by Kari Lemor
“See? Corny. There’s more. You can read as many as you want. They’re all kind of sappy and stupid like this one.”
“It wasn’t sappy and stupid at all. It was real and honest and beautiful. I wish you had sent them. I would have written back.”
“But then I would have worried about you every second and worried that if something happened to me, you’d be affected even more.”
Nodding, Elle scrolled to the next letter. It was similar to the first with a few small details of what he was doing. As she read through more of them, her heart grew and blossomed and swelled with love for him. He never gave details of anything that happened over there, but she could tell when things were bad. His words got extra emotional, and he’d talk about how much he needed her and that staring at her picture was the only thing keeping him sane.
At one point, Dawn started fussing in her crib. Luke pressed her back to the couch and went to get her. Elle watched on the monitor as Luke changed her diaper and soothed her on his shoulder. A minute later, he settled next to her again on the couch. The baby seemed content to be in her dad’s arms.
I’ve been watching my brothers and sister with their spouses and have to say I’m kind of envious. Weird, right? Luke Storm, single guy of the world. Maybe there was never anyone I’d been with who made me feel enough to want them forever. But then I think of you. I can actually see myself being with you. Now, in a month, in a year, in fifty years. I know this is nuts, and we haven’t even dated, but you give me the feeling of wanting someone for more than a few nights.
I don’t want anyone else, Ellie. You are it for me. I hope to God you feel the same way, too. Maybe someday you’ll read this and laugh. In a good way, because we are together and love each other and have a future with each other. They say we’ll be heading home in a few weeks. I hope so. The first thing I plan to do is come see you. I hope you’ll be as happy to see me as I will be with you. Take care until we’re together again.
Luke
Tears now streamed down her face, but she didn’t care. Every emotion Luke had poured into these letters was powerful and real. She couldn’t ever doubt him or his love.
“I love you, sweetie.” She gazed at the man who held her heart.
Luke gently stroked Dawn’s head as he stared back at her. “Not as much as I love you. And our daughter. The two of you are my home. My life. My everything. I don’t ever want you to doubt me or my love. And if anything ever happens to make you have doubts, please tell me right away. I will fix whatever’s wrong. Always.”
“I know you will, Luke. And I promise to let you know when my insecurities get the better of me. When the Taylors of this world beat me down.”
“Ugh, Taylor. We don’t need her in our life.”
Elle pursed her lips. “I saw her today right before I left the mall.”
“I don’t even want to know what she said. It’ll make me want to go out and hurt her.”
Elle smiled, remembering her interaction with Taylor. “Well, she was in full bitch mode. She made some comment about you making me go to the gym every day.”
“She—”
Elle covered his lips with her finger. “Because I didn’t look like I’d just had a baby. I played with that and let her know we worked out quite often. I even showed her the workout gear.”
Elle reached down and grabbed the bag from the lingerie store. Extracting the green silk garment, she dangled it in front of Luke’s face.
Luke broke into a grin. “What did you have planned for that?”
“It was my bargaining chip for getting you to stick around here with me and our daughter.”
Careful not to squish the baby, Luke kissed her lips. “You never need a bargaining chip with me. I’ll always be around.”
“And I’m thrilled. But maybe after I feed her again and put her down—” she swirled the silk in the air, “—we could take this out for a little test drive.”
Epilogue
The cool breeze of the mid-September day wafted over Luke as he held Dawn in his lap. Elle sat next to him on the porch swing scooping a tiny portion of baby applesauce onto a plastic-coated spoon.
“Do you think she’ll like this?” He glanced nervously at their daughter.
Elle’s eyebrows rose as she touched the tip of the spoon to Dawn’s open lips. “It’s sweet and different from breast milk, but we’ll see.”
The baby’s lips opened and closed a few times, and her face scrunched up for a second. Then, she opened her lips again and tipped her head forward to get more.
When she’d finished off the amount on the spoon and Elle was dipping it in the bowl again, Luke laughed. “I’m guessing she likes it.”
“Your mom said you’d been eating baby food for a while at four months. Things change so much with every generation.”
Luke laughed at the expression on Dawn’s face as she tried the new food. “None of us died, so I think it was fine. If we’re lucky, this will help her to sleep longer at night.”
“That would be nice. But she’s been giving us five or six hours at times. Pretty good for this age. I’m not going to complain.”
Elle didn’t complain about much, for which Luke was thankful. Hopefully, it was because she was just as happy as he’d been. Ever since their conversation a month ago, their marriage and relationship had taken a wonderful turn for the better. They made sure to talk every day about anything that was bothering them or any help they needed.
A gleeful squeal rang across the yard as Jillian and Ryan burst from their front door and down the porch steps. Guinness nipped at their heels, causing Jillian to giggle even more.
