“Today.” She glanced at her watch. “I can be ready in an hour.”
He released her hand and sank back in his chair, his eyes wide. “Today?” His voice rose about an octave as he spoke. “Why so soon?”
She shrugged. “If we’re going to do it, let’s get on with it. I’m having a baby in a few months, and I want us to spend the time getting ready together. There are birthing classes to attend, and if you’re going to coach me, I want you to go as my husband.”
His body tensed, and a dazed look crossed his face. “You want me to be your birthing coach?”
It hadn’t occurred to her that he might not want to. Her breath hitched in her throat. “Well. . .” She inhaled and tried to speak again. “Only if you want to. I won’t insist if you’d rather not.”
His eyes softened, and he grabbed her hand once more. “Not want to?” he asked, his eyes filled with happiness. “Of course I want it. I just never thought you’d ask me.”
“So...today? I mean if that’s not—?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’m thrilled. We’ll go as soon as they’re open. But before we do, I want you to pack a bag. Enough clothes for three days.”
She frowned. “Are we going somewhere?”
He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t think I’d marry you and bring you straight back to this house. No way. I’ll take off today and tomorrow so we can have a long weekend together. As soon as we’re married, we’re heading to the Asheville airport and flying to New York for a honeymoon. How does that sound?”
Her heart skipped a beat at the word honeymoon. Somehow she hadn’t thought that far ahead or about that part of marriage. Now that she was committed, she had to. Hoping her smile covered her momentary flash of panic, she nodded. “I’ve never been to New York.”
“Then go get that bag packed while I make our reservations.” He rose from his chair, walked around the table, and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “You’ve made me very happy, Lainey.”
She wanted to tell him he’d made her happy, too, but her throat closed on the words. Instead she smiled, pulled out of his embrace, and walked from the room. As she approached the stairs that led to the upper level of the house and her room, she forced herself to walk slowly. She couldn’t let Richard know how her stomach roiled, and how her heart pounded in her chest at the decision she’d just made.
She closed her bedroom door behind her and walked to the jewelry box sitting on her dresser. She stared at it for a moment before she lifted the top and stared down at the contents. The engagement ring Ash had given her sparkled from the bottom of the box as if taunting her with memories of what might have been. She picked up the ring and slipped it on her finger. With a heavy heart she sank down on the bed and held her hand up before her eyes.
She turned her hand back and forth in front of her and smiled as the diamond caught the sunlight shining through the window. Ash had been so happy the night he’d given it to her, and then he’d thrown away everything that he’d promised. He couldn’t have loved her if he was so quick to leave. She would never forgive him for how he’d hurt her.
He had chosen what he wanted out of life—adventure, brotherhood, and missions all over the world. Now it was time for her to choose and get on with her life. She yanked the ring from her finger. Then she took a deep breath and walked back to the jewelry box, where she dropped the ring inside and closed the top.
Tears filled her eyes, and she rubbed the backs of her hands across them. Taking a deep breath, she straightened and stared into space. “Goodbye, Ash.”
She walked to her closet, pulled out a suitcase, and readied herself for what lay before her.
<><><>
Lainey lay in the king-sized bed in the New York hotel and stared at the ceiling. She still had trouble believing that she was there, that she and Richard were married. The trip to the courthouse yesterday, the marriage ceremony before a judge, and the flight to New York still seemed like a dream.
The only thing that felt real was the panic she’d felt when the bellman had set their luggage down in the suite. Richard must have sensed her sudden anxiety, because he smiled, picked up her suitcase, and took her by the arm.
“Your bedroom is this way.” He led her to a separate room with windows that provided a breathtaking view of Central Park.
They’d stopped inside the door, and he’d put her suitcase down before turning to her. “I know it’s been a tiring day for you. Why don’t you take a nap before dinner? If you want, we can go out, or we can have room service.”
Something about them sharing a meal together alone in a hotel room seemed a bit intimate to her, and she wasn’t quite ready for that. She took a deep breath. “I think I’d like to go out, if that’s okay with you.”
He nodded. “That’s fine with me. I’ll make dinner reservations while you rest, then I’ll wake you in time to get dressed before we have to leave.”
“That’s sounds good.”
He turned to leave, and she noticed for the first time he hadn’t brought his suitcase in the room. “Wait, Richard.”
With his hand on the door knob, he turned to stare at her. “What is it?”
“I was wondering. . .” She swallowed and took a step toward him. “I mean, where are you going?”
“I’m just going to make some phone calls.” He frowned, and then his face relaxed as if he understood her confusion. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She flinched at his touch. His shoulders sagged, and he exhaled as he removed his hands. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She grimaced as she rubbed the perspiration that had popped out on her forehead. “No, I’m sorry, Richard. It’s just that this is so new to me. I don’t mean to hurt you, but the truth is ..”
When she didn’t finish her sentence, he frowned. “What is the truth?”
She blinked back tears. “I’m scared.”
