Love, Always and Forever

by Alexis Morgan

  Meanwhile, she smiled against his lips. “Yum, you taste like maple syrup and coffee.”

  Before he thought of a suitable response, she gave him a gentle shove. “You’re dead on your feet, so go to bed. I’ll get Sarge’s leash and grab some of his food to take over to my house.”

  He dutifully started down the hall to his bedroom alone, but he stopped halfway to consider if he should warn her that he wanted to change the rules. What the hell, all she could do was tell him she wasn’t interested. “One thing, Amy.”

  She straightened up from snapping on Sarge’s leash. “What’s that?”

  “One of these days when I go to bed, I’m going to take you with me. And when I do, you should know that I plan to keep you there for a good long while. Personally, I can’t wait.”

  He was pretty sure the smile he flashed in her direction showed a lot of teeth and deadly intent. “Just thought you should know.”

  Then he walked into his bedroom and closed the door.

  Chapter 15

  Amy had a bad case of the fidgets thanks to the slumbering male who lived next door. Here it was four hours after he’d made that stunning pronouncement, and she still had no idea of how she should have responded. What was a woman supposed to say when a man like Mikhail said he wanted to get naked with her? Lacking any hands-on experience in such situations, she had been left staring at his bedroom door, stunned and speechless.

  But curious, too.

  And really sorry he hadn’t invited her to join him right then and there when she wouldn’t have had any chance for second thoughts. There was still so much that Misha, as she now thought of him, didn’t know about her and the life she’d led. Her head said he would accept her truth; her fearful heart wasn’t so sure. Looking back, she wished she’d had the strength to march down that hallway and find out, one way or the other.

  But she hadn’t found the necessary courage, so her feet had stayed rooted in that one spot, unable to move forward or even take a step back. God knows how long she would’ve stood there frozen in place if Sarge hadn’t finally gotten bored waiting for his human friend to move and head-butted her leg. His blunt demand for attention had jolted her into full retreat, and she’d immediately hustled both the bulldog and her insecurities out the door and back over to her house.

  After getting the dogs settled in, she’d brewed a strong cup of her favorite herbal tea and parked herself in front of the computer, determined to work. Even though it had taken twice as long as it should have, she’d finally finished the project that was due to her client by the next morning. After that, she’d quickly grown tired of tripping over the dogs as she paced the floor in her office in search of further inspiration. Evidently accomplishing anything else work-related had been out of the question.

  Instead, she’d spent the rest of the morning cooking. By lunchtime, a Dutch apple pie sat cooling on the counter, a pot of soup simmered away in the slow cooker, and a vegetarian lasagna was ready to go into the oven for tonight’s dinner. She’d also replenished her secret stash of chocolate chip cookies.

  After setting the last tray of cookies on a rack to cool, she looked around the kitchen. Now what? There had to be something she could do to pass the time until Mikhail regained consciousness. Vacuum? No point with both dogs underfoot. Clean the bathrooms? No, she’d done that just a couple of days ago. The laundry could wait, too.

  The reason she’d bought this particular house was because it was so light and airy, but right now the walls were closing in on her. Maybe it was time to work outside in the greenhouse. The dogs could use some fresh air, too.

  “Come on, guys, let’s get out of here for a while.”

  They eagerly followed her out into the garage, where she grabbed her work gloves and gathered up a few other things she needed. When she opened the door that led out to the backyard, the dogs shoved past her to chase the birds pecking around in the grass. Once the unwanted visitors had been vanquished, she picked up a pair of tennis balls and threw them toward the back fence.

  Sarge chased his down and brought it back to drop at her feet, dripping with happy bulldog slobber. She dutifully tossed it again. Panda, on the other hand, didn’t quite understand the rules of the game. He followed his ball until it came to a complete stop and then plopped down in the grass to wait for Amy to come throw it again. She laughed at the little guy and did exactly that.

  It didn’t take long before both of her companions were out of breath and ready to zone out in the sun. She headed into the greenhouse to check on the small herb garden she’d planted. But just as she started to shut the door, she thought she heard someone calling her name.

  The dogs had both gone on full alert, so she opened the gate to peek out. Sure enough, Marlene Lukash stood just outside holding a casserole dish in her hands.

  “Hi, Marlene!”

  “Sorry to bother you, Amy, but I baked Misha’s favorite meatloaf and brought it over as a surprise. He didn’t answer when I knocked. Do you know if he’s home?”

  Great. How much should she tell her? “Yes, he is, but I’m guessing he’s still asleep. We went out for breakfast, so he didn’t get to bed until quite a bit later than usual.”

  No way she was going to admit that the two of them also had plans for dinner. “Would you like me to put the meatloaf in my refrigerator until he comes over to pick up Sarge?”

  Marlene definitely looked relieved by her offer. “That would be great.”

  “Why don’t you come on inside? I’d take the dish, but I’ve been playing with the dogs and my hands aren’t exactly sanitary right now.”

  “And Misha might not think a little bulldog drool counts as a special spice?”

  Amy laughed as she led the way through the front of the garage and into the kitchen. “Somehow I doubt it.”

