Here With Me (30 page)

Chapter
Forty-One

She slept soundly and for a moment when she woke up, she forgot she was back home in Kennebunkport.  When her groggy eyes finally focused on the familiar aspects of her room, she remembered she was home.

Getting out of bed, she peered
out the window at the beautiful Maine morning.  The sky was blue with only a few sprinkles of white fluffy clouds on the horizon.  The tulips and daffodils had bloomed and the trees were filled with green leaves.  She smiled as she stared out at her hometown.  It felt great to be home and she wanted to see more.

She changed into a pair of running pants and a t-shirt.  After pulling on her sneakers, tying her hair back into a ponytail, and grabbing her iPod, she was out the door for her first run in a very long time.  She hadn’t had time to run in Brazil, but now that she was home, she was anxious to start again.

As she ran, she focused on her neighborhood and all the familiar houses. Nothing had changed.  It was as if she never left and she was glad it was the same.

Soon, she was out of her neighborhood and running through the picturesque downtown.  Tourist season was in full swing, but for now, she’d enjoy the quiet that was morning in Kennebunkport. 

She passed through town quickly and then headed down Ocean Avenue.  Mabel’s came into view and her mouth started watering as she imagined her favorite lobster roll.  It’d been too long and she was anxious for the next Sunday dinner.

The sprawling houses of Ocean Avenue were next in sight.  They never ceased to amaze her and despite their opulence, they made Kennebunkport what it was.  Cole’s house appeared and
she suddenly missed her friend.  In Brazil, she’d been able to separate herself from everything back home for the most part and just focus on what she was doing there, but now that she was back, she couldn’t push it away any longer.  As Cole’s house faded behind her, she thought about her time with him in that house and part of her wished she had been able to figure out a way to make it work with him.  Life would’ve been so much easier that way, but she knew, no matter how hard she tried, it wasn’t the life she wanted. 

The ocean appeared on her right and she stopped for a moment, staring out into the silver waves.  The ocean in Brazil had been beautiful, but it was nothing like the North Atlantic. 
Turning down a path, she made her way to the gray sand.  Her feet sank in and she stopped, pulling her shoes and socks off.  The sand was cool on her feet and as she walked towards the waves, she wasn’t prepared for the freezing water that suddenly lapped over her feet.  It made her shiver, but she didn’t care.  She just stood there, letting the water ebb and flow over her.  She looked down the shore towards Cleaves Cove and her mind drifted back to her first night there with Ryan.  A year had passed and she couldn’t wrap her mind around how much life had changed since then.  She laughed to herself as she remembered teaching Ryan how to clam and how ridiculous she looked in the oversized goulashes.  She grinned as she thought back to their first date at Bandaloop and how he teased her for being a do-gooder before their walk on the beach where he’d kissed her for the first time.  She blushed when she remembered their night in Newport.  When she closed her eyes, she thought she could still feel his lips on hers and his caress on her skin.  And then her eyes filled with tears as her mind drifted to the night she’d pushed him out of her life.  The way he’d begged her not to, made her heart ache.  There was nothing she could do about it now though.  She’d made her choice and even if it was a choice she regretted, it had been made and there was nothing she could do to change it. 

She wiped her eyes and forced herself to smile before turning and running home.

Chapter Forty-Two

Mallory got in the car and typed in the unfamiliar address into the GPS on her dashboard.  She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew Kennebunkport well enough to know the restaurant her grandmother told her to meet her at
, wasn’t downtown.  It didn’t matter though.  There was always someone trying to open up a new place off the beaten path and if it came with her grandmother’s recommendation, it had to be good.

Once the GPS was ready, she pulled the car out of the driveway and followed
the woman’s voice coming from the speakers.  It led her through downtown, which was starting to pick up with activity.  She made her way through the traffic and soon found herself winding through the roads of a neighborhood near the water.  She couldn’t understand why anyone would open a restaurant in the middle of a neighborhood.  She understood people trying to be different, but this didn’t make much business sense.  No one would be able to see the place and Mallory had seen no advertising.  She kept driving though and was surprised when the robotic voice came through the speakers stating, “Reaching your destination on the right in 500 feet.”  She jerked her head down to the screen to double check and then raised her head again.  At the end of road, away from the rest of the houses, was a small white cape style home.  It was just across the road from the ocean and when Mallory eased the car to a stop in front of it, she was even more confused.  The yard was well tended, with a pretty cobble stone walkway, leading up to the quaint house.  A deep burgundy door matched the shutters and she couldn’t help but think how cute the house was, but it definitely didn’t look like a restaurant.  Pulling the piece of paper out of her purse, she double checked that she’d copied it to the GPS correctly.  The addresses matched, but she felt strange about going in.  There were no other cars around and no form of identification indicating the name.  She pulled out her phone and called her grandmother.

