A Healing Heart (27 page)

“
She never changes, does she?”

“
Nope, I sure hope she has boys when she gets older. If she ends up with girls, they’re all going to be tomboys.”

I leaned my head on Tanner’s shoulder. “It’s really good to have you guys home. You shouldn’t stay away for so long.”

“
I know; it’s good to be home. You seem to be doing better. I know you’ve had it kind of rough lately.”

“
Yeah, well, that’s life, right? I’m surviving. I’ve learned that I am a survivor and that I can get through about anything.”

“
You are a strong girl. It’s just taken you a while to see in yourself what everyone else already knew.”

“
Yeah, well, I guess I’m just a little slow about some things. Better late than never, right?”

~ Collin ~

I stood in the shade of a tree watching Riley play in the sandbox with a pretty girl; she appeared to be a little older than Bailey. I’d never seen her before, but Riley obviously knew her. Bailey sat on the same bench where she’d been sitting on that first day I had run into her here; strange how things came full circle. This time, however, a guy sat next to her. I was too far away to make out her facial expressions, but I watched as she leaned her head on his shoulder—he was clearly someone that she cared for. My heart sank; it was almost too much to bear. I’d known deep down it would be a mistake to come here.

Ever since the day I had seen Bailey in the hospital, I couldn’t get her out of my thoughts. I was always wondering how she was doing, what she was doing; constant thoughts of her overwhelmed me. I’d finally just gotten to the point that I couldn’t stand it anymore—I needed to come back and talk to her. I knew it was a possibility that she could be seeing someone, that she had every right to, but I still secretly hoped that she wasn’t.

Watching her on the bench next to the guy, she seemed content, happy. As much as I wanted to be the one sitting there beside her, I was glad she had been able to move on. I only wanted her to find happiness—she deserved it—but it also left a huge empty feeling in my heart. Tearing myself away from the scene, I quickly walked back to my car and left the parking lot.

Driving through town, I soon found myself back at the lookout. I parked the car off to the side of the road and sat on the hood, which was still quite warm from the heat of the engine. The valley stretched for miles in the distance. The last time I had been here was after seeing Bailey in the hospital. This was a special place for me, one where I could always find comfort and peace.

The warm wind blew across the hill and with it I caught a faint scent, one that I recognized instantly. I tried to push the memory from my head, knowing it was just my imagination. My mind was just playing tricks on me, but I could swear that I smelled the sweet fragrance of Bailey’s perfume.

Closing my eyes, I sat and remembered the first time I had kissed her here under the starlit skies. How perfect and right it had felt. Sighing, I knew I’d better get going; I had a long drive ahead of me. I slid off the hood, standing there for a minute looking over the valley. Her voice stopped me in my tracks.

~ Bailey ~

I heard the rumble of a car start, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Quickly I sat up and turned around to the parking lot behind me, scanning for the car I hoped to find.

“
Hey, are you okay?” Tanner asked.

“
Huh?”

“
You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“
Did you hear that?”

“
Hear what? What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing, it just sounded like Collin’s car.”

“
Bailey, Collin’s in Las Vegas.”

“
I know, but it still sounded like his car.”

Not seeing the Camaro I was so desperately looking for, I stood up and walked toward the parking lot. Just in the distance, turning the corner was a dark car. I couldn’t make out for certain if it was a Camaro or not. My mind started racing—could it be Collin? Or was I just hearing things? I hurried back to the sandbox where Darcy sat with Riley.

“
Darcy, I need a huge favor.”

“
What? Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“
I’m fine. If I go get Riley’s car seat, can you take him home in about a half an hour? Eileen should be home then.”

“
Yeah, why? What’s going on?”

“
I need to go check something out. I thought I heard and saw Collin’s car, and I just need to know if it was him or not.”

“
If he’s gone now, he’s long gone.”

“
Maybe, maybe not. I might know where he is. It’s worth a shot. If it wasn’t him, then I’m just going for a drive. But I have to know.”

“
Go! Hurry up!”

I raced to my car, flung the car seat out, ran back to the bench where Tanner still sat, and dropped it at his feet.

“
Thanks! See you guys later. Riley, I’ll come see you later, okay?

“
Okay. Bye, Baiwey.”

Grabbing my purse as Tanner held it up for me, I ran back to my car and tore out of the parking lot. My heart was pounding. Was there any possible chance that it was Collin? Could he have come back? Why wouldn’t he have stopped to talk to me?

I threaded my way through the streets to the outskirts of town and up the winding streets to the lookout. It was a place I hadn’t been able to visit for months, as it held too many painful memories. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, if it had been Collin at the park, he would have come here. As I rounded the last turn, the lookout came into view and my heart leapt. Just ahead, on the side of the road, sat a burgundy Camaro.

Through the back windshield I could see the dark shadow of someone sitting on the hood. Excitement shot through me—it
had
to be him, the shadow so familiar, the same one that haunted my dreams. Parking my car behind the Camaro I got out, as I shut the door, I expected the sound to startle the owner of the shadow, but there wasn’t any acknowledgment. I
knew
it was Collin—it had to be. My heart was beating so loudly now, I was sure he could hear it from far away. I walked the last few steps to the boy I would love forever.

I watched him slide off his hood, but he just stood there. “Collin?” I was surprised at how steady my voice was, but so quiet; I wasn’t sure he had heard me. Then he turned, his face full of shock.

“
Bailey? What are you doing here?”

