“That goats can be charming.”
“I thought you were taking my word on it.”
“I lied. I think you’re full of it. They’re beasts straight from the pits of hell,” she informed him.
“Challenge accepted.”
Karise slid under the covers of his bed, taking a deep breath to delight in the scent that lingered on his pillow. “You’re wasting your energy, and heaven knows you need it.”
“Is that a proposition?”
“I meant to live your crazy life, but now that you mention it, possibly.”
“I can catch a flight tonight.” The words rushed from his mouth.
“Silly man. I’ll still be here when you get back. Besides, the best things are worth waiting for – remember?”
“I think we need to talk about something else or I will be on a plane tonight.” Aidan’s voice was husky.
“I fed your daughter way too much restaurant food today,” Karise confessed. It was the safest topic she could think of.
“That’s okay. She probably enjoyed the break from my cooking.”
“What’s with that, by the way? Why don’t you have any food in the house?”
“I have plenty of food in the house,” he argued.
“No, you have ingredients like flour, and sugar and salt. There is no actual food.”
“I mix the ingredients together to make the food.”
“That’s what Zoe said. How do you have time for that?”
“I make the time. Have you seen the documentaries? Do you have any idea what they put in that crap?”
“Zoe called it that, too,” she informed him.
“Lovely. I’ve taught my daughter to talk like a sailor.”
“What kind of sailors have you been hanging out with? I think that’s still pretty mild by nautical standards.”
“Wait, how many sailors do you hang out with?”
Karise giggled. “Loads.”
“Now I want to get on a plane again.”
“No, you should definitely wait. I have better odds of having the sailors cleared out by Tuesday.”
“Very funny.”
“I thought so.” Karise sighed. “And just so you know, this is highly unfair.”
“What is?”
“You get to hang up and go to sleep in a sterile hotel room. I’m completely surrounded by you. Resign yourself now to the fact that I’ll be having dirty dreams about you.” She stretched her legs and pointed her toes, flexing her calves. His sheets were luxuriously soft; they felt decadent against her skin.
“This hotel room is anything but sterile, and I can guarantee that after that speech, I’ll be reciprocating.”
“You’d better. Let me know how I do.”
“You want me to tell you about my dreams? How many glasses of wine have you had?”
Karise thought about it. “Two. They were kinda big ones, but I’m not tipsy. Maybe I am a little. Oh my gosh; I’m the worst babysitter ever. I am so sorry.”
Aidan chuckled. “I think you guys will be okay. I’m going to get off the phone now to go get an ice bath.”
“Goodnight. Love you.” Karise hung up the phone before it occurred to her what she’d just said. She stared at the phone in horror, all warm and fuzzy feelings gone. She tried to reassure herself that maybe he hadn’t heard her. If he had, she didn’t want to know what he was thinking at that moment. Maybe he’d pass it off as the wine talking. Karise latched on to the excuse, trying to convince herself that was it.
She turned off the lamp by his bed, pulling his pillow in closer. The image of him danced across her mind’s eye. His smile, his eyes sparkling with mischief, that way he had of looking at her – the one that made her feel like she was the only other person on the planet. She knew it wasn’t the wine or the surroundings. She wasn’t just crazy about Aidan. She loved him like she’d never loved another human being.
Karise wasn’t sure what to do with this newfound knowledge. She didn’t know if it should change anything, and she certainly wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else. So she tucked it away in her heart, her own special secret to mull over when all was quiet.
Maybe it was her imagination, but the sun seemed to shine a little bit brighter the next day. Despite staying up way too late to think – and enjoy the feel of Aidan’s bed – Karise was up before Zoe. She Googled pancake recipes and had a respectable breakfast on the table by the time Zoe stumbled into the kitchen, her hair in a charming state of disarray. Karise might have burned the first three pancakes, but Bonnie and Clyde were more than happy to destroy the evidence for her.
“Did you know there are blue and green eggs in your egg carton?” Karise asked by way of greeting.
“My favorites are the speckled ones.”
“I thought they just came in white.”
Zoe shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“Thanks.” Karise’s tone was wry as she set a plate of pancakes in front of Zoe. How was she supposed to know chickens laid different colors of eggs? “I wonder why stores don’t sell the pretty eggs. I’d buy those.”
Zoe just eyed her before deciding the pancakes were more interesting. After breakfast, Karise sent the girl to get dressed, wondering if that was something she normally did on her own. When Zoe returned in a red plaid skirt, purple pixie shirt and ladybug rain boots, Karise suspected that Aidan usually picked her outfits. Personally, she didn’t see the harm in letting the girl express a little creativity. Besides, they were already five minutes late, and Zoe had yet to brush her teeth.
They were only mildly late by the time Karise found the preschool. If the teachers gave Karise disapproving looks, she ignored them. Nothing was going to deter her from enjoying this day.
Her job did its best, though. She hadn’t even turned the car off before Gary was at her door with a list of problems that had to be solved before construction could continue on Kate’s house. Karise listened to the foreman rattle off roadblocks as she followed him around the site. When he was finished, she volleyed her own set of questions. Back and forth they went until they settled on answers they could both live with.
