by Susan Crosby
The brothers came outside when she was done nursing.
“We’re going fishing, if you don’t mind,” Jake said.
“Of course I don’t. Have fun.”
“Do you want to stay here or go home?”
Keri looked at Aggie. “Do you have anything planned?”
“Free as a bird.”
“Then I’ll stay here. Leave the stroller, please.”
“I’ll pack you boys a lunch,” Aggie said, not waiting for a response before she went inside.
“I wonder if she’ll make PB and J, like when we were kids,” Donovan said.
“And three Oreos. And six apple slices,” Jake added as he pulled the stroller out from the car and set it on the porch.
“And a Hershey’s Kiss,” they said in unison, then grinned.
Keri desperately wished for a history like that with someone.
“You wait here for the lunch,” Jake said. “Then I’ll pick you up at Joe’s. You probably better call and ask if you can use his fishing gear. He’s got good stuff. In fact, why don’t you see if he can break away and join us. He’s the boss, after all.” He kissed Isabella’s forehead, then Keri on the lips, lingering a little. “See? You should’ve had faith in Mom,” he said quietly. “It’ll be the same with everyone else. They won’t blame you.”
“Maybe if you’d lived the life that I have, you would understand why I was worried. I don’t have the lifelong connections that you do, except with my parents.”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that. Okay. I get it.”
She cupped his face. “Have fun. Catch us dinner.”
“I’ll try.”
She watched him hurry off, as happy as a kid. “Could I speak to you for a minute, Donovan?”
He made an instant transition from brother to…what? Journalist? Something. Gone was the fun, anyway.
“Your article was incredible,” she said. “Mesmerizing, actually. Even if I hadn’t been involved in the events, it would’ve fascinated me.”
“Thanks. Señor Escobar sends his best to you, by the way. He was happy to hear about Isabella.”
“Ah. So that’s where you were last week.”
“Getting the details right.”
“I imagine so. I hadn’t read anything of yours before. Your use of language is exquisite. You captured all the emotions just right.”
“But?”
She wasn’t surprised he heard what was beneath her compliments. “But, and Jake hasn’t said this specifically, I gather you didn’t or maybe even still don’t trust me.”
“It’s my nature to be skeptical. It’s what makes me good at my job. I know Jake, and some of the things you said didn’t jibe.”
“Like what?”
“Like practicing safe sex. That’s a priority for him. Yet you got pregnant.”
So, Jake hadn’t told him how that came to happen. She was grateful for that. “I didn’t set out to trap him.”
“I wasn’t accusing you. But I know he couldn’t have been aware you were pregnant while he was undercover because he either wouldn’t have done that job or would’ve at least told me about you so that I could step in if you needed help.”
“No, he didn’t know. I came here to tell him.”
“You were, what, four months pregnant when you got here? Plenty of time to have contacted him and let him know. Why’d you take so long?” His gaze was direct, looking for truth.
“I didn’t realize I was pregnant until I was more than three months along, and then I was so shocked, I wasn’t sure what to do. Have you ever been taken against your will? It messes you up, big-time. Your body and mind don’t mesh in the same way they used to.”
His expression softened. “Actually, I have. I got over it by blocking it. I can see where it would take you more time.”
“I’m not even there yet, Donovan. But I’m working on it. So is Jake.”
“Do you love him?”
“Here you go,” Aggie said, coming onto the porch, carrying a small ice chest.
Donovan gave Keri a “we’ll finish this later” look. “What’d you fix us, Mom?”
“Roast beef sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies and grapes.”
“And a Hershey’s Kiss?”
She smiled, looking pleased that he remembered. “Guess you’ll find out.”
“You’re the best, Mom.” He hugged her hard, grabbed the chest and took off, waving to Keri as he went.
Saved by the timely Aggie, Keri thought, relaxing into the swing. Do you love him? The question consumed Keri. Yes, she loved Jake. It had happened without conscious thought. But could she stay in love with him if he didn’t offer love in return? She didn’t have the answer to that.
