Joey looked back at Leanne with eyes wide, and then up at Diane.
Leanne rubbed her forehead and sighed. “I need to get back before curfew, so I think I’ll go now. Bye, Joey.” She waved with her fingers.
Joey stared, but waved back when Diane raised his arm for him. “Bye udder mommy.”
Leanne chuckled. “That’s right, Joey, I’m your udder mommy.” Her voice cracked as she said to Dave, “I’ll have my lawyer call you within the next few days. I promise.”
Chapter 24
Dave held his breath until the door closed. “Did I just wake up from a dream or did I witness a miracle? Someone please pinch me.”
Joleen smirked and pinched him.
“Hey!” He moved away from her. “Not so hard, lady.”
Joey giggled and pinched him too. Dave howled in mock pain, “Ow! Who did that? Joey? What are you pinchin’ Daddy for?” He snorted and scooped up Joey and placed him on top of his head, then wiggled until he got a belly laugh out of his son.
“Sorry to interrupt the fun, Dave, but I’m going home now.” Joleen sighed. “You don’t need me anymore if Mom relinquishes as she says she will.”
He placed Joey in Diane’s arms and held out his hand. “Thanks for everything, Joleen.”
She snickered. “Come on, you can do better than that, big guy.” She grinned and looked over at Diane. “You don’t mind if I get a hug, do you?”
“No, of course not.” Diane waved and turned away to play with Joey.
Dave opened his arms to give Joleen a quick hug. “See you around.”
She glanced over and when she saw that Diane looked the other way, she kissed him full on the mouth, lingering several seconds until Dave pushed her away.
“What the . . . what was that all about?” Dave hissed.
Joleen smirked. “Want another?”
“I thought you said you were done hitting on me.”
She snickered and offered a seductive grin. “I lied.”
Diane turned to look at them, frowning.
Indicating Diane, Joleen said, “She said she didn’t want you, so I figured I’d give it one more shot.” She clucked her tongue. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Dave’s chest heaved, and he pointed at the door. “Get away from me.”
Joleen winked and blew Joey a kiss. “Bye, little guy.”
Tension seized Dave’s chest at the peculiar look on Diane’s face. “Di—”
She held up her hand. “It’s all right. I heard everything.”
“So if you’re not upset about Joleen, then why are you crying?”
“I’m just confused.”
“What about?”
Joey grabbed his father’s leg. “Can I pway over dare?”
“Sure buddy, go have a ball.” Dave rubbed Joey’s head. “Yell at me when you’re done so I can come get you out, okay?”
“Okay.” Joey took off running.
He turned back to Diane. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
She released an exasperated sigh. “I told you it’s not that.”
“Okay, so let’s get back to where we were. What are you confused about?”
She sniffled and wiped her nose. “Everything.”
“Could you be more specific?”
Diane shrugged.
“Come on, Diane. Talk to me.”
“Leanne was molested in her adoptive home.”
Dave studied her for a moment, his lips tightening. “I got that impression.”
“My situation wasn’t all that different from hers. In some ways it was worse.”
His eyes widened. “It was worse?”
She nodded. “At least the man who touched her wasn’t related by blood.”
“Oh, honey. I wish I could make your pain go away.”
She took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “I’ll be all right. God and I are walking through this valley together.”
“That’s good to hear.” He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Do you think Leanne’s sudden turnaround is real?”
“Maybe. You know, I’m not much different from her.”
Her frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean? You’re not a prostitute or a recovering addict. You’re not even close.”
“No, when I put myself out there, I did it for free.”
His mouth went dry. “What are you saying?”
“I’m not pure. I haven’t been in a very long time.”
Heaving an inward sigh of relief, he said, “I’m no angel myself.”
She stared at him. “Doesn’t it bother you that I’ve been with other guys?”
“No. It’s not uncommon. What’s important to me is that you did those things before you knew the Lord. It’s all in the past. God has forgiven you, and He’s given you a brand new start.”
“True. I hadn’t thought about it that way. Do you suppose God would heal me from my past memories?”
“I don’t see why He’d refuse. He helped me deal with losing my wife. I’m okay now, but for a long time I thought I’d never recover.”
“I’m getting help too. I see a counselor every week. He’s helped me a lot.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re working through things. I see my pastor a few times a month myself. It helps to bounce things off him. He’s like a sounding board for me.” He wiggled his brows. “He knows all my secrets.”
Diane turned away from him and hesitated. “I don’t need you, Dave.” She turned back and looked at him with round, sad eyes.
He cleared his throat. “I don’t need you either, but I really want you in my life. Joey wants you too. He was so happy to see you.”
She smiled wistfully. “Yeah, he did seem happy when he saw me, didn’t he?”
“You bet he did.”
Suddenly Joey screamed, and Dave’s heart clenched. He dashed over to the play area. Joey wasn’t in the ball pit. Terror squeezed his chest. For a moment he was certain Leanne had come back and stolen his son.
