“Hmm. That sounds wonderful, but I would rather hold you for a while.” He kissed the side of her face. “How was your day?”
“Great!” She gave him a huge smile. “Cherise announced that she’s turning over the day-to-day running of the company to James temporarily while she takes time for personal reasons. She plans on checking in at least once a week and will be available if a crisis occurs; other than that, she’ll be out of touch. Then, she called me into her office and said that while James is performing her duties, I’ll be performing his—and yes, she’s aware that I’ll be taking maternity leave in a few months. She’ll return before then.”
“Really?” Chaz laughed and gave his wife a hearty kiss. “I’m so proud of you!”
“Yeah, but when everyone else finds out that she skipped over them in favor of the newest member of the team, I’ll probably have lots of attitudes to deal with, but that’s okay. I’m learning to be tough, right?”
“So, she didn’t announce that today?”
“No. She wanted to give James his moment in the spotlight. She’ll send a memo next week about my temporary promotion.” Stephanie shifted so that she could straddle Chaz and wrap her arms around his neck. He held her close and kissed her shoulder while rubbing her back. “We have a good life,” she whispered against his neck.”
“Yes, we do.”
They sat like that for a long time. Their hearts beating against each other. Their breathing matching one another. Her clinging to him. Him running his hands over her back, along her thighs, and back up to massage her shoulders.
“Before you, I never thought about what I wanted beyond being an agent,” Chaz confessed. “Now, I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Stephanie didn’t respond. She didn’t need to; they both knew that she felt the same.
Chaz eventually warmed his dinner and they talked about buying furniture for the nursery while he ate. He asked about her family and mentioned that his mother wanted them to visit soon—she hadn’t seen them since Thanksgiving. Chaz suspected that she wanted to corner them about the plans for their wedding since no one knew they were already married. Stephanie updated him on the ideas she and Karen had discussed.
When they went to bed, they didn’t talk at all. They simply held each other until they fell asleep.
CHAPTER 15
Over the next couple of weeks, Stephanie had several visions relevant to the case against Paul Watkins. With her help, Steve was able to keep the task force focused in the right direction and all of his plans for capturing the criminal were falling into place. He’d left a few days earlier to begin the intense surveillance on the target with hopes of having charges in that case filed within a month.
He had asked her to not tell Chaz about some of their conversations—specifically the ones that only marginally indicated her husband’s role but which hinted at things that might affect him in the future. Things regarding his position on Steve’s team. On one hand, Stephanie didn’t feel comfortable; but on the other hand, she trusted Steve McDaniels. And he trusted her.
“That must make you feel good,” Karen said during one of her video-chats with Stephanie.
“It does.” She smiled and pulled the band from her ponytail so that her hair could hang free. “I’m finally getting used to dealing directly with Chaz’s colleague; Steve has called me a couple of times to tell me about specific developments and to ask whether the new information relates to any details that might have been in one of my previous visions but that didn’t seem relevant. And, it seems that I’m having new dreams about the case; I’ve texted him twice this week to let him know what I’ve seen. It’s exciting.”
“How does Chaz feel about this new relationship? I mean, does it bother him that he isn’t always the middle man in communicating what you see? It’s got to feel weird to have you dreaming on a case that he’s not directly involved with.”
“He’s fine with it. Besides, he’s still on the task force and analyzes the data being collected. He and I both keep Steve going in the right direction.” She paused for a moment before adding, “I think that Steve being around—he’s come to dinner a couple of times—takes some of the sting away from Sylvia no longer being in Chaz’s life. I mentioned that theory a couple of days ago, and I think that her absence bothers him. But then, he’s adamant about not backing down from his position.” She shrugged. “He’s probably right to think that if he made overtures to repair their friendship that she would think he was backing down from choosing me over her. He doesn’t want there to ever be any misunderstanding.”
“I agree with that; she was so far out of line that I can’t imagine him ever wanting her to forget that she created this chasm between them.” Karen shifted a sleeping son from one arm to the other. “This boy is getting heavy. And speaking of babies, how are you feeling?”
“Great! I think she’s moving around. I can feel when she’s moving. It’s not like it was at first when it felt like a butterfly was in my stomach. She seems to be stretching and turning.”
“Really?” Karen tried not to laugh too loudly. “You’re moving right along, Steph. The next time we get together, you’ll probably look like you swallowed a melon.”
“I’m not far from that now.” She stood and moved away from the computer so that her friend could get a better look at her. There could be no mistaking the large swell in the center of her body.
“Oh my god! You look wonderful! I just wish you were here so that I could spoil you, and we could do marathon shopping and gorge on your favorite foods. You deserve it after how wonderful you were to me when Little Victor was still baking.”
“Hey, I’ll be there next weekend, remember? Chaz does a good job of spoiling me, but I’m definitely looking forward to some more pampering from my best friend. Honestly, I have to come before I get too much bigger or that protective husband of mine might not want me to travel by myself.”
“Are you going to drive up alone? I thought he would be bringing you.”
