by Toni Blake
He headed toward his parents upon spotting them near Grandma Romo. They’d left Destiny and moved to Florida well over ten years ago, but to Mike, it still felt strange. In most families, the kid grew up and moved away. In his, it had happened the other way around. And whenever he saw them, particularly his mom, he still read in her face everything she never said. I’m smiling, but I still miss her. I’m better than I used to be, but it still hurts.
That’s when she looked up, her face brightening at the sight of him. “Mike!” she called, hopping up from a lawn chair near his grandmother to give him a tight hug he felt all the way to his bones. Still fit and trim for her age, his mother looked good wearing what he thought of as the official female uniform in Destiny: a pretty, flowery dress.
It was funny—when he’d met Rachel, he’d liked that she didn’t fit that typical Destiny mold. But today he liked that she did. Or maybe that she could. Or maybe that she had, that she’d cared enough about today to want to. He hadn’t meant to act so blown away when he’d first seen her—but he hadn’t expected her to look so beautiful. And already, she fit in here, without having yet uttered a word, since this was how Destiny ladies generally dressed—like life was a garden party. Yet at the same time she stood out—because, again, she appeared so pretty and self-assured.
“Mom, this is Rachel. Rachel, my mother, Nancy.”
And as Rachel greeted her, all confidence, his mother appeared…way too overjoyed. But then, that was the plan, wasn’t it? The whole point of bringing Rachel? And for the first time it occurred to him that, shit, Logan’s little “bring a date” plan here could backfire if everyone assumed this was something serious.
In fact, before he could stop it, his mother was pulling Rachel by the arm, away from him and into a circle of people, including his dad and Grandma Romo, to say, “Everyone, this is Mike’s girlfriend, Rachel.”
Girlfriend? Aw, hell. He just closed his eyes and shook his head, preparing to swoop in and fix things. Now he remembered why he didn’t bring dates to Romo parties—and why it was better to be harassed about it than to let his family jump to conclusions, especially his mother. Even if it was nice to see her suddenly looking so…well, sincerely happy. Not the fake happy he could see through so easily. Nope, his mom was thrilled to the tips of her toes that he’d shown up with a girl.
“A pleasure to meet you, Rachel,” Grandma Romo said, still sporting a thick Italian accent even after all these years. “Are you from Destiny? What’s your last name, dear? We Romos know everyone in Destiny.”
At this, Mike thought Rachel would at least freeze up a little, maybe glance his way for help. But she shocked the hell out of him by putting on a friendly smile and speaking as boldly as if the Romo/Farris feud didn’t exist. “Yes, I grew up in Destiny, but now I live in Chicago. I’m home for a visit with my grandmother—Edna Farris. My parents, Dean and Carol Farris, live in Chicago now, too—but were born and raised here.”
Now Mike froze, waiting to see what happened. And for a long moment, no one said anything, just sat or stood looking at Rachel, wide-eyed. Rachel, though, remained totally calm and cool, as if nothing awkward was taking place.
Finally, it was Mike’s mom who moved things along. “I think I went to school with your mother, Rachel. Carol Harney was her name then, right?”
Rachel turned back to her with a big smile. “That’s right.”
And the next thing Mike knew, conversation resumed—people went back to talking among themselves, and some with Rachel, even acting fairly normal and polite. One of his aunts complimented her dress, and then a big discussion about the Daisy Dress Shop started and Mike realized Rachel didn’t even need him around to move comfortably among his family.
He still wasn’t sure what had driven him to bring her to the party, why he’d fought for that so hard, but he suddenly couldn’t help thinking he’d made a good choice. And the fact was, as he continued hanging back, watching her, he felt…weirdly proud to be with her.
Just then his dad slapped him on the back. “A Farris, huh?” he said, laughing.
Mike just nodded, glad his dad was more amused than mad, given that, as Giovanni’s oldest son, he would have inherited the orchard.
His dad looked a little less amused, though, when he asked, “Did you give any thought to how your grandma might feel about that?”
Mike replied honestly. “Not really. Because Rachel doesn’t have anything to do with whatever happened back then, and neither do I. I figure I should be able to bring who I want to a party.”
Mike’s father shrugged. “That’s true, I suppose.” Then he even elbowed Mike in the ribs. “And I guess I don’t blame you—that girl’s a looker.”
As the party wore on, Mike barely saw Rachel—she was too busy off talking to other women. And occasionally, one of his cousins or an uncle would come up and say something like, “Dating a Farris, huh?” or “I can’t believe you brought a Farris girl here,” but their tone said everything he needed to hear: They might not like that she was a Farris, but they were clearly impressed and had ended up looking beyond her name.
Of course, as he watched her, he noticed she was nicer to his family than she generally was to him.
And he couldn’t quit pondering the question that plagued him: What was it about Rachel Farris that made him so crazy?
As he sat beneath a tree eating a piece of birthday cake, listening to his uncles reminisce about Giovanni’s Cadillac, Mike ticked off some logical reasons. One—he wasn’t used to being with a woman so mouthy. Two—he wasn’t used to a woman who turned him down for dates. Three—he wasn’t used to a woman who wanted the sex part without any romance, even though that would usually be fine with him. And…mainly, he decided, he wasn’t used to wanting to be with someone whose life, whose world, seemed so very different from his.
