Forever with You (Starlight Hill Series Book 5)

by Heatherly Bell

  They sat at the kitchen table, Eileen crying and Sophia patting her back. She looked up when she heard soft footsteps, to see Daddy-o walk into the kitchen and stop short as he caught the scene before him. He then literally backed out of the room one exaggerated step at a time.

  Sophia giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Eileen sniffled.

  “My father. But you already know that.”

  Chapter 24

  Riley glanced at the wall clock hanging over the city hall conference room and tried to disengage the pick from his brain. How long had he been sitting in this blasted chair, waiting for the five minutes it would take to give the boys the service award? Too long. The Mayor had called the meeting to order while he stretched his legs as far as they’d go under the table. Not far enough, as it turned out. Some of the council members had discussed plans for a new bike park while his left leg jiggled. A council member was now asking a question about the new parking regulations they’d discuss later.

  Not him. He’d sneak out of here right after the ceremony. Mack was waiting for him at the gym. The gym would be closed by the time Riley got there but Mack was going to let him in anyway seeing as Riley had promised not to over-do anything after the doctor had cleared him. He needed to do something to get rid of the tension that had been building since he’d last touched Sophia. He figured any day now she’d be serving him with the divorce papers she’d already signed and this time he saw no way out. If that was what she wanted, that was what she would get. At least he’d tried to work out his marriage.

  He cleared his throat as it was announced there would be more on the proposed traffic light from Mr. Schwanbeck. The fun never stopped around here. Good thing he was chief in a small town because the past month had shown him he wasn’t exactly cut out for life behind a desk. At least here he could look forward to his at-risk group as well as changing the brakes from time to time, fixing the lock on their temporary jail cell and the occasional patrol shift to round out the boredom.

  Riley stood up when it was finally his turn and called up the boys, who were there with their parents.

  This would be a good thing, he thought as he called up Eric. The sixteen-year-old kid was dyslexic and ADD. A teacher’s worst nightmare, he’d been told again and again. And yet a good kid who wasn’t sure what he’d do with his life. Now, according to his parents, he was interested in law enforcement. Riley was determined that he’d be rewarded publically for once, since the kid regularly missed out on any kind of academic recognition.

  Sure enough, Eric stuck his chest out when Riley pinned the Community Hero medal on his shirt lapel. For once the kid was dressed in a pressed button-up and wearing a pair of jeans that didn’t fall below his ass line.

  “Thanks for saving my life.”

  “You’re welcome, dude. I mean chief.”

  He shook hands with each boy. Posed with the newspaper’s photographer. Seconds now and he’d be out of here and on his way for some much needed physical exertion. But there were even more photos with the kid’s parents. Applause from everyone, eventually dying down. Finally time to go. Riley made his way to the side of the room. In five minutes he’d move to the back of the room and sneak out. No one would miss him.

  Then he saw Sophia make her way to mike and he froze. There was no new business that had mentioned her restaurant. What the hell was she doing here? And while his heart seemed headed for a cardiac event, he forced himself to remember that he still had his dignity. Chief of police and not some horny man-child Marine on leave. It didn’t help that she wore the same white dress she had the first time they’d met, and he wondered if she could have done it on purpose. If she even remembered. It wasn’t something he’d ever be likely to forget since he still recalled every detail of that night. The way her soft olive skin and dark hair had contrasted against the white of the dress, the sweet flowery scent that had lingered on him for days, her shy and skittish ways. The taste of her.

  “And now for some new business I accidentally neglected to put on the roster. Sorry about that,” Ophelia said, and funny thing she didn’t look sorry at all. And accidentally? Not Madam Mayor.

  There was an audible groan from the audience. Mr. Schwanbeck stood up. “This is highly irregular. I want all my time for the traffic light presentation. The power point alone takes thirty minutes and then I’ve got the Venn diagrams and my Excel spreadsheet.”

  More groaning, this time from some of the council members.

