Second Chance at Forever (Forever Book 2) (42 page)

I composed myself before stepping into the limo. Riley looked at me with her hopeful eyes, but I quickly dismissed her question.

“I’m fine, baby. Now let’s go see Nana and Granddaddy.” She held my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder. I wouldn’t tell her how much I missed this from her. I just took in the warm affection she showed me. This was my girl, and this was her first step to finding her way through the mess my past had created for her.

While we waited for our flight to be called, I gave her some privacy to phone Jackson, while I called Walker. My call was brief. As much as he wanted to talk to me, I had caught him walking into a meeting. He wanted to wrap up everything on his desk before flying out tonight to join us. I was already regretting my decision to have him and Jackson wait back, but I had no idea how Nana would react to my news, and I didn’t want to put Walker through any unnecessary pain. He handled my change of plans quite well, and if he didn’t, he covered it up very discreetly.

I watched Riley. She was smiling and laughing. The sight of her made me smile. It gave me the extra dose of courage I would need to face Nana with.

“Hey, you look all sparkly,” I teased her.

“I’m trying, mom. I miss Jackson so much, and I haven’t been very nice to him lately. I think he was guarded and preparing for another mood swing of mine, but I told him a joke and the obvious tension faded away.”

“Riley, everything happens for a reason, and what you share with Jackson is a wonder to witness. You’re so carefree. When I was your age, I was very shy. When I met Freddy, he brought me to life, and then falling in love with Walker completely changed me. Yes, I may have started out as the shy southern girl from Georgia, but I felt alive in New York. I was on my own, really on my own, and I was in love.”

I continued, “I see the way Jackson looks at you, he loves you Riley girl, and if he is anything like his father, he will love you hard and will always protect you. I never gave Walker the chance to do that for me, but I will now. I vow never to second guess anything ever again.”

“You still care about Daddy?”

“Of course I do. I will always love your father. Riley, how can I not when he gave me you?”

“He’s going to be okay, right mom?”

“We all are, Riley. We are exactly where we are supposed to be, and that, my daughter, is not something you want to argue with the universe about.”

“Oh my goodness, Mom, you and your sonnets of fate and everlasting love! You should have been an astrologer.” I laughed, and we hugged each other.

“Oh baby, I should have been many things, but an astrologer is not one of them. I do believe in fate. I gave up on it for a good many years until Nana reminded me to believe and take control over my life and focus on what I want. Now, she never knew that piece of advice would lead me back to Walker but it has, and who am I to argue with the universe or Nana?” We both laughed.

Our flight was on time and landed us in Georgia just before noon. I knew Nana and Granddaddy took Fridays off from the shop. Granddaddy usually went fishing, and Nana baked during the weekends. As we left the airport and traveled in the direction that would lead us to Pottersville, I began to feel a bit nervous. My stomach had been off lately, but I chalked it up to nerves.
This is Nana we’re talking about? What’s wrong with me? I have no reason to be this nervous about talking with her!

As we entered the town limits of Pottersville, I watched Riley’s eyes light up. She rolled down the window to take in the honeysuckle smells and remember all of her favorite places she liked to visit. She begged me to stop at Nana’s shop. Of course, I said yes. She leaped out of the car and ran into the shop.

Riley came out a few minutes later with a bag of goodies and two coffees. I was nervous enough that coffee would only increase my anxiety, but I took it anyway. Nana’s chocolate chip croissant melted on my tongue. Oh my goodness, my Nana could bake, and something fierce. I was in awe of her energy, and her passion for moving forward every day. My fingers were crossed that she could help me do the same.

“Oh mom, the house looks great! I can’t wait to see Nana and Granddaddy.” Once again not waiting for the driver to open her door, Riley made a beeline for the house and straight to Nana. We heard barking, and from the sounds of it, there was more than one dog.
When did they get a new dog?
I had thought after Bubba died, Granddaddy would never get another pet.

Sure enough, the screen door flew open, and two beagles came charging at Riley. She dropped to her knees, and they jumped on her, showing much affection. I never saw my daughter happier. Samuel never allowed her to have a pet in our house. He had too many precious things and never wanted to find a chewed piece of furniture or heaven forbid one of his shoes ruined.

