Love, Always and Forever

by Alexis Morgan

  In truth, you were the only one in her life who never failed her. Not once. You did your best by her, which is a helluva lot more than anyone else ever did.

  The bottom line here is that you need to let go of your pain and let yourself love without fear and without reservations. Yeah, letting someone into your heart comes with risks, but they are worth taking. You deserve to be happy. Your mother would have wanted that for you every bit as much as Marlene and I do.

  It’s been an honor to call you my son.

  Love,

  Joe

  Mikhail had been afraid that he’d lose it reading his father’s letter, but instead, he realized he was smiling. Yeah, he shed a few tears, but his heart felt lighter than it had in ages…in fact, maybe ever.

  “Dad, it seems like Marlene, you, and Amy are all in agreement on this, and maybe hearing it for the third time is the charm or something. It’s time I let go of the past and do something about my future.”

  He folded the letter and put it in his pocket. Since it felt like Joe was sitting beside him, he worked out his plans aloud. “Guess I’ll go ask Mom if she’d mind babysitting Sarge for a few days, and then let my boss know that I need some time off. Once all that’s settled, I’m going to go find Amy. She’s my best friend. You know, like Mom was yours.”

  As he locked up the annex on his way out, he whispered, “Thanks again, Dad. I’ll let you know how things turn out.”

  Chapter 25

  Amy opened another drawer in her old dresser and dumped it on the bed. She’d left a lot of stuff behind when she’d moved, and it was past time to get it all sorted out. The sound of her parents’ voices carried down the hall and through her closed bedroom door.

  “Well, Panda, that went about as well as I expected.”

  She’d been there just over twenty-four hours, but it felt days longer than that. When she’d arrived yesterday, her mother had insisted on taking her out for a late lunch and then shopping. Neither activity was conducive to any kind of serious conversation. Maybe her mother wanted to remind her of some of their favorite places in town, and it had been simpler to go along with the program.

  Cooking dinner was the next delay tactic. By the time the dishes were washed, her dad had settled in his favorite chair with Panda in his lap, both of them snoring up a storm.

  Actually, it had been kind of a relief. After the tumultuous night she and Mikhail had spent, she’d been more than ready for a low-key evening. What she hadn’t realized was that her mother had called her brothers and invited them over for a family brunch this morning. So instead of having a heart-to-heart with her parents, she’d had to face off against the whole bunch.

  “Panda, I know all those loud voices worried you, but at least we finally got everything out in the open.”

  She picked up a handful of playbills from the local community theater that she’d hung on to for no particular reason and tossed them into the recycling pile. An almost new set of scented markers went into the bag she’d set aside for donations. Everything else in the drawer was worthless junk, headed for the trash, which made her wonder why she’d held on to it in the first place.

  “I made Mom happy when I told her that I’d made an appointment with the cardiac specialist for next month. She offered to go with me, but I told her I could handle that on my own.”

  Panda tipped his head to the side, clearly proud of Amy for standing her ground on that issue. She tossed him a piece of salmon jerky to show her appreciation for his unwavering support.

  “The folks weren’t at all happy about me owning a motorcycle, but the twins backed me up on that issue. They even want to go on a long ride together sometime.”

  One more drawer to go. Nothing but old socks and a couple of bras that had seen better days. Certainly not the kind of thing she’d wear again, not that there was much chance of anyone besides her seeing them in the near future. That thought brought her around to the last topic they’d covered, the one that had hurt the most.

  Naturally, Will and Chad had already told her parents far more than she’d wanted them to know. As upset as they were about her owning a motorcycle, that had been small potatoes compared to them not knowing that she’d had a boyfriend and hadn’t told her folks anything about him.

  “I’d rather not have cried when I told them it was no longer an issue because Mikhail and I are no longer seeing each other.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her family had closed ranks around her, and for the first time in ages it no longer felt as if it was her against all of them. Chad had given her a hard hug and offered to go teach the guy a lesson for messing with his little sister. She’d assured all of them that it was for the best, and she was okay with it.

  “So, I lied, Panda. I’m a long way from okay right now.”

  She sat down on the edge of the bed where she’d slept most of her life and picked up Panda. Right now, she needed his furry warmth to ease her pain and soak up a few tears.

  “I thought some time and distance might help me put things in perspective, to make peace with what had happened. But all I can think about is getting home to make sure Misha and Sarge are okay. I’ve never broken up with anyone before, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how these things are done.”

  But her heart told her that it was the right thing to do, maybe even the smart thing. How would they ever work things out if they weren’t together?

  She set Panda back down on the floor. “I’m going to pack up everything and then tell them I’m out of here.”

  It took her a little longer to pack up this time. She had a couple of boxes full of mementos and a few books that she wanted to take home. After setting her suitcase by the bedroom door, she went in search of her parents. She found them in the kitchen.

  Panda made a beeline for his new best buddy. Her dad gave her a considering look as he bent down to scratch the bulldog’s head. “What’s up, pumpkin?”

