He wished he knew how to approach Jacqui with his new realization. Should he ask her out again, try to start all over with her? Or simply tell her the truth—that he missed her, that he’d been a fool to take so long to figure out what he’d been looking for all this time?
Would she give him another chance, or would she build yet another invisible wall between them? When would the time be right—if ever—for him to tell her what he felt?
Jacqui jabbed the doorbell button at LaDonna’s house Sunday morning before she could change her mind. Mitch had moved out of the hotel and into his mother’s house since she’d been hospitalized. Jacqui had driven there straight from an early visit with LaDonna. She had taken fresh flowers to decorate the hospital room in preparation for the after-church visitors who were sure to stop by later that day, and after talking with LaDonna, she had immediately come in search of Mitch.
She had taken a risk that he’d still be here. His car was in the driveway, so it looked as though she’d arrived in time to catch him. She was a little nervous but determined to talk to him.
He looked surprised when he opened the door to him. He smiled automatically to greet her, then stopped smiling in response to her expression. “What’s wrong? Has something else happened?”
“Why did you cancel your trip to Peru?” she demanded without preamble.
He frowned. “What?”
“I just left your mom’s room. She’s very upset with you for canceling your trip.”
“How did she find out? I haven’t even told her yet.”
“One of your friends told Madison, who told your mother, who told me. Why, Mitch?”
“Come inside, okay? No need to have this conversation on the porch.” He ushered her in and closed the door behind her before saying, “I would think it’s obvious why I canceled. I can’t take a trip to South America with my mother just out of the hospital.”
“She knew that was the reason, and she feels terrible about it. Your trip isn’t for another two weeks. She’ll be out of the hospital long before that, and your sisters and I will be here to take care of her. There’s no need for you to stay.”
“I just want to make sure she’s okay. It’ll take a couple of weeks for her to get her strength back and for us to make sure the treatments are working well and that she hasn’t done any lasting damage. Anemia can wreak havoc on internal organs, even weaken the heart, you know.”
“Your mother’s heart has been checked very carefully, and it’s undamaged,” Jacqui shot back. “She’ll have a period of recuperation, but I’ve heard the doctors say they expect a complete recovery. With proper treatment and precautions, she’ll be just fine.”
“Still, I’ll be around to keep an eye on her here. I know you and Meagan and Maddie will all be available to her, but I need to know for myself that she’s okay.”
Jacqui planted her hands on her hips and studied his face with a frown. She read him very well these days. “You’re blaming yourself because she got so sick, aren’t you?”
Pushing a hand through his hair, he sighed. “You tried to tell me. I should have listened.”
“She kept telling you she was fine, Mitch. You couldn’t read her mind.”
“No, but I should have seen just how thin and pale she had become. I was too wrapped up in my own issues, with work and the fire and planning for the trip and…”
And with her, she added mentally when his voice trailed off.
“Go on your trip, Mitch,” she said more gently. “You’ve been looking forward to it for so long. Your mother wants you to go. She’ll feel awful if you miss it because of her.”
“It’s too late,” he said with a slight shrug. “I’ve already canceled. I called first thing Thursday morning. I lost my deposit, but that’s no big deal. I’d rather stay here and make sure Mom’s okay. To be honest, I’d sort of lost enthusiasm about the trip anyway.”
Frowning, she took a step closer to him, trying to determine if that was the truth. “But why? You were so excited about it.”
“Because you weren’t going to be there,” he answered simply.
She stared at him in shock. That was one answer she had not expected at all. “I don’t—”
“I didn’t want to go that far away from you. Not until I had a chance to tell you how much I’ve missed seeing you. Being with you. I’ve been trying to find the right time, the right words, to convince you that we’re a perfect match, no matter how different our backgrounds might be.”
“I, uh— I think I need to sit down.” She sank onto LaDonna’s comfortable, overstuffed flowered couch, her head spinning a little.
Mitch sat beside her, looking at her so intently she flushed. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to say,” she admitted, having been completely unprepared for this conversation.
“I’m trying to say I love you, Jacqui. Something I should have told you the night you sent me away.”
Shock jolted through her again, making her glad she was sitting down this time. “You…?”