by Nan Dixon
Abby emerged from behind a screen with a green face and wearing a bathrobe. “Oh, good. That cake was amazing. Dolley, you need to put the pictures on the website.”
“Will do.” Dolley shot a picture of Abby’s green face. “There’s one for the website.”
Debbie gave Cheryl a hug. “It’s fun having family at this party.”
Hadn’t Nathan told his parents they’d broken up?
“My turn.” Dolley pulled Issy out of Debbie’s arms. “Do you want your face to be green like Abby’s?”
Issy looked at Cheryl, her eyes big.
“Go ahead,” Debbie said.
Dolley and Issy skipped behind the screens.
Abby walked over with a glass of prosecco. “Mama and Bess are in having massages. Time for you to catch up.”
“Oh, I don’t need a drink,” Cheryl said.
“Not even for Bess’s party?” Abby frowned. “After all the work you did for us?”
Maybe one glass wouldn’t be so bad. “Okay. But only half a glass. I’m watching Issy. And I should pick up Josh early so the guys can have fun.”
“I’ll bet the boys are having fun,” Abby said.
“I know Josh is.” She checked her phone just in case.
“No phones.” Abby held out her hand.
Cheryl didn’t think. She handed over the phone. “What if Nathan calls?”
“He can send someone to get you. Or come himself.” Abby shut off Cheryl’s phone and tucked it in the pocket of her robe. “Now, let’s get you a facial.”
Cheryl took a sip of the wine and followed her friend and boss into the back room. Nathan was right. It was time she let herself have fun.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHERYL SLIPPED ON her sandals, giving her pedicure one more admiring look. The silvery blue matched the dress she planned to wear to the wedding. “Bess, thank you for including Issy and me.”
“I’m glad you came.” Bess hugged her.
“Here’s a sleepy pumpkin.” Debbie kissed Issy and handed her to Cheryl. “I can’t wait to see her in her flower girl dress.”
“Nathan found the perfect dress.” Bess brushed back Issy’s hair.
“We sure had fun,” Cheryl said. “Time to rescue the men from Josh.”
“Wait.” Abby dug in her pocket. “Your phone.”
Everyone followed them onto the terrace.
“See you in the morning.” Cheryl turned on her phone. It buzzed with a missed call from Detective Gillespie.
She carried Issy down the steps and sat with her on a garden bench. “I should listen to this message.”
“Cheryl. Good news.” Excitement filled Gillespie’s voice when she played her voice mail. “We found the man who sent the emails. It was Levi’s cellmate’s brother. The guy confessed. He’s taking a plea deal and rolled over on his brother and Levi like a goddamn rug. Call if you have questions. Oh—and the video’s been secured.”
Cheryl clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, oh, my.”
Issy patted Cheryl’s cheek, brushing away a tear. She sang, “Sad, Miss Cheryl?”
“Happy. Very happy.” Her legs wobbled as she stood.
Issy held up her arms. Cheryl picked her up and the girl snuggled close.
“Let’s go get Josh.”
“Joshua,” Issy sang.
Lights tucked into Bess’s landscape lit the courtyard. Everything seemed brighter, more magical tonight. Levi’s blackmail was over. The knots in Cheryl’s chest unraveled.
She hurried toward the bachelor party. Chairs surrounded the fire pit. The men had beers in their hands. She stiffened and then relaxed. She’d had two glasses of prosecco, and wasn’t turning into a drunk like Mama.
Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe drinking wouldn’t turn Nathan into a cruel man, either.
Josh sat on Nathan’s lap, toasting a marshmallow. Cheryl’s heart leaped and she squeezed Issy at the sight.
“Don’t let it dip too close, slugger.” Nathan leaned down to Josh’s ear.
Josh tipped his head and grinned. “I like it when they’re burned.”
Nathan jiggled Josh on his knee. “Isn’t this one for me?”
Josh pulled the toasting fork out of the fire. “Only because you’re whining.”
Everyone laughed.
Cheryl’s heart surged. If only.
“Are the ladies done?” Liam’s Irish accent lilted across the darkness.
“Issy and I are. The rest are still laughing and eating.” She stepped closer to the fire. “It’s time for the kids to go to bed.”
“Can’t I stay?” Josh pleaded.
“Bedtime,” she said.
Nathan leaned over and whispered in Josh’s ear. A grin broke across her son’s face. Cheryl’s heart expanded. Nathan hadn’t turned away from her son. And somehow they had a new camaraderie.
Her son was blessed with incredible role models. Even if she never found love again, they would always have the Fitzgerald family and maybe the Foresters.
“Time for bed,” she called.
Josh sighed, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically enough that she saw it from across the fire. He handed Nathan his toasting fork. “I’ll take care of the womenfolk.”
Laughter rolled through the group. Josh slapped the high-fives held out for him. Nathan followed in her son’s wake.
“I’ll help put them to bed.” He stepped in front of her, a big, dark shadow. The light from the fire haloed his blond hair.
A few months ago she’d been afraid to be this close to Nathan. Now she yearned to be closer.
“You can stay,” Cheryl said.