Except, was all that enough to explain it? Or did he need to revisit that moment—the one where he’d thought he might have the capacity to…care about her? Mike didn’t open himself up to people—he didn’t let himself care. His parents, his grandma, Logan, and some of his relatives—that completed the list of people he seriously cared about in this world. Because caring was…risky. He’d learned that early in life. So was it even remotely possible he’d let himself start caring about Rachel Farris?
Nah. Not that fast. He gave his head a brisk shake. And not with a girl who’d made it so clear she didn’t want anything from him except maybe an occasional orgasm.
Still, his post-sex lethargy in the car earlier forced him to ask…did that mean this was the first time he’d been totally, completely consumed by sex? The first time he’d ever been that into it? He loved sex, so…was that even possible? But how else could he explain the reaction? And what about Rachel made him so crazy that…goddamn it, he’d forgotten to use a condom.
That was a first.
And worse than breaking a law, in Mike’s opinion. “Shit,” he muttered.
Conversation around him halted and every cousin and uncle in the group stared at him.
“Sorry,” he groused. “Just…remembered something I forgot to do.” Which was putting it mildly.
Wow, what a day. Rachel slid into the big turquoise car, almost overwhelmed.
Not only had Mike had his way with her in a barn after she’d vowed not to let it happen—but he’d actually broken the law to do it! Somehow, from him, that had seemed the ultimate compliment.
Of course, then she’d been forced to get all serious with him, trying to explain her crazy emotions, which had sort of sucked.
But then she’d spent the afternoon charming the entire Romo clan, which had gone shockingly well. Even Grandma Romo had started being nice by the time it was over.
As Mike stretched his arm across the back of the seat, looking over his shoulder to back the huge car from its spot in the yard, Rachel didn’t hesitate to scoot over next to him again. She instantly wanted to be near him and, for a change, decided not to stop herself or question the move.
She was in too good a mood and felt too proud of herself. And maybe she should follow Mike’s advice and quit taking this thing with him so seriously, quit succumbing to that “being sucked back into Destiny” feeling whenever she was close to him.
“Well, I can’t deny it, Farris,” Mike said, pulling out onto the road, “that was impressive. I had no idea you could be that nice to people you expect not to like you.”
She smiled up at him—again, too pleased to be sarcastic or curt right now. “I just thought of it like my job, like walking into a boardroom full of corporate bigwigs I have to win over. Although, frankly, I was impressed with me, too. Since I was nervous.”
“Really? It didn’t show.”
“More thanks to my job,” she told him.
Mike focused on the road, but she sensed him hesitating—until he finally said, “Well…thanks. For being nice to my family.”
The sincerity in his voice touched Rachel in a way she couldn’t have anticipated. And it also made her wonder—had he really thought she’d be mean to them? Did she come off that awful? Maybe she did. “I am nice,” she said, realizing that maybe he didn’t actually know that.
Next to her, he nodded. “Sometimes. And more to other people than to me.”
Okay, she supposed she couldn’t argue with that. He’d seen more of her bad side than her good. “But I can say the same thing about you.”
To her surprise, he gave another short nod, eyes still on the road yet looking almost contrite. “Logan told me I should be nicer to you.” Then he peered down at her. “So, why are we always so…not nice to each other?”
But Rachel didn’t think it was such a mystery. “We have lots of reasons not to be nice. The speeding tickets you gave me, for instance.”
He nodded again lightly. “And you not respecting the law.”
“And you trying to buy Edna’s orchard away.”
“And the whole family feud thing, which we’ve been fed our whole lives.”
She shrugged. “When you look at it like that, it’s amazing we even managed to call a truce long enough to have sex.”
He chuckled softly in response, so she laughed a little, too. Then bit her lip as another reason she was always mean to him struck her. Because the way I feel when I’m with you scares me to death.
It hadn’t scared her at first—back then, it had just confused her, annoyed her, caught her off guard. But since then, things had changed—she thought about him too often and wanted him too much. Lord, no wonder I keep telling myself I have to stop this. He makes me feel more than I should at a time when I’m totally out of my element. Five minutes after deciding to take his advice, she realized it was impossible.
That’s when she heard Ben Harper’s gravelly voice echoing low from Mike’s iPod-rigged radio, singing “Gold to Me”—so she let the bluesy, sexy rhythm grab hold of her, distract her from it all.
But then she winced. Because…maybe being with Mike Romo just made every song seem sexy. Damn it.
“What is it?” he asked. “Why do you look weird?”
She flashed a slightly insulted expression, then got over it and said, “It’s nothing—I just like this song.”
He nodded solemnly. “Me, too.”
And together they listened quietly as Mike drove, and the soft breeze and late-day sunshine washed over them, leaving her a little more relaxed. Enough that she found herself subtly pressing her thigh up against his a little more—not a decision, just something that happened on its own.
In response, Mike glanced down at her, and…mmm, got that steamy look in his gorgeous brown eyes just before he lowered the tiniest kiss to her lips—which vibrated all through her. Oh my.
