Jermy, Marie - Together Forever [The Andersons 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

* * * *

Later, on his way to bed, Ross looked in on Samantha and Ramona. They were curled up asleep together in the same bed. Quietly, he went over to them, flicked the bedside lamp off, and just as quietly left the room. He paused outside his parents’ bedroom when he heard the sound of soft crying. It was his mother. He went to enter but stopped at his father’s voice.

“Oh, Jess, honey, it breaks my heart when you cry.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“I do. You’re thinking about Sam.”

Ross frowned. Sam? Samantha Anderson? Or Sam Carrick?

“How do you know?”

“Because I know you inside out. I also know you’re thinking that if Matt and Ross hadn’t been at the lake, then we might have lost our Sam.”

Ross’s frown deepened. Yep, his mother was thinking about Sam Carrick. He understood how much his mother had loved Carrick, but surely thirty years after his death and twenty-nine years of marriage to his father, he shouldn’t be playing such an important part in his mother’s life or thoughts.

“Let him go, Jess.”

“I have.”

“No, you haven’t. And don’t even think about arguing with me. If you’ve let him go, then why is his photo on our mantel? Even Ray has told you to put it away. He’s hurting, too.”

“I know, but—”

“No, buts. I can’t compete with a ghost, Jess.”

“You think you compete with a ghost? Is that how you really feel? Ross, why didn’t you tell me you felt like that?”

Yeah, Dad, why didn’t you?
Ross thought. And why was Ray Ferris hurting over Sam Carrick? As far as he was concerned, they’d never met, never known each other. He frowned and tuned back in to his parents’ conversation.

“…We both give and take. You’ve never stopped me from having moments of quiet reflection about Mary. Never showed anything other than support when it was the anniversary of her death or her birthday. I stopped laying flowers on her grave years ago, but I know you still do. And it’s because of that that I’ve never told you how I felt. I’ve never told you this, either, but in some ways I’m glad Sam died.”

Ross raised an eyebrow at that one. He waited for the loud thump that would indicate his mother had kicked his father out of bed. It never happened, and his brow notched higher at what his mother said next.

“Me, too, if I’m honest. If he hadn’t died, we wouldn’t have met and we wouldn’t have four fantastic kids. It’s a pity you had a vasectomy. I wanted at least one more.”

“I know. I did, too. But when you nearly died giving birth to Matt, there was no way that was going to happen. I died a thousand times that night and I wasn’t about to put you, or myself, through that nightmare again.”

“Can we drop this depressing subject and make silly and sweaty love?”

On hearing his father’s chuckle and his mother’s subsequent blissful moans, Ross left them to it and headed back to his bedroom, making sure he avoided all the creaking floorboards. Stripping down to his boxers, he glanced over at Matt, who was stretched out on his front, his head in the pillow.

“Are you awake?”

“Nope,” came the muffled response.

Ross grinned and lay on his own bed. “I’ve just been listening to Mom and Dad.”

“I know. You forgot about the floorboard by the attic door.” Matt rolled over onto his back and looked in Ross’s direction. “Spill.”

“I think Sam Carrick’s finally been laid to rest.” He paused for a moment, debating why Ray Ferris was hurting over Carrick, then decided it was probably due to being concerned that his best friend’s wife still thought about a former love some thirty years after his death. “I didn’t know this until now, but Mom nearly died giving birth to you. Did you know about that?”

“Oh, aren’t you a barrel of laughs? If that’s what falling in love does, then you can keep it. The sex I can do. Definitely do. But there’s no way you’ll catch me going all starry-eyed over a woman.”

“Never say never, little bro. I guarantee you’ll feel the same way I do when the right woman comes your way.”

Matt snorted as he plumped his pillow. “So not gonna happen. Just like you’ll never make it down the aisle. I mean, we are talking about the same Jessica Ferris who threw your Star Wars figures into the lake in revenge for you cutting the hair off her Barbie dolls.”

“Um, I think we’ve both grown up since then. Older and wiser.”

Again, Matt snorted. “All right, what about the fact that since she became a private eye, she’s never really been totally honest with you, even when she’s asked for your help. You know she’s always holding things back. A little white lie here, a little white lie there. I’m telling you, Jessica’s using you. She’ll screw you, then dump you as soon as she gets bored.”

Okay, so Ross couldn’t argue the fact that Jessica did tell the odd lie. But it wasn’t just him she extended that courtesy to. She lied to other detectives, as well. She seemed to have quite a talent for rubbing officers of any rank up the wrong way. Probably down to some of those officers being on the other end of her hard-nosed reporter skills. He liked that trait, though. Her sassiness had stood her in good stead as a PI.

He also couldn’t argue that Jessica held things back. She still hadn’t told him the real reason why they’d been tailing Harknett. Or told him anything about the BlackBerry he’d seen her lift from Harknett’s dead body.

However, the one thing he would argue about was that Jessica would use him. “You’re such a cynic, Matt. She loves me. And I love her. Jess and I are…” He paused for emphasis on the declaration he was about to make. “Together forever.” The pillow sailed in his direction. He deftly caught it and slung it back at Matt.

