Somehow, that angered him more than all the rest of it as he thought of the excitement in Miguel's small face, the happiness in Ria's eyes as they'd decorated it.
He laid Miguel in the bed and glanced at Maria, who was unlacing her son's shoes. She was barely holding herself together. Pete didn't want to leave her alone, but he needed to unload the truck.
It could have been worse, he thought, if they'd gone shopping yesterday. Julio would have found the gifts and pawned them.
"You can't stay here," he murmured.
"This is our home," Ria answered. "We have no place else to go."
"You have someplace now, Ria. My place."
"I can't—"
"Yes. You can." He took her hand, and led her out of Miguel's room, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Make us some coffee, sweetheart. I'm gonna unload the truck. We'll stay here tonight, but in the morning, it's moving day."
* * * * *
Maria poured the water into the cheap coffee maker with an unsteady hand.
Damn Julio! She would have called the police long ago, but Julio's gang had connections within the police department. They would let him off the hook and leave her more vulnerable than ever.
Pete was so kind to offer his place as a refuge for her and Miguel. Was he just being chivalrous? This had been one of the best days of her life. Pete had seemed as carefree as she felt. She was beginning to suspect it wouldn't have mattered where they'd been or what they were doing – Pete would have had that same effect on her, no matter what.
She smiled at the thought of two practical personalities such as Pete and herself finding one another and falling in love in two days' time. Was that what made her so – giddy? Lord, she detested that word. But … she had to admit, it described her feelings today, and Pete had enjoyed himself every step of the way, as well.
As Pete carried up the last load of their Christmas purchases, he shut the door behind him. "Want me to put these in the bedroom?"
She sighed, remembering the mess. "Yes. Wherever you can find a place."
"I wouldn't have brought them in, seeing as how we'll be packing up everything again tomorrow. But I was worried about leaving all this in the truck."
"Especially in this neighborhood," she said as he started for the bedroom. "There's no way it would be there tomorrow."
Ria poured two cups of coffee, adding sugar and a little milk to hers before setting them on the table.
Pete returned momentarily, his features set and grim. "Has he done this before?"
Ria nodded as she sank into a chair. "Once. He thinks I have money hidden." She gave a short laugh. "I don't have any money to hide."
"Have you thought of calling the police?"
"Sure. I've thought of it. Dreamed of it. But his gang has friends there, Pete."
"Yeah, well – so do I."
She shook her head. "I don't want to drag you into this. I don't want … to be a burden to you."
He set his mug down very deliberately, then reached across the space that separated them and took her hands in his.
"Ria… You will never be a burden."
"And – and I don't want you to feel like you have to be k-kind—" She pulled her hands away, shaking her head. "Or need to feel sorry—"
"You would think that? After the day we spent together?" His voice was low, but there was a measure of anger tinting his words.
She looked up at him, seeing him in a new light. He was looking at her as if she'd somehow hurt him, as if she were trying to end things before they had a chance to truly begin. In his look, she understood that he felt she was trying to extricate herself from the relationship. This day meant as much to him as it had to her.
"Maybe," he said carefully, "it's you who feels sorry for me. Not the other way around."
Ria's heart pounded crazily. "Feel sorry for you? How? Why?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? Maybe you aren't ready to spend your life with someone with one eye."
"Spend my life… Are you proposing to me? And for the record," she went on, not waiting for his answer, "I don't give a damn about anything but you, Pete Cochran, and how you make me feel."
"How's that?"
She stood up, facing him. "Like a beautiful, lovely, perfect angel. Like I can do anything I try to do, and do it well. Like I'm the best mother in the world to my son. Like I never need another thing in this life but you, because I happen to love you. Having one eye doesn't matter to me at all. When I look at you, I see a handsome man who – who—" She broke off, taking a step back as her hand went to her mouth as if to stop the words.
