Trish Edmisten is the author of several novels, including Extraordinary Will, a Reader Views Literary Award Winner. Her work has appeared in Writer’s Journal, Creative With Words and A Long Story Short. Besides being an author, she holds a degree in criminology. Trish lives in Fresno, California with her husband and their two daughters. To learn more about Trish, visit her website www.trishedmisten.com. You can also follow her on Twitter, @trishthewriter and be sure you follow her blog trishthewriter@blogspot.com.
Like You Mean It
Extraordinary Will
Time for Love Series:
This Time
Next Time
Tough Times
It’s About Time
Taking On Love Series:
Taking a Gamble
Taking a Chance
Taking a Risk
The Lincoln Brothers:
Letters from Linc
After All These Years
Keep reading for an excerpt from After All These Years, now available.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me in to this.”
Erica smiled. “Sure you can. It’ll be fun.”
Cory doubted that. In the sixteen years they’d known each other, they always had different ideas of fun. Sixteen years. It didn’t seem possible she could be old enough to say she’d known someone sixteen years. Their first meeting came when they were just thirteen-year-old seventh graders. Now, here they were twenty-nine years old and still best friends. That friendship was the only reason she agreed to help out with the homecoming party for Erica’s brother-in-law. That and the fact that she hadn’t seen Gabriel in so long that she was curious to see how he’d turned out.
“Let me just make sure I have everything, and then we can go,” Erica said.
While Erica flitted about the house, Cory stood in the entryway and thought again about what a great house Erica lived in. She and her husband got a good deal on it. During the housing decline, they’d managed to snag one of the few foreclosures that were in good shape. ‘Otherwise, we couldn’t have afforded something like this’, Erica said more than once.
“Almost ready,” Erica assured her as she came to set a couple of grocery bags by the front door. “Linc!”
Erica’s husband came out of his office.
God, that man is good-looking! A tall blond with blue eyes, he had that all-American-boy-next-door look. Despite being almost thirty years old, he still had a lean physique. The only thing that kept him from being perfect was the awkward way he walked. Linc was just twenty-two when he’d broken both of his knees. For a time, he used a wheelchair before he graduated to a walker. Once he shed the walker, Cory expected him to go for crutches, or at the very least a cane, but he was adamant that he wanted to walk on his own.
When he said hello to her, Linc offered her a grin that made him look even sexier. Of course, he was probably oblivious to his effect on her. That was the kind of person he was. She figured it went hand in hand with being such a religious zealot.
To be fair, he wasn’t as bad as the people that came banging on her door at the worst possible times to shove their Jesus pamphlets down her throat. As the preacher’s son, he took his religion seriously. The guy was even a youth group leader at his dad’s church.
While his walk kept him from physical perfection, his religion kept him from being a perfect mate. At least for her it did. There was no way she wanted to be Erica. They practically lived at the church. Erica was even teaching Sunday school.
Though she told herself that wasn’t what she wanted, Cory watched the exchange of affection between Erica and Linc with a little jealousy. Even after seven years of marriage, they still seemed as in love now as they’d been when they first met. In fact, they seemed even more in love.
Too bad she and Jeremy hadn’t fared as well. Not everyone could be that lucky though. Nobody else she knew was that lucky, and while she was happy for her friend, she was still envious.
“Tell Mom not to worry and it’s not a big deal if we’re a little late.”
The sound of Linc’s voice pulled Cory from her thoughts.
“I’ll tell her, but I don’t think it will make a difference.” Erica laughed.
After subjecting Cory to watching one last kiss, Linc extricated himself from Erica. Besides being glad to be free of their sickening display, Cory was glad to put some distance between herself and Linc. More than once, she found herself wishing he wasn’t her best friend’s husband. The thought of all the things she could teach that man in the bedroom made her stomach tingle.
Overcome with guilt, she brushed the thought aside. “What’s in the shopping bags?” she asked as they loaded them into the trunk of her car.
Erica rolled her eyes. “Decorations, Linc’s mom is going all out. You’d think it was a little kid’s birthday party or something.”
“Does that mean we get to play pin the tail on the donkey?” Cory joked.
“You’re laughing, but you never know,” Erica warned, though she laughed. “By the way, thanks for helping out. The family really appreciates it.”
That one Cory didn’t doubt. The Lincoln family was one of those perfect families that liked each other and other people. Probably another condition of their religion. After all, it wouldn’t be good if the pastor and his family were unapproachable.
