He walked to the chair by the window and took a seat. “A lot of people say that about her. I guess she has a familiar face. I can’t say I’ve seen her anywhere but there. She’s nice enough but has a weird list-making habit.”
“Making lists is very efficient. I have to say that the Corner Store has a lot more to offer than I first imagined.”
He shifted to get more comfortable. Though he hid the pain, his mother’s knowing look told him he was fooling no one. “I told you that everything I need is right here.”
“You also told me you’d be safe and look at you.” Her eyes fell to his leg.
Just the weight of her stare made it ache.
“Go ahead and say it. I’ve been waiting for you to start in on me.”
Deanna and Beth walked into the living room. “Say what?”
A taut feeling fisted his stomach. This was the argument he saw coming but wanted to avoid.
“This is where Mom tells me I should quit my job and come back to Denver.”
Deanna chewed on her lip until it was plump and red. Had she been thinking about it, too, but was afraid to bring it up? So far, he hadn’t met a woman who could deal with his career of choice. They tolerated it but never really embraced it, and now he prepared himself for her rejection.
Loving a cop was fine as long as he was safe, but the nature of his job meant he’d never be safe. Life was inherently dangerous, no matter the career choice. It was his job to make sure that the scales weighted toward safe for everyone, and if he left his job, no one was safer, including him.
“Merrick.” His mother used the librarian tone. The “shh, you need to be quiet” voice that scared kissing teenagers out of the stacks. “I’m just asking you to be reasonable.”
Deanna cleared her throat. “I agree with your mother.”
His heart took a nosedive. “Come on, Deanna.”
She held up her hand. “Give me a chance to explain.” She took a seat next to his mother and turned to look at her. “You’ve raised a wonderful man. He’s good and kind, and everything a woman like me could want in her forever guy.”
He waited for the but.
“Except safety,” his mother added.
“Yes, there’s that, but …”
There it was, the dreaded but. His natural instinct would be to fight for his job, but something held him back. Deanna had something to say, and he wanted to hear her, see her and appreciate the value she brought to his life.
“But what?” he asked.
“But being a cop is part of who you are. It’s a gut instinct for us to want you to quit.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “That first night in the hospital, I prayed that you would, but leaving your job doesn’t make your life better, and it doesn’t make you safer. It just makes us worry less, which is ridiculous. Every year tornados, earthquakes, and floods wipe out lives and homes. Those are natural disasters and aren’t related to an occupation. I once read about an airline dumping the waste from a plane, and it came down in a shitsicle and killed a man watching Oprah. My point is, life is dangerous.”
“You aren’t asking me to leave my job?”
Mom lifted her hand. “I am. I’m not willing to see if your luck runs out.”
Deanna got up from the sofa and walked to Merrick. Lowering to her hunches, she stared at him. “I’m asking you to never leave the house without saying goodbye and I love you, to live each moment with me like it’s your last, and realize the only minute we ever have is the one we’re in.”
“How did I get so damn lucky?” He pulled her up and into his lap, sitting her on his good leg.
“You happened to be in the Corner Store, and you were a good kisser.”
“Only a good kisser? I’ll have to up my game.”
“Well,” his mother grumbled. “If I’m not getting you out of law enforcement, I better be getting a grandbaby soon.”
“Mom, I haven’t even asked Deanna to marry me yet.”
“Oh pish,” she said. “Get on with it. Lord knows, if your luck stays the same, there’s a shitsicle heading our way right this minute.”
That night after dinner, Beth put on her makeup and her best jeans. He knew they were her best jeans because he ponied up a hundred bucks to buy them last Christmas.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s Saturday night, and I’m single. I’m going out.”
His mother sat in the corner chair, reading a poetry book while he and Deanna binge-watched Vampire Diaries. It wasn’t a show he would have ever tuned into, but love made you crazy or at least altered your taste in television. As long as she was snuggled up next to him, he’d watch hours of public service announcements if it meant he could keep her there.
“There’s only one place to go, and there are only three single residents that I know of. Two are off-limits, and one is too old.”
“Oh my God, I’m not sixteen, I’m thirty-two, and I know what I’m doing. If I want to go to a bar, I will. If I choose to hook up with someone, I will.”
Merrick put his hands over his ears and started a mantra of la la la la. When he saw his sister’s mouth was closed, he dropped his hands. “I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”
“Currently, I don’t have one, but that can change quickly, as you well know. Finding the one can’t be that hard. All you need is the right stuff at the right time.”
“Stay away from Red. He’s trouble. You’re too good for him.”
She walked to the door and stuck her tongue out like a sixteen-year-old. “Maybe his problem is that he hasn’t met the right one.” Her face turned pink, and she looked at Deanna. “No offense to you.”
Deanna smiled. “None taken. I owe a lot to Red. If he hadn’t been such an idiot, I might not have met your brother. Having said that, I agree with Merrick. Red is a player. He’s not the kind of man who will ever settle down. If you’re looking for longevity, then he’s not the one for you.”
Beth laughed. “At this point, I’d settle for long.” She covered her mouth and laughed. “Oh, did I say that out loud?”
