In My Heart: a sweetbriar hearts novel

by Everly, Nora

  “Thank you for telling me, Luke,” she murmured softly.

  I opened my eyes; I needed to see her in order to believe she was really here. “It means a lot that you would share that with me. I can’t even begin to tell you how glad I am that you are still here. There aren’t any words, except that I love you and I thought of you every day you were gone. Every time I looked into Dylan’s eyes, I saw you, and I ached for what could have been. I knew you were suffering, there was no way you would have left me if you’d been in your right frame of mind.” The love shining from her eyes warmed me straight to my soul. The way she understood me was a miracle.

  “I want to kiss you,” I blurted.

  “So, do it,” she said. Her eyes drifted shut as I kissed her hard. I turned with her held in my arms until she was beneath me again. Her thighs pressed high against my sides, and her arms wrapped around my back. I shifted my weight to my forearms, so I wouldn’t crush her.

  “I think the lesson has finally sunk in,” I whispered between kisses. “I won’t keep things from you anymore. I want to be like we were, before I enlisted.” I couldn’t help it, I was hard again, and she was right there, open, ready for me, wanting me, so I slipped inside.

  She groaned into my mouth and pressed her hips up. I would never get enough of her. I had finally gotten a taste of her again. She was in my blood, under my skin. I had to have her.

  “So, we’re sharing all our secrets again?” She gasped against my mouth.

  I nodded and watched a smile light up her face. “I missed that. I missed you, so much, Luke. I’m glad you’re back. I’m glad we’re back.” Her head pressed back into the pillow as I moved hard inside her. Her back arched, crushing her breasts up against my chest.

  I wanted to see. I wanted to touch. I rose up onto my knees and watched her body move as I took her. So beautiful.

  “You never have to miss me again, Lily. I promise.” I grabbed her under her arms and turned. I fell back to recline against the headboard, so she was on top. She sank down on me, and we found another rhythm together.

  She gazed down at me, heart in her eyes. How could I have stayed away for so long? I looked in her beautiful hazel eyes and saw everything I had ever wanted.

  My eyes traveled down to where we were joined. She was finally mine again. She arched back suddenly. Her hands shot out behind her to grip my thighs as she rose up and down and then came apart on top of me. I held her hips and thrust up hard until I went over the edge with her. I slid my hands up to grip her waist and pull her up, so I could see her face once more.

  Her eyes were at half-mast, hair a wreck from my hands, lips swollen from my kisses, she had never looked more beautiful. “I love you, Lily. And now that this is officially official, I have something for you.” I sat up and gathered her in my arms. Her legs squeezed around my hips as I stretched to the side, reached into the drawer of my nightstand, and pulled out my mom’s engagement ring in its little white box.

  Lily’s eyes got big when she saw the tiny box.

  “I want you to wear this. I want you to marry me. Will you marry me, Lily?” I opened the box and pulled the ring out. It was a huge square-shaped diamond surrounded by a bunch of little round diamonds. It was would dwarf her tiny little hand just like it did my mom, but it was beautiful despite its ostentatious nature. Beautiful and perfect, just like Lily. I watched the tears fill her eyes as she recognized the ring.

  “Your mom’s ring.” She gazed at me. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I used to sit on her lap and twirl it around her finger when I was little. Oh, Luke.” I slipped it on her finger, and she held her hand out. It fit perfectly. “I have always loved this ring. I wish she were here to see this.”

  “She knows. I believe that. So, you’re gonna marry me?” I said.

  Her head crashed into my chest, and she wrapped her arms around me whispering, “Yes. Of course, I’m going to marry you.” She pulled back to look at me. “But I can’t wear this yet. We need to talk to Dylan first, and I’m worried about how Jane is will handle it. I should talk to her too. If everyone sees this ring on my finger, they’ll know what it means, and Dylan and Jane should know first. I want us to tell Dylan together and make it special, and I’ll find some time tonight to call Jane.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t think about that. I only had one thing on my mind.”

  She blushed. After all we’d just done together, I found it adorable that I could still make her blush.

