The Chocolate Garden (Dare River Book 2)

by Ava Miles

  As he crossed his land back to the house to seek his bed, a shooting star streaked across the sky, and he took it to be another sign. All would be well.

  Streaks of brilliant orange dotted the dark sky when he awoke, feeling a deep sense of peace. Tammy was already seated at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee, when he wandered in. Her beauty stole over him again, and his love for her burned in his heart.

  He held out his hand to her. “Come outside with me.”

  She picked up the baby monitor and crossed the room to stand at his side. He framed her face and kissed her lightly before taking her hand in his. He drew her outside in her bare feet, the dew cooling their soles. Turning her toward the future location of the chocolate garden, he rested his hands on her shoulders.

  “I know why we weren’t supposed to plant your chocolate garden before.”

  Looking back at him, she asked, “You do?”

  He turned her in his arms, wanting to see her eyes. “Bad things can’t happen to homes that are surrounded by a chocolate garden, Tammy.”

  A new light entered her eyes, and he could see the spark of childlike faith flicker to life inside her.

  “They’re magical places,” he continued, “guarded by special chocolate fairies who make chocolate at night when little children are asleep in their beds.”

  “Oh, John Parker,” she whispered. Tears entered her eyes, and one fell with slow grace down the curve of her cheek.

  “Bad men can’t enter because the chocolate fairies always keep them out. They use their special powers to prevent anyone from stealing their chocolate. And the people who grow this special chocolate garden, letting the chocolate fairies make their magical chocolate, receive special protection. The chocolate fairies take care of the family and always keep them safe.”

  Her head fell to his chest. “I don’t know what to say.”

  He held her tightly to him and rocked them back and forth. “Annabelle has lost her faith in the scary world of adults, but she still believes in magic and fairy tales like a child. She’ll believe it, Tammy. And while Rory may not, I think it will help restore his faith too.”

  She pressed back and traced his brow, brushing his hair away from his forehead. “It’s so beautiful I just don’t know what to say.”

  “We have to give the kids back the magic of believing they can be safe again. They need to believe there’s something more than just adults watching over them because deep down, through no fault of our own, we couldn’t stop that man from breaking into Rye’s house. That’s why they can’t trust us completely, even though they want to.”

  “Oh John Parker…”

  “We have to plant it, Tammy. Now. And we’ll get the kids to help us.”

  She started weeping quietly. “Yes.”

  “It’ll work, I promise.” He knew it like he knew when a song was ready.

  Tammy wiped away tears and leaned back to look at him, and her hazel eyes looked like Mother Nature, all lush and open and green and brown. “I love you, John Parker.”

  He let the words he’d prayed to one day hear from her wash over him. But still he asked, “Are you sure?”

  She gave a teary smile. “How could I not be? You stayed up in the middle of the night to dream up that magical story for my babies.”

  “I don’t want you to only love me because of how I am with the kids, Tammy.”

  “I don’t,” she said, tracing his mouth gently, setting him on fire.

  He kissed those fingers, wanting to press her into his land, to let it cushion them both as they finally came together. But he knew it couldn’t happen yet. The first time they made love needed some thought, and yes, he would admit it, some magic.

  “I’m glad. I want you, you know.”

  The light in her eyes dimmed, and he knew it was because of old scars from her marriage. “I know, and I want you too,” she finally said. “I’m grateful you’ve given me some time.”

  “Take all the time you need,” he said, even though it killed him to say the words.

  Her deep exhalation was ripe with relief, and he knew he’d been wise not to rush her.

  “The kids are asleep. I don’t know when they’ll wake up, but we have a while.”

  “We don’t have enough time for me to make love to you like I want, especially for the first time, but we can still make this moment our own.” He tugged her hand. “Follow me.”

  As the morning sun rose and burned away the muggy mist, he would give her a prelude to how it would be between them. He could help restore her faith in this most sacred union between a man and a woman.

  He led her to the edge of the woods where the tree house stood. It was private enough, large enough, and comfortable enough for them. Her smile was girlish as he opened the door decorated with gum drop paths and other magical things. Once they were inside, he knelt on the rug, more than thankful they would have something to lie on. When she lowered herself to press against him, setting the monitor off to the side, he leaned in to kiss her gently, sipping at her lips.

  She must have been hungry for him because unlike her usual slow-cooker kisses, her tongue pressed inside and tangled with his right away as if needing to dance. His arm snaked around her back, and he pressed her against his full length, letting her become used to the feel of his body and his desire for her, something he’d been careful to shield from her before. His blood beat to a powerful rhythm only she could command, and he felt the answering response of her own heart pounding for him.

  Their kisses grew as steamy as the air, thick with possibility, lush with desire. His hand opened her wrap and nightgown and caressed her soft breast through the white cotton, first one and then the other. When she tensed a fraction, and then pressed closer, he could feel her courage, sense her battle to stay with him.

  “That’s right,” he whispered. “Let me show you how much I want you. How beautiful you are to me.”

