Lost Loves of Meadow Lane

Chapter 10

September 7, 1910

"Mom, I'm home," Edward called as he slipped through the front door. To him, everything looked the same as when he had left, until his mother entered from the kitchen. She looked older, her hair more gray.

Caught by surprise when she saw him, Elizabeth dropped the ceramic bowl she was carrying, which broke as it hit the floor. He had changed. He was no longer lanky or scrawny. His shoulders were broader and his arms thicker. His hair was longer too, and fell across his eyes until he pushed it away. His eyes were still the greenest she had ever seen, but there were dark circles under them, as if he hadn't slept a wink since his departure.

"Oh, Edward," she whispered before launching herself at him. She had missed him in the most horrible of ways. He was all she had left of her husband and looked more like him than he ever had before. When Edward glanced down at his mother, the smile they shared didn't reach his eyes.

Elizabeth Masen had changed as well. Her hair had more gray twisted through the coppery color they shared. She looked much older and frailer than she had just six months prior. He could see the sadness etched in the lines of her face and eyes when she looked up at him.

"My, haven't you grown. Your hair... it's so long now. You're not my little boy anymore," she said, patting him on the chest. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. How are you?"

"Me? I'm fine. Much better now that you're here," Elisabeth said wiping away a stray tear.

"Well, I wanted you to know where I am and that I have a plan now."

Elizabeth coaxed her son into the living room before bringing them both some tea so they could talk. She hoped maybe Edward had met someone new and wouldn't ask about Bella. She didn't know how she was going to tell him everything that had happened since his departure.

"So..." she prodded, letting him know she was ready to hear what he had to say. Her heart felt the lightest it had in months. Her son was here.

"Well, I bought a parcel of land, and when I'm not working on the mountain, I'm clearing it to build a house. One big enough for you and Bella," he began. "What's wrong?" he asked as his mother's expression fell and she stared at the floor. Tears pricked behind her eyes, hearing the concern in her son's voice.

"Edward... you need to forget about Isabella. I'm mean—, " She watched the color fade from her son's face. His heart was breaking all over again, and still there was nothing she could do. "I'm sorry . . . so, so, sorry, Edward," She didn't continue until he nodded in understanding. "She was married the day after you left. She's moved on, Edward." Elizabeth knew that if she told him the truth, the whole truth, her son would be wanted for murder. The only thing she could do was try to dissuade him from seeking her out and learning the truth on his own.

"But she isn't eighteen yet! She wasn't supposed to be married until her eighteenth birthday on September thirteenth...that's next week. That is why I'm back now," Edward said confused.

"I'm sorry, Edward, but according to Mr. Witherdale, Bella's birthday was March third."

"I see," Edward said, but he didn't understand, at all. He was trying to figure out how he could move on after what they shared. They continued to talk about how life was treating them. Elizabeth was scared for her son after he told her what he was doing for a living. She had read how dangerous his job could be. By evening, Edward had highlighted the changes that had taken place since he had left. He wrote down an address where he could be contacted. He included the plot number where his property was located outside of Gulfport. He promised to would contact her as soon as the house was finished. The area always needed a good teacher, and he was looking forward to having her around again. Without Bella, there was no reason to stay any longer. The sooner he returned to Gulfport and finished the house, the sooner his mother could join him. He also would run the risk of seeing Bella with someone else.

2011

"So, Jasper, what did you do this week?" Sam asked, looping an apron around his neck and tying it in the back.

"Not much. Watched some television," he replied with an easy lie. Fact was, Jasper kept busy and felt invisible all week. He hadn't planned it that way; he just hadn't been lucky enough to catch Alice's attention. With nothing better to do, he'd done whatever he saw in front of him. Even as he filled the rack with dishes, in the back of his mind he tried to formulate a scenario of approaching Alice that didn't have him looking like a stalker. Part of him didn't want the house back, but there was a side of him that didn't want to let go of it either. Maybe his life could be set on the right track now that the house belonged to someone else.

Jasper's mind wandered back to his second visit. Alice hadn't been there, but the front door was unlocked. He looked around for her, calling her name but received no answer. He noticed a binder on the coffee table sitting next to a half empty cup of cold coffee. Sitting on the couch, he flipped through the pages of her notes and ideas she had to bring the house back to life. Her neat penmanship intrigued him because his own was barely legible. Alice had thought long and hard about how she wanted to fix up the old house. In fact, it was very similar to how he always thought the house was supposed to look. There were detailed drawings, along with precise measurements for every project that had been completed or was still in the works.

