Only in My Dreams (37 page)

“What a happy accident to have all of you here,” Dad said. He lifted his glass again. “To family.”

They all drank.

Sara glanced at her siblings, hoping that what she was about to say would be okay with them, but she was sure it would be. “I got my letter from Alex today, Dad. He told me to go after my dreams no matter what. I know he wanted you to stay out of the project, but I've decided my wishes trump his because I'm still here. I think we'd all like it if you'd help with The Alex. Provide input and just be a general sounding board.”

Tori nodded. “Absolutely.”

Dad's gaze was skeptical as it landed on Kyle. “You agree to this too?”

“I do. You have a lot to contribute to the project, and we're the ones who have the say. We decided to hire Cade D'Onofrio today to engineer the renovation of the church and monks' quarters. Good choice?”

Dad blinked at him. He took a drink of beer. “He's young, but yeah, he's good. Who else did you interview?”

Tori answered and told him whom she would've preferred to hire.

Dad shook his head. “No, D'Onofrio's the better choice.” He leaned back against the counter behind him. “Look, I don't want to intrude on this project.”

“You're not. I think it'll be great to have you involved,” Sara said. “And clearly I'm not alone.”

“Actually, I don't know if you should spend much time on the project,” Tori said, holding up her glass and studying the liquid inside it. “I've missed your beer, Dad. Maybe you should focus on
that
.”

Dad smiled, and it was the most genuine look of pleasure Sara had seen on his face in months. Warmth and joy spread through her.
This
is what they'd been missing. “I can try,” he said.

Kyle stood up and walked toward the pantry, which was off toward the mudroom, calling out behind him. “I'm making dinner, Tor, if you're hungry.”

“I'm famished.” Tori smiled, and Sara thought it was the happiest she'd seen her in a while too.

“Look who I saw lurking outside.” Kyle came back into the kitchen and stepped aside to reveal Dylan.

Sara's chest tightened. His eyes were somber, his hands stuffed awkwardly into the pockets of his jeans.

She'd turned her head to look but now pivoted on her barstool.

“You want us to leave you alone?” Tori leaned close to Sara and whispered.

“No,” Dylan said, clearly having heard her despite her lowered tone. “I've recently—very recently—learned I need to open up more, so I'm just going to do this in front of all of you.” He glanced at Kyle then at Tori and Dad. “And try not to embarrass myself too badly.”

Dylan walked slowly toward Sara, pulling his hands out of his pockets. He circled the edge of the large table that sat in the center of the gathering room.

When he got to Sara, he dropped to his knees.

Oh God, what was he doing? Dad was standing right behind her! Her legs turned to jelly and she pulled her sleeves over her hands.

Dylan smiled and took her fingers in his. “Don't be nervous. I came to apologize for being a ridiculous butthead. I wasn't ready to commit, but now I am.”

She didn't understand. “That was like two hours ago. Maybe less.”

“I realize that. And I think I knew I blew it the second you walked off the porch. I was just too stupid to say anything.”

“Sounds like it,” Tori said. Sara sent a sharp glare at her over Dylan's head. Tori held up her hand and mouthed, “Sorry.”

“Your family scares the hell out of me.” He kept his eyes glued to hers. “Because mine does too. Or did.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I told you I suck at this.”

“I think you're doing fine,” Dad said softly.

Dylan looked over at him and brightened, his lip curving up. “Thanks.” He returned his gaze to Sara's and tightened his hold on her hands. “When I said I wasn't in love with you, I was lying. Only I didn't know it. I feel things, I want to do things . . . and I just push it all away. I just got stepped on so many times . . . ”

She heard the anguish in his voice, something she never imagined she'd hear from him, and her heart broke. She reached out and stroked the side of his face, loving the sensation of his slight beard against her fingertips. “I understand. And I was going to convince you anyway.”

He laughed. “I don't doubt it. You're a force of nature, Sara Archer, and I am head over heels in love with you. I don't know what the future holds and I can't promise that I won't screw up on a regular basis, but I'm going to be the best boyfriend you could ever want. You don't deserve any less.”