“Together forever.” Yeah, he definitely liked the sound of that. Growing old and gray together. Spending a lifetime getting to know each other inside out, back to front, side to side, up and down…Basically in every conceivable way. Sharing life’s ups and downs. Turning hopes and dreams into reality. Discovering every little habit, good or bad or secret. He smiled as he touched the kink in his nose. She didn’t even know how he came to break it. He was going to have to put that right. Along with a few other things.

Like my marriage proposal for starters
. As Ross drifted off to sleep, he made his mind up. He definitely wanted to marry Jessica. But when he asked again, he was going to do it with a ring and on one bended knee.

Chapter 6

Two days later, Ross returned to New York.

Walking through the arrivals gate at JFK, backpack slung over his shoulder, he spotted Jessica waiting by a side kiosk. Not that she was hard to miss. Her long, dark hair hung in shimmering waves down her back, and the electric-blue shirtdress she wore had the tongues of every man, young and old, practically lolling to the floor.

He waved, and she ran over and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, peppering his face with kisses before planting a lip-smacking kiss on his lips.

For a moment, he was stunned, but then his backpack hit the floor and his arms were around her, and he was twirling them around as he deepened the kiss.

People stared. People sniggered. But Ross didn’t give a damn and continued to kiss Jessica like there was no tomorrow. Finally, they both drew back when the need to breathe became paramount.

He dropped her back on her feet, her stiletto heels kissing the floor with a gentle, yet audible, click-clack. “I take it you missed me?”

“Whatever gave you that impression?”

“Your tongue down my throat.”

“Figment of your imagination.”

“Oh, right. Is your hand on my cock a figment of my imagination, too?”

Her laugh was strained. “How’s Sam?”

“Buried. Finally. Yeah, she’s shaken up,” he hastily amended at the weird look Jessica gave him. “But she’ll be all right. She’s moved back in with Mom and Dad for the time being. Even Matt’s moved back home. He’s gonna be her…” He raised and crooked the middle and forefingers of each hand as quotation marks, “‘bodyguard.’ Something that Sammy doesn’t know about yet.”

“And Ramona? Is she okay?”

Ross smiled as he remembered Rex “Smug SOB” Latimer, Ramona’s partner and co-owner of the vet’s practice where she worked. “Oh, yeah, she’s more than okay.”

“When your mom rang to tell us what had happened, Mom and I had to nearly hold Dad down to stop him getting on the first flight out and giving his own brand of justice to that creep, Raven.”

“I thought I could hear the sound of thunder from the Ferris household.”

He smiled down at her, that heart of his going haywire. She was the most gorgeous woman on the planet. And she was his. Together forever. He reached into his jeans pocket for the small, velvet-covered box containing the diamond and sapphire engagement ring he had bought.

“Jess, the last time we spoke I asked you to marry me. While I was home, I had time to think and…” He began to drop down to one knee.

“Yeah, me, too. And it’s not a very good idea.”

Ross’s pounding heart stilled, and his knee cracked as he straightened. “What’s not a good idea?”

“Us. Don’t get me wrong, Ross, I do love—um, like you, and I was flattered by your proposal. I mean, what woman wouldn’t be? But I know if we got together, walked down the aisle, it would be a big mistake.” She lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed intently on her shoes. “I want…”

“You want what?” he asked, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. It wasn’t just the dullness to her eyes that shattered his world, but her words.

“I’m breaking it off. I’m not ready to settle down. I want to have fun. Have lots of sex. But definitely not with you.” She brushed his hand away. “I’ve got to go. I’m on a meter.”

Too stunned to comprehend what had just happened, Ross stood rooted to the spot as Jessica turned and practically fled from the airport. It was a full five minutes before he realized his jaw was still on the floor and the ring box was cutting into the palm of his hand.

He removed the box from his pocket and flipped the lid. The sparkling, intense, blue sapphire that had been so enticing in the jewelry store’s window now mocked him.
Fool!
it hollered.

And he was a fool. A damn great big one. A fool for openly admitting his feelings to Jessica. Matt had been right. Jessica had used him. Well, never again. He swore if he ever saw Jessica again, it would be too soon.

Erecting a wall of steel around his heart, Ross snapped the lid shut and stuck the ring box in one of the backpack’s pockets. Then, slinging the backpack over his shoulder, he stalked from the airport, intent on getting very, very,
very
drunk.

* * * *

Jessica made it to her Mini without a tear shed. They came out as she drove away. When her vision became too blurred to drive straight, she pulled over, folded her arms on the steering wheel and wept like a baby. She didn’t want to finish things with Ross, but until she found out who wanted her dead, she and Ross were so not going to happen.

Though saying that, despite the appearance of more photographs, one in the mail that morning, there had been no further communication from her would-be killer. No other words apart from “BlackBerry or your funeral”. No telephone number, or even a call telling her where to drop the phone. Which she wouldn’t do anyway. Her would-be killer could take a hike. She’d firmly decided to use the BlackBerry, once she figured out the damned password, to bring down every criminal scumbag listed in its memory.

Her tears finally drying up, Jessica pulled herself together and removed a packet of Kleenex from the glove box. Her eye makeup, she knew, would be halfway down her chin by now. One look in the rearview mirror told her she was right.