This Time For Keeps (Wickham Falls Weddings Book 6)

by Rochelle Alers

  * * *

  Fletcher drove up to the house in Beckley and got out of his car, smiling at the man who’d called him to come and look at an old car stored in a shed on his property. He extended his hand. “Fletcher Austen.”

  The short stocky man with a long graying ponytail, wearing a black-and-red-plaid shirt and bibbed jeans, took his hand. “Dave Nichols. Thank you for coming down. When I told my cousin that my wife has been threatening to leave me if I don’t get rid of a car and tear down the shed, he mentioned your name. Right now, my marriage means a lot more to me than a car, even if it is considered a classic.”

  “I never turn down an offer to look at a classic vehicle.” He followed Dave around to the back of the house and down a path to the shed. When he unlocked the doors and removed the tarp, Fletcher couldn’t stop grinning.

  Dave crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you familiar with this beauty?”

  Fletcher nodded. When most boys were into graphic comics, he was reading Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track, magazines his father had subscribed to. “It’s a 1963 Buick Riviera with top speeds of 125 miles per hour. Its V-8 engine can go from zero to sixty in 8.0 seconds. The only drawback is economy. You can only get twelve miles per gallon.”

  Dave smiled. “You really know your cars.”

  “I try,” Fletcher said modestly. “Does it run?”

  “Wouldn’t know. It belonged to one of my uncles who gave it to me before he moved to California in 1983. I haven’t moved it in more than thirty years.”

  Fletcher rubbed his stubble as he peered into the passenger-side window. The black vinyl interior was as pristine as the burgundy exterior. “How many miles on it?”

  “The last time I started it up before putting it in the shed, I think it was about 44,000.”

  “You have all the documents listing you as the owner?” Dave nodded. “How much do you want for it?”

  “I’ll take a couple of thousand just to get it off the property.”

  Fletcher stood straight. “You know it’s worth a lot more than that.” He did not want to cheat the man, because he wanted to continue the family’s reputation as respectable and trustworthy businessmen.

  “Right now, it’s worth nothing to me because I don’t drive it and I need to take down the shed to make space to put in an addition on the house. I have the papers in the house.”

  Fletcher knew he could easily sell the vehicle for more than twenty-five thousand, but there was something about the Riviera’s design that made him want it for himself. The car had a European look with a grille that was very similar to the Ferrari 250GT.

  “I’ll give you twice that amount. Once the driver comes with a flatbed to pick up the car, he’ll give you a bank check for five thousand. Fair enough?”

  Dave’s head nodded like a bobblehead doll as flush suffused his fair complexion. “It’s more than fair. Thank you, brother.”

  “You’re most welcome, brother.” Fletcher retreated to the Acadia after Dave had signed the necessary documents transferring ownership of the Riviera to him, and picked up the cell phone he’d left on the passenger seat. He’d missed a call from Nicole. He listened to her message and promptly called her back. “What’s up, beautiful?” He listened while she revealed her conversation with her friend’s sister. He heard the disappointment in her voice, but knew strep throat was not only highly contagious but painful.

  “I know the boys are going to be bummed, so I’ll have to come up with something to keep them busy because I don’t like keeping them in the house over the weekend. They get enough of that when they go to their grandparents’.”

  “Would you mind if I take them, along with Othello, hiking over to the falls?”

  “Are you certain that’s what you want to do, Fletcher?”

  “Yes. You’re welcome to come with us.”

  “No, thank you. It sounds more like a boys’ adventure. My contribution will be to fill their backpacks with something to sustain them until you guys get back.”

  “What about my backpack?” Fletcher asked, smiling.

  “If you have one, then I’ll make enough for you.”

  “Thank you, my love.”

  “You’re welcome, Fletcher.”

  He knew Nicole was still at work and wondered if she had someone in her office and wasn’t able to respond in kind. “I miss you, baby,” he whispered into the cell. “Talk to you later.”

  “Same here.”

  She’d hung up. It was a full thirty seconds before he did the same. Fletcher had exhausted his repertoire of endearments until he’d stopped searching for a new one. His father talked about being the happiest man in the world because he’d fallen in love and married Fletcher’s mother, while Fletcher wondered why loving Nicole had led to angst and pain.

  He felt in his heart that she did love him; and in the lingering throes of their lovemaking, she always whispered how much she loved him. However, she was very careful not to exhibit any sign of affection whenever they interacted with her nephews. The wall would go up and she’d relate to him as a friend and nothing more.

  They continued to attend church services together and many of the worshippers no longer stared or whispered whenever they sat together. His mother continued to question him about his relationship with Nicole, wanting to know when he was going to bring her around, but Fletcher kept coming up with excuses why that wasn’t possible. He knew Carla wanted more grandchildren—who didn’t live hundreds of miles away—and he’d become her last hope.

  He didn’t want his mother to pin her hopes on him giving her more grandchildren, because he wasn’t certain whether his love for Nicole was enough to make her change her mind and return to Wickham Falls.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After Fletcher returned from his hiking outing with her nephews, Nicole did not get to talk to or to see him as often as she had in the past. His father had taken eight weeks off to spend a month in Michigan and then in Texas so he and his wife could visit with their children and grandchildren, leaving Fletcher to open and close the business.

