by Marie Force
“Who is this?” she asked of the music.
“Allison Krauss,” he said, whispering the words to the song. “It’s called ‘When You Say Nothing at All.’”
“I like it.”
“I like you.” He ran his lips along her bare shoulder and up to her neck. When he glanced over her ear with his tongue, she moaned. “In fact, I love you.”
Her arms tightened around him. “I love you, too.” She tipped her face up to his for a kiss so hot and so sensual that Michael almost forgot to breathe.
Lightheaded, he pulled back from her. “Come sit with me over here,” he said, leading her to a window seat that overlooked Thames Street and the harbor beyond. He sat down and drew her onto his lap. “There was another reason why I wanted to bring you here tonight.”
“Oh, really?”
“I have something I want to say to you and something I want to ask you, but you have to let me get through the whole thing before you say anything, okay?”
Her eyes widened, and she nodded.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “The other night I said I don’t have the words to tell you how I feel about you. I still don’t. I doubt I ever will. We haven’t known each other long, but it took me all of five minutes to know I could have everything I’ve ever dreamed of with you. I might not be the last guy who asks, but I wanted to be the first. Will you marry me, Juliana?”
“Michael,” she gasped.
“Wait. I’m not finished. I know you’re not able to answer me right now, but over the next few weeks when you’re going to have to make some big decisions, I wanted you to have no doubt about what I want from you and with you.”
He fished a ring out of his pocket. The antique setting seemed perfect for her, and the diamond, while large, was more tasteful than the one he had given Paige. He knew the size of the stone would mean nothing to Juliana. Sliding the ring onto her finger, he kissed her hand. “I just want to see how it looks.”
“It’s beautiful,” she said, wiping tears off her face.
He kissed her hand. “A perfect fit, just like us.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
With great reluctance, Michael slid the ring off her finger and reached for the gold chain that held his St. Christopher medal. He unhooked the chain, slid the ring on with the medal, clasped the chain shut, and dropped it under his shirt. “I’ll hold on to it for now. It’ll be right here with me until you’re ready for it.”
“I’m overwhelmed, Michael, and I don’t deserve you. You should be with someone who could say yes—without reservation—to such a lovely proposal.”
“I don’t want anyone but you, and I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
“I have some things I need to resolve, and it’s going to have to happen soon. I know I’m asking so much of you, but I need you to be patient with me. Can you do that?”
“I can do anything for you.”
“This was a wonderful evening. I’ll never forget it.”
“Just don’t forget who asked first.”
She kissed him. “I won’t forget that, either.”
Chapter Twenty
They were up early the next morning to take a walk on Easton’s Beach followed by breakfast at Michael’s favorite greasy-spoon diner. The police detail was never far from them.
“Oh my God!” Juliana clutched her stomach on the way back to the car. “Why did you let me eat so much?”
He chuckled. “You were like a regular truck driver in there.”
“I probably gained ten pounds this weekend. When we get home, we’re going on a diet.”
“Why do I have to?”
“If I have to, so do you.”
“Oh, I see,” he said, laughing. “Is this what life with you is going to be like?”
Juliana’s smile faded.
He took her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She reached up to caress his face and gazed into his eyes, which were even bluer than usual under the bright light of the sun. “There are times when I wish…”
He leaned her against the car and put his arms around her. “What, baby? Tell me. What do you wish for?”
“That there was nothing—or no one—standing in our way. I can just see how it would be for us. I think we’d have a happy life together.”
“I know we would.” Reaching up to his chest, he touched the ring through his shirt. “We can have it, Juliana. You only have to say the word, and we can have it all.”
She touched her lips to his. “I know.”
“Come on.” He opened the car door for her. “Let’s go say good-bye to my parents and get on the road.”
At the Maguire’s house, Juliana stayed inside with Maureen while Michael went outside with his father, who insisted on checking the oil in the car.
“I’m so glad you came this weekend, Juliana,” Maureen said. “I hope we’ll see you again.”
Something about the way Michael’s mother looked at her told Juliana she knew what was going on. “I hope so, too. Thank you for all your hospitality.”
Maureen hugged her. “Come again. Any time.”
Michael walked in. “Ready?”
Juliana nodded, and Michael hugged his mother.
“Be careful during that trial,” Maureen said. “I mean it, Michael.”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, right.”
Outside, Sean hugged them both.
As Michael backed the car out of the driveway, his parents waved from the front yard.
Juliana wondered if she would ever see them again.
The closer they got to Baltimore, the quieter Michael became.
“What’s wrong?” Juliana asked.
He glanced over at her and then at the road.
“What?”
“You know I want you with me all the time, right?”
She smiled. “You’ve made that pretty clear.”
“I’m so afraid of you staying with me after everything that’s happened. I really want you to go to Mrs. R’s until the trial’s over. Will you do that for me?”
