1105 Yakima Street - Debbie Macomber [105]
“I am, too. I’m also glad you’re being honest with me,” she said. “The truth can be painful, but I’d rather know exactly what’s going on with you.”
Jolene opened the car door and stepped outside, then leaned down, saying, “It is hard, and Dad doesn’t like me telling him how I feel.”
“He has to hear it, though, and so do I.” She waited until she saw Jolene connect with her friend before driving off.
Bruce stood by the living room window watching for her when Rachel parked in the driveway. He had the front door open by the time she was out of the car.
As soon as she was inside, Bruce drew her into his arms and simply held her. He didn’t speak or make any effort to kiss her; all he did was hold her close. Finally he stepped back and brushed the hair from her face as if to get a better look at her.
“I have missed you so much,” he whispered.
Sliding her arms around his waist, Rachel pressed her head against him. His heartbeat pulsed in her ear. How long they stood in the small entry like this was lost on her. It felt so good to be in her husband’s arms.
Reluctantly Bruce let her go. “How was dinner with Jolene?”
“We had a nice time.”
He frowned slightly as he took her hand and led her into the living room. They sat on the sofa beside each other, still holding hands.
“She didn’t say anything to upset you, did she?” Bruce asked.
“No,” Rachel reassured him. “Jolene was open and honest, and I appreciated that.”
“Did she tell you she wants you to move back home?”
Rachel was uncertain how much of their conversation she should repeat. “She told me she was grateful I’m not moving to Oregon.”
His frown darkened. “That’s not the same thing.”
“No,” she said, “but it’s progress.”
“I want you back here with us. Nothing feels right without you.”
“In time,” she promised.
He studied her intently. “In time?” he echoed. “How much time?”
Rachel gestured vaguely. In her own mind, she’d set January 1, but that date wasn’t firm. Not until she was convinced they were ready would she come back home.
“Before Christmas?”
Unable to respond, she exhaled slowly.
Bruce released her hand and stood, then walked around the coffee table, apparently composing his thoughts. “When will you know?” he asked after a moment.
“Bruce, I can’t answer that.”
He stared at her long and hard. “Do you want to move back here?”
“Of course I do!”
“It doesn’t seem like that to me. In fact, I’m beginning to think you and Nate—”
“Don’t!” She pointed her index finger at him. “Don’t even suggest such a thing. Nate was a good friend when I needed one and I won’t have you insinuating there was anything more between us.”
“I wouldn’t know, would I?”
Bruce’s sudden jealousy was ridiculous. Hadn’t he said he trusted her? “Look at me, Bruce. Really look at me. I’m married to you and pregnant with your child. Why would Nate be interested in me…especially now?”
“Because you’re beautiful and…and wonderful. He was in love with you at one time, and those feelings don’t entirely go away. They just don’t. Once you commit your heart to someone, it’s forever.”
“For you it is,” she said, knowing that Bruce didn’t give his heart easily. He loved deeply, completely, with his whole being. She’d realized that if she married Bruce, it would be a lifetime commitment for both of them.
He shook his head as though he didn’t understand what she’d said.
“You commit yourself completely, but not everyone does.”
His face fell. “Is this a way of telling me you don’t love me anymore?”
“Bruce, how could you even ask a question like that?”
“You said—”
“I said some people don’t feel as strongly as you do, and Nate is one of them. I wasn’t just the woman he wanted to marry—I was the means to an end for him. His father is in politics and Nate is thinking along those lines himself. So he wanted a wife he felt ordinary voters—” she said this a bit sarcastically “—could relate to.”
“Okay, fine, but what does that have to do with you moving back home?”
“Absolutely nothing.” She could see that this conversation wasn’t improving matters. Standing,