TJ Read online

  TJ pursed his lips. It irked him that Oscar was one of very few people on earth who could sneak up on him—and he took great pleasure in doing so.

  “Soon.” He spoke without turning to look at his brother.

  “How soon?”

  “I don’t know; when the time’s right.”

  “Pft. There’s no such thing as the right time. You have to take time by the throat and bend it to your will.”

  Now TJ turned and smirked at him. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to goad me into hurrying up about it because Mom and Grace keep nagging you. Don’t they?”

  Oscar nodded. “They do, but I truly believe there’s no such thing as the right time. Is there some reason you’re holding back?”

  TJ nodded slowly. “I still haven’t told her what happened with Kayla.”

  “Does it matter? She knows something went down, but that’s all in the past now.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t, but I want to clear it up. I don’t want her to have any doubts left when I ask her.”

  “Okay. We’re all excited. That’s all it is. She’s awesome. She’s good for you, and we love her for it.”

  TJ smiled. “You do?”

  Oscar held up his hands. “Not like that. I mean in a brotherly kind of way.”

  TJ laughed. “I know. I’m only pulling your leg.”

  “Good. Well. I’m just waiting for Grace, and then we’re leaving. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  TJ nodded. “Yup.” He turned back to look at Dani. Alex had gone, and now little Jayden was climbing all over her. He went to join them.

  “TJ, TJ, TJ, are you in love with Dani?”

  He looked at the kid then looked at her. “Yes.”

  Jayden’s smile faded. “Sienna says you’re going to marry her.”

  TJ didn’t know where this was going or what to say, so he waited.

  “You’re not though, are you? Marines don’t get married.”

  TJ looked at Dani. “I said most of the time it’s better if they don’t.”

  Jayden made a face. “Does that mean you’re going to marry him?” he asked Dani.

  She met his gaze. She looked as uncomfortable as he felt. Maybe she didn’t want to? He remembered Grace’s advice—now wasn’t the time to start listening to his inner critic. He slid his hand in his trouser pocket. He’d been carrying the ring around with him for the last few days, just in case. He figured if the right moment arose, he’d want to be prepared. Was this it? Was it like Oscar had said—there were no perfect moments; you just had to pick one. If that was the case this was as good a moment as any, and better than most since the kid had put them on the spot.

  “Well. Are you?” Jayden’s tone grew petulant and TJ decided that no, this wasn’t the moment he wanted to choose. He’d ask her when it felt natural—not to appease a little kid.

  “Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Jayden pouted, but at that moment, his mom came and scooped him up off the sofa. “Sorry. I’ll get him out of your way.”

  “Are you ready?” TJ asked when they’d gone.

  “More than. It’s been a long day, and I’m looking forward to a cold beer and a dip in the pool.”

  He smiled. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”

  She was quiet on the way home. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m just tired.”

  He couldn’t help but think that maybe she was wondering about the answer to Jayden’s question. Maybe she wasn’t, but now it was lodged in his mind, and he couldn’t shake it.

  ~ ~ ~

  Dani started to relax after a swim. She lay back on the lounger and closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the last rays of sun sink into her bones.

  Little Jayden had unsettled her. She didn’t know if TJ wanted to get married. It wasn’t something they’d talked about. Yes, they’d talked about forever and a lifetime, but that didn’t necessarily mean marriage—even if his mom thought it did. Maybe he wasn’t the marrying kind. And she was okay with that—or at least she wanted to be. She’d never thought marriage was a big deal, until she’d met him, but now she spent every spare moment wondering if it was in the cards for them. She should just come out and ask him, but that one wasn’t just about honesty and openness—it was about not wanting him to feel under pressure.

  He came outside and stood over her, blocking the last of the sun. She opened her eyes and smiled. “Is it time to move?”

  He shook his head. “Not if you don’t want to.”

  “I don’t. Sit with me a while?”

  He perched on the edge of the lounger beside her. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Just tired. Are you okay?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Apart from …”

  “Oscar said something today and it reminded me that I never told you about Kayla.”

  “Oh.” She’d forgotten all about it. Whatever had happened with some woman in his past no longer mattered.

  “I wanted to tell you.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ve told you about Jonesy and Mac and Finn.”

  “You have.”

  “Well, Kayla got to know Jonesy a little too well. Through me. Jonesy was a good guy. He was married, but like a lot of the guys, he wasn’t above … you know.”

  “He slept with other people?”

  TJ nodded.

  “I know, that was the article she published, wasn’t it? The week after he died. An exposé on how our marines spend their down time.” Dani shook her head. The article had been subtitled Don’t Be So Fast to Call Them Heroes.

  He nodded again. “You knew?”

  “Yes. I read up about you when I first knew you hated journalists. I figured that article was the reason. You were mentioned several times as a friend of his. How could she do that? To his wife, to his memory?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t realize that you knew about it.”

