“You’re beautiful, as always.” He slid his hand in hers, and she noticed his muscles were tense, his jaw tight enough that she was surprised he could even speak. Maybe he felt the same fear she did. The same pressure that tonight had to be monumental.
“Besides,” he said, “if you’d dressed up, then you’d have killed my first surprise.”
“Surprise?”
“Yes. Tonight will be full of them.” He smiled and subtly tried to relax his shoulders, but all of his movements were forced.
A scraping sound came from the bar, and her eyes flickered to the man now rising from his seat. She recognized him. He’d been in here the last two weeks, every night she had worked. He caught her watching and dipped his chin right as Chad’s torso blocked her view. He obviously wanted her full attention.
“Sorry. It’s a habit to check on the customers.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” he said, his voice even tighter than before. “It’s time for your fairy tale to begin.”
“My fairy tale?”
“Yes.” He wrapped an arm around her and led her through the door, his body relaxing immediately when he took his first gulp of fresh air. “There is not much I do well, but knowing how to charm the people in this town is one of them.” He stopped and pulled her to him, a hint of insecurity sneaking through his otherwise steady bravado. “I promise I won’t always have so little to offer you.”
Chad had always been a hopeless romantic. “The king of grand gestures,” Katie used to call him, mostly with affection, but sometimes annoyance, when he’d disrupt their plans. Though they’d never gone to fancy restaurants or taken long, luxurious vacations, Laila never remembered missing any of it.
“You . . . like this.” She didn’t call out his sobriety, but they both knew what she meant. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted or needed.”
He leaned in then, kissed her boldly in front of Joe’s, in the center of downtown, without apology. A few whistles came from those in the parking lot, but it only made her laugh.
“Come on,” he said, returning her smile. “Our first stop is at Vintage Boutique.”
“Chad, it’s seven. Carol closes up at five.” Vintage Boutique was one of the first major retailers in Fairfield and ran not only as a consignment store, but also as a nationally known vintage outlet for just about any decade.
“Not for us.” Chad was half running with excitement as they crossed the street and passed Lucy’s. Though the sign on the boutique’s door clearly said CLOSED, Chad pushed it open, an obnoxious bell clanging against the glass.
“Carol, we’re here,” he called into the dim store.
Five years of heavy burden shed away as joy bubbled inside her chest. She’d missed this version of him. The spontaneity, the thrill of the unknown. “What are you up to?”
He winked. “You’ll see.”
Carol came around the corner with a huge grin on her face. She was a large woman and very proud of her Czechoslovakian heritage that attributed to her broad, six-foot frame. She wore a multicolored dress that draped to the floor, with hundreds of thin gold bands climbing up each arm. “My darling,” she crooned with a voice that belonged in 1950s Hollywood. “You’re ten minutes late.”
Chad was quickly forgiven when he embraced Carol, kissing each of her pudgy cheeks. “My apologies, but I had to wait for the perfect girl.”
Laila forced herself not to cringe and made a mental note to talk to him about the term later. She didn’t want him to pretend everything was perfect this time. She wanted honesty. “Sorry,” she called sweetly to the woman she’d know most of her life. “I had to work.”
“Is Joe being obstinate again? That old cat. Don’t you worry, I’ll get on him about it. Now, come on.” She waved Laila to the back. “I have your dress right here.”
“My dress?”
Chad beamed, whatever tension he had earlier now completely absent. “You can’t be Cinderella without a dress.” He pushed her toward the dressing room, not bothering to entertain her protests.
When the door shut behind her, she just stared at the ice-blue silk masterpiece in front of her, the color an exact match to his tie. This evening had definitely been thoughtfully planned.
Laila fingered the delicate material. The dress was cut in a flapper style, but without all the fabric layering. It was simply two sheets of thin silk with a liner underneath. She changed quickly, the cool material dancing across her skin as it fell over her hips and down to her knees. On the bench sat a new pair of sandals, the straps matching the dress as if they’d been made at the same time.
Tugging at the bands in her hair, Laila released the braid and flipped her head over until a thick mane of waves encircled her face.
Her cheeks flared when she saw the final image, the dress shaping her body as if she’d been its designer’s muse.
This certainly wasn’t her grandmother’s Cinderella. Not even close.
Shyly, she stepped from the dressing room, and Chad’s silent stare was equally matched by Carol’s booming approval. Laila twisted a stray piece of hair around her finger and waited for him to say something. “Well, what do you think?”
“Laila.” He said her name like a caress, slipping a hand around her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers. “You have been the last dream of my soul.”
The quote was from A Tale of Two Cities, and he’d said the same words at their wedding.
She closed her eyes, filled with the memories of falling in love with him so many years ago.
“Oh, you guys are going to make an old woman cry,” Carol said, her voice notably choked up.
Chad slowly released his hold on her. “Are you ready for surprise number two?”
“Sure.” Twenty-two years, she’d known this man, yet her knees suddenly felt boneless. After they’d each thanked Carol profusely, then been squeezed beyond comfort by her, Chad took Laila’s hand, and they walked the sidewalk along Main Street once again.