  “I know I said I’d stay longer, but I’ve changed my mind.”

  Her mother looked disappointed. “It’s already late afternoon, and I’m making lasagna for dinner. It’s your favorite.”

  It was, but that didn’t change anything. “I need to get back home.”

  “Back to that guy, you mean.” Her dad straightened up. “I thought you said it was over.”

  Her throat clogged up. “But I don’t want it to be, Dad. He’s a good man, and I love him.”

  When her dad held out his arms, she ran to him, taking comfort from his touch and the familiar scent of Old Spice. Her mother came close, too, patting Amy on the back the same way she had done for as far back as Amy could remember.

  “Your brothers will be sorry to see you go. They stayed all afternoon just to have dinner with you, but—”

  The roar of a motorcycle engine revving accompanied by a lot of angry men shouting at the top of their lungs cut her off midsentence. “What on earth is that racket?”

  Amy broke loose of her father’s grasp. Could it be?

  She ran into the living room to look out the window and realized she’d been right all along. Hope was a tricky thing.

  —

  Could his timing have been any worse? The minute Mikhail pulled into the driveway all four of Amy’s brothers came boiling out of the garage. He swung his leg over the bike, preferring to face them eye to eye and, if necessary, fist to fist.

  Chad led the charge. “You’ve got balls showing up here uninvited.”

  “I want to talk to Amy.”

  Will shouldered his way between the twins. “That’s not happening. Anything you have to say to her, you can say to us. We’ll decide if we want to pass it along to her.”

  Mikhail repeated himself, speaking slower this time to make his point. Well, and to piss them off. “I. Want. To. Talk. To. Amy.”

  “Again, not happening, blondie.”

  Were they really going to do this?

  “I don’t want to fight you. It would upset your sister, so I’m asking you to ste
p aside and let me past.”

  By that point, all four brothers had him surrounded. Damn, he’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this and braced himself for the first punch that was bound to come flying his way any second. Then the front door banged open, and the woman in question came running out.

  Just as she had the other night with him and Jack, Amy shoved her way into the middle of the confrontation. “What’s going on here?”

  He even felt a little sympathy for Will and the others when they had the same lack of success in getting her to move out of danger’s way. “Go back in the house, Sis. Blondie here was about to leave.”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  Amy had enough disgusted looks in her arsenal to go around. “Mom wants to see the four of you in the kitchen. Now.”

  When they didn’t immediately walk away, her father stepped out on the porch. “Boys, come inside.”

  Chad shook his head. “I’m not leaving her alone with him.”

  Amy got right up in his face. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but remember what I said this morning about needing to make my own decisions.” Then she smiled at him. “Please. It’s important.”

  “Fine.” Then he looked over her head to meet Mikhail’s gaze. “But you make one wrong move, you and I will be the ones having a little talk. Got that?”

  Mikhail nodded. “Got it.”

  They finally retreated back into the house, muttering and complaining the whole way. Once they were gone, Amy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him much as her brothers had. “So why are you here?”

  “I promised you we’d talk more when I got my head straightened out. I have, so I’m here.”

  He thought maybe, just maybe, she looked a little happier to see him. “I’m listening.”

  “I can’t guarantee I won’t hover once in a while, but I can promise I’ll try hard not to. And if I do screw up like that, I’m sure I can count on you to set me straight.”

  She nodded. “You can.”

  “Having said that, I do reserve the right to express my opinion if you start taking unnecessary risks. You know, like taking up extreme sports or driving in demolition derbies. That kind of thing.”

  Her mouth twitched like she trying hard not to smile. “Fair enough. In return, I promise to keep up with my doctor appointments and follow his advice. In fact, when I go in for my tests next month, I’d feel better if you went with me. That way you can hear exactly what he has to say about how I’m doing, and he can answer any questions you might have.”

  “I’d like that.” He glanced toward the living room window. Just as he feared, her parents and all four brothers were watching them. “I have one more question to ask, but I was hoping for a little more privacy. I’m guessing that’s not going to happen, though.”

  She glanced back toward the house and sighed. “We did have a long discussion this morning about the fact that I’m an adult and can handle my own affairs. Doesn’t look like they’ve quite figured out what that looks like yet.”

  “They love you.”

  She made shooing motions toward them, but they stubbornly remained right where they were. “I know.”

  He waited until she turned back around to say, “So do I, Amy. So damned much.”

  Her eyes flared wide and her mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re sure?”

  “Sure enough that I stopped to buy these before coming here.”

  He pulled a pair of small boxes out of his jacket pocket and popped open the lids to reveal three rings, one with a diamond solitaire and two matching bands. “If you’d rather pick out something different, we can take these back.”

  “They’re perfect, Misha.”

  If they had to have an audience, he might as well give them a good show. He dropped to one knee. “Amy Short, will you do me the honor of marrying me? And I’m talking now. Well, not right now. It will take us two days to get to Las Vegas, but now as in as soon as we can get there.”

