Write Me Home

by Crystal Walton

  “I seem to remember you being the one into stereotypes.” His dimples quirked. “Or did you forget the whole fireman Dalmatian crack?”

  Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She headed toward the swing off in the corner instead. “Anyone ever tell you you’re exasperating, Ethan DeLuca?”

  His laugh rippled over the quiet field. “A few.”

  She spun and walked backward. “They weren’t lying.”

  Exasperating and way too attractive for his own good. Why did his station gear have to include blue shirts that made his eyes that captivating? Those babies had to top all his superpowers combined.

  She dusted off the wooden seat, mounted the swing, and ran her hands along the rugged ropes. The elm’s branches shook overhead but held her weight and even more memories. It didn’t make sense for the few she’d shared with Ethan to outshine the rest.

  Even now, when things should’ve been awkward, he made it so natural to be around him. No way she’d be able to keep things just business unless she hid in the kitchen nonstop like she had today. Not that it’d made much difference.

  Maybe she should give up already. But how could she risk getting hurt again? Jenni was probably right. She was a lost cause if she expected this situation between them to work.

  Ethan strolled over to the swing. She didn’t have any idea how cute she was, did she? Hair swept back with a bandana, jeans rolled up, bare ankles in the air.

  Thank God, she was talking to him again. He wouldn’t have been able to go much longer, wondering if he’d ruined everything between them last night. Though, being near her now wasn’t much easier. He’d given her space today. But man, how was he supposed to keep that up when all he wanted to do was relive their kiss?

  Think about something else. He leaned against the base of the tree and breathed in the fragrance blowing off the gully behind them. “Nothing beats honeysuckles.”

  “Actually, I think that’s jasmine.”

  “Excuse me, Windflower.” Or whatever lame pet name Nick had called her. Ethan almost choked on the guy’s cheap cologne just thinking about it.

  Cheeks red, she grabbed a stick from the ground and tossed it at him.

  He dodged it and laughed. “Either way, I’m just saying we should slow down more and enjoy it, you know?” Something flew up his nose right as he exaggerated an inhale. Flailing, he turned and tried to blow it out.

  “You all right over there?”

  “I think I just snorted a mosquito.” He blew his nose a dozen more times until he could breathe normally again. Wow, that was classy. He stood upright and chuckled. “So much for being smooth.”

  She doubled over with laughter.

  He gave the ropes a good spin. She wouldn’t think it was funny if he told her about the grasshopper five inches up from her hands. So tempting. He knocked it off instead. He’d rather hear her laugh than scream. He wasn’t about to ruin the moment now that she was finally at ease with him again. Maybe she hadn’t shut him out completely after last night.

  He reclined against the tree trunk. “You know, I remember playing on this field as a kid.”

  Her feet dragged along the dirt until she stopped, mouth slack. “What?”

  “I came to camp one summer when we first moved here from the Bronx. I was like four or five, maybe.”

  “Why’d you stop?”

  He shrugged. “My mom said we didn’t belong here.”

  Her hands slid down the ropes and fell to her lap. “Why?”

  “Who knows?” He propped his foot behind him. “The woman has a serious chip on her shoulder.”

  She twisted the swing toward him. “You got some kind of beef with her?”

  “You could say that.” He picked at a callous on his palm. “Both my parents are workaholics. They left my sister and me to fend for ourselves most of the time.”

  “I didn’t know you have a sister.”

  “Had.” His boot dragged down the bark. “She died when I was seventeen.”

  Her hand soared to her chest.

  He pushed off the trunk and faced the gully, not ready to go there yet. “Mom never paid me a lot of attention. But after that, I pretty much became nonexistent. Everyone did. She divorced my dad, buried herself in work, and became Ms. City Council Woman of the Year.”

  Cass eased over to him and rested her slender shoulder against his. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “It’s not something I really talk about.” He exhaled. “Can’t change the past.”

