by Karen Cimms
There on the beach of Cape May where we’d been married eighteen hours earlier, we danced in the dark—me in my wedding gown and Chase in his white shirt and chinos, serenaded by Eddie Vedder.
Life was perfect.
The song ended but we still moved together to the rhythm of the pounding surf, invisible to all but the stars winking at us from overhead. Chase swiveled me until I was facing the ocean, pulled me tight against his chest, and pointed toward the darkness spread out before us.
“What do you see?” he asked. We were so close, I felt his words as much as I heard them.
“If you’re trying to convince me that we can see France from here, nice try. I’m not falling for that again,” I said, reminding him of the first time he’d brought me to Cape May and he’d pointed to the light from a passing ship and tried to tease me into believing it was the Eiffel Tower.
His laughter rumbled up my spine. “No. But seriously, what do you see?”
I strained my eyes. There was nothing. Nothing but miles and miles of ocean disappearing into the darkness. “I don’t see anything. Just water.”
“Depends how you look at it. I see the ocean as a symbol of my love for you. It’s endless and bottomless. It’ll last forever, Rain. Until I draw my last breath. Until the end of time. I promise.”
Chase’s words warmed me. Lit me up inside. I had been tired earlier when he’d woken me, but now, I wanted to run along the beach and chase the waves. I wanted to dance in his arms until the sun came up.
I spun toward him, ready to tell him for at least the twentieth time that day how much I loved him, when a star shot across the sky.
“Oh my god! Did you see that?”
His low chuckle told me that in fact, he had.
Moments later, I saw another.
He lowered himself onto the towel and pulled me down beside him. Then he lay down. I did the same, resting my head against his shoulder just as another star tracked across the heavens.
“When you said you wanted to be married here, I remembered an article I’d read about how bright the Perseids meteor shower would be this year because of the new moon. I couldn’t control the weather, but at least I could set the stage. I wanted you to feel close to your father today, even though he wasn’t here to give you away.”
The sky above turned watery, and I blinked back the burn of the tears filling my eyes. I rolled over so I could see his face.
“My dad didn’t have to give me away, Chase. You already have my heart. I gave my whole self to you long ago. Today just made it official.” I pressed my hand against his chest. “But thank you. You have no idea what this means to me.”
Another flash of light streaked across the sky.
My father had taught me about the Perseids when I was a little girl. They got their name because they look like they’re flying out of the constellation Perseus, an ancient hero from Greek mythology. I knew we weren’t really seeing stars but bits of comet dust disintegrating in the earth’s atmosphere. I may not have been the best student, especially after Dad died, but I’ve never forgotten lying in the back yard with him, studying the constellations. And tonight, thanks to the man lying beside me, I felt closer to my father than I had since he’d left us.
My eyes followed a speck of comet dust across the sky. I’d never seen so many shooting stars at one time. And that confirmed it: I believed with all my heart that my father would have approved of my husband.
“I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but you’ve made this day even more special.” I waved my arm in a wide arc from horizon to horizon. “You’ve given me everything, from the sunrise to the all the stars in the heavens.”
He propped himself up on one elbow, his face hovering over mine. His hand skirted across my hips until he found my hand.
“Thank you for becoming my wife.” Soft, warm lips touched my forehead. “Just promise to love me forever, because that’s what I plan to do, Rain. Love you until the end of time.”
He kissed me before I could answer, but silently, I promised. I couldn’t imagine there would ever be a time that we would give each other anything less than forever.
Chapter Three
Halloween
I walked in through the garage door and was immediately tackled by a three-foot-tall superhero, which meant I’d somehow forgotten today was Halloween. Before I could grab the little red-caped crusader, he darted through the kitchen and down the hall screaming to his mother that Daddy was home.
He was certainly fast enough to be Flash.
