There's Only Been You (16 page)

"I liked her."

A few minutes later, Mike pulled into the parking lot of the furniture store. As soon as they walked through the doors, Ethan took off running.

"Ethan, slow down, please!” Sara called after him. She shook her head. “It's a miracle he doesn't trip over his own feet."

"You worry too much, honey. He's just a normal boy."

"Easy for you to say, you're still new at this. Just wait until the first time he draws blood. You'll be singing a different tune then. I guarantee it."

"Ethan, listen to your mother!"

Sara laughed.

When they finally reached him, Ethan had already climbed to the top of one of the many bunk beds on display. He started jumping up and down.

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't jump on it, son. We wouldn't want you to have an accident."

Ethan stopped jumping but his mouth started moving a mile a minute. “Man, isn't this awesome? They have everything here! See, Dad, I told you they have bunk beds with slides. And look,” he pointed to his right, “that one has a castle fort, just like I said! I wonder if I could jump from here to there."

He looked ready to find out, so Mike plucked him from the top of the bed and set him on his feet.

"Ethan, this is non-negotiable. No jumping on the beds, no jumping from one bed to another and ... well, no anything that could cause you bodily harm. Got it?"

With a slight pout, Ethan nodded. “I would have made it, ya know."

Mike grinned. “You probably would have. You do have my long legs—"

Sara gave him a warning poke in the ribs before turning to glare meaningfully at Ethan. “But we are not going to find out, young man, is that clear?"

"Yes,” Ethan sulkily replied.

Mike gave him a pat on the back. “Come on, let's go find you the perfect set of bunk beds."

Nearly an hour-and-a-half later, Sara watched as Mike and the salesman filled out the necessary paperwork. She was mildly surprised when he paid for everything with his debit card rather than apply for store credit.

Ethan ended up choosing the bunk beds with a slide attached. Mike surprised her by picking out a king-sized bed with a gorgeous polished brass headboard that she would have chosen herself. They found a great deal on a five-piece oak bedroom set which Mike bought for both guestrooms. She also found a steal on a cherrywood kitchen table and chairs that Mike loved. They couldn't find a dining room or living room set either one of them liked, so they decided to save those purchases for another day.

It was nine o'clock by the time Mike parked his truck in front of the house.

"Do you wanna come in?” Ethan asked. “Mom brought a chocolate cake home today."

"I'd love to, Ethan, I really would. But I still have business to take care of tonight. And don't forget, we'll have all day Thursday together."

Ethan's face fell, and Sara wondered exactly what kind of business one took care of at nine o'clock at night.

Mike chucked Ethan under the chin. “Hey, you're not going to send me away with
that
look, are you?"

"I wanted to show you my collection of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Can I bring ‘em with to the water park?"

"Of course. I can check them out once we head back to the room.” He cocked an eyebrow. “So we're okay then?"

Ethan nodded, smiling up at him. “Yeah. But if I can't save you a piece of cake, it's not ‘cause I'm mad. With Uncle Danny, cake doesn't last long in our house."

Mike laughed. “Don't worry about it. I can wait until your mom brings home another one.” He reached over and unbuckled Ethan's seat belt.

Sara opened her door and climbed out of the truck.

"Can I have a ride to the door?” Ethan asked with a hopeful grin.

Mike lifted him up onto his shoulders and galloped to the front door.

Sara couldn't get over how good he was with Ethan. She knew he didn't have much experience with kids ... unless maybe he'd dated a woman who had children. She scowled. Dammit, she didn't like this feeling of jealousy one bit. In fact, she didn't like feeling anything at all where Mike was concerned.

"Thanks for the ice cream,” she said, stepping up onto the porch.

"Yeah, Dad, thanks for the ice cream,” Ethan echoed.

Mike opened the door and patted him on the back. “I'll see you Thursday, kiddo. Now don't forget to pack your swim trunks and a nice change of clothes for the restaurant."

"And my Yu-Gi-Oh! cards?"

"And your Yu-Gi-Oh! cards,” Mike agreed with a nod.

Ethan ran into the house and Mike turned to face her. “Thanks for all your help tonight. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem. I love shopping."

"I remember."

