by Kelly Moran
On the second encore, Parker rolled his eyes and lifted the mic. “You owe me. Big time.”
Owed who? This made no sense whatsoever.
Again, no one answered.
Five minutes passed, and the farther north they went, the more her stomach sank. Older homes in need of updating whizzed by the window. Dogs barked. She knew then where they were going, and her throat closed.
He turned onto her childhood street, pulling to the curb in front of the empty lot where her house used to be and behind Jason’s truck.
“Ella?” Gerta leaned forward against the security grate separating the front from the back seat, concern wavering her voice. “What are we doing here?”
Her cousin obviously recognized the area, too, but before Ella could reply, Jason climbed out of his truck and closed his door, facing them. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his well-worn jeans, stretching the gray sweater against his lean torso. A breeze blew the strands off his forehead as he stared at the cruiser.
“Just hear what he has to say.” Parker smiled as if to reassure her.
“He asked you to bring me here?” For what? To yell at her? Blame her? Get back at her for hurting him the way she’d done to him? Was this some kind of revenge? Because, honestly, she’d beaten herself up enough for her choices. Anything he could do or say would only obliterate what very little courage she had left.
Then again, he’d been too upset a week ago to do anything but walk away. He’d had seven days to conjure a plan for payback. He didn’t seem the type, though. In fact, she knew he wasn’t that kind of person. When he was done, he was done. Over. Moved on to bigger and better things. Wanting Parker to bring her to him went against his modus operandi.
Gosh darn it. He should never want to see her again.
“Go ahead, Ella.” Parker jerked his chin at the windshield. “Hear him out.”
With a trembling hand, she reached for the handle.
“Hold it. Slow your roll.” Gerta frowned. “Is he going to say something I’ll have to kill him for? So help me, if he hurts her, you’ll never find his body.”
Parker shifted in his seat and craned to face her. “Telling a sheriff your plan for murder is unwise. But you don’t have to worry. If he hurts her, I’ll shoot him myself.” He smiled at Ella. “Go. Hear him out.”
She looked at her cousin, Parker, the two mute men in the backseat with eyes round in curiosity, then Jason. Her heart ached for how much she’d missed him. A glance, one glance at that handsome face, and she was putty all over again.
“Okay,” she breathed and pulled the handle. She exited and shut the door. On shaking legs, she walked to stand in front of him, arms crossed to ward off the chill.
He watched her the whole time, jaw ticking. Back and forth his hazel eyes darted between hers. Finally, he inhaled as if mustering courage. “Do you trust me?”
She jerked, standing straighter. Of all the things she’d expected him to say—I hate you, I want you out of my life, I wish I’d never met you—that didn’t make the list. She swallowed, but it only added to her stomach’s upset. Trust was a fragile thing, and she’d broken his in her.
“Do you?”
“Yes.” She cleared the rasp from her voice. “Yes, I trust you with my life.”
His shoulders sagged like he was relieved. He glanced at Parker’s car and nodded.
The cruiser eased away from the curb and made a U-turn to leave the same way they’d come. She watched it disappear from view, then glanced at her feet.
“Come here,” Jason said, eyes on her. “I want to show you something.”
Ah, geez. What was this? A replay of the day she’d done this to him? She’d wanted to explain what had happened in a way he might’ve understood. Perhaps she should’ve tried a different approach.
He stepped onto the cracked sidewalk and faced the empty lot, overgrown with weeds and grass. His hands were still in his back pockets, posture rigid, gaze distant. “You brought me here and told me it was because this was where it started. You were wrong. A terrible thing happened here. Three good people died. But our story didn’t start here.”
Without an explanation, he strode to his truck and opened the passenger side door, holding it. “Please, come with me.”
She paused, unsure of what game he was playing.
“I won’t hurt you. I told you that the night we made love and I mean it now. I won’t hurt you.” He tilted his head in the truck’s direction. “Please come with me like I blindly did for you. I want to show you something.”
Throwing her words back at her wasn’t helping her anxiety, but she owed him his say. Nodding, she climbed in and buckled her belt.
He wove around the hood, got in, and started the truck. “Don’t ask where we’re going. Be more patient than I was and just let me do this.”
Do what, exactly?
Regardless, she nodded her consent. Again.
Absently, she watched trees and buildings and people as he drove them to who knew where to do who knew what. He said he wasn’t going to hurt her, but there were many ways to inflict harm. In her experience, words, or the absence of them, did the most damage. She deserved this, whatever punishment he dished out.
Her head a riot, she closed her eyes and focused on breathing. She kept them closed over the bumps and turns, and even when he came to a stop.
“Follow me,” he said quietly, his tone gruff. “Look at me, sweetheart, and follow me.”
Sweetheart?
She lifted her lids and looked around, her heart stopping. He was reenacting the day she’d spilled the truth to him because here they were, at the cemetery, the place she’d taken them second.
“We don’t need to get out, but follow me.” He pointed to his temple. “Follow me up here, okay? Our story didn’t start in this place, either. These are your parents, taken too soon and in a horrible way. I wish I could’ve known them. They brought a pretty amazing person into this world and I would’ve liked the opportunity to thank them.”
