Hearts Are Wild

by Synithia Williams

  “Oh, that was our doing, huh? Aren’t we the power couple?” Shannon squeezed her eyes shut, frowning. She’d just gone and ruined the carefree moment by throwing in the “c” word.

  “That we are.” Dean kissed the top of her head. His tickling turned to deliberate stroking and Shannon felt the hard evidence of his interest in a second go ’round.

  She blinked. Why wasn’t he put off by her last comment?

  “Too bad we only had the one condom.” He sighed wistfully.

  “Okay, I may have a couple more in my other pocket.” Shannon peeked up at him.

  “Bless you, my wicked woman.” He dumped her unceremoniously on the blanket while he scrambled up to root through her discarded clothes.

  Well if he wasn’t going to throw her out for referring to them as a couple, then she was going to stop obsessing over it. Live in the moment. Live for herself. Dean cheered, holding up two more foil wrapped packets triumphantly.

  It looked like they were going to make the most of this night. Shannon hoped her mother didn’t mind snoozing on the couch. She didn’t think she’d make it back any time soon. She squealed when Dean pounced on her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I believe a ‘thank you, Mom’ would be in order.”

  Catherine sat in the front seat of Shannon’s minivan. Her eyes were focused on the ribbon of highway in front of them. Her lips twitched at the corners, where the ghost of a smile played hide and seek.

  “I told you thank you last night.”

  “Yes, but you look just as radiant this morning so it can’t hurt to say it again.”

  Shannon rolled her eyes and tried to will the heat in her cheeks to cool down. She glanced in the rearview mirror to gauge whether or not the kids were paying any attention to the conversation going on in the front. Nope. Brenna was busy coloring, a handy tray over her lap. Brian had a zillion tiny cars on his tray, crashing them this way and that. Brady was playing the alphabet game . . . by himself. He watched intently out the window for his next answer.

  “I really appreciate your watching the kids last night. I’m glad you all got some last minute alone-time together.” Shannon sent a pointed glance at her mother.

  “It was my pleasure. Well, it was probably yours too.” Catherine bit on her knuckle to stifle a giggle, but not before she let a snort escape.

  If they hadn’t been doing 65 miles an hour down I-95, Shannon would have beaten her head against the steering wheel. The woman gets a sex life after a twenty-year dry spell and she develops a teenager’s crude sense of humor.

  “So did Roger get back and settled in safely?” Shannon was desperate for a change in subject.

  “Yes, yes, he’s very sorry he had to leave early.”

  “It was completely necessary. I hope everything is all right.”

  Roger had gotten a call the day before about a break-in at his house. The police needed him there to assess damage and catalog what had been stolen. Catherine had offered to change her ticket and leave early as well, but he’d insisted she spend what little time she had left with her daughter and grandchildren.

  They passed a few more exits in silence. Shannon’s mind wandered to the evening before. She’d been disappointed when the lights eventually flickered back to life. She had enjoyed their date far more than she’d expected. Today she was relaxed, pleasantly achy, and longing for the next glimpse of her incredibly sexy neighbor.

  “Hey, Mom, when you met Dean, did you think there was anything strange about him? When I first met him, I could swear there was something he was trying to hide. Now I’m not so sure.” Shannon frowned in uncertainty.

  “Now I wish you’d said this before. I’m trying to remember my first impressions.” Catherine tapped a finger against her chin.

  “I remember thinking, ‘Did Malibu Ken get lost and end up on the opposite coast?’” She chuckled.

  “But in town, at the parade . . . ” Catherine stopped tapping her chin and stabbed at the air in front of her instead. “He looked nervous then, like he was afraid of being recognized. But who would know him in Scallop Shores, right? Yeah, that seemed a little weird to me.”

  Shannon nodded. He was much more at ease with her and the kids now. It was only when he was in town that he donned those ridiculous mirrored sunglasses and ball cap. Like he was some kind of celebrity, trying to remain undetected. Sure, he was gorgeous enough to be a model, but she’d know if he was someone famous. Right? She sighed. Now who was acting strange?