"Lady, you better say 'a man who loves me'." Pete stood and gently pulled her into his arms. "I don't know how this all happened so damn fast, but I know it's real. You said you loved me. I – I love you too, Ria. I know this is crazy, but – I know I wouldn't mistake what I'm feeling for kindness."
"Pete … I didn't mean to say all that."
He chuckled. "I'm glad you did. I'm not the best one for putting my feelings into words."
"You said I love you," she whispered. "That's the most important thing of all."
* * * * *
They'd gone to bed shortly after, pausing on their way to right the Christmas tree as best they could.
"Miguel's going to be so disappointed," Ria said pensively. "This tree meant everything to him."
Pete hugged her. "We'll take it with us. It's not ruined – just the decorations."
"And the new lights you bought."
He nodded. "Yeah. I hope I can find more this close to Christmas."
Pete stood the tree up in the bucket as Ria salvaged what ornaments she could find that hadn't been shattered.
Now, as they lay next to each other in bed, Pete reached for her. She moved to put her head on his shoulder.
"You have something on your mind," he stated. "Thinking about tomorrow?"
"No. I was … actually wondering about your time in the military."
He hadn't expected that, but the tension which coiled inside him at that topic was not unfamiliar. "What did you want to know?" He sounded more curt than he intended, and she rose up on her elbow to look down at him.
"I was just curious. But if it's painful to remember, we don't have to talk about it."
"There's not much to tell. I was deployed and served in Iraq for a year. Came home and was re-deployed for another year. If you're wondering about this—" he raised a hand to his eye patch, "—if I'd gone home two weeks sooner, it wouldn't have happened."
"I'm sorry. To have been so close to returning home…"
"I was lucky. One of my buddies came home in a box. Two others lost legs."
She bent to gently kiss him.
"I used to have nightmares about it. But … those stopped recently."
"Thank goodness. Maybe it's because of Christmas that they've ended."
"No. Christmases come and go. Love stays. Last night was the first night since – since it happened – that I didn't have those dreams. My first full night of sleep for six years. See what a miracle worker you are?" He tried to make light of it, but Ria could see how important it was to him.
She ran her thumb lightly over his cheekbone beneath the patch. "I hope … that's the first night of many, my love."
He glanced away, the sweet sincerity in her eyes bringing his emotions to the surface. "I hope so, too," he said quietly.
She lay back down in the circle of his arms, his arousal pressing where her thigh touched him. At her movement, he groaned softly.
"Pete," she said, "if you want, we can—"
"No," he interrupted. "Let's wait. It's not that I don't want to, believe me."
"I know that," she teased.
His lips curved. "I want it to be special, Ria. Not here, where Julio's been—"
She shivered against him. "I know. I agree."
A few seconds passed, and then he asked, "Will you be sorry to leave this place?"
There was no hesitation in her response. "No. I've n
ever truly felt safe here, and … I've always dreamed of having a little home of my own. No upstairs neighbors." She smiled.
Pete gave a sardonic laugh. "Well, little is the key word, I guess." He sobered. "Listen Ria – my place is small. It's no mansion, by any means. But there's a back yard for Miguel and a place in the front for flower beds, a fireplace in the living room—"
"It sounds lovely, Pete. Perfect." There were tears in her voice. "But are you sure you want to – to share it?"
"I'm sure," he said with conviction. "It's never been a home. But tomorrow, it will be."
Chapter Eight
The next morning, they were awakened by a despairing wail from Miguel.
"My wishing tree! Mama! Somebody ruined it!"
Pete sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'll go."
"I'm coming," Ria murmured sleepily.
Pete opened the door and walked into the living room to find Miguel crouched beside the tree, eyes wide.
"Look what somebody did!" he exclaimed. "I bet it was Julio."
Pete's eyes narrowed. "Maybe. But we're going somewhere today. Someplace safe that Julio doesn't know about."
"What about the tree?"
Pete's chest constricted at the thought of how much the tree meant to the little boy. He reached to pat Miguel's back. "We'll take it with us, son. See – the branches are fine—"
"But the lights. They're broken."