She choked, pressing her fingers to her lips. Tears welled, and she tried with all she had to blink them away.
He wasn’t angry? This wasn’t revenge?
“You said you were afraid to come here once. I don’t think you should be frightened anymore. You did them proud.”
She bent her knees and hugged her legs to her chest, wrapping an arm around them. Her chest hitched, and she surrendered to the battle not to weep.
Quickly, he looked away as if her crying caused him pain. After a moment, he shifted gears and drove slowly around the bend, stopping by his father’s grave.
“Our story didn’t start here, either, so we can stay in the truck.” Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes, sighed, and reopened them. “A part of me died the day he did. I thought it was the best part, but I was wrong. His memory and what he taught me remained. I just had to have someone who understood my loss and who truly saw the real me show me where I’d hidden it. It was buried under a mound of grief, and now, finally, I can live instead of exist.”
She rolled her lips over her teeth, wiping tears. How far he’d come in such a short time. He’d always had it in him.
He swallowed, meeting her gaze. “He knew the risks, and he’d pick saving you every time if given the choice. I don’t know if it was fate or destiny or if that crap actually exists, but I find it eerily ironic that the one woman who forced me to be the man he would’ve wanted me to be is the same girl he died rescuing.”
She couldn’t breathe. Oxygen exchange was impossible. Hope, fragile and delicate, surrounded her. Filled her. Enclosed her once more until doubt was shoved aside.
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
“Ah, Ella. There’s nothing to forgive.” He smiled and lifted his arm to stroke her hair, smooth her strands. “We’re not done yet. Follow me.”
Was he kidding? Stick a fork in her. She was overdone. Sniffing, she smiled since talking was not possible.
Shifting into gear
, he reached over and laced his fingers with hers, squeezing in a silent act of support.
He drove, and she watched him. She had no clue where he was taking her and she didn’t care as long as it was with him. She’d been a vacant shell of a person this week without him. Never would she have ever assumed he would forgive her or move past what she’d done or be able to get beyond the past that connected them in the worst way.
From terrible beginnings, wonderful things could bloom if given the right guidance. They’d both had supportive, loving people who’d raised them. Loss aside, they’d been darn lucky.
He parked outside her apartment complex. “Now, we need to get out.” He winked and opened his door, coming around to get hers.
She figured he was taking her inside the building, but he held her hand and led them around back to the path into the park. Humidity had chased off the earlier chill and the sun won its war with the clouds. The scent of fresh cut grass and cypress clung to the breeze. Silent, they strode over grass toward the playground.
Halting, she gawked. Blinked against the sun’s rays. And the breath backed up in her lungs.
Next to the swings stood his mother, Lou, Parker, Gerta, Brent, and Miles. All were watching them intently.
“Jason?” she whispered.
“Here is where our story started, sweetheart. Right here, with you on that swing and me squatting in front of you.” He led her a few feet to the same swing and encouraged her to sit. Just like that night, he hunkered and wrapped his hands around hers on the chains. “You had your hair up and a red dress on that matched your lipstick. I snapped a picture of you on my phone. You were so lovely it made my chest hurt. I just knew. Something in me recognized that you were different, that what I was feeling was more profound than what I’d experienced before. We hashed out a misunderstanding, and I kissed you.”
She grinned. “It was amazing.”
He laughed. “Yeah, it was.” He suddenly sobered, his brows furrowed. “Our story didn’t start with a fire or tragedy. It started with a kiss.”
Studying her, he swept his tender gaze over her. “You aren’t a fan of surprises, so I’m telling you ahead of time my plan. Okay? In my back pocket is a ring.”
Oh, holy flounder fish sticks. “What?”
He took a deep breath. “I never wanted to get married or have kids. The thought of something happening to me and leaving them like what had been done to me and Mama was unfathomable. I can’t promise I won’t wind up the same way as my father, but I can promise you I won’t take any unnecessary risks and I’ll do everything in my power to come back home to you.”
His grin sent the world spinning around her. “I don’t need any more adventures because you were right all along, Ella. Love is the greatest adventure. This is me, leaping without a safety net. I love you.”
Gosh, would she ever quit crying?
“I love you, too.” So much and so hard that nothing made sense without him. He’d shown her a whole new side of herself and the world and the way to live in it. “I love you, too,” she repeated. Funny how the majority of their relationship was spent with her babbling, and she could scarcely speak now.
“We’ve barely begun. I know this is soon and we’ve only been together a short time, but it feels like forever to me. I don’t care if it’s been five minutes or five months or five years. You’re it for me and there’s no sense in waiting.”
He shifted from a squat to dropping to one knee, reaching in his back pocket. He held up a ring. No box, just the ring. Princess cut, round, and an elegant diamond. The band was gold with two smaller diamonds next to the larger one. It was so simple and gorgeous that it was perfect. Just…perfect.
“This was the ring my father proposed to my mother with, and she wanted me to have it. But it wasn’t meant for me. It was meant for you. I want you to wear it. Marry me, Ella Sinclair. Say yes. Please, say yes.”
She slapped a hand over her face, laughing, crying. Her heart was so full, it had exceeded max capacity.
