This Time for Keeps

by Rochelle Alers

  Reggie pulled Nicole closer and kissed her cheek. “Thank you, baby sis.”

  She blinked back tears. It had been a long time since he’d called her. “We’re family, so there’s no need to thank me.”

  It was later, after her father had driven Reggie back to the facility, that Nicole sat with her mother on the balcony overlooking the Intracoastal. A warm breeze flittered across her face and the smell of salt water reminded her of what she had missed since she’d gone back to Wickham Falls. It felt good to go barefoot and wear shorts instead of boots and wool slacks.

  “Why do you look so down in the mouth when you’re in love?”

  She turned to look at Elizabeth. Her liberally streaked gray hair framed a slender light brown face with an elegant ridge of cheekbones. “Why do you think I’m in love?”

  “Because my grandsons can’t stop talking about you and Fletcher Austen.”

  Nicole half sat on the recliner. “What did they say?” She and Fletcher had been so careful not to flaunt their love for each other around her nephews.

  “They said that Uncle Fletcher is in love with their auntie Nikki.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “They told you he said that?”

  “Not in so many words. Kids are a lot more perceptive than we give them credit for, Nicole. They see things we don’t think they see and draw their own conclusions. Are you in love with him?”

  Nicole had never lied to her mother and she wasn’t going to begin now. “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “And what, Mom?”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “Nothing. After I sell the house, I’m coming back to restart my career. Dad mentioned he’d spoken to a lawyer who was looking for an assistant for his family practice. He said I would be perfect for the position.”

  Elizabeth’s hands curled into tight fists. “When did my kids lose all semblance of common sense? I stayed on my knees when you and Reginald were teenagers, praying that you wouldn’t go the wrong way. Reginald waits until his old ass is thirty-eight to get hooked on drugs. Meanwhile you find a man who loves you and all you can talk about is working in some firm.”

  “Mom! That’s not fair what you just said about Reggie.”

  The older woman’s dark eyes grew wide. “Don’t you dare talk to me about my son. I’d warned him over and over that he was taking too many pain meds, and that his priority was taking care of his kids now that they didn’t have a mama. He kept telling me, ‘I got this.’ And what did it get him? Overdosing where his kids could see him unresponsive on the bathroom floor. When you become a parent, Nicole, you cannot think of only yourself.”

  “I’m not a parent, Mom.”

  “You think not? Do you realize that’s what you’ve been doing these past months? You took care of Danny and Luke, worked for Preston McAvoy, cooked and cleaned the house, like millions of women do every day. And now that you’ve met a man who I assume loves you, as evidenced by that necklace you try to hide, you start talking out of the side of your mouth about a career. You can have a career anywhere, but when true love comes along, you better hold on to it, Nicole. If not, you’ll be left wanting, waiting and wishing for the rest of your life.”

  “I’ll think about it, Mom.”

  “Don’t think too long, Nicole. We’re leaving tomorrow to board the ship. Are you going to stay here until we get back?”

  Nicole nodded. “I plan to.”

  She didn’t want to leave Miami without seeing her nephews. Her mother had contacted the school where Reggie wanted to enroll them and had gotten all the necessary papers for him to authorize the Johnson County schools to download the documents needed for registration. And because Nicole currently had temporary power of attorney for his finances until he completed treatment, the elder Camposes had written a check to cover their grandchildren’s tuition.

  * * *

  Nicole answered her cell phone. Fletcher had decided to FaceTime her, showing him and Othello romping in the newly fallen snow. “How much snow did you get?”

  “Only three inches. How’s the weather in sunny Florida?”

  “Warm. It went to eighty-five yesterday.”

  He smiled. “Show-off. You look as if you’ve been in the sun. Your face is darker.”

  “I went to the beach to read... I need to tell you something.”

  He sat in the snow with Othello. “I hope it’s good news.”

  Nicole told him about her brother permanently relocating to Florida and enrolling his sons in a private school.

  A frown furrowed Fletcher’s forehead. “How did they take the news?”

  “You know kids. They’re a lot more adaptable than adults. Once they saw the beach and ocean, they did the happy dance.”

  “What about you, Nikki? When are you coming back?”

  “I’ll be back right after the New Year. I’ve already notified Mrs. Riley to list the house, so I don’t know how long it will take before the sale is final. By the way, I may have a job here in Miami. I had an interview yesterday. So far, I have a good feeling about it.”

  “Do you plan to accept it if they offer it to you?”

  “Probably. They didn’t mention salary, so that may be a factor. I also told them I wouldn’t be able start for a while, which didn’t sit too well with the interviewer. If they really want me, then they’ll just have to wait.”

  He smiled. “It looks as if I’ll get the chance to hang out with my buddy a little longer.”

  “Is he sleeping on the bed with you, Fletcher?”

  “I’m sorry, Nicole, but I have another call.”

  “No, you don’t!” she shouted at the screen. “You promised me you...” Her words trailed off when Fletcher hung up on her. Nicole curbed the urge to stomp her foot like she’d done as a child.