  He continued to fulfill his commitment to mentor Luke and Daniel on the weekends they did not go to Mineral Springs. They’d spent hours with him in the garage on the property as he worked on his latest classic car acquisition. He’d installed new seats in the Studebaker and sold it to one of his regular collectors. He has also completed his assignment as a part-time, fill-in paramedic.

  The weather had not cooperated for Halloween with a steady drizzle that canceled hayrides and bonfires. Many of the activities had to be held in the basement of the church, including face painting and games for the children.

  Nicole had brought pumpkins from a farm stand and enlisted her nephews to carve funny and macabre faces; using battery-powered candles, their creations decorated the windows at the front of the house. She’d boiled the seeds, let them dry out and then toasted them with olive oil before she sprinkled the golden-brown seeds with sea salt.

  She had planned to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the boys and Fletcher, but he’d declined, telling her he was closing the business for the holiday weekend and flying down to Texas to be with his parents and his brother’s family. The Clarkes had invited her to celebrate Thanksgiving with them, and she’d accepted the overture.

  Nicole felt a modicum of guilt that she had not spent much time with her brother’s in-laws. However, it appeared their former acrimony at her controlling Reggie’s finances had vanished when they’d welcomed her as a member of their family.

  She lay on the love seat in the family room, watching a Hallmark movie she had seen before but was loath to turn the channel because it was one of her favorites. It was late December and the channel had advertised a number of new titles.

  Othello suddenly stood and began whining.

  Immediately, Nicole was alert. Her nephews were away for the w
eekend and Fletcher had called to say he wouldn’t be able to see her because he had to finish rebuilding the engine on a car he’d promised to deliver to a client the following week.

  “What is it, boy?” Othello continued to pace back and forth until she got up. “Okay, I’m coming.” She followed him to the front door. When she peered through the security eye, she saw Fletcher staring back at her. She opened the door and, before she could say anything, he swept her up off her feet. He closed the door with his shoulder at the same time he took her mouth in an explosive kiss that threatened to draw the very breath out of her lungs.

  There was an urgency to his kiss that both excited and frightened her at the same time. They had never made love in her house. He took the stairs two at a time. When he finally released her mouth, Nicole struggled to catch her breath.

  “What are you doing?” she breathed.

  “I plan to make love to the woman I love,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Fletcher...”

  “Don’t worry, baby. I have protection.”

  “You don’t need protection. I’m on the Pill.”

  No further words were spoken as Fletcher placed her on the bed and undressed them both in record time. There was no prolonged foreplay, as in their previous encounters, as she opened her legs and welcomed him into her body. The pleasure he aroused in her was so explosive that Nicole was left gasping in the sweetest agony she had never experienced before.

  “What are you doing to me?” Fletcher rasped in her ear after he turned on the bedside lamp.

  She smiled. “I should be asking you the same thing.”

  He rolled off her body and lay beside her. “The only thing I’m doing is loving you.”

  Nicole laced their fingers together. “I’m going to miss you when I take the boys to Florida for Christmas.”

  “We still have another few days before you leave, so let’s try to make some more incredible memories until you get back.”

  “Like now?” she said teasingly.

  “Yes, baby.”

  She sobered. “What are you going to do for Christmas?”

  “I thought about driving to Texas again, but I decided to hang around here.”

  Nicole sat up. “You’re going to spend Christmas alone?”

  Fletcher patted his chest over his heart. “I’m not alone. I have you here.”

  She rested her hand over his, marveling at how much smaller it looked when compared to his. “I think you’ve become a certified romantic.”

  Pushing up into a seated position, Fletcher rested his back on the padded headboard. “I have you to thank for that. I know you’re going to be leaving in a few days, so I decided to bring your gift over tonight.” He reached for the jeans on the floor and removed a small foil-wrapped box. “Merry Christmas, darling.”

  Placing a hand over her mouth and, biting down on her lip, Nicole struggled not to become emotional. The box was too large for a ring, but she knew it had to contain a piece of jewelry. Her steady fingers belied her inner anxiety when she removed the paper and opened the velvet box. Inside, on a bed of white satin, lay a delicate diamond heart pendant. I’m giving you my heart to keep was calligraphed on a narrow strip of pink parchment.

  Nicole straddled Fletcher’s lap and pressed her bare breasts to his chest. “Thank you, my love. I will treasure it always.” She kissed him, smiling and wanting to tell him she would love him for an eternity. “I have something to give you, too.”

  Fletcher cradled her face. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  She scrambled off the bed and walked over to a closet, returning with a box wrapped in festive paper. “It’s not much. It’s hard to shop for a man who appears to have everything he wants.”

  * * *

  Fletcher stared at Nicole. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong. He wanted her—not just her body but all of her. “Let me be the judge of that.”

