Love, Always and Forever

by Alexis Morgan

  Toning down his booming voice just a bit, he turned his attention to Amy. “And who is this lovely lady? Is she the reason for the new spark of life in your eyes?”

  Son of a bitch, he should’ve known the idiot would read special significance into Mikhail bringing Amy with him. Trying not to be too obvious about it, he inched a little farther away from her. “Amy is my new next-door neighbor. Amy, this idiot is Big Tom himself, proud owner of this fine establishment. He and I crossed paths a few times while we were in the service. He was the best cook in the Corps. If you don’t believe me, just ask him.”

  Most people had problems with the way the former marine tended to invade their personal space, but Amy stood her ground and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  After giving it a quick shake, Tom pulled the sleeve of his T-shirt up a little higher to show her the rest of the tattoo that had been peeking out, which said SEMPER FI. “Like Mikhail said, we were both marines. However, unlike this one, I was smart enough to learn a marketable skill while I was in the Corps. He went from one dangerous job right into another one, a regular adrenaline junkie.”

  No way Mikhail wanted to have that particular discussion again, especially not now. Time to change the subject. “We’ve spent the afternoon building a fence between our houses. I thought we deserved a special treat for working so hard. I promised her some decent barbecue.”

  His friend took offense, just as Mikhail intended. “Hey, my barbecue isn’t just decent, it’s miraculous. The best around. Ask anybody.”

  Then he punched Mikhail on the arm hard enough to sting as he grinned down at Amy. “Well, ask anybody but this idiot. He has no taste in anything but pretty neighbors.”

  Amy laughed. “I’d like to experience some of this miracle food for myself.”

  Tom nodded in approval. “Come over to the counter, and I’ll fix you right up. This jarhead can eat, too, but only if he apologizes for insulting my cooking.”

  Mikhail didn’t even have to look at the menu to order. “Fine, I apologize. I’ll have the Triple Treat platter with slaw and sweet potato fries for my sides. Lemonade to drink.”

  Amy took a little longer. “I’ll have the pulled pork sandwich, hush puppies, potato salad, and lemonade.”

  Mikhail pulled out his wallet and paid for the meal over Amy’s protests that they should at least split the bill.

  As Tom counted out the change, he smiled at Amy again. “Go have a seat in the sun, and I’ll bring it all out to you.”

  Mikhail sat down across from her at the rustic picnic table out back of the restaurant. “The big man must really like you. Normally he stays behind the counter and bellows the customer’s name to pick up their food themselves.”

  He was glad to see they pretty much had the deck to themselves. “This place is usually packed, but it’s a little late for lunch and earlier than most people eat dinner. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tom comes and sits with us for a few minutes.”

  “Do you come here a lot?”

  “Not as often as I’d like. I really do love his cooking, and his wife makes the best desserts. It’s too far for me to come unless I have extra time, but I try to stop by when I can.”

  She nodded in the direction of the door. “Looks like our food is already here.”

  Sure enough, Tom was headed their way carrying a tray with three platters on it. Evidently Mikhail had been right about it being time for the big man’s dinner break. One of his assistants followed behind with their drinks. Mikhail leaned across the table. “Knowing him, he’s going to regale you with a lot of wild stories about my time in the marines.”

  Amy kept a wary eye on their host. “So can I safely assume they’re all exaggerations or outright lies?”

  Mikhail laughed and winked at her. “I never said that.”

  “Okay, in that case I’ll take notes and share the better ones with your brothers and nephew the next time I see them.”

  She would, too. He didn’t doubt it for a minute. He liked that she gave as good as she got. “Would you keep them to yourself if I promise to get us each a big serving of peach cobbler to take home? I never have room for dessert by the time I consume the huge amount of food he serves, so I always get the dessert to go. That way I get the best of both worlds.”

  She stared at the enormous pile of food that had just appeared in front of her. “It’s a deal.”

  Tom squeezed in next to Mikhail. “So, Amy, has Mikhail ever told you about the time he woke up with half his hair shaved off?”

  Amy’s dark eyes twinkled as she watched them over the rim of her glass and sipped her lemonade. “No, he hasn’t. Tell me all the gory details.”

  Mikhail shook his head and picked up his knife and fork. “And so it begins.”

  —

  Traffic was lighter than usual on the ride home, so they made better time on the return trip. By now, Amy had to be tired and ready for some downtime, but he was reluctant to let their time together end.

  He drove straight into the garage to park the bike. She waited until he turned the engine off before climbing off. He took her helmet and set it back on the shelf in the corner. After retrieving the bags containing their desserts from his saddlebags, he led the way out of the garage.

  “You’ll have to let me know what you think of the cobbler.”

  “I can’t wait to try it, although I’m thinking it will be my breakfast in the morning. I can’t believe how much I ate tonight.”

  Mikhail patted his own stomach. “Another reason I don’t go there as often as I’d like, but Tom was pleased that you liked it so much. He loves to see people enjoy his cooking.”

  “The man is a genius when it comes to barbecue. I’ll have to tell my brothers about that place. They’d love it.”

