Watch Over (The DeLuca Family Book 1)

by Amy Reece

  “Hey, Mel. Sorry I’m running late. Ironing my shirt took longer than I thought it would. Crutches make ordinary chores awkward.” He hobbled over to the closet door, where an Oxford-type blue shirt was hanging from the knob. “You look great.” He buttoned his shirt, apparently unaware she had frozen at the sight of him.

  “Thanks.” She cleared her throat and looked away from the tempting sight of him dressing. “I brought a bottle of wine for your parents. Do they like Chardonnay? I thought it would be good for a summer evening. I figured a red would be too heavy, but I don’t know what’s on the menu. I can run home real quick and get the red if you think they’d like that better.”

  He finished buttoning his shirt and crossed the room to her. He leaned down to kiss her softly. “Shh, sweetheart. They’ll love it. You’re nervous, huh?”

  “I almost called to cancel. I’m not good with big groups.”

  He chuckled and put his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin. “Don’t worry about my family. You’ve already met all my brothers and sisters and survived the trauma. My parents will love you, trust me.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.” She inhaled his scent: soap, aftershave, and laundry detergent, and was comforted.

  “That’s all anyone can ask. Come on. Time to go.”

  She followed his directions and drove them to the Albuquerque Acres area of town, parking in front of a sprawling adobe multi-level home. “Wow.” She stared at the beautiful house.

  “Yeah. My dad built it.”

  “By himself?”

  He chuckled. “No. He owns a construction company. He’s semi-retired now. Hugh and Izzy run the company for the most part, these days. Dad still shows up at the office or on a job site a few times a week, mostly to drive everyone crazy.” He ushered her up the front walkway and held the door for her, daring her with a look to try and hold it for him.

  “Oh, Finn! Look at you!”

  Melanie saw a flash of black hair rush by her and into Finn’s arms. “Yeah, I’m walking and everything. Almost.” He hugged the woman and then turned her around. “Mom, this is Mel.”

  “Hello, Mel. I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome. Call me Moira, please. I’m so glad to meet you.” Her voice was lovely with a slight Irish lilt Melanie found charming. “Let’s go out back. Everyone’s here, except Seamus, of course. That boy…” She walked quickly, too quickly for Finn.

  He smiled at Melanie, rolling his eyes. “After you.”

  The rest of Finn’s family, minus one of his younger brothers, was in the vast backyard. “Mel!” Cara squealed and ran over to her, carrying what looked like a croquet mallet. “I’m so glad Finn brought you! Come play croquet with us. You can be on my team. Tony cheats, so watch out.”

  “I heard that, Cara. Don’t be a brat. Hey, Mel. Wuz up?” Finn’s youngest brother jogged up and slung his arm around Mel’s neck.

  “Hi, Tony. It’s nice to see you again.” She smiled at the young man, so like Finn, yet without the fine lines and care-worn appearance his age and recent accident had caused.

  “You hear that? Mel likes me.” He stuck his tongue out at his sister and led Mel away to the croquet game.

  They played one game before Finn claimed her back, leading her toward the cooler for a couple beers and then ushering her toward the large barbecue grill. “Dad, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Mel.”

  She nearly choked on her beer; I’m his girlfriend? Yeah. I’m his girlfriend. Take that, world!

  Finn’s father flipped a piece of meat and turned to greet her. “Well, she’s even prettier than you said, Finn. Hi, Mel. Nice to meet you.” He pulled her into a bear hug, causing her to slosh the beer slightly.

  “Sorry about that, Mr. DeLuca.”

  “Call me Big Tony. Everyone else does. Finn, get me one of those, why don’t you?” He gestured toward the beer.

  “I can’t carry anything with these damn crutches, but I’m sure I can get someone to bring you one.” Finn saluted jauntily and hobbled away toward the cooler.

  Big Tony watched his son, concern evident on his face. “How’s he doing, Mel? He seems much better, but his mother and I have been so worried.”

  She looked up at the older man, her heart aching at the concern on his face. “He’s doing better. Getting out of the wheelchair was really important to him.”