Sara thought he might be trying to hypnotize her with that smoldering blue gaze of his. Her eyes were drawn down to his lips. He leaned in, and she wondered if he would kiss her even as her eyelids lowered in anticipation. She remembered the kiss in his truck—the incredible feel of his lips on hers—and her knees nearly buckled. She'd pulled away then, terrified by the overwhelming surge of emotions she'd felt. Tonight she wanted nothing more than for him to wrap her in his arms and—

"Hey, Mike, I was hoping I could have a word with you before you leave."

Sara's eyes flew open at the sound of Nicky's voice. Disappointment settled like a brick in her belly. Good Lord, what was she thinking? Nicky had more than likely just saved her from making a complete fool of herself. And the last thing she wanted to do was give Mike false hope.

He gazed down at her, those gorgeous eyes alight with promise. “I'll see you later,” he said in a near whisper. Then he looked up at Nicky through the screen. “Sure thing, man. Sara, thanks again for your help."

"What help?” Nicky stepped through the screen door and held it open for her. She avoided his knowing look as she stepped past him into the house.

"We took a ride to WG&R after we finished our ice cream. Ethan found his dream bunk beds, and Sara and I picked out some nice stuff for the rest of the house."

"We still have the dining room and living room to take care of,” she added, “but there's plenty of time for that."

"Maybe this weekend we could hit that furniture store in Pulaski? If they're still in business."

She turned to face him through the screen door. “They are, and that would be fine. Although I'd better warn you, they're a little pricey."

He shrugged. “Can't hurt to look."

"We'll talk about it Thursday. Good night, Mike."

"'Night.” It took every bit of his self-control not to yank the door open and pull her into his arms.

He turned back to Nicky and the knowing smirk on his friend's face. “You have some piss-poor timing, you know that?"

"Sorry."

Mike shook his head, a reluctant smile curving his lips. “So? What's up?"

Nicky glanced over his shoulder. “I'll walk you to your truck."

When they reached the sidewalk, Nicky said, “I need to know when I can tell Garrett and the others about Jason. I don't like keeping this from them."

Mike leaned against the truck and let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I know it's asking a lot having you keep this to yourself. But if my cover's blown, that bastard's gonna skip town so fast it'll make your head spin. And who knows how long it'll take to find him again. I'm sorry but I can't let that happen."

"You make it sound personal or something."

"It's my job, Nicky. But I'll admit, I hate the thought of that poison-pushing scumbag evading arrest again. I want to bust him with his hands in the cookie jar so the state can make an airtight case against him."

"Garrett's a damn good cop. I'm sure he'll be able to put his personal feelings aside—"

Mike snorted. “Are you kidding me? That idiot'll have Thomas strung up from the nearest tree before sun-up, and you know it. Besides, there's no reason to alarm anybody yet. As long as Sara keeps her distance—"

"But that's just it. She has a date with him Friday night. Garrett told us about it before you pulled up. He has it in his head that Sara and Jason are some perfect match."

Mike glared toward the house. “Your brother's been a thorn in my ass since the moment we met."

"Come on, this isn't Garrett's fault and you know it. If you'd just let me tell him about Jason, he'd help you to bring him down, I know he would."

"Forget it. I need you to keep quiet a little while longer. Something's going to happen soon, I'm sure of it."

A small grin turned up the corners of Nicky's mouth. “Well, at least you know nothing'll be happening Friday night, because he'll be busy wining and dining Sara."

Mike turned his glare on Nicky. “There's no way in hell I'm going to let that SOB within a hundred feet of Sara—or Ethan—ever again. You can count on it."

Nicky shrugged. “If you say so."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Sara can be pretty stubborn, in case you've forgotten. Especially when someone tries to tell her what to do. So if you tell her to stay away from Jason, you can bet your boots she'll go out with him just to prove she can."

Mike ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Then I'll just have to make sure she has no desire to go out with him. And if that doesn't work, I'll handcuff her stubborn little ass inside the house until Thomas is behind bars."

Sara was grating cheese for tacos when she heard a truck pull into the driveway. She glanced at the clock. Garrett, she thought. Uncle Luke and Nicky would be home soon as well.