“I can’t wait to see Gabe,” Erica continued. “It feels like he’s been gone forever.”
“How long has he been gone anyway?”
“Well, he had four years in the service, but three of them were spent in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
For some reason, Cory had trouble picturing Gabriel fighting any war, let alone doing it for three years. The last time she’d seen him he was just a kid. At twenty-two years old, he was still a kid, just an older one.
“Anyway, I just praise God that He answered our prayers and kept Gabe safe and sent him home alive,” Erica said.
Even though it had been seven years since Erica found her religion, Cory never adjusted to that change. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was the subtle differences that went beyond the Sunday school teacher thing.
There was the change in her vocabulary. Phrases like ‘Praise God’ and ‘His many blessings’ often entered into their conversations. Then there was the constant praying. Prayer was her answer for everything she didn’t have an answer for.
It caused a little tension between them when Cory was going through her divorce from Jeremy. Whenever she called her friend to cry over the latest problem and plead for advice, Erica always offered to pray with her and always ended the conversation by saying she’d keep them in her prayers. It wasn’t until Cory told her to back off the prayers because it offended her atheism that Erica stopped bringing it up. No doubt she’d increased her prayers for her atheist friend, but at least she had the decency to keep quiet about it.
“Did I lose you?” Erica asked.
“What?” Cory said.
Erica laughed. “I thought so. I was just saying this thing is probably going to be pretty big. Most likely, everyone from church will be there.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Cory said and then gave her friend a sideways grin. “And just in case you’re worried, I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
The words had the sound of a lie, but Cory didn’t have time to call her on it. As soon as she pulled the car in front of the Lincolns’ house, the door opened and Linc’s mother rushed to greet them.
“Oh, Cory, we’re so glad you came,” Meredith said. “We can sure use the help.”
Judging from all the cars parked out front it didn’t look as though she needed any help. “Just tell me what you need me to do,” Cory said.
“Maybe you and Erica can help the kids with the balloons,” Meredith said and heaved a sigh. “They seem more interested in sucking the helium than filling the balloons.”
“Balloons, we’re on it,” Cory agreed, trying to suppress a giggle as she and Erica traded glances.
“Hey, Erica,” Mary called when they entered the house. “You’re just in time. Oh, hello, Cory. How are you?”
“Divorced and loving it,” Cory said, smiling at her.
Mary gave her a weak smile in return. “That’s good, if you’re happy I mean.”
Cory did her best not to laugh out loud at the reserved way Linc’s oldest sister spoke to her. The two weren’t enemies, but they’d never gotten along. If Cory had to guess, she figured it had something to do with Mary never quite getting over the time Cory called the Lincoln family goody-goody Christians. So much for the forgive and forget philosophy.
“Mom has us on balloon detail,” Erica interjected. “Where’s the tank?”
“In the kitchen with the kids,” Mary said. “Hopefully, you’ll have better luck getting them to cooperate than Amy is.”
Amy, huh? Couldn’t be the same Amy that Cory was thinking of, could it? The Amy she was thinking of was the Amy that Gabriel had been hot and heavy with for more than half of his high school life. Considering she heard they ended their relationship not long after he joined the Marines, Cory would have been surprised if it was her. Then again, it wouldn’t be that surprising. Those Christians liked to turn the other cheek.
Some of them did anyway. Cory recalled Mary’s cool reception to her.
“Come on, Tyler, we have to get this done,” Amy said as Cory and Erica joined them in the kitchen. “We want things to be just perfect for your Uncle Gabe.”
“Oh, we sure do,” Cory said and clapped her hands.
Erica mashed her lips together while the very same Amy that Gabe had been hot and heavy with in high school narrowed her eyes.
“Hey, Aunt Erica,” Tyler said, his voice high from sucking on helium. “Who’s your hot friend?”
“Her name is Mrs. McArthur, and since she’s an adult you need to show her some respect,” Erica admonished.
Cory blanched at the mention of Jeremy’s last name. She also made a mental note to get her ass in gear and get her name changed back to her maiden name. The sooner she was rid of all reminders of Jeremy, the better.
“You can call me Cory.”
“You’re Cory? The same Cory Uncle Gabe used to talk about?”
Interesting, Cory thought as she watched Amy’s face turn bright red. “That depends. Did he say good things about me?”
