No Longer Lost: Secrets Of Stone: Book Nine Read online

  Mac walked back into the room with a bed tray piled high with food.

  “Oh, my God. That’s for both of us, right?” I peeked out from under the edge of the covers.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you back under the covers like that? I’m going to get a thermometer.” He set the tray on the dresser and dashed back out the door before I could stop him.

  When he returned, he had—no joke—a black leather doctor’s bag in his hand.

  “Okay, first of all, I thought doctors only had those bags on TV. Second, you look very sexy with that bag, Dr. Stone. Do you make house calls?” I sat up tall, hopefully looking anxious for my physical exam.

  “I’m about to make my very first one.”

  “Oh, goodie.” I rubbed my hands together in front of me. “Should I get naked for this? You know, just to be a cooperative patient?”

  “As much as I love the idea of playing doctor with you, I want to see you eat some more of that food. Then”—he paused dramatically—“let the games begin!”

  He went back to the dresser and picked up the tray. “In all seriousness, are you cold? Do you want me to turn down the air conditioner?”

  “No, it’s perfect in here. It’s me. I’m all over the place with my emotions. And I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about earlier too. I’m sorry you keep having to see me lose my shit.”

  “No more apologizing. For any of it.” He nodded at the tray. “I brought a little bit of everything. I have no idea what you’re in the mood for.”

  “I see that. What’s on the sandwich?” I looked over the small buffet on the tray, zeroing in on the sandwich first.

  “Turkey and avocado.”

  “What kind of bread?” I quizzed.

  “Squaw.”

  “Let’s split it. Did you put salt and pepper on it?”

  “Just the way my queen likes it.”

  That dumb little fact made me so happy, I felt tears welling up in my eyes again. Just when I swore the well was dry.

  “Honestly, maybe I should take a pregnancy test,” I joked as I reached for half the sandwich.

  My statement made Mac choke on the drink he’d just taken, which made me burst out laughing.

  “Are you okay?” I patted his back.

  “Are you late?” he finally asked when he could speak again.

  “No. I was saying that because I’ve never cried as much in my life as I have in the past month.” I mentally counted days as quickly as I could. “I mean, I don’t think I am. What’s the date today?”

  His eyes grew so wide I started laughing again. “Are you serious?” he asked with a grin this time.

  “We definitely have a lot of sex. That is how babies are made, last I checked.”

  “Today’s the twelfth.”

  “Well, good. I’m not late. Should be happening any day now, which really would explain the excessive waterworks in addition to everything that’s been going on.” I took a big bite of the sandwich to avoid having to speak on the subject further. He did the same thing, and we both sat chewing in silence. His initial reaction surprised me, though. He seemed almost happy about the possibility.

  “Do you want to have kids?” I asked bluntly.

  “Someday. For sure. Although when I think about it, it’s so scary. I don’t want to be a screw-up like my mother was. Seems like no matter how hard you try, your kid ends up resenting you for something.”

  “My theory is to take the example I was given and do everything opposite. That way it can only be better, right?” I smiled before taking another bite. “This is really good,” I mumbled with my mouth full.

  “What do you want to drink? I brought a beer and a lemonade, and I have water up here in the fridge.” He was already standing, waiting to get my selection.

  “I think I’ll just have water. I feel dehydrated. Why can’t I remember how we got home?” It was starting to bother me that my memory wasn’t coming back.

  “Sometimes our brains just protect us that way. You were really upset at first in the apartment, crying pretty hard. You wanted to leave. You grabbed your keys to go out to your car, and I went after you because there was no way you should be driving while that upset. And then you saw Sally…”

  I put my hand up to stop him.

  The memory came flooding back. Sally.

  “Oh, God. Mac.” I felt like I was going to throw up the half sandwich I’d just eaten.

  He sat down beside me and took my hands. “Listen. We can try to have it fixed if that’s what you want to do. I’m sure I can find a good body shop.”

  I saw it all in my head now. I had rushed out to the parking lot, keys in hand, bolting in my typical fight-or-flight fashion, and I came around the corner and saw Sally for the first time. My worst fear had come to life. John had scrawled the word whore across the hood in red spray paint. Two of the four tires were slashed, and the windshield was smashed.

  I think Mac had Mrs. Miller sit with me in his car while he did his best to lock up the apartment, and then we drove home in silence. For me, it was more like some strange catatonic state, but until he’d just spoken of it, I had erased the experience from my memory completely.

  “No, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Mechanically, I think she was on her last leg anyway. It’s time to put on my big-girl pants and face the music. Why didn’t the cops say something about it? I mean, that was extensive damage. I have auto insurance, so I will definitely have an adjuster come out and file a claim. Not that I’m going to get very much. It should be enough, at least, for a down payment on something new. I wasn’t looking forward to a car payment, though. Oh well. If that’s the worst that comes out of all of this…”

  I had to find a bright side somewhere. It would be impossible to be without a car, especially once Mac went back to work.

  “We’ll get it all figured out. In the meantime, you can use one of mine. That way, you can take your time finding something that’s right for you. Please don’t argue with me on this.”

