by Amelia Gates
“I kept it,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Daisy. I couldn’t risk him knowing that I knew about it. I really couldn’t risk him finding out that I’d taken some of it.”
There was the sound of ripping tape, then she pulled out a gallon-sized freezer bag. It looked heavy but was too dusty for me to see inside. She dropped it on the floor with a thud that reverberated through the house. Then she grabbed another one, and another. When she stopped and slid the panel back in place, there were six bags sitting on the floor. Kash was vibrating with excitement. I was feeling stupider by the minute.
“I never knew where it came from until last night and I don’t know how much is here. It’s about half of what was in the safe—David spent money like water and gambled a lot—he didn’t think I knew, but he hasn’t actually worked a job in years, Daisy. We’ve been living off his stash. It must be getting pretty low by now, which is the real reason he went out and got that temp job.”
I blinked at her. “Then—that first time he got laid off—”
She nodded. “Was when he really got fired. But that doesn’t matter now. Kash, I believe this is yours.”
He spun me in his arms and kissed me hard, then let me go again.
“Not yet,” he said. “I know nothing about this yet. Not until I’m cleared with Breaker. After that?” He gazed deep into my eyes, then grinned at mom. “I think the three of us deserve something nice.”
Chapter 29
It didn’t take as long as I thought it would to clear Kash’s name. The judge who had put Kash behind bars in the first place, being a woman of high moral character and a distaste for injustice, pushed everything through in a hurry. Dad’s trial didn’t take long, either. After spending enough time in jail to be really and truly sober for the first time in several years, his guilt got the better of him. He declined counsel and used his own trial as a platform for his confession.
Breaker had been reluctant to let Kash go free. He was still convinced that Kash was hiding something, but there was nothing he could do without filing formal charges. With nothing to go on but a gut instinct, Breaker was bound by the law to release Kash from his obligations.
We thought it best to keep a low profile until we’d cleared town entirely, which was why we packed the few things we wanted to keep into Kash’s truck. Mom and I sold the trailer to a realty company who accepted the trailer as-is, holey walls and cruddy furniture and all. They bought it for ten thousand dollars—which was barely a drop compared to what my mom had been keeping safe in the wall.
The morning we left, Kash wore his dolphin jacket, mom wore her dolphin pendant, and I carried my favorite crystal dolphin—the one with sapphire eyes—in my lap. I could almost feel Hunter cheering us on from the back seat. The sun was on the rise behind us as we idled in front of the freeway onramp.
“Where to, ladies?” Kash asked.
Mom and I exchanged an excited glance in the rearview mirror. “West,” I said. “Drive west.”
“All agreed?” Kash asked.
“Aye,” Mom said with a twinkle in her eye.
My dolphin’s sapphire caught the sun and winked.
“Westward, ho,” Kash said with a grin.
We hit the highway and put music on. My mom sang along to every song, no matter how new. I had never seen her so happy. I breathed free air and laced my fingers through Kash’s, knowing pure, untainted happiness for the first time in ages. It felt like the porch swing, but better. I had my love around me and I was flying into the future with nothing but glittering options ahead of me.
We drove until sunset with no destination in mind, talking and laughing and singing. The day flew by like the forests and deserts beside us, and before I knew it we were driving through a glittering metropolis.
“Anybody ready for dinner?” Kash asked.
“Yes,” I said. “And a shower.”
Mom agreed, so we pulled off the highway and drove around until we found a hotel.
“Wait here for me,” Kash said. “I’ll get our rooms. You two decide where to go for dinner.”
Mom and I pulled up the map. The sheer number of options were overwhelming at first, but eventually we decided on a family-style Italian place. Kash returned with a spring in his step and a grin on his face, which he buried under a layer of nonchalance before he got back into the car.
“They didn’t have any adjoining rooms free,” he said apologetically. “But I got us rooms on the same floor.”
I fought the disappointment. I’d been banking on an adjoining room, hoping to sneak into Kash’s room in the middle of the night and have that bedroom sex we’d been promising each other for what seemed, at this point, like forever.
