by Jillian Hart
“I agree.” She slipped her small hand in his. “It definitely could have been worse.”
“At least most of the hail melted and the drains caught up with the rain, or we would have been swimming home.” He said that just to make her chuckle, a melodic trill that had to be one of his favorite sounds. “Here’s the true test. Any chance this will lead to another date?”
“I would say fair to middling.” She moved with unconscious grace. He liked the way each movement rolled into the next, almost like an unpretentious ballet.
“Just fair to middling?” He knew she was pulling his leg. Easy to tell by the quiet joy twinkling in her like the stars peering through the clouds overhead.
“All right. I think it’s safe for you to assume I would say yes to another date.” She blushed, dipping her chin as if to take care to avoid the stick spots on the walkway, but he wasn’t fooled. He felt the emotions she didn’t want him to see.
Yeah, me too, he thought. Not trusting his voice, afraid the depth of his love for her—his vulnerability to her—would be fully revealed, he kept silent. Walking beside her without words was just fine. In harmony, her lighter step tapped with his heavier one. Their shadows, one short, one taller trailed ahead of them up the stairs.
The clouds tore apart and it felt as if moonlight spilled down just to light their way. Melting ice trickled from the roof and flowerbeds and became a musical accompaniment as he unlocked the door. Hard to believe the way she stared up at him with unveiled love. Hard to think this had a chance of lasting.
“Do you want to come in for some tea?” Awash with silvered light, she captivated him ever more. The moonlight turned her golden hair to burnished platinum, her creamy complexion to pearl, her goodness to purity.
He loved her so much. Too much. When he was with her, she disarmed him. Completely, utterly unprotected, he took a step back from his fairy tale. “I would love to stay, but it’s late. I have Marcus to check on.”
“Right.” Her regard for him did not appear to dim when faced with the reality of his responsibilities. “What about your truck?”
“I think the tow truck I called has already come and gone. All should be well when I go to start it this time. Thanks for volunteering your car for our mission.” He couldn’t resist reaching out, against all common sense, and stirring the silken light that was her hair.
Love was changing him. Like dawn touching darkness, he was no longer the same as he’d been five minutes ago. When he brushed his fingertips along the perfect slope of her face, from cheekbone to jaw, reverence blazed through him like a meteor tumbling from the sky.
Believe, his soul whispered. Just believe.
“Thank you for a wonderful time.” Her smile could stop the earth from turning.
“Tonight was my pleasure,” he said gruffly. “I was glad we kept this from becoming just one more date disaster.”
“Me, too.” She gently, slightly, leaned her cheek against his hand, the one he could not move away from her. Warmth tingled from his fingertips, as wondrous as the stars above.
Never had he felt like this. Never had he experienced love powerful enough to carry him away. He brushed a kiss to her lips, and that was like starlight, too.
“You’re trembling.” Concerned, he took her by the hand. “You’re cold?”
“Not too cold.” Shyly, she blushed.
“It’s the dark. I should have realized.” He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest, right where she belonged. He kissed the top of her head, emotion burning in his throat. “I know you don’t feel safe in the dark.”
“You’re right.” She tipped her face up, revealing her beautiful love for him lustrously on her face. “But I always feel safe with you.”
I feel safe with you, a voice out of his past repeated. The memory seized him, shattering the bliss, hurling him back to the rain-soaked cement when he could not move. Nancy’s confession rang, a bitter note from their final discussion at their break up. That’s the reason I dated you, Max. I was safe with you. I thought it would be enough, but it isn’t. You need too much from me. I can’t love you.
That wasn’t happening this time, right? Max unwrapped Bree from his arms, hating how bereft he felt. The wind gusted, icy enough to make them both shiver. That’s not a sign, he stubbornly told himself as he caressed a misplaced lock of hair out of her eyes. Affectionately, she smiled up at him. He could not doubt the way she felt for him.
But was it strong enough? A small voice within him asked. Would it last?
