If We Never Met

by Barbara Freethy

  "It's not your fault," she told him, seeing the pain in his face. "You didn't know. This is on Mandy, no one else."

  "But you've lost your home." He gave a hopeless, helpless shake of his head as he turned toward her mother. "I never should have looked you up, Ruth. I put you and Keira in danger, and now you've lost everything."

  "Not everything," her mother said, putting her hands on his arms. "Keira's alive, and so are we. I learned a long time ago that life and health is all that matters."

  "You're being too generous, Ruth."

  Her mom was being generous, and the reality of what they'd lost would probably hurt—a lot. But as Mark and her mother hugged each other, she could see the love between them. It felt strange, because it had been her mom and her for so long, but it also felt good. Her mom was back to normal, or at least close to normal. She could make her own decisions. She could take care of herself. Maybe it was time she recognized that.

  As she looked around the area, she could see a crowd gathering behind two police cars. Her friends were among that crowd: Lizzie, Chelsea Hannah, and Jake were there along with Gianna and Zach, as well as the neighbors. She gave them a wave and a thumbs-up. They waved back with relieved but concerned smiles.

  As she shivered once more, Dante put his arm back around her. "Why don't I take you to the hospital?"

  At his words, her mom broke away from Mark, worry filling her gaze. "Did you just say hospital? Keira, you said you were all right."

  "I think I sprained my ankle or something," she said vaguely, as the pain from that injury began to take hold in a sharper, more penetrating way. She'd been numb from shock, but no longer. "I need an x-ray."

  "I'm going to take her to the hospital," Dante said. "Where do you think you two will spend the rest of the night?"

  "I can go next door," her mom said. "Erin and her husband can put me and Mark up. I saw them on my way in. They said it was no problem."

  "No," Mark said, with a definitive shake of his head. "I can't make anyone else a target."

  "I think we should stay together," Ruth argued.

  As her mom and Mark continued their conversation, Dante looked back at her. "You could stay with me at the inn. To sleep, nothing else. If that doesn't work, I'll go wherever you want to go, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."

  She gave him a tired smile. "That sounds nice. Mom," she added, interrupting her mom's conversation with Mark, "Dante will take me to the hospital, and then I'll stay with him at the inn."

  "All right. I guess Mark will go back to the lodge, and I'll stay with Erin," she said with an unhappy sigh.

  Keira couldn't share her unhappiness. She would feel better knowing her mom was with the neighbors and not with Mark. Until Mandy was in custody, Mark was still a target, along with anyone who was with him. "We'll meet back here in the morning," she said. "I'm sure we won't be able to get in before then, if we can get in at all. Maybe there will be something left to salvage upstairs or in the garage."

  "We'll figure it out." Her mother sounded stronger than she had in years. "Dante, you take care of my girl."

  "I will," he promised. "You can count on that."

  Dante helped her off the short wall and they made their way toward his car, which was parked across the street. She stopped to exchange hugs with all of her friends. Thankfully, they already seemed to know the story, so she didn't have to retell it. As she got into Dante's car, she took one last look at her house. The fire was just about out, but there was still a ton of smoke in the air.

  "Are you okay?" Dante asked, giving her a concerned look.

  "I'm angry and sad, but I'm also grateful that I'm alive. When we get to the hospital, I want you to get your arm checked out, too."

  "It's going to be all right, Keira."

  She really wanted to believe him, but she needed his arm to be okay, even if it made their choices more complicated. She couldn't be the reason he lost everything.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Dante didn't take a full breath until he helped Keira into his guest room at the inn just before midnight. She'd been diagnosed with a minor fracture in her foot, which had been placed in a boot. Luckily, she hadn't needed surgery or a cast, and the pain was treatable with medication. It could have been a lot worse.

  Keira got on the bed, resting her back against a pair of fluffy pillows. She stretched out her legs and let out a long sigh.

  He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, seeing pain in her eyes. "Can I get you anything?"

  "No, thanks. I'm okay."

  "You don't look it."

