In His Kiss (Love On The North Shore Book 4)

by Christina Tetreault

  “Good point. He’ll ask you soon. I know he will.”

  Ella agreed. Striker wasn’t a patient guy. Sometimes she hated that particular trait of his. This time, she was grateful for it.

  “You’ll say yes, right?”

  “What do you think?”

  Kelsey smiled, washing away some of the fatigue on her face. “Just checking.”

  “My turn to do some checking. How’d it go last night with Drew?” Ella took a long sip of tea before getting some ginger cookies from the cupboard. After taking one, she offered the package to Kelsey.

  Kelsey finished a cookie and reached for another before she answered. “Okay. I finally told him I’m teaching science.”

  “He didn’t know?” It was no big secret Kelsey taught at the middle school, so Drew’s parents or brothers were bound to know. Wouldn’t they have shared the information?

  “He knew I had been. He assumed I’d gone back to school, and I never told him otherwise.” Kelsey left the table and put the teakettle back on the stove. “He wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help. Told me to call him if I ever need anything. Like I’d ever do that.”

  Kelsey didn’t ask even her closest friends for help, so Ella knew she’d never reach out to Drew.

  Since the water was still hot, it didn’t take long to boil again. Kelsey made herself a cup of tea before sitting back down. “He said we’d talk soon,” Kelsey said, doing her best imitation of a male voice. “Guess that means he’s not going to stop calling me every month.”

  Considering he’d come to town when she didn’t return his calls and he’d tracked her down at the wedding, Ella suspected Drew planned on being a more active participant in Kelsey’s life. Maybe he’d be able to do what her friends hadn’t: Get her back to living instead of going through the motions every day.

  Ella kept her suspicions to herself. Time would tell what happened. “Having him care isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

  “I guess you’re right. But I don’t need another brother. I don’t need any guy taking care of me. I’ve got things under control.”

  Kelsey didn’t mention Ian often, and no one brought him up. Ella knew they’d been close, and she’d seen firsthand the emotional toll losing him had taken on Kelsey. “Having friends is always a good thing. Don’t push him away because he reminds you of Ian.”

  “He can go back to making his monthly calls and I’ll answer. If I don’t, he’ll show up at my door. But I’m not going to start sharing personal stuff with him. I’ve got you, Cat, and Jessie for that.”

  Wrapping her hands around her mug, she lifted it toward her lips. “Just a suggestion, Kelsey. Do what’s best for you. And whenever you need me, I’m here.”

  Chapter 18

  He flipped through the television listings. He had over one hundred channels, and nothing. Not a single show caught his attention. Striker switched to the sports channel, his go-to channel when he found nothing else worth watching. Tonight, it was playing a classic Celtics game. It’d do until Ella got back from the dance studio. She’d been staying with him for over a week now, and tonight was the first time he’d been alone at home. Since the day he’d left the hospital, someone had been with him. Most of the time it was Ella. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays her first class started at noon. Once she left for class, either Cat or Tony came by and stayed with him until three thirty when Mom arrived straight from the hospital. Mom stayed until Ella returned. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ella needed to be on campus earlier and she taught at Prism at night. Those days, everyone, including Mack and Jessie, took turns playing babysitter. Tonight, though, he’d convinced Ella he’d be fine on his own. She’d called him three times since leaving for the studio. So far, the only problem he’d faced was the itch on his arm. The cast applied following surgery made it impossible to reach it. A wire hanger left over from the dry cleaner slipped inside the cast had taken care of the problem, though.

  Striker took his time getting off the couch. Overall, he felt much better. His head no longer had a whole high school drum line using his skull for practice. He could breathe again without thinking he’d die. Even his arm bothered him less. After surgery, the doctor had given him some heavy-duty pain meds. He’d taken one right when he got home, but none since. Instead, he’d opted for the over-the-counter stuff, a safer option in his opinion. He’d heard too many stories of people getting addicted to the prescription stuff. He’d rather have a little more discomfort and not risk it.

  Elvis, who’d been sitting near him, jumped up and followed Striker into the kitchen. Much like Ella and his friends, the dog had been overprotective since the accident, too. The only time Elvis strayed far from Striker’s side was when he went outside to take care of his business. Otherwise, he followed Striker everywhere unless Striker closed a door before he snuck inside.

  After getting an apple from the bowl Ella left on the table, he grabbed a dog treat for Elvis. “Here you go, buddy.” With the treat in his mouth, Elvis followed Striker back to the couch.

  “You’re worse than Ella,” he said, when the dog jumped back up next to him.

  He might grumble about Ella’s worrying, but he knew she only did it because she loved him. She’d told him countless times since the morning after his accident. She might have even told him the night of the accident. He wasn’t positive. It wasn’t the only thing he wasn’t positive about. Had they talked about him proposing? Did she know he’d had the ring with him that afternoon? Or had he dreamed the whole conversation? Mom obviously knew his plan. She’d brought him the ring last week when Ella wasn’t around. According to her he’d been worried about its whereabouts after the accident, and she’d taken it home. He had a vague memory of such a conversation, but nothing concrete. Since Mom had the ring, it happened.

  Ella hadn’t mentioned the ring or any conversations. If he’d dreamed it up and asked her, he’d ruin the surprise of proposing. Women wanted to be surprised when it came to getting engaged. At least, according to the television they did. At the same time, if they had discussed it she might be wondering what he was waiting for.

  “What do you think, Elvis? Should I ask her tonight?”

  The dog looked up from the treat he still worked on, licked his lips, and went back to work on the treat.

  “Thought you’d say that.” Striker reached over and scratched the dog behind the ears. Putting it off wouldn’t solve his problem. Tonight, he’d ask her if they’d talked at the hospital and about what. He had the ring and wanted to marry her. Made no sense not to give it to her.

