When Love Strikes

by Christina Tetreault

  “Can you bring these outside for me? I think Angie and I can manage the rest.” Mia glanced in her direction and gave a subtle nod.

  Neither of them spoke until Avery exited through the door.

  “Ignore her. Avery doesn’t understand. She did the same to me for months. Eventually, she’ll give up.” Mia leaned back against the counter and reached for the raspberry iced tea she’d poured.

  “I’ve been trying to, but she’s driving me batty. Every time I talk to Avery, she mentions moving back.” Although it might be impolite to start eating dessert before everyone else, she snagged a brownie off the plate near Mia’s arm. “Did you make these?”

  “I helped, but Taylor did most of the work when she got here this morning.” Mia followed suit and grabbed a brownie as well. “Don’t worry too much about Dakota. He didn’t seem upset when Avery mentioned the media contacted her. He’s an intelligent man. He knew being with you meant the media would get involved. And the Marcy Blakes of the world will get bored with the two of you just like they got bored with me and Sean.”

  She recognized everything Mia said as being the truth. Still, she’d prefer if their relationship stayed out of the media.

  Mia leaned closer and dropped her voice even though they were alone in the kitchen. “I think Dakota loves you.”

  A shock wave raced through her body and left her insides vibrating in its wake. “I don’t think he’s there yet.” Just because she might be a few baby steps from being in love with him didn’t mean he’d reached the same point.

  “You didn’t see the way Dakota looked at you when you came outside from getting Natalie. But I did. He might have a great poker face when we play, but this afternoon it deserted him.”

  “Are you talking about Dakota?” Cat asked, entering the kitchen from the hallway.

  Mia looked toward her friend. “Are you okay? Is there anything I can get for you? You look a little pale.”

  Several times since she and Dakota arrived, she’d seen Cat leave the group and go inside. The most recent time, she sprinted off the deck and into the house.

  Cat poured herself a glass of the chilled herbal tea and took a slow sip. “I’m fine, but if you have some saltines, it would be great. They’re the only things that seem to help settle my stomach.” She sat down at the table. “Whoever labeled it morning sickness was wrong. I have it all day long. Yesterday I almost didn’t make it through the ceremony. The smell of the flowers only made it worse.”

  Mia grabbed a sleeve of crackers from the cabinet. “Congratulations. Did Tony tell Sean? Because if he did, Sean didn’t share the news.” After hugging Cat, she joined her at the table.

  “No. We decided not to say anything until after my brother and Ella’s wedding. We didn’t even tell our parents until after the reception last night. I’m sure it won’t be long before half the town knows. They were all excited when we told them, especially my parents, since this will be their first grandchild.”

  Excited wasn’t the word she’d use to describe Mom’s reaction when she learned Mia and Sean were expecting. The word resigned summed it up much better. Angie didn’t doubt it was because Sean was the father rather than someone like Anderson or Chad. Thankfully, by the time Natalie was born, Mom’s feelings had changed, and while she might never be the same type of grandmother as Sean’s mom, she loved Natalie.

  What kind of reaction would Mom have if and when Angie became pregnant? The more time she spent with her niece, the more she realized she wanted children someday too. If her relationship with Dakota eventually led to marriage, would Mom treat him the same way she treated Sean? Never mind if they got married in the future. How would she treat him when she came to visit in October? Sean put up with it because he loved Mia. But would Dakota? Mia’s statement aside, he’d never said he loved her.

  Cat tore open the package of crackers. “Neither of you answered my question. Were you talking about Dakota?”

  Mia nodded. “I think he loves her.”

  Cat took another sip of tea and pulled out a cracker. “Yeah, I agree. I have friends who would do almost anything to have their boyfriends look at them the way Dakota was looking at you.”

  “And I saw the glances you kept exchanging at the reception and this afternoon. I think you’re half in love with him already.” This time Mia’s voice took on her “I’m your older sister and I know everything” tone. A tone she rarely used.

  Both women focused their attention on her. She trusted Mia. Her sister would not repeat anything she said in this room. If Mia asked in Cat’s presence, she must trust her; otherwise, she would’ve waited until they were alone again.

  “Yes, and that’s why I’m worried he’ll have second thoughts after he has time to consider the media attention he’s getting.”

  “I’m sure Dakota realized it would happen long before yesterday,” Cat said.

  Mia rolled her eyes. “See, I said the same thing. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Angie hoped her sister and Cat were right.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shane accepted the envelope containing all the signed paperwork from the real estate agent. Waiting for today had been excruciating, but finally, after several weeks, the house in Jefferson was his. The various legal documents in the manila envelope he held proved it.

  “Welcome to New Hampshire,” Teddy, one of the former owners of the home, said, extending his hand. “If you need anything, stop by my brother’s house. Josh and his wife live next door to you.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

  He didn’t need anything. He’d planned everything out well in advance of this afternoon.