  "You're supposed to lie and say I look beautiful." She smiled. "Just like you look handsome with chunks of plaster in your hair and soot on your face."

  He grinned. "You do look beautiful. I'm hoping that smile means the medication is taking effect."

  "My foot doesn't hurt too bad, but I feel exhausted."

  "The adrenaline and shock are starting to wear off. You need to sleep."

  "You must be feeling the same way." Her gaze moved from his face to his shoulder. "Are you sure the doctor said your shoulder is okay?"

  "I'm sure." Hannah had come to the hospital and had the doc on duty take a look at his arm and shoulder while Keira was getting an x-ray. "If anything, I may have strained my arm, but it doesn't feel like a setback. I'll get it checked more thoroughly at the rehab center tomorrow."

  "You better."

  "And you don't need to worry about me." He grabbed his phone as it buzzed. "It's Adam."

  "Hopefully, he has good news. Can you put it on speaker?"

  "Of course. Hello? Adam?"

  "Yes. Are you still with Keira?"

  "She's right here. You're on speaker."

  "Good. Lizzie gave me your number since Keira lost her phone in the fire. I wanted to let you know that Mandy has been taken into custody."

  "That's great." He felt an intense wave of relief. "Where did you find her?"

  "She made it to the north shore. She'll be transferred back here to the county jail tomorrow. We have video of her breaking into Keira's house from the neighbor's camera next door. We also have her buying gasoline earlier in the day on the north shore. The case against her will be strong. She won't get away with this."

  "Thank you so much, Adam," Keira put in. "Have you spoken to my mother?"

  "Yes. I spoke to her and also to Mr. Langley. Everyone is up to speed. I'm sorry about your house, Keira. Let me know what I can do to help you sort through all that."

  "I will. I'll talk to my mother tomorrow and go from there. But I'm very relieved to know that Mandy is not still running loose. That's a huge relief. I didn't want to know what might come next."

  "You don't need to worry anymore. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

  "Goodnight," Keira said.

  "Thanks, Adam," he added, then set the phone down and exchanged a smile with Keira. "Mandy is done. There's evidence to prove she was in the house and set the fire. Plus, she also tried to kill you. The list of charges against her should be long."

  Shadows passed through Keira's eyes. He'd just reminded her how close she'd come to not making it out of the house alive.

  "It's strange to think that someone was willing to kill me. We'd never even met before last night. She didn't know me. She didn't know my mother," Keira said, a shaky note in her voice.

  He put his hand on her leg. "Mandy clearly has mental health issues. It wasn't about you. It wasn't even about Mark."

  She nodded as she met his gaze. "It was about her sister, a loss she couldn't get past."

  "Which doesn't excuse anything."

  Her expression hardened. "You don't have to worry about me wanting to go easy on her. She destroyed our home. I want her to pay for that."

  "She will."

  "I know. Adam will make sure of that." Keira blew out a breath. "I don't want to talk about Mandy. I'm so happy this is over now. I know that seeing my house in the light of day will hurt a lot. There were a lot of memories in those
walls and things from several generations. I don't know if our family treasures survived. Although, we did move some boxes of albums and other knick-knacks into the garage a few years ago. Maybe they made it through the fire."

  "I hope they did." He could see fresh pain in her eyes and wished he could do something to make it all better, but he couldn't change what had happened.

  "If they didn't, we still have our memories. And we're alive to make more memories." She lifted her chin. "We'll bounce back."

  He knew she would. "You have impressed me in so many ways tonight… Actually, not just tonight, but since I met you. You're a strong woman, Keira. Brave, loyal, fiercely protective of the people you love, incredibly unselfish, and you're a fighter. You never play the victim, even when it's warranted, like tonight. You just put your head up and square your shoulders and are ready to march on."

  She blinked away a tear. "That's very sweet, Dante."

  "It's not sweet. It's the truth."

  "Well, you need to stop being so nice. You're going to make me cry. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling emotional."

  "You're feeling emotional because you've had a rough night. You're allowed to cry. I can offer you a shoulder."