“I’ll be on my own. Chaz can’t get away from work, and that probably won’t change anytime soon. Even though Steve let him off the hook on going to Chicago, the data they’re getting back from the surveillance technicians has to be analyzed very quickly.” She didn’t add that even after Paul Watkins is caught, there would be a lot of paperwork. “I’ll leave here after the rush hour on Friday morning and be at your house long before dinner time. We’ll have all day Saturday and half of Sunday before I have to leave Erie.”
“That’s not very much time.”
“It’s all I can spare right now. Chaz isn’t the only one getting a lot of demands. With Cherise being out of town, the pace at the office is a little frantic.” She watched her friend nod. They both had careers in investing, so Karen fully understood.
“Well, I’ll take what I can get. Just be safe on the road.” Karen’s face reflected her usual smile. “Bring your bridal books and baby magazines. We can talk about the wedding Friday night.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I can’t wait to see you; I miss you so much it makes me sad sometimes.”
Karen made a dismissive hand gesture. “That’s just the hormones, but I miss you too. Now, get off this phone so that I can take care of your godson who should be waking pretty soon, and you can plan dinner or something.”
Stephanie didn’t need to plan dinner. A roast had been simmering in the crock pot overnight. Potatoes, carrots, and stewed whole tomatoes were already in there as well. All she needed to do was make a small salad. So, she stretched out on the bed after the conversation with Karen ended.
Chaz didn’t want to wake her when he returned from the office. Normally, he wouldn’t be working on a Saturday, but he’d decided to put in a couple of hours after his time at the shooting range and a decent workout.
He sat in the chair in one corner of the room and watched the love of his life look even more beautiful than normal. Her skin glowed and her face was peaceful. He’d been worrying about her
lately; taking a more active role with his case, as well as being pregnant and having more responsibilities at work, was taking a lot of her time and energy. He smiled with admiration at the way she didn’t mind sharing herself.
Bridal magazines were stacked neatly on the floor beside the chair, so Chaz picked them up and began browsing through them. Stephanie had dog-eared several dresses along with ads for caterers and photographers. It occurred to him that this was something else she was doing for other people. Their families, not knowing they were already married, were expecting a large ceremony in May—less than two months away. He wondered how many of these plans had been finalized and whether it was fair to have other people dictate an event that was definitely causing even more work for Stephanie. Suddenly, he felt bad about being so consumed with work that he hadn’t taken time to help her with even the tiniest bit of planning.
“Hey,” a groggy voice said from the center of the room. Stephanie managed a weak smile through her sleepiness.
“Hey.” He set the magazines down and joined her on the bed. “How are you?”
“Fine.” She reached up to run a finger along the edge of his jaw and down his neck. He captured her hand and kissed the palm and was rewarded with a sigh and the loving look she always had for him.
“I was looking at some of your books.” He tipped his head toward the chair where he’d been sitting. “How are the wedding plans coming? Is this too much work?”
“Actually, most of the planning is done. I’ve booked the wedding at the Atrium Hotel. Although it’s not a five-star hotel, it’s a great place for Indian weddings and will therefore fit nicely with our theme. The wedding will be in the atrium and the reception will be in one of the conference rooms. Phailin recommended a couple of caterers and a friend from work recommended a bakery. I’m still deciding which ones to actually hire—which reminds me that we need to schedule times for food tasting before the end of the month. As for the decorations, Karen and I will discuss those next weekend.”
“And your dress?”
“Already ordered. I can’t wait for you to see it.” A huge smile spread across her face as she thought about the satin and lace dress with a beaded bodice, high empire waist to accentuate the growing baby bump, and a keyhole back that also had corseting to allow for the midsection to be adjusted. The seamstress had made special alterations to allow for all of those details on a maternity wedding gown. Now she asked her husband, “Are you ready to think about tuxedos? We have to make those decisions soon, also.”
“Traditional black with long jackets works fine for me. I’m not picky.” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I’m very lucky to have you.”
“I keep telling you, Chaz, that luck has nothing to do with it.” She gave the lighthearted laugh he loved. “We’re meant to be together.”
“Yeah, I know.” He kissed her forehead. “I know you have dinner cooked, and it smells wonderful, but I honestly have a taste for a banana split. How about going to Graeter’s now and eating dinner later?”
“Dessert first? I’ll never pass that up. I think this baby is giving me a sweet tooth.”
While Stephanie freshened up so that they could leave, Chaz stood in the doorway to the bathroom and reminded himself of how amazing his wife was.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Are you sitting down?” Steve asked from his end of the telephone.
“Sure.” Chaz sat up straighter in his chair. Nothing good could follow those words.
“We’ve been tracking Paul Watkins for the past couple of weeks and it looked like he was getting ready to relocate. The prosecutor has been scrambling to confirm all of the federal charges we want to file, but he isn’t ready and we might have missed at least one chance to arrest Watkins. On top of that, local informants have hinted that he’s headed to Cincinnati to establish his base of operations.”
“How soon?” Chaz’s heart skipped a beat. There was no way he wanted that man anywhere near him and Stephanie.