  “Only the future. I know what you mean. Doesn’t stop you from wishing you could.” Her chin sagged to her sweater, and he had to restrain himself from lifting it and begging her to feel safe enough to open up to him.

  She drifted a little closer to the gully, separated the vines stretched across two saplings, and peered inside. “I used to belly-crawl in here. Scale the boulders. Pretend I was . . . invincible.” A sigh trailed a sad laugh. “Guess I never stopped.”

  The desire to hold her picked up with his heart rate, but he dug his boots deeper into the grass to keep from moving. After the way she’d responded last night, he promised himself he wouldn’t kiss her again unless she initiated. Getting too close to her would make that impossible.

  “What happened?”

  She ran her fingers over the tiny white flowers covering the vines. “My dad walked out on us when I was thirteen—classic secretary scandal. It sent my mom into a tailspin of depression and me into running her flower shop for her just to put food on the table.”

  “At thirteen?”

  She shrugged. “Can’t beat on-the-job experience.”

  No wonder she was all business. She’d hardly known anything else.

  “Between being a kid and a girl, it wasn’t exactly easy to earn respect from our employees.” She plucked off one of the flowers and brought it to her nose. “I had to learn a lot of hard lessons, but pain makes you stronger, right?”

  She wandered farther down the edge of the ravine. “I stayed on a year after high school, then went to NYU, got a business degree, and started my own consulting company.”

  And she called him a superhero. “With all the experience, why go to school?”

  Another sad smile tugged at her lips. “Honestly? I thought it’d impress my dad.” She tossed the flower into the trees. “Stupid, I know.”

  The hurt in her voice overrode the willpower binding his feet in place. At her side, he curled his fingertips under hers. “It’s not stupid, Cass. Your mom’s not the only one he hurt by breaking his vows.”

  She turned her hazel eyes on him, and he almost broke his own promise. Her lashes swept down. “I thought vows meant forever.”

  “They’re supposed to.” A deep inhale steered his gaze out to the field.

  She set a tender hand on his forearm. “Nick told me what happened with Jenni.”

  His eyes jerked back to her. Every muscle in his body hardened. “I bet he did. How’d he spin it this time? Second thought, spare me.” Hearing Nick’s side of the story once was more than enough. He strode into the grass, threaded his fingers through his hair, and released a long breath. It didn’t matter anymore.

  “I’m sorry, Ethan.” She inched up behind him.

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for. He saved me from making a huge mistake.”

  “From marrying her?”

  “From losing myself.” He turned. “Things were shaky between us the year after my sister died. I left with Habitat when I found out she cheated on me. And when I came back, I knew it was time to start over. It took me a few more years to get out of here for good, but I did. No looking back.” He shook his head. “None of it matters now, anyway. We were just kids.”

  “That doesn’t mean it can’t still hurt.” This time, her fingers found his. Soft, comforting.

  Meeting her eyes, he swallowed. “Cass . . .” He ached to kiss her again. To let her know he’d moved on from Jenni. That coming home was reopening old wounds, but it was healing them, too. A
nd being with her played a part in it, even if he couldn’t explain how.

  He brushed back her curls and studied her face. He couldn’t fault her for wanting to keep lines between them. But did she really think they could? His mouth turned dry, strength fading faster than the words that wouldn’t come.

  Her forehead creased as she withdrew.

  His chest sank. Did he push too far again? What was she thinking right now?

  She rubbed her arms. “We should probably go before any more foxes come out.”

  They couldn’t end the night yet. Not like this. He slipped his hands into his jeans pockets. “Would you take a ride with me? I have somewhere I want to take you.”

  Head angled, she scrunched her lips to the side.

  He tossed an arm over her shoulders and nudged her forward. “A little adventure’s a good thing.” Not to mention a nice distraction. If she wanted him to pretend that kiss didn’t happen last night, he’d need every ounce of help he could get.

  They stopped by the garage, and he handed her a full-face helmet.

  “What’s this?”

