You Can't Hurry Love (9 page)

Maybe she should have done two spin classes.

On the drive home, she filled the silence in her car with her
Guardians of the Galaxy
playlist. Once inside her apartment, she ignored the laptop where it still sat on her couch and went to her bedroom, collapsing on her unmade bed.

Workout. Nap. It had the makings of a perfect day.

But just as she closed her eyes, her phone rang. Probably Bellamy checking in on her. Or maybe her friend had been to the doctor and had an update on her pregnancy . . .

She rolled over onto her stomach and hit the speaker button on her phone. “This is Elisabeth.”

Static sounded from her phone and then, “Elisabeth . . . this is Jamie.”

Jamie.

She stared at the phone, unable to form a coherent reply.

“You still there?” His voice was tinny.

“Yes. Yes, I'm here. Are you still overseas?”

“Yep. No change there.”

“I can't believe you're calling me—”

“ . . . wanted to check on you.”

“Why?” Even as she asked the question, Elisabeth knew the answer.

“I assume . . . got my last e-mail.”

“Yes.”

The electric rumble of static filled the space between them for a few seconds. “Elisabeth . . . just had to be honest with you . . . my feelings . . . more than friendship . . . understand if you don't feel the same . . .”

His words, spoken so honestly, allowed her to be truthful, too. “I'm scared, Jamie.”

“. . . what are you scared of?”

“What if . . . what if I can't be who you need me to be in this relationship? What if you're deployed again and I don't handle it well? What if I don't do well with the moves—”

“Elisabeth, I love you. I asked . . . one question . . . asking it again . . . Do you love me?”

Did she love Jamie Travers? If she only considered that question, she knew her answer.

She cradled her phone in her hands. “Yes . . . yes, I love you.”

She could hear his exhale from thousands of miles away. “That's all . . . need to know . . . figure everything else . . . later . . .”

Elisabeth closed her eyes, savoring the sound of his voice. “I'm sorry I didn't e-mail you back. I was thinking. Praying. Trying to figure out what to say . . .”

“. . . you were worrying . . . you couldn't be the right woman for me.”

“You know me better than I realized.”

“. . . had time to get to know each other.” The line crackled again. “. . . don't have much longer to talk . . . love you, Elisabeth. God's in this . . . Don't doubt us.”

“I won't. I love you, too.”

“E-mail me?”

“As soon as I get off the phone.”

“I'll be waiting.”

After their call ended, Elisabeth lay still, her phone clasped to her heart, as if she could keep Jamie close to her that way.

Don't doubt us.

She had a choice. Trust or doubt. Loving Jamie meant trusting him. Trusting God. Trusting that she was the woman he needed her to be. And if she wasn't? Well then, she'd ask God to help her become that woman.

• • •

As promised, by the time he got back to his quarters, there was an e-mail from Elisabeth waiting in his inbox.

The subject line eased the ache that had been lodged in his chest for two days even as a smile curved his lips.

This is a “Dearest Jamie” letter, not a “Dear John” ­letter.

Jamie,

I love you. That's the first thing I want to say.

I'm sorry I didn't write you sooner. Like I said, I was afraid that loving you wouldn't be enough . . . that I wouldn't be the kind of woman you needed if we end up getting married. And I realize I'm jumping way ahead with that statement.

I also realized I've always felt a little less than you, Jamie. You were always this amazingly popular guy in school. Everyone liked you. Teachers. Classmates. All the girls. And I was lucky enough to be your girlfriend.

But I didn't ever feel good enough.

So when you said you'd fallen in love with me again, I got scared. I doubted that we could have a future together because of me.

Since I got your e-mail, I've spent a lot of time thinking. Praying. Missing you. A lot. Thank you for reminding me that God is the only one who could have brought us together again. And that it's not about being good enough for you—or you being good enough for me. It's about loving each other the best we know how today and loving each other better tomorrow.

So, to answer your question again, yes, I love you. And yes, I think there's a chance for us, so long as we trust God to help us.

With all my love,

Elisabeth

For the first time since he sent the e-mail to Elisabeth, he could breathe. He could think of her and imagine the future . . . their future. He could . . . he could . . .

He could e-mail her again.

Nothing held back. Nothing left unsaid.