Tyler gave her a grin, the same grin Linc sometimes gave her, the same grin Gabriel used to give her when he was a kid. “It was all good.”
“Then I’m probably the same Cory.”
“We really need to get these balloons done,” Amy changed the subject.
As tight as her teeth were clenched, Cory was surprised she’d been able to open her mouth to speak. It was going to be an interesting day all right.
Home; he was almost there. After four years in the United States Marine Corps, Gabriel Lincoln had served his duty to his country. As the plane taxied in to the runway and came to a stop, he realized just how close his freedom was.
“Go ahead, son.”
This was from the elderly gentleman across the aisle from him. He was standing back a bit and offering to let Gabriel exit first.
“Thank you, sir, but I don’t mind waiting. I’ve waited four years to get home. A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
The old man smiled at him as he held out his hand. “Thank you for your service,” he said, giving Gabriel’s hand a hard squeeze.
“Just doing my job, sir.”
By the time he made it off the plane and started toward the gates, he could already see the excited faces of loved ones waiting to greet the passengers. Somewhere out there his own brother stood waiting for him.
It had been because of his brother that Gabriel joined the Marines. Linc joined the Marines when Gabriel was only fifteen years old. No sooner had he finished basic training and School of Infantry than he’d been deployed to Iraq.
Of course his brother hadn’t finished his tour owing to the fact that he’d been taken prisoner of war. For that reason, Gabriel wanted to pay tribute to Linc by finishing what he’d started.
After spending months in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, Gabriel couldn’t imagine Linc fighting in the heat and sand and being able to handle it. There was no doubt in his mind his brother was tough. As one of the first prisoners of the war, he’d survived ten days of the worst kind of torture.
Gabriel liked fighting in the war though, probably more than he should have. That was the reason he had difficulty picturing Linc with his machine gun in hand taking out the enemy and being okay with the permanence of it.
As soon as he crossed into the terminal, Gabriel spotted Linc. His brother stood at the rear of the crowd in his usual unassuming manner.
“You look like me,” Linc observed with a grin as Gabriel came to embrace him.
“So I’ve been told,” Gabriel said and grinned back at him.
“I mean, you look like I did the day I left,” Linc explained. “I’m glad you do.”
There was no need for him to explain further. Gabriel knew what his brother was trying to tell him. Just as they started for the baggage claim, he spotted a group of reporters heading their way. Though he said a silent prayer they weren’t there to see him and Linc, he knew better.
“Wonder how they knew I’d be here,” Gabriel said, and Linc just shrugged.
His brother wasn’t a fan of reporters. The reporters themselves were fine. It was talking to them that Linc didn’t care for. Ever since he’d come home from his time in Iraq, they’d hounded him for interviews.
Linc wasn’t the only American to be taken prisoner, but for some reason he was the one they never let up on. There were four guys in his unit that were captured that day, but he was the only one to make it out alive. From that day on they called him the Marine who lived, and everyone wanted a piece of him.
In the beginning, Linc kept quiet and refused to speak to the press. It wasn’t until after about a year that he opened up a little and started responding to their questions. There were never any formal interviews, and he never told them what he’d been through. As far as Gabriel knew, only two people knew everything that happened; Linc and God and neither one of them was talking.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by cameras.
“Gabriel, Todd, do you have time to answer a few questions?”
Hearing his brother’s real name sounded foreign to Gabriel’s ears. Only Linc’s wife called him Todd. It wasn’t just the sound of his brother’s name he found odd. The automatic familiarity of the reporters perplexed him. Though they didn’t know either of them, they were Gabriel and Todd as if they were old friends. Gabriel and Linc traded glances, and he knew the choice was his.
“Only a few,” Gabriel gave in. “No offense, but I’ve been out of the U.S. for nearly three years straight, and I’m anxious to get home.”
“How does it feel to be home?”
Gabriel tried to swallow the snort. Reporters sometimes asked the dumbest questions, and this one ranked at the top of the list. He went through the motions though, told them how good it felt to be home, told them how fulfilled he felt to serve his country and all that jazz. It wasn’t until the questions took a more intimate turn that he grew weary.
“Todd, does it make you happy that your brother joined the Marines? Do you feel he avenged your ordeal?”
“I’m happy my brother’s home alive and in one piece,” Linc said. “My family and I are grateful to God for giving us this gift.”
“Now, if you all would excuse us, I’m ready for a home cooked meal,” Gabriel announced.