  The sun was about to disappear over the horizon, casting dark shadows across their yards. Neither of them had expected to be gone that long and hadn’t left on any of their outside lights. Rather than let her head across the yard alone, Mikhail walked with her, once again with his arm draped around her shoulders. It was tempting to pretend that it was just to make sure she didn’t trip over any rough ground, but he tried never to lie to himself.

  True, it was simple good manners to see her safely to her door. His adopted father, Joe, had made sure all three of his sons knew how to treat a lady, especially one they cared about. Mikhail wasn’t sure what kind of feelings he had for Amy; he just knew he had them.

  When they reached her front porch, he asked, “Do you want me to come in and look around?”

  “Thanks, but it’s not necessary.”

  Okay, so now he was out of excuses to spend more time in her company. “I had fun tonight.”

  Even in the dim light, her bright smile was obvious. “Me, too. I can’t remember when I’ve laughed that much, and riding the motorcycle with you was amazing.”

  “We’ll have to do it again soon.”

  “I’d love that.”

  He joined her on the porch, which wasn’t very big. But even if it had been enormous, he would have crowded close to her. “There’s one more thing before I go.”

  Once again, she held her ground as he traced the curve of her cheek with his fingertips. The only sign that he was making her nervous was when she swallowed hard before asking, “What would that be?”

  “This.”

  He kissed her, keeping it slow, tasting and claiming her mouth with calm intent. She sighed as her arms wound their way up around his neck, the bag holding her cobbler bumped up against his shoulder. Rather than risk her dropping it, he took the small bag from her hand and set both it and his own at their feet.

  God, she tasted perfect—all willing woman with just a hint of Big Tom’s barbecue on her breath. He guided her back a step to press her against the front door, deepening the kiss as they moved. Despite the differences in their builds, her slender body fit perfectly against his, her curves softening against his hard edges. It took one helluva lot of effort on his part to ke
ep his hands from wandering into places better left unexplored at this early stage in their relationship.

  But, damn, he wanted to check the fit of her perfect ass in his palms. Better yet, he wanted to test the weight and feel of her surprisingly full breasts. He bet they tasted sweet. Instead, he kept his hands firmly anchored at her waist. For the sake of his sanity, he needed to back away from the precipice.

  Before he could bring himself to try, she took matters in her own hands. Amy swirled the tip of her tongue in and out of his mouth one last time and then leaned her head back to look into his eyes. At least he wasn’t the only one short of breath.

  “Thank you again for tonight.” Her expressive eyes glanced at his mouth, her own lips looking a bit swollen. “For everything, Mikhail. I’ve really enjoyed it all.”

  Her voice was even more husky than usual, which only added to her attractiveness.

  But what the hell was he thinking? How many times did he have to remind himself that she was his neighbor and quickly becoming a good friend? She hadn’t signed on to become his lover just because he was helping her build a fence. He found the strength to step back, letting the cool night air flow between them. “You’d better tell me to go before my good intentions are completely shot to hell. Unless you want me to come inside with you.”

  He didn’t know whether to hope she took his advice or that she’d reject it. Her eyes flared wide. “I don’t want to tell you to leave, but I think that maybe I’d better.”

  “Smart woman.”

  Even so, one more quick kiss wouldn’t hurt, would it? He kept it easy and friendly, pressing his lips to her forehead, knowing the temptation of her mouth would only further weaken his resolve.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You will?”

  He laughed. “Have you forgotten the fence?”

  “Oops, yeah, I did. Knock on the door when you want to get started. I’m always up early.”

  So was he, but he suspected they weren’t talking about the same thing at all. He retrieved the bags containing their peach cobbler. Holding out hers, he said, “Sleep well and enjoy your breakfast.”

  “I will. Good night, Mikhail.”

  He waited until she’d disappeared inside the house and locked the door before walking away. All things considered, maybe it would be a good idea to bring in some reinforcements to help out on the fence tomorrow. Extra hands would make the work go faster, but that wasn’t why he was going to call his brothers. He needed the buffer they’d provide between him and Amy.

  She needed that, too, even if she didn’t know it. The last thing a woman with such innocent eyes needed was to tangle up her life with a man who had seen and done so many ugly things.

  Inside, he sat on the side of his bed and held a small picture in his hands. It was the only one he had of his birth mother. The photographer hadn’t caught her at her best, but Mikhail didn’t care. The photo was a reminder of who he was and where he’d come from.

  “Mom, I still miss you.”

  He used to imagine he could still hear her voice, and the way she spoke English with an accent that hinted at origins somewhere in Eastern Europe. She’d never once told him anything about where she’d come from or how she’d ended up living on the other side of the world from where she’d been born. He’d been too young to ask such questions, especially when there were some others that were far more important.

  Like where was the rent money going to come from this month? Had she remembered to buy enough food for both of them or had she spent it all on her next fix? Who was his father and why didn’t the man care enough about his son to meet him at least once?

  Stupid questions, ones that had haunted Mikhail long before that last day, the one when he came home from school to find her dead with a needle in her arm. That brought up other, even uglier questions. Had she gotten ahold of some bad drugs or had the overdose been deliberate? If so, what had he done to make her want to escape this life and leave her son behind? As always, he wondered if he’d stayed home from school to watch over her that day just as he had so many times before, would she still be alive?