“Stop that.” He lowered her hand, fingers gentle on her wrist. “Don’t cover your beautiful face. Also, I’m gonna need a verbal answer before I lose it.”
Holding his head with both hands, she laughed. “Yes.”
“To what part? Clarify.”
“To everything. Yes.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Parker throwing his arms up in a silent Halleluiah, Jason’s mother pressed her hand over her heart, and Lou did a fist pump.
Brent, however, squealed. “Another one bites the dust.”
Jason closed his eyes and laughed. Cupping Ella’s neck, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Soft, sweet, and with all the emotion he no longer bottled. “I love you so damn much.” He swept his lips across hers. “You are kind and funny and smart and beautiful. Everything I never knew I always wanted. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Okay, move.” Gerta squeezed between them and hugged Ella, lifting her from the swing and spinning. “I told you, didn’t I, chica?”
“Yes, I suppose you did.”
“I get to be maid of honor.”
“Of course.”
“Which makes me the best man.” Parker held out his hand for Jason and hauled him to his feet. They did a one-armed back-slap hug. “Well done, man. Just remember, I called this way back. I told you that you were going down.”
“Know what’s red and bad for your teeth?”
Parker didn’t get to answer the quip because Lou, arm around Mary, cleared his throat.
Everyone stared at him, waiting.
After looking Jason in the eye, his narrowed to slits, he finally nodded. “Waiting on you, son. Always waiting on you.” He grabbed Jason’s arm and turned it over, depositing something in his hand. “It’s about time. Consider this my two-week notice.”
“What?” Jason glanced at his hand, where a gold fireman’s captain badge glittered in the sunlight. “Now? You do this now? Ten freakin’ years I was a lieutenant, and you choose the day I propose marriage to retire?”
Lou shrugged. “Yep.”
“Never mind that. Congratulations.” Mary smiled, her eyes wet. “I’m so happy for you.” She looked at Ella. “Thanks for not giving up on him.”
Ella opened her mouth to respond, but Jason got ahead of her.
“My girl never gives up.” He snaked his arm around her back and lifted her off the ground. “Thank God.” He kissed her, fast and hard. “She taught me to do the same. I promise, sweetheart. You and me from now on.”
He stared at her, sobering. “Death carves holes in your soul, and love fills them. You said that to me. It got to me and stuck.” He set her on her feet and pressed his palms to his chest. “No holes, sweetheart.”
Tears spilling, she smiled. “No more holes.”
Look for Parker’s story, Under Pressure, coming soon!
And check out more books in the Redwood Ridge series, including an excerpt from the first chapter of Puppy Love, below…
www.AuthorKellyMoran.com
Enchanting ever-afters...
Puppy Love
© 2017 by Kelly Moran
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Chapter 1
Avery Stowe squinted and leaned closer to the steering wheel, trying to see past the fat white snowflakes blanketing a dark, quiet Redwood Ridge. They sure didn't make storms like this in San Francisco. She supposed her mom's insight on trading in her Camry for a SUV before the move had been the right call. Her sedan never would've gotten them through an Oregon winter. Even her flighty mother had to be right once and awhile. Once, being the operative word.
Grateful to almost be at their destination after two days of travel, Avery chanced a peek at Hailey in the backseat and breathed a sigh. Assured her daughter was still asleep in her booster, she directed her attention to the road.
Four inches had already fallen since they hit the state bor
der. It was insane. Pretty, but insane. Having never been outside of warm, sunny California, this was a culture shock. But…new year, new start. Both she and Hailey needed this.
Even if the new town did look like Silent Hill. She checked for creepy zombie things, but found none.
The sidewalks had been rolled up for the night, the only illumination coming from the old world lampposts lining the two-lane cobblestone street. Avery thought her mom had fallen out of the crazy tree—and hit every branch on the way down—when she moved here ten years ago after inheriting a string of cabins from an aunt they never knew existed. Her mom had been happy, though, and figured Avery and Hailey would be, too.
It sure seemed ideal on paper. “Not Silent Hill, not Silent Hill.” Seriously. Where was everybody?
Pocketed between the coast and the foothills of the Klamath Mountains, Redwood Ridge was both a tourist hotspot and a charming small town of fifteen hundred residents. It had to have merit if it was able to hold her mother's attention this long. Row after row of small, independent shops lined both sides of the street. It was like stepping back in time to simpler, sweeter days. If only it had people.
Ten minutes later, the snow was dwindling and they were on a private road cocooned by cypress, pine, and redwood. It was pretty freakin' amazing, but she'd have to appreciate it more later. In daylight. Right now it looked like the set for Friday the 13th.
Maybe she should stop watching horror movies altogether.
They passed a few larger homes still decorated for Christmas and, five miles down, made the turnoff to the rentals. She pulled up to the first cabin and parked, eying her surroundings. Not Friday the 13th.
That was a yes to no more scary movies. Definitely.
There were five log cabins in total, evenly spaced and single story, dusted with snow. Cookie cutter in design, each had a small porch and an A-frame slant roof. The first had a warm, yellow glow illuminating the windows and smoke billowing from the chimney. Her mother's car was parked off to the side.