They came to a stop in front of Lucy’s, and he paused by the door. “I wanted us to have a little privacy tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, but . . .” She glanced through the door at the crowded dining room. “I don’t think we’re going to find much alone time in there.”
“I know.” He kissed the tip of her nose, quick and sweet, and she couldn’t help the schoolgirl giggle that followed. “Wait here. I’ll be just two seconds.”
He quickly pulled the door and disappeared behind it, leaving her to happily ponder what more the night could bring.
CHAPTER 31
The drive to The Point was a short one, but each mile felt more and more terrifying.
Chad thought he could push Agent Edwards’s offer out of his mind, that he could go on with the date like nothing had happened to shake up his world. But every time Laila smiled or laughed or did anything that reminded him of old times, the burden of his secret came pressing down on him.
He’d give her the world if he could, but she’d only asked for one thing.
Honesty.
Sighing, Chad slid his hand into hers as he took the last curve into their old neighborhood.
“Are you taking me where I think you’re taking me?” Laila asked, sitting erect in the passenger seat, clearly aware of the street he’d turn down. “I can’t climb a tree in this dress, Chad.”
“Don’t worry, I brought you something to put over it.” He eased his truck beside the culvert rail and parked, turning his lights off, but not the truck. He twisted in his seat to face her. “Before we go, though, I need to tell you something.”
The tree house had been their sanctuary, a place of memories and new beginnings. He wouldn’t tarnish it with Slim’s name.
“Okay.” She squeezed his hand tight as if preparing for the worst.
“That guy you saw at the bar. His name is Agent Edwards. He’s a state drug enforcement officer.” Chad ran his free hand through his hair, realizing too late that he’d messed up his sad attempt at st
yling it. “I hate that this conversation might spoil the mood, but I don’t want anything but the truth between us.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No. I don’t think so. Although he did seem to know a lot about my past.” Chad rolled his shoulders, trying to force the tension to ease. “He wants me to help him nail Slim.”
“Oh.” Laila pulled her hand away, and he had to force himself not to grab it again. Touching her was the only thing keeping him sane right now. “What did you say?”
“I said no, of course.” How could she even ask him that question? “I just got free of that guy.”
“But maybe you should consider it. Slim’s a bad person. He’s ruined life after life. If you could help take him down, maybe everything we’ve gone through will mean something.”
“It already means something. I’m here. You’re here. We have a new beginning just waiting for us. I’m not going to jeopardize it to lock up a man who’s spent the past twenty years mastering how to avoid getting caught.”
“But if—”
“No. I’m not doing it. That isn’t why I told you. You wanted me to be honest, to not keep any secrets from you. So, that’s what I did. No more needs to come of this.” He reached out and ran his hand over her beautiful blonde hair. “Now, let’s go have our picnic.”
She covered his hand with hers and pulled it from her hair and into her lap. “I was also contacted by someone today.” When his entire body went rigid, Laila quickly added, “Oh, no. Not a cop or anything. Ms. Harrington called. My cottage is almost ready.”
Though the clarification should have relaxed him, the idea of Laila moving felt just as terrifying. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing yet. I need more time to think.”
“Yeah, okay.” He gripped the steering wheel and tried not to let the statement worry him.
She glanced at him. “Now I’m the one spoiling the mood.”
He should say something, he knew he should, but he also didn’t trust himself not to pressure her into staying in their old house. Then again, if tonight went as planned, it wouldn’t matter where she lived, because he’d be right there with her.
“You know what? Let’s just table this for now and go eat. I’m starving.” Not exactly true—he’d lost his appetite back in the bar—but he also knew he needed to get out of the truck before he locked her in his arms and begged her not to leave him.
With a push to the squeaking door, Chad slid out of the vehicle. He’d tucked the food basket and a coat for Laila in the back, and after retrieving both, walked down to the path where she stood waiting for him.
“Since you left, I’ve only been inside the tree house once,” she said absently, her gaze locked on the forest ahead of them.
The sun had begun its descent, and pink streaks danced along the tips of the branches.
“I’d never want to come here without you.” He squeezed the basket handle and felt the same wave of nervousness he had as a kid when he brought her here for their first kiss.
“This place does have a way of dredging up the past.”
“Not all of our past was bad, Laila.”
She nodded. “I know. On those rare days when I didn’t hate you or miss you so much it made me furious, I would park here and remember, but until six months ago, I never made it past the first tree line. Then Katie told me she was getting married.”
Chad could hear the ache in her voice, and felt an identical one start in his chest. “That night,” she continued. “I made it to the ladder, though I didn’t climb. I simply sat on the ground, my back against the bark, and prayed. It was a strange feeling, talking to this force I couldn’t see.” She smiled then, sweet and content. “A lot like confessing to the wind.”
“What did you pray for?” Chad remembered Mark’s prayers for him. The way his sponsor dug deep into his soul and asked for peace and second chances. Chad had never tried himself. He just hadn’t really seen much proof that a God existed beyond the wishes of messed-up people.