TEN

October

Woodland Park, Colorado

I
t's nice of you and Reid to do the chauffeuring tonight for the high school reunion dinner.” Elisabeth pulled her fitted herringbone coat from the closet.

“We're glad we all get to go together, Lis.” Bellamy managed to look trendy in her pale pink lace maternity dress and leather boots. “I'm glad we came in a couple of days early so we could see my family, too.”

“I'm sure they were happy to see you.” Elisabeth buttoned up her coat and then took another quick look at the time before slipping her phone into her purse. “I don't know why Jamie didn't want me to meet him at the airport—”

“Yes, you do. His flight's late, and he doesn't want you to miss any of the reunion fun because you're waiting for him.”

“But I'll be watching the clock while I'm there—”

“I know that, but at least you can pretend you're enjoying yourself.” Bellamy opened the front door. “Now come on, let's get going so we can watch our classmates arrive and see how much people have changed in ten years.”

Elisabeth patted her friend's tummy. “There's no denying you look a little different.”

“True, true.”

As she slid into the backseat of the car Reid had rented for the weekend, Elisabeth leaned forward. “So are you flying back to San Diego right after things end on Sunday morning?”

“No . . .” Bellamy searched through her purse. “Do you happen to have a mint or a piece of gum by any chance?”

“I think so.” Elisabeth dug through her purse until she found half a roll of peppermint Life Savers.

Bellamy half turned to face her. “You've got next week off, right?”

“Yes. Jamie's staying in town after all the reunion fun, so of course I took time off, too. He said one good thing about being deployed for eight months is that he's saved up a bunch of leave.”

“What are you and Jamie going to do?”

“Besides enjoying talking face-to-face, you mean? We'll relax. Go hiking. Out to dinner. See a couple of movies. In other words, we'll date like a normal couple.”

“And then?”

“And then . . . he goes back to Ohio and I stay here in the Springs and we keep doing the long-distance-relationship thing. We've gotten quite good at it.”

“And you're okay with that?”

“I hope we don't do this forever, but one thing I've learned is you can't hurry love. I'm committed to this relationship. No quitting. I'm waiting on God and on Jamie. He's just gotten back stateside, so I'm not pushing him for a commitment. But the minute he wants to, I'm ready to start talking about marriage—”

“Who knows? Maybe next year will be your year.”

Next year. She could wait that long. If she trusted herself. And Jamie. And their love for each other. And she trusted God meant for them to be together now. And believed that this crazy long-distance relationship with Jamie Travers was better than no relationship with him.

Thanks to the connections of one of the high school alumni's parents, the reunion dinner was at the Falcon Stadium Press Box at the Air Force Academy. In a throwback to their senior prom, the planning committee had decorated the room in classic Hollywood style. Black tablecloths were adorned with red-carpet ribbons and centerpieces featuring movie clapboards and gold stars. Placeholders were small silver frames with each attendee's black-and-white senior photo. In the back of the room, a rented photo booth attracted a crowd of people, all eager to have fun with the assortment of props.

All the while she greeted friends, Elisabeth alternated between watching the doorway and checking her phone for a text from Jamie. Just as they were encouraged to find their places for dinner, her phone pinged.

See you soon. Love you.

Bellamy leaned over as she slid into the chair next to her. “Was that a text from Jamie?”

“Yes.” Elisabeth muted her phone and set it beside her plate. “He said he'll see me soon, but I don't know if that means he just landed or what.”

“It means he'll see you soon.”

“Thanks for that.”

After Sandie, one of the coordinators of the reunion, prayed for the meal, dinner was served.

“Jamie's food will be cold by the time he gets here.”

“I'll have Reid ask the waitstaff to hold his meal in the back until he arrives. Then they can reheat it.”

“Even reheated steak and mashed potatoes will taste good after being deployed.”

“You're probably right.”

After the main course was served, Sandie returned to the podium. “While you all enjoy your dinner, I have a special presentation to make. One of our classmates just returned from an overseas deployment. Let's all welcome our class president, Jamie Travers, with a round of applause to let him know how grateful we are for his service to our country.”

At the mention of Jamie's name, Elisabeth dropped her fork so that it clattered against her plate. “He's here . . .”

