Someone Perfect for Mr. Moore (10 page)

She settled back in her claw foot tub and sighed. It wasn’t
long before the tears started.  She had managed to hide her broken heart from
Will.  She had told him that she missed Stan, but since he was doing so much
better they didn’t need her anymore.  She had enjoyed her time with Will, they
had dinner together and she had even met a few of his friends.  The hotel she
had stayed at was near the campus so he was close by the whole time.  That
thought had been very comforting to her.  The silence of the house reminded her
that she was alone again. 

An hour later she got out and dried off, she had just enough
energy to pull on an old t-shirt and then fell into bed.  She had finally
succumbed to her exhaustion; unfortunately she had forgotten to lock the front
door before she fell asleep.

Lucy woke the next morning and felt something tickling her
face, she opened one eye to see a little black nose and a pink tongue just before
it licked her cheek.  She sat up and rubbed her eyes, taking the pup in her
arms as her forehead creased in confusion.  Her sister must have gotten a dog,
but wait.  She knew this pup.  She stroked his ears and noticed the one that
stayed flipped down.  She rubbed his belly and saw the little black spot on his
pink skin.  He was the only one in the litter that had that mark.  Max had said
he would be hard to sell because of his ear, but how on earth did he get here? 
She looked into the pups eyes, willing him to answer her unspoken question.

Lucy looked up and saw Dean come into the doorway of her
room.  She gobbled him up with her eyes and her heart started to pound.  Even
after he had hurt her she was so desperate for him.  She tried for a cool
expression when she met his gaze.

“I’ve been waiting for two days for you to come home.”  Dean
said in a firm voice.

Lucy lifted her chin a little, she would not cry again, at
least not in front of him.  “Why are you here Dean?  I already know what you
think of me.  What more do you want?”  Lucy couldn’t help the edge in her tone
or the catch in her voice when she finished talking.

“I was worried about you.”  She hadn’t kicked him out yet so
he continued to talk to her.  He took her in for a few moments, her face was scrubbed
clean of makeup, and her hair was tucked behind her ears.  He liked the worn
t-shirt she had on, she looked beautiful, and his heart ached in his chest just
from looking at her.  “Alcide confessed.  He said he watched Nicole die after
he spooked Jasper.  He explained it all, just like you said.  I’m sorry that I
didn’t believe you, but you have to admit it sounded off.”

“I’ll give you that, but I never wanted your money.”

“I know, I never read the addendum you had Jason add.  I
only cared about what control I had over you and how long I could keep you
there.  I never wanted you to leave.”

“You don’t blame me for leaving do you?”  Lucy asked tartly.

“No I don’t, everyone told me what I ass I was, even my dad
had a few choice words for me.”

Lucy looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.  “You talked
to your Dad?”  She gave him a small smile when he nodded.  “I’m glad; he told
me how much he missed you.”

“I have a new contract for you.”  Dean came towards the bed
and handed her some papers.

Lucy raised one brow as she took the papers from him.  She
was curious to see what he was up to.  After all he had traveled through two
states to find her.  Absentmindedly she stroked the pup in her lap as she read.

He wanted her to come back to live with him, she would
receive an allowance.  She would act as a hostess and attend engagements with
Dean.  He would personally give her riding lessons for Jasper, who Stan and he
had agreed should be hers.  She would have to help raise Reggie, she would
essentially be the lady of the house and the staff would be available to her
whenever she needed them.  She would still act as a companion to Stan, and any
relationship she chose to have with Dean was negotiable.

“You want a relationship with me Dean?  I never wanted your
money, what makes you think that a contract would make me come back?  This has
nothing in it that would make me stay with you.”  The only thing she wanted he
didn’t have listed.

“Actually I want to marry you, but I thought I’d be pushing
it.” 

Lucy held her breath for a second.  “Why do you want me to
marry you?  There is nothing about that in here.”  She looked at him curiously,
was he at a loss for words?  She’d never seen him so out of his element.  He
looked lost like when she had told him he was hot.  He almost looked nervous.

“Because before I met you I was broken and you fixed me.  I
love you Lucy.”  He met her eyes as he came closer and knelt on the floor.  He
saw her eyes widen a bit. “I’ve been hurt before Lucy, that’s why I treated you
the way I did.  I think I’ve loved you since our first breakfast together.  The
way you looked at me when I was acting so controlling.”  He smiled at the
memory.  “I thought you were going to hit me or something.”

“Close, I almost saluted you, but I didn’t want to get into
any more trouble.”  She took a deep breath.  “Can I get what you just said in
writing?”  He raised his brow at her.  “Add it as an addendum to your contract
and I’ll sign it.  I love you Dean, all I’ve wanted was for you to love me
too.”  She felt tears come to her eyes as he gave her a sweet smile and moved
to sit on the edge of the bed. 

He held her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “I
really do love you Lucy, will you marry me?”