“They are so cute,” Elle said. “I can’t wait until Dawn is old enough to join her cousins playing in the neighborhood.”
Greg and Alandra appeared on their porch and waved as they settled into chairs. Luke lifted his hand in greeting, that warm feeling he always got around his family suffusing him again. It happened often lately. It still astonished him how much he loved being a family man.
“What do you think, munchkin?” he addressed their daughter as her tongue poked out, licking applesauce from her lips. “Are you eager to play with your cousins?”
Dawn’s hands bounced up and down excitedly.
Elle scraped the spoon over the girl’s chin cleaning up some of the spill. “Give it a bit more time and the twins will be out there playing, as well. It’ll be a full house.”
As if on cue, Gina and Alex stepped onto their porch and sat down. Honeysuckle scampered out with them, then loped across the street to play with Guinness. It was a perfect day to be outside. Luke tipped his head at his brother and sister-in-law, then kissed his daughter’s head.
Elle put the fruit to the side and gently wiped their daughter’s face. When it was clean, Elle snuggled closer to him. He loved when she did this. “You know Ali’s mentioned she and Greg want to start working on adding to their family soon. More cousins for the neighborhood.”
Keeping one hand on Dawn, he swung the other around Elle’s shoulder. “You know we don’t need to stop there. It would be terrible for this little one to be an only child.”
Laughing, Elle rolled her eyes. “I agree, but can we wait until she’s sleeping a few more hours a night before we start on number two?”
“Hmm, I guess. Are you getting enough sleep to do your job during the day?”
Her nod was confirmation enough.
Elle had gone back to her job but had worked out a plan, so she was only part time. He’d made some sacrifices as well and arranged to work from home one day a week. It wasn’t ideal, since Dawn liked his full attention when she was awake. Okay, maybe he liked to give her his full attention. But he’d found in the couple weeks he’d been doing this, if he put in a few hours in the early mornings before Elle went to work, then did a couple at night, hustled during Dawn’s nap, or even worked through his lunch break on other days, he managed to get everything done. Sometimes, when Dawn was awake, he could still get work don
e if he talked to her while she was in her swing. She didn’t seem to mind the engineering jargon. Mostly, she wanted her daddy’s attention.
The other two days Elle left the house, his mom came over to watch her granddaughter. Mom had cut back on her hours at her job, saying if Dad had to slow down, maybe she should, too. Taking care of a baby several days a week was hardly slowing down. Doubtful Molly Storm knew the meaning of those words.
Whatever. Luke and Elle were thankful their daughter got to stay in her home surrounded by family. Like now. Sitting outside, his brother and wife on one side, his cousin and wife on the other was ideal. The best was his wife and daughter sitting right here with him, enjoying the excellent weather.
“This is so nice.” Ellie sighed and closed her eyes for a second. “More people should sit on front porches. The world might be a calmer place.”
“Yep, it’s exactly what I need. You, Dawn, and me. Nothing better.”
“It is great, isn’t it? A year ago, I’d just found out I was pregnant, and you were off at war. Life seemed pretty bleak, my options limited.”
He pressed a kiss to her head. “But it all worked out. We have our beautiful baby girl. I’m married to an incredible, brilliant, sexy woman I love more than I’d ever thought possible. And what’s more unbelievable is that you love me, too.”
“I do, Luke. So much. Once I realized I was having your baby, this is exactly the dream I used to have. I honestly didn’t think it would happen. Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
“I’d be happy to make any of your dreams come true. As much as I’m able.”
Dawn gurgled out her happy sound, and Luke glanced down at the little smile on her face.
“Looks like Dawn is happy. What about her mom?” He knew the answer, but he always wanted to ask.
“Couldn’t be happier. Are you, Luke?”
As he held his family close, he said, “I’m with you, Ellie. You and Dawn. That’s all I need.”
Take a sneak peek at book 7 in the Storms of New England series - Deadly Dreams coming 2022.
Deadly Dreams
Storms of New England, book 7
Chapter One
“Come on, John, you know you need me. We’d be so good together. You can’t deny that.”
John Michaels stared at Sofia Storm leaning over his desk, her cute, curvy bod posed enticingly. Yeah, he did need her, and they’d be amazing together. Unfortunately, she wasn’t thinking about the same thing he was. Too bad.
“I don’t need your help, Sofie, but if you need mine, you know I’m willing and able. What can I do for you this time?”
Sofie was a certified interior designer, with a fancy degree and everything. Until she got more of her own jobs, she’d been working at The Inn at the Falls decorating their function halls and common areas, not to mention helping with renovations of some of the rooms. Often, John tagged along when she set up an event as the hired muscle.
