Before the Dawn

by Gail Chianese

  “When do you have to head back?” she asked as she nipped his jawline.

  “My flight’s on Monday.”

  “Then I guess we better make the most of the time we have. Again.”

  And they did.

  Chapter 21

  After six weeks and sixty thousand phone calls, texts, and video chats, Kat Jones finally landed in Seattle. The plan had been for her to fly out for Thanksgiving weekend, but sweet little Frankie had shared the crud with the whole classroom, her included. Now as the plane taxied down the runway, Kat focused on the stunning view out the small window. A snowcapped mountain sat majestically in the background. Definitely not in Connecticut anymore, where they had hills at best. If her geography refresher was correct, she was looking at Mt. Rainier, the tallest mountain in the state. She snapped a picture so she could share with her class after the holiday break—and then remembered, she no longer had a class. The regular second-grade teacher was returning from maternity leave. Kat had been offered another position, but she’d turned it down to return to the wonderful world of private investigation.

  She’d loved teaching, but her heart was set on catching bad people. Well, that and a certain firefighter whom she couldn’t get over. Just the thought of seeing Shawn again, in person, sent her nerves into a frenzy. She pressed her hand against her roiling stomach and begged the butterflies to settle down. Their party time was over.

  For the past six weeks, ever since Shawn’s trip to see her, they’d talked every day. He’d sent her a gazillion and one pictures of Seattle, as well as of his hometown of Silverdale. There was even a shot of him on a mechanical bull. It was a bit crazy, and sexy all at the same time.

  The plane came to a stop and before the Fasten Seatbelt sign was off, she’d released hers and was reaching for the overhead. The guy across the aisle chuckled.

  “Happy to be home for the holidays?”

  Kat smiled as heat stole over her face. “Something like that.”

  “Ah, sounds like there’s a lucky person waiting for you.”

  “That he is.”

  Since she’d paid extra to fly first class, she was out and walking up the ramp before most passengers had even stood up. It wasn’t that she couldn’t fly coach, but she didn’t want to waste one minute of this trip. She followed the signs to baggage claim and took a deep breath as the escalators came into view.

  The video calls had been fun, interesting, and yes, very sexy at times, but they still didn’t hold a candle to really being with someone. Sure, they’d gotten to know each other. She probably knew more about Shawn Randall than she had her ex-fiancé and they’d been together for over two years. But she worried that the spark wouldn’t be there anymore when they were face-to-face.

  What if the chemistry had fizzled?

  Or he realized that they were just better virtually?

  There was only one way to find out. She took another deep breath, did a full body shake to expel the nerves, and stepped onto the escalator. Halfway down, she spotted him. It wasn’t hard, since he was well over six feet, but her focus went straight to the grin lighting up his whole face until he had crinkles around his eyes. He bounced from foot to foot as if he was trying to hold back running to her.

  He was adorable and her heart melted.

  She hadn’t even noticed the bouquet of red and pink roses or that he’d worn his SFD jacket at first. The first wrapped her heart in a giant hug, and the second, that jacket, reminded her of the conflict keeping them apart.

  Shawn nudged his way through the crowd, wrapped her in his arms, and kissed the breath out of her. “Best Christmas gift ever. Even better than a pony.”

  Laughter erupted from her and a few others around who had overheard.

  “You know, some women would get offended being compared to a pet. However, since I always wanted a horse as a kid, I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. Do you have any more luggage to gather?”

  “Just one bag.”

  He led her over to the baggage carousel. As they waited, which wasn’t long (thank you, first class), they talked about the flight, but more importantly Shawn couldn’t stop touching her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. As soon as they had her bag, he leaned down close to her ear.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but since it’s kind of late, we’ll head straight to my apartment. Thought you might be ready for bed.” His voice was low, husky, and full of promises.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  They made excellent time to Shawn’s garage apartment in Seattle, or Beacon Hill, as he explained. She didn’t remember much of the drive. They ran from the truck, up the stairs, laughing the whole way. Breathlessly they tumbled through the door. Her suitcase sat abandoned as Shawn lifted her into his arms and carried her to bed.

