Dylan’s Redemption(78)

Clean and dry, she creamed her skin with a softly scented citrus lotion. She liked the fresh scent and it lightened her mood even more. She made sure to put the ointment the doctor prescribed on her wounds and left the scrapes uncovered.

She slid a cotton T-shirt dress on over her head and savored the feel of the soft material against her skin. One of her favorite casual dresses, the navy blue faded from several washings, but it still made her hair flash red against the richer dark brown color.

She took her time drying her hair and pulling the sides up with a couple of clips. When she glanced in the mirror again, the same old Jessie stared back. Her face wasn’t as pale and her eyes had a little sparkle in them again. She decided to forgo the makeup and simply dabbed on her favorite perfume.

She hobbled downstairs in her bare feet and found Dylan in her kitchen cooking. Will rode his new rocking horse in the great room near the fireplace. Dylan kept looking over his shoulder, watching him.

“You didn’t have to stay.” She leaned against the archway.

“Will and I wanted to make sure you had a good meal your first night home. I figured your fridge would need some cleaning out after you stayed almost two weeks in the hospital. I took the liberty of cleaning out everything spoiled or unrecognizable. I bought you some supplies. You’ve got milk, eggs, cheese, butter, salad stuff, yogurt, pudding cups—those were Will’s idea.”

“I like his idea of grocery shopping.” She smiled softly, watching Will rock, his enjoyment lightening her heavy heart.

“He’d have bought you cereal and pudding. He thinks that’s all you need.”

“Well, there’s that and chocolate. Everything else is just for show,” she teased.

Dylan laughed, a lighthearted sound that made her heart stutter. They’d both been far too serious lately. She’d spent too much time pushing him away, when she really wanted to pull him close, if only she had the courage to face her fear and believe he’d never hurt her again. She’d try, because pushing him away and never knowing if what they had could last scared her even more.

“I also got you some meat. It’s in the freezer. I’m making spaghetti for us tonight with garlic bread. Oh yeah, there’s a loaf of bread over there too. I wasn’t sure exactly what you like, but I got you the basics.”

“Dylan. Stop.”

“What?” He glanced up from chopping the onions for the meat sauce. He stilled, and she came toward him. God, she was beautiful. Her hair hung soft and flowing down her back in waves of browns and reds. As the light caught the strands, it shimmered with the many colors. She wore a dress, and he couldn’t help but look down at her legs. She had great legs. The dress barely hit her mid-thigh. He’d like to sit her on the counter and run his hands up the outside of her thighs until his fingers pushed the skirt up to her hips. He shook off the fantasy and concentrated on her face.

“You don’t have to do all this. I can take care of myself.”

He set the knife down and put both hands on the counter and leaned forward. “I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself. I wanted to do something nice for you to thank you for saving my son. I wanted to sit across the table from you, share a meal, and catch up on our lives.”

She opened her mouth, then shut it without uttering a word, accepting his kind gesture. She went to a cabinet and took down a bottle of red wine. She set it on the island where he prepared dinner and turned to get out the corkscrew. When she turned back, she ran right into him. He grabbed her waist to steady her. Bending down, he kissed her softly.

“Thank you for not putting up a fight,” he said against her lips.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

She stared at him with those big hazel eyes, more green than gold, and told him the truth. She didn’t want to fight or argue with him about the past. She wanted to put it to rest. He kissed her forehead and released her and went back to chopping the onion, satisfied they’d moved another step forward. A first step toward each other—and, he hoped, their future together.

“Cartoons!” Will yelled from the other room.

Dylan put his head back and sighed. “I forgot to bring one of his DVDs to watch. He’ll get bored, and then he’ll get cranky.”

“No problem.” She headed to the other room, leaving the open bottle of wine on the counter to breathe. “What do you like to watch, Will?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, let’s see if that’s on.” She found the remote and turned on the satellite receiver and TV. Will’s eyes lit up at the big TV. “Pretty cool, huh.”