  “Yes, I can see that. We almost lost him.” His voice faltered on the last words. He sniffed and looked down at her. “I’m glad he’s found you, young lady. I haven’t seen him this happy in months.”

  She didn’t know what to say.

  Finn returned with a young child in tow. “Hand Poppa his beer, Janey.” The adorable girl with golden brown pigtails handed her grandfather a bottle.

  “Here, Poppa.” She smiled delightedly and turned to Finn, holding her arms up. “Will you pick me up, Uncle Finn!”

  “Sorry, Janey-bear. I can’t. Come over here and maybe I can put you on my lap.” He led the child to a seating area and scooped her into his lap, tickling her until she was screeching with giggles. Mel noticed he made sure to keep her on his good leg.

  “Janey! I told you we have to be gentle with Uncle Finn, remember?” Izzy quickly approached, reaching for her daughter.

  “It’s fine, Iz. Let her be.” Finn flashed his sister an impatient look, then turned back to play with his niece.

  “He’s impossible,” Izzy muttered. “Hi, Mel. So, you and Finn, huh?”

  Melanie looked quickly at Finn’s older sister, trying to gauge whether or not she was expressing disapproval. She was relieved to see only slight amusement in Izzy’s gaze as she watched her brother entertain her small daughter. “Yeah. He’s…well, he’s special.”

  Izzy turned and smiled at her. “Funny. That’s what he said about you.” She stared at her for a long moment. “Mom made some white sangria. What do you say we ditch the beer and try some?”

  Mel smiled and followed her inside to sample the fruity wine concoction, which was delicious. She made a mental note to ask Moira for the recipe. As she sipped, she thought about how worried she’d been about this gathering: meeting his parents and seeing his siblings again, but it was working out fine. She could do this. She felt her confidence building with every minute she spent with this family. They were simply people; people she happened to like very much.

  Big Tony announced the steaks were ready and the family gathered around the large outdoor table to eat. Seamus arrived a few minutes after they started eating, with his girlfriend in tow. Her name was Sloane, and it took Mel approximately thirty seconds to sense the family didn’t love her. Mel watched closely throughout dinner, trying to figure out why. It didn’t take long; Sloane was a full-on diva, demanding Seamus’ attention exclusively and attempting to control his every action. She seemed completely oblivious to the tension she’d created and Melanie wondered what the story was. She’d be sure to ask Finn later.

  It was several hours later when Finn collected her from where she was talking with Cara and Izzy, planning a shopping afternoon as soon as Izzy could get her mom to babysit Janey. She hugged her two new friends, promising to join them for the outing, then left with Finn.

  Once they got in his car, he reached for her hand. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “No. I worried for no reason, which is what I always do. I almost canceled this afternoon because I was so freaked out.”

  “I’m really glad you didn’t, Mel. Thanks for coming. It meant a lot to me.”

  “Well, it was my first, so I hope I did okay.” She laughed lightly, hoping he saw the humor in it.

  “Your first what?” He turned to her, frowning.

  “My first time to meet the parents.” Now she was worried; he seemed so concerned.

  “Wait. You’ve never been introduced to your boyfriend’s parents before? How is that possible? I’m not your first boyfriend, am I? That’s impossible.”

  “No, of course not.” She stared out the windshield, refusing to meet his eyes.
“You’re my second.”

  ***

  Finn

  He was flabbergasted. How in the world had this beautiful, smart, funny, sexy woman sitting in the car next to him only had one boyfriend before him? “Mel, sweetheart, how is that possible?”

  She shrugged and continued to stare out the windshield. “I was really shy in high school. No one ever asked me out. It got better in college and I dated a guy for about a year.”

  She still wouldn’t look at him and his gut clenched at the unspoken pain he could detect in her voice. He remembered how hard it was in high school to figure out which girls might possibly say yes if you asked them out; the silent ones who gave no signals or encouragement were stricken from the list, no matter how pretty they were. Fragile male teenage egos simply couldn’t handle that kind of pressure. “What happened to college boy?”