  She quickly washed her hands and then took the dish and put it in the fridge. “I know he’ll be sorry he missed you.”

  Marlene shrugged. “I could go back and pound on the door until he finally answers, but I don’t really want to do that. The boy needs his sleep. Next time I’ll know to call first, but I was worried about him.”

  Thanks to Mikhail’s mind-bending announcement about his intent, Amy had forgotten all about checking the news to see if she could figure out what had upset him so badly last night. But it sounded as if Marlene might already know something about that. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll fix us a pot of tea and then you can tell me why you were worried.”

  She immediately put the kettle on to boil. While Marlene settled in at the table, Amy filled a plate with freshly baked cookies and then set out two mugs and her favorite teapot.

  The other woman held off talking until the tea was ready and Amy had joined her at the table. “I saw on the news this morning that there was a house fire last night in the area his station services. According to what they said, two people died in the fire, and a little girl was taken to the hospital.”

  Just that quickly the cookie Amy had bitten into tasted like dirt. “Will she be okay?”

  Marlene nodded, but she still looked worried. “They said she was stable and the prognosis is optimistic.”

  Thank goodness for that, but no wonder Mikhail had looked like hell when he showed up on her doorstep that morning. “He’ll be glad to hear that she’ll be all right. I know if he was there at the fire, he’ll be worried about her.”

  Marlene had yet to taste her tea. Instead, she stared off into the distance. “My son might look big and strong, but he always takes such things to heart. Even if the little girl survives, he’ll be beating himself up over the other two who didn’t.”

  That sounded like the man Amy was coming to know so well. Maybe she could offer some comfort to his mother.

  “I wasn’t expecting him when he came over this morning and asked me to go out to breakfast with him.” Marlene didn’t need to know that Amy had still been in her pajamas or how much Mikhail had liked them. “He didn’t say what was wrong, but he did look pretty ro
ugh when he got here. I can tell you that his mood had improved by the time we got back from breakfast.”

  She hoped her smile reassured Marlene that her son was all right. “The poor guy was dead on his feet, though. I took Sarge for the day so Mikhail could sleep.”

  “That was nice of you.” Marlene’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s hard not to worry about him even though he wouldn’t like knowing that I do. Misha doesn’t talk about it, but I know he saw and did some terrible things during his deployments. All my boys did, and it’s left its mark on all three of them. If Joe were here to help them…but he’s not.”

  The brief glimpse of her bone-deep grief over the loss of her husband was painful to see. What would it be like to have loved someone so much? Or to have lost the one person who had always been there to share life’s burdens? Amy didn’t know Marlene well enough to know what to say about Joe, so she concentrated on the man they did have in common.

  “Mikhail hasn’t told me anything about his time overseas, but I’ve seen how it affects him sometimes. That day he came home early from the family dinner at your house was definitely a tough one.” Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to share a little more, especially something that was a bit silly. “That was the first time I fixed him one of my famous banana splits. I believe in the curative powers of all things chocolate, so I piled it high and took two of them over to his place. I told him friends didn’t let friends eat ice cream alone.”

  Marlene’s laughter rang out across the small room. “I’ve had one of your banana splits, and they’re definitely a culinary work of art. I’m sure you didn’t have to twist his arm too hard to get him to join you.”

  She reached for another cookie. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that Misha has you in his life, Amy. I know you both say you’re just friends, and maybe that’s true. Regardless, I can see a difference in him since you moved in next door. More sunlight and fewer shadows if you get my drift. He’s also taking more of an interest in things like fixing up his yard. For a long time after he left the service, he was just going through the motions.”

  At first Amy didn’t know what she should say, so she shared a little of her own truth. “I didn’t know anyone when I moved here. Getting to know Mikhail and the rest of your family has made things a whole lot less lonely for me.”

  Marlene finished the last of her tea and set the mug aside. “Misha mentioned he thought that your family lives a couple of hours away from here.”

  “They do.”

  Not a topic of conversation that Amy was comfortable with. Maybe Marlene sensed that because she immediately changed subjects. “I know you work from home, and I’ve already taken up too much of your time. But if you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to see your greenhouse before I go. Ricky told me all about how hard he worked to build it.” Marlene grinned. “To hear him tell it, he did all of the assembly by himself while Misha merely handed him the pieces.”

  Yeah, that sounded like Ricky. “Well, far be it from me to cause you to doubt your grandson’s version of the story. I will say he worked hard the whole time he was here.”

  “I’m sure he did. Jack has definitely been a good influence on him. I don’t know how much Misha shared with you about Ricky’s background. Through no fault of his own, he went through a pretty rough patch before coming to live with my son. We’re really very proud of how he’s doing these days.”

  Amy would bet Ricky wasn’t the only male in the Lukash clan who had gotten off to a rocky start in life. Mikhail hadn’t shared much about his life prior to coming to live with Marlene and her late husband, but his time in combat wasn’t the only thing that had left its mark on him.

  “You should be proud. He’s a great kid.”

