Forever with You (Starlight Hill Series Book 5)

by Heatherly Bell

  After she’d put on Frozen and settled Brandon in between his two big sisters, she went back to the kitchen to see what she could do to help her sister-in-law. “Okay. They’re watching Frozen again. Hope that’s okay.”

  Gen sighed. “Thanks. They want to help, but all they do is get under foot and make an even bigger mess.”

  “And anyway, you wanted to talk to me.” Sophia joined Gen and the cupcake assembly line. Wally was, of course, also into baseball since he and his cousin Sam were pretty much joined at the hip these days, and so every cupcake had a sugared bat and baseball glove on it. All sixty of them.

  “Sure did,” Gen said with a smile. “So…Riley’s back.”

  “Yep.” Sophia didn’t elaborate.

  “Living next door to you? Did I hear that right?”

  “Uh-huh.” Sophia put a tiny bat and glove on the cupcake and went to the next one.

  “Good Lord, sugar, why are you so calm about all this?”

  “I’ve had a little time to get used to the idea.”

  Which didn’t mean she was all that calm about it. Riley had just told her he wanted her back, and she didn’t know what to do with that news. It had been two days and she hadn’t digested it yet. It was a tall order. Instead, she’d done her best to avoid him, always making sure he was already gone when she stepped outside.

  “Why is he here? What does he want? He could have had a job anywhere else in the country.”

  Sophia sighed. “I don’t know, but he…he said he wants to get back together.”

  Gen dropped a cupcake to the ground and like he had a sixth sense, the family dog, Milo, a one-hundred-plus-pound golden retriever and shepherd mix, lumbered into the kitchen for cleanup duty. “All right, Milo. You can have this one.”

  Milo, his Hoover duty done, took his place nearby, ever hopeful for another mistake.

  “He…he came right out and said it?” Gen asked. “Just like that?”

  “Not exactly.” Sophia thought he might have said it because she’d been so vulnerable with him and spilled her guts. She told herself he hadn’t meant it, but in her heart she realized that wasn’t Riley’s way. He never said anything he didn’t mean.

  “What, then?”

  “I told him I went out on a date, and I don’t know, maybe—”

  “You two are divorced. That’s his problem. He has no rights anymore since he made his choice.” Gen held another cupcake in her hand, frosting it.

  This time, Sophia stilled Gen’s hand before she spoke. Milo was pretty fat these days and he didn’t need another cupcake. “See, that’s the thing. I’m not really…exactly…in the fullest sense of the word…um, legally separated from Riley.”

  Gen stared at Sophia, mouth gaping. “Are you telling me you’re not actually divorced?”

  “Don’t tell anyone,” Sophia hissed. Diana, Lizzie and Angie knew, and she’d like to keep the amount of people who knew the facts in the digits she could count on one hand.

  “But you…I mean, the papers…and Giancarlo…”

  Sophia sighed, remembering. Daddy-o had dragged her to his lawyer after a few weeks of Sophia being home and they’d had the papers drawn up. A no-contest divorce would be easy, a no-brainer. No kids, no property. Easy. All she had to do was sign on the dotted line and send them to Riley in care of the U.S. Marines Corps for his signature. A few days later the papers had arrived. They were still sitting in the bottom drawer of her desk. Unsigned.

  “I never got around to it.” Sophia licked some frosting off her thumb.

  Gen was still staring, cupcake in one hand, frosting knife in mid-air. “Never…never got around to it…oh, sugar.”

  “Sorry, Gen, but I was a mess.”

  Riley had spent more time deployed than he’d spent with her during their short marriage, but oh the times he’d been home … she’d lived and breathed for those reunions. The rest of the time? Yeah, okay, she’d been lonely but then she’d met Nikki and everything had changed. They’d had so much in common. Same age, both youngest in a family of girls. For a while, Sophia thought she’d be all right but then even that had blown up in her face. What had happened to Nikki was so tragic. Sophia hadn’t thought of her in a long time.

  And Riley’s last deployment…that had been the end. He’d made his choice and it hadn’t been her.

  “Anyway,” Gen said, rising to put another plate of cupcakes on the counter. “Shouldn’t you at least file for divorce now? I mean, there’s no need for anyone else to know you’ve only just now filed. Riley won’t tell them.”

  Interesting that most everyone in her family thought what she’d avoided for so long was already done. “I should. I have the papers at home in my desk drawer. Just need to sign them.”

  “If you don’t, you better think fast as to what you’ll tell your daddy once he comes back home. He doesn’t like Riley much, and I’m guessing he’ll try to march you down to the lawyer himself if he finds out.”

  “You’re right.” Sperm bank or Riley? She honestly wasn’t sure which Daddy-o would hate more.

  “On the other hand …”

  “Yeah?”

  “You could just see where this goes, especially while your daddy is away. What can it hurt? See if there’s, you know, any tiny ember of a spark left there.”

  Sophia cleared her throat. Best not to tell Gen the spark was still more of an electrical fire. “You think so?”

  Gen put a hand on her heart. “You know I’m a romantic. I can’t help thinking, after all this time, what if there’s still something there? Lord, listen to me. I can’t believe I’m saying this. Don’t tell Wallace I’m encouraging you to go back to the man who broke your little ole heart.”