  * * *

  Fletcher was waiting on the porch when she drove up. She’d called to give him an approximate time of her arrival. Not only was she exhausted, she was also hungry from the long drive. She’d stopped once to refuel, stretch her legs and have a cup of soup with a sandwich. Pangs of hunger had attacked her when she least expected.

  Othello came to greet her and she scratched him behind his ears. “You missed your mama, didn’t you, boy?”

  Fletcher pulled her into his arms. “Not as much as his papa did.” He brushed a kiss over her parted lips. “You look exhausted.”

  “The only thing I want is a bed and a hot bath, and not necessarily in that order.”

  “Don’t you want anything to eat?”

  “No, thank you. Right now, I’m not as hungry as I am tired.”

  He led her inside the house and up the staircase to his bedroom. “I’ll run the water while you get out of those clothes.”

  When Nicole told him that she’d wanted a bath, she hadn’t expected him to join her in the Jacuzzi. He’d turned off the light and the only illumination came from a full moon shining through the skylight. She lay, eyes closed, with the back of her head on his chest. “I missed you so much,” she whispered.

  “That goes twice for me, babe.”

  She shifted to face him, smiling. “Please make love to me, Fletcher.”

  Nicole knew she was begging him to love her because she was so confused about her feelings for him. She loved him, but her life was more complicated now than it had been before Christmas. Reggie’s decision to sell the family home and permanently live in Florida meant the Camposes severing all ties with Wickham Falls. And the company that wanted to hire her had offered more money than she’d had in mind, which only served to exacerbate her dilemma.

  The heated swirling waters in the garden tub added to their buoyancy when Fletcher eased his erection inside her. She moaned and threw her head back in ecstasy. Why, she thought, did he have the power to make every man she’d met and known cease to exist? She knew the answer
as soon as the thought formed in her head—because he was the only man she’d ever loved.

  Fletcher’s lovemaking was slow and deliberate, as if he wanted it to last forever, but passion was not to be denied when they climaxed at the same time. They lay motionless until their heart rates slowed to a normal rhythm. She allowed him to wash her body and then lift her out of the tub to blot the moisture from her body.

  Nicole did remember him tucking her into bed, but nothing beyond that. She woke up the next morning to discover that Fletcher wasn’t in the bed with her.

  Tossing back the blankets, she swung her legs over the side of the mattress and walked to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The Southern sun had darkened her face and chest to a rich nut brown.

  Nicole completed her morning ablutions, and when she returned to the bedroom, she found Fletcher in bed, balancing a tray across his lap. He pointed to one on the nightstand on her side of the bed.

  “Yours is over there.”

  She got into bed and brushed a kiss over his mouth before settling her tray on her lap. “You’re definitely a keeper.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nicole had tried to convince herself to stay, but it was becoming more and more difficult to listen to her heart. The house sold within six weeks of being on the market and the entire contents were now in a Miami storage facility.

  Reggie had completed his six-month treatment program and had signed up for counseling sessions three times a week. He liked living in her town home and had submitted an application for an available unit across the road. Her nephews had adjusted to their new school and liked that all the students wore the same uniform.

  She stared up at Fletcher and tried to read his impassive expression. He hadn’t asked her again to stay, and she knew he wouldn’t. “I guess this is goodbye until the next time.”

  “Will there be a next time, Nicole? There is nothing in The Falls for you to come back to.”

  Nicole reacted as if he’d struck her across the face. “How can you say that?”

  “I said it because it’s true and you know it. You better head out before it gets too late.”

  She watched as he turned and went into his house, closing the door and shutting her out of his life forever. When the time had come closer to her departure, they had become polite strangers. They slept without making love and shared meals, but she was more than aware that the intimacy they’d shared was gone and would never return.

  Fletcher was right about it getting late. It was six in the morning and she had a fourteen-hour drive ahead of her. The Pathfinder was loaded with her luggage and all that Othello would need during the trip.

  Nicole got in behind the wheel, backed out of the driveway and onto the road. If she’d looked in the rearview mirror, she would’ve seen Fletcher standing at the window, watching her drive away.

  * * *

  Nicole got up to help her mother clear the table when she felt a sharp pain in her side. “Oh!” she gasped in an attempt to catch her breath.

  Elizabeth turned to look at her. “Are you all right?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just felt a pain as if someone was ripping out my insides.”

  “Omigod! You’re bleeding!” Elizabeth screamed.

  Nicole looked to find droplets of blood trickling down her legs. “I can’t be. It’s not time for my period.”

  Elizabeth rushed over to her and eased her down to the floor. “Don’t move. I’m going to call for an ambulance.”

  She lay on the cool marble floor, praying. Did she have a tumor that had ruptured? Or even worse... Nicole forced herself not to think of the worst possible scenario.

  It seemed as if hours passed when it was actually only minutes before the EMTs arrived and wheeled her out of the condo and into an awaiting ambulance. The technician kept talking to her while he checked her vitals. She answered in monotone because she was beginning to feel weaker and weaker.

