by Ava Miles
Time would tell.
But he finally knew what the future held, and he savored it. They would have a baby soon, and someday not too far off, he’d be playing in the backyard with their own kids as the Hale clan surrounded them.
“Blake,” Natalie called out. “Hit me.”
And he threw the ball as she ran a beautiful post pattern like he’d taught her, with her brothers on her heels, eager to bat the ball down. When she spiked the ball and did a victory dance, he spun her around and kissed her smack on the lips.
The Hale family clustered around them, and they all did a victory dance together this time, pumping their fists at the sky, knowing every victory was to be savored in this game called life.
Chapter 39
When Andy carried a sleeping Danny into their house, he took every step with care, feeling the fragility of life all over again. He treasured getting his son ready for bed, watching him rub his eyes and roll over and curl up like a baby porcupine under the covers.
Then he sat there and watched him sleep.
Everything was precious. Every moment was precious.
His mother’s close call had reminded him of it once again, and as he kissed his son’s forehead, he vowed not to take her for granted. They would have dinner with her at least once a week. He and Matt had shaken on it, both trembling with the knowledge of what might have been.
He bypassed his bedroom, not wanting to go to bed yet. His body was too wired from adrenaline, the kind that came when bad news was expected and good news was received instead. The relief was like parachuting off a cliff. He was still screaming on the inside.
His mom should have told him. He could have talked to her doctor. Something. The knowledge that she’d only told Natalie, and only then because Nat had stumbled along at a weak moment, angered him. Both his parents were too damn tough if you asked him. He wasn’t going to raise Danny that way.
He was glad Blake and Natalie were back together, and he planned to invite Blake on the runs he and Matt regularly took, although he expected his past and future brother-in-law would smoke them both. But still…it was a gesture.
Blake was part of the Hale clan again.
After popping open a beer in the kitchen, he headed to his office. With a touch of the mouse, his computer purred to life. He clicked open his email and was relieved to see a message from Lucy. She hadn’t touched base since their last chat, and while he knew her trips in the bush could be protracted, something hadn’t felt right.
He clicked on it.
Hey Andy,
Wanted to let you know I’m heading your way. Decided to take a trip home. Decompress a while. See you soon.
Luce
He stared at the message. She was flying home? From the Congo? He clicked Google open to find out how many miles separated them. Eight thousand four hundred and fifty? He tried to wrap his head around that. She’d been home a subtotal of twice in the last couple of years, and now she was flying over eight thousand miles to get to Dare Valley, without a specific holiday or event to bring her there.
Something was wrong. He could feel it. First, she hadn’t called him Andy Cakes—which he pretended annoyed him, but he actually kind of liked—and second, she hadn’t told him a joke or sent him a picture of her trip like she usually did.
He glanced at the clock, wishing he could call Mrs. O’Brien to ask her what she knew, but it was after eleven, and he didn’t want to alarm her. She was probably as shaken as the rest of them after his mother’s scare. And maybe he was reading too much into Lucy’s email.
He settled back into his chair, his skin crawling with the same fear he’d felt with Kim’s illness. God.
He scrubbed his eyes and reached for the picture of them sitting in the corner of his desk. Kim was already glowing in the photo. He’d dragged her to the nearest photographer the day they’d found out she was pregnant to capture the newness of the miracle growing inside her. His hands were caressing her belly, like he was the only other person in the universe who knew the secret. He’d never imagined he could love her more, but he’d felt his heart grow bigger that day, like a kid growing out of a shirt size.
Pressing the photo to his chest, he closed his eyes.
Oh, babe. God, babe. It was so close with Mom.
He wasn’t sure he could have taken it, and from the look in her eyes, he could tell his mother had thought it too.
Now he was worried about Lucy, and he slumped in his seat.
Would he ever stop fearing he was going to lose someone else he loved?
Chapter 40
The party Natalie had thrown for Blake’s new career was going strong—even if Blake hadn’t made the announcement yet. As she wound around clusters of the Hale clan, the old and the adopted, she spotted her sisters talking to Uncle Arthur.
Slipping her hands around their waists, she nudged her way between them. “Hey, there. You girls need a refill?”
The rims of their margaritas were mostly devoid of salt now.
“Yes, please. These margaritas are incredible.” Moira thrust out her glass, signaling she was already a bit tipsy. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better one.”
“Me either,” Caroline said, extending her glass too. “What’s the secret?”
Blake appeared next to Uncle Arthur and put his arm around the old man, who elbowed him.
“Don’t put your giant mitts around me, you big lug,” he told Blake. “You might crush my bones. I have osteoporosis.”
She and her sisters snickered at his indignant tone.
“Big lug?” Natalie said. “Oh, Uncle Arthur, you have such a way with words. I’ll have to remember that one.”
“When are you planning on making your announcement?” Uncle Arthur asked, tapping his cane on the floor. “I go to bed early since I’m an old man.”
She kissed him on the cheek and gave Blake a wink. “He’s probably hoping he can get the story in before the Sunday paper is printed.”
Her uncle winked at her. “Are you sure you don’t have black ink in your veins, my dear? That’s a canny reporter talking.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m doing what I love, Uncle Arthur, but I’ll let you know if that ever changes.”
