“Maybe that was part of my plan.”
His low laugh raised goosebumps on her arms.
“Don’t tease me like that, Leah. You might get more than you bargained for.”
She touched the hollow in his lean cheek. “Or exactly what I’ve been waiting for.”
* * * * *
The sincerity mingling with passion in Leah’s voice fanned Stratton’s already heightened senses into flames. Had they been in a place where they weren’t surrounded by children and adults, he would have dropped the box tucked under his arm and left her in no doubt of what she meant to him. As it was, he had to content himself with something less.
He caught her fingers and kissed the tips. “How fast can you pick out a pumpkin?”
He knew by the wave of pink rising from her neck to her face that she hadn’t misunderstood his meaning. “We’re about to find out. Wait here.” Less than a minute later, she returned with two pumpkins. “I got us a spare.”
Stratton shook his head. “I’m standing here wondering if it’s safe for me to operate a vehicle while in such a state of anticipation, and you have the presence of mind to get two pumpkins.”
She laughed. “Don’t try to figure out how I do it; just be glad I can.”
“I can do both at the same time.”
Leah tugged on his arm. “Then let’s add walking to it.”
Their conversation during the drive to the hardware store never touched on the subject of what happened in the pumpkin patch. It was as if they both recognized that what they needed to say to each other was best accomplished face to face with no distractions.
It didn’t take long to carry everything in from the truck and put away the fruits and vegetables she bought. When they finished, he pulled her over to stand in front of him.
“Did you mean it? Have you really been waiting for me?”
The blue of her eyes rivaled the sky visible through the window. “Yes. I’ve been in love with you for what seems like forever. I didn’t recognize it at first because it wasn’t that bolt of lightning everyone talks about. It was a growing awareness and perception that you were the person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. You became necessary for my happiness. When I married you, I was doing it as much for you as I was doing it for Denver. And when I broke up with Neil, it wasn’t because I was over him; it was because I wasn’t over you.”
Stratton could hardly believe what he was hearing. Leah had never stopped loving him even after the way he treated her. “Which means my actions hurt you even more. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Don’t apologize for something that wasn’t your fault. I didn’t tell you how I felt.”
“That’s because I never gave you the chance.” He skimmed the contours of her face with his fingers. “I brought you into my life because of Denver, never suspecting how important you would become to me. My concept of love was narrow, self-limiting and prejudiced by my own experiences. You showed me that love can do more than turn an ordinary existence into something magical. Its real strength is seen and felt during the lows that inevitably follow the highs, in those dark hours before dawn when it’s so easy to believe that all hope is gone.
“I denied what was happening inside me because I didn’t want to risk failing you or losing you. In the end, I did both. In the process, I lost more than a wife. I also lost my best friend.” He reached for her hands and drew them up to his chest. “I never felt truly loved until you came into my life, and I’ll never be truly happy without you.”
“You don’t have to be without me. I want to be with you. Forever and ever.”
Stratton didn’t need to hear anymore. He dipped his head and trailed light kisses over her lovely eyes, adorable nose, shell-like ears, and dimpled chin, inhaling the flowery scent of her skin and hair like a man long deprived of oxygen. He moved upward to tease the corners of her mouth, taking pleasure in the never-to-be-forgotten sweetness he found there. Her lips were as soft and warm and welcoming as he remembered. Leah did more than arouse his passion. Her love had repaired a heart he thought was past mending and breathed new life into a soul he believed was past saving.
* * * * *
Kissing Stratton was like discovering a place Leah thought she knew, but then realized she’d only just begun to scratch the surface. Her awareness of her surroundings had been reduced to the thundering of his heart underneath her hand and the sound of his breath mingling with hers. His sun-warmed honey-like kisses and the gentleness of his fingers tracing lazy circles on her arms had her body humming and her pulse pounding in her ears. Never before had she been so aware of the power of touch. Her fingers burned where they came into contact with him, and her skin sizzled everywhere he touched her.
This kiss wasn’t like the first. That one had been reactive and unintentional. This one was deliberate. It had meaning and purpose and hunger stamped all over it. This time Stratton wasn’t holding anything back. He was opening himself up to her fully, transforming what had merely been a physical experience into something far more potent and lasting.
Hearing Aristotle’s, “Don’t forget to feed the bird,” brought them back to the tangible world they’d managed to escape for a few minutes.
Stratton laughed softly as he drew away from her. “That’s a new one.” He ran his thumb over the fullness of her bottom lip. “I never thought I’d be in a position to kiss you again.”
“And I never thought you’d want to. I got to the point where I wished you hadn’t kissed me at all. That way I wouldn’t know what I was missing.”
“Not want to kiss you?” he asked, smiling gently. “That would be impossible.” His fingers left her face and slid into her hair. “There aren’t many things you can count on in this life, but you can be sure of this: I’ll never stop wanting to kiss you.”