  “But it’s going back on your finger as soon as possible.” She nodded against my chest, and I felt her smile against me.

  “Soon, I promise. I can’t wait to wear it forever.”

  22

  Lily

  We were on the way to Gram’s. Mom had called in a cleaning service to fix the mess. I needed to pack more before we went to my parents’ house. I felt like a freaking ping-pong ball, bouncing back and forth. We pulled up to the curb because the driveway was full. Cade’s truck and Dad’s police SUV were parked in the drive, and a big moving truck, fully loaded with the back open, blocked it.

  What was going on now? I hopped out of the passenger seat and braced when I saw a tiny blonde blur headed my way. Madison? What were Trevor’s kids doing here?

  I caught her in my arms and picked her up as she screeched, “Auntie Lily! We’re moving here, and this is our new house.” I hefted her up and gave her a big hug. She hugged me back, winding her tiny arms and legs around me. I was thrilled to see her, but what the ever-loving heck?

  “What? Where’s your dad?” Then I felt Mikey hit my legs and wrap his arms around my hips.

  “Where’s Dylan?” he demanded. I was a bit flabbergasted, so I didn’t answer, just reached down to stroke his soft brown hair.

  “Um, what is going on?” I said as Luke reached my side and wrapped his arm around me. And by extension, Madison, who looked up at him with a smile.

  Mikey pulled back and gave Luke an assessing look. “Who’s this, Aunt Lily? You got a boyfriend?”

  “This is Luke. Dylan’s dad.”

  Mikey smiled huge and stuck his hand out like a grown-up would do. “Hi, Luke. I’m Michael Austin Hale, but everyone calls me Mikey. I’m Dylan’s best friend in the entire known universe, and probably all the unknown parts too. We’ve been best friends since we met at age two and a half. We are both six years old and were in the same class for kindergarten. So, basically, we’re just like brothers.”

  Luke shook Mikey’s hand with a bemused smile. “Nice to meet you, Mikey.”

  Mikey pointed up at Madison. “This is my little sister, Madison Elizabeth Hale. She’s four, but she’ll be five next week. I’m going to be in first grade with Dylan, and Madison will be a kindergartener when school starts.” We heard the front door open. Mikey turned around and pointed. “That’s my dad. His name is Trevor Joseph Hale, but I call him Dad, and Dylan calls him Uncle Trev. Our dads used to be partners before Uncle Will died. I miss him a lot, but I’m glad Dylan has another dad. You seem nice, but if you weren’t, Aunt Lily would kick your butt, so I’m not going to worry about it.” Mikey smiled up at Luke, then looked at me. “Aunt Lily, can I play with that Xbox that’s hooked up in the living room? Mine is in a box on the truck.” Gosh, this kid. Precocious, to say the least.

  “Go for it,” I told him and watched him run off into the house.

  Trevor smiled at me as he strode down the front walkway. Trevor, so handsome and tall, sweet and a great dad. I guessed this was the reason why he had been incommunicado lately. He was too busy packing and moving to answer my texts.

  “Hey, Trev. What is going on?”

  He opened his mouth to answer, but my dad beat him to it as he popped out of the garage.

  “Trev is the new detective on the force. Isn’t that great? We needed another good man on board. He’ll partner up with Cade eventually. And he’s going to stay here until his house sells and he gets into another one in town.” He turned to Trevor. “There’s room in the garage now, son. Let�
�s unload your stuff.”

  Trevor laughed. “Well, that’s the story. I didn’t intend to keep it from you. Everything just fell into place quickly. One minute, I’m on the phone with your dad, and the next day, I’m in a truck driving down. It’s good.” He smiled softly. “We’ll be closer to my family, and Dylan and Mikey can be closer too.” He stroked Madison’s cheek. “And this one was really missing you.” She looked at me with her huge blue eyes, then I cuddled her closer as she tucked her head into my neck.

  “I missed you too, honey,” I whispered in her ear.

  Trevor stuck his hand out to Luke. “I’m Trevor. You have got to be Luke. It’s nice to meet you,” he said.