“That’s just fine,” Mom said. She sighed happily. “It’ll be so nice to sleep in a bed that doesn’t smell like beer sweat.”
I gave Kash directions to the restaurant, but the whole time I was trying to figure out how to get to his room that night. Eventually I decided that I would either have to “get lost” looking for the ice machine, or just come right out and tell Mom what I was up to. Neither option appealed to me, and I realized that I was proving Kash right. I was behaving like a child when there was no longer any reason to. Still, I couldn’t picture myself just walking up to her and saying, “Hey mom, I’m gonna go bang my boyfriend now. See ya.”
“You’re quiet,” Kash observed as we walked into the restaurant. “Something on your mind?”
I smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “Just you,” I said.
He frowned. “If thinking about me makes you that upset, I’d prefer you didn’t. What’s up, babe?”
Mom glanced at me curiously. I blushed and shook my head. “I’m just hungry,” I said. “What looks good here?”
The answer was, everything looked good. It tasted pretty good, too, but I couldn’t seem to enjoy it. I finally had the opportunity to do what I wanted, and I was still trapped in my own mindset with anxiety as the lock. I was angry at myself for it, which ruined my appetite. Mom had been watching me eat with an indecipherable look on her face.
“How far apart did you say our rooms were, Kash?” She asked him suddenly.
“The floor is set up like a plus sign, with a hallway going this way and another one going that way. One room is down at the end in a corner. The other one is down the hall, on the other side of the crossing hallway.”
She watched his hands as he sketched an invisible map on the table, then nodded. “Good. I wouldn’t want to encroach on your space tonight. I believe you two have more than earned some private time together.”
Kash grinned. “You’re a saint as always, Sandy,” he said.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Wait—you’ll be in your room alone?” I asked her.
“If that’s all right with you,” she said with a little shrug. “I think it would be awkward to squeeze all three of us in one room.”
I wanted to hug her, but I also didn’t want to make a huge deal about it. Grinning, I finished my dinner. It tasted glorious. Back at the hotel, Kash gave Mom her room key and we bid her goodnight. Excitement and anticipation sparked through my chest down to my feet until I had the overwhelming urge to skip down the hall.
“Glad you perked up,” Kash said with a knowing smile. “Did you really think your Mom would make you sleep in her room?”
“I just assumed,” I admitted. “I’m not used to this, you know.”
“Used to what? Being treated like an adult?”
I gave him a look, and he relented. “Okay, okay, I can see that. Your mom’s cool, though. Always has been.”
“Yeah, I guess she has,” I said with a smile.
Kash unlocked the door and pushed it open, gesturing for me to go in first. As I did, he slapped my butt, making me squeal. I turned the light on and gasped. The bed was absolutely massive.
“Good enough?” He asked, slipping his arms around my waist.
“Oh, yes,” I breathed.
I turned aro
und and caught him by the collar, puling him down until his lips met mine. He groaned softly as he wrapped his arms around me, then lifted me by my ass and carried me to the bed. He laid me down across it, kissing me as he ran his fingers up my thighs.
“Wait,” I whispered against his mouth. “I need to see something.”
The disappointment in his eyes thrilled me. I felt powerful and sexy and wanted as I danced to the bathroom. I wasn’t about to make love to him on a big bed with my body covered in road trip sweat. The shower was massive and full of funky little shelves and seats and bars, and the tub came up to my knees. Kash followed me, curiosity shining in his eyes.
“Look at it,” I squealed.
“I feel like you’re more excited about the shower than you are about the bed,” he said with a little chuckle.
“Oh, no, baby. But this is a prerequisite.”
He climbed into the hot stream with me and for a moment we both soaked up the pure pleasure of good water pressure and endless heat. Soon, though, his hands were on me, slipping over my body, tracing trails through the soap suds. His hard heat pressed against my ass as he kissed my ear and neck, holding onto my hips, swaying in a gentle, insistent rhythm.