She knew she was being entirely too pragmatic, probably because she was afraid he could hurt her more than anyone ever had, maybe everyone combined, but she was a realist, after all, not a romantic.
Or maybe she’d never let the romantic in her come out to play.
Maybe it was time to find out.
Chapter Thirteen
Three weeks later, Keri’s parents came to town. Jake was amazed that two large suitcases and two carry-on bags held all of Rachael and Isaac Overton’s worldly possessions. Jake traveled light when he was working, but he had a house and things. It was hard to imagine a person’s entire life fitting into a suitcase and a carry-on.
Maybe Keri had arrived in Chance City with that little, too. Maybe most of what she owned now, she’d bought recently.
“Have you ever been to this part of the country?” Jake asked Isaac as they started the winding-road part of the trip, close to home.
“Years ago. We protested the war here, in some big open field. We were kids, not even old enough to drink. Legally,” he added with a grin. “Came up in buses from the Haight. When was that, Rach? Sixty-eight? Sixty-nine?”
“July of sixty-nine,” Rachael said from the backseat, where she sat with Keri, Isabella in her car seat between them. “You had an attack of appendicitis.”
“That’s right! We hitchhiked to the hospital, then had to thumb our way back to the Haight when they let me out.”
Keri had told—warned?—Jake that her parents, both sixty, were earthy and outspoken. Rachael was a beautiful woman, her hair a silver waterfall down her back, her makeup-free face almost devoid of wrinkles. She was as slender as her daughter, and wore loose, comfortable clothing.
Isaac was just as thin as Rachael. His jeans were old and worn, his Birkenstock sandals also showing signs of wear. His colorful shirt was probably Peruvian, his hair almost as long as his wife’s, although more salt-and-pepper. There was a gracefulness to both of them that Jake saw in Keri, day to day. And an absolute joy for life.
Maybe little physical baggage meant little personal baggage, as well.
Jake glanced in the rearview mirror at Keri as she talked with her mom, both of them smiling and chattering without letup, each of them holding one of Isabella’s hands.
Rachael touched Keri’s throat. “I haven’t seen you without your medallion since we gave it to you.”
“I know.” She rubbed the hollow in her throat. “I’ve been heartsick about it. I lost it in Venezuela.”
Isaac started talking again, preventing Jake from hearing the backseat conversation any longer. Guilt wrapped around him. Her chain had broken, and he’d found it and the medallion in the cell and put it in his pocket, deciding that if they ever got out, he would have it repaired and return it to her.
It’d been an excuse to see her again.
Yet it was still in his pocket, transferred every day to a new pocket, used frequently as his touchstone. He would give it back. Just not yet.
He glanced again in his mirror, catching her eye this time, seeing her smile. She looked more relaxed and happy than he’d seen her in weeks. Sleep came in longer stretches now that their daughter had settled into a more predictable eating schedule. During the night, they often got six straight hours. For the most part, li
fe was peaceful.
It was making him antsy to do something.
Jake took his time getting his in-laws to his mother’s house, stopping occasionally to show off the stunning countryside, tracking down the field where they’d done their war protest, which was now a housing complex some fifteen years old, greatly disappointing Isaac.
They drove through downtown Chance City, with its two blocks of quaint shops, including the Take a Lode Off Diner, a women’s clothing consignment shop he thought Rachael might be interested in and a store that sold crafts, books and toys—one-stop family shopping.
“I don’t have any spare time,” Isaac said when Jake asked what he did when he wasn’t working. “We teach people how to use their land well, how to become more self-sustaining, and important health issues. It’s a twenty-four/seven job. Plus we’re often learning a new language. If we have downtime, we rest.”
“Will you ever retire?”
“What for? What to?” He glanced back at Rachael. “You want to retire, dearie?”
