Down the Hidden Path (27 page)

Her head shook slowly. “I’m no good at this. I mean, David’s growing up. It always seemed like Angela knew exactly what to do. I don’t. He’s twelve. Caught between child and teen. I know it’s not all up to me; he’s living with you, so you’ll obviously be making more of these kinds of decisions, but I still can’t stop hoping I’ll know what’s right.”

His hand cupped her cheek. “You
are
good at this. You don’t even know how good. And like right now, we’ll be making these decisions together. Maybe Angela seemed sure, but maybe it was just an act. Maybe inside, she was just as scared and uncertain as we are now.”

Gray smiled; her hand came up to caress his and hold him there. “Whether she did or didn’t, we can tell ourselves that, right?”

Miah nodded. He was learning that parenting wasn’t an exact science. “I didn’t know what to say to him. In the end, I went with yes, you can go.”

Tension entered her features and she dropped her hands to her lap. “We don’t really know any of these boys or their families.”

“I know.” Outside, a few fat snowflakes began to blow in the beam of light before them.

“We don’t know what kind of kids they are.”

“I know.” Snow collected on the windshield.

“We . . .” She glanced down at her hands. They’d fisted. “We have to learn to let go. Okay.” She raised her fists to eye level and opened her hands. “I’m letting go.”

Miah took her hands in his. “I promise it’s going to be okay.”

“How can you promise that?”

“We don’t know what kind of kids they are. But we know what kind of kid David is.”

She moved and gripped his wrists. “You’re pretty smart.”

He grinned. “I had a great teacher. Let’s go to dinner.”

She bobbed her head once in agreement. “Let’s.”

Miah pulled back onto the road. That had gone better than he’d anticipated. With each passing day, Gray was becoming more and more open. She was beginning to see him as actual father material . . . a fact Miah appreciated. Mostly because she was a tough critic, and if
she
believed he could be a good father,
he
could believe it.

A half hour later, they arrived at the restaurant that was already teeming with patrons. Apparently, the encroaching snow wasn’t a deterrent for speakeasy lovers. Miah and Gray sat at a table with a picture window overlooking the river. Gray had insisted on touring the entire restaurant before eating. Now, she sat with her sweater sleeves shoved up to her elbows, eyes glistening with all the discovery and magic that made this place special. She scanned a brochure about the building. “Oh, look! Here in that cellar we walked through is the entrance to the cave. They don’t let people go inside anymore—unsafe. But they say Jesse James used to hide in there.”

Yes, Miah had been along on the tour with her, but she seemed intent on recapping it. “Cool.”

“Did you notice the false floor in the kitchen?” she said.

He bit back a smile. “Yes.” There was a large section where the oak flooring had been removed. All six people on the tour had seen it.

“That’s where they hid the alcohol,” Gray whispered, as if the G-men were sitting right beside them.

“Uh-huh.”

Gray hugged herself. “I love this place.”

Miah’s gaze narrowed. “No. You don’t.”

“What?” she squeaked.

“What you love, Gray, is people. Their history, their stories. You couldn’t care less about this building. It’s the life inside it that you’re interested in.”

He watched as her head tipped, thoughtfully considering his words. “I’ve never thought about it that way.”

“That’s probably why you like graveyards. You look around them and you see the lives, not the deaths. You’re an incredible woman, Gray Smith. The world could learn a lot by watching you.”

She chewed her lip. “Well, I’m glad the world isn’t watching; I’d undoubtedly trip down the stairs and land on my head.”

He laughed. “Can I talk to you about something else?”

She took a sip of her drink. “Sure.”

“Caleb wants me to turn the lodge into a place where soldiers can come for rehabilitation.”

The gnawing on her bottom lip intensified. “Really?”

“Said we have everything we need. If it’s helped him, it could help others.”

She leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. “It’s a great idea.”

“He also wants to live alone.”

Gray reached to take Miah’s hand. “How do you feel about that?”

“Sad.” His head tilted back and forth. “And happy for him. It’s good.” He continued to nod, convincing himself and Gray.

“It is good.” While they ate, Miah told her the details of Caleb’s accident. Firelight flickered on the table, casting a soft glow onto Gray’s face.

“That’s why he almost drowned in the pool.” Gray used the end of her fork to toy with her dessert. He knew she was enjoying the food, but she had lost some interest in it when he started talking about Caleb. She was back in work mode now. He’d need to redirect soon.

Miah nodded. “Guess so. He doesn’t want to even try anymore.”

“It’s okay, Miah. One day he will. Until then, I think we just have to respect his wishes and not push.”

But Miah was a soldier. Pushing was what he did best. “Yes ma’am, Dr. Gray.”

She giggled. “Try this.” She speared a bite of chocolate cake and held it out to him.

Miah’s lips closed on her fork. “Mmm.”

Gray pushed her sleeves up a bit farther on her arms. “Is it warm in here? I think it’s warm in here.” It was, and it had nothing to do with the temperature in the restaurant.

They sat a while longer, looking out over the river and enjoying the comfortable silence between them. This was right, Miah decided as he paid the check and tucked an arm around Gray. This was perfect and something he didn’t want to ever give up. This was . . . this was what soldiers should get to come home to.

He kept an arm around her as they walked to the truck. The flurries had stopped, but Gray watched the sky as they strolled. “Do you think it looks like we’ll get more snow tonight?”

“Yes.” Miah didn’t know, but the way her head was tipped back, exposing her throat, made him want to keep her examining the heavens.

“You do?” Her chin came down to find him staring at her.