“No.”
“Juliana…”
“No.”
“They know where I live, baby. They know I live with a woman. What better way to get to me than to get to you? If something ever happened to you, I’d go crazy.”
She put a comforting hand on his leg. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, Michael.”
“Just until the trial’s over?”
“I’m not leaving you until I have to.”
He glanced over at her. “So you see yourself leaving one day?”
“I’m going to have to deal with Jeremy at some point. You know that.”
His jaw tightened with tension. “We’re talking about the trial. I want you to be safe, and I can’t guarantee you will be if you stay with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not now.”
“How do I go to work tomorrow morning and leave you sleeping there alone? How do I think about anything else but whether you’re safe?”
“The house has an alarm system, right?”
He nodded.
“Then we’ll use it.”
“That won’t keep another rock from coming through the window.”
“They won’t do that again,” Juliana said confidently.
“So now you’re an expert on criminal behavior?” he asked, amused. “You won’t even think about going to Mrs. R’s for a few weeks?”
“No.”
When they got home, Michael showed her how to use the alarm system. He also let the police know they were back in town. With two officers trailing close behind them, they walked to a neighborhood restaurant for dinner.
“I’m getting used to being followed everywhere,” Juliana said as they strolled hand-in-hand back to the house after dinner. The whole time, she kept an anxious eye out for Jeremy in case he hadn’t gone back to Florida as scheduled.
“Good, because after what happened t
he other night, you have your own detail now.”
Juliana made a face at that news. “Oh, goodie.”
“Tomorrow I want you to come by the office to look at some photos we have of the Red Devils to see if you recognize the guy you saw in Newport, okay?”
She nodded.
“I’ll call you at some point to set it up. I have a meeting with the judge at nine. After that, I’m not sure if he’ll stay in recess or want to get back to the trial.”
“I’m off, so I can come whenever you need me to.”
Back at the house, they called to check on Rachelle. Michael talked to her first and told her that depending on what the judge had to say in the morning, he hoped to call her to testify by Thursday—Friday at the latest. “This is it,” he said before he turned the phone over to Juliana.
They chatted for a few minutes before Juliana sensed there was something the girl wanted to say to her.
“Honey? What is it?”
“It’s none of my business, and I remember you said that you and Michael are just friends because you have a boyfriend and all that, but…”
“What?”
“I think you belong with Michael.”
“What makes you say that?” Juliana asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Well, your opinion means a lot to me, so thank you for telling me. You ought to get some sleep. You’ve got a big week ahead of you. I’ll be thinking of you.”
“Thanks,” Rachelle said softly. “Good-bye, Juliana.”
“Bye, hon.”
“What did she say?” Michael asked after Juliana hung up.
“That you and I belong together.” Juliana struggled to define the odd sensation that had come over her during the conversation with Rachelle.
He smiled. “They say kids speak the truth.”
“You never miss an opportunity for self-promotion, do you?” she asked with a grin.
“I can’t afford to.” He stood up and held out a hand to her.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
They went upstairs to his room where he grabbed a heavy blanket and led her to the secluded roof deck. The lights of the city twinkled in the clear night sky as Michael drew her down next to him on the blanket. He tugged the shirt over her head and then did the same with his own.
Her eyes fixated on the engagement ring hanging from the chain around his neck.
“Do you think we could pretend?” he whispered, reaching up to unhook the chain. “That just for tonight you’re mine and this belongs right here?” Sliding the ring onto her finger, he kissed his way up her neck. “I want to see you wearing nothing but my ring.” He released the clasp on her bra, tossed aside the last of their clothes, and pulled the blanket up around them.
“Let me see.” He reached for her hand and kissed each finger but spent extra time on her ring finger. “It’s so perfect on you. I bought it on Friday when you were waiting for me at Mrs. R’s. Did you know that?”
She shook her head. “I wondered when you’d had the time.”
“Make love with me, Juliana. Make love with me like we’re engaged and have everything in the world to look forward to.”
She pulled him to her. “I love you, Michael. No matter what happens, I love you so much.”
“That’s all I need.”
The next morning Michael left Juliana sleeping in his bed. He set the alarm, locked the front door, and crossed the street to talk to the officers on her detail.
“My girlfriend is sleeping in the house, and the alarm’s on. Stay close to her today, okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Maguire. Don’t worry. We’re on it.”
“Thank you,” Michael said.
With one more anxious glance back at the house, Michael got in his car and left for work. Forced to leave her for the first time in days, his stomach churned with nerves. She promised him she would be careful, and since he couldn’t see to her safety himself, he could only hope she would be vigilant.
As he drove, he thought about making love with her on the roof deck and then again in his bed after the chilly night air drove them inside. He reached up for the ring and discovered they had forgotten to return it to the chain, which meant it was still on her finger where it belonged. Imagining her going through her day wearing his ring made him smile.