  The next day was Christmas Eve. The two of them set out to explore downtown Seattle. First, she paid homage to her drug of choice and stopped at Starbucks. She could really love a city that had a coffee shop every few blocks, or so it seemed. Then it was on to the famous Pike Place Market. Kat loved all the open-air vendors and hole-in-the-wall shops filled with local artisans and wares. She watched in awe as fish flew through the air at Pike Place Fish. She browsed the jewelry stands and fell in love with the vibe of the city.

  As night fell, they headed to Bellevue Botanical Garden d’Lights with more than a half million lights. They walked hand in hand admiring the displays. Amidst the twinkling butterflies, peacocks, and giant flowers, Shawn pulled her off to the edge of the walkway.

  He cupped her face with his hands. All playfulness from earlier was gone. His eyes searched hers. Nervous anticipation had her holding her breath. Something big was coming, she just wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.

  That’s stupid. He wouldn’t take me to a romantic holiday spot to break up. Would he?

  “Kat, I love you.” The breath she’d been holding in whooshed out in a rush, which made his brows draw down in question. “Were you expecting me to say something else?”

  “Um, honestly? I thought you might be breaking up with me?”

  He laughed, then kissed her. Deeply. Passionately. When he broke the kiss, he asked, “Does that feel like I’m breaking things off?”

  “No, and I love you, too.”

  He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s head home.”

  Once back at the apartment, he turned on the Christmas tree and made hot chocolate with Bailey’s. “I have something for you.” He reached under the tree and handed her a small, wrapped package.

  “Oh, I thought we were exchanging gifts in the morning. Let me get yours.”

  Shawn stopped her. “This is a special gift, for tonight.”

  Intrigued, she ripped the paper off and laughed. “Kinky Truth or Dare. Cool. I get to go first.” She opened the canister and pulled out a stick. “Truth or dare?”

  “Dare, baby.”

  She laughed as she read the instructions. “I dare you to . . . try to take off one piece of my clothing, but you can’t use your hands.”

  “Game on.”

  The next morning, she groaned as Shawn kissed her awake. Hadn’t they just fallen asleep?

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. It’s Christmas.”

  “Oh man, you’re one of them, aren’t you? Can’t we sleep for another hour?” In truth, she needed more like three or four hours, but Shawn threw the covers off and scooped her up. He set her down on the couch, kissed her, and handed her an extra-large mug of coffee.

  Inhaling the rich aroma, she closed her eyes. Every morning should start like this. Just later in the day.

  “We have to leave in an hour so we can make Christmas brunch at my grandma’s house. Or I would have let you keep sleeping.” He handed her a small, square box. “Merry Christmas, Kat.”

  She took the box, and reached down to retrieve his that she’d put under the tree before falling asleep. “Merry Christmas, Shawn. Shall we open them together?”

  He n
odded and ripped the paper off the box. She had to laugh at his enthusiasm. As he pulled the gift out of the box, she took her time removing the wrapping paper, more interested in his response. First gifts were tricky and she’d feared he wouldn’t like it.

  “It’s perfect.” His eyes lit up as he took in the framed lyrics to “Before the Dawn” that were arranged to look like a vinyl record. “Hey, you need to open yours.”

  She finished unwrapping the box, lifted the lid and picked up a beautiful, rose gold cuff bracelet. It had 41.3773° N, 71.8337° W engraved on it. “What’s this?”

  “Where it, this, us all started.”

  She slipped the bracelet on, loving that he’d gone to so much trouble, that he’d picked the perfect gift.

  “I love it.” Unfortunately, they had to get a move on or they’d miss the ferry. She was already nervous about meeting his family. Showing up late was not an option.