  She gave him a faint smile. "I might take you up on that. But I have to say, Dante, you've impressed me, too. The way you ran into my house and refused to leave…" She shook her head. "You could have been seriously hurt or worse. But you stayed with me."

  "There was no way I was going to leave you."

  He took her hand in his as she gazed back at him with her beautiful brown eyes. She was feeling emotional, and, damn, if he wasn't feeling the same way. He was trying to focus on the fact that they were both alive, but he was still acutely aware of how close he'd come to losing her.

  "You should have left," she said. "But you're stubborn and very confident."

  "I can't argue with that," he said lightly. "Sometimes it comes in handy."

  "It did tonight. And I really hope your arm is okay."

  "I told you not to worry about that. I'm fine. And I want you to feel better, so tell me what I can do for you?"

  Her smile slowly lifted her lips. "Hold me?"

  "I can do that." He took off her shoe and the awkward boot, careful not to jar her foot, which had been wrapped in a bandage. Then he kicked off his own shoes and turned off the light, finally stretching out next to her. He pulled her into his arms so she could rest her head on his chest.

  As the dark quiet enveloped them, he realized how much time he'd spent thinking about where he needed to be, but he hadn't realized until just this moment that the only place he needed to be was right where he was: next to Keira. He had to find a way to make that happen after tonight.

  Dante woke up to the sun streaming through the curtains. He was shocked that it was almost ten. Keira shifted away from him as her eyes fluttered open.

  She gave him a sleepy smile. "Hey."

  "Hey," he echoed, as he stole a kiss from her soft mouth. "How did you sleep?"

  "Surprisingly well. What about you?"

  "Best night's sleep I've had in a while. I like sleeping with you."

  "Even if all we did was sleep?" she teased.

  "Yes. Because I still got to hold you. How's your foot?"

  "It aches a little, but nothing I can't tolerate."

  "Tough girl."

  "Not really."

  "Don't deny it. I've seen how strong you are." He pulled her back to him, needing to have his arms around her, needing to kiss her again. But his phone started buzzing, and he was concerned it could be important news about the fire or Mandy, so he cut the kiss short and took the call. "Hello?"

  "It's Lizzie. I hope I didn't wake you."

  "No. We're up."

  "Good. Because I'd love to bring you some breakfast. When is a good time?"

  "Any time," he said. "Maybe twenty or thirty minutes."

  "Perfect. I'll see you soon."

  He set down the phone. "Lizzie is bringing us food."

  "That's wonderful. I'm hungry," Keira added, as she sat up. "But I must look like a mess."

  "An adorable mess." Her long brown hair was tangled with ashy dust throughout, her face was still smudged, and her clothes smelled like smoke. Or maybe that was his clothes. "We probably should have showered last night."

  "I was too exhausted. But I need to pull myself together. There's a lot to do today."

  "I'm available to help with whatever you need. In fact, I'm going to call the clinic and cancel my morning session."

  She frowned. "You shouldn't do that."

  "I want to go with you to your house."

  "I appreciate that, but I want you to get your arm checked out."

  "I'll keep the afternoon session," he said. "Do you want help getting into the shower? Or getting your clothes off?"

  Her eyes sparked with amusement. "I think I can manage that myself and since we only have a short time until Lizzie arrives, I'll be quick, and then you can go after me."

  "Together would be faster."

  "I don't think so, Dante," she said with a laugh. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "Another time."

  "Fine. There's a robe on the back of the door if you don’t want to put those clothes back on."

  "I don't. I should ask Lizzie to bring me some clothes. Can you text her while I'm in the shower? Just tell her to bring me anything."

  "Sure."

  She slid off the bed and then limped into the bathroom.

  He sent Lizzie a text, then got up and pulled the covers over the bed. He took a quick look in the mirror on the wall, realizing he looked as bad as Keira had. He didn't know if he had time to take a shower before their breakfast arrived, but he could at least change his clothes. As he finished putting on a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt, his phone began to buzz. The GM's admin was texting him about his plans to join the team and if he needed help with his flights or transportation.