Izzy popped out of her bedroom dressed as Catwoman, and I sent a grateful glance heavenward. That meant chances were pretty good that Rain wouldn’t also surprise me in a cat suit and black vinyl boots. In fact, she hadn’t mentioned dressing up this year, which was fine by me. I’d grab a quick shower and a beer and be good to go strong-arm the neighbors into giving my kids candy. Gotta help send the dentist’s kid to college.
I was popping the cap off a Heineken when Rain flew into the kitchen in her bathrobe. Bald.
“What the hell’s on top of your head?”
“Wig cap.” She yanked a pan of macaroni and cheese out of the oven.
I swallowed my groan. Apparently no mention of a costume didn’t mean there were no costumes. “Please tell me I don’t have to dress up.”
The look on her face was pure surprise, followed by disappointment. “What do you mean? Of course we’re dressing up. Izzy asked you weeks ago if we could be members of the Justice League, and you said yes.”
How could I admit that I’d hoped she’d forgotten? “Please tell me I don’t have to slip into a Speedo while you wear a bikini so we can be Mr. and Mrs. Aquaman.”
She smacked me in the chest with an oven mitt. “Funny, but no. Maybe next year. Rest assured that you will be fully covered.” Judging from the sparkle in her eyes, it wasn’t me I needed to worry about.
I pulled the dishes from the cabinet over the dishwasher and began setting the table.
“In fact,” she added, “you might feel overdressed, considering how warm it is tonight.”
“Will you feel overdressed?” I could only hope.
She didn’t answer. She just laughed her magical, musical laugh and called the kids to come and eat.
Swell.
The streets were crawling with superheroes. We passed at least six or seven Batmans and even more Flashes, from Zac size on up. There were even a handful of Catwomen patrolling the neighborhood. But without a doubt, there were far more Wonder Women. Only one of them, however, could stop traffic—and she was married to me.
I was decked out as Steve Trevor, complete with a bomber jacket, turtleneck, and sidearm. Rain wore barely-there, star-studded royal-blue boy shorts, an enormous gold belt that accented her tiny waist, and a red-and-gold bustier that highlighted her ample breasts. She was also wearing red leather boots and a red cape, but to be honest, the only person who probably noticed the cape was me. That was only because every time some guy ogled her, I wanted to spin the cape around to cover up all that cleavage.
I prayed that a sudden rainstorm or temperatures plummeting into the single digits would force us to head home, but no such luck. For late October in New Jersey, it was practically balmy.
After more than an hour of trick-or-treating, we turned back onto our street. Two more blocks and we were home free. I’d made it through the last hour and a half without once head-butting some dad with a roving eye.
“Who has to go potty?” Rain asked as she rolled Zac’s empty stroller up the driveway. I couldn’t help but smile at how ambitious she was in regard to his potty training. He’d exhibited no interest thus far in keeping his bodily functions in check.
Zac ran ahead of us and stood beside Rain’s car.
“Izzy?”
Izzy walked around to the other side of the car and waited too, as if we were going somewhere. “Nope.”
“Could you buckle Zac into his car seat while I go get their jackets in case it gets cooler?�
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So close.
“Why? Where are we going?”
She looked at me as if I’d grown two heads.
“To your brother’s, silly, so they can see the kids in their costumes. And then to my mom’s, and then Wally and Diane’s, like we always do.”
My brother’s? Dylan and I had a come to a tenuous truce, but popping in for a visit wasn’t something I’d done for more than three years now. Besides, I saw him every day at work. That was more than enough.
“Do they know we’re coming?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s Halloween. Wouldn’t they expect us?”
“Why? Did you expect them?”
Her face was blank. “No. But it’s the right thing to do, Chase. We’re family. Don’t you want to see your nephews in their costumes?”
Honestly? It didn’t matter to me one way or another. I’d barely seen my nephews over the past few years. As far as I was concerned, all that mattered were my kids. They were happy, and they’d had fun.
And unless Rain was prepared to slip into an overcoat, it was time to call it a night.
The collar of my sweater was making me itch. That, or subconsciously I was formulating an excuse.
I tugged on the neckline.