“That’s the big question. We haven’t seen him for a few days, so he might already be there. I’m at the airport waiting on my flight back. I have a few people to talk to and a couple of places to check out. One might be his new residence.” He paused. “I thought you should know.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” Chaz rubbed a hand across his face. Everything had been going so well. “Call me when you get in and I’ll pick you up from the airport.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chaz. If he is in Cincy, you need to stay out of sight as much as possible. There’s more that you don’t know.” He only paused slightly before saying, “It seems that the informants who told us where to look for Watkins have now disappeared. Both of them. Neither their families nor the officers they work with have seen them for a couple of days.
“Damn!”
“Right. I’ll be in the office tomorrow.” Steve sounded tired and frustrated.
When they ended the call, Chaz debated over whether he should tell his wife about this latest turn in the investigation. Maybe it would be best to wait until she returned from her trip to Erie—she needed this upcoming weekend to relax with her best friend and not be worried. He made a quick decision that, if her visions didn’t tell her, he wouldn’t let her know about Watkins.
With his focus redirected, he decided to skim back through the assessments he’d made about the Chicago surveillance data to see whether he could pinpoint anything that might help Steve. The effort to locate Watkins was becoming one of the biggest pains of his career.
It would be another late night at the office.
Not fifteen minutes after he made that decision, Roy appeared at the opening to Chaz’s cubicle to tell him the same thing that Steve had said. Hearing it for the second time didn’t make it sound any better.
By the time he arrived home that night, Stephanie had eaten and left him a note to wake her no matter what time. It was Thursday and she’d be leaving in the morning to visit Karen. Chaz undressed and slid into bed beside his wife.
“You’re home. What time is it?”
“Almost 11:00.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body against his. “Are you all set for your drive tomorrow?”
“Uhm hmm.” Her lips lightly brushed his neck and she tossed a leg over his thighs. “Why are you so late getting home?”
“I needed to review some recent data for Steve.”
“Everything okay?”
“For now.”
Stephanie didn’t miss the evasiveness in that answer but decided not to press the issue. There were more important matters—like making love to her husband since she wouldn’t see him for a few days. She wouldn’t let whatever was going on with his job interfere with the fact that the night was their time to regroup, refresh, and renew their connection. In those moments in the dark, only they existed—together.
As if reading her mind, Chaz shifted so that they were lying on their sides facing each other. He stared into the golden-brown eyes looking into his and relaxed. He was home. Stephanie was his home, where he thrived and felt complete, where nothing and no one could touch him.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said softly with his mouth mere inches away from hers
“I know.” She kissed him very lightly. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
“Then, you won’t object to me making the most of tonight?”
“I’d object if you didn’t.” Stephanie dropped light kisses over his chin, neck, chest, and shoulder until he groaned and his lips demanded she stop teasing him.
Delicate. Deliberate. Delicious. Every touch and motion was something to be savored.
Stephanie had a wicked thought that she didn’t really need to leave at 9:00 the next morning—Karen wouldn’t mind. Stephanie was going to spend as much time as she wanted enjoying her husband. Maybe she’d take a nap at dawn; she thought that might work. A moment later, she wasn’t thinking at all as her husband consumed every ounce of her attention.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
>
Driving north on I-71 at shortly past noon, Stephanie was tempted to call Chaz. Or maybe she should call Steve since the vision that popped into her head as she was passing Columbus was about him. The problem was that she couldn’t tell whether the situation was good or bad, or whether it had anything to do with any of his cases.
She saw details, but couldn’t focus on the conversation when Steve was approached as he sat at in the cafeteria at work. Roy Gifford plopped onto a chair and leaned across the table as if he didn’t want the conversation to be overheard. He was animated but not angry. Steve was pensive but not upset while he listened and occasionally nodded his head. An air of anticipation surrounded them, but Stephanie once again didn’t get the impression that it was related to Chaz or the investigation he was a part of.
That was odd.
Why would she have a vision about Steve that didn’t connect to Chaz in some way? As she checked her side-view mirror before changing lanes, Stephanie’s brow wrinkled in confusion. Should she say anything to anybody? It wasn’t like her to be hesitant, but her instincts were telling her to hold on to this bit of information for a couple of days. Even Chaz didn’t need to know right away, despite the fact that they had agreed that she would immediately tell him about any vision about him or his job. Did this meet the criteria since it was about Steve? While she didn’t feel that the situation was urgent, she did sense that it was important. Again, her hesitancy baffled her.
The drive to Erie was otherwise uneventful. It was a good thing, because Stephanie couldn’t shake the vision or her instincts about it.
Karen picked up on the indecisiveness right away and suggested she and her friend talk over a cup of tea and a plate of lemon-rosemary cookies.
“Of course, if you’re hungry, we can have dinner early.” Karen offered even though her husband wouldn’t arrive home from work for a while.
“No. Cookies will be fine. I was telling Chaz the other day that this baby has given me a sweet tooth.” Stephanie linked her arm through the other woman’s and headed toward the kitchen.
Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 Page 15