“I prayed for me.” She turned, and there were teardrops on her eyelashes. “I wanted what Katie had found. I prayed that if He did nothing else in my life, if I were destined to live here, a divorcée with an addict of a mother, in a dead-end job with no real hope for more, then at least give me this one gift. Peace.” She looked at the ground. “I met Ben two weeks later.”
He winced, that name like a knife in his ribcage, and fought every instinct to pull her to him, kiss every inch of her body until Ben’s name was a void in her memory. Instead, he squeezed his fist around the coat he held and continued to listen.
“I realize now that God’s answer wasn’t what I thought. Ben was never in my life to be my future. I truly think he was there to bring me to Sierra. The peace I needed was never about him, or even you. It was about allowing myself to have a voice when my entire childhood was spent stifling it.”
She fiddled with her hair, tugging and twisting it so much he wanted to rip her hand away. “Whatever comes of this night, you need to know something. I’m not the same girl you married. I’m not the same girl you left. I won’t swallow my voice anymore out of fear you won’t love me if I do.”
Chad set the basket down on the leaf-riddled grass and tossed her coat over the top of it. He felt explosive. His skin tingled, while he fought the overwhelming instinct to demand she give him more credit. He stood in front of her and cupped her face, not tightly, but firmly enough to ensure that she saw and felt his conviction. “I will always love you. Always.”
Leaning down, he captured her mouth in his. He should have kept it light and sweet, but he couldn’t fight the frustration he suddenly felt. He wasn’t her mother. Hadn’t he proven that to her? He pulled away, staring into her beautiful blue eyes. “There is nothing you can say or do that will change my feelings. Yell, scream, fight back. I want it all.”
Her gaze blazed into his. “It means we’re going to argue more.”
“You’re never more sexy than when you challenge me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Fine, then. I hate you in a tie. You look like a stuffy accountant,” she said.
“I’ll burn it tonight.”
“I don’t want you to call me ‘perfect’ anymore.” Her voice cracked. “It’s too much pressure.”
“Never again.” He didn’t budge, not his hands or his stare.
“I don’t want you coming to Joe’s when I work. It’s not a healthy environment for you.”
He paused on that one, but knew at the same time she was right. “Okay. But you have to cut your hours, because I won’t go days without seeing you.”
She startled, then slowly began to smile. “That feels fair.”
As if the electricity found its way back into nature around them, Chad released his grip on her and felt his pulse settle. “At this rate, it’s going to be midnight before we ever eat dinner. You must be ready to pass out.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I ate at Joe’s a couple of hours ago.” The minute the words came out, she pressed her lips together, her hand flying to her runaway mouth.
“Are you serious?” he asked, feeling genuinely insulted. “Did you really have that little faith in my dating ability?”
“I’m sorry. But the last time you promised me a ‘fabulous’ meal, you decided you were Bobby Flay and made the nastiest thing I’ve ever put in my stomach.”
His jaw slacked. “You said you loved it. You bought me a new frying pan the next day.”
“That’s because our old one was so crusted with black gunk that I tossed it in the trash can.”
He didn’t know when it happened, but they were suddenly laughing. Hers, a raspy giggle; his, a deep howl so unfamiliar it seemed rusty. Chad hadn’t realized how much he missed that sound. Not just of her laugh, but of his own.
She sauntered toward him, eyes determined, as her hands found the knot of his blue tie. In a quick tug, she unraveled the mat
erial and tossed it to the ground. Sure fingers unhooked the top two buttons of his shirt, and he swallowed, forcing his mind away from the images of the two of them on their wedding night, when everything had been new and achingly slow.
“That’s better,” she said, her own desire reflecting in her eyes. “Now we can go finish our date.” Laila picked the long trench coat off the ground and wandered into the trees, leaving Chad, as usual, completely at her mercy.
CHAPTER 32
Laila stared up at the wood slats, the coat Chad had brought tightly wrapped around her and tied with a belt. It would protect the delicate material as she climbed, but there seemed to be no shield for her racing heart.
“Do you need some help?” he asked from behind her.
“No.” Heaving a breath, she pulled with her arms and lifted her foot until it securely landed on the bottom rung. She continued, one foot after another until she was easily six feet off the ground, her dress and jacket swishing around her knees.
“No peeking,” she called to the man below her.
He covered his eyes with his hand. “Of course not. I’m a gentleman tonight.”
But when she looked down, she could see his fingers slowly separating. “Chad,” she scolded, and he quickly closed them again.
“Sorry. Old habits.”
Laila chuckled to herself as a rush of warmth spread through her. She had to give him credit; he really was trying so hard.
A few steps more, and she was at the opening of the tree house. Shadows lingered in the corners, but enough light was left in the sky for her to make out a blanket, several candles, and what looked like two champagne glasses.
She carefully crawled through, using the coat to safeguard not only her dress, but her legs as well, and found a comfortable seat on the quilt. While she waited for Chad to join her, she unbuttoned the long trench and shook it off her shoulders.
Grunting enough to be comical, Chad stuffed his body through the opening and crouch-walked to the spot opposite her. “That was much easier at thirteen.”
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