Dante was first in the door, and the smell of his mother’s lasagna hit him like a cloud, mingled with the warmth of the kitchen. He looked over at the table to find Laurie busy setting out plates and cups. She looked up at him and smiled, setting down the last plate in her hand. He strode over to her. He pulled her hard against him, and gave her a short, searing kiss—a promise for more to come later. She squeezed him back, laughing into his ear.
“What was that for?” She tilted her head back, looking up at him with a bewildered expression.
“Nothing.” He shrugged. He wanted to kiss her again, but he thought better of it as he caught his father’s sour expression out of the corner of his eye. He just smiled, hugging her tighter, despite his father’s disapproving grimace.
His mother however, beamed at him, as she walked to the table with a steaming casserole dish. He gave Laurie a final squeeze and released her so they could sit down for dinner.
“So what is your project?” Gabriella asked. Dante stared at the plate in front of him, not moving a muscle.
“New posts for the fence.” Albert glanced up at her.
“Aren’t you finished with those yet?” Emma frowned.
“We have a long border, dear.” Albert looked at his dinner. “I want to make extra so I don’t have to work so hard when I don’t have all of these extra hands around.”
“Well, when you’re finally done with those posts, we need to check the fence around the orchard.” Emma slid her eyes over to Gabriella. “Maybe we can go over there tomorrow.”
“That was a masterful suggestion, Emma.” Bob winked at her. “Say, you wouldn’t be trying to sell the place off to me and Gabriella now would you?”
“Oh, Bob.” Emma’s voice filled with exasperation. “You should at least look at it!”
Bob chuckled, picking up his napkin to settle it in his lap.
“It’s a beautiful house. I’d move into it in a heartbeat.” Laurie smiled at Emma.
“Did she pay you to say that?” Bob poked at his dinner.
“No. It’s beautiful. Really.” Laurie laughed.
“We’ll go over and see the orchard tomorrow, we promise.” Gabriella’s voice flowed over the chaotic conversation like warm honey.
“Wonderful.” Emma clapped her hands together.
“Wonderful,” Bob repeated, shaking his head.
Emma leveled a frustrated stare in his direction.
“Gee, Emma, with the way you’re looking at me, it’s no wonder I don’t want to live any closer.” Bob grinned. The boys started laughing, and a smile broke over everyone’s face.
Emma struggled to keep her stern expression, but a smile bubbled to the surface.
Dinner took well over two hours, as the adults talked and talked over dinner, pie, and coffee and tea. The boys finally gave up and went into the living room to watch TV. Around 10:00 p.m., Laurie began yawning behind her hand, while staring out into space. Dante leaned over, rubbing her back.
“I think it’s time for us to head upstairs.” He smiled at her.
***
Laurie
Dante strode upstairs behind Laurie. When they got to the bedroom, Dante caught her hand as she headed toward the dresser.
She smiled up at him.
“Hi,” she said.
She gave him her sexiest smile as she walked back toward him.
He smiled into her bedroom eyes, shaking his head.
“I need to talk to you for a minute.”
“What’s wrong?” Dread crept across her shoulders.
“Let’s sit down.”
He led her to the bed. She felt an icy chill sweep through her. He squeezed her hand.
“Laurie, my dad got a call today. They found Katherine and Easton James.”
Sadness swept over Laurie. She looked up at Dante’s warm brown eyes. She knew the answer to the question she was about to ask, but she had to know for sure.
“Are they dead?”
He nodded.
Laurie’s mouth went dry. She swallowed hard, tasting ash and dust. She looked away from him. A sharp pain knifed through her heart as she thought of the boney little boy with the haunted blue eyes.
“Their bodies were found in a reservoir on Kauai.”
She swallowed hard again, fighting the tears. He put his arms around her, pulling her to him. He held her head against his heart, and he rocked her as she began to sniffle.
“I was right there.”
“There was nothing you could do, Laurie.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
“But I should have done something, Dante, screamed, shouted, something.”
“He would have killed them both and you before the police even made it to the room. He wanted revenge more than anything.”
She shook her head against his chest. She let out the breath she’d been holding in a blast of air. Dante pulled her back, holding her face in his hands.
“You didn’t kill them.” Dante wiped away a few years. “He did. It’s his fault, Laurie. He’ll pay for that.”
“When? They can’t even find him!”
“Soon. He’ll be found soon. He’ll pay for what he did.”
Laurie nodded, though she felt a bottomless despair. Her chest ached. Dante held her for a while, running his hands through her hair and down her back. He kissed her forehead.
Laurie listened to Dante’s heartbeat, letting that soothe her. She closed her eyes. She’d known Katherine and Easton might not survive. She knew this moment might come. Yet, she’d hoped. She’d hoped that somehow, the FBI would find Kaimi with his hostages still alive. Now, Katherine and Easton could only be remembered and avenged. Laurie would make sure that happened. She would make sure Katherine and Easton had their day in court.
“You know, as much as Kaimi is a criminal, I think once he’s behind bars I might just have to pay him a visit to say thank you.” Dante kissed her temple.
Laurie turned her face up to him. She looked at him in confusion.
“Well, it occurs to me that if Kaimi hadn’t done what he did, I never would have met you. I’d have taken another assignment, and you would have finished up in law school. We never would have met. Even though I despise the man, I do owe him for bringing me to you.”
Laurie’s heart melted as she looked up into Dante’s eyes. She kissed him, touched by what he’d said.
When he broke the kiss, he held her face in his hands, stroking her cheek.
“I love you,” he breathed.
Laurie’s eyes widened.
“You love me?”
Laurie was shocked, amazed. She knew he cared for her, but she hadn’t expected him to say it.
Dante nodded his head. He cleared his throat.
“I love you,” he repeated.
Laurie smiled up at him with all of her heart.
“I love you, too.”
The words rose up from her heart, unbidden. She knew she didn’t have to say it to him, but she wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know how much she cared for him as well.
Dante let out a breath. He kissed her for a long time, gently deepening the kiss when her lips parted beneath his. When he pulled away to take a breath, he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m happy. I didn’t expect you to say you loved me, and what you said about us never meeting. Well, I guess it just hit me how lucky I was to find you.” She clutched at his shirt.
He pressed his forehead to hers. He ran his hands up her back and into her hair.
“Yes, very lucky.” He kissed her again, more insistent now.
The tiredness that weighed Laurie down disappeared. In its place, was a brilliant need to show him how much she loved him.
They leaned back onto the bed together, helping one another undress. They made love slowly, savoring their good fortune in finding one another. Dante caressed every inch of her like he was memorizing it. They dissolved into each other like melted chocolate. Then they curled into one another, and Dante covered them both with blankets. They both said, “I love you,” before they drifted off to sleep.