Eternally Yours - Brenda Jackson [85]
How could I have thought I didn’t love him? How could I have thought I didn’t want him? Taking a deep breath, she walked over to where he was standing. “Clayton, I’m glad to see you.”
“Yeah, I bet you are,” he replied coolly, his lips forming in a taut line. “Mom sent me.” He took the flight bag from her shoulder. “She would’ve come herself, but didn’t trust me or Dad to watch her sweet potato pies that were in the oven.”
“Oh,” Syneda replied. Her gaze met Clayton’s and the eyes staring back at her were like chipped ice. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but she couldn’t say them in a crowded airport. They needed privacy.
“Are you ready, Syneda?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go then,” he said gruffly.
Together they walked down the wide, crowded corridor. Syneda was having a little bit of trouble keeping up with Clayton’s long strides.
“It will only take a minute to claim your bags,” Clayton said curtly upon reaching the area where the rest of her bags were.
“Am I the first to arrive?” Syneda asked, pointing out her bags to Clayton. Then she felt foolish for doing so. They had taken enough trips together over the past few months that he would have recognized her luggage easily.
“No. Traci and Kattie were over earlier today to help peel the potatoes for the pies, but they left before noon. They’ll be back later today. Dex and Caitlin will probably be there by the time we arrive. They had to wait for Jordan to get out of preschool before coming over. And Justin, Lorren and the kids are flying in this afternoon.”
“What about Christy?”
“She’s been home from college since Monday.”
For the first time since seeing him, Syneda couldn’t help but notice the fleeting smile that somewhat softened Clayton’s features. “Let me rephrase that,” he said. “Christy’s been in Houston since Monday, however, she’s seldom at home. She’s making her rounds visiting friends. She only pops in to eat and sleep.”
“What about Jake?”
Clayton frowned. “I don’t know what’s going on with Uncle Jake. For some reason he’s not coming this year. He called Mom earlier this week and said he had other plans. It’s not like him to miss Thanksgiving dinner with us.”
As they stepped out of the building, Clayton led her over to a car parked nearby. He set down the bags and pulled the key out of his pocket. “Mom suggested I drive her car,” he said, as he loaded Syneda’s things into the trunk of the sleek champagne-colored Seville. “I guess she figured all your things wouldn’t fit in my two-seater.”
Syneda nodded and again their eyes met. His eyes appeared colder than they had earlier. Suddenly, all the words she had wanted to say to him stuck in her throat. What could she say to undo what she’d done? What words could she use to make him understand she was ready to love him and she trusted him? She was the first to break the eye contact.
“Will my being here bother you, Clayton?” she asked, feeling a little unsure of herself and suddenly filled with self-doubt. His cold attitude toward her wasn’t helping the situation.
“Not particularly,” he said dispassionately, opening the car door.
“Maybe I should not have come.”
The look Clayton gave her was as sharp as a broken piece of glass and as cold as the weather she had left in New York. It was definitely not filled with the warmth she was accustomed to. “Too late to think about that now. You’re here, aren’t you?” he said harshly, shutting the door. Then he walked around to get into the car.
His words had hurt, and when Clayton started the car, Syneda turned her attention to the scenery outside the car window. She couldn’t help wondering if she had made a mistake by coming. What if he no longer had a place in his heart for her? What if he no longer wanted her? It had been over a month since they had been together, and she hadn’t heard from him. The thought that he no longer cared for her sent her mind reeling in sheer panic.
When they arrived at Clayton’s parents’ home, Dex was in the driveway washing his father’s pickup truck. Clayton brought the car to a