  She picked up the empty cups and the cookie plate and set them on the counter. “Come on outside, and I’ll show you the greenhouse. I’ve only planted a few herbs so far, but I plan to put in a vegetable garden next year. Come spring I’ll be able to give all the plants a jump-start before transferring them outside.”

  Marlene followed her out the back door after giving the dogs a chance to run out ahead of them. “I’ve always planted a lot of flowers and thought a greenhouse would help with that. When Joe was alive, we always talked about adding a small vegetable garden, too. Seems silly now that I’m living alone.”

  Amy hated the pain in Marlene’s voice. “You could always share the bounty with your family.”

  “Maybe I could at that.” The other woman smiled. “Especially the way my family keeps growing.”

  Twenty minutes later, Amy walked Marlene out to her car. She had gifted her with a couple of herbs she didn’t have in her own garden. In exchange, Marlene promised to send Amy a few starts of perennials for the new flower beds she would be putting in the front yard as soon as Mikhail dug up the rest of the sod for her.

  Marlene stopped to look at her son’s house. “Tell him I’m sorry I missed seeing him.”

  “I will. He’ll be sorry he missed seeing you as well, but he’ll be thrilled about the meatloaf. That man can really pack away the food.”

  “Yeah, he can. All the men in my family have healthy appetites. They’re lucky I like to cook.” She got in the car and rolled down the driver’s window. “I’ll see you on Saturday night at the dinner dance.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  She waved one last time when Marlene drove away. As soon as her car disappeared around the corner, Amy turned to face the man who’d stepped out on his porch, looking as if he’d just rolled out of bed. Mikhail hadn’t bothered buttoning his short-sleeved shirt, and his jeans rode low on his hips. He was also barefoot. Good thing she was standing some distance away from him, because his appearance was pushing every button she had. If he’d crooked his finger and asked her to follow him back inside and down the hall to his bedroom, she would’ve come running.

  Luckily he hadn’t picked up on her reaction. “So, what did Mom want?”

  “She’d heard about the fire and was worried about you. She also brought you a meatloaf, which currently resides in my refrigerator.”

  When he didn’t say anything, she prodded him a bit. “I take it was a bad one. The fire, that is. Not the meatloaf.”

  His expression remained grim. “I told you it was a rough shift.”

  Considering his monotone response, her small attempt at a joke had fallen flat. He also sounded a bit defensive, even though she certainly hadn’t meant to upset him.

  He glanced down the street again. “I thought I heard someone knocking earlier, but when it stopped, I figured I’d been dreaming.”

  Then he rolled his shoulders and shifted from side to side. “It wasn’t until I got up to use the bathroom a little while ago that I saw her car in the driveway. I figured she must have gone over to your place when I didn’t answer. I should’ve come straight over to see what she wanted.”

  So why hadn’t he?

  “Your mom wanted to make sure that you’d heard the little girl is stable and expected to make a full recovery.” When he didn’t say anything in response, she added, “We had a nice visit over cookies and tea. Then I showed her the greenhouse.”

  Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try to lighten the mood a little. “Did you know Ricky built it all by himself? Well, not entirely. Evidently you managed to hand him a few tools and screws.”

  This time he did smile. “I’m ever so grateful he was willing to let me assist.”

  She’d run out of things to say. The silence dragged on for several seconds. The entire time, his silver-blue eyes remained locked on her. What was he thinking? Was he remembering what he’d said earlier? If so, was it with regret because it was something that had slipped out when he was tired and not thinking straight? Or was he wondering about what it would be like between them? How was she supposed to know?

  A yip from the backyard broke the impasse.

  “I’d better go check on the dogs.”

  “Send Sarge home if you’re tired of his company.�
�

  “He’s fine.”

  She headed for the gate, anxious to put the solid weight of the fence between her and Mikhail right now. Unfortunately, his long legs allowed him to catch up with her before she got very far. With a quick move, he planted himself between her and the gate. When she tried to spin back to head around to the front of the garage, he caught her arm and gently turned her back around to face him.

  “Misha, please don’t do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “This.” She waved her free hand back and forth between them. “I don’t know how to handle it.”

  He released his hold on her and stepped back to give them a little breathing room. “Amy, I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  Because if he apologized for saying he wanted her in his bed, she might just deck him or die trying.

  “Take your pick. For leaving it up to you to entertain my mother. For foisting Sarge off on you for the day. For making you store my meatloaf for me.”

  Then his mouth kicked up in one of those grins that always melted her heart. “But mainly for being a jerk.”

  “You don’t need to apologize for me sharing tea and cookies with your mom, Sarge is never a problem, and I can always eat the meatloaf myself.”

  “Like hell!” He looked truly horrified. “You’d actually do that?”

  It was hard to hold back her laughter, but she gave it her best shot. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we? Besides, I’m guessing it will freeze well.”

  “I wouldn’t know. In the history of mankind, one of Mom’s meatloaves has never lasted beyond one dinner and a couple of sandwiches for lunch the next day.”

  “All the more reason for me to keep it for myself. That way I can see what’s different about her meatloaf that makes it so special. I’m always looking for new recipes.”

  He moved in closer. “Since you invited me over dinner, you’ll have to share.”