He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You don’t ever have to be afraid of me. I won’t ask you to give me anything you’re not ready for. That’s why I booked a suite with two bedrooms. You can have your privacy in here, and I’ll sleep in the other room. All I want is for you to let me show you New York. I want to spoil you and enjoy being with you, and I want you to enjoy being here with me. I want your memories of this trip to be happy.”
She rested her hand on his forearm. “Richard, you really are the best man I’ve ever known. Thank you.”
He touched her cheek with his fingertip and trailed it down her face. “I want you to keep thinking of me that way. It makes me very happy.” Then clearing his throat, he pointed to the bed. “Get some rest, and afterward we’ll go to dinner.”
Now as she got ready to spend the second night in the big bedroom alone, she thought about the wonderful day they’d enjoyed. Richard had loved showing her all the sights of New York. She still didn’t know how he’d gotten tickets to the hottest, sold-out show on Broadway tonight, but he had.
It had been a whirlwind day, but it had been the best she’d had in a long time. For some reason she didn’t want it to be over, though. She felt happy for the first time in months, and she knew it was because of Richard.
He’d seemed happy, too. He’d enjoyed showing her the city, especially the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her skin grew warm at the memory of them standing in front of an abstract painting while Richard explained how Jackson Pollock had maintained the balance between accident and control in his technique. As he’d pointed out the different effects the artist had created, his voice had grown excited, and his arm had circled her waist as if he needed to draw her in to his deepest thoughts.
Her skin grew warm at how she’d felt loved and sheltered in his embrace. Then on the way home from the theater in the cab tonight, she’d lain her head on his shoulder and felt such peace. The scent of his after shave had filled her heart. Now she closed her eyes and tried to recall the smell once more.
Now
fully awake, she took a deep breath, rose from the bed, and walked into the main room of the suite. She hesitated just inside the door and looked at Richard, standing at the window as he looked out over Central Park. He hadn’t heard her come in, so she silently joined him at the window.
He turned and smiled at her.“I thought you were asleep.”
“I think I’m still too excited after the busy day we’ve had.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for a wonderful day.”
His gaze raked her face. “It was my pleasure. There’s no one I would rather have shared it with than you.”
She looped her arm through his and laid her head against his shoulder. “I want you to know that I’ve been happy today. In fact I’ve been happy ever since you asked me to marry you.”
The muscles in his throat contracted as he swallowed. “Me, too.”
“I know I’ll make mistakes, and sometimes I’ll make you sad, but I do want this marriage to work. So I promise that I’ll try my best.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
She took a deep breath and turned to face him. “We have a long road before us, and there are going to be problems. We both know that. But I think we can meet those problems and deal with them if we do it together.”
“I do, too.”
“I don’t ever want to make you sorry you asked me to marry you.”
He lifted his hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I could never be sorry.” His voice sounded like a soft rasp.
She covered his hand with hers, turned it over, and kissed his palm. His body trembled in response. “I think we should start now.”
He didn’t move. “What are you doing?”
Lainey stared up into his face, and she could still feel the shadow of his hand on her back as he guided her through the exhibits at the museum earlier today and the way her skin warmed when she laid her head on his shoulder in the cab. She put her arms around his neck, pulled his head down, and brushed her lips across his. She pulled back a few inches, their breaths mingling, and waited for him to respond. Suddenly he grasped both sides of her face with his hands and crushed their lips together. His hands slid up her face and into her hair.
When he released her lips, he trailed soft kisses across her cheek, and his warm breath fanned her ear. “Your hair is so beautiful. I’ve wanted to run my fingers through it since the first time I saw you.”
She pulled back to stare up at him. “Any time you want.”
His forehead wrinkled, and his eyes bore into her. “I love you, Lainey. I love you.”
“I know,” she answered. “I know.”
And then she took his hand and led him toward the bedroom.
Chapter 14
Nine Months Later
Ash had never been as glad to see buildings and paved streets as he was when the plane glided in for a landing at the Texas military airport that would serve as the departure and return destination for Firebrand missions. Life in the jungles of South America had been tough for the last fourteen months, but he’d made it, as had Reese and Colt. Together they’d brought their recruits through the rigorous training and seen them emerge as highly trained operatives, ready for whatever their government asked of them.
Although most had made it, some hadn’t fared so well. The ones who’d given up weren’t the kind they’d needed anyway. Only the ones who conquered Firebrand’s high standards were worthy to wear the tattoo.
Every time he thought of the mark on his arm, he remembered how Lainey had looked when he’d told her he was leaving. Her eyes had accused him as her words had torn at his soul. He’d tried to be honest with her, to let her know that their life together didn’t have a chance unless he could follow this path to fulfilling the dreams he’d had for years.
He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. She was the one good thing he’d had in his life besides Firebrand, and he loved her with an ache that still left him breathless. It was only because of her that he’d been able to overcome all the challenges he’d faced in the past fourteen months. His desire to let her know they both hadn’t suffered for nothing led him to excel to the best of his ability.
