to tell her apart from her sisters even though there hadn’t been too many times when all three of them had been present when he was around. Even with all of the excitement, Kristen felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. It was gatherings like this that made her feel sorrow. She missed the good times with her family.

Feeling the onslaught of tears coming, she excused herself from the table. She stepped out onto the front porch and wiped the tears from her face. The front door opened a second later, but she kept her back to the person who had joined her. Randy’s arms encircled her, and she leaned back into him.

“What’s wrong?”

Unable to speak, Kristen shook her head. Tears began to flow faster, and when she could no longer disguise her crying, she turned and pressed her face into Randy’s chest. He comforted her until she was able to compose herself. She smiled when he produced a napkin.

“Thank you,” she mumbled when he led her to the porch swing.

He brushed away a tear. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Kristen looked up at Randy and gave him a sad look. “Every once in a while something happens to remind me of the times we spent with Mom, Dad, Nana, and Grandpa, and I get a little upset.”

Randy grinned. “Is there anything I can do?”

Kristen shook her head. “Being here for me right now is enough. It might sound strange, but I enjoy the memories even when they are sad.”

Randy placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer. He held her until she was ready to go back inside. When they went back in, they retook their seats. A quick glance at her sisters told Kristen they knew what was on her mind, and Kayla, who was sitting on the other side of her, squeezed her hand.

“Just think about the good times.”

Kristen nodded and took a deep breath. When she looked up she almost gasped out loud. The Strouds were no longer in front of her. Instead, it was her mother, father, and maternal grandparents surrounding her. She almost felt like she was in a dream state. Her mother smiled at her, and she returned one of her own. When her mother spoke, she couldn’t hear her but she read her mother’s lips. A strong sense of calmness came over her, and when she blinked, the room came back into focus, and the Strouds and her sisters were before her. Kayla squeezed her hand again, and a genuine smile came to Kristen’s face. She was going to be okay. The family she needed right now was around her.

Chapter Eleven

Kristen let out a loud whoop of joy, and her sisters looked at her like she had lost her mind when she walked into the living room.

Keirra’s expression was full of annoyance. “What is all the noise about?”

“Grandma and Grandpa are coming into town tomorrow.”

Keirra beamed. “That is great.”

Kayla frowned. “When will they arrive? I need to clean the house up before they arrive. Do you know how long are they going to stay?”

Kristen laughed, and then she shrugged. “The house is clean enough, Kayla. We aren’t slobs, and you know you can never put a time limit on Grandma and Grandpa. They are free spirits coming and going as they please.”

Her sisters nodded. They were used to their grandparents’ extensive traveling, which made them enjoy their infrequent visits even more. Kristen grinned at the thought of her father’s parents coming into town. She loved to see them, especially her grandfather because it was like seeing her dad all over again. She looked down at her cell phone when it rang and smiled at Randy’s number.

“Hello.”

“Hey, sweetheart, I’m calling to let you know I’m turning onto your street.”

She grabbed her pursed. “Okay. I am ready and walking out the door now.”

“You can wait for me inside so I can say hi to your sisters. Besides, a gentleman doesn’t sit in the car and blow his horn at a lady.”

She laughed. “Okay, Randy. See you soon.”

She disconnected the call and looked at her sisters. “I will help you clean and fix up the guest room when I get in tonight.”

Keirra chortled. “You might want to make sure they are going to sleep in the house first. They could just park the RV on the front lawn and stay in it.”

Kayla shook her head, and then frowned at Keirra. “I will be sure to tell them you said that.” She stood and looked at Kristen. “Don’t worry about rushing back to help. I will take care of it. You just go out and enjoy yourself.”

Kristen smiled at her sisters. “I always do.”

The doorbell rang cutting off Kayla’s reply. Kristen opened the door to find Randy standing on the other side looking handsome. He gave her a brief kiss then stepped inside to greet her sisters. After a brief conversation, she and Randy left.