  “Sit down, Mark. You’ll get all your time,” Ophelia said. “Now Sophia Abella, dear, what is your business?”

  “Forgive me, Madam Mayor. I know this isn’t normal business but I have something very important to say and I want as many people to hear it as possible.” She cleared her throat and a notable silence came over the room.

  Riley returned to the front of the room so he might better use his psychic abilities to figure out what the hell was going on.

  “Is this restaurant business?” Mr. Schwanbeck stood up again. “Because I don’t think it’s fair she should be able to jump to the front of the line.”

  “It’s not!” Sophia yelled at him. “Now shut up and let me talk.”

  “Go ahead, Sophia.” The Mayor waved her on. “We have a lot on the agenda for tonight.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so nervous.” She laughed into the mike, was rewarded with squeaky feedback and winced. She glanced at Riley, then at the crowd. “First of all, I want to clear up something. I’m not divorced, as some people think. I’ve been married now for eight years and I was a young military wife. Not a good one, as it turns out.”

  Mr. Schwanbeck stood up again. “Sorry Mayor, but this is obviously not city council business!”

  “Okay, that’s it.” Riley made a move towards Schwanbeck, who sat down in a hurry. “Let her finish.”

  Sophia cleared her throat. “Thanks for your patience, everyone. You all know I’m just a simple girl who loves Italian food and romance. I believe in love and not just on a day like Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year. But I fell in love with a Marine, which might not sound like the best mix.”

  Laughter from the audience. Not from Riley.

  “Turns out you can’t help who you love and I love Riley Jacobs, your chief of police. Thank you, boys, for saving his life. Just personally, from me.”

  “You’re welcome, dude.” Eric stood up.

  Sophia smiled and waved back to Eric, and Riley’s heart cracked open. But love wasn’t exactly their problem, nor ever had been. Unfortunately, he’d known for a while that he’d been quite possibly the worst person for Sophia to love, a girl who’d already suffered the loss of a parent early on.

  And still he’d never managed to stay away from her.

  “But the last thing a Marine needs is to worry about the people he’s leaving behind at home. He has to worry about staying alive and his fellow Marines staying alive. They need their wives and family to be strong for them. I wasn’t all that strong. Okay, I was a hot mess. There’s a lot of worry in being the wife of an enlisted man. A lot of sacrifice and distance. But loving him? That’s the easy part.”

  There was a collective sigh from the audience as Riley moved towards Sophia.

  She gazed at him, the fear and worry gone from her beautiful brown eyes. “And Riley, if it’s okay with you, if you’ll forgive me for being stupid, I’d like to keep on loving you the way I said I would eight years ago. In sickness and in health, for better or for worse… and even if you insist on being a cop.”

  More laughter from the audience.

  “It’s okay with me.” He swooped her up in his arms.

  The audience and the city council applauded. He set her down and covered the mike with his hand. It made a piercing sound that had everyone covering their ears and wincing.

  “Are you sure about this? It won’t always be easy.”

  She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Riley Jacobs. I’ll take the good with the bad. This
is the new me and she’s just like the old me. The girl you met at Henry’s, the one that would follow you anywhere. I know life won’t always be perfect, but I know perfect is a fantasy. I want real. I want you. As long as I have you to hold on to I’m going to be all right.”

  “Yeah, you are.”

  He took his hand off the mike and pulled her up, hands on that ass he loved. He gave her a long deep kiss, satisfied when she sighed and ran her fingers through his hair.

  More applause. “Can we please get out of here?” Riley said.

  “Wait till you see what I have waiting for you at home. Let’s just say that it involves champagne and bubbles.”

  “Don’t tease me.”

  “Baby, I’m just getting started.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  The stick was pink.

  Oh.My.Lord. The. Stick. Pink.

  “Open up!” Angie’s voice called out from outside the bathroom door.

  “What’s going on in there?” Lizzie asked.