“I want to be with them, with you.”
Cheryl’s heart pounded. With her? What did he mean?
Nathan knelt. “Come on, slugger.”
Josh climbed on his back.
“Daddy,” Issy sang.
A grin split his face. He touched Issy’s hair.
“She sang a lot tonight,” Cheryl whispered.
“That’s wonderful.” His hand cupped Cheryl’s shoulder. “Did you have fun?”
She nodded. “Be surprised when you see Issy’s nails.”
The little girl had picked the same colors as hers. She bit back a smile. “I could hardly hold her with all the women there. And her grandmama was as proud as a peacock.”
“I’m glad.”
“Thank you for insisting I go.”
Silence settled between them. Before they would have kissed, or wanted to. Now they were just awkwardly quiet.
She wanted this to be real. Wanted them to be a family. She’d been such a fool to mess up what she and Nathan had found.
They worked as a team, putting the kids to bed. She kissed Josh’s and Issy’s foreheads. “I love you.”
“Love you, Miss Cheryl,” Issy sang.
“To the moon and back.” Josh’s voice was sleep-filled.
Nathan kissed his daughter and Issy sang, “To the moon and back, Daddy.”
“Can I have a kiss?” Josh called to Nathan.
Nathan jerked around. When he answered, his voice cracked, “You bet, slugger.”
Tears slipped down Cheryl’s cheeks. She stumbled into the living room and collapsed on the sofa.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan took her hand and sat next to her.
It was too hard. She’d lost such a wonderful man. She shook her head.
He touched her chin. “Talk to me.”
“You.”
Even through her tears, Cheryl could see the confusion in his rich chocolate eyes. “Me?”
“You’re...too nice.” She wiped at her cheeks. “You’re breaking my heart.”
He frowned.
/> “I could have had this—we could have had this amazing love, but I messed everything up.”
Nathan took a deep breath. His inhale sounded like the slamming of a door.
“I know it’s my fault.” She turned away.
Nathan caught her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “Why would you want to be with someone as flawed as me?”
“Flawed? You’re good and loving.” She grabbed his hand. “Once you put your heart into something, or someone, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them. You would die for Issy.”
His gaze locked on hers. He pulled her onto his lap. “For you and Josh, too. I love you, Cheryl.”
“What?” Was she hearing things? “After I hurt you?”
Nathan’s grin lit up the dim room. “Yes.”
His beloved scent of citrus and wood wrapped around her like a blanket. Please let this be real and not a dream.
He kissed her eyes. His lips drew patterns across her forehead and down her cheeks. “Don’t cry. Not because of me.”
She fused their mouths together.
The dance of their tongues was familiar yet different. Everything was more tender, more important.
They loved each other.
Even when the kiss ended, she couldn’t stop touching him. She stroked her thumbs across his eyebrows and reacquainted her fingers with the planes of his cheeks and the fullness of his lips.
Laughter from the courtyard intruded on their reunion.
“Daniel’s party,” she whispered.
His arms tightened around her waist. “I don’t want to leave you, but I have to go.”
“I know.” She swayed, letting the pull of his mouth reel her into his arms. “Come back to me tonight?”
“Yes.” He yanked her in for a kiss that had them both breathless. “Yes.”
He stood. Her legs wrapped around his hips and held on.
“Maybe I could text...”
She laughed and let her body slide down his. “Go back to your brother’s party.”
Then they would celebrate later.
* * *
NATHAN GLANCED AT the light glowing in Cheryl’s apartment window—for him.
“What’s with the grin?” Daniel asked.
His cheeks were aching a bit. “I’m a lucky son of—”
“Watch how you complete that sentence,” Pop called from his chair next to the fire.
“A fabulous father,” Nathan added quickly.
“You got that right.” Pop pointed his finger. “And I’ve passed that talent on to you. I’m proud of you, son.”
Nathan hadn’t though his grin could grow any bigger, but it did.
“You and Cheryl?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah, me and Cheryl.” And the kids. Joy warmed him better than the fire.
Gray slapped a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “If you need to get back to Cheryl, I’ll close down and make sure everyone gets home safe.”
“Tempting.” But Nathan was best man. His relationship with his brother was the strongest it had ever been—he wasn’t going to blow it now.
“It was a great party.” Daniel wrapped an arm around Nathan’s and Gray’s shoulders. “Thanks, guys. And, Nathan? Tell Cheryl we loved the cake.”
“We decimated the cake.” Liam joined the group, another piece of cake on his plate. “I’ll help clean up.”
Nathan had already packed the food. The only things left were the beer and cake, and apparently Liam was working on those leftovers.
“Go,” Gray insisted. “We’ve got this.”
“Thank you.” Nathan hugged Pop and then his brother. “Congratulations. Bess is lucky to be marrying you.”
Daniel sighed. “I’m the lucky one.”
Nathan shook his head. He whispered to Gray, “Make sure he takes a cab home.”
“Liam and I have this handled.” Gray made a shooing motion.
Nathan rushed away. Not even three months ago, he’d been appalled by the idea of staying with one woman. Now? Having Cheryl in his life was like winning the lottery.