  “Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Do you have something that isn’t fancy, though? A Hyundai or something? Maybe a little thing that a bunch of other clowns climb out of when you open the door?”

  “I see you’re feeling better.” He grinned. “How about some of this?” He held out a bowl of fruit salad, and I wrinkled my nose. “Or these?” The second offer was more to my liking. I snatched the red package out of his hand.

  “Where were these hiding? I haven’t seen these in the cabinet before.” My favorite peanut butter cookies, the same kind I was eating outside the Bloodmobile the first day he came and spoke to me, were like crack to me.

  “I keep them hidden in the way back so you don’t see them. They’re for special occasions.”

  The light was returning to his green eyes.

  “Dude! Every day is a special occasion that calls for Nutter Butters!”

  This time he took a turn at the wrinkled-nose look.

  “Have you ever tried one? Although I have to warn you—you can’t have just one. And honestly, the wafer ones are better than these.” I worked on opening the package while I extolled the more exceptional points of the peanut-buttery awesomeness.

  “I think I’ll take your word for it.”

  “No, I think you’re about to pop your Nutter Butter cherry.” I handed over one of the peanut-shaped cookies and watched him turn it over and over in his fingers, examining it from every angle.

  “For Christ’s sake, Mac.” I giggled it out. He was so cute, gazing at the damn thing as if it was about to turn into a spider or—gasp—a condom. “It’s a cookie. You have seen a cookie before, right? She wasn’t that ghastly of a mother, or was she?” My eyes grew wide as I thought of the horror of a childhood without cookies.

  “Of course I’ve had cookies before. I’m just not a connoisseur like you apparently are.”

  “Well, stick with me, kid. I’ll teach you what you need to know. Now, these aren’t the best for dunking, but you can if you nee
d to. I like to take the tops off two”—I demonstrated, separating two cookies as I explained—“and then put them back together so you get twice the peanut butter in one. Like so.” I bit off half the new cookie I’d created and handed him the other half. He looked at me skeptically before taking it from my fingers and popping it into his mouth.

  About halfway through chewing, he couldn’t hold back the smile. “Okay, that’s really good,” he mumbled around the cookie in his mouth.

  I clapped my hands together with delight. Sharing something I loved with him gave me more joy than I expected. “See? Right?”

  Now that my blood sugar was up, all sorts of thoughts were running through my brain, crisscrossing one another and shooting out in no particular order. “Oh, I just thought of something. Aren’t all your cars at the house in Thermal? You only have the M2 here, and there’s no way I’m driving that.”

  “That’s a good point…about Thermal, I mean. You could totally drive the M2 if you wanted to, though. I don’t know why you’re so afraid of it.”

  “I didn’t say I was afraid of it. I just know how much you love it. And you know people drive like assholes on the freeway. If something happened to it, I would feel terrible.”

  “Okay, how about this,” he said, wiping his hands on a napkin. “You take one more day off on Monday, we drive out to Thermal tomorrow, and Monday we bring one of the cars back for you to drive until you get something new?”

  “Baby, I can’t keep taking days off work without notice.” I rubbed my hand on his leg while I spoke.

  A goofy grin took over his entire face, making me very self-conscious and causing me to pull back my hand, trying to figure out what I’d done or said to get this out-of-place reaction.

  “What?” was all I could really say.

  “You called me ‘baby.’ Not Clown. Not Mac. Not some other derogatory name or insult. Just a sweet, normal term of endearment. I can’t help the reaction, and I’m sure I’ll pay for it here any moment, but yeah. Baby. I like it.” Now the dancing light was fully back in the green depths I loved to stare into.

  By that point, I was wearing the same goofy grin. He was so adorable. And handsome. And beautiful. This man, who sat opposite me on the big comfy bed, making sure I ate and drank enough to sustain good health. The same one who’d held me in his arms—countless times now—while I cried from a broken heart or fear that shook me to my very bones. This man was mine.

  Big plans formed in my head for tomorrow night. I would make sure he knew how much he meant to me and how much I needed him. He would know we’d always find our way through whatever storm life sent our way. Together, we would never feel lost again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mac

  The villa was a bit of a from since the last time I was here. I’d left in a fit, knowing I had really fucked things up with Taylor. I tried calling my housekeeper in Indian Wells, but she couldn’t get out to the place on such short notice. Consequently, I spent half the drive to Coachella Valley explaining and apologizing to Taylor for what we’d probably walk into.

  “Would you relax?” She toyed with my free hand while I drove. “Just yesterday, we discovered a dead cat under my blood-soaked bed. How bad can this place be?”

  “Good point. When you put it that way, there’s nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her slim fingers. One day there would be a ring on the fourth one, announcing to the world how much I loved her. It would be one of the best days of my life. I already knew it with all the certainty in the world.

  We pulled up to the gatehouse at the villas, and I showed the guard my identification and club membership card. After he opened the gate, we drove to my place, enjoying the quiet beauty of the property while at rest. When the track was empty, it gave the park a whole other appearance. The sun was low over the hills, picking up purple and copper hues in the rocks. The desert landscape here was different from anywhere else, and it had its own natural beauty and appeal.

