“No, she’s with my mom and dad.”
No. She didn’t. Not without talking to him. “So you went through with the custody change after all.”
She shook her head hard. “No. Lily will stay with me.”
He sagged in relief. “And your mother? How’s she doing with that?”
“She actually said she thought I was a good mother, and she apologized for the last three years.”
“That must have been a surprise.”
Kait nodded and looked at her shoes as if she suddenly felt shy around him.
He understood. This was new territory for both of them. “Why don’t we meet at my house for dinner? You’ve never been there, and it’ll give you a chance to see what you’re getting yourself into.”
“You mean it’s time for you to let your skeletons tumble out of the closet for once?” She grinned at him.
“Not sure we have time for all of them.” He chuckled.
She stepped closer. “I don’t care about your past, Sam. It’s your future I’m interested in.”
He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Then that’s what we’ll focus on tonight. Our future.”
KAIT LAID HER outfit on her bed. The bright blue silk blouse and dark wash jeans were a birthday present from Nina, and the outfit included a pair of sky-high pumps. Kait stepped into the jeans, then took the soft silk blouse to the full-length mirror. Her gaze went to the deep purple bruise swirling out on her chest like a hurricane. She ran a finger over the dark center that would linger for weeks. The bruise could remind her of her ordeal, but she’d chosen to remember it as Sam’s concern for her.
Sam. He waited for her, sending her pulse racing.
She hurried into the blouse then slid her feet into what Nina declared as the crown jewels of the outfit.
Kait studied herself in the mirror. She looked perfect. Like someone dressed to impress others. Not like herself at all. She frowned at her reflection.
“It’s not me,” she told her mirror image and kicked off the shoes. “And I’m done with that.”
For too many years, she’d lived to prove to her mom that she was a fit mother. To fulfill a promise to Abby. To prove to her dad that she wasn’t boring and dull. Well, no more.
She jerked off the blouse and went to her closet to find a comfortable knit top. Sam was the last person she needed to impress. He’d seen her at her worst. He knew what to expect. If this thing between them was going to work, he’d accept her as she honestly was.
“Worn Birks and all.” She jammed her feet into her favorite pair of Birkenstock clogs.
She laughed, the sound so freeing as she grabbed her purse on the way out the front door. She soon pulled into the driveway of Sam’s small bungalow with a tidy yard. By the time she stepped out, he’d opened the door and waited on the small stoop. He wore the same jeans as earlier but had changed the dressier shirt for a black T-shirt stretched tight across his broad shoulders. He’d shed his boots, and his feet were bare. Good. He felt comfortable around her and didn’t feel a need to impress either.
As she came up the walkway, he leaned against the post and crossed his feet at the ankle while a lazy smile played across his face. She caught herself grinning broadly and couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this happy. Even before Abby’s death, she’d been too busy proving to her father and herself that she wasn’t a boring person and losing her joy.
“Hey,” he said, the word lingering in his slow, easy accent.
She stepped up to him, her heart thumping wildly, and suddenly she was uncertain what to say. “Nice house.”
“About that.” His smile fell, and he came to his feet. “I should have thought to mention this was Hannah’s house, too. Everything’s pretty much the way she left it.” He took Kait’s hands. “Not in some crazy tribute to her. It’s just that I don’t spend much time here and didn’t see the point in changing things.” He drew her closer and solidly met her gaze. “Or maybe I was trapped in the past like Marcie kept saying. Who knows? But I’m done with that and ready to move on.” He stared at her, his expression uneasy as if expecting her to be upset.
She extracted a hand and cupped the side of his face. “Then we should go inside to talk about what moving on means for both of us.”
Holding her hand, they entered his house. The interior felt ten degrees cooler, and she shivered. Maybe from the temperature, or maybe from the excitement of what lay ahead. He led her across hardwood flooring, past white crown moldings, thick baseboards, and old built-ins surrounding the fireplace in the formal living room. They moved to the back of the house with a comfy family room open to a remodeled kitchen boasting white cabinets and dark granite counters. A spicy aroma saturated the air.
Surprised, she looked at him. “So you cook?”
“Is it a deal breaker if I don’t?” He stepped behind the counter. “If it is, I’ll lie and say I made the Mexican takeout warming in the oven.” He gave her a fiendish grin.
She laughed. “You’ve had my spaghetti, so you know cooking is optional in my world.”
