Treasure on Lilac Lane: A Jewell Cove Novel (31 page)

His chest constricted. Abby was being so careful, tiptoeing around him, and he felt terrible about going off on her before. “I’ll call you, okay? I need to take care of a few things first.” Right now Jess was his number one priority.

“Have you seen Jess at all since the break-in?” Abby asked, as if reading his thoughts.

“Not yet. But I will. I’m working on a few things before I make my case.”

“As long as you make it.”

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. “She may not forgive me, and I don’t blame her. It wasn’t just what I did but what I said. How I treated her. She kicked me to the curb. She might not take me back, either.”

“A mistake doesn’t have to mean forever and you love each other—even if both of you are too stubborn to admit it. You’re a good man, Rick, who’s had to deal with a lot. Let Jess help you with that—the same way that you’ve helped her be strong again.”

The backs of Rick’s eyes stung a little. “I wish I could be as confident as you.”

“You will be,” she assured him, “when the time is right.”

The conversation ended and he pulled back onto the road again. He started the downhill slope into Jewell Cove and his throat tightened up. This was his home. His memories were here. The people he cared about were here. He knew he was where he belonged. And he belonged with Jess, if she’d take him back.

*   *   *

It was five minutes to five on a Wednesday night. Jess had precisely two hours to close up, count her cash, grab some dinner, and prepare for tonight’s class, which was wire and bead wreath ornaments. Easy concept, sometimes finicky on the execution. And she was not in the mood for it. She was tired and she was cranky.

Tessa closed out the cash register since the last customer had left. Jess made herself take a deep, cleansing breath and let it out slowly. She’d been irritable ever since the blowup with Rick. At first she told herself it was because of the break-in but the mess had been cleaned up, the insurance claim filed, and all she had to do was wait for the money to come through and she could order new furniture. She told herself that it was hormones, but that was just an excuse. No, it was Rick. She missed him. She loved him. And each morning, when her stomach didn’t feel quite right, she was reminded that they still needed to talk.

The door opened, the tiny bell dinging merrily. “Sorry, we’re closed,” she said, turning around, but stopped short at the sight of Rick standing in the doorway, a flat cardboard box under his arm.

Her heart thudded against her ribs. She was glad to see him again. Her eyes drank in the sight of him, lean and rugged, dangerous dark eyes and black hair that she missed running her hands through. Every molecule in her body was happy to see him.

“See you Saturday, Jess.” Tessa grabbed her backpack from under the counter. “Hi, Rick,” she said shyly as she passed by him and out the door.

Rick turned around and locked the dead bolt. “Now you’re closed,” he said, smiling a little.

“I … I didn’t expect to see you today,” she managed, running her hand down her long sweater even though it didn’t need smoothing. She wished now she’d dressed up a little or something, rather than wearing comfortable leggings and boots and the old sweater. She’d worn it because some of her waistbands were becoming a little snug as her figure began to change. The knowledge sent a little heat to her cheeks.

“The festival is this weekend. I did promise you I’d bring you more items.”

“And you keep your promises?”

His gaze locked with hers. “I try, Jess. I really try. I’m not perfect, but I’m trying.” He took a step forward and her pulse quickened. “You make me want to try.”

Her breath caught in her chest. “I’m not much into taking emotional risks.”

“I know. And I know I let you down.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “God, I let you down, Jess. In so many ways. I was so afraid, and I let that keep me from you when you needed me most. I’m sorry, Jess. You have no idea how sorry.”

She wanted to go to him. He was standing by the counter now and she was eight, maybe ten feet away. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She had to get her thoughts together. Be ready for the logical and responsible conversation they needed to have. She folded her arms in front of her. “I’m sorry, too. For not trusting you. For not believing in you even though time and time again you proved yourself. Rick, both of us have baggage. I’d rather we be friends than end up hurting each other any more than we already have.”

There was understanding in his gaze, understanding and tenderness and she wasn’t sure how strong she could be. “Don’t look at me that way,” she said bluntly.

“I can’t help it. I love you, Jess.”