  He closed his eyes and then opened them to stare at the mug shot one last time before putting it back in his dresser drawer. It still wasn’t a good picture, but it was better than the one in his head of her lifeless body.

  Time to make that call to see if at least one of his brothers could come keep him company tomorrow.

  Chapter 6

  The knock on the door Amy had been expecting since right after breakfast still hadn’t come. Maybe Mikhail had decided to sleep in this morning or else something had come up. She’d spent the time unpacking a few more boxes, but it was too nice outside to want to spend the day shelving books or trying to find the right spot to stow her yarn stash until next winter.

  Maybe she’d start working on the new flower beds she wanted to create in the front yard. She planned to use wooden stakes and string to mark out the areas where she would need to start digging up the sod.

  But when she opened the garage door, a noise caught her attention. What was that? She waited until she heard it again. Unless she was mistaken, someone was out back wielding the nail gun that Mikhail had borrowed from his brother. Had he started without her? A quick glance toward his house showed there was a strange truck out front, but no sign of his SUV.

  How odd. She grabbed her gloves and headed around to the backyard to see what was going on. A man she’d never met before was just positioning a board in place. From what she could tell, he’d only just gotten started. Who the heck was this guy, and where was Mikhail? She waited until the stranger finished nailing the board before making her presence known.

  When he set the nail gun down, she stepped into his line of sight. “Hi, I don’t believe we met before, but I’m Amy, Mikhail’s next-door neighbor.”

  Despite her best efforts, she’d startled him. He’d been heading toward the pile of lumber next to the house, but her comment brought him to an abrupt halt. He stared at her for a second before his surprised expression changed into a friendly grin.

  “Hi, Amy. I’m Jay Tobin, a friend of Mikhail’s.”

  He started toward her, his gait a little uneven. She’d been too intent on why he was working on her fence to realize that he had a prosthetic left leg. He slowed when he noticed where she was looking.

  “A little mishap in Afghanistan. Nothing that slows me down.”

  She walked toward him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

  He shrugged it off. “Happens all the time. It’s no big deal, so don’t sweat it.”

  Clearly it was a big deal, but she didn’t call him on the small lie. It would only embarrass him further. Her, too, for that matter. Instead, curiosity had her asking, “Were you in the marines with Mikhail?”

  Now he looked mildly insulted. “Heck, no. I was a Navy Seal. I met him through his older brother. Tino and I coach a kids’ basketball team together.”

  At last some common ground. “I’ve met Tino. Jack and his son, too. They were the ones who put in all the fence posts. They’re quite a bunch.”

  Jay’s smile looked far more genuine now. “That they are. I’m amazed they actually got that much work done considering how much time they spend screwing around and tossing insults at each other.”

  “They do have a certain talent for it, don’t they?” She looked around with what she hoped came across as casual interest. “So where’s Mikhail this morning?”

  And why hadn’t he told her that he was calling in reinforcements? It was unlikely Jay would know, and she didn’t want to make him feel unwelcome by asking.

  “He made a run to the store for some supplies and refreshments. I doubt that’s a euphemism for a beer run since we’re operating power tools, and his nephew is coming. He’ll pick up Tino and the kid on his way back. Evidently Jack and Caitlyn are out of town for the weekend, so Ricky is staying with Tino.”

  So Mikhail had rounded up most of the clan to come h
elp again. Interesting. Maybe something had happened to make him want to finish up the fence faster than they’d originally planned. If he had let her know, she would’ve made arrangements to feed the crew like she had the last time. Any questions she had would have to wait until he returned. Until then, she might as well make herself useful.

  Pulling on her work gloves, she asked, “Why don’t I bring you the boards as you need them? That’s how Mikhail and I do things, and it works pretty well.”

  Jay looked a little hesitant, but then he nodded. “Sounds good.”

  He headed back to where he’d left off and waited for her to bring him the first board. He didn’t work quite as efficiently as Mikhail did, but they soon fell into a steady rhythm. They’d been working for nearly an hour before a familiar SUV turned into the driveway. She would’ve kept right on working, but Jay immediately set down the nail gun and started around to the front of the house.

  Rather than tag along, she carried another three boards over to where Jay had been working. By the time she set down the last one, the new arrivals were on their way toward the backyard. She headed back to the stack of lumber, mostly to give herself something to do until Mikhail explained the change in plans.

  Ricky spotted her first. “Hey, Amy! How’s it going?”

  “Just great. How about you?”

  He glanced over his shoulder toward where his two uncles were. “I beat Uncle Tino like a drum on the new game he bought me. I left the poor man gushing blood in the dust.”

  At the sound of his name, Tino started toward them. “Watch it, kid. You might want to tell her that we played three games, and I won two. Maybe I should demonstrate some of those moves here in person to remind you which one of us really does have skills.”

  The teenager didn’t look the least bit worried. “Uncle Mikhail will protect me. We both know he’s bigger and meaner.”

  The man in question loomed up behind his brother. “Only if you get busy and earn your keep. Tino, remember he won’t be much good to us bruised up and bleeding. Let me work him to death, and then you can have what’s left over to do with as you will.”