Love at First Flight (36 page)

“I wish we could've stayed there
forever,” he said after they landed in Baltimore.

“I know. Me, too. But the sooner we take
care of things with Jeremy and Paige, the sooner we can get on with our lives.”

“I like the sound of that. Where do you
want to get married?”

“I don't really care. I've never wanted
a big wedding because of all the crap with my family, so whatever you want is
fine with me.”

“My mother and sisters would never
forgive me if they weren't there, so maybe we can do it in Rhode Island?”

“That's fine.”

“I love you.” He kissed her left hand. “I
can't wait to get my ring on that finger where it belongs and put another one
right on top of it.”

Holding hands, they walked through the
airport.

“I'll never be in this airport again
that I won't think of you and the night I met you here,” Juliana said.

“What a long, strange trip it's been
since then, huh?” She grinned. “The craziest two months of my life, that's for
sure.”

“For me, the craziest
and
the best.”

“Same here.”

After they dropped off their luggage at
home, they went to Fell's Point for pizza and beer at one of the waterfront
restaurants.

“It sure does feel good to be free of
the cops, doesn't it?” he asked.

“And free of the fear. The cops were all
so terrific, though. We got really lucky.”

“They have a tough job. I have a whole
new apprecia-tion for them after spending so much time with them.”

“I have a whole new appreciation for a
lot of things after everything that's happened,” she said. “Regular people
don't pay much attention to the criminal justice system until we need it, so I
never had any idea how much danger people like you and the cops put yourselves
in on our behalf. It's impressive and admirable.”

“Thank you,” he said, touched by her
insight. “Luckily, it's not usually this dangerous.”

“What are you going to do now that the
trial's over and Rachelle's attackers are all dead? I know you'd like to go to
Rhode Island to open your practice there.”

He laced his fingers through hers. “And
I know you have an obligation here to your mother, so we'll be staying put for
the time being. I'll probably get a few offers because of the publicity the
trial generated. We'll see what happens.”

“You'd really put your plans on hold for
me?”

“Of course I would. The Rhode Island
thing was always a pipe dream anyway. It'll still be there if someday ever
comes.”

“My mother could live for years yet,”
she warned him.

He squeezed her hand. “I hope she does.”

When they got home, they unpacked from
the Bahamas and repacked for the weekend away from each other.

Juliana zipped her bag closed, sat next
to him on the bed, and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I wish we didn't have
to do this. I wish we could just run away together and never look back.”

He put his arm around her. “It's just a
few more days, baby. We can get through a few more days to have forever
together, can't we?”

“You've never had a moment's doubt, have
you?”

“Not about my feelings for you. How you
feel has given me a few worries.”

“I'll tell you how I feel: I love you,
Michael. I admire you, I respect you, I adore you, I want you.”

He sighed with contentment as he kissed
her softly at first and then with growing passion when she responded with equal
ardor. They rolled across the bed, pulling at clothes without breaking the
kiss. His hands were every-where, uncovering the soft skin he craved. He pushed
aside the last of their clothes and entered her.

She gasped and clutched him tight
against her.

Their lovemaking was desperate and
almost frantic throughout a night neither of them would ever forget.

As the sun came up the next morning,
Michael was filled with a sense of foreboding that left him wondering if what
she had given him that night was going to have to last a lifetime.

***

Juliana took her time in the shower,
wanting to prolong her departure as long as she could. She heard the bath-room
door open.

“Want some company?”

“Sure.”

He got in behind her and wrapped his
arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I don't want you to
go.”

She turned to him, the water sluicing
over them. “You have things you need to take care of, too,” she reminded him.

Capturing her mouth in a plundering
kiss, he lifted her, pressed her against the wall, and made love to her one
last time. When it was over, tears mixed in with the water on his face as he
struggled to catch his breath. “I'm sorry,” he said against her ear. “I didn't
come in here for that.”

“Don't be sorry.” She kept her arms and
legs wrapped around him until the water turned cool, and they released each
other with great reluctance.

They got dressed in silence, and Juliana
dried her hair. She covered what remained of the bruise on her face with makeup
before gathering the last of the things she needed from the bathroom and adding
them to her bag. Then there was nothing left to do, no reason left to stay.

Michael walked her downstairs and held
her coat for her. He gathered her hair from under the collar and let it slide
through his fingers.

“What time's your flight?” she asked.

“Noon. I'll be back tomorrow night
around seven.”

She rested her hands on his chest. “Good
luck with all that.” With a small, sad smile, she added, “Don't let her hit
you.”

“I've learned to be ready for it.”

She hugged him.

“You'll be back tomorrow night, right?”

“Yes.”

He kept his arms around her. “I don't
want to let you go.”

They held on tight for a long time
before Juliana took a step back, gazed at his handsome face, and reached up to
kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He stepped aside so
she could open the door. “Don't forget to come back.”

“I won't.” She leaned in for one last,
quick kiss and was startled when he responded with a burst of desperate
passion.

“Go,” he whispered against her lips, his
eyes bright with tears.

Without another word, she went out the
door to her car.

***

Juliana drove around for almost an hour
to get her emotions under control before she faced Jeremy. She willed herself
not to cry so she wouldn't have to explain red eyes to him. Pulling up in front
of the house on Collington Street, she noticed his black Toyota SUV parked
outside for the first time in nearly a year.