“Can we get changed first? Besides, you must be freezing.”
She wasn’t buying it. “We have to wear our costumes. We’re the Justice League, remember?” She bent her elbows, propping her hands on her hips, and spread her legs in a classic superhero stance. Maybe I could talk her into wearing that outfit to bed later—the only place it was suitable to be worn.
“I think Zac’s tired.” I looked down expectantly, only to find my son running circles around the car, hopped up on sugar. I caught him as he tried to pass me. “Or he will be, as soon as he crashes.”
“We won’t stay out late. I know Daddy needs his beauty sleep.”
I waggled my eyebrows, hoping she’d get the hint.
She waggled hers right back. “And so does Wonder Woman.”
Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into Dylan and Lorraine’s driveway on a cul de sac filled with oversized cookie cutter homes.
I unbuckled Zac from his car seat and handed him his trick-or-treat bag. “Hold Izzy’s hand,” I told him, since he seemed hell-bent on tearing across the lawn.
Izzy, who was an amazing older sister, was already coming around the car to claim him.
“Let’s go, buddy,” she said, taking his hand. “Do you want to ring the doorbell?”
“Yes!”
I caught the worried look she gave her mother as Zac tugged her along the sidewalk. Rain lifted her chin slightly and hung back, watching them.
“What was that about?”
Goose bumps popped up along her arms, and she pulled her cape over her shoulders. “What was what about?”
“The look between you and Izzy. Is something wrong?”
It was slight, but I definitely heard a sigh. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
I caught her by the arm.
“If there’s a problem, I want to know about it. Is Izzy upset about something?”
She shook her head. “Maybe a little. She thinks Dylan and Lorraine don’t like her, which is silly. What’s not to like about Izzy?”
I slipped my arm around her waist. Her hand immediately snaked under my coat and into my back pocket. The thought that two adults, one of them my own brother, could make a child feel unwelcome and disliked set my blood on fire. If the kids hadn’t already been standing on the doorstep, I would have demanded they get back in the car.
It was bad enough how my family felt about Rain. I’d lied to her about my mother pushing for a wedding date. Nothing had changed. I just didn’t want to wait any longer, and I knew Mom would never come around.
So I got my wish, but Rain now mistakenly believed my family had come to accept her, when nothing was further from the truth. One day this would all come to a head, and when it did, Rain would be devastated.
“You’re right,” I said. “Izzy’s a great kid. If she feels uncomfortable around them, there’s no reason to subject her to that.”
“They’re family, Chase. That’s why.”
The door opened and my brother appeared, holding a bowl of candy. My nephew, Logan, also dressed as Flash, stood beside him.
Although he couldn’t have recognized Zac because of the mask, Dylan’s smile faltered when he realized Izzy was standing on his porch. His eyes widened when he saw Rain and me behind them. They grew even wider as they scanned my wife in her costume, lingering so long on her breasts I was ready to step in front of her.
Snapping his gaze back to the kids, he held the door open wider and called over his shoulder. “Lorraine, Chase and Rain are here with the kids.”
“What?” Lorraine answered from within the house, sounding as if she didn’t believe him. Truthfully, I couldn’t believe it either.
When she appeared beside him and caught a glimpse of Rain, the look on her face morphed from surprised to smug. She rearranged her expression to something more neutral, but her smile was about as phony as any I’d ever seen.
“Trick or treat,” Rain sang out. The tremor in her voice told me how uncomfortable she was. We’d never been invited to my brother’s house as a couple, and this was the first time she had been here. Again, I wished I’d refused to come.
“What a surprise,” Lorraine said. “Come on in.” The look she shot Dylan was easy to read. She didn’t want us there any more than I wanted to be there.
“We won’t stay long,” I said, as much for Rain as for Lorraine. “Rain wanted to see the kids in their costumes and thought you’d like to see ours as well.” I leveled my gaze at Dylan. “You know. Just a family visit.”
He had the decency to look uncomfortable.