He held up a bottle of wine, and she nodded as she settled on a barstool at an island running the length of the kitchen. She watched him uncork the wine and pour a glass for her, his movements fluid and sure. The muscles in his forearm flexed and relaxed with each twist, and she remembered how it felt to be held in those strong arms after the shooting. To feel safe. Secure.
And loved.
He slid the wine to her and grabbed a beer for himself. He twisted off the top and took a long drink. “So . . .”
“So,” she responded.
He stepped up to her and set his bottle on the counter. “About us—what do you see happening?”
“Everything,” she said, then bit her lip before blurting out that she wanted a husband and siblings for Lily. A confession that was bound to scare him off.
He stepped even closer and slid a hand around the back of her neck. “Just to be clear, this everything includes me.”
“I want it to . . . there’s just this one thing . . . I . . . I need to be certain.”
He leaned back, searching her eyes a healthy measure of panic in his expression. “What?”
“It’s Lily . . . you told me about Danny. About not being sure you’d be a good dad. How do you feel about that now? I mean, Lily will have such a rough road as it is. She’ll need a strong dad who’s there for her.”
“Why, Kaitlyn Knight, are you asking me to marry you?” He grinned at her, but she could see it was covering up uncertainty.
“I’m serious here, Sam. You told me you didn’t think you should be a father. Lily’s in my life for good. Before we get seriously involved, I need to know if you think you’d be a good dad.”
“Is that all?” He let out a shaky laugh. “Dang right. I’ll be the best dad on the planet.”
Her heart warmed beyond expectation. “Then that’s all I need to know.”
“And all I need to know is that you trust me with her.”
She nodded, and he lowered his head. His lips were cool from the beer, settling over hers. She snaked her arms up around his neck and drew him closer. The kiss deepened. She considered telling him she loved him, but the whole husband and father topic was probably enough for today.
He crushed her to him and pain flared through her chest, making her pull back. The shooting came flashing back, and instead of upsetting her, the thought made her smile.
“What’s so funny?” Sam asked.
“I was just thinking.” She mocked a serious expression. “I finally decide to trust a guy, and he shoots me.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open, but when she grinned, he laughed. He settled his hands on her hips and gently drew her closer. “Then give me another chance to get things right by taking you out on a proper date.”
&n
bsp; Kait tapped her chin pretending to think about it. “We’ll go out on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You have to promise that whatever we do, it won’t involve the use of firearms.”
“I promise,” he said seriously. “But I won’t promise that it won’t involve fireworks.” He grinned, the cute little number where the right side of his mouth quirked up and the dimple deepened. He ran a finger down her cheek, leaving sparks in its trail.
Kait’s breath caught in her throat, and she reveled in the sensation. It was about time she had some bright, sparkling fireworks in her life, and Sam was just the guy to provide them.
The End
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Acknowledgements
Additional thanks to:
My daughter Emma for help with plot issues and technical details. My daughter Erin and son-in-law Pete for patiently answering all of my questions about World of Warcraft.
The very generous Ron Norris who gives of his time and knowledge in police and military procedures, weaponry details, and information technology. As a retired police officer with the LaVerne Police Department and a Certified Information Security Professional, your experience and knowledge is invaluable. You go above and beyond, and I can’t thank you enough!
Vance Nebling, Criminalist in the Portland Police Bureau Forensic Evidence Division. Thank you for the tour of your department and for answering forensic questions when they arise. Your willingness to share your expertise is greatly appreciated.
Any errors in or liberties taken with the technical details Ron or Vance so patiently explained to me are all my doing.
And last but not least, the Portland FBI agents and staff for sharing your knowledge and expertise at the Citizen’s Academy. I’m still smiling from our day on the firing rage. Who knew shooting a semi-automatic rifle could be such fun? I hope my respect for your dedication to the job comes through in my trio of FBI agents in this series.
About the Author
Susan Sleeman is a bestselling author of clean read and inspirational romantic suspense books. Awards include Thread of Suspicion (2013 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Best Book Award), and No Way Out and The Christmas Witness (Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence finalists). In addition to writing, Susan also hosts the popular website TheSuspenseZone.com. She currently lives in Oregon with her husband, but has lived in nine states. They have two daughters, a son-in-law, and an adorable grandson.
To learn more about Susan stop by any of these locations on the web.
Website: susansleeman.com
Facebook: SusanSleemanBooks
Twitter: SusanSleeman
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