  They drove through downtown Seattle and queued up to take the ferry to Bremerton. It was about an hour for the crossing and then another half hour to get to his family’s home. Even though it was bitterly cold out—she could smell the snow in the air—they opted to stand outside and watch the skyline fade. She had brought small gifts all made in New England for his mom, Lynn, his grandmother, Orpha, and his cousin, Sutter. She’d also arranged for an Edible Arrangements fruit basket to be delivered for the whole family.

  The ferry ride was smooth, unlike some of her trips to Long Island, and beautiful. She and Shawn walked from one end to the other, enjoying the day. But as soon as they docked, her nerves went into overdrive. What if they hated her? They’d probably think she was going to try to talk him into going back to the East Coast.

  Within minutes of walking into his grandmother’s home, though, all her fears had been laid to rest. They were warm, welcoming, and friendly. It was like she had known them her whole life by the time brunch was over. Shawn and Sutter took her out to the barn, where she watched in fear as both took turns on the mechanical bull. A few times, she thought they were going to fly off and bash their heads in. When asked if she’d like to take a turn, she simply laughed and walked away. She’d had enough brushes with death to last her a lifetime.

  Before they left to make the trek back to Seattle, Orpha Dixon hugged her and told her she was welcome to come back anytime. Shawn’s mom gave her hugs too, and thanked her for making her son smile again. Sutter walked them out to the truck.

  “Let me ask you a question,” he said to her. “Who’s the greatest band ever?”

  Kat glanced over to Shawn. He shrugged and opened the door for her. “This sounds like a trick question. My heart is telling me to say Daughtry, but my gut is saying you want to hear Judas Priest.”

  He shook his head and looked at Shawn. He scratched his chin, frowning. “I don’t know about this one, cuz.”

  Shawn laughed, hugged his cousin, and helped her into the truck.

  “What was that all about?”

  “He was testing you.”

  “Did I pass?”

  “As far as I’m concerned? With flying colors.”

  The next day, Boxing Day, Shawn took Kat sightseeing. They hit the MoPOP, went on a tour of the Seattle Underground, had lunch at Ivar’s for the best clam chowder on the planet, then on to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop where they checked out the shrunken heads and native artwork. As a joke between them, he bought her a hoodie with the Washington Huskies on it, as a jab to Connecticut’s UConn team. It was too cold to ride the Seattle Ferris wheel, so instead they grabbed drinks at a waterfront bar and watched the sunset on the sound.

  He needed to talk to Kat about their future and what came next, but he hadn’t found the right time. Sutter would have said he was chickening out, but that wasn’t it. He needed to be sure. It needed to be special.

  The next day they got a late start as he’d let Kat sleep in after their late night together, while he made arrangements for that night. By the time they left the apartment it was already late afternoon.

  “Where are we going?” Kat asked as they climbed into the truck. “I thought you wanted to stay home today.”

  “Yeah, but we didn’t see the Space Needle and you can’t leave Seattle without seeing the city from the observation deck. It’s over five hundred feet high and you can see clear across the sound, the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, and more. It’s something not to miss.”

  He ran his palm over his front jeans pocket, his hands suddenly slick with sweat. The thought of Kat leaving didn’t sit well, but he didn’t know if she’d go for his idea. After all, they’d only spent a month in each other’s company. Sure, over the last six weeks they’d spent more days together—virtually—than most people dated in real life. But he still worried she’d think it was too soon.

  They walked around the Seattle Center first, taking in all the shops, and wandering around the Chihuly Garden and Glass museum. Both agreed some of the exhibits were cool, while others looked like a mass gathering of sperm.

  At the top of the Space Needle, as the sun started to slip into Elliott Bay, Shawn wrapped Kat in his arms and pulled her back against his chest.

  “I’m not ready to let you go,” he said.

  “We still have tomorrow.” She snuggled in closer. He breathed in her scent, letting it wash over and intoxicate him.

  “I still won’t be ready. Text and video chats aren’t enough.”

  “So you brought me to the place in Seattle with the most amazing view . . . to dump me?” She turned around and tried to step out of his reach. “Maybe we should go.”

