Songbird (20 page)

“
You’ve got to be kidding!” she squealed, nudging him in the ribs. “A limo to take us to McDonald’s?”

He just smiled with delight.

The driver stepped to her side of the car, opened the door, and helped her out. Once inside, Kyle ordered five Big Macs, three large orders of fries, and a chocolate shake.

“
Someone’s joining us?” she asked.

“
No, it’s just the two of us. You did say these were your favorite?”

She nodded with helpless laughter. “I did.”

“
I don’t want you to go hungry. Anything else?”

“
No, thank you. This’ll do just fine.”

A pleasant-looking man with silvery hair stepped in through the door, accompanied by a woman of about the same age. They both looked over their shoulders. “Whose do you think it is?” the man whispered, gesturing toward the waiting limousine.

The woman searched the faces in the crowded room as they stepped behind Kyle and Desiree in line. “I don’t know. I don’t recognize anyone famous. Seems funny to see it here. Maybe—”

“
Look no further.” Kyle put his arm around Desiree and faced the couple with a charming smile. “No famous faces here tonight, folks, just a famous voice. This is Desiree Germain from KICK-102 FM.”

Desiree felt her knees grow weak. Famous voice? She wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. But to her surprise, the man’s eyes widened with recognition and apparent admiration.

“
No kidding? You’re Desiree?” The man clapped his hands together. “Well, what do you know. I listen to you all the time!”

“
So do I,” said the woman at his side, who was now beaming with excitement. “And so does our son. He especially loves your show.”

Desiree’s face lit up with a heartfelt smile. Instinctively, she held out her hand. “Thank you. It’s so nice to meet you.”

The man shook her hand with enthusiasm and introduced himself and his wife. “I’m honored to meet you. Really honored. Wait until Ron hears about this!” He grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the counter and pulled a pen out of his pocket. “Would you autograph this for—for my son, please?”

“
Sure.”

She wrote “Life’s a KICK at 102 FM” and signed her name. The couple were clearly thrilled. Several other people came forward and clamored for her autograph. It seemed as if she’d signed a dozen napkins and placemats when Kyle finally grabbed her arm and steered her out the door with their bags of food.

She leaned back against the seat, incredulous, as the limo pulled away. “I can’t believe you told them who I was.”

“
Why? You’re a celebrity. Don’t tell me no one’s asked for your autograph before.”

“
Only a few times. People don’t usually recognize me by my voice. And I don’t go around introducing myself so brazenly, the way you did.”

“
You should. It’d be great publicity.”

Where had she heard that before? Barbara. The day the woman from some restaurant had called and asked her to emcee their opening party. Suddenly Desire wanted to do that kind of party, lots of parties, wanted to get out and meet the people who listened to her on the radio.

“
I feel so fantastic when you’re here,” she cried happily. “You make me feel like anything is possible.”

His eyes shone with tender admiration. “Only because it is.”

The driver took them to the mile-wide, tree-shaded park where they’d ridden bicycles two weeks before. Kyle handed the McDonald’s bags to Desiree. He pulled a bulky canvas bag out of the trunk, threw the strap over his shoulder, and grabbed the ice bucket. “We’ll be back in a while,” he told the driver. “I hope you brought a good book to read.”

The driver chuckled and signaled goodbye with a courteous wave.

Kyle put his arm around Desiree and gave her a squeeze. “Follow me.”

The sun hung low in the sky, bathing the lush green lawns on either side of the bike path in warm, golden light. They followed the path until it curved around a small lake, and climbed up a short hillside to a grassy knoll. He stopped beside a picnic table and set down the canvas bag. A cement fire ring stood in a clearing a few yards away.

Kyle pulled out a red plaid blanket and shook it open. “I hope you like dining alfresco. This spot was crucial for phase two of my plan.”

“
Phase two?”

“
You’ll see.”