Karise was just about ready to slip away when Kate pulled up with a cheerful hello. The two greeted with a quick hug before Kate stepped back to admire her house-in-progress.
“I think I can see what it’s going to be.” Kate’s eyes took in the framed-out lumber.
“It’s starting to look like a house,” Karise agreed.
“I can’t wait. I mean, Aunt Joan and Uncle Mason have been amazing, sharing their house with us since we sold the loft, but I miss having a home of my own.”
“I get it.” Karise thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know if I’ve ever had a home of my own. I’m starting to realize how much I want that.”
“You haven’t?”
“I went from living with my parents, to living in a dorm, to living with William – and that was decidedly his home. I want to decorate a house, my house.”
“Any thoughts on where that house will be?” Kate asked, her voice tinged with hope.
“I’d like to stay in the area,” Karise conceded. “I’m not sure I know much more than that at the moment.”
“Oh, come on,” Kate persisted. “You have to give me something more than that. I’m dying to know – how’s it going with Zoe? The men can giggle about the goats all they want; I want to hear what it’s like staying at Aidan’s.”
“Zoe’s good. We got off to a rough start, but I think things are really good now. You’ll have to tell me what you think tonight.” Karise glanced around to be sure they were really alone before lowering her voice and confessing, “I told him I loved him last night, as we were getting off the phone. It just kind of slipped out.”
Kate did a little happy dance, ending it by giving Karise a hug. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. I mean, I said it as I was hanging up. I didn’t even realize I’d said it at first. For all I know, he didn’t even hear it.”
>
“He heard it,” Kate blurted.
“He told you?” Karise was incredulous. “Why do you even bother asking me? Why not just tell me you know and demand I spill it?”
“My way’s more fun.”
“For who? Sadist.”
Kate did another little dance and laughed. “He woke me up at five this morning. I think he over-thought all night, poor guy. He wanted to know what I thought about it all.”
“What did you tell him?”
“To sweep you off your feet and never let you go.”
“Very funny. What did you tell him?”
“Why ask if you’re not going to believe me? You’re hopeless.”
“I’ve been getting that a lot lately.”
“So?” Kate looked at her expectantly.
“So, what?”
“So, do you love him? Did you mean it or was it the wine?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Karise taunted.
“Now who’s the sadist?”
Karise didn’t relent. Sure, there was a piece of her that got some twisted pleasure out of Kate’s torment, but mostly she just wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet. Besides, when she was ready to give her feelings voice, she thought Aidan should be the one to hear it.
After the friends had parted ways, Karise stopped by her cottage before heading back to Aidan’s. She walked through the door and stood in front of her mother’s urn, hands on hips. She regarded the object for a moment, her jaw set defiantly.
“It wasn’t me; it was you. Wasn’t it?”
Silence hung heavy in the air.
"For so many years, I thought it was me who broke up Devon and Alex’s family, me you left. But it had nothing to do with me. What happened to you? What made you so broken inside? Did you ever love anyone but yourself? Did you even love yourself?”
More silence.
“I’m really pissed at you, Mom. Yeah, there, I said it. I’m furious at you. I know you can’t fix it, but I thought you should know.” Karise gave a little nod, straightened her shirt and left.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KARISE’S TIRES SQUEALED into the preschool parking lot before she sheepishly tapped on the brakes. Great, I’m the jerk who drives like an idiot around small children, she thought as she put the car in park. She was racing the clock, but at least the house was once again spotless. If Joe had noticed anything amiss in the barn, he had the courtesy not to mention it. Karise didn’t know him well enough to know if he was a courteous kind of guy. Either way, she was relieved.
After signing Zoe out of school – amidst curious stares from the staff – Karise headed over to Kate’s for dinner. The meal was scrumptious, which made it worth the questions Kate peppered her with every time Zoe was out of earshot.
Joan and Mason were home for a change, adding another layer to the evening. Karise enjoyed the couple; they were delightful people. But the art of making conversation with anyone she didn’t know well was more than her brain could take at the moment. More than anything, she wanted to go home, or rather, to Aidan’s. The moment Karise felt she could politely excuse herself, she did.
Karise was helping Zoe with a bath when her cell phone rang. It was Devon, sounding happier than she’d heard him in a long time.
“You’re going to be an aunt again!” He didn’t wait to make his announcement.
“Really? The adoption is moving forward?” Karise put the lid down on the toilet so she could sit. Zoe watched her with interest.
“We’re adopting siblings – two girls and a boy.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. How old?”
“Eighteen months, three and five.”
Karise was pretty sure Devon would burst with pride or excitement soon. Personally, she couldn’t imagine multiplying Zoe by three. “Jane is probably beside herself. When? How soon?”
“She’s ecstatic. They said it could take up to eighteen months, but I’m trying to move things along faster. My attorney says she’s fairly certain we can speed that up.”
“I hope so. I would think that kind of wait would be agonizing.”
“They say we can use the time to bond with the children at the orphanage.”
Karise thought of how hard it was going to be for her, leaving tomorrow, not being the one to give Zoe her bath. This was after two days with a child she wasn’t adopting. She couldn’t fathom how hard the wait would be on Devon and Jane. She could, however, begin to understand why Jane was going to such lengths to be a mother.
