All Through the Night (Liar's Web) (26 page)

Although she never thought she'd see the day when Lenny took full responsibility for his actions, that day had finally arrived. Her brother had grown up a lot in the past week, and she could tell his near-death experience, along with Ronnie's murder, had changed him forever.

“
I'm proud of you, no matter what mistakes you've made. I don't know what I'd do without you,” she said in an emotional voice. “You, Mommy, and Daddy…you mean everything to me.”

“
And what about Jake? What does he mean to you?”

She brushed away a few tears, trying to be stoic even as her heart was shattering into a million pieces. “It doesn't matter. Jake and I are over.”

Lenny's eyes bugged out, and his mouth flapped open in surprise. It seemed to take him a minute to get his bearings. “So it was just a fling?”

“
Of course it wasn't just a fling. I love—” She stopped mid-sentence, dumbstruck by her own inability to keep a lid on her feelings. She'd nearly blurted out the L-word. What was happening to her? She was so emotional, on the verge of being out of control. Is this what love did to a person?

“
You love him,” Lenny declared with a satisfied expression. “I knew it.”

She winced at the realization that she'd let the truth out with a slip of the tongue. “Yes, I love him, but I can't be in love with him. It's too messy and it’s way too complicated.”

“
Don't put up this front. I can see you're hurting. You have that same wounded bird look on your face you used to have when kids teased you about being adopted.”

“
I'm not a kid anymore,” she protested.

“
That's right. You're a grown-ass woman who needs to fix things with the man she loves.”

“
I can't. Too much was said. I can't take those things back. I can't even look him in the eye after the things I said to him.” She blushed with shame as she recalled all the hateful words she'd hurled at him.
I can't believe I thought I loved you. I never want to see you again.

“
Isn't this worth fighting for?”

“
Lenny! It's too late,” she said sharply. “I can't fight for something that's crashed and burned.”

“
Wow,” Lenny drawled, his eyes glittering with fury. “I can't believe you'd walk away from a man who did so much to keep you safe. Let me break it down to you. That man who you can't face guarded your precious little butt round the clock when a maniac was trying to kill you. He opened up his home to you and kept you alive. And even though I gave him every reason to doubt me, he actually listened to me when I finally came clean about Andre.

“
Not to mention the fact that the doctors also said Jake saved my life as well. If he hadn't given me CPR at your house, I wouldn't be sitting here right now telling you about yourself.”

Listening to her brother's words was like receiving a stinging slap in the face. He was telling her everything she'd already known in her heart. Jake Trueblood was an amazing, generous, loving man who'd gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect her. He'd shown her loyalty, forgiveness, passion, dedication…and he'd taught her to love as she'd never loved before. In every way that mattered he was the real deal. How could she turn her back on all that? Why was she letting fear hold her back from loving Jake? Truly and completely loving him.

Her heart began to thump wildly as panic seized her. “What if he doesn't want me?”

“
Why wouldn't he want you, sis? You're the best woman I know. Sounds like the two of you make a perfect match. But sitting here looking at me with those doe eyes ain't gonna get the job done.”

“
What should I do?” she asked in an unsure voice.

“
You need to tell him in no uncertain terms that you love him. You. Love. Him. Cause if you don't, I'm liable to do it myself.”

“
You wouldn't!”

He smirked at her. “I just might. This place gets awfully boring after a few days here. Half the nurses in here are married, and the other half,” Lenny rolled his eyes, “couldn't handle all this.”

“
I may not be able to handle all of your glorious manhood, Mr. Dawkins,” said a booming voice from the doorway, “but it's time for your sponge bath.” As they turned toward the door, a stern-faced, heavy-set nurse in her late fifties stood there with a sponge in one hand and a bowl in the other.

“
Thelma,” said Lenny with a flirtatious smile, “I've been dreaming of those hands roaming all over my body all day.” He winked at Thelma and added, “Now if my sister will just give us some privacy, we can get this party started.”

Darcel rolled her eyes. “I'll go grab a snack in the cafeteria while you have your sponge bath.”

“
Take your time,” Lenny called out. “And close that door behind you.”

When she reached the doorway, she swiveled her head around, looked her brother directly in the eye, and tossed out, “By the way, if you tell that man I love him before I get a chance to, you may wind up having another near-death experience.” As she strutted out of the hospital room, she heard Lenny erupt into a fit of hysterical laughter. She felt the beginnings of a huge smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as a small kernel of hope began to blossom inside her.

* * * *

Case Matthews considered himself to be a blessed man. He stood in his wife's hospital room, cradling their newborn daughter against his chest as Star took a much-deserved nap. Pride swelled within him as he gazed down upon the woman he loved more than his own life. She was amazing, he thought, as he recalled the twenty-four long hours of labor she'd endured without the benefit of pain medicine. She'd been like a warrior princess—strong, resilient, and beautiful. When she'd finally pushed their baby girl out into his waiting arms, the joy in the delivery room had been effusive.

Star opened her eyes and smiled at Case, her beautiful face lit up with pleasure at the sight of him cradling their newborn daughter in his arms. This moment was sheer perfection. He didn't know what he'd ever done in this lifetime to deserve such happiness, but he felt truly blessed.

“
Hello, handsome. How's Lily doing?”

Lily Rose Matthews was named after Star’s great grandmother, Lilliana Rose Evans. It was fitting, they believed, to name their daughter after the woman who had orchestrated their reunion from beyond the grave. If not for Lilliana Rose, the two of them could have gone the rest of their lives without reconnecting. And perhaps they would never have realized that they'd never stopped loving each other.