  “Sweetheart, I need to be straight with you about something. It’s actually good that Roger isn’t here for this conversation.”

  This time both women checked to see that the triplets were still occupied. When she knew that all little ears were tuned elsewhere, Shannon glanced worriedly at her mom. Catherine looked embarrassed, on edge.

  “Are you okay? Are you sick?” Her heart began to beat too loudly and she was afraid she’d miss the answer for the pounding in her ears.

  “It’s not me. It’s you.” Catherine shook her head, clearly frustrated with how she was handling this conversation. “I saw Hollis Bainbridge talking to you at the playground the other day. You never mentioned it, but I was hoping you’d tell me what he said.”

  “Oh, Mom, he’s so hateful! He was telling Dean to stay away from me, that I ruin lives. That I ruined his son’s life and, by extension, his and Eden’s.”

  “What a bastard! Did he say anything else?”

  “He said he’d been talking to Vince and that he’d told him about the triplets. That Vince was interested in being part of their lives. He implied that Vince was going to take them away from me.” She was speaking in a whispered hiss but the emotion behind the words had the sentences coming out in choked pieces.

  “Hollis is just messing with you. He knows what would scare you the most and he’s using it to make you miserable.” Catherine flattened her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. “This is my fault,” she whispered.

  “That’s crazy. He’s had it out for me ever since his son freaked out over fathering triplets and ran.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s had it out for me—and by extension you—since I told him to get his cheating hands off me, that I would not have an affair with him!”

  Again, they both checked the backseat for eager listeners.

  “You’re kidding me! Hollis Bainbridge? Oh, that’s just . . . ew!”

  “What can I say? I was hot stuff.”

  Shannon grinned, thankful for the comedic interlude. However, it was short-lived.

  “Promise me you won’t let him near those children. I’m not saying he’d do anything to harm them, but he’s got a mean, vengeful streak. Two Fitzgerald women have pissed him off and who knows how far he’s willing to go to assuage his manly pride.”

  “I appreciate your telling me this.” Shannon smiled sadly at her mother. “Kind of makes me wish we could just pick up and move out to Carmel with you. Get away from Scallop Shores and Hollis Bainbridge.”

  “You run away from him, you are no better than Vincent. Stand strong and let him know you don’t take crap from anyone. You’re a Fitzgerald.” They reached out and squeezed their fingers together.

  “Besides, you have a smokin’ hot neighbor that, I have a feeling, would miss the heck out of you—and the kids—if you were to move.”

  “And that’s your polite way of saying ‘I staked out Carmel, go get your own damned spot,’ right?”

  “Didn’t say that.”

  “Didn’t have to.” Shannon grinned as she bore right for the exit to the airport.

  • • •

  Dean paced back and forth, his cell phone clenched tightly to his ear. They shouldn’t have done this. Why couldn’t they just accept that he wanted no part of any reality TV show, reunions, or anything that required getting on a plane and stepping out of his anonymous bubble?

  “Hey, Jax suggested I come in person. He said you have this thing for your hot, single mom neighbor. He s
aid if I brought Vanessa and the baby, that maybe we could convince you to come back. Just to tape the show, man. Then you’re free to go.”

  “Toby, you’ve got a normal life now. You have a wife and a baby. You do the 9-5 thing. Don’t you feel that it’s enough?”

  “I’m not doing this TV gig because I’m jonesing for the old life. It’s just a lark. Something my kids will get a kick out of when I’m older, and no one asks us to do reunion shows anymore. Because, you know, eventually they won’t want us anymore. The public, not our kids.” Toby chuckled.

  Dean sighed, letting all the air out of his lungs before refilling them. He grabbed a handful of hair and tugged. This wasn’t going well. They just weren’t hearing him.

  “I can’t do it, Tobers. I’ve got too much to lose.”

  He thought of Shannon, the look on her face if she happened to flip on the TV and catch his ugly mug on a show about boy bands past. She’d hate him. She’d read him the riot act about how she had trusted him and how he betrayed that trust. And she’d be right. He’d deserve every ounce of loathing.