“Beth,” Merrick warned. “I’m serious. Red isn’t your forever guy.”
“Fine, who are the other two?”
Deanna laughed. “There are more than two. Peter Larkin is in his eighties, but he’s single. He doesn’t match his socks, but I hear the ladies love him and his little blue pills.”
Merrick growled. “I don’t want to know.” He turned to his mother. “Aren’t you going to do something about her?”
His mother waved him off. “I’ve learned my lesson. A mother shouldn’t meddle.”
Deanna continued. “Gray is single but jaded. He’s already got an ex-wife. There’s a lawyer who lives in town whose name is Frank Arden, but he works too much. If you’re looking at going cougar, there’s Basil Dawson, but he’s mid-twenties at best. His father is single if you have a daddy fetish.”
“Hmmm.” Beth put a finger to her chin. “See, brother, there’s a smorgasbord of offerings.”
“Do not bring anyone to my house.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “As if.” She blew them a kiss and walked out the door.
“She’s going to be the death of me.”
His mother looked up from her book. “Oh, honey, just wait until you have daughters.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Merrick was not in bed when Deanna woke. The poor man was up most of the night worrying about his sister until he heard her walk in the front door at just after two. It warmed Deanna’s heart to see how much he cared about the women in his life.
The door swung open, and he walked inside, carrying a tray with coffee and a breakfast of toast and eggs.
“You made breakfast?”
He grinned. “I did. I’m a man of many talents.”
She rose and leaned against the headboard. “Oooh, breakfast in bed. You’re spoiling me.”
He set the tray on her lap. “I plan to keep you spoiled. You deserve good things. When I met you, I told y
ou that you deserved better. I’ll try to be better for you all the time.”
A thousand butterflies took off from her stomach and circled her heart. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Who would have thought a fake girlfriend would turn into a real wife.”
She cocked her head, trying to make sense of his words. It was probably him mimicking his mother’s sentiments. She’d been at them all weekend to tie the knot and start the baby-making. Deanna didn’t want to rush things, but her clock was ticking as well. She wanted what everyone else had. She wanted a husband, a home, a child, or two or three or four. There was no turning back the clock, but she also knew that life worked at its own pace. She’d tried to force her love on someone not open to receiving it. Now that she was with someone who loved her, she felt the difference. True love nourished the soul. It didn’t suck the life and energy out of you but restored you. No, she wouldn’t rush anything. There was no point in bypassing all the good stuff in the middle just to reach the end. Life was about all the things in between.
Merrick sat on the edge of the bed and handed her the juice. “Drink it up.” He smiled. Not his usual sweet smile, but the smile of a six-year-old up to something.
If Merrick wanted her to drink her juice, she would. She took a sip and set it down. His eyes went to the cup several times.
“You know what else I’m good at?” He lifted his brow in that seductive way he did that made her heart beat faster and her panties melt.
“Oh, I know how good you are at that.”
He puffed out his chest. “Well, I am, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
She raised her glass and took another sip of juice. He sat up tall as she drank and sagged when she placed the cup back on the tray.
“Tell me.”
“Turns out, I’m an excellent internet shopper. I’m also quite skilled at research. Did you know there are four Cs when it comes to diamonds?” He picked up her glass and handed it to her.
“Carat
Color
Clarity
Cut”
Her entire body tingled, and heat rose to her face. There was only one reason a man would talk diamonds with his girlfriend, and it wasn’t because Sherman was getting a studded collar.
She gulped down her juice, and on the last drink, something hit her lip. When she pulled the glass away, she looked inside the cup to find a ring with a single solitaire sitting on a white gold band.
“What are you asking me?” She knew what this meant, but she had to hear the words.
He tried to slide to the floor but winced when he was halfway down.
He pulled the ring from her glass and put it in his mouth. She watched him move it around, and when he pulled it back out, she stared at a stunning princess cut that was now shiny and clean.
“In a perfect world, I’d be on one knee. You wouldn’t be in bed, but in a beautiful dress at Trevi’s Steakhouse or on the beach with a waterfall as the backdrop, but this isn’t a perfect world.” He shifted his body, so he faced her, and he took her left hand into his. “I bought this ring before I ever left the hospital. I knew the perfect opportunity would present itself. Yesterday you said we only have the moment we’re in. Deanna Archer, I don’t want to spend another minute without knowing you’re mine. If you’ll take me, I’d love to spend the rest of my forevers with you.” He held the ring to her fourth finger and waited.
“Merrick Buchanan, I always thought there were four things I needed as a woman. I needed to be seen, heard, appreciated, and loved. I know that I have made my fair share of mistakes, but I have learned that you have to make mistakes to know when you find the right thing, and you, Merrick, are it for me. So, yes, I’ll give you all my moments, and we can spend those moments together, creating our perfectly imperfect world.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her like there was no tomorrow because there was no guarantee.
They emerged from the room fifteen minutes later, acting like giddy school kids. Elsa and Beth sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee.
Deanna held out her hand. “He asked me to marry him.”
Both women oohed and aahed at the ring. “Where did you get it?”
