Marley carried one end of the long wedding gown bag up Everleigh’s front walkway that her bestie had lined with cute ghosts and spiders, to the doorstep where two jack-o-lanterns stood guard. “This thing weighs a ton for its size.”
They were cutting it close. Everleigh’s Pararescueman fiancé Grady was due home from his shift at the hospital in about twenty minutes. They had to get the dress hidden before he arrived.
“It’s because of all the beading and the train,” Everleigh said brightly, her long pale blond hair shining silver in the moonlight as she carried the top of the bag. “And that’s also why it cost so much.”
“Worth every penny of the price tag. It fits you like a glove and the second you put it on your whole face lit up. I knew within five seconds of seeing you in it that it was The Dress. We could have stopped right then and saved ourselves the next two hours.”
“And denied ourselves the mimosas and appetizers they served us later? No way.” Everleigh unlocked the townhouse door and stepped inside the bright, clean space. “Still can’t believe I don’t need to have it altered.”
“That just means it was meant to be.” Marley slipped her shoes off inside the door, feeling right at home. Spending time with Everleigh was always enjoyable and made her feel more like her old self. The spontaneous, social Marley who was always up for anything and loved to have fun.
That version of herself had all but disappeared over the last year, but there had been signs recently that she was starting to make a comeback. In no small part thanks to Everleigh.
They had become fast friends about five minutes after Everleigh had moved into their former apartment building across town. Turned out Everleigh had been through her own personal hell, and Marley had instantly felt protective of her—even before their psycho neighbor and his terrorist buddies had committed a mass shooting at a concert in early July and nearly killed Ev in the process.
At least the bastard was dead.
“Where are we carting this thing to, anyway?” she asked, shelving those thoughts. Everleigh’s strength and resiliency amazed her. Life had repeatedly kicked her friend down and each time, Everleigh had gotten back up and carried on. Now she was about to marry the man of her dreams—an honest-to-God hero who had saved her life. Nobody deserved happiness more than they did.
She reminded herself of that every time thoughts of the upcoming wedding stabbed at her heart and made her think of what might have been.
“I carved out some space in the guestroom closet this morning, just in case I found The Dress at my appointment,” Everleigh said.
“Good thinking.” They carried it upstairs and tucked it away in its secret hiding spot at the back of the closet, then carefully covered it up to make sure Grady wouldn’t see it if he came in here looking for his Air National Guard dress uniform.
Marley moved that and some of his gear to the opposite side of the closet, just in case.
“There,” she said, standing back to study their efforts in satisfaction. “He won’t notice a thing.”
Everleigh grinned, her slate-blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “Operation Wedding Gown complete.”
She was so cute using military lingo. Being engaged to a PJ and besties with a former Marine had rubbed off on her. “Yes, ma’am.” She pulled the closet doors shut. “When do you want to look for my bridesmaid’s gown?” She’d taken a quick look at the boutique earlier but hadn’t tried anything on because today had been about Everleigh.
“Um, that’s maid of honor gown, but how does next Sunday work for you?”
“Works fine.” Since her job title change and promotion at the seniors care home last month, she now worked regular business hours Monday to Friday and rarely had to go in on weekends anymore, unless there was some kind of special event or emergency. She’d even been able to take part of the afternoon off today to go with Everleigh. “Okay, bring it in.” She held out her arms expectantly.
Everleigh flashed her a smile and walked into her embrace. Her friend was a tiny little thing compared to her. Though to be fair, she was six feet tall, so most women were smaller than her. “Thanks for today. I love my dress.”
“You’re welcome and I’m glad. It’s stunning on you. Grady’s jaw’s gonna hit the floor when he sees you in it.” Marley gave her a squeeze and let go. “Speaking of, your man’s gonna be home any time now, so go ahead and stay up here to get ready. I’ll let myself out.”
“Okay. You’re the best, Mar.”
“It’s true, I can’t deny it,” she teased and headed for the stairs.
Outside on the walkway, she inhaled the cool evening air, taking a big breath of the sweet scent of fallen leaves mixed with damp cedar and pushing aside the sudden wave of loneliness at the thought of spending yet another night alone.
Nope. Chin up. Happy thoughts, count your blessings and all that.
