Return to Audubon Springs (Brothers of Audubon Springs) by DeFranco RoseAnn

Author:DeFranco, RoseAnn [DeFranco, RoseAnn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary, Family Life/Oriented
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Published: 2013-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The house was bathed in the dark quiet of morning when she pulled into the driveway well past three. One dim light glowed on the front porch. Did Rafe leave the light on for her? Did he wait up? Emma studied the house. The moisture of morning clung to her skin while the calming lull of the ocean in the distance and the morning wakeup calls of the seagulls created a mystical tranquility to the start of the day.

He deserved the truth and so much more from her. Over the last few hours she grieved for the love they’d been denied and played out every possible scenario in which to tell him about Elana. None of them turned out well. She prayed she’d make it into the house undetected as exhaustion wept in her bones. She climbed the porch steps as quiet as possible, and reached for the door handle.

“If you wanted to sneak in, you should have parked up the street and snuck in through the back.” She jumped at the sound of his voice.

“Oh, dear God, Rafe, you scared me.” She took a tentative step toward the depths of the porch where he stood in the shadows.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, but you don’t necessarily mind that you did.”

Rafe laughed low and took a few steps toward her, out of the shadows.

“And I wasn’t sneaking in. I just didn’t want to wake anyone.”

“Sorry, not buying.” He stood close to her now in the dim light. “You know, when we were young, on rainy days I’d always find you sitting out on this porch.”

“It was my favorite part of the house.”

“Yeah, you spent a lot of time out here with your dad, but sometimes, I’d ride by on my bike and you were alone. I couldn’t help but stop. Did you ever wonder why?”

She spent as much time out on the porch as possible alone in the hopes he’d see her and do just that. “When we were little, I thought you were just being nice. Then when we got older, I thought you were teasing me because you knew I had a hopeless crush on you. After that it didn’t really matter. I was just happy you did.”

“I couldn’t help but want to be with you. It never made sense, but even as a kid there was something special about you. I think I was more myself with you than anyone else. When I think of the things I shared with you over the years, like poetry, my brothers would have laughed in my face. Even my mother wouldn’t have understood, but with you, it was natural and safe.”

“Are you still writing poetry?”

“I’ve written a million poems, Emma. Most of them are about you. Even when they aren’t, they are.”

Emma lowered her head and closed her eyes, absorbing this. He wouldn’t lie about his writing, something he kept so private for so long. Then she thought of all the poems he’d feel compelled to write when he knew the truth.

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