  “It’s so beautiful here.” Taylor gazed out over the acreage when we got out of the car. I had gone around to the trunk to get our bags, and then I continued to the passenger side to enjoy the view beside her.

  I dropped the bags and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Even more so with you standing here.” I kissed her slowly, enjoying a lazy tangle of our lips and then tongues. We had fallen asleep without making love the night before, and my cock was needing attention in the worst way.

  “Let’s go inside,” I suggested, hoping I could take her directly to the bedroom and spend some time worshiping her body.

  “Okay. But I have some special plans for tonight. And I don’t want you and impatient Big Mac ruining them. So no funny business,” she dictated while playfully pushing me away.

  “Funny business?” I asked, looking over my sunglasses. I wasn’t even acknowledging the “Big Mac” nonsense.

  “Don’t act innocent, mister.” She grabbed her bag from the ground and led the way up to the front door but then stepped aside to let me unlock it.

  While I opened the door, I started badgering her with questions about her comment. “So? Big plans? Like what? Give me a hint. What if I try to guess? Will you tell me if I’m hot or cold?”

  “Do you hear yourself right now?” She laughed. “You’re like a little boy on Christmas Eve begging to open his gifts early.” She turned in a full circle when we got inside the front door. “This isn’t so bad. I mean, there are a few things out of place, probably some dishes in the sink. But you made it sound like we were going to walk into the aftermath of a frat party or something.”

  “I just like things to be perfect for you. All the time.” I looked down at my feet, hoping I didn’t sound too mushy. The strangest things set my girl off.

  “Well, my sweet clown. You have to be realistic. Especially now that we’re—oh, my God, I can’t believe I’m about to say this—living together.”

  The grin that took over my face probably made me look deranged, but I couldn’t help myself. The reality of our relationship status was finally settling in for both of us, and we both stood there beaming like lovestruck fools.

  I pulled her into my arms, much like I had out front. “About these plans, then.”

  “Patience is a virtue. Or so they say.” This time, she initiated the kiss…but also ended it much too quickly. “Do you want to have dinner here or in town tonight?” she asked, leaning back to look up at me.

  “Let’s see what Grubhub will deliver here. There definitely isn’t edible food here, unless you want ramen. And I don’t mean the trendy hipster stuff. I’m talking ten for a dollar.”

  She giggled but wrinkled her nose, so I pulled out my phone to check the food-delivery app. We were limited to about a dozen choices for delivery from a restaurant since we were pretty far from Palm Springs and Indian Wells. We settled on a little Italian place, and Taylor went to shower while we waited for the food to be delivered.

  I used the time to go down into the garage and check on my babies. The space was as pristine as the living area of the villa, and I could see through the ceiling to the living space above. I had the perfect car for Taylor stored here, and I couldn’t wait to show it to her. I’d been thinking about it much of the drive from San Diego, and I was sure she was going to love it.

  It was very unassuming in appearance. While most people didn’t expect much from the Ford Focus RS—direct from the American manufacturer’s economy line—car enthusiasts knew better. This little rocket packed three hundred fifty horsepower under the hood right off Ford’s assembly line. With a minor tune, it could easily keep up with its big-sister Mustang without breaking a sweat. Taylor would have the get-up-and-go she needed to be safe on the freeway, though she’d be comfortable driving the car too.

  When the doorbell rang, I quickly hustled upstairs in case she wasn’t out of the shower, tipped the delivery guy, and brought the food into the kitchen. I was getting plates from the cabinet when Taylor came ou
t of the bedroom, still in her robe but looking fresh and gorgeous.

  I stopped what I was doing to simply stare at her.

  “What’s wrong?” She peeked into the brown bag. “Did they forget something? That’s the only bummer about these delivery services. They always leave something off your order.” When I didn’t respond, she finally looked back up from the bag to find me still gazing at her. “Mac? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” The panicked look was adorable but made me realize I needed to set her worries to rest.

  “No. Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all.” I tried an easy smile, hoping it helped.

  “Then why are you just standing there staring at me like that?” She wasn’t buying it for a second. Too much had happened in the past few weeks for her to believe me.

  “I was just thinking how lucky I am.” I walked around the counter to where she stood. I wanted to touch her while I spoke my next words. I took her hands in mine. Her skin was always so soft, like fine silk. “It’s been a long week. It feels so good to be here with you. Just us. Not having to worry what’s around the next bend. Just to be here, you and me, and to be able to just breathe, you know?”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more. And yes. It’s been one of the longest weeks of my life. I really want to eat this food, because it smells amazing. And then I want to give you your surprise. But we have to do it in that order.”

  “Ooohhhkaayy.” It was my turn to be skeptical.

  “A very wise doctor once told me you should carb-up before big nights like the one we’re going to have tonight.” She winked at me, grabbed the brown bag off the counter, and headed to the table. I stared at her sexy little ass, barely covered by the silky kimono-style robe she wore, as she walked away. I knew the exact conversation she was recalling, and I could remember the night it led to. The very first night I touched her. Tasted her.