  “I knew about that, but I didn’t realize that you were with her at the time.”

  “Yep. If it wasn’t for me, she never would have been able to write it. She knew all the guys she wrote about through me. And she thought I’d be okay with it.” He shook his head.

  “She didn’t care what she’d done?”

  “She didn’t feel she’d done anything wrong. To her, the public’s right to know the truth supersedes a family’s right to keep their dirty laundry to themselves and grieve in peace.”

  “I can see why that would turn you off journalists—and why your dad was so wary of me.”

  He smiled. “He was wary for all of five minutes until you took him outside and worked your charm on him.”

  She laughed. “I did no such thing. I don’t know how to be charming; only honest.”

  “Well, to him, that’s charming.”

  “I’m glad. He’s an awesome guy.”

  “He is. He can’t wait to welcome you to the family.”

  She met his gaze and waited, but he just smiled. “I slipped up there, didn’t I?”

  “I don’t know. How?” Her heart was racing. Did he mean what she thought he did?

  “I kind of told you that my dad—and my mom, and Oscar and Terry and Grace, and just about everyone we know is waiting for me to do this.”

  He slid off the lounger and got down on one knee. “Dani. I love you. You’ve become the most important person in my life. I want it to be that way forever. I want to walk through whatever we have left of this life together. It won’t always be easy, but I think it’ll be a damned sight easier together. I can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes! Yes, I will. I can’t imagine my life without you anymore, and I don’t want to. I want you to be my husband. Forever.”

  He reached in the pocket of his swim shorts and pulled out a ring box that he flipped open and held up to her.

  “Oh, TJ. It’s b
eautiful!”

  He took it out of the box and slid it onto her finger. “Does it fit?”

  She laughed and waved her hand around. It was way too big. “I might have to get it made smaller.”

  He laughed with her. “That figures. I did my best, but I didn’t get it right the first time. I hope that you’ll always be able to laugh about stuff like this.”

  “Of course, I will. You’re not perfect, I’m not perfect, we’re aren’t going to get things right the first time. But we’ll learn and adjust as we go.”

  He smiled. “Adapt, overcome, survive.”

  She planted a kiss on his lips. “Exactly.”

  “There’s only one thing that bothers me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I didn’t ask your parents’ blessing.”

  Dani sighed. “That’s okay. It’s probably for the best.”

  He nodded sadly. “I figured as much. Will you call them and tell them? Do you want us to go visit them?”

  “I’ll call them. Depending on how that goes, we’ll maybe go and see them.”

  “Okay. I’ll follow your lead on that one.”

  “What about your parents?”

  He smiled. “They’re going to be here this weekend. I wondered if you wanted to invite everyone over. We could do a barbecue in the afternoon. Invite them and Oscar and Grace and Terry. I don’t know if you want your friend Sara to come, or any of your other friends?”

  She smiled. “I’ll talk to my parents, see if they want to come, and I’d like to invite Alan and his wife, Marie.”

  “Sure. You like him, don’t you?”

  “I do. He’s a good man. And he’s been so much better to me than I deserve.”

  “Okay. Let’s set it up then.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Saturday afternoon came around in a hurry, and TJ loved every minute of it. He’d taken Dani to the jewelry store the morning after he gave her the ring and now it fitted her perfectly. It felt right to him that he’d got it wrong at first. It took the pressure off them both. They didn’t need to be perfect. They just needed to be willing to learn and grow together. That was what had made him confident to ask her to marry him. She knew him and his flaws and scars, and she loved him enough to work with him.

  He smiled at the sight of her sitting with her parents and Alan. He was glad they’d agreed to come. It was hard for them, he could tell, but he hoped that with time he’d get to know them and maybe, somehow, he could ease their pain a little. He wasn’t convinced about that, but he wanted to believe it was possible.

  Alan caught his eye and waved, then got up and came over to the grill to join him.

  “I hope she told you about the deal we made?” he said with a laugh.

  TJ froze. “What deal?”

  “She promised me an exclusive when the two of you officially got together.”

  “What?!”

  He looked over at her. She was still talking to her parents but seemed to feel his gaze on her and looked up. She excused herself and hurried over to join them when she saw the look on his face. “What is it?”

  Alan chuckled. “I think I just scared him. I told him about that exclusive you promised me.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh my God! TJ, no! It’s not like that. Don’t look like that. It’s not what you think. I said that when I didn’t think there was any chance we would ever get together. I didn’t … It’s not …”

  He smiled and put an arm around her shoulders. “Calm down, love. I know. I trust you, remember?”

  She nodded, but still looked panicked. “Why did you look at me like that then?”

  He chuckled. “Because Alan here gave me an idea. The one thing that’s been bothering me about our wedding is that I know the press will want to cover it.” He smiled at Alan. “If we give you the exclusive.” He turned to Dani. “And you write it, then I won’t have to worry anymore.”