He was wholly involved and too deeply in love with her. If this didn’t work out, then he was headed for a terrible fall. A crushing, lethal one.
“It’s getting colder.” He took the first difficult step away from her and opened her door. “We both better get out of this wind.”
“You’re right.” She hesitated, still shivering, as if the last thing she wanted to do was to part with him.
Me, too, he thought tenderly. He would be happy to spend eternity with her right on this doorstep, but it wasn’t practical and he didn’t know how this would end. He had to shore himself up just in case. “I’m not sure how the rest of my weekend is going to go. I’ll do my best to call and we’ll discuss our next date. Deal?”
She smiled at his question, not the most eloquent or revealing. When she laid her palm on his chest, over his heart, he knew she understood. “It’s a deal.”
There was no need for words as she slipped out of the reach of the moonlight. The platinum of her hair became gold again, the silvered tones faded from her face, but she was as dear to him and always would be.
“Good night, Max.” She clung to the edge of the door, too beautiful to believe in and too good to be true.
“Good night, Brianna.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. It took all his strength of will to turn his back and force his feet down the slick steps. He heard the door whisper shut and the deadbolt click into place. His world had changed again. No water dripped musically from the roof. The moonlight faded as more clouds moved in. The wet walkway turned to ice.
Without looking back, he climbed into his truck and started the engine. He drove away as the first raindrops fell.
Chapter Thirteen
“You keep checking your phone,” Lil commented as she wheeled from their trailer’s kitchen with a plate on her lap. “You wouldn’t be expecting a call from someone special, would you?”
“Yeah, from a certain ruggedly handsome detective?” Colbie added from her place at the table.
“Did you know he’s called her twice since their date last night?” Brandi chimed in as she took the plate Lil offered her.
Brianna knew she was blushing, mostly because she could see her nose turn strawberry red. Great. Way to hide your feelings, Bree. She added another slice of French bread to her plate and handed the basket to Colbie as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “I’m mostly waiting for something from Brooke. We texted on Friday, and I’m hoping she’s going to answer me back.”
“Brooke’s coming to visit for sure? Did she say?” Hope lifted in Lil’s voice as she settled at the table. “I do hope she does. Such a dear girl. Terrible, what happened to her.”
No one argued with that. Bree thought of her oldest half sister and the difficult hand she’d been dealt in life. The table silenced, as if she wasn’t alone in her respect and hopes for Brooke.
“It would be hard for her to come at all,” Colbie said gently, handing her mother the breadbasket. “I know the plan is that she wants to be here for Bree’s trial, but then I think about what she has to be feeling. Sitting in another courtroom again would be doubly painful.”
“I agree,” Lil added. “Poor girl. It’s God’s goodness that she got through her hardship, but I don’t think she’s out of it entirely, even if she doesn’t share that with us.”
That was true, too. Bree took a sip of apple cider. “If she was coming, I would have heard by now.”
“I know she wants to be here with
you,” Brandi sympathized. “Maybe she just can’t.”
“I don’t want to bring up painful memories for her.” She knew exactly what it was like to be haunted by images that would not let go. As she sliced into her serving of homemade lasagna, she was mindful of the trauma she had survived, and that it was much less than what others had endured. She hadn’t been the one to die in that restaurant. Brooke had known injustice, Max saw tragedy day in and day out, and the courts were teeming with crime. Look at Lil, confined to a wheelchair.
She wanted to say it wasn’t fair, but God didn’t promise life was fair. Only that He stood for justice. It made it easier to put her worries in perspective.
Her cell binged, muffled by her sweater pocket. She took a bite of Lil’s extraordinary lasagna and dug out her phone.
“Is it Brooke? No, I’m sure it’s him,” Colbie decided, apparently delighted. “We got off the subject of Max Decker. I think we had better get back onto it.”
“Maybe it’s Brooke,” Lil wondered. “If it is her, Bree, tell her she is welcome to stay with us. I know she can’t afford a hotel room.”