“Grandma, what’s the address to the restaurant again?”

“319 Essex Drive,” she answered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.  Why?”

“Well, I’m here and it doesn’t look like a restaurant.  It looks like a residence,” Mallory said doubtfully.

“Just come inside.  We’re already here,” she said and with that, the phone was quiet.

Doubtfully,
Mallory glanced in the rearview mirror and ran a hand through her hair.  Grabbing her purse, she began walking up the stone path leading to the front door. 

Slowly turning the knob, she stepped instead, expecting
to see tables and chairs and customers, but instead, found an empty entryway, with immaculate hardwood and a staircase leading to the second floor.  She definitely had the wrong address, regardless of what her grandmother had said.  She turned quickly to leave, but before she could, something grabbed her attention.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a painting, a familiar painting.  It was resting on the mantle above the fireplace in the living room along with a small black stone. 
Lighthouse at Sunset.
  Her feet began moving slowly toward the picture.  None of this made sense.  What was her painting doing in an empty house?

When she finally made it the fireplace, she stared at the painting.  Her fingers lightly brushed
Kenna’s paint strokes.

“Do you remember the night you bought that?”

She froze for a moment, almost afraid to turn around.  The deep voice startled her, just as it had at the Hollins’ party and on the beach the night before she’d left Kennebunkport .  It was a voice she’d know anywhere, but she closed her eyes, knowing there was no way it could be him.  Taking a slow breath, she opened her eyes and turned around.   Ryan was standing in the entryway, smiling and looking completely at ease.  He looked like the Ryan she’d fallen in love with as he stood there, arms folded across his chest, wearing a pair of loose jeans and a t-shirt.  His dark hair fell across his forehead and he reached up, brushing it away.  His green eyes were beaming at her and she felt her heart begin to pound.

“Of course I remember,” she
said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I found it in your room.  It was just leaning up against the wall,” he said, taking a few more steps into the living room.

“I never felt much like hanging it.  I felt silly putting it up in my childhood bedroom.  I was waiting for my own place.”

“Well, I think it looks pretty good in here.  What do you think?”

“I’d have to agree with you.  I think it looks nice on the mantle,” she said and then picked up the stone. “And what’s this?”

“I picked that up our first night together on the beach.”

“At the clam bake?” she asked, rubbing the smooth rock between her fingers and he nodded.

“It reminds me of you.”

“So you kept it all this time?”

“Yeah, I did,” he said quietly and then stopped, looking around at the empty walls. “So, what do you think of the place?”

“It’s great.”

“You once told me you dreamed of having a place close to the water.  I recall you saying you’d like a small cape and that you’d like to have the chance to sleep in the master bedroom.”

“You remember that?” she asked, taking a few, slow steps towards him.

“Of course I do.  I always imagined us shari
ng a place like that.”

“What’s going
on?  What are you doing here?” she asked suddenly, the confusion becoming overwhelming.  “My grandma gave me this address to meet her and my mom for lunch.  This is obviously not a restaurant.” Her smile was anxious as her mind tried to piece everything together.  Nothing was making sense, especially Ryan standing just feet from her in the house she’d always dreamed of owning.

“Your time in Brazil inspired me to make some changes in my own life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not working for the Secret Service anymore, Mallory.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “When did this happen?  What’s going on?”

“I resigned a few weeks back and I’m working here in Kennebunkport…permanently,” he added with a nervous grin.

“What do you mean you’re here permanently?  Where are you working?”

“I’m in charge of security at the Bush estate.”

“I thought the Secret Service took care of that.”

“No.  They take care of the president and his family.  They don’t do the security for the actual grounds.  That’s a private job and now I’m doing it.”

Her heart was pounding even harder as the implications began setting in.

“Why?  Why would you leave everything you’ve worked so hard for?”

He looked down at the floor for a moment, his hands now stuffed deep in his pockets.  He looked nervous, but when he looked up again, meeting her eyes, she’d never seen him look more serious.

“For you.”

Her body froze as his words echoed in her mind.

“For me?” she repeated quietly and he nodded, taking the few remaining steps that separated them.  He was so close now that she could smell the scent that had always been Ryan.  She didn’t realize how much she’d missed it.  He reached up and gently stroked her cheek with his fingers
.