“
You always say that.” Desiree helped him spread the blanket on the grass. “Well, if your Picnic in the Park is anything like your Day at the Beach, I’ll really be impressed.”

“
Oh yeah?”

“
You’re a master of creativity when it comes to picnics. Not to mention other out-of-door...activities.”

Laughing huskily, he put his arms around her and drew her close. She met the warm look in his eyes, and felt her throat constrict with an overpowering rush of affection.

“
It’s been a long two weeks, hasn’t it?” he whispered.

“
It seemed like two years.” Her heart pounded as his lips nuzzled the softly curling hair at the side of her neck. She wanted to melt against him, to wrap her arms around his neck, to tell him how much he meant to her.

Kyle, I love you, she wanted to say. But was this the right time? Would he feel pressured to admit to the same depth of feeling, or think she expected some sort of commitment in return? Before she could speak, his mouth came to hers in a quick, urgent kiss, and he withdrew.

“
Let’s eat while it’s still lukewarm,” he said gruffly. He grabbed the bags of food and sat down on the blanket.

Desiree took a deep breath, dropped down beside him, and crossed her legs, managing a smile. “Right. Let’s eat.”

The sun had descended below the treetops and the sky had turned a pale dusky grey by the time they finished the milkshakes, consumed two hamburgers each, and ate most of the French fries. Several yards below them, a flock of ducks gathered at the water’s edge, bobbing about expectantly.

“
Let’s throw them a hamburger bun,” Kyle suggested.

Desiree plucked off the top bun from the remaining burger and scrambled down the incline. Kyle followed. They both ripped the bun into small pieces and tossed them into the water near the shore.

“
Here, little quackers,” he said.

The ducks made grateful noises as they darted toward the food. When they’d flung them the last piece, Desiree raised her palms. “Sorry. All gone.” Disappointed, the ducks turned tail and glided away across the silent water.

Kyle took Desiree’s hand in his and led her back up the slope. “Okay. Main course is finished. Leftovers dutifully disposed of. Now, for dessert.”

Drawing out several small logs from the canvas bag, he arranged them in a pile inside the cement fire ring, on top of the paper trash from their dinner.

“
Why a campfire?” she asked, crouching down beside him.

Casting her a mischievous grin, he lit the fire and fanned it to life with an empty styrofoam carton. All at once she realized what he must be up to, and she drew an astonished breath.

“
S’mores?” she cried. “But how—”

“
Phase two of Your Fantasies Come True.” Kyle dug out several additional items from the canvas bag and placed each one in her arms with a flourish. “One bag of marshmallows. One box of honey graham crackers. Two extra large bars of chocolate. And two specially modified coat hangers.”

She laughed her delight and would have hugged him if her arms hadn’t been full. “How did you remember the ingredients?”

His eyes twinkled. “I didn’t. But I have five sisters, remember? It seems a loyal Girl Scout never forgets how to make a S’more.”

A refreshing summer breeze blew across the lake, cooling the evening air. They sat close together on the hard-packed earth, toasting handfuls of marshmallows to a golden brown over the glowing embers. She showed him how to squeeze the hot marshmallow and squares of chocolate between two graham crackers. When he pressed the crackers too hard, she leaned forward and licked the molten white goo that squeezed out the sides. They laughed, kissed, and passed the sweet confections back and forth until their hands were sticky and their faces were streaked with charcoal.

“
Happy?” Kyle asked when they’d consumed as much as they could stand. Darkness was fast approaching now. The park was lit only by the last rays of sunlight and the glow of a few well-placed pole lamps. “Feel indecently indulged?”

“
Yes,” she sighed contentedly.

“
Good.” He brought her back to the blanket and pulled her down beside him. “It’s time now to indulge one of my fantasies: sipping Perrier Jouet in the park at sunset with the girl of my dreams.”

He withdrew a slender bottle from the ice bucket, then proceeded to open it. Delicate white flowers were hand painted on the dark green grass. Desiree knew an expensive bottle of champagne when she saw one. “Wow, this must be a special occasion.”