  Her eyes flared wide as her mouth curved up in a huge smile. “Won’t your family be disappointed if they miss out on our wedding?”

  “So will yours, but we’ll make it up to them with a big reception. Hell, we can even have a second ceremony if that’s what it takes to make peace with both sides.”

  Her laughter rang out, pure and so happy. “Then, yes, Mikhail Wanjek, I’ll marry you. Now, as in let’s hit the road before they figure out what we’re planning here.”

  Then her face fell. “I’ve got Panda with me. And my stuff is all inside. We’ll never get away from them if I go back in there.”

  “We can buy whatever you need, and you can text your parents and ask them to watch Panda for a few days.” He stood up and tucked the bands back in his pocket to free up his hands to slide the engagement ring on her finger.

  They really needed to get a move on before her family got up the courage to come join the party, but he wasn’t going to miss a chance to kiss his future bride. “Kiss me quick, babe, and then we need to make our escape.”

  The click of the front door opening spurred them both into action, laughing as they yanked on their helmets. Unfortunately, her parents and brothers surrounded them in the driveway before they could get away.

  Mr. Short gave them both a hard look. “Where do you two think you’re going?”

  Mikhail wrapped his arm around Amy’s shoulders and held her close while she fluttered her left hand in the air for them to see and announced their plans. “We’re headed to Las Vegas to get married. Can you watch Panda for me for a few days?”

  That left her dad sputtering, but her mother was made of sterner stuff. “Yes, we’ll watch the dog, but don’t you think you could at least introduce us to your fiancé first?”

  “Oops, sorry. Mom, Dad, this is Mikhail Wanjek, the man I’m going to marry.”

  Mikhail offered his hand to his future father-in-law and was relieved when the man shook it. Maybe they wouldn’t hate him too much for stealing their daughter. “Nice to meet you both. I promise I’ll do everything I possibly can to make her happy.”

  “You’d better, son.” Mr. Short jerked his head toward the quartet standing behind them. “They’ll be watching.”

  To Mikhail’s surprise, Chad stepped around his father to offer his own hand. “I hope you deserve her.”

  “Me, too.”

  After another round of hugs and handshakes, they finally roared out of the driveway on their way to a new future together. And if they only made it as far as the next town before stopping for a night of hot makeup sex and love, well, that was their own little secret.

  Epilogue

  Marlene slipped away from the happy crowd, needing a moment alone. She and her new daughter-in-law’s mother had partnered in planning the gathering of friends and family to honor Misha and Amy. At the couple’s request, they’d kept it simple, and Misha’s friend Big Tom had volunteered to provide all the food. Both women had secretly admitted that while they had a few regrets not getting to plan a big wedding, the only thing that really mattered was how happy the couple had been since eloping to Las Vegas.

  It was past time to share the news with the man who still held her heart. “Well, Joe, we did it. All three of our sons are married now. I love how big our family has gotten. You’d love all of our daughters-in-law and how happy they’ve made our boys. I like to think that I played a hand in that, but your letters really made a big difference, too.”

  She paused to study the moon overhead. “Amy has made such a change in our Misha. It took someone who had her own share of tough times growing up to understand him so well. You should see him, Joe. He smiles so much more often these days.”

  A pair of bulldogs found her before their owner did. She gave them a mock glare. “If either of you snorts on my dress slacks, I will not be a happy woman.”

  “Back away, Sarge. You, too, Panda.”

  The dogs ignored Mikhail as he loomed up out of the shadows to stand next to her. “I figured you’d be out here tal
king to Dad.”

  At least none of her boys thought her ongoing conversations with her late husband were strange, but then, they missed him, too. “I try to keep him up-to-date on everything going on in the family. He’d want to know that his letters helped.”

  “Joe was a wise man, even if he tried to deny it.”

  Mikhail grinned when she laughed. “He also said you’d laugh at that idea.”

  “He did, did he? Well, I’ll have to have a talk with that man.” She gave her son a quick hug. “But that’s a conversation for another time. Now I want to dance with my sons. Go tell Jack to dig out that new CD I bought last week. I’ll be along in a second.”

  “Save the first dance for me, Mom. You know, before those other clowns have a chance to bruise up your toes too much.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  When he was gone, she smiled up at the moon one more time and swayed in time to a song that only played inside her head. It had been their song—the one Joe had played for her the night he’d proposed. “Good night, Joe. You know, now that our boys are all settled, maybe I’ll start working on their friend Jay next. After all, he’s a pretty good dancer, too.” A stray breeze ruffled her hair, making her smile as she headed back to rejoin the party.

  To Bob—

  Thanks for always being there for me and for still making me smile after all these years.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, I want to thank the usual suspects:

  My fabulous agent, Michelle Grajkowski, for her constant support.

  My equally fabulous editor, Sue Grimshaw, for falling a little in love with each of my heroes.

  My good friends Joanne and Janice for helping to keep me sane—never an easy job.