God, he didn’t just say that. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked quickly, trying to clear them away. “Don’t,” she whispered, her voice wobbling. “You’ll only make it worse.”

He put the package down on the counter and took a step toward her. “It can’t get any worse,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “I’m lost without you. Nothing is right anymore. There’s so much going on inside me and all I want is to hold you in my arms at night and whisper my secrets in the dark. And you’re not there and I’m dying a little inside. I need you, Jess. I love you.”

Oh, how she wanted to believe him. He took another step closer and it would be so easy to launch herself into his arms, feel them tighten around her.

Another step forward and she could see the pain in his eyes.

“I was so wrong, Jess. I shut you out instead of letting you in. I should never have sent you away. I might have protected you that night, if not for my own stupid pride. Instead I was selfish, so selfish. I need to change that. I started seeing someone, Jess. A doctor in Augusta who’s going to help me deal with everything. So I can be a better man.” He was only a few feet away now. “A better man like you deserve.”

He was saying all the right things and she was touched. More than that, he’d ignited a hope in her that had been extinguished for a long time. But there was too much to talk about, too much he didn’t know for this to be a fresh start. Besides, she wasn’t entirely blameless here either.

“You’re not the only one who has issues to work through,” she murmured, tucking her hands into the soft pockets of her sweater. “And there are things I need to tell you…”

“There are things I need to tell you, too. But first I need to know you’re okay. That there hasn’t been any more trouble with Mike.”

“He’ll go to court early next year,” she confirmed. “And I have a restraining order now. He’s an afraid little man, Rick. I don’t think he expected I’d fight back this time.”

“If you need me to testify about Thanksgiving, say the word.”

“I will.” She looked up at him and felt herself soften. He looked so sincere, so open. More open than she’d ever seen him before.

“Can we go somewhere more comfortable to talk?” he asked.

Her loft would be a bit too intimate yet and the only furniture was the bed, which thankfully had remained mostly untouched—only the bedding had been sliced. “I haven’t bought furniture yet,” she replied. “We could sit in the workshop.”

“Wait here a minute,” he said, and he went behind the counter and retrieved the two folding chairs there, gripping one in his right hand and looping his left arm through the hole between the seat and back of the second chair. He put them down and opened them up before the wide windows. An inch or two of snow had fallen and the town looked mystical as darkness began to creep over the harbor and Christmas lights began to come on.

She sat down and he sat across from her, close enough their knees nearly touched. He reached out and took her hands in his. She no longer minded the feel of his prosthetic. It was part of who he was, and that person was usually pretty great.

“You’re really doing better? Getting counseling?”

“Yes,” he answered honestly. “Jess, the reason I was so upset that night was because I felt so betrayed, like no one trusted me with my own life. Add into that my grief about my mom, my feelings of guilt about Kyle … it suddenly was too much for me to handle. It was like the people closest to me had gone behind my back because they were too afraid I couldn’t deal with the truth. The truth is, it’s going to take some time before I really sort out how it all fits together.” He looked into her eyes, utterly honest. “But I’m going to do it. I need you to trust that I’ll do it.”

Jess left her fingers in his. This was the Rick she’d fallen for. Honest and open with her, showing his heart. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

“I also have a new job for a few weeks.” He smiled at her. “I’m painting a mural for Bryce and Mary. She cornered me a few days ago and practically demanded. Stupid thing is I’m kind of excited about it. Painting a kid’s room, for God’s sake. After that, I’m thinking of spending the winter in my studio. Yeah, I was afraid at first of what people would say. And I was—and am—more afraid that if I make this my job, it won’t be fun anymore. Fun probably isn’t the right word. When I can’t sleep at night or when the stress gets to me, it calms me. It’s my therapy. If I make it my livelihood, will that part go away?”

She got that. She’d felt the same way before she’d opened Treasures. And yeah, there were times she missed the days when she could do things because she wanted to and not because bills had to be paid or commitments had been made or she was low on stock.

“It will be what you need it to be, I think,” she answered, amazed by the calm strength she sensed in him now.