  “I won’t.”

  “But seriously, what if you tried dating him for a while?”

  “Are you out of your mind?” The physical part with Riley, the connection, was obviously still there. It always had been. But trust? She’d never trust him with her heart again. Period.

  “Wallace and I have a standing date every Thursday night.”

  “That’s different.” Sophia wrinkled her nose. “He might still be my husband but that’s only on paper. I hate Riley.”

  Gen raised a brow. “Hate is a strong word.”

  “Yeah, well, he deserves it.” As much as she’d once loved Riley was about how much she now hated him. Her hatred had grown over the years, like a cozy blanket sewn over her heart, every thread insuring she wouldn’t ever again feel that soul-ripping pain.

  “It can’t be easy for him, taking the police chief job.”

  “Why not? He’s great at ordering people around.”

  “For one thing, no one really seemed to want him for the job,” Gen said.

  “Why wouldn’t they? It isn’t like Bert is so hard to replace.”

  “Bert was a fixture around town, and Riley is young and from out of the area. I heard from Ophelia that no one had much confidence in him other than her. She really pushed hard for him, said that we need someone young to lead the town’s police force. And I’m sure the history with his sister can’t help his reputation.”

  “That’s not fair. Riley’s never done drugs.”

  “I understand, but you know how people talk. Is she still … not doing well?”

  Not if the other night was any indication. Lucy had a long way to go. Riley would probably force her into another rehab at some point, she’d be clean for a while, and come home. Then the whole process would start all over again. Why couldn’t he see it wasn’t working?

  “She’s using again.”

  “He’s tried so hard to talk sense into that girl.”

  It was one thing for Sophia’s hormones to overrule her brain, but another thing to feel sympathy for Riley. He’d never been the type to elicit much of that from her or anyone else. He was confident, strong and powerful. It was in the way he carried himself and the message he choreographed to the world: I’ve got this. Don’t need your help, thanks. But the way Gen talked, Ril
ey wasn’t all that welcome in town and that bothered her more than she wanted to admit. He had every right to work wherever he wanted to.

  “I know how angry you were with him,” Gen said. “But there’s something I never told you about. Riley used to email me every few months or so to ask how you were doing. For years.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “He asked me not to.”

  “So you just listened to him. How does he get everyone to do what he says? That’s what I’d like to know!”

  “I also didn’t want to say anything to upset you. After you started doing so well, moving on and everything.”

  Oh yes, and she’d done so well with the moving on!

  “Let it go! Let it go!” Lindsey came barreling into the kitchen, pulling Emily and Brandon behind her like train cars.

  Milo ran towards them apparently eager to play too, and knocked Brandon down, collapsing the train’s caboose.

  “Ow, Mommy!” Brandon said from the ground, but started giggling when Milo licked the boy’s cheeks, smelling some remnant of frosting left behind.

  Gen tried to pry Milo off Brandon, which made the girls sing even louder. “Let it go!”

  Sophia, laughing so hard she thought she might pee her pants, helped Gen. Sophia succeeded in pulling Milo away from Brandon, and Gen picked her giggling son up off the floor.

  “Just another day at the Turlock household.” Gen laughed and kissed Brandon’s forehead. “Never a dull moment.”

  Sophia just watched as Gen sat Brandon on the counter near the sink and used a paper towel to clean his cheeks, then kissed each one as he giggled. Emily and Lindsey joined hands and started skipping through the kitchen, narrowly avoiding Milo, who couldn’t help but chase them.

  This, right here, was all she’d ever wanted. A big family with the man she adored.

  Years ago, Riley had denied her even that.

  Chapter 7

  Early the next week, Riley listened to Ed, owner of the only hardware store in town, piss and moan about the new city parking regulations introduced at the last city council meeting. Listening was a strong word, actually. Nodding in appropriate spots was much more like it. But it didn’t help that he could use a pair of toothpicks to pry open his eyes right about now. He hadn’t fared well in the sleep department since he’d seen Sophia on the weekend. She’d been about as worked up as he’d ever seen her before. Riled up the way he’d always liked her. But just when he thought maybe he’d be able to make love to his wife for the first time in years, she’d pulled the plug.

  He probably deserved that.

  “Are you listening to me?” Ed said.

  “Sure.” He cleared his throat. “My door is always open.”

  “What the hell do I care about your damned door?” He stood up. “This town is going to hell in a hand basket, ever since you got here!”

  Riley tried a tight smile. He’d been here less than two weeks, but he was a convenient scapegoat for the changes the mayor had been pushing to bring to town for years, to hear her tell it. His non-response was enough for Ed to stomp out of the office. Grateful for a moment to remove the pick from his brain, Riley shut his door. His door might be metaphorically always open but damned if it would always be physically opened. He needed a minute.

  His plans were the ones that hadn’t been implemented, none of which had a damn thing to do with parking regulations. He had plans for a youth outreach program, for one, in conjunction with the police department. Ophelia was behind him one hundred percent, and they had a meeting with the high school administrators later in the week.