“Oh my goodness, Mom, look how cute they are.” Looking at Riley now, how foolish I was to allow that rule. Children needed pets especially growing up.

I think Granddaddy was a bit surprised about our grand entrance as he slowly began walking toward us. My last talk with Nana, she had asked me to visit, but I never said when. This trip was a surprise. I met Granddaddy halfway and walked right into his welcoming arms.

“What a surprise, darling! Why didn’t you let us know that you were coming down to see us?” he asked.

“Oh I missed you, Granddaddy, but if I had told you, then it wouldn’t have been a surprise. Where’s Nana?”

“She’s down at the Harper’s farm. She is determined to show that Clara how to properly make sweet potato pie, but I don’t think Clara has the knack for baking, or even cooking for that matter.”

“You’re terrible, Granddaddy! Nana would skin you alive if she heard you talking this way.”

“I only speak the truth. I’m telling you honey, the last thing Clara baked, I ended up with food poisoning for two days.” Now I knew he was joking, because he was blushing and laughing out loud.

The driver brought our luggage in, and we made ourselves comfortable in their living room. It had been too long since I was last there, and yet everything was as it should be. Nana had photos all around the room and traveling up the stairs. Riley’s and my pictures covered the mantle along with photos of my parents. I only noticed two of Samuel: one taken on our wedding day and the other a family portrait from a few years ago.

Nana always showed respect toward Samuel, but nothing compared to how she felt about Walker. He won her over from the minute I brought him home to meet them. While Riley was still occupied with the new puppies, I glanced around the room to look for the familiar picture. The same one that I took from Walker’s apartment when I left him. Sure enough, Nana had kept it. The picture was inside her curio cabinet with some knick knacks she had been collecting for years. Tears began to pool in my eyes as I looked at the photo.
She kept it after all these years, even though I was with Samuel.

Before I could wipe my falling tears, the door opened and closed, and there stood my precious grandmother looking beautiful as ever. Her hair was pulled back into a braided bun, her skin was lined, but flawless at the same time. Nana had a natural beauty about her, and she always said good living will keep you young. I guess she was right. You would never know she was in her late seventies. She dropped her bags, opened up her arms, and invited me in. Oh, I needed this hug, and somehow she knew. I cried onto her shoulder, and she stroked her hands up and down my back to soothe me, slowly releasing the tension I felt.

“Oh, my sweet girl, I kind of suspected I would be seeing you soon.”

Drying my eyes and looking into her eyes, I asked her, “How?”

“I keep track of Riley, and her…what do you call it? Tweets, yes, that’s what that is.” Riley just laughed and hugged Nana.

“How you even know about Twitter and the other social media sites are beyond me, Nana, but you never cease to amaze me.”

“Reese, you have to stay in the game nowadays, especially if you want to keep up with the youngsters. My lovely great granddaughter here showed me the ropes the last time she was here to visit. We now Skype with each other all the time. The kids at the shop showed me that pinning stuff. Now, that board is fun.”

“You mean Pinterest?”

“Yup, that’s the one. I put one of my croissant recipes on it, and last time I checked, I think I have over five thousand likes. It warms my soul to know my recipes are now in the cyber world.”

She smiled and laughed while hugging Riley. My head was spinning with Nana’s revelations. She knew social media and conducted video chats with my daughter, who never once mentioned this to me.

“So, girls, what do you think of our new additions to the family?” Nana asked.

“I love them! What are their names?” Riley asked. Granddaddy picked up one of the pups, and Nana picked the other.

“This is Socks,” Granddaddy answered.

“This is Pockets,” Nana replied.

“How did you come up with those names? I would have thought you would have picked a name like close to Bubba’s?” Riley asked Granddaddy.

“Well, Riley girl, Bubba was one of a kind, and no dog would ever replace him. But you know I like to hunt, and I figured it was time to have some companions with me. These two are brothers, and you never separate a family, so they both joined us.”