Yet…she felt more than just desire at the moment—it was mixed up with something else. Curiosity? Compassion? The day had made her think about all Mike had gone through with his family.
“Your mom and dad seem nice,” she said, aware that her voice came out softer than usual—the effect of his tender kiss just now. Maybe she wanted him to know it hadn’t all just been wanting to make a good impression—she’d actually liked his family. And maybe she needed to say it out loud because it was such a switch in her own personal thinking.
“And they’re even Romos,” he teased her with a grin.
“I’m trying to put that in the past,” she confessed.
“Wow,” Mike said. “Just when you think you’ve got somebody figured out, they do an about-face on you.”
He’d done a few about-faces on her recently, as well, but instead of mentioning that, she asked something that mattered to her more. Now that she was actually starting to think he might have feelings. “Is it strange…to have your parents live so far away?”
Rather than answer the question, though, he said, “Lots of people live far away from their parents.”
“Yeah, but it’s usually…their choice.”
He still didn’t answer—just said, “I could have moved to Florida when they did, I guess.”
“Why didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t want to. My life was here. I’d just graduated from the academy and gotten hired by Chief Tolliver. I didn’t see any reason to go.” Then he refocused on the road and his next words came out a little quieter. “But I understand why they left.”
And when he glanced down at her, she sensed him wondering if she knew. About his family’s history. She had no idea what to say, if she should bring it up or not. Though finally she did—even if her words sounded weak to her own ears. “I…remember about your sister. I’m sorry that happened.”
He simply drew in a breath and nodded, looking ahead, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. And for a long moment, she thought he wouldn’t reply—until he told her, “My younger brother left home, too, when he was eighteen. That was over fifteen years ago now, and we don’t know if he’s dead or alive.”
She swallowed, hard. She hadn’t even thought of that as a possibility, that Mike’s missing brother could actually be dead, but she guessed after so many years…well, it wasn’t an unreasonable thought. “God, Mike, I can’t imagine how difficult that is.” She touched his leg. “I’m really sorry.”
He just gave his head a short shake, eyes still on the winding country road. “That’s why Mom and Dad had to leave. Too many bad memories—they wanted to start over.”
“But you didn’t,” she pointed out. She didn’t mean to pry, yet…she remained curious to understand what held him in Destiny when everyone he loved had gone somewhere else.
He responded simply with another head shake—no words.
“It must be hard having your whole family gone,” she went on, unable to keep from prodding, wishing he’d tell her more.
But to her surprise, Mike let out a laugh—and she glanced up to see him wearing a jovial expression again, that fast. “What are you talking about, Farris? I’ve got relatives coming out my ears. They barely give me a minute’s peace.” He went on to tell her how Grandma Romo was always calling him to fix things at her house, and how his cousins were constantly inviting him to birthday parties for their five million kids. “Nope, afraid I’ve got way more family here than my fair share.”
It lightened the mood and left Rachel feeling a little relieved for him—and even led her to talk about her own extended family, about how scattered they were now compared to when she’d lived here. She explained that many of them still got together on holidays, though, and admitted that, “Well…seeing some of them a couple of times a year is enough for me.”
He looked down at her, clearly intrigued, amused. “And yet you defend the family name like we’re two gangs in a turf war.”
“Aren’t we?” she asked, reminding him of the turf at stake. “The orchard.”
“I’ve got an idea—let’s not go there right now. Since, just between me and you, I kind of like this being-nice-to-each-other thing.”
She shrugged. All her confusion over him aside, she did, too. “Fair enough.”
Only then his expression soured.
“What?” she asked. “I said fair enough—I’m not gonna start a fight or anything.”
He grimaced down at her. “It’s not that. I just remembered something I need to tell you. Something that might yank you right out of nice mode, quicker than orchard talk.”
Rachel let out a weary sigh. “Oh brother. What is it, Romo?”
“We forgot to use a condom earlier.”
Oops. She bit her lip, then murmured, “I knew something had felt extra good about that.”
She’d realized they hadn’t used one, but had just sort of forgotten they should have. “Yeah,” he admitted regretfully.
Fortunately, she could put his mind at ease. “Well, Officer Romeo, I’m willing to bet you’re the kind of guy who never forgets a condom—am I right?”
He nodded. “You were right. Until today.”
She slanted a playful glance upward. “Whereas I’m the kind of girl who, unfortunately, does sometimes forget a condom.”
“Typically reckless,” he muttered beneath his breath.
And she said, “Hey, what happened to being nice?”
The tone of his voice told her he was struggling to stay pleasant. “I’m trying—but I just found out my life might be in danger.”
Rachel let out an irritated breath. “No, Romo,” she said as if talking to an impatient child, “if you’d let me finish I could tell you that your life is not in danger. Because any time I have forgotten a condom, I’ve promptly had myself checked out—and I have a clean bill of health. So…not so reckless after all, hmm?” she concluded with a brisk nod.
“Still reckless,” he insisted. “Just sensible enough to find out if you have to pay for the recklessness after the fact.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Nonetheless, you’re safe with me. And before you ask the next question, no worries—I’m on the pill. That’s why I can forget the condom occasionally…if it’s somebody I trust.”