Lorraine dropped a treat into Zac and Izzy’s bags while Rain fished two small decorated bags out of her purse.
“I know Trevor is allergic to nuts and I didn’t think you’d want the kids to have more sweets, so I got them each a little Lego kit.”
Logan tore the wrapping off his red Lego race car. “Wow, thanks.” He grinned up at Rain. “What’s your name again?”
My heart fell along with Rain’s face. “This is your Aunt Rain, Logan. She’s my wife. You came to our wedding on the beach, remember?”
Rain fidgeted with her wig and looked at me with a wobbly smile. “He probably doesn’t recognize me with dark hair.”
I wanted to smack the smug look off Lorraine’s face. “I’m sure that’s it. We should go. We have two more stops to make, and you weren’t expecting us.”
“But you just got here. How about having a beer with me at least?” In that moment, I recognized the brother I’d grown up with. The one who’d begged me to move closer after my heart had been shredded to bits. The one who’d offered me half-ownership of a thriving business if I did.
“At least for a drink,” Lorraine added, surprising me until I saw the way her eyes swept over Rain. Jealous bitch.
Despite the expression on Rain’s face telling me we should stay, I knew how uncomfortable she was, although she’d never admit it.
“Sure. One quick drink.”
We followed Dylan into the kitchen, which was twice the size of ours. While I loved our house because Rain loved it, I couldn’t help wishing I’d pushed for a bigger house before we’d bought it. She deserved a kitchen like this: stainless steel appliances, top-of-the-line cabinets, miles of granite counter space, and a huge center island, perfect for baking—Rain’s specialty.
All Rain had held out for was a bathroom big enough that we could add a large tub. I hadn’t even given her that yet.
After selling me half of his business, Dylan was living large while I was paying off the loan I’d taken out to buy it. It was what it was, but standing here between his grand kitchen and cathedral-ceilinged family room while he and Lorraine judged my wife in her skimpy costume, I wasn’t feeling very grateful.
“This kitchen is a dream,” Rain said, her eyes shining, leaving the comfort of my side and running her hands over the pricey stone surfaces. “You must love cooking in here. I’m so jealous. I do most of my baking at the restaurant where I have more room, but what fun it would be to be able to really spread out in my own kitchen, especially when the kids wanted to help.”
Rain checked out the Viking range, and I noticed Dylan checking out her ass. Since Lorraine looked as if she’d been sucking on a lemon, I figured she noticed too.
“We’ll add on in a couple years,” I said, pulling the words out of my ass. “Better yet, we’ll just buy a bigger house with an even bigger kitchen.”
Three heads turned in my direction.
“But I love our house,” Rain said. “It’s so cozy.”
Cozy? Wasn’t that code for small? Tiny? Outdated? Unimpressive?
It sure as hell wasn’t the kitchen she would have had if she’d married someone like Preston.
I took a long pull on my beer, draining half of it in one shot.
What the hell was wrong with me? I loved our house. I could watch my kids play and run around in the fenced backyard. I loved it because when no one was around, my incredibly hot wife could—and would—sunbathe naked while I tried—and failed—to cut the grass.
I loved it because it was home. Wherever Rain and my kids were would always be home. It didn’t matter how big or how small.
“Dylan, what’s wrong with you? You didn’t ask Rain what she’d like.” Lorraine focused her attention on Rain, who was looking out the kitchen window into the huge backyard. “Would you like a glass of wine or maybe a beer? We have whiskey if you’d prefer a shot.”
A flicker of annoyance passed over Rain’s face.
“Don’t go to any trouble. Water’s fine.”
“Dylan? Could you get Rain some water? I want to grab my phone and get a photo. You guys look amazing. Those costumes are just … something else.”
Rain and I exchanged glances as Lorraine darted out of the kitchen. Dylan poured Rain a glass of water, while I accepted a second beer. The first one had disappeared, and I had a feeling this one would do the same, especially when I heard Lorraine’s laughter carrying from upstairs. My gut told me it had something to do with the photo she was about to take.