  The same day he’d received a closing date from the bank, he’d put in for two weeks of vacation from work. He’d also arranged it so when he returned, he’d start working out of the Door2Door Express distribution center in Conway instead of the one in Danvers. Then he’d spent an entire weekend purchasing all the furniture they would need. At least for now. Once they had children, they would need additional items. Tomorrow they would deliver all of it to the house. He’d already packed everything he wanted to keep from his apartment. All he needed to do was pick up the van he’d rented to get it up here. A local charity always in need of items would pick up the furniture and other odds and ends he no longer wanted. On his lunch break yesterday, he’d stopped at the post office in North Salem and arranged to have all his mail forwarded to the post office box he’d rented in Jefferson. Finally, he made sure his shift at Masterson’s last night was his final one.

  “It’s almost lunchtime. I usually treat my clients to either breakfast or lunch after a closing. Are you in a rush this afternoon?” Cathy asked, handing him the keys to his new house.

  He appreciated all the help the real estate agent had given him, but he didn’t want to spend any additional time with her today, even if it meant a free meal. He had a lot to do before he could bring Angie up. The sooner he got it done, the sooner they could be together every day and every night.

  Shane put the house keys in his pocket. The real estate agent didn’t need to know what his actual plans were for the day. “Unfortunately, I need to head straight back to North Salem so I’m not late for my shift at the restaurant. But thank you for all your help. You made the experience much easier than I was anticipating.”

  As intended, the compliment brought a smile to Cathy’s face. “Well, if you have any questions, please just call me.”

  After leaving the office, he made a quick stop at the supermarket and picked up enough paper goods and food to last at least three weeks. He didn’t want to bring Angie up to a house with no food in the freezer or toilet paper in the bathroom. Once they were settled and he knew what her favorite foods and beverages were, he’d stock up on them too. Since he had to go to work every day, he’d prefer not to waste any of their time together by making weekly trips to the store. In fact, he’d purchased a large freezer for the basement so he’d have the extra room to store everything
from meat and frozen veggies to extra loaves of bread. Much like the furniture, the freezer was coming tomorrow.

  The drive from the store to his house was a peaceful one. Unlike in North Salem, stop signs weren’t around every turn, and he didn’t have to worry about sharing the road with cyclists or people walking their dogs. Even better, there was no heavy traffic like he often encountered when he drove in and out of Boston or any of its neighboring cities.

  From the outside, the log cabin looked much the way he remembered it. Even the wreath on the door and the flowers on the porch remained. The only things missing were the large wooden swing set, the green turtle-shaped sandbox, and the trampoline. Eventually, similar items would again fill the yard. He wanted his children to have the best of everything. Between the two of them, they’d make sure it happened when the time came.

  Shane’s hand shook, and it took him two attempts to get the door unlocked. Unlike on his first visit, the house was empty. The lack of furniture made the living room appear twice as large. Although the furniture was gone, the previous owners had left the curtains and window blinds. For now, those would do. When Angie moved in, she could order some she liked. When he entered the kitchen, he found a bottle of champagne and two wineglasses on the counter along with a card. After setting down the bags he held, he picked up the card and read the message inside.

  We hope you and your girlfriend are as happy here as we were. Teddy and Briana

  When he first met with Cathy, he’d mentioned to her that his girlfriend would be living with him. She must have shared the information with the listing agent, who in turn told his clients.

  It took several trips, but eventually Shane had his car unloaded and all the perishable items put away. Satisfied for the moment, he carried the air mattress he’d brought with him up to the master bedroom. It wouldn’t be as comfortable as the bed arriving tomorrow, but it beat sleeping on the floor tonight.

  Like downstairs, the blinds and curtains remained on the windows, but the ugly green area rug was no longer there. Before he inflated the mattress, he pulled the blinds up so he could see the view. The sight of the White Mountains in the distance topped any view Angie would get looking out her bedroom window in North Salem.

  Turning, he glanced around the room. Instead of seeing an empty space, though, he saw the king-size four-poster bed he’d purchased against one wall with Angie in it naked and waiting for him. Instantly his body reacted. If a mere image could do that to him, he could only imagine what the real sight would do.

  Soon. She’ll be here soon.

  ***

  Angie slipped her arm around Dakota’s waist Friday night as they followed Mia and Sean out of The Half Door. Tonight was only the third time her sister and brother-in-law had gone out and left Natalie at home with Sean’s mom. Remarkably, they’d only checked their cell phones half a dozen times all night.

  “I thought your only hidden talents were knitting and sewing?” she asked.

  Except for Sean, who was more than happy to sit back and watch, they all went up on stage at least once to perform some karaoke. Of the three of them, Dakota was by far the best. While she and Mia selected more current hits, he’d gone with a classic Elvis song. When it came to karaoke, some people had real talent, some had a lot of courage, and the rest fell somewhere in the middle. To her delight and probably the surprise of everyone in the club, Dakota had real talent.

  “I think my exact words were that I can knit and sew. We all have hidden talents.”

  “He’s right,” Sean called out from in front of them. “Dakota never said those were his only two talents.”

  “It was implied in his statement. Don’t you agree, Mia?”

  Her sister didn’t hesitate to answer. “Completely.” Mia glanced back at them. “You really do have a great voice. It almost sounded as if they were playing a recording of the song.”