“Heavens, no. I wouldn’t mind having cots to sleep on, however. My bones aren’t happy with mats on the floor anymore. That would be the height of luxury.”
Aggie was waiting on her front porch when they pulled up. She hurried down the stairs, swept them both into big hugs and made friends for life. Jake stood with Keri, watching as their parents disappeared into the house, leaving their children behind, although Aggie took their mutual granddaughter, car seat, diaper bag and all.
“When will Isabella need to eat again?” Aggie asked on her way up the stairs.
“In a couple of hours,” Keri said.
“Go on a date. I don’t want to see you until four o’clock.” She disappeared into the house.
After a moment of staring at the closed door, Jake met Keri’s startled gaze. They’d never been on a date. Did one date one’s wife? It was too late for lunch, too early for dinner. Didn’t a date involve eating?
“I’d love to see your famous fishing hole,” Keri said.
Problem solved. Obviously she’d seen his dilemma about what to do and was smart enough to make a suggestion rather than wait for him to stumble onto an idea.
“First impression?” Keri asked as they drove off.
“You’re going to be beautiful at sixty.”
Her face lit up. He supposed he didn’t compliment her enough. They’d both been so focused on the baby—no, that was a poor excuse, a convenient one. He wasn’t generally one to compliment.
“They’re just as you described them,” he added. “They have an enviable closeness.”
“You think so? I sometimes wonder if they’re too close,” she said, looking out the side window at the scenery. “Anyway, by tomorrow they’ll be anxious to get on their way.”
He couldn’t see her expression, but he heard the matter-of-factness in her voice, adding to his sense that she’d thought about her parents’ situation for a long time. “But they’re staying until Saturday, right? The big party?”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure they will. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party that celebrated so many events at once.” She ticked off a list with her fingers. “Our wedding. Isabella’s birth. Christmas-in-June for you. My parents coming to town.”
“So many occasions. So many gifts.”
“I can’t imagine where we’ll put much more stuff.”
Jake parked in a pullout and grabbed a blanket from the back. They hadn’t planned for this adventure, so neither of them was dressed for the hike down to the river. He was wearing jeans, fine for a trip to the airport but too warm for the June day outdoors. She had on a cotton shirt and cropped pants—he’d finally learned the term for those—but sandals. He held her hand so she wouldn’t slip, then he didn’t let go until they were settled at the base of an enormous oak tree within sight of the quick-running river, icy cold from the Sierra snow melt. When he fished, he stayed along at the river’s edge. But when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts, this was his favorite spot, a little isolated and private.
“I can see why you love it here so much,” she said, taking in the vista. “The river’s loud, but I can still hear birds. Everything is so fresh and green.”
He’d stopped paying attention to his surroundings when he was a teenager. Back then, getting the girl was more important. But since he’d come home, he’d hiked down to the river several times and found a new appreciation for its beauty.
“If you’d like to nap,” he said, “you can put your head in my lap.”
“No, thanks. I don’t want to waste time sleeping. It’s nice having grown-up time, don’t you think?” She slipped her arm under his and tucked herself close, resting her head against his shoulder.
Tiny bolts of lightning struck him everywhere at once, especially where her breast pressed against his arm. He saw her breasts several times a day when she nursed, and although it was supposed to be one of the most natural, unsexy things in the world, that wasn’t his response, especially when she finished nursing and didn’t cover up until after he took Isabella from her. He could’ve picked up the baby without touching Keri, but he didn’t, and he was pretty sure Keri enjoyed the contact, too. Her breasts were softer right after nursing, her nipples often still erect. It took every bit of his control not to run his tongue over them each time.
At the vivid memories, Jake shifted a little, his jeans becoming uncomfortable. Grown-up time, she’d said. Yeah. It was time for some grown-up activity.
“C’mere,” he said, taking her hand and helping maneuver her to straddle him.