  “You too, man.” They shook hands. This day had been a roller coaster, and it seemed we still weren’t ready to get off.

  Cade came out the front door with a huge smile. “We’re all in luck. Mom heard you’re here, Trev. She and Gram are cooking right now. Dinner tonight, all of us, at the house.”

  He turned to Luke. “Dude, she went to the hospital with Jed, and they went to see Liam. He has a guest room with his name on it when he gets released. She wouldn’t take no for an answer; you know how she can get. He’s been adopted.” Luke shook his head and smiled because we all knew how my mother could get. I started to worry a little bit less about Liam. He was in the fold, and between all of us, we would make him see that he was not alone.

  Dad poked his head out of the garage again. “Lily, I packed you up. It’s all loaded in the back of Cade’s truck, and when we finish unloading Trev, we’ll take it to the house. You and the kids are all set.”

  I guess that was one less thing to worry about. Maybe I could get someone to unpack too. Then repack and unpack again when this whole weird mess was over. I groaned.

  “Thanks, Dad. We’ll head over, then.” I turned to Trev. “I’ll take Madison and Mikey with me, if you like.” My answer came when Mikey shot out of the front door like a bullet. It was impossible to keep anything from Mikey; he had the hearing of a bat and was nosy like you wouldn’t believe.

  “Dad, say yes. I can’t wait to see Dylan. A man needs his best friend. Am I right?” I shifted Madison to my hip and stuck my hand out for a high-five. Mikey smacked my palm with a grin.

  “You sure?” Trevor asked me, and I nodded. “Thanks, Lily. This will make unloading go by so much faster, and I’ll help unload your stuff too.” He hugged me and Madison goodbye, did his secret handshake with Mikey, and headed for the moving truck.

  “Mikey, my boy, Dylan is will be so happy to see you. Best surprise ever.” I smiled down at him. “Let’s go.”

  Luke helped me load the kids up. Then we were off, again.

  I spotted Jane’s car in the driveway when we turned down the windy lane to my parents’ house and did a happy dance in my head when I saw her. Jane was tall and full of curves I was jealous of. She had light brown hair, cut into a wavy bob, it was the same light brown shade as Will’s hair. And she shared the same beautiful green eyes with Will and Calla. She got out of her car just as Luke pulled to a stop. I hopped out with a squeal.

  “Jane!” I called. The look on her face squelched my excitement.

  Yeesh, the roller coaster was on a down slope again.

  Jane took a step toward me as Luke moved around to the back to unload the kids. “I opened the family safe deposit box today to get my passport and I found an envelope with your dad’s name on it in Will’s writing.”

  “That is definitely weird. Did you open it?” I asked as I hugged her.

  She hugged me back. “No, I figured I’d let your dad open it.” As we pulled apart, Luke came around the car with Trevor’s kids. “Hi, Luke. Hey, kids,” she said.

  “Hey, Jane,” Luke’s voice was cautious as he returned Jane’s hug. Hugging was a good sign, right?

  I was worried about how she would take the news that I was back with Luke. I had been texting with her, so she knew it was a possibility, but seeing it in person made it seem so much more real. I looked at her, unsure of how to bring it up. I shouldn’t have worried though. Jane always knew just what to say. “I’m glad you’re back, Luke. You should have never left.” She smiled sadly. She was my roommate and best friend, then later my sister-in-law. She knew how I felt about Luke, and I hoped she knew that I would always love Will too.

  This situation had awkward written all over it.

  “We’re not going to be awkward,” she said, as if reading my mind. I didn’t know what to say to that. Apparently, Luke didn’t either because we both just looked at her with big eyes.

  Madison held my hand, and Mikey, for once, didn’t say a word.

  Jane continued, “It’s just—I love you, Lily.”

  Then she looked at Luke. “I missed you when you were gone, Luke. You were a good friend, and I hope we can be friends again.” A determined look crossed her face. “My brother was no fool. Will knew the score when he went after you, Lily. But he’s gone. He wouldn’t want you to be alone. I don’t want you to be alone, and I don’t want you to feel weird around me. I’m happy for you. I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that Will would be happy for you too, so—no awkward, zero weirdness. We’re moving forward. Onward and upward and all that jazz.”