I teased him, sliding soap over his body, touching every sensitive place—all but one. His eyes and lips darkened with need and he pulled me forcefully against him, kissing my mouth hard. I let him slide between my thighs, pressing against me without entering me, until he was growling into my shoulder.
“Come on,” I breathed. “Let’s go try out that bed.”
I’d never seen him move so deliberately or efficiently. It would have made me laugh if my breath hadn’t kept catching at the sight of him, wet and glistening, all muscular and tense with desire. I barely had time to shut off the water before he scooped me up out of the tub and carried me into the bedroom.
Arms around his neck and fingers tangled in his hair I kissed him slowly, exploring the whole of his mouth with my tongue. He broke the kiss, his smoldering eyes burning into mine, then cracked a cocky little smile. He let go of me and I fell, but I barely had time to squeak before the bed caught me in its luxurious softness. I sighed happily and then he was there, mouth on my breast, hands sweeping up my sides.
I ground against him, already slick and ready for him, but he pulled away. “What’s the point of a big bed if you don’t take advantage of it?” He asked, his voice smoky.
He took my right hand and kissed each fingertip, then did the same to my left. Then my palms and wrists, sending goosebumps down my spine. He moved down my arms, exploring every sensitive place, until he reached my neck. I gasped as he nipped at my throat, and groaned as he kissed my heart and the sensitive peak on either side.
“What would you like to do, my love?” He asked me. “We have all the room in the world. Tell me where you want me.”
His voice drove me wild, all husky like that. The truck had been so cramped, we’d had to satisfy ourselves with a move or two, and even those had been compromised by the small cab. The possibilities and freedom of the moment almost made me dizzy. So many choices, so little time.
“I—I don’t know,” I said, overwhelmed.
He grinned. “I do. Roll over.”
I did as he said. He swept his hands over my body from shoulder to ass, then kissed the nape of my neck as he lowered himself over me. A tug on my hips and a fist in my hair was all it took, and he was in control. He took it slow, rubbing my back and belly, fondling my breasts and thighs. Molten desire swirled through my body wherever he touched, pooling deep between my hips. When I couldn’t take it anymore I thrust my ass against him, looking at him over my shoulder.
“Take me.” It was supposed to be a demand, but it came out a whimper.
He bit his lip and groaned, then plunged into me, making my back arch as he hit all the right spots. I bucked against him as my body ignited, crying his name over and over again into the pillow. Just when I thought I would explode from pleasure he pulled me up against him and cupped one breast in his hand, reaching down between my legs to pleasure me with his fingers as he thrust inside of me. I turned my head, taking his mouth in mine for the briefest of moments.
Then I imploded. His body, his hands, his mouth, his scent, every sensation cascaded through my body again and again until I was liquid in his arms. Panting, gasping, I lay back on the big bed and pulled him down onto me.
“I love you, Kash,” I breathed in his ear. “God, I love you so much.”
“And I love you, Daisy,” he said. “With all my heart.”
He kneeled between my legs and pulled me onto his lap, cradling me against him as he entered me once more. Wrapped up in him, wrapped up in me, I felt complete for the first time in my life. As we made love all across the huge bed, I lost the sense of where I ended and he began. For a beautiful, eternal, all-too-brief moment, we were one.
We didn’t stop until the sun came up.
We’d driven through Arizona and were halfway through New Mexico. I’d been gazing dreamily out the window for hours, watching the landscape go by, when we passed through a little ranching town. The houses were all large and unique, each with its own comfortable, homey style. I started collecting bits and pieces in my mind, cobbling them together in my mind to create a picture of my ideal home.
“We need to buy a house with a big front porch and a big, sturdy swing,” I said abruptly.
“In a town with a college so you can be an honest-to-god librarian,” Kash said with a grin.
“And a garden,” Mom said dreamily. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a garden.”