“I love you, Mallory.  I’m so proud of everything you’ve done.  You were so ex
cited in your letters and with each one you sent me, I fell more and more in love with you.  I knew I couldn’t just let you go.  God knows I tried.  I tried like hell, but I couldn’t.  That’s why I’m here.”

She was quiet as she realized what he was saying.

“So this house?  This house is yours?” she managed a few moments later.

“It’s ours…if you want it.”

Her heart was racing now.  It had ached every second of every day since he’d left.  She’d thought she’d lost him forever, but here he stood, forgiving everything she’d put him through and offering her the world.

“Are you serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.  I’ve spent my life moving around, going from one crazy assignment to the next, trying to find how to fill the void in my life.  I found the way when I met you and I can’t let it go again.”

She couldn’t say anything.  Instead, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head deep into his chest, feeling complete for the first time since he’d last held her.  His arms wrapped around her too, holding her as if he’d never let go. 

“I’ve missed you so much, Ryan,” she said as she held onto him. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you and for pushing you away.  I’ve regretted it more than you could ever know.”

Pulling away, she
stared up into his eyes.  He reached up and wiped away her tears before kissing her tenderly on the forehead.

“Don’t apologize.  The time wasn’t right.  Maybe it is now though.  You needed to find your way and I needed to find mine, but it looks like we both found our way back to the same place.” 

Smiling again, she reached down and laced her hand in his.  She pulled the back of his hand to her mouth and kissed it gently, savoring the taste of his skin on her lips. 

“I think you’re right,” she agreed. 

“So we’re really gonna do this?” he asked with an anxious grin.

“I’d like to try.”

“Then we’d better do it right.” He left the room for a moment before returning.  He held out his hand and she stared down at the white box resting on his palm.  He nodded towards it and she reached down to take it, her hand trembling as she did so.  She opened it, taken aback by the ring sparkling down at her. 

“What is this?” she asked softly.

“I never expected to want this.  I never expected to want to settle down and spend the rest of my life with one person, but now, I’ve never wanted anything more.  I knew last summer with you and when you left, I knew even more,” he said, gently taking the ring back from her. “There’s no pressure though.  I know you just got back, but I wanted you to know how serious I am.  I’ll leave it up here until you’re ready,” he said, placing the box next to the painting and pebble on the mantle. “I mean…if you’re ever ready.”

She stared over to the box and then over to Ryan.  She felt her eyes grow moist and she swallowed hard. 

“Ryan, I…I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything right now.”

And she didn’t.  He took her hand and led her to the second floor.  He stopped at a doorway and encouraged her to go in.  She slowly walked inside and looked around.  It was big, but not too big.  There was a small bathroom attached to the room and she smiled, realizing it was the master bedroom.  Then her eyes drifted to the large window.  She was drawn to it and walked across the room until she was looking out.  The ocean could be seen off in the distance and she turned, smiling at Ryan, who was standing behind her. 

“I truly love it.  It’s perfect.  It’s everything I always wanted,
but how’d you do all this?” she said quietly, still in disbelief that he was with her and this could be their house.

“I could’ve never done it without your grandma.”

“My grandma?  What’d she do?” Mallory grinned at the realization her grandmother had been a part of it. 

“It’s a funny story actually,” he laughed as he walked to her side, sliding his arm around her waist as they looked o
ut the window at the gray waves rolling gently onto the shore. “When I first started thinking about doing this…about coming back to Kennebunkport, I contacted Jane to help me find the perfect place.”

“And she was okay with everything?”

“She seemed pretty eager to help, actually,” he said, pulling her closer and Mallory smiled, thinking back to the first meetings with Ryan and her family.  They’d had other plans for her, but deep down, she knew all her grandmother wanted was for her to be happy and she’d come to realize Ryan would bring her that.  “It was pretty hard keeping up the ruse though, knowing you were in town last night and not being able to see you…to show you the house.”

“Well, I like surprises,” she said, turning to him. “And I have a feeling, as long as
you’re here with me, we’re going to make some amazing memories in this house.”

He grinned, staring down at her with the same green eyes she’d been drawn to that first day on the beach.  Her life had changed forever the second she looked into them.  Ryan had forced her to dig deeper into herself than she ever had, finding herself and living a dream she never expected.  She didn’t know another person could complete her the way he did.  She was a better person for knowing him and she had no plans of being without him again.

“Welcome home, Mallory,” Ryan said softly, his lips brushing hers as she smiled. “Now, let’s go see the rest of our house.”

“Not before we go back to the mantle and get that ring.”