  “Nothing!” Sophia shouted back through the door.

  Only the most significant event in her life, that was all. Nothing more. And she couldn’t share with her two best friends. Couldn’t. No way. Not yet. Because she had to tell Riley first. That was in the Rule Book.

  “Then why did I hear you scream a few minutes ago?” Angie demanded. “Is it a review? Did we finally get reviewed?”

  She should just lie and say yes so Angie would get off her back, but mothers didn’t lie. And she was going to be … a mother.

  “Are you okay in there?” Lizzie said.

  “I’ll be right out.” Sophia started the faucet and washed her hands.

  Keep calm. But she was so excited there was a clear and huge possibility that she would talk like she’d been given a truth serum when she walked out that door. She should have just waited till she got home to do the test, but having picked it up at the drug store on the way in to work this afternoon, she found that she couldn’t stand not knowing another second.

  Sophia dried her hands and opened the door to Angie and Lizzie.

  “My God! What is it?” Angie said. “Your cheeks are all pink and you look like you’re about to explode! What is it? It’s a review, isn’t it? Five stars? I’m going to be famous.” Angie bounced up and down. “I’m sure it was the risotto.”

  “It’s not a review.”

  “What is it, then?” This was from Lizzie.

  “I can’t tell you!” Sophia picked up her purse and keys.

  She’d just drive over to the station right now and tell Riley. This obviously couldn’t wait and no way would she text him or call him with this kind of news. And she was already too close to telling Angie and Lizzie everything.

  “Where are you going?” Angie asked, following.

  “I can’t stay here or you’ll make me talk!”

  “What do you mean?” Lizzie asked.

  “Seriously, I’ve got to go. And don’t follow me!” Sophia flew out the backdoor and slipped into her car for the short drive to the station.

  Suddenly her two-door sedan seemed much too small and she wondered what Riley would think about a minivan.

  Good news like this needed to be spread far and wide, and Sophia couldn’t wait to tell everyone. Spread the joy, Mama always used to say. Sophia wondered if she was looking down from heaven right now, happy her daughter was doing the right thing and telling her husband first. It was tradition. She didn’t speed and not just because residents were now judging her with a kind of “Mrs. Police Chief” standard she didn’t particularly appreciate, but also speeding was dangerous to her unborn child.

  She opened the door to the station and found Claire in her usual spot. “Hey, Sophia.”

  “Is he busy?”

  “Well, you know his door-is-always-open policy?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mr. Schwanbeck is a frequent abuser. He’s in there now, and he shut the door. Twenty minutes and counting.” Claire glanced up at the wall clock.

  “Oh, no.” Danger! Sophia was about to bust! “I need to talk to him, and it’s important.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” Claire said with a sigh. “Should I buzz him?”

  “No, no. I’ll wait.”

  Except her ‘waiting’ involved pacing the hallway past Riley’s office door with the wink window. After her second trip, Riley noticed her and smiled. By the third trip, he quirked an eyebrow. By the fourth trip, he was already staring in her direction when she passed the door, his forehead crinkled. On the fifth trip, Sophia plastered her face to the small window and mouthed ‘need to talk to you.’

  Sophia opened the door. “Hi, Mr. Schwanbeck.”

  Mr. Schwanbeck turned in his chair, scowling.

  Riley stood up and moved toward her. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I’m good. Nothing’s wrong. I just need to talk to you. Now.”

  “Young lady, if it’s not an emergency surely it can wait,” Mr. Schwanbeck said.

  “No, it can’t!” With that, she hooked her thumb to the door and glared at Mr. Schwanbeck until he finally got up and left.

  Riley’s arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her in for a long kiss. “Have I told you how much it turns me on when you’re bossy?”

  “You have said that.” She linked her arms around his neck.

  “And did I say I love you today?”

  “No, don’t think so.”

  “Well, I love you today. What’s so important?”

  “Nothing much. You’re just going to be a daddy.”