Sofie was tiny, barely five foot four, at least compared to his more than six foot height. Her blonde, shoulder-length hair swished around her shoulders, as she bent in front of him.
“I was thinking that I need to get my own office space. Like you have.” She swept her arm around the large room in the front of the old Georgian building he rented near downtown Squamscott Falls in New Hampshire. He lived in an apartment upstairs and rented the entire front of the first floor for his construction/handyman business.
“Then, you should. What do you need my help with?”
Sofie worried her bottom lip with her top teeth and stared anywhere but at him.
“Out with it, Sofe. You know I don’t like beating around the bush.”
Planting her hands on her hips, she frowned. “Most of the places that would attract the kind of clientele I’m looking for are super expensive. The ones I might be able to afford wouldn’t attract much more than cockroaches and rats.”
He eyed her curiously. “Are you looking for a loan? I’m hardly loaded. I’d think you’d hit up your cousin, Sara, now that she’s married to the son of rock superstars”
“No, that isn’t what I was thinking.” Her eyes roamed the room again. “This building is perfect, and you’ve got so much room that you don’t even use.”
True. He had a desk, a drafting table, and a few bookshelves and cabinets. He was on the job site more than he was here.
“What are you thinking?”
Pointing to the other side of the room that sat empty except for a few chairs, she tipped her head. “I was thinking we could work together. We’ve already done a few of the same jobs. The Mazelli house, the community center, my cousin Nathaniel’s renovation. Having our offices in the same place would be advantageous to both of us. We could recommend the other for work to our clients.”
“I’ve got plenty of clients. I’m not worried about growing my business all that much.” Mostly because he didn’t know how much longer he’d be in this town. He hadn’t stayed more than two years any place else, but this sleepy little town in New Hampshire had been good to him. The people had treated him with kindness and respect, and he’d made some good friends in the almost five years he’d lived here.
He didn’t want to get involved, either emotionally or in business with Sofie. There was always a chance he’d have to pick up and run tomorrow. Or tonight. He’d always worked best at night.
She wiggled her adorable little body near him again, and John tightened his jaw in an attempt to ignore her.
“Please, John. You’re hardly ever here. I can answer the phone for you or take messages for anyone who wanders in off the street.”
He narrowed his eyes as he perused the bare room. “Does this look like the type of business where people walk in off the streets? Most of my work is word of mouth, and they call my cell phone.”
Sofie blew out a breath and a strand of her hair whooshed out, then fell against her eyes. Swiftly, she tucked it behind her ear. “But if you work with me, I can make this look like the type of business people will walk in to. I can set up a table with all my color samples and brochures in front of the side window, and spruce up your side as well. A few plants, some wall decorations, maybe pictures of some of the renovations you’ve done, and some furniture for clients, it’ll look so much better.”
John stood, needing a greater distance between him and Sofie’s bubbly personality. “What if I like it this way?”
She snorted. On her it looked cute. “I won’t do anything drastic, but it would definitely look more professional if this outer room were more of a showroom, while we did business in the two offices behind.”
“And in exchange for this sprucing up of my office space…you’d get, what? I only rent these front rooms.”
“I know, but they’re big and gorgeous and have such great potential. You take the right of this large room plus the office behind it. I’ll take the left side of the front room and the office behind that. You’ll see, I’ll make the space look amazing. And I’ll pay you part of the rent. What’s your monthly rate?”
He named off an amount, and Sofie’s face drained of color. He rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. Big mistake. The woman made his senses go haywire. Not something he could ever afford.
“That’s for my apartment upstairs and two parking spots behind the building. Can you swing a quarter of that?” Why was he even considering her proposition? He’d be crazy in no time from her bouncy disposition and gregarious nature. He was a loner. Needed to remain a loner, for everyone’s safety, especially his own.
“Yes, yes, yes! Thank you.” Jumping up and down, Sofie clapped, then actually squealed. It was too late now to back out.
As she flung herself into his arms and hugged him, he thought about this town and how much he’d come to like the people in it. More than like them. Many had come to mean something to him. Sofie was definitely on that list.
Had he spent too much time here? Should he move on to the next place?
He circled his arms around the enthus
iastic blonde and held her tight, her excitement contagious. He felt safe in this town. Could he take a risk and stay longer? Stay forever? It had been almost five years since he’d been here. Over ten since he’d had contact with any of Theron’s men.
The pressure of Sofie’s hands around his neck and the scent of her shampoo worked together to convince him. He’d stick around, allow Sofie to redecorate his offices, and help her grow her business.
He just hoped he didn’t regret it.
Make sure to check out Sofia and John’s story in Deadly Dreams.
https://www.karilemor.com/deadly-dreams
About the Author
Stay in touch with Kari Lemor and find out when her next release or sale is.
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