“There he is.” Diane pointed up to the tunnel overhead. Joey looked down at them from the bubble.
“Get down!” he cried.
Diane chuckled. “I think he’s just stuck and afraid to come down the slide.”
Dave assessed the situation. “Nothing wrong with healthy fear.”
“Wait right here. I’ll go in and get him.”
Dave watched Diane climb into the hole. He had to convince her to give him a chance. If he had to fire her as his attorney, he’d do it. Technically, he didn’t need her anymore, anyway, not since Leanne had agreed to relinquish her rights.
A large man in a McDonald’s shirt stepped into the room. He looked as if he weighed at least three hundred pounds. Obviously, he couldn’t retrieve Joey from the tunnel.
“Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. My son just got stuck up there. My girlfriend is getting him down.”
Dave stepped over to the slide and waited.
“Whee! That was fun.” Diane laughed as she landed with a plop on the padded floor.
Joey clung to her neck for dear life. Poor guy was so terrified of coming down he nearly choked Diane in the process. Dave realized he should have warned her about Joey’s fear of heights.
She tried to pry his arms off her neck. “We’re okay now, Joey. You can relax.”
Joey peeked over at Dave and released her neck, then held his arms out. Dave scooped him into his arms. Joey laid his head on Dave’s chest and inserted his thumb in his mouth. Within seconds he heard the same sucking sound Joey always made when he fell asleep.
Diane grinned at Dave. “He’s out cold.”
“I think we better go. He’s not going to want to eat anything now, anyway.”
Diane grabbed her purse and handed Dave the diaper bag. He hitched it on his shoulder. “Let me walk you to your car.”
“Okay.”
Dave opened the car door for her and leaned over as she slid into her seat. “W
ould you like to stop by for a few minutes for some coffee? I’d really like to process what happened tonight.”
Diane hesitated. “We don’t have any reason to see each other again after tonight.”
His heart squeezed. “All the more reason to spend one last night talking then, right?”
“I suppose it can’t hurt.” She glanced away from him.
“Great. I’ll see you in about an hour.”
* * *
Diane stopped at her house before going over to Dave’s. Her hair needed a serious combing and her make-up had smudged, so she washed her face thoroughly and applied fresh mascara and eye shadow.
“There.” She smiled at her reflection. “Much better.”
She prayed for wisdom on the drive to Dave’s house. Her heart ached with indecision.
Before she could knock, Dave swung the door open. “I’m glad you made it. Come in.”
The hint of a five o’clock shadow had appeared on his jaw. She dipped her head, thinking he looked like one of the models on the cover of the romance novels she had thrown away, and stepped inside.
“Have a seat.”
She started to remove her black leather jacket.
“Here, let me take that.”
Dave helped her out of her coat. She turned to thank him, and their faces were inches apart. Her breathing quickened and her mouth went dry.
He smiled and walked toward the coat tree on the other side of the room. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a minute.” Dave disappeared into the kitchen and after a moment returned with several candles and a long-handled lighter.
“Here we go.” Setting the candles down in several strategic locations, he lit them, and then dimmed the overhead lights.
Diane couldn’t help but chuckle at the boyish grin on his face. A face she so desperately wanted to touch. To hold. To kiss. She lowered her eyelids. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
“What are you smiling about?” He plopped down beside her on the couch and laid his arm over her shoulders.
His face hovered dangerously close to hers.
“Nothing.”
Dave tucked several loose strands of hair behind her ear, making her shiver. Her eyes strayed to his lips, and she swallowed. Would he try to kiss her tonight?
He leaned close, his voice filling with tenderness as he cupped her cheek and whispered, “I love you, Diane Simmons.”
Her heart pounded so hard she thought she might faint. She’d heard those words before, but for the first time she dared to believe that he meant what he said. And he wasn’t married, so a relationship wasn’t off limits this time. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
He scooted closer, his eyes darkening right before his lips covered hers. At first his kiss felt tentative, unsure. Almost coaxing. He followed with another and another.
Opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, he ran his fingers through her hair. She moaned, receiving his passionate gift. But she still held back. Her stomach quaked as his kisses grew more intense and deepened even further. She finally released the tight rein she’d held on her emotions and responded with fervor.
Plunging her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, she pulled him closer, forgetting everything around her. Trembling, he held her cheek and caressed her face with his thumb as his lips devoured hers with ever-increasing strength.
She didn’t deserve to feel so cherished, so wanted. It overwhelmed her, yet she couldn’t get enough. Her longing for his love was so powerful that she held nothing back. Tears fell as she kissed him over and over.
Dave suddenly pulled back, his breathing heavy. He brushed her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.
“Why are you crying?”
“I just . . . I . . . ”
“What is it?”
“Oh, Dave.” She sobbed into her hands.
“It’s okay.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close.
She breathed deeply and inhaled his clean, masculine scent. The wonderful aroma of his skin made her cry even harder. Why did love have to feel so painful? What was she afraid of?
