We dug into the pizzas, and I stayed mostly quiet, preferring to observe Dylan. I already knew he was at ease with my friends and that they liked him. It was the way he was with my parents that fascinated me. If I hadn’t known he was a big-city boy, I would have thought he’d grown up in these mountains. He was respectful toward them, yet got into a heated discussion with my dad about the Chicago Bears versus the North Carolina Panthers.
At one point my mother mouthed,He’s a keeper.
Yep, she was hearing wedding bells. The pizzas had been demolished, and I stood, collecting plates. When my mom and Autumn tried to help, I shooed them away.
“Get settled in the living room, y’all. I’ll be along in a minute.” Surprising me, Dylan stayed behind, helping me clean up. After the pizza boxes were dumped in the trash and the plates loaded in the dishwasher, Dylan pulled me to him.
“Thank you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.
“For?” He slid his hands down my back, resting them on the curve of my butt. I loved when he touched me. His hands felt so big and strong, his body always like a furnace, warming me.
“For this.” He leaned back and peered down at me. “For rallying the troops. For believing in me.”
I lifted onto my toes, putting my mouth close to his. “Of course I believe in you.” I kissed him then, and if we weren’t in my parents’ house, our friends waiting for us, I would have wrapped my legs around his waist and begged him to make love to me right there, pressed up against my mom’s kitchen sink.
Before we got carried away, forgetting where we were, I let go of him. “Guess we should join the others.”
“Ah, I need a minute, Red.”
We both looked down at the tent in his pants, and I giggled. I patted the bulge pressing against his zipper. “Someone wants to come out and play.”
“Little hellcat.” He pushed my hand away. “Go. I’ll be right behind you.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “Promises. Promises.” I put a little sway in my hips as I walked out, smiling at hearing his groan.
“Where’s Dylan?” my mom asked when I walked into the living room.
“He’s…ah, getting something to drink?” Dang, I hadn’t meant to make that a question. At Autumn’s smirk, I crossed my eyes, making her laugh.
Mom’s gaze darted from me to Autumn. “What’s so funny?”
“Beats me,” I said. Dylan came in, taking a seat on the chair next to me. My parents had a large L-shaped sofa. Autumn, Brian, and the twins had taken over the long side and my parents on the short half.
Now that we were all gathered, I was nervous about how they’d react to hearing Dylan’s story. I was also worried about Dylan and how hard it would be for him to talk about his wife and what she’d done. I guess I shouldn’t have been. As I was trying to think of how to start, Dylan put his hand on my arm.
“Have you told everyone why you asked them here?”
I shook my head. “I wanted to wait for you.”
“Then let me explain.”
32
~ Dylan ~
IunderstoodJenny’s purpose in bringing her friends together, I truly did. And it humbled me that these people were ready to stand with me before they even knew what I had to say. But that was because they believed in Jenny, not me.
Christine’s story and mine was deeply personal, one I’d never expected to share. Jack had forced my hand, though, so here I was in a room with people I barely knew—except for Jenny—about to bare my soul. I didn’t like it.
Instead of running out like I wanted to do, I told these people about my wife. When I finished, Jenny’s mother had tears running down her face, and I didn’t like that either. “So that’s it,” I said, spreading out my hands.
“And your old partner’s here now, stirring all this up?” Jenny’s father asked.
“Yes, sir. Or he was last night when Jenny saw him. I have my officers watching for him, although I didn’t tell them why. If he’s staying in a motel around here, I’d guess he’s using an assumed name.”
“We need to draw him out,” Adam said, his emerald earring twinkling.
“I agree, and I’m working on that. This morning I met with the mayor.”