Seconds later, Jamie strode to the front of the room, dressed in his desert camis and combat boots, his hair cut shorter than it had been at Christmas. When had he arrived? Why hadn't he let her know he was there?

He gave Sandie a brief hug and then took the microphone from her. “Thank you for your support of me. I accept the applause for all of our other classmates serving in the armed forces. I'm glad I made it to our reunion—I just can't believe it's been ten years since we graduated. If you'll indulge me for a few moments, I did want to say something while I had the floor.”

Why was Jamie giving some sort of speech instead of coming over here and hugging her? Kissing her?

Elisabeth leaned over to Bellamy, lowering her voice. “What's he going to say?”

“Listen and find out.”

“I've been corresponding with one of our classmates while I've been deployed for the past eight months. She just happens to be here tonight. Elisabeth Straker, where are you?”

“Stand up!” Bellamy nudged her.

Not trusting her weak knees, Elisabeth remained seated and waved her hand. “I'm here.”

Jamie motioned her forward. “Would you mind joining me up here?”

Laughter and applause started around the room.

“O-kay.” Once she wended her way through the tables and stood next to Jamie, she whispered, “This isn't quite how I imagined saying hello for the first time in eight months.”

“To be honest, I've been thinking about this for weeks.” He took her hand, his thumb caressing her skin. “A lot of you may remember that Elisabeth and I dated during high school. We broke up while we were in college and then found each other again last December. It didn't take me long to realize I've never met another woman like her.”

“Jamie, what is going on?”

“Don't rush me.” He tossed her a wink and then dropped to one knee as he pulled something from a pocket on the side of his uniform pants. “Elisabeth, in a sense, we're back where it all began for us. I love you and I can't imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?”

The air stilled around them and all Elisabeth could see was Jamie, kneeling before her, offering her a diamond ring that sparkled in the overhead lights.

“You're . . . proposing?”

“Yes. Do I need to ask you again?”

“No . . . no, you don't need to ask me again. I'd love to marry you, Jamie.”

The room rang with cheers and applause as Jamie slipped the ring on her finger and then stood to pull her into his arms. At last, he was going to kiss her. Elisabeth closed her eyes and slid her arms around his waist, holding her breath as Jamie leaned down and—finally—brought his lips to hers. His kiss was everything she'd waited for—almost. Jamie seemed restrained, the kiss ending sooner than she'd hoped.

“That was worth the wait.” Elisabeth buried her face in Jamie's shoulder.

“Oh, believe me, that doesn't begin to satisfy how much I've wanted to kiss you. An audience kind of changes things.”

“Well, you certainly surprised me, Captain Travers.”

“Complaints?”

“None at all.” As she spoke, Jamie led her into a secluded corner away from the group. “Now we have to plan a wedding—”

“No, we don't.”

“We don't?”

All the humor disappeared from Jamie's voice. “How do you feel about eloping?”

“Eloping?”

“Yes. Hear me out. If you hate the idea, we'll forget it and get married when you want.” Jamie released her, but only to gather her hands in his. “We've got use of Reid and Bellamy's plane tonight. We can fly to this wonderful inn Bellamy told me about and get married this weekend in Tennessee and honeymoon there for a week. We both have next week off, right? Why not spend it together married? Then we come back here and I can stay with you until the end of October, when I have to report back to base in Ohio.”

Elisabeth struggled to keep up with what Jamie was saying. “And then what?”

“Well, then we go back to doing the long-distance-relationship thing again—only we're married. We'll fly back and forth on weekends and figure out what comes next—”

Jamie wanted to marry her. Now. Things were making sense at last—and she had to speak up. “No. That's not going to work.”

Some of the light dimmed in Jamie's brown eyes, his smile disappearing. “Okay, we're not eloping. I'll tell Reid to cancel the plane—”

“Oh, we're eloping, Jamie Travers. I like the idea of getting married at a Tennessee inn. It's terribly romantic. But when we get back, I'll talk to my boss about getting a substitute teacher to replace me for the rest of the school year as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll be with you in Ohio by Thanksgiving.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. There's only one more thing.”

“What's that?”

“Kiss me again, please. Then I need to go tell Bellamy I'm going to miss the rest of the reunion festivities.”