Garrett came through the front door and sniffed the air. “Damn, it smells good in here. Tacos?"

She smiled. “Yep. Tacos, rice and beans.” She set a bowl of shredded lettuce and a smaller bowl of diced tomatoes on the table, then dug the salsa and sour cream out of the fridge.

Garrett disappeared down the hall, and returned a few minutes later in a well-worn pair of Levis and a Packers T-shirt that looked two sizes too small stretched over his massive arms and chest. He hefted the coffee carafe before pouring himself a cup. “Need any help?"

Sara stopped dead in her tracks, walked over to the kitchen table and climbed up on a chair. She gestured a puzzled Garrett over and placed her palm against his forehead. “You don't feel hot.” She moved her palm to his cheek.

He chuckled and gave her a helping hand off the chair. “All right, so I don't offer to help often enough."

Sara snorted and went back to setting the table.

After a minute, he said, “So Ethan is pretty excited about your little family outing tomorrow."

"Yes, he is."

"Are you?"

She shrugged. “'Excited’ isn't the word I'd use to describe how I feel about tomorrow.” She heard him move away from the counter and take a seat at the table.

"Yeah, I suppose. I mean, you're only going along because it's too soon to let Ethan go off with Mike alone.” There was a short pause. “Right?"

She glanced back at him in surprise. What in the world was he getting at? “Of course. Why else would I be going?"

"No reason I can think of. I just wanted to make sure you're all right. I've been worried about you."

She set the pot of rice on the table before meeting his gaze. “I'm fine.” She smiled for emphasis. “And so is Ethan. He adores Mike. Everything is working out great. No worries."

Garrett's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Sara knew what that look was about. He was having a hard time sharing Ethan with Mike.

As if on cue, Ethan ran up the back stairs and skidded into the kitchen. His eyes lit up when they landed on Garrett. “Uncle Garrett, I just made it to level five on my new game! Wanna see me beat that big robot, huh? Wanna?"

Garrett laughed and rose to his feet. “'Course I do. Heck, at this rate you'll have that thing mastered by the weekend."

As Garrett followed Ethan downstairs, Uncle Luke came in through the back door.

"Man, does it smell good in here. Tacos? But we just had tacos last week.” He set his keys on the counter and pulled a coffee cup out of the cabinet.

Sara set a bowl of seasoned meat in the center of the table. “I made Spanish rice, too."

He picked up the carafe and gave it a shake before pouring the rest in his cup. “Best part of the meal."

She was about to call everybody into the kitchen when Nicky walked through the front door.

"Hey, Sis.” He stopped, sniffed the air suspiciously and his eyes lit up. “Tacos? It can't be. We just had them last week."

"What can I say? I'm a goddess."

Nicky set his briefcase on the floor beside the hall closet. “Can't argue with that. Tacos twice in less than two weeks,” he said to himself, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

Sara smiled. When it came to certain things, men were such simple creatures.

They ate in silence for a while before Ethan said, “Just think, Mom, tomorrow we'll be racing down a water slide, floating around in those inner tubes. We're gonna have the best time ever."

Sara took a sip of her soda. She glanced at Garrett, who was eating as if he hadn't had a morsel of food in days.

"You should take my camcorder with you,” Nicky said. “I'd pay anything to see Mike trying to float in one of those inner tubes."

Uncle Luke snickered. “Or going down one of those water slides. I can just see his big limbs getting caught."

Garrett made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “Yeah, I wouldn't mind seeing
that
myself."

"They should make these things a little wider, you know?"

Sara giggled and aimed the camcorder directly at Mike. He sat atop the smallest water slide in the park, the look on his face priceless—a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. He'd climbed up there behind Ethan, but obviously hadn't realized how narrow it was till he'd reached the top.

No doubt adding to his embarrassment, a little girl with pigtails stood on the step below him and huffed, “C'mon, Mister!"

The water park really was quite spectacular, Sara thought as she moved the camcorder around, taking in everything. The place was massive, with five separate swimming pools each with its own slide. An overhead maze of clear tubes and netting ran from one end of the park to the other, and if one weren't afraid of heights—like Sara herself—it was no doubt a blast to crawl through. It amazed her to see just as many adults moving through it as children.