  The time might not be right for them to come together, but they could take things further in this moment than they had before. He wanted bare flesh, and he wanted as much of it as he could have. It was easy to tug the hem of her nightgown up and run his hand up her bare thighs, her panties, and then the small of her back. Something flashed through her when he touched her that way—he could sense it—but she moaned with desire when he kissed her deeply and helped him tug off her nightgown. He pulled his own shirt over his head and threw it aside, hungry to feel her smooth, white skin against his own tanned flesh.

  Laying her on her back, he caressed her breasts until her back arched off the ground, and he could wait no longer. He pressed his mouth to those tender buds and began to show her yet another way he wanted to love her, taste her, pleasure her.

  “Oh, my,” she breathed out, surprise threading her voice.

  Like the knight painted on the wall, he felt like he was battling away all of the old, dark memories inside her with every touch, every kiss, every slow caress.

  Her hand dug into his hair, and he tugged more on her breast, his heart leaping in his chest when she cried out. Yes, he wanted to say, this is what was between them, what he’d always sensed, and prayed she’d accept.

  He kissed his way down her belly, and when she froze, another ripple of fear spreading through her like a rock thrown into a still pond, he traveled back up, sensing another boundary that was not yet to be crossed. When their mouths fused together, he rolled them onto their sides, caressing her lower back, letting her grow more accustomed to his desire for her. Her hand tentatively ran down his arm from shoulder to elbow and back again as she began to learn his body.

  “Mama?” a little voice cried on the monitor, and Tammy jerked out of his arms.

  She flew into action, reaching for her nightgown, tugging it over her head in a flash. He reluctantly reached for his shirt, and saw her eyes darken with desire as she stared at his body for a moment before shaking herself.

  “I need to…”

  “I know,” he said, smiling at her to ease her
stress. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

  Nodding, she padded out of the tree house, breathtakingly beautiful in her white nightgown and bare feet, her short blond hair all mussed from his hands.

  He settled onto his back and tucked his hands under his head, savoring the knowledge that she loved him and that soon they would be together in all ways.

  Chapter 31

  The way her body buzzed with desire while she made calls to various growers to buy the plants she wanted for their chocolate garden was both a new and decadent sensation. What she’d experienced in that tree house with John Parker had confirmed what she already knew deep inside.

  Making love with him was going to be so very different than anything she’d ever imagined.

  And yet, it was like her body still possessed invisible triggers of alarm. Not wanting to wallow in old fear, she had summoned all of her strength and pressed closer to him in those moments. The new Tammy wanted to break free of all her barriers. The woman who’d been with Sterling was not the one who was going to be with John Parker, and as she checked off her list of chocolate plants, she repeated that over and over in her mind like a mantra.

  While she organized everything for the planting of the garden, John Parker had taken the day off, something he was doing way too often to her mind, and was playing with the kids outside.

  Between rush shipping and her expansive list of growers, she was able to order everything she needed except the Chocolate Ruffles coral bells and Chocolate Mint coleus, which were sold out everywhere.

  They hadn’t told the children the story about the chocolate yet—they’d decided to wait until the plants arrived, making everything more real—but Tammy was practically humming with excitement.

  After the children went to bed that night, she turned to John Parker and kissed him. After a long moment, he pulled back and whispered against her mouth, “I have something special in mind for us that’s taking a little time to pull together, so I’m going to say goodnight now.”

  “John Parker?” she asked as he walked away.

  He turned around, and it was hard to ignore the way his pulse beat in his neck.

  “I…ah…I’m not on birth control anymore…and with the kids, I’m not sure when I can get an appointment.”

  The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll protect you.”

  That night, her sleep was troubled less by the kids' nightmares and more by her restless, anxious thoughts of making love with John Parker.

  The next day, she had every chocolate plant available for purchase in the state of Tennessee, with more coming in from other states. Some arrived in local trucks while others came in boxes with holes punched into the cardboard so the plants could breathe. As she used her pink utility knife to cut through the tape and remove the plants, her collection grew. Rory and Annabelle, who seemed excited by all the fuss but didn’t really know what was happening, helped her carry the smaller plants over to the fallow bed of the chocolate garden.

  After giving the kids a snack, she popped her head into John Parker’s office and said, “I think we’re ready.” Her smile just couldn’t be contained.

  He stopped typing on his computer and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Okay, I’ll close up and be there in a sec.”

  A few moments later, they were all there in front of the plants. While Tammy kneeled in front of the motley assortment, the kids sat on the ground, Annabelle in her pink hat and Rory in a John Deere ball cap Rye had bought him. John Parker was kneeling beside them, and he nodded to her, signaling for her to begin. Even though he’d come up with the story, he’d asked her to be the one to tell it to the kids. She was their mama, he said, and it needed to come from her.

  She was grateful he’d entrusted her with it, and she said a prayer for all to go well as she reached for the chocolate-scented daisy, caressing its yellow leaves and brown center. She’d chosen this as the plant she’d use to tell the story. It wasn’t the prettiest plant in the garden, but it had the perfect characteristics.

  “Isn’t it the most beautiful plant you’ve ever seen?” she asked the kids.

  Annabelle nodded while Rory only shrugged and plucked grass from the lawn.