He reached the truck and moved her so that the passenger door was at her back and he was at her front. “I do.” The words rolled off his tongue as if carrying some deep, hidden meaning. He’d considered the merits of marrying Gray. Then, they could raise David together. But if Gray thought that was why he wanted her by his side, she’d never go there. She didn’t want to be anyone’s tagalong. But that’s not why Miah wanted her. He wanted every ounce of Gray in every way. And it had nothing to do with the child they shared. It was her laugh, her frown, her scent. It was the sunshine on her hair and the wind across her flesh. She was daylight and dusk and everything in between. “I love you, Gray.” It came right out of his mouth. He supposed hiding it anymore would be ridiculous. Surely, she already knew.

Gray sucked a sharp breath. “You . . .”

His lips found hers. Cold, sweet, tinged with chocolate cake and the kind of desire that can only come from a woman like Gray. He nuzzled against her cheek, the smooth skin at her temple. His hands roamed over her hips, her back. “I love you,” he said again, just in case she’d missed it the first time.

Gray’s heart nearly erupted from her chest. Her hands found their way beneath his suit coat and bunched into the material of his shirt. She’d wrinkle it for sure, but she didn’t care. This was a fantasy world where she was the princess and Jeremiah was in love with her. She flattened her hands on his chest and pushed him away. When he was at arm’s length, she whispered, “Say it again.”

The frown from being interrupted disappeared into a warm smile. “I.” And he moved in to find the hollow of her throat. She groaned at the kiss he placed there against her throbbing vessel.

“Love.” His hands slid down, down, with excruciating slowness, then shot back up like a rocket, clamping over her shoulder blades and pressing her entire body to his. It was a roller coaster she could feel from the inside out.

“You,” he whispered against her ear, and every ounce of her soul melted into his hands.

When the silence stretched, he tipped out. “I think this is the part where you say you’ve fallen in love with me, too.” One of his brows
peaked, waiting.

So many emotions assaulted her, she wondered if she’d be able to sort and articulate them. She had to try. She had to make Miah understand. “I haven’t fallen in love with you, Miah.” She started to explain, but was stopped
by the sudden fear and tension that entered his gaze. A long breath, ragged
and full of hopelessness, drifted from his lips. He looked lost, haunted.

“Wait. You didn’t let me finish. How could I fall in love with you if I never stopped loving you?”

His hands became soft on her arms, as if all his strength had gone into staying upright. “Say it again,” he whispered, repeating her words.

She moved closer. “I.” With her hands roaming over his shoulders, she tipped up to find the hollow of his throat. He growled in response to the kiss she placed there. “Have.” Her fingers traipsed over his chest. “Always.” Eyes opened and fitted tightly to him, she smiled. “Loved you.” For good measure, she mouthed the word “always” again.

His kiss was fast, hard, and left her body screaming for more. When a harsh wind pressed into them, Miah groped for the truck’s door handle. He quickly deposited her inside then climbed in himself, but rather than put the car into drive and head home, he turned on the engine, cranked the heat, then returned to her mouth. He kissed her until the windows fogged and the truck’s heater became too much.

Finally, Gray dragged herself from him. “Miah,” she whispered. “We’re making out in a restaurant parking lot like two teenagers.”

His grin was quick and wickedly sexy. “So?”

“As much as I’m enjoying this, people are coming out of the restaurant and staring at your truck.”

He dropped his forehead to hers. “Let them stare.”

She giggled and went right back to kissing him. She loved him, after all. And this was only the beginning.

When his cell phone rang, they both jumped.

Gray straightened her dress and tried to wipe off the lip gloss smeared around the edges of her mouth. Miah held the phone away from his face and mouthed, “It’s David. He’s just checking on us.”

Aw. She reached for the phone. “Hi, honey. Did you and Stacey get plenty of homework done?” As she spoke, Miah’s hand landed on the bare flesh of her knee and he squeezed. She kicked and tried to stifle her laugh. She gave him a death look.

David asked if she was all right.

“Yes, I’m fine. Miah is being a brat, but I can handle him.”

At that, he leaned over and sank his head into the hollow of her throat, the heat of his mouth burning her flesh.

“I’ll see you tomorrow after school, okay?” She tried to squirm away, but a hulking Miah made it difficult. “Good night, David. Sleep tight. Love you big.”

She gave Miah his phone and settled under his arm. “Thanks for an amazing evening, Miah.”

He toyed with the edge of her sleeve. “It doesn’t have to end, you know.”

She looked up at him. “I know.”

He bent to kiss her temple. “Come back to the lodge with me.”

She dragged her knuckles down his cheek, knowing exactly what he meant and wanting it more than she wanted her next breath. She’d stayed at the lodge lots of times. It wouldn’t be that strange for David to wake and find her there. But Gray had no poker face, was a terrible liar, and David was way too perceptive for his own good. And staying at the lodge tonight meant an entirely different thing than any time before.

“You won’t, will you?” He answered to keep her from having to.

“I don’t want to rush.” It was all so beautiful and perfect right now, couldn’t they just enjoy the status quo for a little longer before they took that next step? Maybe for him, it wasn’t any big deal, but for her it was. Huge. Monumental and it was bound to alter everything.

He drew a breath that seemed full of both reluctance and resignation. “I promised you we wouldn’t rush. But don’t forget
you’ve
got a promise to keep to me.”

Yes, she did, and the very thought sent white-hot lava down into the depths of her being.

He looked over, examined her face closely. “You do know what I’m talking about?”

She thought of earlier in the night when he’d said, “I do.” Now, it was her turn. “I do.”

Miah planted his hand on the seat between them and leaned over to kiss her. She met his lips willingly, touching, tasting, loving the feel of his hot breath and soft mouth. It was the kind of kiss that meant forever and she drank it in, hoping forever was as real as the feel of his lips on hers, as real as the snowflakes dotting the window, and as real as the earth beneath her feet.

While the flurries continued to fall, Miah and Gray drove back to River Rock. Two people who’d finally learned what it was to not only love their son, but each other.