The reporters rewarded him with a laugh. They also took the hint, though they didn’t leave. Instead, they moved toward the crowd of curious onlookers no doubt in search of something to add to their story. That was fine with Gabriel as long as they left him and Linc alone.
“You all right?” Gabriel asked.
“Fine,” Linc assured him.
As they headed for the baggage claim, Gabriel took notice of Linc’s unsteady gait. It reminded him of the letters his mother and sisters sent him in which they lamented Linc’s refusal to use a cane. Now he could see what they meant. It looked like he could use it, but if he didn’t want it then Gabriel wasn’t going to force the issue.
“I guess Mom’s planning a party,” Gabriel said.
“Of course,” Linc agreed.
“Who’d she invite?”
“Oh, not too many people: just the family, a few friends, and the whole God damn church.”
“You know, I don’t think it’s a good idea for the youth group leader to be talking like that.”
“You sound like Rik.” Linc laughed.
“I suppose Amy will be there too,” Gabriel guessed, and Linc nodded his agreement.
When Gabriel first started dating Amy, his parents told him he was getting too serious by continuing to see her as long as he did. The ironic thing was that when it ended, his parents encouraged him to be a good Christian and turn the other cheek. No chance of that though. He was done with Amy. There was no way he could forgive her for what she did. Forgive and forget may have been second nature to die hard Christians like Linc, but he still wrestled with it.
Neither man spoke more than a few words on the drive home, but Gabriel didn’t mind. He wanted to take in the sights and sounds and smells of home. As a kid he couldn’t wait to get the hell away from this place and the suffocation it made him feel. Now, he relished being back home and being, as Linc put it, ‘alive and in one piece’. Two tours in Iraq followed by a tour in Afghanistan changed his perspective on things. The war changed him too.
Gabriel’s thoughts were still on the war when they pulled in front of his parents’ house; the house that would be his for the amount of time it would take for him to find a job and a house of his own. Just as Linc warned, the house overflowed with people. The minute they set foot inside, his mother rushed to hug him, followed by his sisters, Mary and Sarah.
“Hey, Uncle Gabe, how many guys did you kill?” Mary’s twelve-year-old son, Tyler, asked.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Gabriel lied because his mother and sisters looked horrified at the mention of him killing someone.
“Hello, Gabriel,” Amy said.
Both her voice and the look on her face were timid as though she knew she didn’t belong there. It killed him to see that she was still beautiful with her crystal blue eyes and rich red hair. He’d been hoping that she looked terrible. Being in another country made it easy to reject her, but seeing her in front of him, he knew it wasn’t going to be easy anymore.
“Is Rik out back?” Linc spoke up.
“Yeah, she’s out there with some friends,” Sarah replied.
Gabriel just nodded at Amy as he followed his brother to the backyard. As soon as she spotted them, Erica ran to him and threw her arms around him.
“God, it’s good to see you,” Gabriel said as he returned the embrace.
“Still got a crush on my wife, huh?” Linc teased.
“Oh, stop it,” Erica admonished and gave him a playful shove.
It wasn’t until Erica released her hold on him that Gabriel spotted someone he didn’t know. The beautiful woman who stood talking and smiling with a group of friends was someone he wanted to know though. When he looked a little closer, he realized he did know her. At least he thought he did. There was the tiniest doubt in his mind but only because he couldn’t think of a single reason for her to be there.
“Is that Cory Gillis?” Gabriel asked.
“Yep,” Linc agreed. “Her last name’s McArthur now though.”
“She’s been back for a few months,” Erica added.
Gabriel knitted his eyebrows together. “You mean she moved back to town?”
“Yes,” Erica said, nodding her head. “She and Jeremy are divorced.”
For some reason, the news made his heart skip a beat, and he felt sixteen again.
As a teenager, Gabriel had a crush on Erica’s best friend. When Linc told him that she once referred to him as his sexy little brother, it fanned the flames of his boyish lust for her. He’d been sixteen when she’d said it, but since she was the same age as his brother, he’d known there was no hope of her ever dating him.
Gabriel did his best to be inconspicuous in his assessment of the twenty-nine-year-old version of Cory Gillis-McArthur. She looked just as he remembered with her long, blonde hair and smoky gray eyes. It wasn’t her that changed in the last seven years; it was him. He was seeing her through the eyes of a man, and just looking at her aroused him in a way that went beyond his schoolboy crush.