When they’d finished the pot of coffee and the plate of pastries, Ari said, “Thank you—we’ve taken so much time.”
“You haven’t. You’ve helped me remember Karmen all over again. In the rush of the day, we sometimes forget to just sit and remember.”
“And you’ve helped me remember my brother.” Ari gave Mrs. Sanchez an impulsive hug.
“I hope you find him, dear. If he should ever call again, I’ll tell him how to reach you.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
After they’d said their good-byes and Matt had walked Ari down the steps to his car, she turned suddenly, went up on her toes, and threw her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his neck as he rubbed his hands up and down her back. “He was just a boy when he left. Now I know the man he turned into.” She pulled back and looked into Matt’s eyes. “He’s out there.” Determination fueled her. “And we’re going to find him.”
“I’ll do everything in my power.” But he frowned slightly. “I’m concerned that he hasn’t called Mrs. Sanchez in two years, though.”
She understood his unease, but she couldn’t give in to it. “I was just a little girl the last time I saw my brother, but I know how deeply he would take the responsibility for his team—even when he couldn’t have saved them. If he’s gone into hiding, it’s because he hasn’t come out of the dark place he fell into when his friends died. He needs me to show him that it wasn’t his fault. That there’s someone out there who loves him unconditionally.” And she needed her brother too. “Look at Mrs. Sanchez. She’s lost so much, and yet what Gideon brought her has meaning for her to this day. I can show him that people still love him.”
“Any way I can help you, Ari, I will.”
She smiled up into Matt’s beautiful eyes. “You already have, more than you’ll ever know.”
After dinner at a local Italian restaurant, they’d just finished wishing Noah good night over the phone, when Rafe Sullivan texted again to say he’d had luck with another name on Zach Smith’s list. Ralph Esterhausen’s wife lived in Lancaster, about an hour and a half south. Ari’s stomach was jumpy with anticipation—and hope—that Mrs. Esterhausen might have heard from Gideon more recently than Karmen’s mother had.
Matt immediately called, leaving a message when no one answered. “If I don’t get a callback tonight,” he told Ari, “we’ll head down tomorrow morning and call again on the way.”
The hotel Matt found for them wasn’t a five-star Regent, but it was far better than the kind of roadside motel Ari could afford. And when he asked if she wanted separate rooms before they checked in, she answered him with a kiss that made words completely moot.
The past two days hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, but even the hard parts were bearable with Matt beside her. Seeing all those photographs, running her fingers over Gideon’s image, and knowing he’d called Mrs. Sanchez for years, made Ari believe more strongly than ever that they’d find him.
Just as she knew deep in her heart that Matt was so much more than a one-night stand.
His touch, his gaze—and especially his kisses—told her that she mattered to him. She loved the way he’d held her hand as they talked with Mrs. Sanchez, as if she belonged to him. As if he understood how badly she needed his solid presence beside her.
After seeing the pictures today, Ari was certain her brother had lost a woman he’d cared about deeply—and that it had devastated him. If Gideon had known how it all would end, would he have kept his heart safe? Or would he have fallen for Karmen anyway?
But Ari already knew the answer. Her brother would have risked his heart no matter what.
Just the way she was risking hers for Matt.
If it one day turned out that she’d misjudged Matt’s feelings…well, she’d deal with it when she had to. But right now, all she wanted was to confirm the beauty of life by making love to him over and over, then falling asleep in his arms.
Their room had a king-size bed, a small sofa under a bay window, and a big bathtub. “I made sure they gave us the room with the largest tub available.” He cupped her cheek, his lips so close to hers, his body warm, enticing. “Why don’t you take a bath while I run a few errands?”
“Errands?” Instead of getting naked with her right this second?
He was planning something, and judging by the burn in his eyes, it had to be good. And he knew her well—a few minutes to decompress from the high emotions of their day would be nice.