  She laughed and looked at Alan. “What do you say, boss, would that work for you?”

  He beamed. “Work? You just made my day, week, month, and year. I get the exclusive on a Davenport wedding? Hell yeah!”

  Terry was just wheeling up to join them with Barbara by his side. He smiled at Dani. “Are you sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for?”

  She laughed. “Not entirely, but I am sure I can handle it.”

  “That’s the spirit.” He grinned at TJ. “You’re going to have to watch yourself.” He turned to Barbara. “I don’t think you and Dani have ever been properly introduced.”

  Barbara stepped forward with a smile. “We haven’t, but I already feel I know you.” She leaned in and hugged Dani and kissed her cheek. “Congratulations, dear.”

  “Thank you.”

  ~ ~ ~

  It was true that they hadn’t been introduced, but Dani, too, felt that she already knew, and very much liked, Barbara.

  “I won’t keep you. I know you have lots of your people here, and although I hope to become one of your people through my time at the center, I know I’m still a new friend. I just wanted to give you this little gift. I hope you’ll understand it.” She pulled a gift-wrapped box from her purse and handed it to Dani.

  “Thank you.” Dani had no clue what the protocol might be for engagement gifts. Did she open it? Did they wait? She looked at TJ, but he didn’t know either.

  Terry laughed. “Open it. I want to see your faces when you do.”

  Dani carefully unwrapped it and pulled out a beautiful deep blue vase. It looked as though it had been broken in several places and all its cracks and flaws were welded together with gold. “It’s beautiful! Thank you so much.”

  TJ nodded his agreement.

  “Kintsugi,” said Alan.

  “What?” asked TJ.

  Terry grinned up at them. “It’s called Kintsugi. It’s Japanese. When something breaks they don’t throw it away; they mend it with lacquer and gold dust. They think the breaks and the repairs are a natural part of the vase’s history—something to remember and celebrate.” He took hold of Dani’s hand and beckoned for TJ to come down to his level. “When I told Barbara about the two of you, she told me about this Kintsugi stuff. It’s right for you both.”

  Dani’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s wonderful. Thank you, Barbara.” She hugged the older woman again.

  Barbara hugged her back. “You’ve learned earlier in life than most. You can’t hide the places where you’re broken—and why would you want to? They’ve made you who you are. They’re part of you, and if you let them, they can make you stronger.” She stepped back and smiled at TJ. “I believe the two of you are going to make each other stronger, and I hope that in your marriage, you’ll apply Kintsugi. Grow stronger from the places you’re broken.”

  TJ stepped toward Dani. It didn’t matter that Alan was still there and Terry and Barbara were watching. He took her in his arms and kissed her just as he had so many nights when they were all alone out here.

  She kissed him back, aware only of the feel of his arms around her and his lips on hers. That beautiful little vase and Barbara’s explanation for it had touched them both deeply. When he finally lifted his head, a cheer went up around the back yard, and he looked a little sheepish. “Sorry. I didn’t think.”

  She put a finger to his lips. “Neither did I, and why should we? They’re all here to celebrate the fact that we want to spend the rest of our lives kissing each other—why would they mind witnessing it?”

  He smiled and touched the vase. “This thing …” He shook his head.

  “I know. It couldn’t sum us up better, could it?”

  “It couldn’t. It’s a reflection and a reminder. We’ve been broken and mended, and we will be again. We’ll grow stronger and more beautiful as we go.”

  She reached up and planted a kiss on his lips. She didn’t need to say anything. He’d summed up how she felt and what she wanted their life to be. Now she just wanted them to get on with li
ving it;

  ;

  A Note from SJ

  I hope you enjoyed visiting with the Davenports. Please let your friends know about the books if you feel they would enjoy them as well. It would be wonderful if you would leave me a review; I'd very much appreciate it.

  There are so many more stories still to tell. The next book I’m working on is Marcos and Molly’s story which will be out soon in the Hamiltons series. Reid is in a hurry too and I plan to write his book just as fast as my little fingers can type. Plus, there are more stories set at the Lake; the pilots want a Summer Lake Flyers series. And there is a bunch of cowboys who are all getting impatient for me to return to Montana. My plan at the moment is to finish with the Davenports and Hamiltons and then get to the next three series—Summer Lake Flyers, the new cowboys, who haven’t told me what their series is called yet, and the country singers in Nashville, beginning with Autumn and Matt. The older couples are growing impatient and I’ve still yet to figure out whether they’ll end up as a series or as novellas when they get too impatient to wait any longer. The short version is that there are still a lot of stories to come.

  In the meantime, be sure to check out my Remington Ranch series, if you haven’t already. You can get started with book one, Mason, which you can download for FREE here.

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