Page 85 of Unpacking Secrets
He leaned down to murmur against my ear, “Sure you’re ready for this?”
My sigh was barely audible. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Besides, if I pass out, I figure you’ve proven you can carry me a pretty good distance through the woods.”
“I’ll carry you anywhere, Red,” he assured me, grinning.
Though my tension returned the minute the faint tinkle of windchimes met our ears, we continued walking, hand in hand. I fought hard to keep the images of that day from flooding my mind, focusing instead on the warmth of Henry’s hand in mine, the brush of my dress against his pants, the scent of his soap wafting over to tease my senses.
As the trees opened to Nan’s clearing, the two of us paused to hover just outside the circle of dancing colors. I sucked in a deep breath and propelled us both forward until we were standing in the middle of the clearing, right where I'd stumbled to my knees.
I closed my eyes, turned into his embrace, and willed myself to think only of us, now, in this moment. Eventually, the tension ebbed once more and I peeked up at Henry.
He cupped my face in his hands and mouthed, “I love you.”
My heart fluttered wildly against my ribs as I mouthed the words back to him.
When his lips covered mine, the clearing fell away, taking with it every memory of terror that had flashed through my head. Even with my eyes closed, the warm rays of sunlight settled against my skin, a rainbow caress imbued with all the love Nan had poured into this special place.
When at last we drew apart, Henry trailed his lips across my forehead.
“This is what she would've wanted,” he said softly, “for this to be a place of love and hope and comfort. She loved you, even if she never got the chance to tell you in person.”
“I wish I could have known her.”
“I do, too.”
A tremor wriggled up my spine as I let my gaze travel over the streaks of color across the grass.
“I don’t want that bastard to taint what she left here. He took too much from all three of you. Right now, we’re taking it back.”
I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under my ear. For several long moments, I simply stood there with my arms wrapped around his waist. I believed it, the truth of his words, as they settled in my heart.
When Henry’s fingers traced gentle circles across the skin of my upper back, I recalled other words he had spoken here. He felt the resulting shiver run through me and laughed softly.
“Someday,” he murmured, “but not yet. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
At that, my hand slipped around to the back of his neck so I could kiss him again.
“Yes, we do.”
After a few slightly more heated minutes under the tinkling chimes, we took one final look around the clearing and set off toward the inn. I couldn’t be certain that memories of Tom Heller wouldn’t haunt this beautiful place for the foreseeable future, but with time—and, more importantly, with Henry’s reassuring presence at my side—I hoped that I’d someday replace those memories with better ones.
Once we returned to the gardens, the sheer number of people mingling among the flowers with punch and daintily decorated cookies in hand startled me. My stride faltered and my courage wavered.
Henry turned me to face him instead of the crowd, smiling down at me in that heartbreakingly gentle way of his.
“This is your day, Red. They’re here as much to support you as to remember Nan. I won’t let you stumble, I promise.”
I forced a deep breath into my lungs and nodded. “Let’s do this, then.”
We wound our way through the crowd, shaking hands and chatting, until I caught sight of Sarah. The two of us threw ourselves into each other’s arms. Even our daily text exchanges hadn’t kept me from missing my best friend fiercely.
“You look beautiful, Jules,” Sarah said, dabbing at her eyes with a crumpled tissue. “God, I’m so emotional these days.”
I leaned back a little and cocked a brow. “Oh? And why is that, might I ask?”
Sarah’s face burst into a huge smile as her gaze drifted to Andre, who stood several feet away with Henry, Mark, and the two men who’d been introduced as Mark’s brothers. “We weren’t going to tell anyone yet,” she whispered, “but you’re not just anyone. Will you be my baby’s godmother? Oh, Jules, I miss you so much.”
“I miss you, too, and of course I will. I’m so happy for you both.”