"I bet we can find more. We'll get more ornaments. If you want, we can stop by the tree stand and pick out another one—" He broke off as Miguel turned horrified eyes to him.
"No! This is the special tree. The wishing tree. It's the only one."
"Shhh, okay, little one. We'll load it up and take it to our new place and set it up there. How's that?"
Miguel nodded. In the next instant, he was in Pete's arms, his hands around Pete's neck. "Thank you."
Pete hugged Miguel awkwardly, holding him for a moment before he said, "Okay, big guy. We've gotta get started packing everything up."
"Starting with our tree, right?" He let go of Pete, his expression hopeful once more.
"Sure. Starting with our tree."
"I'll make something to eat," Ria said from the bedroom doorway. She gave Pete a grateful look as he stood up.
"Mama, look at our tree."
"I know, sweetie. I saw. We'll make it just as pretty as it was before."
Miguel still looked doubtful.
"Miguel," Pete said quietly. The boy turned to face him. "Did you know I've been working in my dad's tree lot since I was about your age? We'll make it look good. I've got lots of experience."
Miguel nodded. It seemed to be the reassurance he needed to hear.
Pete rose slowly. Miguel took his hand and looked up at him. The trust in the child's eyes was a gift Pete hadn't expected. He squeezed Miguel's fingers gently.
"Come on. Let's pick up some of these things while your mom rustles us up some food."
* * * * *
Moving didn't take long. Maria had very few possessions. Since the apartment was furnished, there was no large furniture to move. They loaded Pete's truck bed twice, including the precious Christmas tree on the first trip, and were completely finished by early afternoon.
They made one last trip to the apartment to clean it, in hopes the deposit might be refunded. Maria's lease would be up the first of January, anyway, she said. It had worked out as it should.
The cleaning completed, they walked across the complex grounds to the office to return the keys. The manager was not happy to be losing a tenant, and balked at returning the deposit, until Pete insisted he come check the apartment immediately. If the deposit money couldn't be returned, perhaps they'd need to file a police report to take care of any damages Julio caused in the break-in.
Reluctantly, the manager wrote a check for three hundred dollars and handed it to Ria with a surly "Thanks."
She couldn't help but let go a sigh of relief as Pete opened the door for her and they left the office, Miguel holding her hand.
Pete encircled her shoulders with his arm. "It's over. Time for chapter two."
She gave him a smile. "Thank you. He'd never have given the money back if you hadn't been with me. In fact, I'm thinking we better cash this on the way home to be sure the money's there."
"Not a bad idea. Then, I think we need to grab a pizza, what do you say, Miguel?"
"I love pizza!"
"I could cook something—" Ria began.
"Nope. Tonight we're gonna do something relaxing," Pete said. He leaned close to whisper to her. "Maybe your last chance for the next couple of days. Christmas Eve tomorrow, then the big day … lots of wrapping—"
"We forgot paper!"
"Last minute shopping, too," Pete went on, "including paper … and tape. I've got scissors around the house somewhere."
"And food – oh, Pete – what about Christmas dinner?"
He just laughed. "Pizza looks pretty good when you think about what we have to do tomorrow."
"Maybe tonight we can put up our tree again," Miguel ventured tentatively.
"We'll see—" Ria sad.
But Pete couldn't have turned Miguel's wish down. To the boy, nothing was more important than the tree.
* * * * *
They tried three stores before they found one with the right kind of lights for the tree. It had been worth it to see Miguel's bright smile. The first order of business had been to re-decorate the tree, as soon as they got home.
Pete hadn't had a tree in his house since he'd bought it four years ago. There had been no reason, it seemed. Now, it was the focal point of the entire house. Pete had to agree with Miguel, it was even more beauti-fuller here than it had been before. Pete suspected a big part of that was because there would be no more worry about having to protect it from Julio's destruction – a heavy weight for a young boy to carry.