  “Does this have to do with your neighbor?” Toby asked, suddenly serious.

  “I lied to her, man. I guess you could call it a lie by omission. She doesn’t know who I am. And I don’t want her to. It would change things. It would change us.”

  “Does she have something against boy bands? Get her heart broken when her fan mail wasn’t answered?”

  “No, you ass! It’s not her. It’s me. I’ve never met a woman who didn’t act differently the minute she found out I was famous. They start calculating. They’re picturing themselves with my last name, thinking of all the checks they’ll be able to write.”

  “Ouch. You are one jaded pop star. You’re really clueless if you think that all women are that greedy and manipulative.” Toby tsked.

  “You’re lucky. You’ve got Vanessa and she’s great. But do you ever wonder if you guys had met after you got famous, if things would have been different?”

  “Vanessa is Vanessa. When you fall in love and really get to know someone, you know they don’t change, their core principles don’t change, just by adding a little bit of money.”

  Dean stopped pacing and considered this gem. He didn’t want to think badly of Shannon. He couldn’t picture her as anything but generous and nurturing, giving of her time, energy, and affection. He had everything exactly the way he wanted it. Maybe he was being unreasonable, but that cold, gnawing fear just wouldn’t let go.

  “If you see a future for you and this woman, you need to be truthful with her. Does she know about that frickin’ sham of a paternity suit?”

  “No.” His voice was glum. “I’m evil, okay? I lied to her about who I was. I left out the part about the crazy chick crying ‘Daddy!’” Dean paced up to the wall and thudded his head against it. “Toby, if you only knew how devoted she was to her kids. She’s . . . they’re . . . ”

  “You want the whole package.” Now it was Toby’s turn to let out a long sigh. “Maybe I should come out there. You’re delusional. You need an intervention to show you just how bad you’re screwing up your chances with Ms. Perfect here.”

  “Don’t you dare! Shannon can’t find out about you guys.”

  “Tell me something, Dino. If it weren’t for her, if you didn’t have to worry about anyone accidentally spotting you on TV and having your cover blown, would you do the show?”

  “Why do you need me? Surely, they don’t need all five guys to show up for this reunion thing? Tell them I died.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “If it would get you off my ass, then yeah, I’d probably go out to film the stupid thing and then hasta la vista!”

  “So tell her. Set yourself free, man! Tell Shannon the truth and then ask her to join you in LA for the show. Fly her kids out, too. How many does she have?”

  “Three—triplets, actually.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Cutest damned kids you’ll ever see.” Dean wondered at the pride in his voice. Where did that come from?

  “Yeah, well I’m looking at the cutest kid in the world right now, and his purple face is telling me I’ve got to cut this call short. Daddy’s got some nasty business to attend to.”

  “You have fun with that. Be happy you only have to change one at a time.”

  “Dean? I’m serious. Bring her out to meet us. She sounds like a damned decent lady and you deserve someone like that in your life. Love you, man.”

  He ended the call and shoved the phone deep in his pocket. Like it was that simple. Things were complicated now. They were lovers. She’d gone to him thinking she knew everything there was to know about him. She’d trusted him with all of her. If she found out now, she’d feel betrayed on a whole new level.

  Dean went back to pacing the floor. Shannon. He wanted to be the man she thought she knew. He wanted to be honorable, honest, and forthright. But he also wanted to be hers. He wanted her to need him. He wanted her to love him. Every day he got to spend with her, it was getting harder and harder to keep this from her.

  Toby was right. He needed to tell her the truth. His Shannon wouldn’t turn weird just because she found out he was a celebrity has-been. And if she did turn out to be a gold digger, then it was better that he found out before it was too late, right? Before he lost his heart. Right . . . Who was he kidding? It was way too late for that.

  Chapter Eighteen

  She was going to die. Shannon clutched the box of tissues to her chest and stumbled down the hallway. Well, that was only if she were really lucky. Sometime in the night she had started to feel bad—really bad. Now she had to face the truth: she had the flu.