He led her to his truck, and she was assailed by the smell of pizza after he opened the door. She looked over at Randy when he slid inside the truck.

“Is that Jimmy’s Pizza?”

Randy nodded, and she moaned in anticipation. She loved Jimmy’s pizza. Since she and her sisters had been back in Baxley, they had eaten Jimmy’s Pizza a few times, but the pizza was so heavy, and so good, eating it too often was pure gluttony. Randy drove to his house. She smiled when he reached into the back seat and pulled the pizza out. He climbed out of the truck before going around to her side and opening her door. He led the way inside and straight toward the backyard. Citronella candles were lit, but her eyes were drawn to the blanket in the middle of the yard. A telescope was set up not too far from it.

She looked at him in surprise. “Are we stargazing?”

“And eating Jimmy’s Pizza.”

She laughed. “I remember the last time we did this.”

“It was a long time ago.”

She looked at him. “Yes, but a lot of times, it seems like it was just yesterday.”

He led her to the blanket holding her hand with his free hand and carrying the pizza in the other. She sat down on the blanket first, and he handed her the pizza then reached into his back pockets. He placed packets of crushed pepper and Parmesan cheese on the blanket. Reaching into his other pocket he pulled out napkins. She watched him lower his frame onto the blanket beside her. He pulled off his shoes and socks before reaching for her feet. Since she had worn sandals he didn’t have much work to do. Once they were comfortable, she opened the pizza box and dug in. The first delicious slice had a lot of cheese and grease, just the way she liked it. She took a bite and moaned. “This is great.”

He took his first bite nodding in agreement. “Tell me about it.”

She gave him a bright smile. “Grandma and Grandpa are going to be in town tomorrow.”

His lips curved upward. “That’s cool. It has been a while since I have seen them.”

“It has been about six months since we have seen them.”

“What’s bringing them through town?”

Kristen shrugged. “Who knows? You know they come and go when they please. They have worked hard all of their lives and are retired now. They deserve to roam the country if it makes them happy.”

There was one time of the year she knew she would always see her father’s parents and that was the anniversary of their father’s death. It was a time when they got together and shared the good times and stories about their father. The anniversary was a time for them to catch up with everything going on in each other’s lives.

He picked up the last slice of pizza after making sure she didn’t want it. “What do you guys have planned?”

She shrugged. “To be honest, I have no idea, but whatever it is, I would like for you and Wade to be involved.”

Randy smiled. “I like that idea, and I am sure Wade will, too.”

She grinned. “Good. I am sure my grandparents would like to see you again.”

At least they should. There were a lot of activities going on in Baxley this week due the fact homecoming was this weekend. It was going to be a good game. Different dances and celebrations were going on around the town. It was a fun time in Baxley so her grandparents were coming through at a good time.

He reached out and gave her a hand a light squeeze. “Well, either way I’m sure it will be a good time.”

Kristen nodded before looking up at the sky. It was so clear out she didn’t need the telescope. Randy finished off the last slice of pizza and cleaned his hands, then took her into his arms.

He lay back, and they began to debate over which constellation they were staring at. Kristen was sure he made up a few along the way, but it was so much fun she didn’t care.

She looked up at Randy loving the relaxed feel of being with him.

“Randy where are we going with this?”

He replied without hesitation. “I don’t know, Kristen. I know where I would like for this to go, but it is up to you.”

He studied her carefully while she thought about what he said. She sighed, and he tilted her head toward his. His lips found hers. The affection she felt behind his kiss made her heart swell with an emotion hard to describe. The one thing she knew was she cared about Randy more this time around than she did last time, but was it enough? She was taking it slow. She just hoped she wasn’t setting herself up for another painful heartbreak.

Pulling back, she looked up at Randy. “I’m scared.”

He gave her a gentle look. “Why?”

She sighed and looked away from him. “I’m afraid you will hurt me again. You have no idea what our breakup did to me.”

He gave her a sad look. “You’re right. I don’t know, but I want you to tell me.”