  Riley’s face split in a wide smile and he swung her up to the balls of her feet. “Seriously, baby? That didn’t take you long.”

  “I couldn’t wait to tell you. The stick turned pink!”

  “What stick?”

  “Never mind,” she said, kissing him again and again. “Hey, can we buy a minivan?”

  Riley didn’t answer as he scowled in the direction of his door. Plastered up against the window were Claire and Mr. Schwanbeck, fighting for space. “Damned open-door policy.”

  “We’re not going to tell them. Not yet.”

  Soon enough, everyone in town would know the good news but not today. Today it was just her and Riley. A special day. Private. Personal. Life changing.

  Finally for the first time in years they were together on the same continent.

  And that was something no one would ever take away again.

  Also by Heatherly Bell

  ALL OF ME

  SOMEBODY LIKE YOU

  UNTIL THERE WAS YOU

  ANYWHERE WITH YOU,

  A Starlight Hill novella

  UNFORGETTABLE YOU

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  READ ON FOR AN EXCERPT FROM UNFORGETTABLE YOU, BOOK 4 , AVAILABLE NOW:

  Chapter 1

  Dear Bradley,

  Thank you for inviting me to your wedding. I would attend, but here’s the thing: I’d rather be hung over a crocodile infested swamp and used as bait.

  No. Diana Mulvaney highlighted the second sentence of her email and hit ‘delete’. Those words didn’t quite get across the message that she wanted. Plus, Bradley might not take her seriously since she’d never even been to Florida.

  I would rather have a root canal without the benefit of Novocain.

  There. Better, because Bradley understood how she hated the dentist. She begged for the laughing gas every time. Paid extra for it. But still not quite right.

  I would rather sit on an uncovered gas station toilet seat.

  Much, much better. Bradley knew how she felt about public restrooms. But it might be a little crude, plus the last thing she wanted was for Bradley or his new bride to picture Diana on any toilet seat.

  She’d just have to keep working on it. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all
that. Diana closed her laptop and picked up the ‘Save the Date’ invitation she’d received last week from Bradley. Beautifully engraved, it announced the marriage of Mr. Bradley Ballard to Miss Tiffany Smythe. How kind of Bradley to think of Diana. Another man might not invite their former college girlfriend of six years to his wedding, but not her Bradley.

  He was a special kind of stupid.

  Diana dug in her suitcase, found the silky sexy pink lingerie she’d bought a year ago, and slipped it on. It was just one of many hopeful items in the honeymoon trousseau she wouldn’t need any longer. Dating Bradley for six years meant that she had quite a collection of lingerie now collecting dust, but this one was by far her favorite. The tight pink bodice hugged her girls, trailing to a flowing white skirt with slits that showcased a lot of leg. This would at least serve some purpose now, even if it wouldn’t be to entice Bradley away from his software programs.

  Diana took a long look at herself in the full length mirror then pulled her bathrobe on because let’s be honest, she was nothing if not a prude. She walked over to the sliding glass door facing the back of her motel room and took in a deep cleansing breath. Truly, there was nowhere else in the world quite like Napa Valley. Outside in the twilight of the day, the courtyard garden seemed to glow with purple Bougainvillea, pink Azaleas, and yellow and white daisy shrubs. Everything about Napa Valley, and Starlight Hill in particular, cried out, ‘We do wine and we do it better than you’. How she’d missed this place. Missed Gran.

  Her cell phone rang with the theme from ‘Cops.’

  Mandy, her sister.

  “What’s up?”

  “Did you do it yet?”

  “I’m about to if you’ll give me a chance.” Truthfully, this whole thing was Mandy’s idea and Diana still didn’t think she could do it. Write sexy times when all she’d ever written were sweet coming-of-age stories? Who was she kidding?

  “If you ever want to get published, you need to start writing spicy. The hotter the better. Haven’t you been reading the stuff I sent you?”