Holiday Homecoming Secrets. Lynette Eason

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      Jade wanted to ask what he meant by that, but her heart was thumping so loudly, she wouldn’t be surprised if Bryce could hear it.

      Did he know?

      No. There was no way he possibly could. She’d planned to tell him, of course, but time had passed, and her secret had become hers and hers alone—albeit an unintentional secret. Her parents didn’t even know everything. “What are you doing back here in Cedar Canyon?” She put the vehicle into Drive and pulled away from the scene. It would take her a short five minutes to get to Frank’s place. She doubted Bryce could tell her everything in that amount of time.

      But he could start.

      “It’s been six years since you disappeared,” she said. “Six years, Bryce, and no word. Nothing.” A surge of anger swept through her and she did her best to choke it back—only because she wanted to hear what he had to say for himself.

      He flicked a glance in her direction. “I know how long it’s been.”

      “And it didn’t occur to you that people would want to hear from you? That people might have things they’d like to...ah...share with you?”

      He shook his head and sighed. “It did, but I—”

      “You even ignored Kristy. Your own sister. She was devastated. Do you know she confessed to me that she even thought you were dead at one point until Frank told her he’d spoken to you on a regular basis?”

      “It’s not like I chose that path!” The words snapped from him quick as a whip.

      She flinched. “Oh really? So, who chose it for you?”

      “Whoever planted that IED in the middle of the road and blew up my Humvee. That’s who.” He slapped a hand against the dash and drew in a deep breath.

      “Oh.” She fell silent, waiting for him to continue, afraid he would and equally afraid he wouldn’t.

      “Yeah,” he said.

      “I’m sorry.”

      “I am, too.”

      A pause.

      “Still could have called or something,” she said.

      He gave a short snort of a laugh. “I could have. Should have, yes. And yes, I regret that I didn’t, but I was dealing with stuff. Unfortunately, I can’t change the past.”

      “No one can,” she said softly. Boy, was that the truth. Ask him. Ask him why he didn’t call after Frank told him to.

      He pulled to a stop at the curb. “We’re here.”

      “And so is Frank’s car.” The ranch-style one-story brick house sat on a one-acre plot. Thanks to the barely-there sliver of a moon, the darkness pressed in on them, making it hard to see anything but what the porch light illuminated. Brightly colored lights outlined the perimeter of the roof, and Frank had attached a gold star to the top of the chimney. Christmas was just around the corner, and Frank was fastidious about his decorations. Jade didn’t have to see anything else to know the yard was immaculate. He used gardening and yard work as his stress reliever. Saves me a ton of money on therapy bills, he’d once told her.

      “He’s getting the place ready for him and Heather,” she said. “Spends all of his spare time working on it. Heather helps on her days off.”

      “The wedding’s coming up soon.”

      “Two weeks away.”

      He nodded and tapped the wheel. “I always thought I’d be in his wedding.” He sighed. “Life sure does throw you some curveballs sometimes, doesn’t it?” Before Jade could answer, he said, “Was he acting okay with you?”

      “I guess. I see more of Heather these days than I do him. Why?”

      He shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t really explain it. I’ve been talking to him over the last few weeks, and he seemed like he had something on his mind. Like something was bothering him.”

      “The latest story he was going after?”

      “Could be. I mean, yeah, he was focused on that, but I was just under the impression there was something else.” He opened the car door and stepped out. “Let’s ask him.”

      Jade followed him up the porch steps and waited while Bryce rang the bell. “Where are you staying?” she asked him. “At your parents’ place?”

      “That mausoleum? No thanks. I’m staying with Kristy and John.” His parents were wealthy and retired, which meant they were rarely at home.

      “Sounds like things haven’t changed much between you and your parents.”

      “Nope.”

      And he wasn’t going to elaborate. No surprise there. He’d never liked talking about them even as a teen. “Are the boys loving having you there?” Kristy and her husband, John, had two boys that Bryce had never met before his return.

      “Of course. I’m really enjoying getting to know them.” He swallowed hard. “I hate that I’ve missed so much. I’ll regret that forever.”

      At the husky wistfulness in his voice, Jade shut her eyes for a brief moment. “You could have come home sooner,” she said softly.

      “I know that now, but back then, I...” He cleared his throat. “Coming home wasn’t an option. I’ll just have to make up for lost time with them.”

      “They’re four and eighteen months old. They won’t even know their uncle wasn’t there.”

      “But I know.”

      She shot a sideways glance at him. “I thought you didn’t like kids.”

      He blinked. “What? Of course I like kids. СКАЧАТЬ