Trailed by two police officers, he arrived at the courthouse with minutes to spare before the meeting with Judge Stein. Michael shook hands with Tom Houlihan in the hallway outside of the judge’s chambers. The defense attorneys were huddled on the other side of the corridor.
“Good weekend in R.I.?” Houlihan asked.
“It was great. How was yours?”
“I spent most of it on the phone dealing with the media’s feeding frenzy over the rock incident. Rumor has it the judge is on fire over it. This ought to be interesting.”
Stein’s clerk called everyone in a few minutes later.
The judge paced behind his large mahogany desk, his wiry frame all but bursting with energy. “What the hell is going on?” he asked the defense attorneys. “Are your clients out of their minds?”
The lead defense attorney, a heavyset blonde, held up her hands. “They claim to have had no knowledge of what their cousin planned to do.”
“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” Stein ran his fingers through what was left of his hair, his sharp blue eyes landing on Michael. “Mr. Maguire, your roommate’s injuries were minor as reported?”
“Yes, your honor. We were very lucky. She was sitting less than a foot from where the rock landed.”
“This is an outrage.” He turned to address the defense team. “I want you to tell your clients that I’ll tolerate no further harassment of Mr. Maguire or any other member of the prosecution team. You might want to remind them of who’ll be determining their sentence should they be convicted. Am I clear?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“In light of all the publicity this incident has generated, I’m sequestering the jury for the remainder of the trial. We’ll resume tomorrow at nine,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Mr. Maguire.”
“Your honor?”
“Be careful. The defendants are already facing three consecutive life sentences. I have absolutely nothing worse than that to threaten them with, and they know it.”
Michael nodded. “Yes, sir.”
Outside the courthouse, a swarm of reporters and cameras were waiting when Michael emerged from the meeting. They bombarded him with questions as he pushed through the crowd with Tom at his side and two police officers following close behind them.
“Mr. Maguire, what do you have to say about the incident at your house?”
“No comment.” He and Tom kept moving in an attempt to break free.
“Mr. Maguire, are you worried about your personal safety?”
“No.”
“Mr. Maguire, can you tell us your roommate’s name and describe the nature of her injuries?”
“Absolutely no comment.”
“Mr. Houlihan, what did the judge have to say this morning?”
“The trial will resume tomorrow.”
“Mr. Maguire, is it true you recently left your pregnant fiancée?”
Michael stopped and turned to the reporter who had asked the question. “What did you say?”
A hush fell over the gaggle of reporters.
“Is it true you recently left your pregnant fiancée?”
“No. It’s not true. Where did you hear that?”
Tom put a hand on his shoulder. “Michael, come on.”
“Wait.” Michael struggled to control the urge to punch the reporter in the face. “Where did you hear that?”
The young reporter shrugged. “Word on the street.”
“Well, it’s not true, and I’d better not see that in print anywhere or hear it on the air, do you hear me?” His eyes circled the group to make sure they k
new he meant all of them. “I’ll sue your asses so fast you won’t know what hit you.”
“You can’t sue me if it’s true,” the brazen reporter replied.
Before Michael could act on the urge to punch the guy, Tom pulled him free of the crowd.
“What the fuck?” Michael said after they left the reporters behind. “That’s just what the jury needs to hear right about now. My credibility with them will be shot.”
“They’re being sequestered,” Tom reminded him. “Even if it makes it into the news, they won’t hear it.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Is there any chance it could be true? I’m only asking as a friend, Michael.”
“No, it’s not true.” But then the earth seemed to tremble under his feet as he remembered the last time with Paige when they failed to use a condom. “Oh, shit,” he whispered. “Oh my God. I’ve got to go.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Juliana emerged from the house at ten o’clock and crossed the street to let her detail know she would be going first to Collington Street and then to her mother’s in Highlandtown. They followed her as she drove the short distance to Collington Street.
Jeremy would’ve flown back to Florida the night before, so she planned to get the mail, do a little cleaning, and get out of there as fast as she could.
Since the house was alarmed, they let her go in without them.
Juliana was startled to find the alarm deactivated, which caused her heart to accelerate and anxiety to course through her. She turned to go back for the cops.
“Hello, Juliana,” Jeremy said on his way downstairs. “Nice of you to come home.”
“Why are you still here?” she sputtered, tucking her left hand into her pocket and working the engagement ring off her finger. “You scared me.”
“You scared me when you didn’t come home for three days.”
“I told you I was away.”
“Who were you with?”
“We aren’t seeing each other right now. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“What’s going on, Jule? Where are you living? I know it isn’t here. The place was filthy. When I wasn’t trying to figure out where you were this weekend, I was cleaning the house.”