Tears burned her eyes, happy, joyous tears that she hadn't felt in months. “You're the man of my dreams, so of course I deserve you. And you deserve me.”

“Oh. My. God. This is nauseating. I was hoping to
eat
.” The sarcasm in Kyle's voice made Sara laugh. “You staying for dinner, Westcott?”

He looked up at Sara. “If it's all right with you.”

She reached down and wrapped her hands around his neck. “Stay forever.”

Epilogue

July 4

“A
ND THAT IS
how I came up with my signature cocktail, the Naked Ginger.” Kyle sat back in his chair and took a long drink of beer, his eyes full of mischief.

Dylan laughed. “I call bullshit. No way she let you do that to her on the bar.”

Kyle's brows rose. “I tell it like it is, brother.”

Brother
. They weren't. At least not yet. Dylan glanced over at Sara, who was chatting with his sister, and thought it would come to that though—if he was lucky and she said yes.

He shook his head to clear distant thoughts of engagement from his mind. First they had to make it through Derek and Chloe's wedding and to do that he needed to get the cottage finished on time. They'd gone from ahead of schedule to behind, as construction tends to go. He really ought to have been working today, but everybody had convinced him to come to the barbecue at his Dad's house. So here they were—Westcotts, Archers, and even Davies—enjoying one big happy family event.

Well, maybe not everyone was enjoying it. His gaze strayed to Bill, who was sitting on the periphery and looking very uncomfortable while Cameron chatted his ear off. Dylan would thank his brother later.

“Hey, isn't Rob coming?” Dylan asked. He'd gotten to know Sara's dad over the last month and loved talking beer with him. In fact, he was looking forward to attempting his own batch of homebrew.

Kyle's eyes clouded. “He should be.”

The old Dylan would've let the moment go unnoticed, but the Archers had turned him into some sort of family guy. It was disturbing. “Everything okay? I thought you two had reached a civil accord.” Kyle and his dad still hadn't patched things up, according to Sara, but their relationship was a damn sight better than it was with Kyle's former best friend, Derek. In fact, suspiciously, Derek and Chloe were out of town today. Dylan noted they rarely socialized together, even in large groups. How awkward was the wedding going to be? Or was Kyle even invited?

“It's fine.” He shifted in his chair. “I just need to talk to him about something work-related.”

“Hey, why do you look so serious?” Sara asked Kyle as she came and perched on Dylan's leg. “You better not be giving my boyfriend a hard time.”

Dylan slid his hand around her waist and drew her closer so he could get a better whiff of her unique Sara-scent—oranges and spice, everything nice. “He's fine.”

“We were wondering where Dad is,” Kyle said.

“Oh.” Sara glanced at Dylan, then her gaze went beyond him. “He just got here. He's over talking to Sam.”

Dylan turned his head and saw that his dad was steering Rob toward his barbecue, likely to talk about its various bells and whistles. Was Dylan going to be like that at that age? He squeezed Sara's waist, thinking about the future with her, and hoped so.

Kyle stood. “Time for another beer.” He left them alone, and Dylan took the opportunity to nuzzle his face against Sara's neck.

“You smell so damn good. Think anyone will notice if we go inside for a few minutes?”

She wrapped her hand around his neck as he pulled back to look up at her. “Um, probably. Do you care?”

“Not a bit.”

She jumped off his lap. “After you, hotness.”

His cock started to swell, and he groaned softly before he leaned in to softly bite her earlobe. “Let's go.”

She preceded him inside, nodding at family and friends and neighbors along the way. Once inside, he took the lead and pulled her into the downstairs bathroom. He turned and closed the door behind her, locking it. He clasped her hips and pushed her against the wood. Her hands came up his arms and she dug her fingers into his biceps.

He pressed his lips to her neck, just beneath her ear and kissed his way down to her collarbone, edging the strap of her tank out of his way.

“Are you having a good time?” she asked, sounding breathless.

“I am now.”