“
She's amazing. As gorgeous as her mama and almost as sweet.”

“
Let me hold her, Case.” She opened her arms to receive her seven-pounds six ounces of happiness.

Case handed the little bundle to his wife, transferring her to her mother's loving arms with all the care and tenderness he possessed. She was more precious to him than anything else in the world, and although everyone kept telling him he wouldn't break her, he wasn't taking any chances. For a good twenty minutes he watched Lily suckle at her mother's breast, battling a feeling of wonder at this awesome miracle against a slight twinge of feeling displaced.

Sensing his feelings, Star raised an eyebrow. “Don't give me that look. In a couple of months she'll be off the boob and on the bottle.”

“
I can wait. I'm a patient man,” he said with a dazzling grin.

“
Aren't we the two luckiest people in the world,” Star cooed as she gently nuzzled the baby's scalp.

“
I don't think there's a word in the English language to describe what I'm feeling.”

Case sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and clasped Star's hand in his own. Star squeezed his and let out a deep sigh of contentment. “All's right with the world,” she whispered as Lily dozed off to sleep, sent off into the land of nod by her mama's milk.

“
Baby, I'd like to put Lily in the nursery for a little bit, if it's okay with you.”

“
Why? She's good right where she is.”

“
I know, but this little darlin’ needs to work a little magic.” He winked.

“
Magic? On who?”

“
We've got two friends out there who are circling around each other like love-struck kids on the playground. There's a huge divide between them right now. Neither one wants to make the first move.”

“
Sounds like they've got it bad,” Star said as she transferred Lily to Case's capable arms.

“
You don't know the half of it. Jake looks like he's about to die of a broken heart and Darcel looks as if she's going to burst into tears at any moment.” Case leaned over and placed a kiss on top of Lily's forehead, getting a whiff of her baby fresh scent in the process. “I think Lily might help break the ice.”

“
Put her in the nursery for an hour, tops. If they don't melt over this little angel, then they're all kinds of crazy.”

* * * *

Thank Heaven, for little girls
. The words danced through Darcel's mind as she caught her first glimpse of Lily Evans Matthews through the nursery window. A pink cap adorned her tiny head, and she was nestled on her side in a pink snuggie with a polka dot pattern. Lily had the cutest button nose and the chubbiest rosy cheeks she'd ever seen. Darcel let out a rapturous sigh as she gazed upon this princess in training.

The last few hours had been such a whirlwind at the hospital. When she'd ran into Jason in the cafeteria, he'd alerted her to the fact that Star was upstairs in labor and delivery, moments away from delivering her baby. She'd been shocked at the scene that awaited her in the waiting room. The entire Evans and Matthews clan was gathered in the room, which appeared to be bursting at the seams with people. As she looked around in amazement, her gaze was immediately drawn to Jake, who was staring at her with a look of longing that made her heart ache.

She'd stared back at him, not with hatred or animosity, but with a mixture of fear and longing. The truth was, she was scared to death. She didn't know how to approach him without falling flat on her face and making a fool of herself. How do you bridge a gap so wide you could run a truck through it? How do you put your heart on the line without knowing if you'd ever get love back in return? Love didn't come with any certainty, just a hope of what might be.

As she stood at the nursery window with her nose practically pressed against the plate glass, she felt a presence beside her. “She's something, isn't she?” Jake asked, his voice heavy with emotion.

“
I think she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,” Darcel gushed, her eyes flooding with tears at the tiny miracle sleeping so peacefully in the nursery. Lily was the living, breathing embodiment of Star and Case's love for each other. She was sheer perfection in every way—cuddly, innocent, radiant. Beautiful.

“
She's the second most beautiful thing I've ever seen,” he said pointedly, his eyes filled with tenderness and a yearning she'd never seen before. He was making her melt. The way he was looking at her, his eyes filled with need—pure, hot, raw need. If she could bottle up this feeling and sell it, she'd be a millionaire many times over.

All the anger went out of her, until all she felt was deflated, like a balloon with all the air taken out of it. She loved this man with every breath of her being. Living a life without him in it wasn't an option. She'd been walking around for the past few days like a zombie, a shell of her former self. She hadn't eaten or laughed or felt anything beyond the painful shattering of her heart. And she knew she couldn't let pride or anger get in their way—not ever again.

He grabbed her by the hand and led her across the room, drawing a lot of stares, smiles, and whispers along the way. Once they were in the hallway, he pulled her into a small private waiting room that was empty. For a moment he simply stood there and stared at her without saying a single thing. His hands were fisted at his sides, and he seemed to be struggling for something to say.

“
This is killing me,” he finally said in a ragged voice full of heartbreak, his words echoing her own feelings. “I want…no, baby, I need you in my life. I love you, Darcel.” He reached out and cuffed the back of her neck with his palm, his eyes full of love and devotion. “I want to build a life with you. I want to be there for you every day for the rest of our lives. I want to make a houseful of babies with you. I want it all.”

Tears clouded her vision as she gazed at Jake—bold, proud, beautiful Trueblood. He'd been her protector and her friend, her lover, and her lifeline. She would never have made it through this whole ordeal without him by her side, sheltering her from the storm and guarding her from harm. She loved this man with all her heart and soul. She knew she always would. In fifty years’ time, if they were lucky enough to still be breathing, she'd still be loving this man.

“
Jake, I need you too. I was wrong to blame you for Lenny getting shot. I said so many hurtful things to you, things I wanted to take back as soon as I said them.” She lowered her eyes as a wave of shame ripped through her at the thought of all the mean words she'd hurled at him. “I let my pride get in the way of us being together.”