  That answer was a little more difficult to answer now than it had been yesterday.

  He couldn't leave Saturday. There was too much to say and do before then. Keira was homeless now. Her life was in shambles. He wanted to be there for her. He also wanted to figure out how they could take their love for each other and turn it into a relationship. Because the one thing he'd realized last night was that living without her wasn't an option.

  He'd always been a man who shied away from commitment, especially to anything or anyone who might take him away from baseball. But he'd committed to her last night when he'd risked his arm and his life to save her. In doing so, he'd gotten a clarity he'd never had before.

  He looked up as Keira came out of the bathroom in a white terry-cloth robe. Her hair was still damp, her cheeks pink from the moist heat of the shower, but her gaze was as bright as ever. She really was very good at bouncing back from adversity. "No longer a mess, but still beautiful," he said, walking over to give her a kiss.

  "Thank you. It's your turn."

  A knock came at the door. "I'll take a shower after breakfast. I'm starving."

  He opened the door and Lizzie rolled in a small table, filled with covered dishes. She put it by the window and then threw her arms around Keira.

  As the two women hugged for a long minute, he could see the love between them. Keira might be an only child, but her friends were as close as sisters.

  "I am so glad you're all right," Lizzie said as they broke apart. "I brought you some clothes." She walked over to the table and pulled off the tote bag that was hanging from the handle. "This will get you through today, but you can come down and pick out whatever else you need for the next few days."

  "That's so nice, Lizzie. Thanks. I have clothes at the shop I can wear, so I shouldn't need too much."

  "I'm happy to share my closet with you. Now, tell me how you're feeling and what is going on with your foot?"

  "A small fracture. It should heal quickly, and it doesn't hurt that much unless I put all my weight on it. The doctor gave me a walkin
g boot. Hopefully, I won't have to wear it on Saturday. At the very least, I am hoping to skip it for the walk down the aisle and the photos. I may need it for the reception."

  "No one cares about that, least of all, Hannah. We're just extremely thankful that you're…" Lizzie's mouth shook. "I don't even want to say it."

  "Don't say it," Keira said. "Dante and I have made a pact to not think about what didn't happen, and we should make the same promise to each other."

  "It will be difficult, but I'll try." Lizzie turned her gaze toward him, gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you for saving Keira. I still don't know all the details, but Adam said you saved her life."

  "The firefighters were right behind me," he said.

  "Don't listen to him," Keira said. "Dante did save me. He was amazing."

  He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So, what did you bring us for breakfast?"

  "I got a little carried away," Lizzie said with a laugh.

  "You?" Keira joked. "Shocker."

  Lizzie smiled. "I know. I can't help myself. Anyway, I brought you a ton of food: a veggie omelet, lemon-ricotta pancakes, waffles with blueberries, fruit, and a hash-brown scramble. I know it's going to be a difficult day for you, Keira, having to see your house and figure out your next move, so I wanted to make sure you had a good breakfast. Also, whatever I can do to help, I'm available."

  "I appreciate that," Keira said. "But you didn't need to bring so much food. There are only two of us, and I still have to fit into my bridesmaid's dress."

  "Oh, you'll be fine." Lizzie dismissed Keira's comment with a wave of her hand. "I'll let you two eat. But I am only a phone call away, and I want to help, so put me to work."

  "I will probably take you up on that, but I'm still trying to pull myself together," Keira answered. "Once I see the house again and talk to my mother, we'll come up with a plan."

  "Okay. Enjoy."

  As Lizzie left, they pulled two chairs up to the table and sat down. They shared everything, not bothering to fill their own plates, just digging in with their forks to eat whatever took their fancy. Everything really was different with Keira. It was so easy, so comfortable, and so right. They could talk or not talk. The silence was effortless as the conversation. They were connected in a way that he'd never felt before. How had he ever thought he could just say goodbye and leave? That idea seemed ludicrous now.