When her tears finally subsided, she moved out of his arms. She noted a trace of fear in his eyes. He had opened his heart and now he looked worried that she’d reject him at any moment.
She traced the contours of his face with her fingers. Smiling, he closed his eyes.
“I think . . . I think I love you too,” she whispered.
His smile broadened. “That’s awesome.”
“But I’m scared.”
“Me, too.” He ruffled his bangs and sighed.
Her heart pounded as they studied each other. His deep brown eyes expressed both vulnerability and strength. Oh, how she wanted him to be hers forever.
He captured her mouth again with a quiet moan. This time his kisses held such passion they literally made her head spin. She had never felt such intense love for a man before, not even Randy. At that moment she knew she’d do anything to please him, and that terrified her.
Pushing away from his embrace, she tried to catch her breath. “We have to stop.”
He froze, his expression incredulous. “What?”
“I can’t do this, Dave. I just can’t.”
Running his fingers through his hair, he searched her eyes. “What do you mean you can’t do this?”
“I want to make love to you, and I’m afraid of what I might do if we keep this up. My feelings are so strong—” She cleared her throat. “I want to wait this time.”
He released a loud sigh and sank back into the couch. “Thank the Lord. For a minute there I thought you were going to say you couldn’t see me anymore.”
She gasped and popped his arm. “Why would you think that?”
“I keep thinking this is all so great, but I worry it will evaporate like a dream and I won’t get to see you anymore. That scares me.”
“You don’t trust me?”
Dave raised her chin with one finger. “I want to trust you, but I’ve never felt anything like this before. What we have—it’s so incredible.”
“What about from your marriage? Are your feelings for me different?”
He released her chin. “No, just a whole lot stronger.”
She smiled and bit her lower lip. “How did I manage that?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why do you love me?”
He hesitated for a moment. “I’ve felt this stirring in my heart since the first day I saw you at that New Year’s party.”
“I felt something for you too.” Her lips curved into a shy grin.
He touched her face, moving his thumb down her jaw until it settled on her lip. She kissed his thumb. Her heart sped up again at the hungry look in his eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “I feel like the luckiest man alive.”
To her amazement, those words didn’t make her shudder and send her mind into a tailspin of horrible memories. Maybe there was hope for her after all.
“Thank you.”
“I want to ask you something.” He dropped his hands to his sides.
“Okay, ask.”
“I don’t want to scare you off or freak you out or anything, so if this is too soon, just say the word and I’ll hold off for a while. Okay?”
She shrugged, now curious about his question. “Sure.”
His eyes held hers, and his voice grew husky. “I love you so much that I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”
A lump clogged her throat, and she swallowed hard. Her eyes stung as she blinked back tears. His question touched her so deeply she couldn’t find any words to say in response.
No one had asked her the question that she had waited forever to hear. Not before Dave came into her life.
“It’s too soon, isn’t it? I knew it. Diane, I’m sorry. Just forget I said anything. I don’t want to lose you. I really don’t—”
She stopped him with a hungry kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as sh
e pulled him against her and wove her fingers into his hair. He drew her against him, which made her kiss him even harder. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck until she lost herself in the emotion of feeling wanted, loved.
Finally he pushed away from her with a frustrated groan, hopped to his feet, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m either going to go insane or do something we’ll both regret if you stay a minute longer. I’m sorry, Diane. I really need you to go now.”
She rose from the couch and ran her hands over her thighs. “I’m sorry I kissed you again. I didn’t mean to tempt you, I swear.”
He was clearly surprised. “I put myself in this situation. Don’t blame yourself for what I should have stopped twenty minutes ago.”
“Okay, then I won’t. I’m sorry I stayed too long.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry, okay?”
“All right. Thank you, Dave. I enjoyed tonight.”
His eyes darkened as his gaze strayed from her eyes to her lips. “I enjoyed spending time with you too.”
A shiver coursed through her. This intense attraction made her crazy with longing. She needed to either marry Dave soon or stay away from him. The idea of not seeing him again made her chest ache.
“Yes, I will.”
“What do you mean you will?” He quirked his brow. “You’ll leave now?”
“No. I mean, yes. I’ll marry you. Yes, I will.”
“You will?” His mouth gaped.
She gave him a wicked grin. “Close your mouth, or I’ll have to kiss you again until you can’t remember your name.”
He snapped his mouth shut. “Yeah, but then if I lose control this time, I’ll hold you responsible.”
She shivered at the implication. Too tempting.
“Dave . . . don’t.”
“Yeah, right. Sorry.”
Snatching her jacket off the coat tree, she slipped it on. “We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Sure. Want to go look for rings next weekend?”
She smiled, but kept her distance. “Sounds great.”
“Excellent.”
“Night.”
* * *
Dave woke in the morning, his spirits still soaring from the night before. He hadn’t felt such intense emotion in years. In fact, what he felt for Diane far surpassed what he had ever felt for Merilee.
Letting Go (Healing Hearts) Page 25