  He blew out a breath. Scrubbed his hands over his face, and started over. “I want to wake up next to you every day when I can and when I can’t because I’m at the station, I want to know you’re in my bed. Our home, our bed.”

  “Are you asking me to move to Seattle?” She bit down on the side of her lip, eyes searching his.

  “No, I couldn’t do that to you. You have your family and your business in Connecticut.”

  “And you have yours here, which leads us right back to where we’ve always been. Divided by three thousand miles.”

  “What if we weren’t divided? What if we were closer?”

  “You’d give up your family for me? What about your grandmother? Isn’t she sick?”

  Shawn laughed. “Gran’s fine. She’ll outlive us all. There was an issue, but she got it resolved. Plus, she’s the one who told me I was a fool if I let you get away. She’s actually looking forward to visiting Connecticut.”

  Kat chewed on her lip. “What about work? You just started at the house here.”

  “I’ve already got my job back in New London. Not as a fire marshal, but as a firefighter. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Are you kidding? That’s great. There’s plenty of room in Rafe’s, so you wouldn’t have to find your own place. If you wanted.”

  “I want more, Kat.” Before she could say anything else, he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his grandma’s engagement ring. She’d given it to him Christmas Day. “I want forever. I want to give you my name, if you’ll have it. I want to know when I’m old and wrinkled and gray or bald, you’ll be by my side, sharing the sunset. I love you, Kat. Marry me?”

  He didn’t drop to one knee but as she froze with no answer coming forth, he thought about it.

  “Yes.” She laughed. “Yes, I’d love to marry you, Shawn and watch every sunset from now until the end with you.”

  Epilogue

  Kat and Shawn had debated wedding dates and locations. All of his family and friends were on the West Coast, hers on the East Coast. Neither wanted to wait months to make things official. In the end, they decided to elope to Tahoe and not tell anyone. As she got ready for the ceremony, guilt ate away at her. Her mom was going to kill her for making her miss this day, as was Lexie. And Vinnie!

  Actually, she was surprised her ghostly guardian hadn’t popped in to check on her yet during her trip. Lexie had probably threatened to kill him if he
did.

  She zipped up the simple cream-colored dress she’d found, as Shawn opened the door to their hotel room. How he’d found them rooms on short notice as well as a chapel, she’d never know.

  “Wow, you look amazing, Mrs. Randall.”

  “Uh, it’s still Ms. Jones. But thank you.” She gave one last look in the mirror before grabbing his ring box and turning to face her soon-to-be husband. “Is everything all set?”

  “They just need the bride and groom.”

  Shawn held out his hand to her and this time she didn’t hesitate in taking it. Together they rode the elevator down, and then walked to the small chapel at the back that faced the mountains in the distance.

  Shawn hesitated outside the chapel doors. “I have one last surprise for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “What is it?” She looked around, thinking maybe he’d hired a singer or arranged for extra photographs to be taken.

  “It’s in here.”

  She pushed open the chapel doors and tears sprang to her eyes.

  Her mom and dad were there to greet her.

  “Congratulations, honey.” Her mom kissed her cheek and in a stage whisper that could be heard all the way in Connecticut said, “He’s fabulous. We love Shawn.”

  Her dad held up his arm. “May I have the pleasure of giving you away, kitten?”

  Kat could barely see as she nodded to her dad. In fact, she hadn’t noticed all the other people in the chapel until a cool breeze wrapped around her and Vinnie appeared. For the special day, he wore a black tux, black shirt, and a burgundy bow tie and cummerbund. She almost didn’t recognize him, but what stunned her more was the stacked blonde standing next to him. She was in a dress circa 1920, but the more important detail was she was dead.

  “Congrats, kiddo. You didn’t think I’d miss your wedding, did you?” Kat couldn’t answer with her parents standing there, so she just smiled. “Oh, this is Marilyn. My forever plus one.”