Bring Me Home for Christmas (Virgin River #16)(36)

“I’ll be down shortly.” She turned the bedside clock toward her. It was still early on Sunday morning—with any luck, she wouldn’t have to just leave voice mails. “Go on now. Let me get going.”

Once he’d gone, she dove right in. She called her mother’s cell phone first. “Hey,” she said when Beverly Timm answered. “How was Cabo?”

“How is Cabo, you mean. Glorious! It’s the best idea I’ve had in years! We’re going to be on our way to the airport in a couple of hours, home by late afternoon. And how is Cape Cod?”

“Well, that’s why I’m calling. At the last minute, I changed my mind and I came to Virgin River with Rich. To hunt.”

“You what?” Beverly asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Okay, I didn’t change my mind about Cape Cod at the very last minute, but almost. I wanted to see Denny.”

Dead silence answered her, so she hurried on.

“I had the sense that Doug was getting serious,” Becca said. “I needed to be sure this was resolved somehow, this traumatic thing between me and Denny. I knew it wouldn’t be fair to either me or Doug to try to move ahead with our relationship if there was unfinished business. I had to know.”

“Resolved? What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure,” Becca said. “In the past? No hard feelings? Over and time to finally really move on? I don’t know, Mom. I just know that, even though I was with Doug, I still found myself wondering what happened between me and Denny. I don’t want that. I don’t want to wonder.”

“And, did you go up to that little town and throw yourself at him?” Beverly asked somewhat bitterly.

“Not at all. However, I did throw myself out of Rich’s truck and break my ankle. I have a splint and crutches. In fact, I had a surgical procedure and then a splint. And now Rich is on his way home, while I’m stuck here for another week. Denny said he’d drive me home after the doctor takes the stitches out.”

Silence again. “All right, let me get this right,” Beverly finally said. “You went to Virgin River to see Denny, while we thought you were with Doug, and now you have a broken ankle and can’t come home with your brother?”

“Well, Rich does have to work tomorrow. He couldn’t hang around any longer.”

“Becca, for the love of God! What are you thinking?”

She took a breath. “I’m thinking, this is the rest of my life. I’m not taking any chances. I’m not going to spend years wondering or brooding over a man who abandoned me and I’m not going to move forward with a man I’m not sure is the right one for me. That’s what I’m thinking. That some things have to be complete.”

“And is this thing with Denny complete?” her mother asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

“I will tell you this—we’ve made a little progress. I now understand some of the things he was going through when he left for Afghanistan. Things I never would have known if I hadn’t made this trip.”

“And does he understand some of the things he put you through?”

“What’s more important to me, Mom, is that we all get past the hurts so we can go forward.”

“But, Becca, you’re too different,” Beverly said. “You were never really right for each other. You come from completely different backgrounds and families. You and Doug seem such a good fit—your families are similar, you have both parents and siblings, you both went to college, you have similar interests. And unless there’s something you haven’t told me, Doug has never treated you badly. I knew right away that Doug was much more appropriate for you.”

“You’ve used that word before, I think. Appropriate.”

“The minute I met him, I knew—this is more the type of man I expected you to attract. To marry. You have similar goals. His family is stable. Successful.”

“Funny. Doug said something very similar….”

“See there?” Beverly said.

“He said, ‘Becca, you’re the kind of woman who looks like the wife of a lawyer.’”

“There you go. Really, there should be no question. You’ve been with Doug for a year! You and Denny broke up a long time ago. Why didn’t you just come home with Rich?” she asked.

“Because the doctor was against the idea,” she said. “Too long a drive, danger of swelling under the splint or even blood clots. I’ll see the doctor on Friday. Denny said he’d drive me home, but of course, I can always catch a flight.”

“And you’re staying where?”

“In Denny’s apartment.”

“Oh, my God,” she said weakly.

Becca laughed in spite of herself. “It’s one-room over a garage, an efficiency. He’s letting me use it.”

“And where is he staying? Never mind, I don’t want to know. Becca, this is a huge mistake. Doug might never understand! Who would expect him to?”

“Mom, I didn’t do this so that Doug could understand. I did this in hopes that I might finally understand. Like I said, this is the rest of my life. I intend to be sure.”

Nine

Oddly enough, that conversation with her mother made telling Doug what she was doing all that much easier. She couldn’t count the number of times Beverly had openly said, with great relief, He’s so much more right for you! But today was the first time she put that statement with Doug’s. You’re the right kind of woman to be married to a lawyer or even a senator.