He took the steps two at time. Before he made the landing, the door flew open.
Cheryl waited in the doorway, wearing her favorite threadbare T-shirt. She leaped into his arms.
“Kids asleep?” he gasped.
“Yes.” She nibbled on his ear. “I just checked on them.”
He carried her to the bedroom. The lock clicked into place. Cheryl still clung to him, but chewed her lip. Had she changed her mind? “Is this what you want?”
“Yes.” She touched his cheek. “I never dreamed you’d truly forgive me.”
“I do. I have.” And the weight of his anger faded.
She tugged her T-shirt over her head. “I want you.”
He kicked off his shoes and ripped off his shirt. With shaky hands, he shoved down his shorts and briefs.
She led him to her bed. Moonlight softened by sheer white curtains lit their journey back to each other.
The apple scent of her hair had him burying his nose in the silky mass. He kissed her neck, lingering on her collarbone. He turned his attention to her breasts and suckled her puckered nipples.
“Nathan, please.”
He laughed, stroking the peaks with his fingertips.
She groaned. “Use your mouth, please.”
He gave in to her plea, sucking first one breast and then the next.
Her hips rose and fell. She caught his erection in a grip that shocked a groan from him.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered. “Missed us.”
When he finally joined his body with hers, it was perfect.
“I don’t want this to end.” He rocked slowly, loving the way she clung to him.
Her eyes were deep, dark pools. She panted with desire. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
He rocked again and again. And the rocks turned to thrusts.
“Nathan.” There was the catch in her voice that signaled her orgasm.
Her muscles clenched around him and she took him with her. He couldn’t stop thrusting, deeper, harder, as he came.
He collapsed in her arms. “Never,” he gasped.
“Never,” she echoed.
Pulling in a deep breath, he rolled her on top of him. “I-it’s...sex has never been this important. I’ve never made love before.”
Her eyes glittered. “It’s never been like this for me, either.”
He pushed back the hair from her face. “Cheryl, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She touched his face. “I’m sorry...”
“No more apologies.” He placed a finger on her lips. “I’m sure, over the years, we’ll hurt each other again.”
“Years?” Wonder filled her face.
He wouldn’t do this lying down. “Hang on.”
He sat up and tugged Cheryl to face him.
Her eyes were too large. “What?”
“This summer has opened my eyes and my heart.” Nathan kissed her hand. “My life is nothing like the way I pictured it. I have a daughter and a woman I love. And Josh. I love him, too.”
She swallowed. “I love Issy.”
“You make me feel normal. Happy. Like I’m not...broken.”
“You aren’t!”
“See. That’s one of the reasons I love you. You make me whole.”
She clutched his hand. “I’m not afraid anymore. You make me strong.”
He took a deep breath. “Will you and Josh marry me and Issy?”
“Marry you?” Cheryl squeaked. A smile lit up her face. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”
“Yes?” Peace settled over him. Cheryl, Issy and Josh made his life complete.
Gently, he lea
ned over and kissed the only woman he’d ever loved.
EPILOGUE
NATHAN CROSSED THE Fitzgerald House ballroom toward Cheryl, his fiancée. Not that they’d made any announcements. This was Daniel and Bess’s wedding day.
A drunk grabbed Cheryl’s arm. No way. Nathan hurried to rescue her, but Cheryl slipped out from under the man’s arm.
“I’m not interested,” she said firmly.
The man blinked. “But you’re sssso pretty.”
“I’ve said no.” She stood a little taller as Nathan reached her side.
Josh hurried from the opposite end of the ballroom where he’d been sitting with Mom and Pop. “Mom?”
Cheryl held up her hand. “I’m good.”
The surprise on Josh’s face had to mirror Nathan’s.
The man backed away. “Sorry.”
Cheryl’s brown eyes sparkled. “That was...empowering.”
Nathan grinned back at her. To Josh, he asked, “Can I talk to you? Man to man?”
Josh frowned. “Now?”
“It won’t take long.”
“Go on, you two.” Cheryl waved Issy over. “Let’s dance.”
“Yes!” Issy took Cheryl’s hands. “’Bye, Daddy.”
Words from Issy were such a gift, even if she still sang them sometimes. But now to business. Nathan smiled at Josh. “Why don’t we step out on the terrace?”
Josh skipped ahead, looking natural in his tux. It was hard to believe this was the boy who’d done everything to keep him and Cheryl apart.
“You did a good job with the rings,” Nathan said as they sat at a terrace table.
“It was important. Not like scattering rose petals,” Josh scoffed.
“You both did a great job.” And Isabella had gotten all the oohs and aahs as she’d thrown the petals.
“But I had the rings.”
“You did.” He debated how to ask Josh about marrying his mother. “I was wondering if you want to be in another wedding.”
“Would I get to carry the rings?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“Sure.”
Josh frowned. “Who would it be for?”
“Me. And your mother.” He was messing this up. “I want you and your mother and Issy and me to all be a family.”
Josh slid back in the chair, his legs sticking straight out. “You’d marry my mom?”