I smiled. “Granddaddy, why Socks and Pockets? Who came up with those names?” I asked again.

“I did,” Nana answered. “You see, Reese, these two little devils like to chew up your Granddaddy’s socks and roll around in his shirts, tearing at least one or two pockets a week. I do more mending to his shirts than ever before. I figured they were the perfect names for these two.”

“Well, they are fitting. I’m so happy for you, and Riley sure loves them.”

I immediately felt better, and Granddaddy took our bags upstairs to my old bedroom. Nana once again never changed it, leaving it how I remembered. I took in the fresh flowers sitting on my side table, and the rollaway bed was in place.
How did she know to bring out the rollaway bed?
I turned to my Nana, and she simply replied “Twitter.” Apparently Nana had known all along that we were visiting today, but she played it cool as always. Once we were settled in, Riley and Granddaddy took a walk by our pond, while I stayed behind for my talk with Nana.

She had prepared tea and scones for our talk. She poured me a cup on her fine china and one for herself. She handed me a scone and placed one for herself. She gestured for me to take a bite, but my stomach was in knots already. Nana knew me like no other, and simply nodded with understanding and waited for me to start.

“Nana, I don’t even know how to begin this conversation with you. I’m at a loss for words.”

She placed her tea down and wiped her mouth with her linen napkin. She reached for my hands and folded them in with hers.

“Reese, in every story you have a beginning, a middle, and an ending. How about you start from the beginning, and we take it from there?” Tapping my hands, she sat back and gestured for me to begin.

“I have filed for divorce from Samuel.” I practically spit out, as I struggled with those seven words. Nana was silent, but encouraged me to go on. “Nana, I already came to the decision to leave my marriage, but after talking with you, I had completely accepted my decision. I promised myself not to waver or let Samuel change my mind. He stopped me before, and this time I was leaving for good. I truly did my best throughout the years, but I wasn’t happy, just existing, and I wanted more than he was willing to give. He’s a good man, Nana, but he will be better for someone who truly can love him the way he deserves.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Reese. You and your doctor husband were never a good match.”

“Really? That’s how you felt all this time? Nana, why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Why would I do that, Reese? You seemed to have made up your mind about him, and I wasn’t going to stand in your way of something you truly wanted.”

“I didn’t want Samuel, Nana! I wanted Walker!”

“I know that too. Now why don’t you tell me the real reason why you left Walker, and don’t even try to tell me any foolish stories. I want the truth, Reese. I see the burdens that you have carried on your shoulders all of these years. You have spent so many years hiding what you feel from me. I never could understand why you couldn’t bring yourself to confide in me. Haven’t I always given you the impression that you can tell me anything? Do you even know how much that hurt me; to know that I couldn’t help you, because you shut me out and simply didn’t trust me?”

“Not trust you? Oh, Nana, that was never the reason. Nana, please forgive me? I never meant to ever hurt you. I did this to protect you and Granddaddy, never to hurt you.”

“I know that too, but why, honey? Granddaddy and I come from strong Irish stock. We are tough, through and through. As long as we are together, no one can ever hurt us. That fact was lost on you, Reese. You stopped believing in our family’s strength and allowed Walker’s father to run you off like a scared rabbit, never to be heard from again. Am I wrong, honey?”

Nana had never been more on the mark than she was right now. How could she have known the truth about me leaving Walker, and not tell me all of these years? She was just as guilty of keeping secrets like I was.

“Yes, it’s true. Walker’s father, Phillip Reed, forced me out of his life. How did you know this, Nana?”

“I suspected, honey, but never knew until you just confirmed it. I had a few conversations with Walker, and he told me about his father and how his father would stop at nothing to control his son’s life. When Walker showed up here after you left New York, that poor boy was left devastated and lost. He was desperate to find you, and it broke my heart that I couldn’t help him. Had I known where you were, I would have told him, Reese. I suspect that’s why you didn’t tell me your location.”

“I couldn’t, Nana. It was too dangerous, and I was being watched at all times. Please just let me give you the short version. I don’t think I could take this for much longer.”

“You tell me what you can, and we will deal with the rest later.”