Deanna laughed. “Apparently, he’s a good internet shopper.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “You bought her ring on Amazon?”
Merrick took Deanna’s hand and stared at the diamond. “No, I bought it from James Allen. It’s not a conflict diamond, and it’s nearly flawless.”
Deanna giggled. “It would be the only flawless thing about me.”
He cupped her face and pressed his lips against hers. “You’re perfect for me.”
Elsa clapped her hands. “Oh, good. I was starting to feel guilty about poking holes in all of your condoms.”
“You what?” Panic rose in Beth’s tone.
“Well, it was obvious they were meant to be together, so I thought I’d help things along. Then I felt guilty for meddling.”
“Mom.” Merrick narrowed his eyes. “You said you were going to stop meddling.”
“Oh, I have. I poked the holes last weekend while I was here. This weekend, I’ve been a saint.”
“Oh, shit,” Beth groaned and buried her face in her hands.
A Sneak Peek at One Hundred Nights
Everybody lies; that’s a universal truth. Beth Buchanan had been lying to herself for some time now. She was convinced she had the morning flu … for the last fourteen days. But staring at the pregnancy tests lined up in a neat row on her bathroom counter, she could no longer fib to herself.
One test could have been faulty, but when all three gave her a positive reading, she knew she was good and knocked up, and Gray Stratton was the father.
“I’m going to kill my mother,” she growled as she looked down at her super fans, which included a tailless dachshund named Ozzy Pawsborn, a mostly bald cat named Kitty Van Halen, and a toothless German shepherd named Gums and Roses.
“What the hell was she thinking?” She stared at her menagerie of pets—all rescues—all worth saving.
She continued to internally rail at her mother and scooped Kitty into her arms and snuggled her frail body to her chest. Kitty’s sweater caught on the button of Beth’s polo shirt, nearly pulling it loose, but neither one of them minded because she needed comfort, and Kitty always needed warmth after losing most of her fur in a house fire. She wasn’t much to look at with her scarred skin and patches of white fluff, but Beth thought she was beautiful, because in those golden eyes, she saw the cat’s fighting spirit.
“I knew it.” She swiped the tests from the counter into the trash can with her free hand and stomped toward the kitchen. “As soon as Mom said she poked holes in Merrick’s condoms, I knew, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I held out hope.” Kitty wiggled in her arms until she put her down. “I know you don’t care as long as you get your food.” She wished her life was as simple as one of pets who slept for twenty hours of each day and only cracked an eye to eat.
She opened the cupboard and pulled out the kibble and cat food. It was a daily process to feed her critters. Ozzy was allergic to grain, so he got a protein and pea mixture. Kitty required extra nutrients to heal her wounds, so she added vitamin drops to her food. Gums had no teeth, so Beth soaked his kibble in warm water so it was easy to eat and digest.
They all sat in a row, looking up at her with expectant expressions. She put their bowls in three corners of the kitchen and walked into the living room.
Above her, she could hear her mother walking around the kitchen of the main house. The tip-tap cadence of her sensible heels was almost the same as Queen’s “We Will Rock You” intro. The clap, clap, stomp of the beat rang through her head. In addition to animals, she loved music, and that’s how all this trouble began.
“Damn you, Merrick, why did you have to get shot?” That was it. When her brother got shot the last time, it really drilled home how fragile life could be. While she was never a wallflower, she
hadn’t been much of a rebel either. That moniker would go to her feminist mother, who was probably in the front row when women started burning their bras. In fact, she probably held the torch that set them on fire. Elsa Buchanan was a force to be reckoned with, and Beth lived in her shadow all her life. It wasn’t that she was weak or mousy, but her mom’s flame simply burned brighter—blindingly bright, really.
When Merrick was finally out of the woods and she knew he’d be okay, Beth decided to start living. She was never one to dip her toes in the water. She was a jump right in kind of woman, and that’s how she ended up with Gray Stratten after a night of whiskey sours and music. Who wouldn’t love a man who could sing like an angel and play her body like an instrument?
She smiled as she thought about that night, but then her mom’s heels moved on the floor above her head and brought her back to reality.
“No wonder Merrick moved three hours away.” She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. “He had to get away from your constant meddling.”
Beth considered her own living arrangements. It was never ideal to live in the basement apartment, but it was cheap, and as a veterinary technician, she wasn’t rolling in the dough. She made enough to put some cash away and take care of her pets, which also included a hamster named Trip, and a beta fish named Mr. Spitz for his graceful movement through the water despite missing half a fin.
She closed her eyes and pictured her mother drinking her second cup of coffee before work; the heat of her flame burned hotter and hotter until she knew if she didn’t go upstairs and confront the issue at hand, she’d combust
She slipped on her shoes and walked to the door, calling over her shoulders to her pets, “If you hear screaming, don’t worry, it’s just me murdering my mother.”
She climbed the steps and marched right inside the back door. With her hands on her hips and her head ready to explode from fury, she searched her mother out and found her in the living room talking on the phone.
One Hundred Mistakes: An Aspen Cove Romance Book 16 Page 15