  I hugged her again. “I love you, Jane.”

  She smiled and hugged me back. “I love you too. Always. Is your dad around? We should give him the envelope. What if it’s important?”

  “No, but he will be soon. Let’s go in. Mom and Gram are cooking dinner, and you know them, the more the merrier.”

  “Awesome. I love your mom’s food. Um, is Ash here?” She looked nervous. Jane had a massive hopelessly-devoted-to-him, heart-eyed-emoji-come-to-life crush on my big brother. Ash was deliberately unaware of it, and it was heartbreaking to witness.

  “He’s working,” Luke answered gently. “He’s taking a meeting for me, and it doesn’t start until six, so it will be a late night for him.”

  Luke knew about Jane’s crush. Heck, everyone knew about it. She had been crushing on Ash for years, since the moment she first saw him when he was helping me unload boxes into my dorm room.

  We all looked down at Mikey when he let out a huge, dramatic sigh. “You guys done talking yet? I’m ready to see Dylan now, and it’s getting real hard to be polite and quiet and patient. I’m only six, you know. I’m pretty sure I’ve reached my limit.”

  At that point, he started jumping up and down, and Madison started giggling, I took both of their hands and ran them up to the front door, much to the amusement of Luke and Jane, who followed at a more sedate pace. Mikey rang the bell, I knocked, and it only took a moment for my mother to open the door with Calla in her arms and Dylan, Mark, and Mara behind her with Rocky bringing up the rear. Mikey immediately shouted for Dylan when the door opened, letting him know that he would be moving here for good.

  “Mikey!” Dylan shouted back. “I’m so happy!” They hugged and jumped up and down amid shouts of “I missed you,” the giggles of the other kids, and the barks from an excited Rocky. Dylan pointed to Mark. “This is Mark. He’s going to be our best friend. This is Rocky. He’s the best dog ever.” Rocky accepted a rubdown from Mikey, then licked his face. “Oh, and this is Mara.” Mara rolled her eyes, then she saw Madison.

  “Hi,” Mara said. Madison smiled, and I witnessed the birth of a new friendship as they ran off together up the stairs followed by the boys. Rocky looked plaintively up at Luke. Luke nodded at him, then Rocky bounded up the stairs after the kids.

  The stairs led into a small living room that was open to the foyer and sitting room below. I watched the girls head into the playroom as the boys sat on the huge overstuffed sectional with Jude. I heard sounds of a game coming from the television up there—baseball, basketball—whatever, it was sports. I waved to Jude, who was sitting there, remote in hand. He waved back, then turned his attention back to the television after high-fiving the boys and passing them a bag of chips. I focused on Calla in my mother’s arms and
kissed her chubby cheeks, making her giggle. She patted my face, then reached for Luke, who took her with a huge smile.

  “Someone needs to have a baby for Calla to play with,” my mom said with a wink directed at Luke, then she turned to embrace Jane. “Jane, honey, I’m so glad to see you. You’re just in time for dinner. What brings you over?”

  “I have something for Ben. From Will. I opened the family safe deposit box. It’s in my bag.” She patted her big purse.

  “Well, put that bag down, for now, darling. You can show Ben when he gets here. In the meantime, let’s go have a glass of wine and catch up. Dinner is almost ready, nibbles are out, it’s time to relax.” They headed into the kitchen arm in arm, leaving me with Luke. I watched him snuggle Calla. I saw her totally at ease in his arms as she patted his face and babbled at him. At that moment, everything that had been weighing on me floated away, and my heart smiled.

  I beamed up at Luke. “That went well. I think Jane will be okay with all of this. Let’s take Dylan to the park tomorrow and tell him. Then I can put the ring back on, and we can have a big ol’ party and tell everyone else, or just tell my mother and let her spread the word.” I couldn’t help it; I was bouncing on my feet just like Mikey had been earlier. I was excited. I was happy. I’d just had great sex, so much great sex. I was still tingly, I felt awesome, and it would happen again—it would happen often.