Author's Note: Sorry it's a short one again but it's where the story is breaking. Happy Reading. Dark rolling sea.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Rachel woke just before the sun came up. She watched Tom sleep for a little while before she left the bedroom. She found a throw blanket on the couch and took it outside with her. Wrapping the blanket around her body she sat down on the stairs to the front porch and watched as the sun came up over the horizon. Her mind was spinning with the memories of last night. She heard the front door creak open, and someone come out onto the porch with her. She sat still and pulled the blanket closer around her. She was hoping it wasn't Tom coming out because she wasn't sure if she was ready to face him yet.
"Pretty sunrise," Jed said as he sat down next to her. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and glanced at Tom's father. Rachel nodded slowly.
"It is." She replied. Jed smiled at her and studied her face. Rachel tried to hide the turmoil in her face, but she was pretty sure the elder Chandler was reading her like a book.
"Something happen last night?" he asked softly. Rachel looked away and sighed. She thought about what she wanted to say, if anything at all. She was torn between wanting to talk about it, and not knowing Jed well enough to open up to him. She thought about how Jed would be a part of her life from here on out if things with Tom worked out in her favor. She looked at the older Chandler, seeing some of Tom looking back at her.
"Yes," she replied softly, dropping her eyes down to look at the grass. She worked to form her thoughts into coherent feelings so she could talk about it. Jed Chandler sat there patiently staring off into the quiet morning, waiting for her to continue. Rachel pondered some more about continuing her train of thought.
"Tom's good at command. He excels in the Navy, with the structure and the rules. He's always struggled with the personal aspect of life. Give him time. I know my son loves you very much," Jed said softly. Rachel looked at him and nodded.
"I know that. And I know that he loved…still loves Darien," Rachel said with a sigh. "He's been working through his guilt, and we've grown much closer in the last month, but…"
"But being here awakened the memories of Darien," Tom finished. Rachel nodded slowly.
"Yes. He knew it would. We talked about it. He told me our relationship moved faster than he had anticipated because we were at sea. He could keep his memories of her separate because there were no memories of her on the Nathan James, but here…here was his life with her. I know it's just going to take time, but it doesn't mean its not going to…hurt along the way."
"Ashley will come around too," Jed said. Rachel looked at her hands and pursed her lips.
"I certainly hope so. But I can also understand her feelings that he is betraying her mother. Tom is struggling with the exact same issues from time to time."
"Maybe the two of them can work it out together," Jed said with a smile. Rachel felt her lips pull up into a smile for a brief moment.
"Maybe helping her work through it will help him," Rachel said softly. "Part of me thinks I should just stay elsewhere for now, but I know Tom doesn't really want that."
"I don't suppose he does. Although I think it will be easier for him in the long run to face all these feelings with you in sight. It will force him to deal with them instead of bottling them up."
"I suppose you may be right."
"Don't give up on my boy. He's a good man even if he did become a Squid," Jed replied. Rachel chuckled a little and nodded.
"I don't intend to," she whispered. The door opened again, and she heard footsteps on the porch.
"There you two are," Tom's voice expressed. Rachel looked at Jed Chandler and smiled.
"Busted," he whispered with a laugh. Rachel smiled and then looked over her shoulder at Tom and smiled at him. She could see the apprehension in his eyes. She looked back out into the yard, noticing the sun was fully up now. Jed reached over and squeezed her shoulder as he stood. He bent down his mouth next to her ear. "I'm always around if you need to talk."
With that he walked back towards the house, laying a hand on his son's shoulder as he passed. Tom looked from his dad to Rachel. Rachel huddled deeper into the blanket and sighed. Tom moved slowly and sat down next to her, where Jed had been.
"Are we okay?" he asked tentively. The unsureness of his voice hurt her core and she fought the burning sensation in her eyes.
"We will be," she said. His arm reached out and draped over her shoulders, his hand squeezing her arm. She leaned into his embrace, her cheek resting against his shoulder. His head settled gently against the top of hers.
"I'm sorry about last night. I…wanted…I don't know, but I'm sorry."
"It's okay. We knew this was going to be hard, we talked about it."
"But I feel foolish," Tom whispered. "I feel…broken."
"I told you before, you are not broken," she whispered back to him. She felt him nod against her head. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's comfort and touch.
To Be Continued…