  She shrugged, but he noticed the set of her mouth grow hard. “It didn’t work out. We both moved on.”

  There was more to the story, but it didn’t appear she wanted to tell it at the moment. He understood. There had been a girl in college, Sarah, who had pretty much crushed him when she broke it off. “And since college?”

  She shrugged again. “A lot of first dates.”

  He didn’t know what to say or even think. Why? Did the guys never call again? He had a hard time believing that. She was fun, a great conversationalist, and one heck of a kisser. It must be Mel, then, who refused any follow-up dates. So how did that explain the fact that he was sitting here with her on what amounted to their third date—fourth if you counted brunch earlier in the day? How did he get so lucky?

  She pulled into his driveway, clicked the garage-door opener, and pulled into the garage. He met her around the back at the bumper.

  “Thank you.” He brushed her hair behind her ear.

  She stared up at him, eyebrows raised. “For what? Driving you home?”

  He chuckled. “No, but thanks for that. I meant for giving me a chance and a second date.”

  She stepped closer to him, a bit unsure, but reached her arms around his neck. “You’re welcome.” Then she kissed him.

  Knowing she instigated it made the kiss all the more amazing and Finn gladly sunk into the wonder of her mouth. He pulled her tightly against his body and spent the next few minutes—hours?—kissing his girlfriend, deepening it when she made no move to pull away. Finally, realizing they were giving any neighbors who happened to be walking by or looking out their windows quite a show, he softened the kiss and pulled away slightly. “I better walk you home. We could continue this fascinating conversation on your couch, if you like.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down in a hopefully salacious manner.

  She laughed and nodded. They exited the garage and made the short walk to her house. As they turned up her walkway, a small white ball of fur charged at them, tail wagging madly.

  “Fluff? What on earth are you doing outside?” Melanie bent to scoop the small dog into her arms.

  Finn’s senses were suddenly on high alert and he began searching the surrounding area with his gaze, attempting to penetrate the dusk. Melanie started toward her front door, which he could now see was standing partly open. “Mel! Stop!”

  She halted, looking back at him. “What?”

  “Don’t go inside.” He held his hand out, beckoning her to return to his side. “Did you lock up when you left? Are you sure?” he prodded at her nod.

  “Positive.” Her voice sounded hollow, afraid.

  “Take Fluff and go back to my place.”

  “Finn? What’s going on? Come with me.”

  He turned and put an arm around her, balancing somewhat precariously on his crutches while still peering through the near-darkness. “Mel, I need you to let me do my job. It looks like someone may have broken into your house. I’m going to call it in and go check it out, but I need you to wait for me at my house, okay?”

  “But what about you?”

  “I’ll be fine. This is what I do and I’m really good at it. Now take Fluff and go.” He softened his order with a kiss on her forehead. He watched as she walked quickly to his house and let herself in; then he pulled his phone out and called it in. He waited in the yard for the unit to arrive; he knew better than to investigate on his own. Even if he had his gun—safely stashed in the gun safe in his bedroom—he had no free hands to hold it. This friggin’ broken ankle was really starting to piss him off!

  A marked police car arrived within ten minutes and the two officers checked the house. Nothing appeared disturbed and the officers suggested Mel must have not closed the door properly, allowing the wind to open it. Finn knew the officers well and realized they had certainly checked thoroughly. Finn thanked them and headed back to his house, not looking forward to facing Mel.

  “Do you think that’s what happened, Finn? Do you think it was just the wind?”

  He sighed and pulled her closer. They were sitting on his couch, drinking out of his new wine glasses. “I don’t know, sweetheart. If it were just this, yeah, I’d probably think you didn’t shut the door all the way. But with the other stuff—the unlocked doors and feeling like someone’s watching you—I’m not convinced. Why don’t you stay here tonight? In the guest room, I mean.” He knew they weren’t ready for more yet.

  She smiled, but shook her head. “No. I’m a big girl and I refuse to be spooked. I probably didn’t close it all the way. I was pretty nervous about meeting your parents, you know.”