  The kids had gotten up at 6 o’clock, full of energy and ready to start their days’ adventures. She’d considered letting them fix their own breakfasts, but three five-year-olds in the kitchen sounded like way too much of a disaster in the making. So she’d gotten out of bed.

  Now she was struggling with all she had just to make it until she could get back to bed. Ms. Sheffield was bringing a group of guests out tomorrow morning. Shannon had a to do list she’d been adding to for days. She had hours of work ahead of her and she couldn’t even get her achy body out of her pajamas. She blew her nose into a tissue and leaned against the wall. She wouldn’t cry.

  “Mommy, can we go out and play?” Brian hopped up and down, forcing Shannon to squeeze her eyes shut against the havoc his energy was wreaking on her equilibrium.

  “I was hoping I could get a few helpers at the big house today. Mommy’s not feeling well.”

  Brian stopped hopping and slumped. He dragged his feet and sighed dramatically.

  “Can we just play for a few minutes? Then we’ll help. Pinky swear.”

  Shannon waved him outside, trying for a shaky smile. “No one gets hurt today—you hear me? I’m too sick to drive you to the hospital.” She shook her head when her order was met with giggles. They think I’m kidding.

  Shoving her feet into a pair of bright pink flip-flops, Shannon headed for the big house—in her pajamas. Who was she going to run into? Ms. Sheffield wouldn’t be around until the next day.

  She got the cleaning supplies out of the huge utility closet in the garage. She groaned, thinking about all the windows that needed cleaning and how badly her whole body already hurt. How was she going to raise her arms above her head when she could barely shuffle across the lawn to get to the house?

  Shannon took a few deep, slow breaths. The aching in her head was so bad she was afraid she was going to vomit. But then she’d have to clean it up. So that just wasn’t going to happen. Oh, she really didn’t have time for this!

  Honking into a tissue, she shoved it back down into her pocket. Shannon turned a bleary gaze to the window. She knew the triplets were out there—she’d heard them just a few minutes ago. But where had they gone? She pushed herself away from the windowsill and turned back to the vacuum. She’d go round up her escapees after she finished vacuuming th
e downstairs.

  She was halfway through the living room when she heard the children over the sound of the vacuum. She shut it off and turned, ready to chastise them for tracking dirt in on their sneakers. All three children stood proudly, pushing Dean to the forefront of their little group.

  “You said you needed helpers ’cause you weren’t feeling well. So we went and got Dean.” Brian beamed.

  Shannon looked from her own bedraggled bedhead and rumpled pajamas to Dean’s tight white t-shirt and navy cargo shorts. She burst out crying. Dean knelt down and whispered something to the kids, who turned and filed out of the room. Then he hurried over to Shannon, who stood blubbering in the center of the room, her teeth chattering. He placed a cool hand on her forehead and silently swore.

  “God, baby, you are burning up. What the hell are you doing over here? You should be in bed.”

  “Can’t. Too much to do.” She hugged herself tightly, trying to keep from biting her tongue when she couldn’t control the shivering.

  “You’re no good to anyone like this. You can’t do everything. In fact, today, you can’t do anything.” He placed a finger over her lips when she started to protest. “That’s an order.”

  He lifted her in his arms like she didn’t weigh a thing and carried her to the couch. Shannon lifted her head off the pillow he’d placed beneath her and tried to get up. A wave of vicious dizziness had her stomach pitching dangerously and she decided it wouldn’t be in her best interest to fight him.

  “You tell me what needs to be done and the trips and I will do it. You will stay here and rest. Get some sleep if you can.” He covered her with a homemade afghan he’d found draped on the couch.

  Shannon nodded weakly.

  “I have a list on the kitchen table. The kids know where all the supplies are kept.” She sniffled. “Dean, I’m so sorry.”

  “For what? Getting sick? I highly doubt you did it on purpose.” He dropped a kiss on her fevered brow and started to leave the room.

  “Do you need me to bring a bucket?”

  “No, I’ll be okay.” Mortification added to the bright flush on her cheeks. Of all people to have to see her like this.