“Yes Mr. Moore.”  She gave him a tremulous smile and kissed
him back.

Dean sighed as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. 
He finally felt whole again, she was what had been missing all his life.  He
had been waiting for days wondering if he would ever hold her again.  He
pressed his lips to her forehead. “God I missed you so much, please don’t ever
leave me again.”

They held onto each other for quite some time, neither one
wanting to let go.  Lucy looked up at him when she noticed the puppy was asleep
beside them. 

“The puppy was a nice touch, by the way.”

Dean smiled as he kissed her cheek, “it was Reggie’s idea. 
She said you wouldn’t say no if I gave him to you since he was your favorite.”

Lucy laid her hand on the pup’s belly as he rolled onto his
back to get more comfortable, his big paws moved fast for a few seconds. Maybe
he was chasing a rabbit.  “I feel bad for him because of his ear.  Max said it
should have stood up by now.  He’s really cute, but I think he is perfect just
the way he is.”

“I think you are perfect, perfect for me.”

Six months later….

“Good morning beautiful.”  Dean said as he opened his eyes
and reached for his wife.  He smiled as he noticed the dark head that lay on
Lucy’s pillow with hers.  Then he felt Tinker’s warm body by his feet and his
tail started to thump against the bed when he realized that someone else was
awake.  Reggie must have snuck in during the night.  Good thing they had worn
something to bed the night before.  He rolled to his side and put his arm
around Lucy’s waist and pulled her hips flush with his.  He liked the way that
Reggie lay cuddled up against her.

Lucy rolled over with a grin and pulled a giggling Reggie
between them.  “Good morning”, she said huskily to Dean as she smiled up at
him, and then she tweaked Reggie’s nose, setting her off into more giggles.

Lucy smiled as Reggie touched the wedding ring on her
finger.  Stan had given Dean his mother’s band to give to her.  The engagement
ring Dean had picked out, Lucy had worried that it was too much, but he had told
her in a stern voice that he expected her to wear it.  It was at least three
carats, she hadn’t asked, and it had little sapphires embedded in the band.  It
really was beautiful.  The white platinum band that had been his mother’s went
perfectly with it.  Stan now referred to her as his daughter and they spent
time together every afternoon.  He was getting better every day, the poison had
damaged his heart so he was fatigued easily, but otherwise he was relatively
healthy.

Dean had insisted that they marry in the garden where she
had first met Nicole.  He had hoped that she would be with them somehow.  Neither
she nor Reggie had seen her since the day Lucy had left.  It was a beautiful
wedding, Will had given her away and Dean had her family flown down in the
private jet so they could all attend too.  Will was Reggie’s new favorite
person, she followed him constantly when he came to visit, and of course she
had him wrapped around her little finger already.

“Lucy?” Reggie asked.

“Yes, honey.”  Lucy tucked her hand under her cheek as she
looked into Reggie’s eyes; she seemed so serious all of a sudden.  She was such
a good little girl, she was so happy to be a part of her life.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course baby, you can ask me anything.”  Lucy smiled at
her, she was so cute.

“Can I call you Mama?”

Lucy’s breath caught as she looked into Reggie’s wide eyes,
she looked so hopeful.

“Oh, baby”, Lucy felt tears come to her eyes as she hugged
Reggie close to her.  She looked up at Dean and she returned his smile.  She
pulled back and looked at Reggie again.  “I’d like that, but are you sure? I
could never take your real Mama’s place.”

“Mama told me you’d always take care of me.  She wanted me
to have you; she told me she was there when you took care of Papa at the
hospital.”

Lucy met Dean’s eyes and she felt the tears start to fall
down her cheeks.  Had Nicole really set everything in motion?  Had it been her
that brought them all together?  Dean reached out and touched her cheek with
the backs of his fingers.

“I’m not really surprised Lucy, she always said she’d find
the perfect woman for me.  I guess she finally did.”  They exchanged a look
between them; they had just talked about having a child of their own the night
before.

Tinker sat up in the bed and looked around.  He was on high
alert, he sensed something.  His job was to protect Lucy and Reggie, he was
with Lucy during the day, and he stayed with Reggie at night when she was with
Dean.  He even got to sleep in Reggie’s bed.  His ear twitched as it moved
sloppily when his head moved.  Then he felt a funny tingle in his ear, his body
tensed ready to jump off the bed.  Then the tingle stopped and his ear
straightened and stood on its own.

Lucy and Dean looked at each other with identical stunned
expressions.  They had watched Tinker’s ear stand up, as if someone was holding
it.  He shook his head and both ears stayed straight; he gave them each a goofy
look.  Both Lucy and Dean exchanged a smile and then as one they turned and
proceeded to blow raspberries on Reggie’s belly.  Her happy laughter floated
out the open balcony door and down into the garden where Nicole sat on her
swing smiling.