“I’ll tell her.” She knew the text was from Max even before she glanced at the screen. Maybe because he had been on her mind, but then, he was always there.
Thinking of you, he had written. What R U up 2?
No good, she typed back. U?
“Oh, it is him.” Lil vibrated with happiness. “Look at her. She’s glowing.”
“He has that affect on her,” Brandi joyfully announced.
Her family. Bree blushed, because what was happening between her and Max felt intensely private. “We’re only planning date number two, so don’t start planning the wedding shower yet.”
“I heard that.” Lil trilled as she gathered up her knife and fork. “He’s answered you already. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“I’m afraid to hear whatever it is you’re going to say.” Bree took another bite of lasagna and risked a peek at the message waiting for her.
Marcus and I R going to a movie, he’d written. Wanna come?
“Ooh!” Colbie, leaning in her chair, caught sight of the screen. “He’s asking her out again.”
“Already?” Lil looked so ecstatic, she nearly dropped her forkful of salad.
“I knew it.” Brandi pumped her fist in the air. “Yes!”
“I’m the one who is suppose to be excited.” She loved her family. “Too bad I have to turn him down.”
“Don’t do that.” Brandi’s jaw dropped. “Don’t.”
“You should go with him.” Colbie snatched the phone out of Bree’s hands.
“Hey!” She tried to grab it back.
Colbie hopped off her chair. “What do you want me to say to him?”
“This isn’t funny, Cole.” Why was she laughing? Maybe because Lil’s merry chuckle was such a happy sound. There was so little for her to find joy over these days. “Lil, tell your daughter to give me back my phone.”
“Colbie, honey, Bree really should answer her own messages.”
“No, she’ll say no because she’s here with us.” Colbie, dear Colbie, all caring heart. Her motives were right. The question was, what would she say to Max?
“I don’t feel right leaving you in the middle of dinner for a date.”
“Invite him over!” Brandi suggested.
“He might not be far away,” Colbie reasoned, her thumbs flying over the tiny keyboard. “I’ll ask him.”
“Why am I imagining disaster?” Bree almost got out of her chair to intercept, but the look on Colbie’s face stopped her. Rare happiness sparkled in her navy blue eyes, and her smile was true and animated, a hint of the sister Colbie used to be before hard times hit. Impossible to take that away, she realized, and stayed in her chair. It was probably the only romance Colbie would be able to participate in for a long while.
“What are you saying, sweetheart?” Lil struggled to get her salad speared with her fork tines.
Bree leaned closer, guided the top handle of the fork, and helped her.
“Thank you, dear.” There was nothing like the reward of Lil’s smile. It could warm a person to the soul. Colbie was lucky to have her for a mom, hands down.
“I just asked him to come over if he hasn’t had dinner.” Colbie informed them, retaining possession of the phone as she took her chair. “Oh, he’s answered already. He’s coming.”
“Praise the Lord!” Lil clasped her hands together, leaving her fork to clatter to her plate. “I’ve been praying so hard for my first son-in-law. Do you think this could be him?”
“You aren’t the only one praying.” Colbie returned the phone. “He said he was nearby, so he should be here in a few minutes.”
“I’ll get an extra plate.” Brandi bounced up from her place across the table.
“Make it two.” She tried to quiet her suddenly jumpy stomach. “He’s bringing Marcus.”
“Right.” Brandi disappeared, practically sprinting.
“I adore that boy.” Lil was talking on about how he’d charmed her at the bookstore. Colbie hopped up to draw two extra chairs up to the table.
Bree found herself scooting the table settings and food dishes around to make room for the plates Brandi brought from the kitchen. Everyone radiated joy.
Joy. That was a nice change of pace. But could it last? She’d learned happiness was a fleeting thing. Hoping it would be different this time, she pushed away from the table and went to the kitchen to heat more bread.
Max pulled to a stop next to Brianna’s little blue car. “Mind your manners.”
