"I knew I'd find you here," Hallie Regan said softly to her husband.
Bill was sitting on the stump of an old willow tree, which had been hollowed out and carved to look like a sort of stool. Although the tree that was once there had long since died and fallen down, the remaining stump served as a reminder of something very special. This was the spot where Bill and Hallie had shared their first kiss.
Hallie smiled down at the man she loved and tried not to laugh at the silly way his large frame was folded in such an awkward position. It appeared as if he were a giant sitting on doll furniture.
"That can't be comfortable," she smirked.
"It's not."
"Then, get up and let's go back to the party."
"I don't think that's a good idea right now," Bill sighed and gave his wife a sheepish look. "Daniel's probably really mad at me, huh?"
"Oh, I think he'll get over it," Hallie said gently. She leaned against a fallen log resting at an angle against the tree to his right and crossed her arms lazily. "When I left him to find you, he had calmed down and was actually sort of laughing at how ridiculous this whole thing is. Honestly, dear, think about it. You know, it couldn't possibly be true, right?"
"Well, I've …sort of…realized that…since I've been sitting here…"
"I mean, why would you even think such a thing in the first place? Hello…Ashley's had enough chemo in her lifetime to kill a horse. Even if they were careless enough to be sexually active, which I completely trust they aren't, I don't think pregnancy is something we have to worry about with her."
Bill closed his eyes and shook his head in embarrassment.
"Look, I…okay I…I've figured that out now, but…well…you know…this is actually Nick's fault. He's the one who came over to me and said…"
"Nick?" Hallie interrupted. "Oh boy, this ought to be good." She couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the thought of Brian Belden's youngest son who always seemed to stir up trouble by accident.
"It's true," Bill continued. "He went over to sit with Daniel and Ashley at their table and was listening to them talk about someone being pregnant and so…for some reason, he must have thought it was Ashley."
"Well, it's not." Hallie threw her hands up in frustration. "Don't you remember Will telling us about Isabella the other day when he came home for dinner? Isabella's pregnant, Bill. Not Ashley. Isabella!"
The two of them stared at each other for a tense moment and then suddenly burst out with riotous laughter. As awkward as the scene between Bill and Daniel had been, the preposterous nature of Bill's hasty conclusion was now hilarious to them. The more they tried not to laugh, the more they continued to giggle.
"I…I don't...suppose…Ashley will ever…want to come to…another family…dinner party with us, now…" Regan sputtered through his crazy laughter.
"Not without battle armor," Hallie sighed. She wiped away the tears that had escaped through her lids as she had been laughing and offered her hand to her husband who was now struggling to stand up. "Good grief, Bill. We sure know how to ruin a good time, don't we?"
"How's that?"
Now fully upright in front of her, he stood with his hands on his hips and tilted his head in mock innocence.
"Oh, you know. The way we let our emotions get the best of us."
"Hmmm. Maybe that's true." Bill said with a slow smile. "But, I guess it wouldn't be a real family gathering if one of us didn't get mad or shout at someone or…"
"…or pass out," Hallie finished for him.
They both gave another chuckle.
"No, let's don't make that last one a traditional thing, okay?" Regan let his smile die away as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. His expression suddenly got serious again. "You really scared me at the hospital, Hallie. I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my whole life."
"No sweat. I'm fine now."
"Well…you've always been fine..." he let his words drift off suggestively.
After staring at her for a few minutes and letting her shake her head at him, Bill bent to claim her lips in a gentle kiss. Hallie was pleasantly surprised at his actions despite her earlier frustration with his gross misunderstanding; she felt a little disappointed when he abruptly stopped and pulled back to look down at her with another serious stare.
"I guess Daniel's waiting for me to come and apologize, huh?" he asked pointedly.
"Probably not. I told him I'd explain things to you and calm you down. I'm sure he knows it could take some time."
"Oh, really? Because I'm just so unreasonable and all, right?"
"Something like that." Hallie raised her eyebrows in a teasing manner.
"I see how it is."
The loving couple drew closer to one another for another slow kiss. For Hallie, it was the perfect remedy for all the discomfort she had been feeling inside since she unloaded years worth of pent up guilt on her cousins. She had needed her husband's touch to make her catharsis complete. By the way he was anticipating her needs and responding accordingly, Hallie guessed he could feel her emotional release.
"You needed that, huh?" He whispered in her ear when he finally broke the kiss.
"So much."
"Yeah? And, does this have anything to do with you going off with Trixie earlier?"
He continued to kiss her, trailing down her face and neck, which made it difficult for Hallie to get out an answer to his question.
"I…uh…I...what?"
Regan gave a husky laugh and looked at her with a grin.
"She showed you the jacket, didn't she?"
"You knew she still had it?" Hallie couldn't help but feel a little betrayed.
"Who do you think made the frame for her?"
He gently lifted one finger under her chin to close her gaping mouth.
"Don't be upset. I told Trixie to wait until you were ready before she showed it to you again." He kissed her forehead. "Were you ready?"
Hallie remembered why this man had captured her heart so completely. He knew her as he knew himself. They were truly one.
"Yes. And, I think I'm not the only one who needs to let go of a little guilt."
Regan gave another sheepish grin and pulled her to him in a warm embrace.
"I think I already did. When you were lying in that hospital."
"Oh no. Not you, too," Hallie whined.
"No, don't panic. I didn't make any bargains with God or anything crazy like that."
Again, Hallie let her jaw slack in disbelief.
"You keep doing that and a fly is gonna get in," Bill teased.
"Were you listening to my conversation with Mart?"
"Didn't have to. We've talked about this before, you know."
"Yeah, but…"
"No buts, darling," he said with a smile. "And no more bargains, either. You know, what did it for me was seeing our son beat himself up over what happened to you when he had nothing to do with it. In fact, if what Di said is true, Will saved your life by catching you before your head hit the floor. He was a hero, but all he could do was blame himself. He sounded just like me. And, not just in my guilt about Dan, either. Sure, I've never gotten over not being there with him when he passed, but do you have any idea how many times I've kicked myself for taking Daniel's cell phone away from him the day before his accident? I know he wouldn't have had enough cell coverage in the preserve to have dialed for help, but for some reason I kept thinking it was my fault that he lay out here for three hours. It's crazy, Hal. And, I see it now." His arms tightened around her in a gentle squeeze, and he kissed the top of her head. "I'm just glad we're both seeing how stupid we've been, holding in all this guilt for so long."
"It feels good to just…let it go…doesn't it?" Hallie felt as if she were melting into Bill's strong chest as she relaxed against him. A weight had been lifted from them both.
"God, yes," he sighed. "Like a second, second chance."
Hallie couldn't help but smile as his words brought to mind another time when she wanted nothing more than to be lost in his embrace. When their love for each other had just been discovered, and their personal insecurities were first surfacing.
I know it was a long time ago, she thought to herself, but it seems like only yesterday…
