Missing Hart (12 page)

Dropping a kiss onto her forehead I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her close for a moment before taking a step back.

“That was so beautiful that I almost forgot that we have dinner reservations. Luckily my conscience didn’t. You put on that dress and I’m taking you out on the town and showing you off.”

When she lifted her head and placed a kiss on my neck, I came within seconds of throwing the dinner plan out the window. Wrestling my libido to the ground I pulled back from her and bent over to grab the flowers that she had dropped.

“I’ll go lay these on the kitchen counter. You can get them when we get back home.”

After placing the flowers on the counter I came back to her. It was the most natural thing in the world to reach out and take her hand in mine. I didn’t let go of her hand until we got to my truck and I helped her climb in. Once I was in the driver’s seat, I grabbed her hand again. We held hands all the way to the restaurant, and that’s a memory that I never want to forget.

My sister had made getting out of the house tonight a nightmare. Our damn twin-dar works too well and she could definitely tell that something was up.

When Marissa had passed away I had originally planned not to tell anyone in my family. She was my reason to be out of the house all the time, and I didn’t want to bring Dillon’s name into it. Of course I didn’t get away with keeping it quiet because Delilah had started texting me the night Marissa died asking me what was wrong. I put her off for as long as I could but eventually I cracked and told her that Marissa died. When Delilah asked why, I just said that she had gotten very sick and didn’t make it. I refused to provide any more detail and Delilah knew better than to push me too hard.

It worked in my favor that I had already started talking about Leah even before Marissa passed away because Delilah didn’t ask any questions when I started saying that I was spending all of my time with Leah.

I was in my room getting ready for my very first “first date” when Delilah came barging in and plopped down on my bed. Giving me a once over she let out a wolf whistle.

“Wow sexy mama, who are you going out with tonight?”

Although I love my sister, I know she can’t keep a secret from Spencer to save her life. If I tell her about Dillon, it will be family news within two days. That being the case, I lied.

“Leah and some friends are taking me out to dinner for my birthday.”

“Hmm… seems like you’re awful dolled up for a just friends birthday dinner. You have date night written all over you, from the outfit to the glow on your face. Tell me the truth, is this a romantic kind of a dinner?”

Damn my stupidly expressive face because I blushed eighty-five shades of red in less than ten seconds. No matter what I said now, she had her answer.

“No! It’s just a dinner with friends. Leave me alone Delilah, you’re making me nervous.”

Rising from my bed she came across the room toward me. Stepping up behind me at the mirror, she put her arm around my waist and set her head on my shoulder so that she could look me in the eye in the mirror.

“You don’t have to lie to me you know. I’ll always support you no matter what.”

I wanted to stomp my foot in frustration because I knew that she was alluding to the fact that she thought I was a lesbian. Still, it was better than her knowing that I was going on a date with someone who’s seven years older than me so I just smiled at her.

“I know that you would Delilah, but there’s nothing to tell. Be a good sister and let me finish getting ready without further interrogation and tomorrow we can do chick flick movie night.”

After giving me a kiss on the cheek she stepped back. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. Seeing you so happy is good enough for me. You look gorgeous and I am totally borrowing that dress! I’ll rent some movies for tomorrow night but you’re in charge of getting us a super delicious treat to eat. Deal?”

Smiling at her I replied, “Deal.”

“Just one last question… Are you spending the night out or are you coming home?”

Oh good Christ. My sister was asking me if I was going to be sleeping with Leah tonight. I had to choose my battles wisely so instead of arguing the point that Leah was just a friend I told her that I wasn’t sure if I was spending the night out or not. I had an overnight bag all packed just in case, and if things went the way I wanted them to I would be spending the night out.

I was nervous on the drive over to Dillon’s. He hadn’t told me where we were going or what we were doing so I wasn’t sure if I had dressed right. His only instruction had been to wear a dress, but if he took me somewhere fancy I wasn’t sure that what I had on would be dressy enough.