She leaned against him, her arms sliding around his neck. “Since we both like it so much, let’s not wait so long between kisses anymore.”
“I’m all for that,” he said, lowering his head once more.
As he explored her jawline, throat and neck, a coil of longing welled up inside her. His caresses were brimming with unspoken promises, offering both an invitation to intimacy and a vow of commitment. Here at last was the real, undisguised, pure expression of love she’d craved for so long.
Tears she couldn’t restrain slid down her cheeks where they mingled with their heated kisses. Stratton lifted his head, his eyes shadowed with anxiety.
“Leah? What is it?”
She struggled to find words to explain the indescribable. “I don’t know how to handle this much happiness.”
He brushed back the tendrils of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. “That makes two of us. I’ve spent weeks and months dreaming about this moment, hoping for a second chance with you. Now that it’s actually happening, I’m having trouble taking it in. It’s something we’ll have to work on together.”
“Together. I like the sound of that.”
He pressed a kiss on each of her palms. “I hate to admit to something so ordinary after something so earth-shattering, but I’m starved.”
Leah laughed. “Me, too. It must have been all that walking we did today.”
“Among other things.”
She grinned as she walked over to the refrigerator. “I’ve got that turkey chili and corn bread I mentioned earlier.”
“That works for me. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You can set the table while I get everything warmed up. The glasses are in the cabinet behind you. The silverware is in the drawer below.”
As he collected what he needed, he pointed to the cookie jar sitting on the counter. “That looks like the one Maria has.”
“It was Maria’s. She gave it to me when I left.”
He nodded. “I’m not surprised. You won her over just like you did everyone else.”
Leah set the pot of chili on the stove and turned on the burner. “I’ve been meaning to call her.”
“She’d l
ove to hear from you.”
When he finished setting the table, he came up behind her and pulled her against him. The hard muscles of his arms and chest set her insides quivering like a bowl of Jello.
“What…kind of food did you eat in Yemen?”
He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Mostly lamb, chicken, rice and potatoes.”
“It must have been hard getting used to living in a culture that’s so different.”
“There’s nothing I can compare it to. It was grueling, both physically and emotionally. Here at home, we worry about what to go see. Over there, they’re wondering if they’ll still be alive tomorrow.”
“Is it something you would do again?”
“It’s funny you should ask that. I got a call from the anesthesiologist who worked with me there. He’s thinking of going back next year. I told him there was only one reason I would go back.”
Leah’s heart skipped a beat. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she asked, “What’s that?”
“If things didn’t work out with you.”
Uncaring of the chili, she turned around in his arms. “You would stay here for me?”
His arms tightened around her. “I’ve been separated from you long enough.”
This comment led to another session of little to no verbal communication. Leah emerged breathless with wonder as well as the feeling that her feet would never touch the earth again.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Leah took advantage of a lull in what had been a busy Saturday at Twice as Nice to start decorating the seasonal tree. Such a task didn’t require all her concentration. Her thoughts easily slid in the direction of Stratton. Only a few hours separated her from being with him, and as usual, her anticipation was increasing by the minute.
It had been two weeks since he told her he loved her. Lest she forget (which would be impossible), Stratton had repeated those words in some form to her every day. When he wasn’t whispering them in her ear, he was leaving messages on her phone, sending her texts, or saying it with flowers. Each one of those occurrences were meaningful, but the look in his eyes when she caught him staring at her and the way his voice sounded every night on the phone when he called to say goodnight stayed with her the longest.
She was perched somewhat precariously on a ladder trying to attach a bow to the top of the tree when the bells on the entrance jingled. It was impossible to turn around in her present situation. She called out, “Welcome to Twice as Nice,” and hurried to finish her task. Her greeting usually produced some kind of response. This time there was only silence. Maybe whoever it was hadn’t heard her. Some of their elderly customers were hard of hearing.
Leah started down the ladder only to bump into something solid that also happened to have two muscular arms which quickly wrapped around her waist. She glanced over her shoulder and met a pair of teasing green eyes and a smile that made her heart feel like bursting into song.
“Stratton! What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you until later.”
“Moving Faye into her new apartment didn’t take as long as I thought, and the idea of going back to the condo didn’t have much appeal.” He bent to kiss her. “You taste like chocolate and caramel.”
“I’ve been snacking on Halloween candy all afternoon.”
“Where’s Holly?”
“Devon talked her into going with him to Macon. Jordan’s travel ball team is playing in a tournament.”
“When I was in high school, baseball was a spring sport. Now they play it year round.”
“That was back in the dark ages.”
“I dare you to say that again.”
She ran her fingertips up and down his bare arm. “Are you sure that’s what you want me to do?”
His answer was a low growl just seconds before he captured her mouth again. When he finished, Leah’s hair was no longer in a ponytail, her cheeks were nicely pink, and her lips bore all the evidence of being thoroughly kissed.
“I guess you’re feeling proud of yourself about now,” she said as she attempted to repair the damage.