For several minutes, Juliana was unable
to move. Finally, with a last deep breath for courage, she grabbed her bag, got
out of the car, climbed the cement stairs, and used her key in the front door.
Inside, she dropped her bag on the floor and took off her coat, filled with the
odd sense of having landed somewhere she no longer belonged. In just two short
months, Michael's house had become home to her.

Jeremy came bounding down the stairs
with a big smile on his face. “Oh, babe, I'm so glad you're home!” He flung his
arms around her and lifted her off her feet. By the time he put her down, they
were both in tears, but for different reasons. “It's so good to see you.” He
caressed her face as if to convince himself she was really there. “I missed you
so much.” He brushed his lips over hers but was so caught up in the moment he
failed to notice her lack of response.

“Jer, we need to talk,” she said,
pulling back from him.

He reached out to run his fingers
through her hair, and she was stricken by the memory of Michael doing the same
thing only an hour ago.

“I know, but I just want to be with you
for a while first. Is that okay?”

She hesitated and then nodded.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Sort of.”

“Why don't we go get some breakfast?”

Juliana didn't think she could eat, but
it was something to do. “Okay.”

They put on their coats to walk the
short distance to their favorite coffee shop. On the way, Jeremy kept his arm
looped around her shoulders. Juliana prayed that Michael wouldn't drive by on
his way to the airport and see them together. She was finally able to breathe
again after they ducked into the tiny restaurant where they were greeted like
returning royalty.

“Hey, you guys!” their waitress friend
Carla said with a warm smile. “We were just talking about you the other day!
Where've you been?”

“I was working in Florida for the last
nine months. I just got back last night.” He reached for Juliana's hand. “It
sure is good to be home.”

“It's great to see you,” Carla said. “Can
I get you the usual?”

“That works for me. Jule?”

Juliana swallowed the lump that lodged
in her throat as she and Jeremy slid back into their old life like nothing had
happened. “Just coffee and wheat toast for me, please.”

“You're sure, babe?”

She nodded.

“Coming right up.”

Jeremy smiled and reached across the
table for Juliana's other hand. “I can't believe you're really here with me. I
thought today would never get here.”

“It's good to see you, too.” She hadn't
expected to be so glad to see him.

“I'm surprised I can even function after
the last two weeks. I worked sixteen, seventeen hours a day to finish
everything so I could leave by Wednesday. A couple of nights I slept on the
floor at the office because it wasn't worth going home.”

“Did you get it all done?”

“My part's done. I might have to go back
for a day or two in the next few weeks, but that's it. The rest of them have at
least another month, maybe two, before they're done.”

“So you didn't have to quit to come home
early?”

“Fortunately, it didn't come to that.
They even gave me next week off and a bonus for getting the install done early.”

“That's good. Congratulations.”

“How's everything at the salon?”

“Oh.” The question startled her. She
hadn't been to the salon in almost three weeks and was due back to work on
Tuesday. “Fine. Nothing new.”

Carla brought them coffee.

Jeremy added cream and sugar to
Juliana's and slid it over to her.

“Thanks,” she said, touched by his
attentiveness. “I missed you so much, Jule. Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did.”

His face sagged with relief. “I'm glad
to hear that. I was so nervous about seeing you today, but the minute you
walked in all the nerves went away.” He kissed both her hands and then released
them when Carla brought their food.

“Just holler if you need anything else.”

Jeremy dove into his omelet while
Juliana picked at her toast.

“I thought you were hungry,” he said. “Not
as much as I thought.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyebrows
knitting with concern.

Her heart ached when she realized this
was going to be much, much harder than she ever could have imag-ined. “We
really need to talk.”

“Later. I promise.” After they had a
second cup of coffee, he paid the check and extended his hand to her.

“Take care, you guys,” Carla said. “Come
back again soon.”

Jeremy held the door for Juliana. “We
will,” he replied.

At home, he took her coat and hung it
next to his in the closet.

Juliana wandered into the kitchen to
flip through the mail. Most of it was junk, which she threw away. She wished
desperately for something else to do, anything to avoid confronting the needy,
hopeful vibe coming from Jeremy. When she couldn't put it off any longer, she
went to sit next to him on the sofa.

He put his arm around her and brought
her close to him.

Juliana resisted his efforts to kiss
her.

“What?”

“Don't.”

“Why?”

She pulled free of his embrace and stood
up. “I can't do this! I can't just pick up where we left off like noth-ing's
happened!”

He got up and rested his hands on her
shoulders. “Let's just take it a step at a time. Can we do that?”

“No, Jer, we can't.” She took a deep
breath. “I don't know how to say this—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “Don't.
Don't say any-thing right now, please? Just give me today and tonight. You can
say anything you want to tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” she said reluctantly.

After ten years, she could give him one
more day.

CHAPTER 31

MICHAEL MOVED THROUGH THE HOUSE LIKE HE
HAD hundred-pound weights attached to his legs. He'd expe-rienced the worst
feeling watching Juliana drive away to meet her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend or
whatever the hell he was. Michael feared he would regret letting her go, even
for just two days.