“
It is. It’s the three week anniversary of the day we met.” He retrieved a champagne glass from the bucket, filled it, and lifted it to her lips. She sipped.

“
Mmmmm. Delicious.”

He brought the glass to his own lips and drank. Their eyes met and never wavered as they passed the glass back and forth, slowly finishing the tangy bubbling wine. Her heartbeat per-formed an erratic dance and she felt all at once enveloped in tenderness; it seemed as if her very soul would melt under the endearing affection she saw glowing in his eyes.

He set the glass aside, and murmuring her name, he collected her in his arms and sealed her mouth with his.

Warmth spread through her body like wildfire as she wrapped her arms around him, answering his kiss with all the fevered urgency in her heart. They sank down on the blanket and rolled to their sides, clinging together, mouth against mouth, tongue meeting tongue, her softness molding against his hard strength. His hands roamed down her back, over her buttocks, then up again to her shoulders as her hands tangled in his silky hair.

She swallowed his kisses like nectar, each kiss alternately filling her and increasing her thirst until she felt almost limp with desire. She lost pace with her breath, her blood spinning through veins that seemed delighted to swell and pump. Through the layers of their clothes she felt the heat of his body and of his desire, and that part of her which sought him throbbed in joyous response.

He left her mouth to scatter hot open kisses across her cheek, along her jaw, to the softness of her throat. His chest moved in rapid sync against hers, and she felt his breath, moist and fragrant, against her ear. When at last he spoke, his voice was deep and rusty, caressing in its warm intensity.

“
Desiree, I love you.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She wound her arms around his back and held him to her, wanting to heighten their contact, to prolong it for all eternity. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

He rolled with her to his back and kissed her again, long and lovingly, his hands stroking her hair. “If you only knew how much I’ve longed to say those words aloud. I fell in love with you the night we met. The very first night.”

“
So did I,” she murmured against his lips. “I’ve wanted to tell you for such a long time, but I was afraid—”

“
Afraid of what?” He smoothed the hair back from her forehead. “That I didn’t feel as strongly about you as you did about me?”

She nodded. A tear spilled from her eye to trickle down her cheek as she saw his answering nod, and she understood that he’d harbored the same fears.

“
It seems we’ve been holding back our feelings to no purpose.” He smiled warmly, tracing a fingertip across her lips. “But there’s nothing to stop me from saying it now. I love you, Desiree. With all my heart. I love you.”

A radiant smile curved her lips and she pressed her mouth against his in a soft kiss. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you. I love you. I love you!”

She punctuated each tender admission with a kiss at the corners of his lips, on his chin, his nose, his eyes, his forehead. She rested her cheek against his, slowly drew it across the scratchy pull of his day’s growth of beard, then covered the roughened skin with small kisses.

The depth of her emotions coursed through her, filling her with such joy that she couldn’t help laughing out loud. He hugged her to him, laughing in return. It felt so good to have him here, so wonderful to be in his arms, so right to be able to show—and voice—her love this way.

He rolled her to her back and cupped one of her hands in his. Bringing her fingers to his lips, he gazed down at her, his eyes a mirror of the love she knew must be shining within her own.

“
I don’t want to leave you, ever again,” he said. “Not even for a day. I want to share the rest of my life with you, to have you by my side, with me always. Desiree, will you be my wife? Will you marry me?”

Eleven

Ten seconds dragged by as Desiree lay still beneath him, her mind in a whirl of confusion. His proposal astonished, flattered, and thrilled her all at the same time. On the one hand, she wanted to jump to her feet and shout,
Of course I’ll marry you!
But on the heels of this joyous possibility tread the painful wrench of reality, keeping her earthbound.

“
I love you,” she said finally, as she reached up to caress his cheek. “More than I’ll ever love anyone. And I would love to be your wife. But how can we get married? Where would we live?”