Part 36 (1/2)
”Very much,” Bethanne told him. The highlight for her had been prom night, when she'd felt so close to Grant.
”That was a lovely thing you did for my mother,” Grant said. ”You and Annie. It meant the world to Mom.”
Grant had played no small part, although he was eager to give her the credit.
”I had a great time, too.” Annie leaned forward from the backseat. ”Even in Branson.”
”Ah, yes, you and Andy Williams,” Bethanne said, teasing her.
”Mom, promise you won't tell anyone about that, okay?”
Bethanne tried not to smile. ”Don't worry, my lips are sealed.”
”Thank you.”
”I hope you'll let me drive you home,” Grant said as they took the exit to the airport off the Bee Line Expressway.
”Andrew said he'd pick us up,” Bethanne told him. ”We planned that before we left.” She'd missed her son and there seemed to be a hundred things she needed to discuss with him. Now that the wedding was just a few weeks away, they had to go over all the details for the rehearsal dinner.
”We can call him from the airport,” Grant said. ”There's no need for him to go out of his way when I have a car arranged.”
Bethanne shrugged. She didn't want to make an issue of this, although she'd looked forward to reconnecting with their son. They'd talked while she was on the road, but nothing compared with a face-to-face conversation.
”Well, what do you think?” Grant pressed.
”It's fine, if that's what you want.” She made an effort to disguise her lack of enthusiasm.
Grant didn't speak for several minutes. ”I guess what I'm saying is that I want to be with you for as long as I can. If you'd rather ride home with Andrew, I understand.”
Bethanne offered him a brief smile. ”I'm happy to spend time with you, too.”
He smiled and held her look. ”Are you, Bethanne?”
”What do you mean?” she asked. She noticed that his hands tightened around the steering wheel.
”Annie and I had a short conversation earlier. She wanted my opinion of Vance and whether she should forgive him. I more or less told her to ditch him. Any man who'd treat my daughter the way he did isn't worthy of dating her.”
”Daddy,” Annie protested from the backseat.
”Then she reminded me that I was asking you you to forgive to forgive me. me.”
”I forgave you a long time ago,” Bethanne said.
”But do you trust me?”
She hesitated. ”I think so.”
”I don't want there to be a single doubt in your mind. I told Annie and I'm telling you that there'll never be a repeat of what happened with Tiffany. I give you my word.”
Bethanne looked straight ahead. He'd given his word before, standing in front of the minister at her family church; he'd promised to love and protect her, to remain faithful until death. She wished she could block out the doubt and tell him what he wanted to hear. It would be so easy to claim she trusted Grant. So easy to a.s.sure him that the thought of his cheating again had never entered her mind. Only, she'd be lying.
”Do you believe me?” he asked.
”I believe you're sincere,” she said, not quite answering his question.
”You can trust me, Bethanne.”
She smiled, hoping that would provide him with the rea.s.surance he seemed to need.
She tried to concentrate on their relations.h.i.+p, on giving them another chance. Yet she couldn't dismiss her feelings for Max. She wanted to be with him. But she was with Grant, who so clearly loved her.
Grant placed his hand on her knee and Bethanne smiled over at him again, a noncommittal smile. He was trying so hard. But she couldn't give him the answer he was asking for, not now and maybe not ever. As she kept telling him, she was very different from the woman he'd once loved; the changes in her life had been dramatic. One thing was sure-she'd meet this challenge the way she'd met every other one in the past six years.
When they boarded the plane without Ruth, Bethanne was afraid her mother-in-law would miss the flight. Ruth was the last person to walk on, having waited outside security as long as she could in order to be with Royce. When she settled into her seat next to Bethanne, her face glowed with happiness.
”Royce is booking his flight to Seattle right this minute,” she said, fastening her seat belt.
”So you'll be together again soon.”
Ruth nodded. ”Bethanne,” she whispered, ”am I an old fool? Is it possible to fall in love again at my age?”
”Ruth, good grief, you're not old! Besides, age shouldn't matter. Does Royce make you happy?”
”Oh, yes, but, well, there are complications. His family's in Florida and mine is in Was.h.i.+ngton.”
”Your family's grown,” Bethanne continued. ”You can come for visits and vice versa.”
”My friends are in Seattle.”
”Same goes for them. Plus you'll make new friends and reconnect with old ones.” Bethanne leaned over and squeezed her arm. ”Do you love Royce?”
”With all my heart, and he loves me.”
”Then you'll work something out.”
Ruth went very still. ”I wish it was that simple. I think these weeks apart will be good for us. They'll give us time to mull over some decisions.”
”They will,” Bethanne agreed, although she hoped Ruth would be more successful at reaching a conclusion than she'd been.
Grant sat with Annie across the aisle, and they had their heads close together almost the entire flight. More than once Grant laughed out loud at something Annie said, and she basked in her father's approval. There was no sign of the angry, rebellious girl Annie had been at sixteen.
Bethanne took the opportunity to knit, while Ruth watched a movie. When they landed in Seattle, Andrew was waiting in baggage claim. Bethanne's spirits rose the instant she saw her son.
”Andrew,” she said, rus.h.i.+ng forward. Her six-foot-tall son threw his arms around her and lifted her from the ground.
”Welcome home,” he said.
”It's good to be back.” Bethanne felt as though she'd been away far longer than eighteen days. She wanted to unpack her suitcase the minute she stepped into the house and start a load of laundry. And then she'd walk from room to room in a small private ritual she had, something she did whenever she'd been traveling. She'd touch all the things she loved the most, the objects and pictures and mementos that made this house her home, home, the one place on earth where she truly belonged and that belonged to her. the one place on earth where she truly belonged and that belonged to her.
”I thought your father phoned and told you he was giving me a ride.” Bethanne slipped her arm around Andrew's waist.