  She rarely listened to songs older than she was, but even she’d heard songs recorded by the King, as people often called him, so she had a general idea of what they should sound like. “My sister’s right. Can you move like him too?”

  “You’ve seen the extent of my ability when it comes to dancing.”

  “That’s too bad. I was thinking we could have a jumpsuit similar to the ones he wore made for you. Then you could wear it the next time we go to The Half Door and swivel your hips while you belt out some songs.”

  Dakota turned his head in her direction. The streetlights provided enough illumination so she could see his frown. “Sorry, that’s one fantasy I can’t fulfill for you.” He slowed his pace and brought his lips within mere inches of her ear. “But I’ll take care of any other fantasies you have.”

  A tidal wave of heat broke over her and her pulse skyrocketed. They’d been lovers for well over a month now, yet the mere thought of being with him still sent her over the edge. Shifting her hand from his waist, she moved it into his back pocket.

  “Do you want to come back to our house?” Sean asked when they reached the parking lot around the corner.

  Angie glanced at her watch. By the time they got back to town, it’d be almost eleven o’clock. Any other Friday night, the hour wouldn’t bother her, but Dakota had to work tomorrow. One thing she’d learned since being with Dakota, working for the FBI wasn’t your average nine-to-five, forty-hour-a-week job. Some days he went in around the same time the sun was coming up. Other days he didn’t return until late in the evening. Then there were occasions when he had to work on the weekends. Tomorrow would be the second Saturday he had to work since they’d been together.

  “Not tonight. I need to be in Everett at six tomorrow morning.” Dakota unlocked the car and opened the door for her.

  “If I don’t see you before you leave, have a good vacation.” Sean used his key fob to unlock his truck.

  Tuesday morning they were flying to Aruba for the week. She was looking forward to the vacation more than she’d looked forward to one in a long time. In general, they spent much of their free time together. They’d even spent a weekend together at a bed-and-breakfast up near the White Mountain National Forest. Still, she couldn’t wait to have a whole week in paradise alone with Dakota and no disruptions.

  Before Sean and Mia walked over to his truck, Mia hugged her. “Are you still coming over tomorrow?”

  As if she didn’t spend enough time at Mia’s house these days. Ever since the contractor started the renovations on her house, she spent most afternoons at Mia’s house because trying to work on her current screenplay with all the noise was impossible. The first time she complained about it to her sister and brother-in-law, they offered her the use of one of the spare bedrooms. Since then it had become her office where she worked almost every day. Tomorrow she wouldn’t be going over to work though. Gram and Pop were visiting, and she hadn’t seen them in a few weeks.

  “Yep. I’ll be by sometime in the morning.” Gram and Pop said they would be there around noon. She wanted to get as much time as she could with Natalie before they arrived. Once her grandparents got there, they’d monopolize her niece.

  “See you then,” Mia replied before they walked over to Sean’s truck.

  Dakota waited until she was in the car before walking around to the other side. It wasn’t something he did all the time, and she wouldn’t want him to except when they were in a parking lot late at night.

  Angie waited to speak until they’d turned onto the street. “I wasn’t joking before. You really do have a great voice.”

  “My mom used to say the same thing. She wanted me to join the chorus in high school. It interfered with sports too much. Even if it hadn’t, I don’t think I would’ve done it.” He kept both eyes on the road but reached for her left hand. “If I didn’t have to leave so early in the morning, I’d suggest you spend the night.”

  Over the past two weeks or so, they’d spent more nights together than they did apart. Even though they each had keys to the other’s house, they spent more time at his place because of the m
ess at hers. And since she spent so many nights with him, she’d left some clothes as well as some toiletries there. Once the renovations were complete, she was going to suggest he do the same at her house.

  She didn’t mind waking up early. She didn’t tell him, though, because then he might ask her to stay. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have the willpower to say no, which meant he wouldn’t get the sleep he needed because when they got into bed, falling asleep would be the furthest thing from either of their minds.

  “If all goes as planned, I should be home around two tomorrow, so we should have plenty of time to get to the game.”

  She’d enjoyed the first baseball game they went to so much that she purchased them tickets to this weekend’s game against New York. Everyone she talked to insisted there was nothing quite like a baseball game between New York and Boston.

  “I’ll still be at Mia’s. If you pick me up there, you can meet Gram and Pop.”

  Other than Avery and of course Mia, Dakota had met none of her family members yet. Although she was less than excited about him meeting Mom in October, she wanted him to get to know her grandparents, as well as her dad. And especially Gram wanted to meet him. During her most recent visit to Woodlawn, one of Gram’s first questions had been whether or not she had someone special in her life. While she’d left out the more intimate details, she’d filled Gram in on her relationship with Dakota.

  They passed the sign welcoming them to North Salem, and Dakota switched on the car’s high beams. Only a few roads in town had streetlights, and the heavy fog tonight made the visibility low.

  “After I stop home and shower, I’ll be over. And if something comes up and I’m running late, I’ll let you know.” He turned onto her street. Except for one, all the houses were in darkness. She’d noticed most of her neighbors went to bed early even on the weekends.

  The sensor lights on the garage lit up the entire driveway and part of the front yard. Regardless, Dakota walked her inside.