It felt so good to hear his voice again! Shivers ran down my spine. “Looking for you.”

“
How’d you know I was here?”

“
I didn’t. I took a wild guess. I thought I heard your car at the park. Was it you? Were you there?”

“
Yes, I was there.”

“
Why didn’t you come talk to me?”

“
I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“
Didn’t want to interrupt me from what? I’m confused.”

“
You were with your new boyfriend.”

“
My what?” I wasn’t following. What new boyfriend? What was he talking about?

“
The guy you were sitting next to on the bench, you were leaning on his shoulder.”

“
You mean Tanner?”

“
Is that his name? I’m happy for you, Bailey, really I am. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Make sure you were okay. I think about you a lot.”

“
Collin, Tanner isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my cousin.”

“
He’s your what?”

“
My cousin, Tanner. He’s home for Christmas. You never met him because he lives up in the Silicone Valley. My other cousin, Darcy, was there at the park too, playing with Riley.”

“
So he’s not your boyfriend?”

“
No, I’m not seeing anyone right now. Haven’t seen anyone since you.” I took the last few steps closer to him, standing now just a few feet from him.

“
Oh.”

“
Are you still seeing Savannah?”

“
No, I never was.”

“
What do you mean you never were?”

“
Savannah has always just been a friend, Bailey. Nothing more than that ever.”

“
What about that day in Las Vegas?”

“
When I saw you standing there, I was so excited to see you. But then I looked at you, I mean, really looked at you. I could tell that our being so far apart was hurting you. It was like you were withering away, so skinny; I knew you weren’t sleeping again. I felt horrible. I knew I was responsible, and I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought if I let you go, maybe you would forget about me and be able to move on with your life.”

He took the last few steps toward me until our faces were just inches apart. The electricity coursed through my body; his hand reached up and rested on my cheek.

“
Oh, Collin,” I sighed, as I leaned into his hand.

“
I’m so sorry, Bailey. I just came to see how you were. You’re looking good, by the way. I just needed to know that you were happy, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, and it looks like you are.”

“
All I’ve wanted is you, Collin. I’ll admit I was hurt, deeply hurt. There were days I didn’t know if I was going to get through the pain. But I realized that no matter what, I would always love you. You gave me back my life, healed my heart in a way no one else could. I want to thank you for that.”

His face leaned closer to me, his eyes intense as I looked into them. He leaned slightly to me, his lips touching mine, lightly at first, then more passionately, his other hand cradling the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, bringing our bodies closer together. I felt like I was home; this was where I belonged. Our hearts melded together as one. Breaking the kiss much too soon for my liking, he kept hold of me, leaning back only far enough to be able to look into my eyes.

“
I love you, Bailey Walsh. I always have, I always will.”

“
Oh, Collin, I love you. I never thought it was possible to love someone so much. I wanted you to come see me so badly. I even thought I saw you in the hospital. I had to have my appendix taken out right before Thanksgiving. I dreamed that you were there with me.”

Smiling at me, he said, “I was there. Quinn let me know what had happened. I couldn’t stand the thought of you in surgery; I had to know you were okay, to see with my own eyes that you were okay. I left before anyone saw me.”

“
I knew it! I thought I was crazy, but I felt you, felt your presence in the room. It calmed me.”

“
You called my name. I thought you had seen me.”

“
I vaguely remember that. I couldn’t be sure, I just saw a dark shadow, but it was more a feeling I had.”

“
I’m sorry, sorry I just left you. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to disrupt your life any more than I already had.”

For a few minutes, we were quiet, just cherishing the moment, enjoying the time we had together. But there were questions—I had to be sure.

“
So, where do we go from here?”

“
I guess we’ll have to figure that out as we go along. All I know right now is that I love you and need you in my life.”

“
And I love you, always and forever.”

His hand stroked my cheek and I felt completely whole again. My world had been righted; I had survived and would continue to move forward with Collin by my side. The future was unknown, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that we were together. Dusk was upon us and as Collin leaned to kiss me again, the first star appeared in the sky.

EPILOGUE

~ Bailey ~

T
he
morning of my graduation dawned gloomy with heavy cloud cover. Tossing my blankets off, I wasn’t going to let the clouds get me down. My senior year was over, Collin and I had survived our long-distance relationship over the last six months, and I anxiously waited to start the next chapter of my life. After graduation, I would be returning to Las Vegas with Collin to attend college there so that we could be closer to each other. We were taking each day as it came, beginning to make plans for our future.

I pulled out my graduation gown and honor cords, humming as I laid them out. Darcy, still asleep in her bed, woke long enough to throw a pillow at me.

“
Go back to bed! It’s too early,” she grumbled at me.

“
Can’t. I’m too excited.”

I laughed as she rolled over and clutched the covers over her head; she had never been a morning person.

Both Darcy and Tanner had come home for my graduation. Collin was in town, staying with Quinn, and we were all planning to go out to dinner after the ceremony. I moved through the morning, getting ready. Eventually, it was time to leave for the stadium. Collin was picking me up and I waited in the kitchen until he arrived.

The doorbell chimed and I hurried to answer it. Collin stood there, handsome as ever in his dress shirt, tie, and dress pants. In his arms he held two dozen fire and ice roses.

“
For the graduate. Graduating with honors, to boot. I’m so proud of you!”

“
Thanks, Collin, they are gorgeous.” I took the huge bouquet from him as he wrapped me in his arms and kissed me.