“I hope so,” he replied, and he smiled at her, making her heart melt a little. “Anyway, Mary barged into my house with all these ideas and I found myself getting excited about it.”

“That’s great, Rick. Really great.”

And it was wonderful to see him so happy, so animated, without the lines of stress that had marked his face in previous weeks. Still, it was his next words that really set her pulse galloping, simply because it hit so very close to what she needed to tell him.

“Guess what else?” he asked her.”She let me touch her belly when the baby was moving. It was pretty incredible. It’s like a wave rolling underneath your hand. Coolest thing ever.”

She bit down on her lip. Just because things were coming together for him didn’t mean this could work … but it was a good sign, wasn’t it? Dare she hope? “You like babies?”

“I never gave them much thought before. I mean, I was in the sandbox for so long, and then when I came back I was trying to get back a life that didn’t exist anymore, dealing with the thing with Kyle and adjusting to my arm and stuff. But yeah, I think I like babies. Or will, sometime in the future.” He tugged on her fingers. “What about you, Jess? Do you like babies?”

There were a lot of things that could upset her today, but she hadn’t expected that that particular question would be the one to set her off crying. But it did. The emotion came up on her so fast she couldn’t guard against it. One moment she was looking in his eyes and the next she was weeping, because she wanted things to work so badly and she was scared to hope in case she got crushed again.

Before she could get her emotions under control, his arms were around her. He pulled her into his embrace and then somehow switched positions so he was sitting on the chair and she was in his lap. “God, Jess, what is it?” He kissed her hair and held her tightly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She wanted to trust him so badly. He was doing all she might have asked of him and more. He’d even taken the step of getting professional help. Rick had dealt with one upheaval after another. She’d tested him time and time again and he’d passed with flying colors. And the one time things had gone wrong, he’d done everything possible to make amends. It was time to tell him the truth. She owed him that.

“Let me up for a minute,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll be right back.”

His arms loosened but didn’t let go completely. “You’re sure?”

She wiped her face with her palms, clearing away the tears that had streaked down her cheeks. “I’m sure. There’s something I need to show you.”

She went to the counter, reached underneath, and took out the carefully folded knitted blanket. The yarn was soft against her hands, and nerves—both the excited and fearful kind—raced through her as she returned to the duet of chairs by the window. Only the low display lights were on now, leaving the shop in soft, muted light. She sat across from Rick, the blanket placed neatly on top of her knees.

“You finally finished it,” he said softly. “It’s beautiful.”

“I did. And you remember how I said that when the time was right, I’d know who to give it to?”

“Yes. Is it for Mary?”

She shook her head, terrified to say the words. It would be real then. They’d be tied together forever no matter what happened. There would be no turning back. But there was no turning back for Jess anyway. It was unexpected, it was complicated, but she wanted this baby. He—or she—was already a part of her heart. The life inside her was a treasure to be cherished and nurtured—by both of them.

She picked up the blanket and put it on his lap. “It’s for us, Rick. It’s for our baby.” As his gaze locked on hers, she finally said the words. “I’m having your baby.”

“Ours…” His gaze snapped to her abdomen and back up. “Jess.” He let out a breath and his shoulders slumped a little.

“That first night when we didn’t use protection. I thought … the dates should have been fine … I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“A baby,” he repeated. His eyes met hers. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure. Josh and I did a test. The day we went to Abby’s.”

He put a hand to his mouth, swiped it over his chin. “You’ve known that long? And you didn’t tell me?”

This was what she was afraid of. She knew how he felt about secrets, about going behind his back, especially since that day at Abby and Tom’s. She silently prayed to find the right words. “I was going to, but you had so much on your plate. And then everything fell apart—you were upset, and Mike’s arrest…”

“The night you came over … you were going to tell me, weren’t you?”

She nodded, the tears back again, and two rolled slowly down her cheeks. “I was worried about you and I wanted to see you, to see if I could help. I thought if you’d had time to cool off, we could just talk about it. And then I could tell you and we could decide what to do.”