Blake whistled shrilly beside her. “Everyone. Can I have your attention for a moment? Uncle Arthur needs to get to bed early, so I’m going to share my big news now.”
“You didn’t have to pierce an old man’s ear drum,” her uncle muttered. “I’m charging you if my doctor prescribes me a new hearing aid on my next visit.”
The crowd laughed. Blake reached for her hand, rubbing her wedding ring.
“As you probably know, Natalie and I will be renewing our vows soon, so this isn’t the end of the partying. However, the love of my life has insisted that we celebrate my new career. And yes, Uncle Arthur, you can consider this an exclusive story since you’re family.”
“Take heed, Meredith and Tanner,” her uncle boomed out. “You’ll be coming back to the office with me tonight.”
They both gave him a thumbs up.
“When I came back to Dare Valley after retiring, I knew only two things for certain: I wanted Natalie back, and I wanted to run a football camp for kids with intellectual disabilities as a tribute to my brother, who—as all of you know—passed away recently.”
She clenched his hand and scooted closer to his side as the emotion welled up in his eyes.
“A good friend told me never to settle when it came to my next career, and after some serious scheming, I’m happy to report that I’ll be serving as a special football coach for kids with intellectual disabilities who want to compete in Special Olympics at the Adam Cunningham Training Center at Emmits Merriam. Some of you know the athletic director, Tom Hudson, and he agreed to match my contribution to make such a center possible. According to Special Olympics, who will also be a contributor, this is the first center of its kind. The kids will have the option to stay in our assigned university dorm for anywhere from a few weeks to
a month to train with me and our staff during the year.”
Natalie knew she was beaming. It had been one of the greatest joys of her life to watch Blake’s dream come together.
“I’ve been beyond lucky to have my long-time football friends also donate to this center. Right now, they have contributed financially, but they will also be contributing their time. I expect other players from the league will do the same.”
Sure enough, all of his Once Upon A Dare friends had given sizeable contributions, but so had his former teammates and assistant coaches. Everyone had been waiting for Blake’s announcement tonight so they could broadcast their affiliation with the new center on social media.
“The president and board of trustees for Emmits Merriam met this morning and approved our interim plans. We’re going to break ground on this new facility next spring, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Someone whistled, and she looked over to see Andy grinning from ear to ear.
“The best news about this center is that I won’t have to travel for games and I won’t have to stay up late watching game film when I could be spending it with my loving wife and the family we plan to have. So…expect more parties like tonight, and thanks again for coming to share our good news.”
She wrapped her arms around him just as he reached for her, and she simply basked in his new radiance. He planned to change the world with his center, and she had no doubt that he would.
Everyone finally clustered around them to give them their best wishes.
Uncle Arthur shook Blake’s hand first. “Heck of an announcement, son. I wish you all the best. I feel a moving Sunday editorial coming on. You’ll have to excuse me.”
Her family kissed Blake and hugged him, and it was chaotic and wonderful in all the best of ways. This was something to celebrate. In two weeks, he’d be flying to Atlanta for a guys’ weekend to celebrate the news with his Once Upon A Dare guys, and part of her wished she could come along. But it was boys only. They’d just have to host another weekend soon so she could thank the guys herself for everything they’d done for Blake.
When everything finally settled back down, she realized she and Blake hadn’t moved from their spot for the last hour.
“We were talking about getting more margaritas earlier,” she told him with a playful nudge to his ribs.
“Right. Your uncle is one demanding guy.”
“That’s why we love him.”
They found her sisters in the corner, giggling like crazy, more than a little tipsy.
“I believe we were going to get you ladies a drink before your uncle asked for his exclusive,” Blake said. “Do you still want one?”
Moira and Caroline shared a conspiratorial look.
“We…ah…finished off the margaritas during the well wishes,” Moira confessed, which explained the red flush on her cheeks.
“I’m glad you didn’t wait. Natalie, do you think you can help me in the kitchen? I need to make another batch.”
That was probably code for a little necking in their food pantry, which they’d always done when hosting parties. “Sure thing, babe.”
“Blake,” Moira said. “You didn’t tell us your secret to the margaritas?”
His mouth twitched. “It’s a new brand of tequila. You can thank my friend, Jordan. It’s very…intoxicating.”
Natalie waggled her brows at him. “Har-de-har-har.” The next time she saw Jordan, she planned to give him a big kiss for pushing that tequila on her, which Blake had confessed his friend had done on purpose.
“And we added blue Curacao,” Blake shared.
“Oh! Is that why Caroline’s tongue is blue?”
“Yours is too, moron,” her sister said.
“We’ll have your drinks in a jiffy,” Blake said, rolling his eyes at them.
Natalie linked her arm through his and leaned in to whisper. “Are we really going to make them drinks right now?”
“Of course not.” He bumped her with his hip. “I thought we could take a little time for ourselves and then make some more margaritas. In say…ten or fifteen minutes.”
“I thought so,” she purred. Her body was already revving with desire. Maybe they could have more than a necking session in the pantry.
She was already imagining a quickie when they entered the kitchen. Jane and Matt caught sight of them first and grinned.