My nerves dissolved completely when Dillon opened his front door and I saw the look of delight on his face. Wherever we were going for dinner, I passed muster. My insides turned to mush as I took in his attire for the evening. He looked sexy and amazing and I was damn proud to be his date.

When he held out a bouquet of flowers to me, I went weak in the knees. It was the first time a man was making the gesture for me and I loved that it was something I would always remember because they came from Dillon.

When he started kissing me I thought I had died and floated off to heaven. My entire body was on fire, my blood flowing through my veins at warp speed. I thought that I had fully experienced our chemistry the other day on the lawn, but this was more. My breasts were tender, I had butterflies in my stomach and I felt myself getting wet. It was a whole new world for me.

I moaned when he broke off the kiss, wanting nothing more than to continue on as we were. Put simply, I wanted him and I wasn’t afraid of what that meant. I liked that he held my hand in his as we left the house, and I soaked up the feeling of security that being with Dillon gave me.

The restaurant he had chosen for dinner was small, elegant and very romantic. It had an old world Italian flair that was both cozy and inviting, the prominent sources of light being dimmed chandeliers and pillar candles in hurricane lamps on each table. My favorite thing was that we were seated side by side in a half moon shaped banquet with dividers that went all the way to the ceiling for privacy. Because we were tucked into a quiet corner it was as though we were all alone.

One of the things I like best about Dillon is that he never snaps at me for wanting to taste the food on his plate. I know it annoys some people so I generally try not to do it in public, but it’s something that Delilah and I have always done to each other. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized that it really pissed some people off. It had never bothered Marissa and it didn’t bother Dillon or Leah either. To that end, Dillon ordered fettucine alfredo and I ordered chicken parmigiana so that we could share our meals with each other.

I had no idea that sharing food with someone could be a sensual experience until Dillon and I were sitting side by side in that booth, tucked away in our own little corner of first date heaven. When he wasn’t holding my hand we were feeding each other bites of food from our plates. I got some sauce on my lip that he wiped away with his thumb and proceeded to lick it off. I actually whimpered when he did that, surprising myself with my response. The responding look on his face was scorching, so hot that I was surprised it didn’t raise the temperature in the room so high that the sprinklers were forced to come on.

“The food here is amazing, but it’s even better because we’re feeding each other. You know, the easiest thing I’ve ever done is spend time with you, Minnie. I feel better when we’re together than I ever have before. I hope that doesn’t freak you out.”

Shaking my head in wonder I told him the truth. “I’m relieved that it isn’t just me thinking and feeling that way.”

“Believe me baby, you aren’t alone in this.”

The meal was lovely, the new level of our relationship giving it a meaning that melted me from the inside out. We were so ensconced in our own little world that I startled when our waitress arrived with a small birthday cake complete with a candle for me to make a wish on.

I knew before she even set the cake down what my wish was. Giving Dillon a smile I leaned forward, wished that Dillon and I would be together in ten years and then I blew out the candle. I was delighted when the waitress asked if either of us had a camera that she could use to take a photo of us. As luck would have it I had my digital camera in my purse. We posed cheek to cheek for several shots and then I thanked her profusely for taking the photos.

My fingers shook when he handed me a gift bag to open. The first thing I pulled out was a CD that was in a slim case that read “From me to you.” Looking over at him I raised an eyebrow in silent question. Lifting my hand to his lips he kissed my palm before telling me, “I made a mix CD of songs that make me think of you. I was hoping that we could listen to it when we got home.”

I was so touched that I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I wrapped my arms around him and whispered, “Thank you” into his ear.

When we finally separated from our long hug he gestured to the bag and told me to keep going. The next item in the bag was a square jewelry box. I gasped when I opened it and saw a beautiful solid silver bangle bracelet that had a heart shaped clasp. I couldn’t believe that he had gotten me a piece of jewelry and it left me stunned and beyond touched.

Taking it from the box, he held it up and said, “Read the inside.”