Flipping through the pages of the notebook, the detailed drawing of the bathroom caught his attention. "Nice," he said, turning the page to the specs. He read her notes, then strolled upstairs to see in what stage of repair the bathroom was. "If you leave it like this, missy, you're gonna have trouble," he mumbled, inspecting the copper pipes and looking at her solder joints. He knew they would leak, and whoever had tried to put them together, didn't know how to solder worth a lick. Everything he needed was there, next to where the sink and toilet would eventually be. He knew he needed to fix them right. After completing the solder joints, he carefully measured the wall before adding a piece of sheet rock. Unlike the rock outside he had fixed with a few shovels of dirt to cover the exposed corner, the bathroom would be a noticeable fix. There would be no deniability this time.

But what now? How did he explain to her this pull he felt toward her without scaring her? How could he tell her that he felt something for her without knowing her?

Other than her light green eyes, Alice was almost the spitting image of his great-grandmother, Isabella Masen. Their skin was the same pale cream color, and if Alice's hair was pulled back in a braid, you wouldn't be able to tell the two apart. The resemblance between them still freaked him out, but there was something else too, something he was struggling to figure out himself. Every time he looked at Alice, it was as if he was transported back in time. There was also a childlike innocence she had that disturbed him.

His great-grandmother would be disappointed if she were still alive and knew that the house she had raised his grandfather in was no longer the family homestead. Her marriage to his great-grandfather was described as a tragic storybook romance, and it was rumored later that she married again, but there was no record found after his death in 1912.

Jasper didn't remember much about his grandfather Riley either, except for stories his mother or grandmother told him. Somewhere, he had a picture of them together when he was two, just before he died. Now, the only family he had left was his Mother, Abby Whitlock.

His mother, Abby, had told Jasper how much he resembled his grandfather. He had his grandfather's eyes and smile. He had his mother's nose, cheeks, and chin, but his blond hair came from his father.

They didn't talk about his father much, but Jasper knew deep down that his mother had loved him right up until she met her second husband. Jasper still had a few good memories of his father that hadn't been tainted by resentment, but he never understand why he had just up and left. The last few years gave him a more mature look into his fathers life. Jasper wasn't the same after serving in the military, either. But would he leave his family at some point in time, too? The thought made him shudder, and the chill that ran down his spine brought him back to reality.

"That's it... you watched television?" Sam asked, amazed. "Man, we need to get you a life."

"What?" Jasper asked, coming back to the present.

"It's worse than I thought. We need to get you laid, man," Sam said, laughing.

"No, thank you," Jasper replied, dragging out his words, his southern accent in full force. Jasper quirked an eyebrow as he spoke, making Sam laugh harder. "What?"

"God, what I wouldn't give for that accent. I would have had my pick for female companionship in high school. I bet the women throw themselves at you."

"I reckon... but I wouldn't want a woman who threw herself at me. She'd have to be either desperate, married, or mental."

"So you say. I know better," Sam said, looking through the window of the double doors that lead into the restaurant.

Jasper was confused, but let it go and stacked more dishes.

"You wouldn't see it coming, would you?" Sam said, pushing past Jasper's lack of response.

"What are you two fools talking about now?" Amanda asked as she barreled through the door. "Ben, I need a burger and a vanilla Pepsi," she added, yelling towards the kitchen.

"Nothing," Jasper said softly, but Sam's booming voice drowned out him out.

"Jasper's love life!"

"Well, now. Ain't that interesting?" Amanda replied, taking stock of Jasper's demeanor.

a/n

Good Morning Ya'll! Contrary to popular belief, yes, I am still alive. I'm in between semesters for a couple of weeks, so I want to update a few chapters if I can.

Thank you Belynda, Jennifer, Story! This story would have never seen the light of day without you. You ladies are saints to put up with me for so long. Xoxoxoxoxo.

I know it has been awhile since I last updated and I hope you are sticking it out with me. I promise, I will continue to edit chapters as fast as I can and post until the story is complete. I hope you will still READ, REVIEW, AND RESHARE.