“I think I have some.” Marcus seemed pretty chipper as he released his seat belt, as if he were getting a big kick out of watching his big brother sweat. “Not that it matters. I mean, it’s not like you’re serious about her.”
“Yeah, I know you’re giving me a hard time.” He was way too serious about her. That was the problem. “Remember this. One day you might have a girlfriend, and think of how you want me to treat you.”
“Uh, I’m getting a scary picture here, bro.” Marcus opened the door. “I’m rethinking the hard time I was planning on giving you.”
“I would have believed you meant it if you hadn’t winked.” He pocketed his keys and dropped to the ground. Typical trailer park. Not the best he’d seen, not the worst. He headed toward the gate to the faded white picket fence.
“You know I’m glad for you, right?” Marcus caught up to him.
“I know.” He slapped his brother on the back, the closest he got to warm and fuzzy.
“Bree’s cool. I think you should marry her.”
“Marry her?” His foot caught on the concrete walkway, but it wasn’t because commitment frightened him. The truth was, he wasn’t afraid of much. Just one thing: losing Brianna.
“I know, not my business.” Marcus pushed through the gate, loping with a teenage boy’s awkward grace. “But I’m just saying. I would be in favor of it, you know. Just in case.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He rolled his eyes, trying not to let his brother’s well-meant comments trouble him. The door swung open and Brianna appeared, looking lovely as always. She was what he needed most.
“Hey, Bree!” Marcus loped up the switchback wheelchair ramp instead of taking the adjacent steps. “Good to see you again. What is that delectable aroma?”
“Lasagna. It’s Lil’s recipe, but Colbie made it.” She backed up to let him parade inside, his shirttails and unzipped coat trailing behind him. The rumble of his voice continued from inside the trailer, presumably talking to the other ladies.
Max could only pay attention to Bree. With her hair loose, she wore a gray MSU sweatshirt and worn Levis, and she had never looked more amazing. The sunlight brightened when she stepped out to greet him. The warm rays shined as if just for her. The love within him coiled ever tighter around his heart, cutting deep without a single shield to stop it. “It’s good to see you, darlin’.”
“Ditto.” She ste
pped into his arms as she’d been longing to do so. He caught a glimpse of the dark circles under her eyes before her cheek came to rest against the plane of his chest.
She’d had a tough night, that was his guess. He held her tight, breathing in the scent of her strawberry-scented shampoo and wanting to take away her pain. Too vulnerable, that’s what he was. He’d let her in too far. He had no clue what to do about that.
“Do you hear them in there?” She stepped away, just a step. Her long blond hair shimmered like gold, and serenity radiated from her, sweet and beautiful. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m so glad you’re here, but Lil and Colbie are especially excited. Please, you have to forgive them ahead of time.”
“Forgive them for what?”
“You’ll see.” She held out her hand, slender and delicate.
Every fiber of his being, every thread stitching him together tugged excruciatingly—it was just the depth of his love for her. Cherishing her, he fit her hand to his. How good it was to be with her again. He felt her happiness at seeing him again; felt the sorrows pulling at her. Uncertain, not knowing how this would end, he let her lead him onto the narrow porch and through the front door.
“I hope you like lasagna,” she said over her shoulder.
The moment his boots hit the green shag carpet, he was overwhelmed by the most delicious scents: spicy sauce, warm buttery bread and apple cider. Marcus was already at the table, grinning like a bear at a salmon buffet because he was being waited on by the other three women.
“Welcome, Max.” Lil was dishing up a plate of salad for the boy. “What a blessing it is to have you over. It has been a long time since we’ve had such handsome men over to dine with us.”
“And judging by the sorry fellows that just walked into your home, you will be waiting a little longer for those handsome men.” Max shucked off his jacket, intensely aware of Brianna at his side taking the garment from him. She moved with so much grace, it made his teeth ache. The simple act of laying a coat on the back of the nearby sofa dazzled him. She was everything he had ever dreamed of, down-to-earth sweetness and a golden heart. But with the way she looked at him…it was with need. The need for security, or for his love?