Now he was home, back on American soil, and they could rebuild what they’d started the day they met on that mountain trail. He wanted that, and he wanted her with a fierce desire that had only grown more intense in the past fourteen months.
He couldn’t wait to tell her his plans. Firebrand was going to be headquartered out of Texas, and he knew she would love it here. Several of the other guys in the group had wives who would be joining them. They’d have their own small community of friends, and she’d have other women to keep her company while he was gone. Special housing for Firebrand operatives was already being assigned to them, and they’d have their own place where they could live and start their family. With a month’s leave coming, they could be married and moved in before the first assignment came through.
Now as he walked on the tarmac to the terminal, he had to force himself not to run, find a phone, and call Lainey. He needed to hear the voice that had haunted his dreams every night since he’d been gone.
Reese and Colt caught up to him and fell into step alongside him. Reese adjusted the mirrored sunglasses he wore and grinned at Ash. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to Hawaii with us for a month instead of going home?”
“Not on your life, buddy,” Ash answered. “I’ve got better things to do than spend the next month with you two.”
Colt laughed and reached for the door that led into the terminal. He held it open as Ash and Reese walked inside. “I guess you do. I mean, I’ve heard so much about Lainey, I may go to North Carolina to see her myself.”
“You’d be taking your life in your hands, buddy. I plan to keep that girl busy for the next month. So I’ll be thinking about you two losers with just each other for company while I’m relaxing with my girl in the mountains.”
The three of them stopped as John Steadman, their CIA contact, hurried toward them. “Reese, Colt, Ash,” he said as he shook hands with each of them. “Welcome back to the states. I know you’re glad to be home.”
“Yes, sir, we are,” Reese said.
“I’m not going to keep you. I know you want to see your families and begin your much needed R and R. Since we had our debriefing last week at your camp, I don’t have anything else for you today. Just remind your men that they are expected back here in thirty days.”
“Will we have an assignment by then?” Colt asked.
John shook his head. “I don’t know. Just be ready, and enjoy your time off. It may be the last you have for some time.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ash glanced around. “I was told there would be telephones.”
John pointed to a room at the end of the lobby. “Take all the time you need. You’ve earned it.”
Reese and Colt gave Ash a shove. “Go on,” Reese said. “Go talk to that girl.”
Ash grinned and turned toward the door. As he hurried down the hall, he tried to remember all the things he’d planned to tell Lainey when he got back, but his mind was blank. All he wanted was hear her voice and tell her how much he’d missed her.
When he entered the room, he walked straight to a phone, dropped his rucksack on the floor, and picked up the receiver. His heart pounded and his hand shook as he punched in the number for Lainey’s cell phone. Almost immediately a recorded voice came on the line. “I’m sorry, but the number you’ve dialed is not a working number.”
He pulled the phone’s receiver away from his ear and stared at it. Not a working number? Why would she have changed it? He tried again, hoping he’d punched in a wrong number, but the same message rang in his ear.
Holding his breath, he tried again, this time punching in his home’s land line and praying his father wouldn’t answer. His prayer was answered. No one picked up the phone, and his brother’s voice sounded on the recorded message of the answering machine.
With a snarl, Ash ended the call and slammed the receiver back in
to its cradle. Where was everybody? Had everybody disappeared while he’d been gone?
William Mason, his father’s lawyer. That’s who he would call. He always knew his biggest client’s whereabouts.
Minutes later he listened as a perky voice came on line. “Law offices of William Mason. May I help you?’
Ash took a deep breath. “This is Ash DeHan. I need to talk to Mr. Mason.”
“I’ll connect you right away, Mr. DeHan.” Apparently the DeHan name worked magic with her, because she didn’t even take time to ask him what he was calling about. With the money his father paid William, he should be available whenever a DeHan called.
“William Mason here. How may I help you?”
“William, this is Ash DeHan.”
“Ash,” he exclaimed. “I thought you were still in South America. When did you get back?”
“I just landed in Texas. I’m trying to get in touch with my family. I can’t reach anyone and thought you might know where they are.”
“They’ve gone to Florida for a few weeks. Your father needed a vacation.”
Ash frowned. His father never took vacations. “That doesn’t sound like Dad.”
“Well, he’s taking it easier these days. Not working so hard.”
Ash tightened his grip on the phone. “If he’s not working so much, who’s running the company? Richard?”
“Yes, he and his wife. Doing a good job, too.”
Ash’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at the phone as if he hadn’t heard correctly. “Did you say Richard has a wife? When did he get married?”
William chuckled. “Oh, I’m sorry to shock you so. I forgot you didn’t know. She’s a lovely young woman, and Edward is crazy about her and the baby.”
Now his legs had grown weak, and Ash sank down in a chair next to the phone. “I can’t believe this. Richard is married and has a baby?”
“Yes, a son. They dote on that boy.”
Ash rubbed his hand across his face and shook his head. “But Richard didn’t even have a girlfriend when I left. And now he’s married and a father. Who did he marry? Is it someone he’s known for a while, or did he just meet her?”
Igniting the Flame (Firebrand Series) Page 9