  “This plant is called a chocolate-scented daisy. It smells like chocolate, which is why it was named that. Can you believe it?” she asked and held it out so everyone could take turns inhaling its alluring fragrance.

  “Wow,” Annabelle said, and her big blue eyes were completely fixated on Tammy now.

  “Now this plant is really special because it blooms at night, and in the morning, the chocolate fragrance is the strongest.”

  “Oh, my gosh, Rory. Did you hear that?”

  “Yes, Annabelle,” her son answered. “It’s pretty cool.”

  “The chocolate scent is a sign that there’s something really magical about this plant. Do you know what that is?”

  The kids shook their heads while John Parker stroked Charleston behind the ears when she plodded over with Barbie and Bandit, who was healing nicely from his injuries. Bullet and Banjo settled down on the grass, as if they too wanted to hear the story.

  “Does it taste like chocolate, Mama?” Annabelle guessed, and Tammy laughed.

  “Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful? No, but there’s something even more incredible about it than that… I’m getting ahead of myself.” She took a moment to regroup, and found encouragement in John Parker’s warm gaze. “Actually, John Parker discovered it after I told him I wanted to plant him a chocolate garden. You see, chocolate plants have chocolate fairies that live inside them.”

  Both her children’s eyes widened, and Annabelle’s mouth actually dropped open.

  “Oh my heavens,” her daughter said with a trace of awe.

  “They’re kind of like the three fairies in Sleeping Beauty.”

  Annabelle perked up at the mention of her favorite fairy tale.

  “They have special powers just like the three fairies.”

  “What’s their power, Mama?” Annabelle asked, and Tammy nodded in acknowledgment of the question.

  “They make chocolate every night in the chocolate garden.”

  “Awesome!” Annabelle cried. “I love chocolate.”

  Good. She was enthralled in the story, just as they’d hoped. Rory still looked unconvinced.

  “The chocolate fairies watch over the families that plant chocolate plants in their garden, allowing them to make their chocolate at night. It’s their way of saying thank you. Plus, the fairies want to make sure no one comes and steals the chocolate before it’s ready. Otherwise, it might not taste good. Kind of like taking a cake out of the oven before it’s ready.”

  “It falls,” Rory said, likely remembering the disastrous birthday cake she’d made for Sterling two years ago, and Tammy had to shake off the memory of what he’d done to her when he’d found it in the trash, replaced by a cake from the local bakery.

  “Right! Plus, the chocolate fairies decide who deserves chocolate.”

  “You have to be good,” Annabelle said, her eyes getting serious now. “Right, Mama?”

  “Right.” Trying to be simple and not introduce any scary elements to the story, she continued, “The chocolate fairies are really good fairies, and they know chocolate is important to the world. Not only for girls and boys, but for people like John Parker and me who like it so much. And they also know chocolate is really special, so the fairies consider the people who let them make it to be part of their family.”

  “Oh, yeah. We’re going to be part of a chocolate family,” Annabelle cried, clapping her hands. “Isn’t that great, Rory?”

  Her son was taking his time, neither smiling nor frowning. “Yep,” he finally said.

  She let Annabelle hold the plant then, which her daughter brought to her chest, peeking under its petals as if she were looking for the chocolate fairies.

  “Each night, the fairies in a chocolate garden cast their magic chocolate dust around the family’s house t
o protect them and keep intruders away.”

  “Aunt Tory sometimes says to Uncle Rye she wants to cook in peace,” Annabelle said knowingly, nodding, and Tammy laughed, knowing it was because Rye always tried to kiss his wife senseless when she was busy cooking.

  “Exactly. They sprinkle this magic chocolate dust every night, and then again when the sun rises after they’ve finished making the chocolate and are ready to go to sleep. Do you know why?”

  Annabelle’s mouth was wide open now, and she shook her head. She didn’t even move when Barbie nudged her leg with her nose.

  “Because they don’t want anyone to find the chocolate they’ve made. It’s hidden in a secret place, so while they sleep, they sprinkle the magic chocolate dust again so no one can find it.”

  “Not even us?” Annabelle said.

  This was her part of the story, and John Parker smiled in recognition. They’d created this magical tale together, and that made it belong to both of them.

  “They give you a piece of chocolate every night when they’re finished, right before they go to sleep and you awake.”

  John Parker was right. The kids needed something tangible, and while she didn’t love the idea of giving her kids chocolate every day, it was a small price to pay to help them believe in magic.

  Annabelle gave the plant back to Tammy, pushing off the ground and twirling in circles. “Yeah, we get chocolate! Isn’t that great, Rory?”

  “It’s just like the tooth fairy, Annabelle,” he told her, a thread of suspicion in his voice.

  Okay, so Tammy had borrowed a bit from that more famous folklore, but in her gut, she felt it was right they have some evidence. What good was a tale if there wasn’t anything to back it up?

  Rory opened his mouth in what was sure to be a question, so she braced herself, but John Parker reached over to put a hand on her son’s shoulder. Rory looked at him and paused. Understanding flashed between them, and her boy nodded his little head.