I think my heart skipped a few beats when I saw the inscription. It read, “For Dominique~ The most beautiful girl in the world. Love, DC.”

I see my reflection in the form of another face that is supposedly identical to mine every day, but while I know that my sister is beautiful, I’ve never seen myself that way. When I look at myself in the mirror I see a waif, a girl afraid, a watered down and less alive version of Delilah. Many times when I am looking at my sister I’m wondering if I had that kind of spark in me before the day my father did what he did, or had I always been less? Now this amazing man was telling me again that he found me beautiful and I hardly knew what to do or say.

There were no words to speak when only action would do. I wrapped my arms around him, touching my lips gently to his as I showed him what his gift meant to me. It was a gentle kiss that said a hundred things in a more heartfelt way than words ever could. He didn’t know it, but Dillon was breathing confidence back into me just by being himself.

When we broke apart he smiled at me, his eyes full of an emotion that I had hopes was a perfect match to my own.

“I’m so glad you like your gifts baby. How about I put your bracelet on for you?”

“I’d love that.”

Taking the bracelet from me he lifted my hand and slid it into place before clicking the heart clasp into place. I gave an involuntary shiver and let out a breathy sigh when he bent his head down and kissed first the clasp, then the underside of my wrist.

“A perfect fit for my perfect girl. They broke the mold when you were created Dominique. Thank you for being my compass and my guide when I faltered, for holding on and pulling me back up to see the good in life whenever I started to forget or let go and, most importantly, for trusting me enough to show me that what’s inside of you is even more beautiful than what’s on the outside. When I tell you that you’re the most beautiful girl in the world, I don’t just mean on the outside. It’s your strength, your character, your mind, your heart and your essence on top of the physical perfection that you have that makes you beautiful. You’re so much more than you think that you are, baby. It’s going to be my pleasure to let you get to know yourself through my eyes.”

At that exact moment, I fell completely in love with Dillon Cooper.

The drive back to my house was made with my beautiful Minnie tucked into my side with her head resting on my shoulder. I quite liked that she needed to be as close to me as I wanted to be to her. It was a totally new experience to me, to be sure.

After so many years spent with someone who didn’t welcome physical contact of any kind, it had become second nature to me not to be tactile with anyone-except occasionally Leah. Even that had been a diluted version of true physical affection between siblings since we were both painfully aware that our ability to hug one other was something that Marissa couldn’t do. Our hugs had morphed into something quick that by unspoken agreement we only did if Marissa hadn’t been in the room.

In the silence of the truck cab I thought about my mother telling me that when I had been a baby I didn’t know how to be hugged or held. I had grown out of that with my parents and my sister, can remember hugging them all regularly. Before I knew it, our parents were gone and I was a ten year old kid trying to hold the little piece of my family that I had left, scared out of my mind that we would be separated and I would lose Leah too. Then came Marissa, and I adapted quickly to her no touching policy.

I had forgotten what it felt like to be held with tenderness and caring, the warmth I felt when my mother embraced me. Now I feel something like that with Dominique, but it’s mixed with something bigger and deeper thrown in. I’ve always known how to accept her touch, have in fact craved it. Even before we began this new part of the journey that we’re on together, I’ve always found comfort basking in any physical affection she’s given.

Pulling into my driveway I cut the engine, surprised when she didn’t move. Turning my head I found that her eyes had closed at some point during the drive. My choice was to let her sleep or wake her up, and my decision was easy. Putting the key back in the ignition I turned the key forward so that the radio could be turned on. Since I had a copy of the CD that I’d made for her already in my disc player I pressed play before leaning back and wrapping my arm around her shoulders, careful not to disturb her.

The first song up was my newest obsession, ‘Blue Eyes’ by Cary Brothers. That sounded as if it was an obvious choice given the color of her eyes, but the lyrics meant a hell of a lot more than that. I smiled when I felt her shift next to me, lifting her head so that she could look at me.