She had a lot to be thankful for. Fall was her favorite season. Here in the Pacific Northwest it was different from back in Kentucky, but she loved it just as much. This place was finally starting to feel like home now.
Back in her car, she drove north up the hills away from Crimson Point, the ocean a vast black expanse lit up by a swath of golden moonlight behind her, struggling against the weight of sadness she’d been fighting all day.
Just a few short months ago, she’d been dreaming about picking a wedding dress of her own. Until she’d received the call that had blown her world apart yet again. She still hadn’t recovered from it.
A call came in on the hands-free system just as she turned onto her street and her oldest brother Decker’s name popped up on the display, saving her from getting sucked into the sadness and grief she was still struggling to process. “Hey there,” she answered, glad to hear his voice.
“Hey. This a bad time?”
“Nope. Just got back from wedding dress shopping with Ev. You got your flights finalized yet?” He’d been called in for an important interview last minute. They’d been willing to do it remotely by secure video chat, but he’d wanted to do it in person. She approved, because it demonstrated how serious he was about the job, and he had one hell of a presence in person that wouldn’t come across the same way via video.
She was both excited and nervous about his visit. It had been almost two years since she’d seen him in person and now that he was finally out of the Corps, she was hopeful that they could heal the invisible rift that had stood between them for the past fifteen years and work on having the close relationship she’d always wanted with him.
“Yeah. I fly into Portland around fourteen-hundred-hours on Friday.”
Two days from now. “Oh, that’s perfect. I get off work at four, so I’ll be
home by the time you get down here. We can pop down to the waterfront for dinner if you’re up to it and I’ll show you around.”
She’d bought him the softest flannel sheets yesterday in anticipation of his arrival, had already washed them and made up his bed in the guestroom. Tomorrow she’d buy the groceries for his favorite meals and make him homemade biscuits and gravy the morning after he arrived.
She didn’t cook much these days and didn’t see the point in going to all the trouble when it was only her. It would be great to get back in the kitchen and turn out some home cooking for someone she loved again.
Unbidden, Warwick’s face appeared in her mind. His hard features softening in a sexy, knee-weakening smile as he came up behind her at the stove and wrapped his arms around her middle while she made the gravy in her grandmother’s cast iron skillet.
“Somethin’ smells incredible,” he murmured in that deep, delicious northeastern England Geordie accent.
“Sausage gravy.”
“No.” His lips skimmed the side of her neck. “It’s definitely you, pet.”
“Sounds good,” Decker said, yanking her back to the present.
“Great. Hang on, I’m just about to get out of the car, so if I lose you I’ll call you back.”
She quickly parked along the curb in front of her rental cottage she’d moved into in the summer, set against a forested park in a quiet neighborhood just a few miles from Crimson Point. It didn’t have a view, but the price of the rent was right, and she had the whole place to herself. The properties on either side of her were rentals too, but with a different management company.
In fact, the only thing she didn’t love about her new neighborhood was the house to the east. Currently it had sketchy tenants she’d made a point of steering clear of.
“Have you heard from the boys recently?” she asked, slinging the straps of her bag over her shoulder as she climbed out of the car. Their younger brothers.
Identical twins who had caused their fair share of mayhem when they were younger.
“Not for a few weeks. You?”
A middle-aged woman was walking her goofy golden retriever up the opposite sidewalk. “I talked to them both a few days ago.” She locked her car as she strode up the walkway to her front door where the porch light glowed in the darkness, making a mental note to pick up a few Halloween things and some candy in case any trick-or-treaters came next week. Maybe she could even talk Decker into carving a pumpkin or two with her once he got here and settled in a bit. “Neither of them could get leave to come see you but they both said to say hi.”
He grunted in acknowledgment. “It’s fine. You sure I won’t be in the way staying at your place?”
It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. She snorted. “I’m sure.” She had nothing going on in her personal life and no one knew about the tragedy that had rocked her world a year ago last June. Not her brothers. Not even Everleigh.
She was still too raw to talk about it, the pain too fresh. But life, in its own cruel way, kept moving on, and she’d been forced to move on with it. After more than a year of feeling empty and lost, she had finally accepted that he was gone. Had put a lot of effort into creating a life for herself here.
“I can still book a rental,” Decker offered.