Karise listened as Devon talked about the pending adoption and their plans to get the house ready for so many additions. She liked hearing him happy. When she hung up the phone, she shared the news with Zoe, who seemed excited to hear that Karise’s brother was going to be a dad, even if she didn’t know Devon.
“Alright, kiddo, you have a couple of choices before you call it a night. First, popcorn or cookies?”
“Daddy says no cookies before bed.”
“Didn’t realize that, but the offer’s already on the table so it’ll just be our little secret, just this once.”
Zoe’s eyes danced with delight as she whispered. “Cookies.”
“My kind of girl.” Karise nodded approvingly. “Second, movie or books?”
Zoe’s brow furrowed in thought. “Both?”
“How about one short book and an episode of Scooby Doo?”
“Deal.” Zoe smiled, pleased with her end of the bargain.
Karise snagged them a couple of the cookies she’d baked that afternoon and followed Zoe to her room. She took a bite of a cookie while Zoe chose her book. It was pretty good if she did say so herself. It was also the readymade break-and-bake kind, but Karise wasn’t going to let that keep her from feeling a sense of accomplishment.
She sat on Zoe’s bed, leaning against the headboard with Zoe snuggled up against her, alternating between eating her cookies and interrupting Karise to tell her what was coming up next in the book.
Clyde’s deep, rumbling woof alerted Karise someone was there a moment before she heard a car coming down the driveway.
“Stay here, sweetie.” Karise rose from the bed, her eyes scanning for some sort of a weapon as she headed for the front door. Seeing none, she decided she’d just have to trust Bonnie and Clyde to eat any unwelcome guests. She peeked out the front window, letting out a tiny squeal of delight when she saw who their intruder was. “Zoe, come here!”
The little girl rounded the corner just as her daddy opened the front door. There was nothing tiny about her squeal as she flew into Aidan’s arms. He lifted her off the ground as her skinny arms wrapped so tight around his neck that Karise wondered how he could still breathe. As she watched the pair embrace, Karise again thought the woman who’d left them was a fool. She also realized how special it was that they were willing to let her in. Gifts like that weren’t meant to be squandered.
Karise couldn’t help wondering if he’d read her thoughts when his eyes met hers. What she saw there made her stomach flutter. She remembered Kate’s words: He heard. Knowing that didn’t help her decipher what she saw now, although maybe it would have if her nerves hadn’t been such a jumble.
Understanding how much Zoe needed this time alone with Aidan, Karise offered him a smile, mouthed the words “Welcome home,” and slipped into the kitchen to clean up their dinner dishes. She was happy beyond words to see Aidan home but also a touch sad to be going home. She’d just loaded the last dish when Aidan joined her in the kitchen. She straightened and turned, preparing what to say as she did.
He was so disheveled, so handsome, her breath caught. He strode across the kitchen, catching her up in his arms and kissing her as if it had been the only thing on his mind all day. It was the kind of kiss she could lose herself in, and it was over as quickly as it had begun, leaving her chest heaving and the rest of her longing for more.
“Zoe wants you to finish reading her story.”
She smacked his chest. “Why did you do that to me? How am I supposed to g
o read a book to your daughter now?” she whispered fiercely.
“Same way I got through a grocers’ convention today.” His grin was wicked. “Besides, I couldn’t wait one more second to do that.”
Karise could think of about a hundred things she wanted to do to him right then, but she could hear Zoe calling for them. She took Aidan’s hand, gave his fingers a soft nip more to torment him than anything else, and pulled him along behind her.
“So, uh, what’s this I hear about cookies in bed?” Aidan asked playfully as they entered Zoe’s room.
“You told on me,” Zoe and Karise accused in unison.
Aidan laughed. “Ha! Caught you. Nobody told – I saw the crumbs.”
“That’s not right.” Karise shook her head reproachfully.
“You’re sneaky,” Zoe accused.
“I can’t leave you two girls alone for a minute, can I?”
“Nope.” Karise reclaimed her earlier seat on Zoe’s bed. “So I guess you’d better not leave anymore.”
“Yeah, nope,” Zoe mimicked Karise’s expression.
Aidan sat on the foot of the bed, regarding them both with amusement. “I might have created a monster letting you guys spend time together.”
“You should be very afraid,” Karise warned, opening the book to the spot where they’d left off before his arrival. It was hard to concentrate on the story with Aidan’s eyes glued to her. Karise could feel him watching her mouth as the words tumbled from them. She managed to finish the story only to have Zoe argue for a later bedtime when it was over. Karise gave Zoe a kiss on top of her head then slipped out of the room and left him to the parenting. That was the perk of not being mom, after all.
By the time Aidan won the dispute and tucked Zoe in, he found Karise curled up on the couch with Clyde.
“I’ve lost you to my dog, haven’t I?”
“I’m pretty sure I fell for the dog first.”
He smiled, leaning against the counter and folding his arms while he watched her. “As long as I’m somewhere in the mix.”
“You are,” she promised. “You’re also back early.”
“I wanted to root out any sailors who might be lurking about.”
Waiting for You Page 14