  He slipped it over her head, patted the top, and motioned to his bike. “We’re going for a ride.”

  She raised the tinted shield covering her eyes. “I thought it had an oil leak.”

  He straddled the seat and lifted the kickstand. “I fixed it last night.” He turned, grinning. “I had a little trouble falling asleep.”

  A shade of pink dusted her freckled cheeks. He pulled on his helmet before his smile got any wider, walked the bike backward, and tapped the seat behind him. “Hop on.”

  She stared at the ground with her hands in her back pockets. “I think you want Ti for this one. She’s better at the adventurous stuff.”

  Was she serious? He twisted and lifted his face shield to meet her gaze. “I don’t want anyone else, Cass.” He held out a hand. “Trust me. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Using him for balance, she climbed on. “Where do I hold?”

  Forget it. Trying to control his grin was pointless. He circled her arms around his waist and released the clutch before she changed her mind.

  chapter thirteen

  Brave

  Ethan lowered the bike’s kickstand in front of Gregorio’s parlor and slid his helmet over the handle.

  Cassidy climbed off the back of the motorcycle and waddled ahead of him like she’d just dismounted a horse. She couldn’t get any cuter if she tried. “Are my legs still supposed to be vibrating like this?”

  “You get used to it.”

  “Not sure I want to.” She shook her curls out from the under the helmet. “I think that wind noise might be worse than the subway. You got a thing for speed?”

  He laughed. “More like a thing for freedom. Space. Just you and the wind. Nothing like it.” Well, almost nothing.

  Her cheeks blushed the way they always did when he couldn’t look away from her. She shifted her glance toward the parlor’s sign. “Gelato, huh?”

  “Best in the area.”

  She tucked the helmet under her arm. “Probably more like the only one in the area.”

  He fought a laugh, not about to let her know she was right. At the counter, Ethan tapped the bell. “Hey, Mikey, give me two cups of gianduja and one caffée espresso to go.” Nonna would get a kick out of that. Or give him a good kick in the rear. Either way, the look on her face would be worth it.

  Cass squinted to read the overhead menu. “Gianduja?”

  “Chocolate hazelnut. This stuff will melt in your mouth.” He intercepted one of the cups before Mikey put it inside the to-go bag, stuck a spoon under the lid, and handed it to her. “Try it.”

  She scooped a spoonful into her mouth and pulled her lips together, clearly trying to resist a smile. “Almost as good as the ones you can get in the city.”

  He forced his inward flinch not to show. Anytime she mentioned the city, his stomach clenched without warning. He shouldn’t still be having these reactions. Izzy died ten years ago. Enough time had passed for him to stop reliving that night.

  Trying to shake it off, he added her cup to the plastic bag, tied the handles together, and handed it to her. “Tough critic.”

  She followed him across the lot. “We’re not staying?”

  He straddled the bike and helped her climb on. “One more stop.” Good thing, too. The drive would give him a chance to get it together. He was supposed to be helping her keep her guard down around him, not raising his own.

  The open road absorbed all his thoughts. With Cassidy’s arms around his waist and the wind rushing over him, his failures were easier to forget.

  Too bad they couldn’t ride all night. The bike rumbled up Nonna’s driveway.

  “Is this your grandma’s place?” Cass asked while dismounting.

  She never missed much. “I owe her a treat.” On the porch, he went to open the door and almost smacked into it. When did she ever lock the door? He rapped a knuckle against it. “Nonna?”

  Lady skidded down the entryway and stuck her snout around the curtain, teeth baring. Nice try. Like she used those suckers for anything other than gnawing on a milk bone.

  Cass smiled. “Charming.”

  The porch light flicked on right before Nonna cracked the door open. A sliver of the hallway peered through behind her. “Ethan. What are you doing here?”

  “What do you mean what am I doing here? I came to visit. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She stood tall as if her four-foot-eleven frame could block his view inside.

  He moved closer and whiffed. “Is that . . .?” Gripping the trim, he fixed one of her own notorious glares on her. “Nonna.”