She laughed. “Liar. I saw you outside. You
are
having a good time.” She swatted his back. “Don't be a jerk about it. Things are good, right?”

He pulled his head back and looked at her. He clasped her waist tightly. “Perfect.” He kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and claiming what she so eagerly offered.

He slid his hands up her ribcage, pushing her top up to her bra. “Front clasp. My lucky day.” He snapped the bra open and palmed her breasts.

She moaned softly. “What if someone needs to use the bathroom?”

“
We're
using the bathroom. There's another one upstairs. And another one downstairs.” He yanked her top past her breasts and tongued her nipple.

She threaded her fingers into his hair and held him close. “You're so naughty. I never dreamed how much I'd love that. How much I'd love you.”

He chuckled against her breast and looked up at her, reveling in the sweet emotion in her eyes. “I never believed I'd have this or you. It was always just a dream.”

She pushed at him and moved over to the counter. She shimmied out of her undies and hoisted herself up onto the tile. “I'm real, baby. This is real.”

“Thank God. No, thank
you
.”

He moved between her legs and bent to kiss her again, but she stopped him. “You just reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask you.”

He nuzzled her neck, his lips caressing her skin. “What's that?”

“That first night I came to your house—in the rain. Right before I fell asleep you thanked me. Why?”

He lifted his head and looked at her long and hard, feeling humbled and so damn lucky. “You said I was magic. No one had ever made me feel that important before. I'm sure I was half in love with you then—no, I know I was. I was just too stupid to realize it.” He touched her face. “I love you. So much.”

She smiled, his love reflected in her eyes. “Show me.”

Author's Note

S
ENSORY PROCESSING IS
something we all do. If you twist your hair, tap your foot or leg, sway back and forth when you're standing in line, hum, or make other nonlingual sounds, or can't stand the seam in a sock, you are processing your environment in a way that is unique to you. And that's just the stuff we can see! Most people think of five senses, but there are actually at least two more, and these two can be particularly challenging for people with sensory processing disorder (SPD). Your vestibular sense is your sense of balance and your proprioceptive sense is where your body is in space. Some people have difficulty lying down flat (particularly in unknown places) or jumping off of things, such as into a pool. My own vestibular sense was sort of jumbled when I was younger. I remember my mom taking me to an ear doctor to see if there was something they could do to help me with feeling dizzy on amusement park rides! Conversely, when my daughter was very young, she had difficulty
getting
dizzy, even after spinning round and round with her occupational therapist.

If you're interested in learning more about sensory processing disorder, there are so many great books and resources. I'm a big proponent of educating yourself so that you can make informed decisions about how to deal with or treat something like SPD. It's been an incredible journey with our daughter, who was diagnosed with SPD at age three. Now, ten years later, she manages her environment incredibly well and we know the next ten years will only bring greater maturity and awareness.

For more information on sensory processing disorder, you can check out the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation at
http://www.spdfoundation.net
or do an Internet search to find the SPD information that is most helpful to you.

Acknowledgments

I
COULDN
'
T HAVE
written this book without the fantastic support system for my daughter, and really our whole family. Thank you, Sarah Kramer at Advanced Pediatric Therapies. You have made (and continue to make) such an impact on our Quinncess. And thank you to Tricia Rogers, an incredible speech therapist who helped Quinn articulate all the thoughts in her head. Those meeting her now would never suspect that she was once a girl of few words! Finally, we can never thank Dr. Margaret MacDonald enough for her support, wisdom, and love. You've given us understanding, information, and acceptance. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I want to thank my wonderful agent, Jim McCarthy, for helping to take this book from good to great. And thank you to my editor, Nicole Fischer, for falling in love with the Archers and guiding Sara and Dylan to an even more fulfilling happily ever after. I'm so excited for what the future holds for Ribbon Ridge!

Thank you Carey Baldwin, the best Moonlight and Magnolias roommate EVAH, for your medical expertise regarding Alex. I so appreciate your help! I also want to thank Leigh LaValle for being an excellent sounding board and helping this story in so many ways. Much, much love to both of you.