Although they agree to relax this evening, Pete knew Maria – she wouldn't truly be able to take it easy until the necessities were handled.
They'd grabbed some wrapping paper, tape, and bows when they'd bought the lights and ornaments. A smile touched his lips as he remembered the thrill of pleasure on Ria's face as she'd picked out the rolls of paper, tags, and ribbon. He doubted she could have been any more pleased than she had been at that very moment.
"I can't wait to get started wrapping!" She’d given him a spontaneous hug as she put the paper in their basket.
Pete heard the door click shut down the hallway followed by Ria's footsteps. She smiled as she came into the living room.
"He's all tucked in and almost asleep already."
"What did he think?" Pete asked. "Did he like the room?"
She sat down beside him on the couch. "He loves it."
"We'll need to get some new furniture eventually," he said thoughtfully. "I never really cared that much since that was a spare room, but—"
She turned and framed his face with her hands. "He doesn't mind. With a little paint on the walls and a place for that new Batman car, it will be perfect for him." She leaned forward, her lips brushing his lightly.
"I … poured us some wine," he said. "We can build a fire if you want."
She shook her head. "Let's go to bed."
The way she said it made his heart race.
"Ria—" He started to tell her they could wait. That he didn't want her to feel pressured – but why was he protesting something he wanted so much? What was he worried about? He wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him.
She stood up and put her hand out to him. "Tonight's the night."
Pete's lips quirked. "Ain't nobody gonna stop us now…"
"Rod Stewart."
Pete rose, taking her had. "Aren't you a little young to be a Rod Stewart fan?" he teased.
She laughed. "I love all the oldies. I don't even listen to anything after the eighties. My favorites are the sixties and seventies music."
"A woman after my own heart."
&
nbsp; They'd reached the bedroom, and Ria turned to face him, stepping into his arms. "Oh, I plan to have that heart of yours, Pete Cochran … lock, stock, and barrel."
She began to unbutton his shirt, her fingers brushing his skin. He sucked in his breath, letting it out very slowly. She reached up to kiss him gently. "Make love to me, Pete."
"Miguel was right about that tree," he said raggedly.
Ria pushed the shirt off his shoulders, her dark eyes gleaming. "I have to agree with him – it is full of wishes."
* * * * *
Could there be anything better than waking up beside Pete Cochran?
Ria's lips curved before she opened her eyes. She snuggled closer to him, and his arm tightened around her.
He was awake, too. She wondered what his thoughts were … hoped they mirrored her own. She opened her eyes.
He was looking at her as if she were a treasure. Her heart stopped for a moment. Had anyone ever looked at her that way? She'd never been cherished, as Pete obviously did. If there had been any doubts about their feelings for one another, they had been dispelled during the magical night they'd spent in each other's arms.
"I love you," Ria whispered.
He kissed her. "I know." His knuckles caressed her cheek. "It's gonna be good for us, Ria. I promise you."
She nodded. "I feel like Cinderella."
He grinned. "It's not gonna be over at midnight, lady."
"Good," she said firmly. "I don't want this dream to ever end."
He sighed, turning onto his back. "It won't, but there's gonna be some ups and downs – starting with today."
"Why?" What could possibly mar this glorious day?
"I got a message from my mom yesterday. She's wanting us to come for dinner tomorrow."
"Good!" Ria teased. "We won't have to worry about cooking Christmas dinner here."
Pete smiled. "Not so fast, woman. I may want some more of those enchiladas."
"I could make those to take over. I wouldn't want to go empty-handed."
"Do you want to go … at all? I mean…" His voice was uncertain.
"Of course. Don't you?" She came up on her elbows to look down at him. She was surprised at the hesitance in his voice, but it was in his expression as well.
"We can go, but I'm not sure how long we can stay. Dad and I haven't seen eye-to-eye on things for – most of my life. Their house is like a morgue ever since Josh—"
The Wishing Tree Page 4