Her smile was soft and knowing as she wriggled herself into place on the bulge behind his fly. Maybe this had been her plan when she’d suggested coming here. If so, he could kiss her for it. Would definitely kiss her for it. Right now…
Shadows of leaves played on her face. He tunneled his fingers through her hair, cupped her head and drew her near, feeling her quake when their lips met. She sighed into his mouth, wrapped her arms around him and gave herself to the kiss, hot and wet and endless, her hair making a curtain around his face, brushing his skin like flames, her body gliding against him.
He slid his hands down her back, molded her rear, helped her keep the rhythm.
“How much privacy do we have here?” she whispered against his mouth, kissing him at the same time, her tongue hot and busy.
“Depends on what you want to do.”
She pulled back just enough to come nose to nose with him. “I don’t think I’m ready for the full deal, but I really want to do something for you.”
“I can wait.” Idiot. Take her up on her offer. “I wouldn’t feel right, when you can’t.”
“Idiot,” she said, as if reading his thoughts, although she smiled. “You’re being way too gallant. And if you think I don’t get something out of pleasing you, you’re crazy.”
His gaze never leaving hers, he started unbuttoning her blouse. “I need to do something first.”
“Okay.” The word came out breathless. She wrapped her hands around his wrists but not in a way meant to stop him.
Underneath her blouse she wore a sturdy nursing bra. He reached around her, unhooked it and pushed it up.
“I may leak all over you,” she said quietly but not tentatively. Nor did she blush.
“I’ll take my chances.” He slid his gaze down. Her nipples were hard and inviting. “I get to see you like this a lot, but I don’t get to touch.” He ran his thumbs over and around her nipples.
She drew a quick breath. “You have my permission to touch anytime you want.”
“Can I do this, too?” He put his tongue where his thumbs had been, around and over, not settling his mouth there as he wanted to, but savoring the contours and textures.
“Yes. Oh, yes. Anytime.” She moaned softly, her head tipping back. She started to move against him again. He didn’t want her to, didn’t want to lose control himself, so he slipped his hand between them and cupped her, pressing into her until a long, low moan starte
d deep in her throat and built. He kissed her, wanting to taste her as she found satisfaction, wanting to feel her mouth go slack as she lost touch with reality.
She’d barely finished, hadn’t even taken any time to savor the sensations herself, when she slid down his thighs, unzipped his jeans, freed him and put her mouth on him, startling him with wet heat and slick motion. He wanted it to last forever, an impossible wish, given the long buildup the past weeks. His control lasted only seconds, but the end result rocked him with its power, branded itself in his brain.
After a while she sat up and fell against him. “Amazing.”
He tightened his hold on her. “You took the word right out of my brain.”
“You’re going to need to go home and change before we go to your mom’s. I don’t think my parents will even notice, but Aggie will.”
“She won’t say anything.”
“I’ll have a hard time looking at her. I know she’ll wink.” Keri groaned. “My thighs are killing me.” She moved off him, then straightened her clothes as he did his. Before she fastened the last button on her blouse, he pressed a kiss to her skin between her breasts.
She sighed. “One of these days we may actually get to have real sex.”
“I know I’ve done a lot of fantasizing lately, but that seemed plenty real to me.”
“You know what I mean. Both of us naked. You inside me.”
Oh, yeah. He wanted that, too. “Do you plan to tempt me mercilessly until the doctor gives the okay for that?”
“If I tempt you, I create problems for myself, too.”
“So then I repeat, do you plan to tempt me until then?”
“Probably.” She ran a finger across his lips. “Feel free to tempt in return.”
“I may do that.” He looped an arm around her and pulled her close. “I needed this.”
“Me, too.”
They lingered for another half hour, not talking much, but his was mind busy. Yes, they’d both needed this time together, which had confirmed once again that sex was good between them. No problems or issues there. He’d even gotten used to cuddling in bed, not minding when she hogged the space, almost pushing him out, or when she draped herself over him so that he couldn’t move without waking her up. What sex they had was good. He was adjusting to living with her. They didn’t argue.