  Since he had patrol tonight, he’d have a short time to grab some dinner before his shift began at eight. Maybe he’d drop by Giancarlo’s and apologize to Sophia for … what, exactly? She’d been the one to grab him in a kiss that threatened to suck him dry, and then walk out. All he’d done was spill his guts, which pissed him off to no end. He’d told himself, hell, he’d told her he wouldn’t rush things. So what had he done? The first inkling that Sophia had another man in her sights and he’d folded.

  Not what he’d planned. Maybe he’d better skip Giancarlo’s and leave well enough for now. He was tired of saying the wrong thing.

  The cold hard truth wasn’t always the way to go, he’d learned the hard way. Such as the stupid-ass military wife comment. True comment or not, he was an idiot. She didn’t need to hear it, not from him. More than anyone, he’d been aware how hard she’d tried but it wasn’t easy to have a marriage when one of you was gone ninety percent of the time. When the divorce statistics for young enlisted men were as high as eighty percent. Something he should have considered sooner, had he been making decisions with his brain instead of his heart.

  There was a rap on his door. “Someone here to see you, Chief.” Claire cracked the door and spoke in her official tone of voice. Usually this meant someone of significance had dropped in without an appointment, like the mayor or a city councilmember.

  “Come in,” Riley said, and sat up straighter.

  The man who walked through his door was someone of significance, all right, though Riley hadn’t expected to see him here. He’d have figured Scott Turlock would come by to see him at home, or anywhere else where he might be able to cold-cock him without too many repercussions.

  Interestingly enough, he didn’t look pissed. Riley was well acquainted with Scott’s pissed off look, as he’d seen it on his wedding day to Sophia, Scott being just one of many who thought they were rushing things having known each other only two weeks. Of course, Riley wouldn’t listen to anyone at the time. Neither would Sophia, but they’d all counted on him to do the right thing. The smart thing. At the age of twenty-one when he’d just met the love of his life and was about to ship out without her.

  Yeah, screw that. It hadn’t happened.

  “Turlock.” Riley nodded in the direction of the seat on the other side of his desk.

  “Lieutenant Turlock,” Scott corrected with a sharp nod.

  “Oh yeah, I heard.”

  “Nice to see you, Sarge.”

  Riley cleared his throat. “That’s chief now.”

  Scott scowled. “Yeah.”

  “What can I do for you?” Riley imagined Scott was here on personal business, taking care of his little sister like any good sheepdog, but for now he’d treat him like any other public servant.

  Scott finally took a seat. “So yeah, welcome to town and all that shit.”

  They were going to play it like that. “Thanks. Glad to be here.”

  “Yeah? Glad to be living next door to your ex-wife?”

  That hadn’t taken him long. “Actually, Sophia’s not my ex-wife.”

  “You forget. I was at the wedding.”

  “How could I forget? It wouldn’t have happened if your family had their way.”

  “I expected you to know that Sophia wasn’t ready for a military lifestyle.”

  “And you got to be right about that. I made a mistake. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “I appreciate you owning up to it.”

  “She wanted to be with me. That’s the part you all forget.”

  “And we don’t always get to have what we want. Do we?”

  Riley’s jaw clamped tight. “Remind me how that goes again? I think I know what it’s like not to have what I want.”

  “I don’t blame you entirely. We all know what Sophia’s like when she gets an idea in her head. She thought she loved you, and no one could talk her into waiting.”

  Thought she loved you. Even if it had been a mistake, he still couldn’t bring himself to regret the time they’d had together, limited though it had been. “That was then, this is now.”

  “A little late.”

  Actually, Riley would leave that to Sophia. It wasn’t too late for him, and as far as he was concerned, no one but Sophia could make that decision. He took a deep breath. “Don’t see how, when we’re not divorced.”

  Scott’s brows rose. “No shit.”r />
  Riley leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t know.”

  “How the hell did that happen? You refuse to sign the divorce papers?”

  “What divorce papers?”

  Scott groaned. “Never mind. You just answered my question. Damn, this won’t be fun for either of you when her father gets back to town.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “So why are you here, really?”

  “I did my time, got out. This job became available and I took it.”

  “Cut the crap. You could have had a job anywhere in the country with your background. You could have re-enlisted. Anything.”

  “Fine. There was the attraction that my wife lives here.”

  Scott snorted. “You want her back?”

  Riley lifted shoulder. He hated to spill his guts. Self-preservation still ran deep through his veins. “If she’ll have me.”

  Scott squinted, studying Riley. “You mean it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Honestly? We all thought you were done with Sophia.”

  “Far from it.”

  This conversation had reached an end. Riley respected Scott a great deal for his service, and for the way he’d always looked out for Sophia. But the rest of this was between him and Sophia. If she hadn’t shared with them how she’d slowly unraveled right before his eyes after what had happened with Nikki, then it wasn’t his place to tell her family.

  “Just don’t—don’t hurt her, man. She’s had enough loss in her life. When she lost you, it didn’t look like we’d ever be able to put her back together again. Now look at her. She’s running the restaurant like she always planned to do and she has a good life.”

  “Is she happy?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. She seems happy. It won’t be easy, getting her back. Pretty sure I saw your photo being used for darts once. Just sayin’.”