  He removed the paper and opened a box with vinyl records in protective sleeves. His jaw dropped. She had given him several rare recordings of 1940s jazz greats.

  “Where did you find these?”

  “I’m not telling.”

  “Did you go to a collector?”

  “I’m still not telling. Just be gracious and accept them.”

  He shook his head. “You just don’t know how long I’ve been searching for these.”

  “Search no more, darling. Just enjoy them.”

  Fletcher kissed her mussed hair. “I’m going to wait until you come back and we’ll listen to them together.” He paused. “I’d like to ask a favor of you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Let Othello stay with me until you get back.”

  Nicole went completely still. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Pop always closes the shop for vacation between Christmas and New Year, so I thought Othello and I could hang out and bond some more.”

  “If you bond any more, he’ll be sleeping in the bed with you.”

  “That’s a thought,” Fletcher said as he winked at Nicole.

  A beat passed. “I’ll let him stay on one condition.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Nicole gave him a long, penetrating stare. “That you promise you won’t let him sleep on the bed with you.”

  Smiling, Fletcher gave her a snappy salute. “I promise, Captain.”

  Her smile matched his. “At ease, Sergeant.”

  He took Nicole in his arms again and held her until he felt relaxed completely. Fletcher did not know why he had the nagging fear that Nicole would leave and not come back. But understanding her bond with Othello, he also knew she would not abandon him. It did not dawn on him until later that her nephews were enrolled in Johnson County schools, which meant she would be forced to return to allow them to complete the rest of the school year.

  Man up! the silent voice in his head shouted at him. He’d overcome the physical and mental rigors to become a Special Forces soldier, had survived multiple deployments, and now he was quivering like an abused animal because he feared losing the only woman he had ever loved.

  Fletcher knew he had to believe she was coming back and, that when she did, he would be forced to face his future with or without Nicole.

  * * *

  Nicole sat across the table from her brother, the joy she felt reflected her eyes. Reggie had regained the weight he had lost. He had also completed four months of his stint and, fortunately, had not relapsed.

  Luke and Daniel hung on to his neck as if they feared that if they let him go he would disappear.

  Reggie, given a day pass to celebrate Christmas with his family and knowing he had to return to the facility by eight that night, patted his sons on their heads. “Boys, you’re going to have to let me go because I need to talk to your auntie.”

  Elizabeth Campos stood. “Come in the kitchen with Grammie, so your daddy and auntie can have some privacy.”

  Luke stared up at his grandmother. “Are they going to talk about me?”

  Elizabeth dropped a kiss on his hair. “I don’t think so, baby.”

  Nicole waited until they were alone to study her brother. She had always thought him incredibly handsome—as had most of the girls in The Falls and Springs—with his even features and large dark eyes framed by lashes better suited for a woman. She’d always teased him, saying he’d gotten her lashes. His hair was grayer now and there were a few more lines around his eyes. He also moved slower as a result of the accident.

  Reggie patted the chair beside him. “Come and sit here, because what I want to tell you should go no further than this table.”

  Nicole got up and took the chair Daniel had vacated, praying Reggie wasn’t going to tell her something she didn’t want or need to hear. “What is it?”

  Reggie lowered his voice and his head. “I want you to put the house
on the market. I’ve decided not to return to The Falls. I’ve asked Dad if he would become a backup sponsor when my regular sponsor isn’t available. Even though he hasn’t gone through recovery he’s agreed to step in.”

  Nicole’s eyes were as round as silver dollars. “Does Mom know about this?”

  “Yes. It was her suggestion when I talked about not going back to West Virginia.”

  “Where will you live once you’re discharged?”

  “There are a few condos for sale not too far from here.”

  “You can stay with me until you find a place,” Nicole volunteered. “I have two extra bedrooms, so there’s enough room for you and the boys to stay until you find something permanent.” She paused. “What about Daniel and Luke? Don’t you want them to finish their school year in The Falls?”

  “No. I’ve researched a private school close to here, with small classes that will provide individual instruction if they need it. They will also have access to a lot of extracurricular activities included in the tuition.” He dropped an arm over her shoulders. “You’ve given up your life to take care of my sons, for that I’ll never be able to repay you, Nikki.”

  Nicole rested her head on her brother’s shoulder. “You don’t have to repay me. We’re family and that’s all that matters.”

  “But you gave up your career to take care of my boys.”

  “I gave up a position, not a career, Reggie. Remember, I’m licensed to practice law in several states, so I don’t think I’m going to have a problem getting another position.”

  “I haven’t thought about that. How long do you think it will take to sell the house?”

  “I don’t know,” Nicole said. “I’ll call the Realtor tomorrow and find out if anyone is looking to buy in The Falls. The upside is the house has been updated and is in what is considered an upscale section of the town. How much are you asking, Reggie?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll go along with whatever the prevailing rate is.”

  Nicole was aware of how much her brother was worth and knew he wouldn’t haggle with a buyer about the profit he could derive from the sale of the house that had been a wedding gift from his parents. “I’ll also contact a moving company to pack up everything and ship it down here for storage until you find something you want.”