“And a wood shop,” Kash added. “All that work I did for Leroy really got my blood moving. I never thought I’d like working with my hands that much, but I’m itching to do more of it. Plus, that way I can build one of those flowered arches for your garden, Sandy.”
“That would be lovely! Oh, I could plant morning glories…or roses!”
“Anything you want, Mom,” I said with a laugh.
Kash squeezed my hand. “After a year or so of that kind of attention, that garden will be pretty enough to hold a wedding in.”
I looked at him sideways, grinning. “Is that a proposal, Kash Lawson?”
He kissed my hand with a loud smack. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely, princess.”
I laughed, utterly delighted. “Then I agree. It’ll be a beautiful place to hold a wedding.”
“Ooh, we better make sure the house has enough bedrooms,” Mom said, beaming. “You two will be having babies before you know it!”
“Mom!”
“What? Always happens that way. A couple gets happy, they make babies. It’s science.”
“Sounds like superstition to me,” Kash said with a grin. He looked at me, his eyes strangely warm. “But I’m down.”
“Should we start thinking of baby names?” I asked teasingly.
He shook his head. “No need. First baby’ll either be Hunter or Delphine. Second baby will be whichever the first one wasn’t.”
“And if we have more than two?” I asked, my face feeling as if it would split in two from smiling.
Kash laughed. “We’ll name it Chaos, because that’s what our house will become!”
Joyous laughter and music wove magic through the truck, a magic that stayed with us as we wandered aimlessly through the country looking for home. When we found it, it was everything we had dreamed of and more. And Kash had been right—the garden was the perfect spot for our perfect wedding.
Epilogue
Two years later
I opened the windows in the breakfast nook and breathed in deeply. The light, intricate perfume from Sandy’s garden blew through the window, mingling with the aroma of fresh coffee. In the distance, dolphins laughed and gossiped in their clicks and whistles, their voices striking a strange little harmony with the birds’ morning songs.
“It’s gonna be a damn good day,” I said, grinning at Sandy. “Especially after Daisy decides to come downstairs.” I
raised my voice, turning the last two words into a bellowed request.
“I’m coming,” she said, her voice muffled by walls. “Go ahead and start without me.”
Shrugging, I sat down and dug in. The very first bite had me rolling my eyes in appreciation. “Good lord, Sandy, how do you make everything taste so good?”
“Practice,” she said with a laugh as she sat down across from me. “And magic.”
“I believe it,” I said. “Hey, babe! You’re missing the best breakfast in the history of breakfast!”
“That’s what you said about yesterday’s breakfast!” Daisy called back.
“It was true then and it’s true now,” I said adamantly. “I swear, Sandy, I’ve never eaten so good.”
Sandy beamed happily, blushing a little. She still wasn’t quite used to being appreciated, though she’d finally stopped arguing with me about it. Hungry as I was, I savored every bite slowly, wanting to share the experience with Daisy. People kept telling me it was the honeymoon phase, that eventually I’d stop wanting to share everything with her, that I would get tired of her constant presence—but after two years, I was beginning to doubt the validity of that.
“So what are your plans today, Sandy?”
“Mm! I’ve got my book club brunch at eleven, then spin class at two. After that I thought I’d go with Barb to pick out some clothes for her newest grand-baby, then with Patsy to the nursery to find something to fill the south-east corner. It’s a shame the blackberry bush didn’t take. Patsy said it got too much sun and she’s probably right. She’s so smart about things like that.”
I grinned, pleased. “Sounds like a busy day.”
“Yes,” she said, sighing contentedly. “I’m still not quite used to it. It all feels like a dream sometimes, you know? Once in a while I’ll be so happy, and some little part of my mind will try to convince me that it’s all a dream and it’s only a matter of time before I wake up in that damn trailer with David hulking around demanding things.” She shook her head, her eyes soft and misty. “Then I blink real hard and I’m still here. Daisy’s safe, you’re safe, and the dolphins are playing in the water. I have friends and time of my own and money to spend. I can’t imagine a single thing that could possibly make this better.”