  ***

  “Wow, those shorts are short.” Ella walked into the room, dressed in the black leotard and yoga pants she’d put on before leaving for the studio. “I didn’t think they wore shorts like those anymore. And isn’t it too early for basketball? Don’t they start playing after Thanksgiving or something?”

  “Preseason starts in October, but this is an old game.”

  Ella patted the dog as she sat down beside him. “I guess it is. Isn’t that Larry Bird playing?” Not wanting to be ignored, Elvis dropped his head in her lap, demanding more pets. “Why would you watch a game that’s like, what, thirty years old?”

  “Bored out of my mind and there was nothing else on.” Striker switched off the television. With Ella home, he didn’t need the television to keep him occupied. “How were classes tonight?”

  She ran her hand up and down the dog’s back, making him a little jealous. Since the accident she’d kept her hands to herself, insisting he needed to heal more before they did anything else. His brain knew she knew was right. His body didn’t understand. Having her close in bed every night didn’t help either.

  “Good. Maryann wants to start going over the business stuff this weekend. I told her I’d let her know.”

  “I survived tonight alone. I’ll manage a couple hours this weekend by myself.”

  Ella shrugged and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call her tomorrow. See what time works.”

/>   Time to ask the big questions. “After the accident, you were at the hospital with everyone else and you came to my room.”

  “Uh, yeah. Chief Ellsbury drove me over straight from the park. They let us all see you once you got settled upstairs. Don’t you remember?”

  “It’s a little foggy.” Well, at least he hadn’t dreamed her being there. “I kind of remember us talking. I’m not sure if it happened or if I dreamed it.”

  “You talked to your parents and me. Tony, Cat, and Mack were all there, too. We left so you could rest. You looked terrible. You didn’t look better the next day.”

  The doctors had warned them he might suffer some memory loss, especially when it came to the accident. Considering how tired he’d been and whatever pain medicine he he’d been on, Ella wasn’t surprised he didn’t remember their conversation well either. It also explained why he hadn’t mentioned the ring. From the sound if it, he didn’t remember she knew about his plan to propose.

  “What did we talk about?” Striker took her hand. “You and me. Not everyone else.”

  “You asked if I was okay. I told you Brandon had been arrested. And then I told you I loved you. I left when you fell asleep.”

  His shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Damn it. I didn’t dream it. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”

  She fought back a smile. Obviously he remembered everything they said, including the part about the ring. “What wasn’t supposed to happen like that? Me telling you I love you?”

  Striker narrowed his eyes at her. “The ring, Ella. I wanted to make it special. Not have you overhear a conversation.”

  “Well, it was memorable at least.” Her smile burst out and she laughed, unable to control it.

  He glared at her, his lips forming an impressive frown. “I still hate it.”

  Ella reined in her laughter. “You can’t change it, so don’t worry about it. Besides, it doesn’t change anything. I told you I would’ve said yes, and I still mean that.”

  “Good.” With the one word, he released her hand and stood. Elvis looked up, considered Striker, then jumped off the couch and followed him out of the room.

  She wanted to follow but remained sitting. Whatever he intended, she’d let him do it his way.

  When he and Elvis came back, they both took the same spots on the couch. When she didn’t immediately start petting Elvis again, he nudged her hand with his wet nose.

  “Elvis is a lot like you. He doesn’t like to be ignored either.” She scratched his velvety soft ears, the softest spots on the dog.

  He gave the dog a scratch, too. “Ella, I’ve proven I can be the biggest idiot sometimes. And I’m sorry. But I love you. I want to be with you and only you.” He took the ring off the tip of his pinky finger and held it toward her. “Will you marry me?”

  She’d overheard Mrs. Striker tell him she’d love the ring. His mom had been right. The engagement ring he held toward her was exactly what she would’ve picked out. Small diamonds created a frame around a single center round diamond. Twists of white gold lined with small diamonds added to the piece, giving the ring a vintage look.

  “I’d have to be nuts to say no to a guy who admits he’s an idiot.” She pressed her lips against his before he could protest. “Yes. I’d love to marry you.”

  He slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit almost perfectly. “Can sometimes be an idiot. Not is an idiot. There’s a big difference, amoureux.”

  Ella glanced at her hand. She’d need the ring made a bit smaller, but not much. “Whatever. Just shut up and kiss me.”

  The End

  About The Author

  I started writing at the age of 10 on my grandmother's manual typewriter and never stopped. Born and raised in Lincoln, Rhode Island, I have lived in four of the six New England states since getting married in 2001. Today, I live in New Hampshire with my husband, three daughters and our dogs. When I am not driving my daughters around to their activities, I am working on a story or reading a romance novel. Currently, I have two series out, The Sherbrookes of Newport and Love on The North Shore. You can visit my website www.christinatetreault.com or follow me on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about my characters and to track my progress on my current writing projects.

  Other Books By Christina

  *Loving The Billionaire, novella

  *The Teacher’s Billionaire, book 1

  *The Billionaire Playboy, book 2

  *The Billionaire Princess, book 3

  *The Billionaire’s Best Friend, book 4

  *Redeeming The Billionaire, book 5

  *More Than A Billionaire, book 6

  *Protecting The Billionaire, book 7

  *Bidding On The Billionaire, book 8

  *Falling For The Billionaire, book 9

  *The Billionaire Next Door, book 10

  +The Courage To Love, book 1

  +Hometown Love, book 2

  +The Playboy Next Door, book 3

  +In His Kiss, book 4

  *The Sherbrookes of Newport Series

  +Love On The North Shore Series