“Three cheers to your new career,” Matt called out.
They were standing at the counter with Terrance and Elizabeth, who also added another round of congratulations. So much for sneaking into the pantry.
Blake gave her a frown. “Later, babe,” he whispered.
“Definitely.”
There were two blindfolds on the counter and five bottles of wine wrapped in brown paper. Terrance gave Natalie a nudge when she joined them at the kitchen island, and she nudged him right back.
“Jane was just demonstrating her wine superiority again,” Elizabeth told them.
Blake settled beside Natalie and slid an arm around her waist and gave it a squeeze. “Who won?” he asked.
Everyone knew Jane kept besting Terrance head-to-head.
“Who do you think?” her boss said in an aggrieved tone. “She’s got a perfect record.”
Blake put his other arm around Jane’s shoulder, and the two of them shared a conspiratorial wink. “I know exactly how that feels, sweetheart.”
Jane laughed and reached for Natalie’s left hand. “I still can’t get over how beautiful your ring is.”
“It really is,” Elizabeth said, touching it as well from across the counter. “So, have you set a date yet for your renewal ceremony?”
Natalie had been insistent they see to Blake’s career first. She’d wanted to put him first since he’d done that so many times for her. Fortunately, he’d let her.
“As soon as possible,” she said.
After all, they were doing their best to get pregnant. Neither of them wanted a big ceremony this time around. Only family and close friends. Then they planned to have another party—a big, loud, raucous party with lots and lots of champagne.
“That soon?” Elizabeth asked. “Most of the venues around here get booked up pretty fast. Trust me. Terrance and I know about this. Don’t we?”
Natalie felt her mouth curve. “Actually it won’t be a problem.”
Blake gave her an answering grin. “We’ve already picked out a place.”
Which was another reason he’d agreed to wait until his career was settled. It wasn’t like they would have to do any crazy planning in advance. And the hotel could easily cater the ceremony for them.
“You have?” Jane asked. “Oh, I didn’t know. Have you found some super wedding planner with connections? If so, Elizabeth and I have to hire her.”
Natalie fingered her ring. “No. We actually own the place. We’re going to get married on the bridge Blake built. It’s out back.”
“Oh,” Jane said, not understanding the significance. “I haven’t seen it. After all, it didn’t exist when Matt lived here.”
Natalie walked to the back door. “Here, I’ll show you.”
She led them all outside and pointed to one of her favorite sights on earth. She’d already told Blake they were going to bring that bridge with them to their new house. She was not leaving it behind. No way. They were going to tell their kids about that bridge and stroll across it at night after they’d tucked them in for the night.
“It’s the bridge to a better life,” she told the group, her eyes holding Blake’s the whole time. “Right, babe?”
He swallowed thickly and nodded. “Right, babe.”
Then she rushed him like a linebacker, knowing she didn’t need the bridge anymore to find her way back to a better life.
She was holding that life and all it promised to be.
She was holding him.
To learn more about my upcoming releases, sign up for my newsletter here. These include my special Dare Valley wedding novella, DARING BRIDES; the
new Dare Valley Meets Paris Billionaire mini-series; Lucy and Andy's story called THE CALENDAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS; Susannah and Jake's story in Dare River called THE PROMISE OF RAINBOWS; and Jordan and Grace's story in my new series Once Upon A Dare called THE GATE TO EVERYTHING.
Dear Reader,
This story affected me like no other. I had already fallen in love with Blake, but Natalie was the one I was learning to love while I wrote this. Her transformation in this book has been my own, and ultimately is every person's journey of self-love and the openness to the complete love of another. Many of you write and tell me you have found this. Others write and say you are still looking. Wherever you are, simply know you are right on track.
If you enjoyed this book, I would love for you to post a review since it helps more readers want to read my story. You can write one here or on Goodreads. When you post one, kindly let me know at [email protected] so I can personally thank you.
To keep up with all my new releases, please sign up for my newsletter and connect with me on Facebook. I continue to post about food and other fun stuff, so come and join our Dare family party.
There's so much coming up for you Dare Valley fans. Soon I will be releasing a novella called DARING BRIDES filled with the weddings of Meredith and Tanner, Jill and Brian, Peggy and Mac, and Abbie and Rhett. So many of you have wanted to know more about your favorite couples, so this was my way of sharing the love we all have for these special people. You even get to meet Rhett's mama, and boy is she a trip. Then there's the special new mini-series. It involves a billionaire inventor, Evan Michaels, who can't live like he's a billionaire in Dare Valley after losing to Jane in a poker game. Part of the story is set in Paris, which is why it's a mini-series. I adore Paris and have been trying to figure out a way to have Dare Valley connect with all the city's awesome food and romantic vistas. And it involves Don't Soy With Me's manager, Margie Waters, who plans to open her own bakery called Hot Cross Buns. I can't wait to share it with you. And of course, Andy and Lucy will have their day in the sun too in THE CALENDAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS. I'll also be releasing a new series called Once Upon a Dare with all of the football stars you met in this book. Jordan and Grace are up first in THE GATE TO EVERYTHING. Stay tuned.