“No way, you’re staying with me.” Left to his own devices, Decker would revert to his solitary ways and then she would barely see him. They needed the time together. “Don’t worry, I promise to give you your space when you need it.” Time and distance hadn’t done their relationship any favors over the years. It was time for a new strategy and a fresh start, beginning with this long-anticipated visit.
“All right.”
“Text me when you land so I know—”
“That my plane didn’t crash,” he said in a dry tone that made her smile. “I already sent you my flight details, so you can track me yourself.”
She entered the code into the lock on the door. “Thank you.” She’d adopted a pseudo-mother
role for the family at the age of not quite sixteen, had tried her best to be the glue that held the remains of their shattered crew together. It was still an integral part of who she was. “I’m really looking forward to seeing you, Deck.”
A beat of silence followed. “Me too,” he said and cleared his throat. “See you Friday.”
“Yes. Safe tra—” She broke off, glancing over her shoulder when a car suddenly raced up the street behind her. It swerved to miss the retriever that had somehow gotten away from its owner.
Bang, bang!
She instinctively ducked as the gunshots cracked through the air, swallowed a cry as the bullets punched through her front window just feet to her left. Jesus.
“What was that?” Decker demanded in a taut voice. “Marley.”
Marley didn’t answer, too busy scrambling inside. What the hell?
Heart pounding, she flung the door shut and went to her knees behind the narrow section of wall between the door and the ruined window.
“Marley, what—”
“I gotta go,” she blurted and ended the call, waiting tensely in place.
She heard the car speed off and disappear down the street. She stayed where she was a few more seconds, listening for the rev of that engine to signal it had come back. When it didn’t, she pushed out a breath and crept over to pull the edge of the curtain aside and risk a look outside.
The bullets had punched two holes through the front window about chest height. Beyond her tidy front lawn, the street was quiet and still. No sign of the car
coming back.
She rose to her feet, peeking left and right down the street for good measure before dialing 911 to report it. Gun violence was practically unheard of here. That some asshole had just driven by and randomly taken shots at her for kicks was terrifying.
She turned and headed for the kitchen to get some cold water. The call had just connected when her front door suddenly flew open behind her. She whirled around, a scream sticking in her throat as a man rushed in and shut the door behind him.
Shock slammed into her, along with an icy wave of cold that froze her to the marrow of her bones.
“911, what is your emergency?” a woman’s disjointed voice said through the phone now dangling at Marley’s side.
She stumbled back a step and dropped it with a thud on the hardwood floor in the heavy silence that throbbed in her ears.
Stared in disbelief as a sharp blade of agony sliced through her, certain she was looking at a ghost. Or dreaming.
Because there were no other explanations as to how Warwick James was standing in her living room.
Warwick didn’t move, holding Marley’s stunned gaze across the room for a long, tense moment while his heart hammered at his ribs. Coming face-to-face with her after all this time was like a sledgehammer blow to the chest.
The look on her face was gut-wrenching. Shock. Grief.
Damn, he hadn’t planned for this to happen. Hadn’t meant for her to see him at all when he’d secretly driven over here just to assuage the guilt he’d been carrying for months and reassure himself that she was okay. That she’d been able to move on and be happy without him.
He’d battled back the rush of emotion when he’d seen her pull up ahead of him and walk to her door. But when those shots had been fired in her direction, a switch had flipped inside him. He’d reacted without thinking, automatically abandoning his intent of staying out of sight and going straight into protective mode. Her safety took precedence over everything, including his own, and the need to stay away from her.
Now she stood frozen in place across the room, her face bleached of color except for the smattering of freckles that stood out in sharp relief against her ivory skin. “Wh-what are you—”
“Are you alright?” he demanded, looking her over for any sign of injury. He didn’t see any blood, but those bullets had hit way too close to where she’d been standing.
His frantic heartbeat only slowed down when she managed a nod. Glancing to her left, he spotted the two flattened slugs lying on the floor near the living room wall.
Before he could move, her phone started ringing on the floor, shattering the tension between them.
She snatched it up, still staring at him, and answered. “Hello. Yes, I want to report a shooting.” She gave her address, explained what had happened, her voice slightly uneven. No doubt from the dual shock of the shots and then him appearing out of nowhere.
“Dark gray Honda sedan,” he told her when she paused. “Oregon plates. Starts with seven-six-two.” Was it the same car he thought might have been following him earlier? ...
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