  Her mother held her hand. “You’re going to be okay, baby.”

  Her eyelids fluttered. “Mama, if I die, promise me you’ll give me a military funeral. And I want to be buried in Arlington.”

  “Stop it, Nicole. You’re not going to die. Not for a long time.”

  “Tell Fletcher I will marry him if he still wants me.”

  Tests revealed she was pregnant, despite taking a contraceptive, and there was the possibility she might lose her baby. Everything became a blur as she was wheeled through Emergency and into an operating room. The bright light hurt her eyes, and after a while, everything faded when she was sedated.

  * * *

  Nicole had lost track of time. When she was finally lucid, she saw Fletcher sitting on the chair next to her bed. A short beard covered his face. “What are you doing here?”

  Rising slightly, he leaned over the bed to kiss her parched lips. “Your mother called me to say you were in the hospital and to tell me that you wanted to marry me, but only if I still want you.”

  She combed her fingers through her hair with her free hand. A needle was taped to her left hand, with a tube hooked up to a bag of clear liquid flowing into her vein. “I told her that?”

  “I supposed you thought you were going to die.”

  A half smile parted her lips. “Well, it looks as if I’m still here.” She ran her free hand over her hair. “I can’t believe I got pregnant even though I was on the Pill.” Now she knew why she’d experienced recurring pangs of hunger.

  Fletcher smiled. “Pill or not, you’re carrying our baby.”

  Nicole couldn’t stop the tears from filling her eyes and streaming down her face. It was apparent nature had conspired against her. And Fletcher had said enough times for it to be branded on her brain that he did not want to father a child unless he was married. Well, she thought, he was about to get his wish.

  “Do you still want me?” she asked through sniffles.

  He blotted her tears with a tissue. “Of course, I want you, Nikki. There was never a time when I didn’t want you. I want to marry you, but that’s not going to happen until you’re stronger. Meanwhile you’re not to pick up anything heavier than a feather. I’m going to stay in a hotel until you’re discharged.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Fletcher. You can stay at my place.”

  “What about your brother and nephews?”

  “They’ll make room for you. That way y’all can have a bro-fest. By the way, how far along am I?”

  “They’re estimating you’re at least eight weeks.”

  Nicole smiled as she cradled her flat belly. “Eight weeks and I never had any symptoms. I can’t believe I’m going to become a mother.”

  “She’s awake.”

  Nicole turned to find her mother and father walking into the room. Elizabeth kissed Fletcher while Andrew shook his hand.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Good, Mom. I’m still a little sleepy.”

  “They probably gave you something to relax you. I spoke to the doctor, and he says they’d like to keep you for another two days before he signs off on your discharge,” Elizabeth said, leaning over to press her mouth to Nicole’s ear.

  “I guess I’ll have to take it easy for a couple of months,” Nicole said loud enough for the others in the room to hear.

  “How about the next seven months?” Fletcher countered. “Once you get back to Wickham Falls, you’re not going to do anything more strenuous than putting your feet up. You won’t have to clean the house, shop for food, do laundry or cook.”

  Andrew gave Fletcher a fist bump. “You tell her, son. What you have to do from the onset is put your foot down and let your woman know you mean business.”

  Elizabeth stared at her husband as if he’d lost his mind. “Stop it, Andrew, and stay out of their business. You’ll get Fletcher in more trouble than he can shake a
stick at.”

  Nicole laughed. “Fletcher can have his way until after I have the baby. Then it will be my turn to pull rank. Right, Sergeant?”

  Fletcher gave her a snappy salute. “Yes, Captain.”

  Everyone dissolved into laughter, and they were still laughing when Reggie came in with his sons. Nicole told them they were going to have another cousin before the end of the year, and that she and Fletcher were planning to marry sometime in the spring.

  Luke looked at Fletcher and then at his aunt. “I thought you were already married. That’s why we called him Uncle Fletcher.”

  Fletcher rubbed Luke’s head. “Before I was your play uncle, but when I marry your aunt Nikki, it will be for real and for keeps.”

  “Are you getting married here?” Daniel asked.

  Nicole met Fletcher’s eyes. “No. I think we should marry in Wickham Falls. I’d like a small, private gathering with just family and friends. I think Fletcher’s patio would be the perfect setting for a wedding.”

  Fletcher winked at her. “I agree.”

  Nicole closed her eyes. She’d never known, when she’d rejected Fletcher as a prom date, that he would eventually become her husband and the father of her children. It was obvious that good things come to those who wait.

  * * *

  Be on the lookout for the next

  Wickham Falls Weddings book, available from

  Harlequin Special Edition in January 2020!

  And in the meantime,

  catch up with all your favorite Falls residents

  in these other great books in the series:

  Home to Wickham Falls

  Claiming the Captain’s Baby

  Her Wickham Falls SEAL

  The Sheriff of Wickham Falls

  Available now wherever Harlequin

  Special Edition books and ebooks are sold!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from When You Least Expect It by Helen Lacey.