  “What? You, nervous? Nah.” He watched as she sipped her wine. “Are you sure, Mel?”

  “No, but I need to do this. I need to not be a wimp.”

  “Nobody with any sense would ever think you’re a wimp.” He poured her another glass of wine, then sat back to put his arm back around her. She’d freaked out about meeting his parents, but was determined to stay at her house after a possible B&E. What was he going to do with her?

  He walked her home and insisted on going in to look around. Everything looked clear, but he didn’t like the nervous way Mel’s gaze was darting around. “Why don’t I stay here tonight? I can crash on the couch.”

  She put her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. “You are super-sweet, Finn, but no. I will be fine and you need to sleep in your bed. You probably need some Tylenol too, and I don’t think I have any, so go home.”

  He sighed and held her. “Why do you have to be so damn brave? Okay, but you have to swear to keep your phone with you at all times. I mean it, Mel. Promise.”

  She smiled up at him. “I promise.”

  Chapter Ten

  Mel

  Her phone buzzed on the nightstand at eight. She opened a bleary eye and grabbed it, sending Finn a short text to assure him she was fine. He’d called last night as soon as he got back to his house, repeating his offer to sleep on her couch if she was feeling the slightest bit nervous. She’d again told him she was fine. She had lain awake for several hours, however, hearing every noise and creak the house made. CJ had kept watch with her, purring contentedly while Mel stroked her fur. She’d finally fallen asleep around three, and as a consequence had slept later than she intended. She rolled over, intending to catch another hour or so of sleep, but the phone buzzed again, this time with an invitation to breakfast. Extra sleep or breakfast with my gorgeous boyfriend? Not even close. She threw the covers off and headed to the shower.

  He prepared pancakes and bacon, the aroma greeting her as she opened his front door. She offered to take over for him at the stove, but he shooed her away with a kiss, telling her to enjoy her coffee while he finished. It was painful to watch him struggle to balance with his crutches while moving around the kitchen, but she knew he needed to be independent. He did allow her to carry the platters of steaming pancakes and crispy bacon to the table.

  “Cara called to see if I wanted to meet her for lunch.”

  “That sounds fun. I’m glad you two are getting along. She and I are pretty close, so it will be very convenient if you two are friends.
” He grinned and reached for another pancake.

  She shook her head when offered her another. “I’m stuffed; pancakes fill me up fast. You’re a pretty good cook, at least for breakfast. I feel like I’ve gotten quite a bargain bagging you for a boyfriend.”

  He laughed, nearly choking at her teasing. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, sweetheart. You wait ’til I get off these crutches. I’ve got way more in my bag of tricks than pancakes and bacon.”

  “Ooh, I can hardly wait.”

  “You’re a saucy little minx, you know that? You come off as shy, but you’re not, really.” He reached for her hand, linking their fingers atop the kitchen table.

  She loved how he seemed to want to touch her all the time. She’d been raised by a woman who didn’t give a lot of hugs and her college boyfriend had only been interested in touching her when he wanted to sleep with her. Aunt Karen had been affectionate, but bedridden for the last few months. Mel hadn’t realized how hungry for simple human touch she’d been. “I don’t feel like I have to be shy with you. I can be myself.”

  He leaned over to kiss her. “Did you get any sleep last night?” He brushed his thumb gently over the slight smudge under her eye.

  She shrugged and looked down. “It took me a while to fall asleep, that’s all.”

  They were interrupted by a rapping on the kitchen door. “Yoo hoo! Hi Melanie! Can I come in?” Lena, the new neighbor from across the street was waving madly through the window.

  “Who the hell is that?” Finn muttered, sounding cranky.

  “She just moved in across the street. You know, the rental?” Mel stood to open the door for the woman. “Hi, Lena.”

  Lena nearly shoved her aside as she entered—technically uninvited—Finn’s home. “Hello again! And who is this?”

  “This is Finn.” Mel performed the introduction, noting Finn seemed somewhat ambivalent about meeting their new neighbor.