She was quiet for a long time, uncertain of where she should start. She exhaled the pent-up breath she was holding and closed her eyes. “I was devastated when you broke up with me, Randy. Besides my sisters, you were everything to me. Even when I was off in college we worked hard to keep our relationship the same. I thought everything was okay.”

Kristen opened her eyes and looked at Randy. “When you broke up with me, I didn’t know what to do. It felt like a part of me had been ripped away. I was confused, upset, depressed. I tried to figure out what I’d done wrong, but I couldn’t.”

She exhaled a shaky breath. “You wouldn’t return my calls. You wouldn’t give me an answer to why. I thought you found someone else and decided you no longer wanted to be with me.”

She looked away from him. “Keirra talked to Emily, and when Emily told her that you weren’t involved with anyone else, it hurt. I thought it was me, and it hurt to think that you just didn’t want to be with me.”

Tears came to her eyes as her words reopened the pain. She tried to blink them back. “It took me a long time to recover, Randy, and as we sit here, I’m not sure that I have. It took me a long time to get back the joy that I felt when I was with you. I don’t want to lose that joy again. Even if it means that I can never be with you again.”

The pain that she saw on Randy’s face matched what she felt. The words she spoke were true. She couldn’t allow Randy to hurt her the way he did when he broke up with her the first time. She had to protect herself this time. It would hurt not to be with Randy, but it would hurt a lot more if she allowed him back into her life and he decided to push her out of his life again. It was a risk she couldn’t take.

* * * *

“Grandma, Grandpa!”

Kristen stepped forward to embrace her grandparents. She had been looking forward to their arrival all morning. Each of them hugged her before stepping inside the house and embracing Kayla and Keirra. A quick look outside showed her grandparents had parked their RV in the driveway and not on the lawn like Keirra had suggested they would. She gave Keirra a smug look, and Keirra smiled when she stepped forward to greet their grandparents.

“We are so glad you could make it.”

Kristen went and stood by Randy and Wade. Wade held his arms up to her, and she picked him up and loved the feel of him in her arms. She waited until he grandparents had finished talking to Kayla and Keirra before introducing Randy and Wade to her grandparents. They were happy to see Randy as she predicted, and her grandparents found Wade adorable. He became the person of the hour, but a short while later, they headed out of the house and loaded into Randy’s truck.

Miraculously they all were able to fit and had a little room to spare. They decided to eat at Sam’s because it had a little bit of what everyone wanted. They were seated, orders were taken and the pictures came out. Her grandparents began sharing the photos of their recent travels and funny stories were spread around the table. Kristen sat back and watched her family. She loved times like these because she didn’t feel so alone. There were times she was starved for family. Not that her sisters didn’t count, but the pain of not having a mother and father made her cherish her surviving grandparents even more.

She planned on talking to her grandparents about visiting and calling more often. Family was important and having their surviving family near would help. It was another thing that hurt about her breakup with Randy. If they had stayed together she knew they would have the family that she always dreamed of.

“What are you thinking about?”

She looked over at Randy when he spoke to her. The fact he always seemed to know when something was on her mind was cute to her. He insisted her eyes always gave her away. She knew that was true. It was something she inherited from her father. When she was a little girl she could look into her father’s eyes and know what he was thinking. Even the night he had been shot, he told them he was okay, but she had been able to read the fear and the pain in his eyes. At the time, she hadn’t known what the expression in his eyes had meant, but in the end, she realized her father had known he wasn’t going to be with them much longer. It had been something she had never forgotten. She looked up when Randy reached over and squeezed her hand.

“Whatever it is it is going to be okay.”

She smiled at him and nodded. “You are right. It will be okay.”

The last thing she wanted to do was ruin a happy occasion by thinking sad thoughts, so she turned her attention back to her grandparents and laughed at her grandmother’s reenactment of her grandfather’s run-in with a raccoon. It seemed her grandfather could move quicker than it looked.