  “It’s nothing. You two run along. I’m sure you kids have better things to do.”

  He nudged the door open, circled around her, and marched straight into the aroma of her legendary espressos. A brand new machine topped the kitchen counter. “You didn’t.”

  She whisked down the hall with her hands moving about as fast as her lips. He couldn’t make out her Italian at that speed. Something about not taking away her last pleasures in life.

  She hovered in front of the machine like a mama bear protecting her cub. “Now, you listen to me, young man, I didn’t get to be this age only to have someone else start running my life. I make my own decisions.”

  He cracked a grin and kissed her cheeks. “You’re one stubborn woman.”

  She patted his chest and dished his grin right back. “Runs in the genes.”

  Cass giggled from the doorway and covered her mouth when they both looked at her. “Sorry. Couldn’t help it.”

  Nonna’s aged eyes glistened. “Sweet child, you have your grandpa’s smile.”

  Wide-eyed, Cass looked from her to Ethan and back. “You were friends?”

  “Oh, yes.” She fumbled with a mug on the counter and blinked as though drawing herself back to the present. “You don’t live in these parts without getting to know everyone.”

  “Small town,” Ethan mouthed from behind her.

  Cass bit her lip. Her smile turned his insides softer than the gelato. Did she have any idea how hard it was to wait for her to make the next move? What if she never did? Exhaling, he stretched his neck. Focus on Nonna.

  He set the plastic bag on the counter, handed Cass her gelato, and withdrew Nonna’s. “Since you bought an espresso maker, I guess you won’t be needing this caffée espresso I picked up for you.” He took a bite, dramatizing how good it was. “Yeah, you definitely don’t need this. I’ll take care of it for you.” He jumped back the second she reached for it.

  Glaring, she grabbed a wooden spoon from the drawer and brandished her weapon at him. “Don’t make me chase you.”

  “Now, now. No getting that heart rate going.” He backed up, bumping into the island and the kitchen chairs until she finally cornered him. They might not have any ties to the mafia in their blood, but Nonna could’ve fooled him. Surrendering, he handed over the gelato.

  She tapped
his cheek. “Wise man.”

  Off by the counter, Cassidy was already scraping the bottom of her cup.

  He raised a brow. “Thought it wasn’t as good as the kind you’re used to.”

  She circled her spoon around and rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t let you waste your money.”

  “Mm hmm.” He strutted over to her, leaned in close enough to smell the hazelnut on her lips, and reached behind her for his own dish. “That’s very considerate of you.”

  Eyes locked on his, she let out a small breath.

  Nonna swatted him from behind. “Stop making the poor girl blush.” She filled two espresso cups. “I’ll make you a deal. If you turn down my espresso right now, I’ll return the machine.” She waved the cup in front him, scents latching on to him like hooks.

  Cheater.

  He swiped the cup and leaned against the island while she handed the other to Cassidy.

  “So small.” Cass held the tiny cup with her pinky sticking out like she was about to have a spot of tea.

  She was seriously trying to cripple his willpower. He laughed. “Trust me. That’s all you need.”

  After one sip, her perked expression agreed.

  Nonna picked Lady up and prodded Ethan back to the door. “You two go on, now. Lady and I have a date with Cary Grant.”

  On the porch, she kissed both Ethan’s cheeks. Watching her do the same to Cassidy sent warmth spreading across his chest.

  The feeling of contentment stayed with him on the ride home and hedged back the night’s dropping temperatures. And as soon as they moseyed up the stairs to the same spot where they’d kissed the night before, the warmth stretched through every muscle.

  She looked across the still yard. “Where’s your watchdog?”

  Off somewhere, hopefully having way more self-control than Ethan was at the moment.

  He tugged on his ear. “Hey, you have to admit, he came through with chasing off those raccoons.”

  She swayed her head. “Okay, true. But Jax would’ve gotten ‘em if they’d come inside.”