“I had to make a stand for all the men born in the dark ages.”
She had to bite down on her lips to keep from laughing. “For what it’s worth, you’ve got some great moves for an old dude.”
“One does one’s best. How long before you can leave?”
She glanced at her watch. “About two hours.”
A gleam she knew all too well entered his eyes. He traced the fall of her necklace with a lazy finger. By the time he finished, Leah was leaning against the ladder for support.
“That’s a long time to keep my hands to myself.”
And it was a long time to resist him given that she didn’t want to. Clearing her throat, she said, “You can help me finish decorating the tree.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Leah laughed as she handed him a box of ornaments. “We don’t always get what we want. You can start with these.”
“It’s a little early for Christmas, isn’t it?”
“This isn’t for Christmas. It’s for Thanksgiving.”
“My advanced age is showing again. I thought decorating trees was exclusive to Christmas.”
“It still is for most people. This is a relatively new trend.”
He hung a few ornaments on the tree. “It’s hard to believe it’s almost Thanksgiving. Why is it that we miss people and familiar places so much more at the holidays?”
“I guess it’s because those are the events in our lives that stand out the most in our memories. They’re tied to our families and traditions.”
“I don’t want to spend any more holidays without you.”
She looked at him. “I feel the same way. Would you come to Columbus with me?”
“I’d love to, but how would your family feel about that? I can’t be one of their favorite people.”
“You’re wrong. When I told them about us getting back together, they were thrilled. No one was surprised to hear that I’m still very much in love with you.”
“Your family is as forgiving as you are.”
“They know I’ll never be happy without you.”
He reached for her hand. “I wish we were somewhere else right now so I could show you what that means to me.”
She smiled. “You already have.”
* * * * *
The air was cooler outside Twice as Nice. Stratton took the jacket hanging from Leah’s fingers and held it out.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, smiling up at him as she slid her arms into the sleeves.
Unable to resist, he bent down and kissed one of the blonde curls that had eluded capture when she put up her hair. As his lips lingered on the silky skin of her neck, he felt the shiver she couldn’t suppress. Her pleasure in his attentions and her eager responses to them were a constant source of delight. Leah wasn’t afraid to show him how she felt, and unlike other beautiful women he’d known, she didn’t use his attraction to her as a weapon.
“Are we eating in or out?” he asked as they walked to his truck.
“I’d prefer in. I don’t think I sat down once in the last eight hours.”
“You need an early night. While you’re taking one of those long baths you’re so fond of, I’ll fix us some of my world-famous grilled cheese sandwiches. Then I’ll get out of your hair so you can go to bed.”
She slid her arm through his and leaned her head against him. “The only part of that I don’t like is you leaving early. Have you forgotten this is old movie night?”
“I hadn’t forgotten; I was trying to do the gentlemanly thing.”
“There are times when a woman doesn’t want a man to be a gentleman.”
He sent her a shocked glance. “That’s the kind of comment that leads to trouble. It’s the male equivalent of a starting pistol at a race.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“All restraints have been lifted.”
“It seems to me that male
s have a serious problem with self-control.”
“We can’t help ourselves. We’re drawn to these fascinating creatures we can’t hope to understand.”
“That sounds like a compliment wrapped around an attempt to shift the blame.”
“I’m not smart enough to think of that.”
Leah rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard you described as ‘incredibly gifted, talented and brilliant’.”
“You can’t go by what Jade and Maria say.”
“Those words were spoken by your peers and your patients.”
Stratton looked down at her. “That’s nice, but the only opinion that really matters to me is yours.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re in love.”
“I’m still learning what it means to be in love.”
“Maybe that’s the secret to making it last. To never stop learning.”
The drive to her apartment took less than ten minutes. After watching Leah disappear into her bedroom, Stratton let Aristotle out of the cage and went into the kitchen. A smile formed on his lips when he heard the sound of water running in the bathroom. He would never forget the night he walked in on one of her two-hour bubble baths. The wall-to-wall mirrors in his bathroom had reproduced not one but several Leah’s, all of them equally breathtaking with damp tendrils of hair clinging to their faces and water droplets glistening on the tops of their pale shoulders.
Something Leah said to him before they got married popped into his brain.
“What if the man I fall in love with doesn’t want my love?”
To which he’d replied, “Only a fool would deny himself paradise.”
When he said that, he didn’t think he’d be the fool. Fortunately, fate was giving him another shot at paradise, and he wasn’t going to let this one slip through his fingers.
Leah appeared just as he was removing their sandwiches from the pan. A lump formed in his throat as his eyes moved from her still-damp hair to her clingy long sleeve shirt, printed leggings and fleece socks. She never believed him when he said it, but he thought her the most beautiful when she wasn’t dressed up or wearing makeup.
“You’re looking at me funny. Do I have my shirt on backwards or something?”
The Gift of Love (Finding Love Book 9) Page 19
