Sunset In Central Park (28 page)

She
hoped
someone would hear.

And then she heard a sound at the window and saw Claws, standing in her usual place.

“No!” Frankie glanced at the glass scattered across the floor. “No! Claws! Don’t jump.”

But Claws ignored her and jumped.

Matt finished the proposal he’d been working on, removed his earphones and stood up. Mozart helped him concentrate and blocked out the noise from the street.

Claws appeared and rubbed herself against his leg.

He looked down and saw spots of blood on the floor.
“What the—” He dropped into a crouch and caught her gently. “What have you done?” Lifting her carefully, he examined her paws and winced.

“You trod on glass?” He stood up, intending to investigate on the way to the vet, when he heard Roxy scream his name.

Cursing fluently, he locked the cat in the safety of his apartment and sprinted to the ground floor.

Frankie’s door was open and the lock was hanging off.

Matt strode into the apartment and saw Frankie kneeling on the floor next to the twisted body of a man who was letting out a stream of curses interspersed with grunts of pain.

There was blood on the floor, but whether it was from the cat, the man or Frankie, he wasn’t sure.

His stomach lurched.

“Oh, Matt—” Roxy was clutching Mia, pressing her daughter’s head into her shoulder. “I went to the park and when I came back the door was open and—

“Take Mia up to my apartment, Rox.”

“But—”

“Just do it.” He handed her his keys. “I’ve got this.”

Frankie looked at him. “
You’ve
got this? I hate to bust your knight-in-shining-armor aspirations, but from where I’m sitting it feels as if I’m the one who’s got this.” She adjusted her hold on the man and he gave another howl of pain.

Matt felt a rush of relief that she seemed to be alright, closely followed by admiration. “So you don’t need any help there?”

“Thanks, but I’m good.”

“I’ll call 911.”

“Way ahead of you.”

He scanned the broken glass, the trail of blood and the bruise on her head. He wondered how he had missed hearing
the commotion, and then remembered he’d been listening to music. “You already phoned this in? How?”

“This guy isn’t much of a challenge. Brought him down with my right leg and my right hand, so my left hand was free. It’s called multitasking.”

Matt leaned against the door. “So you don’t need me for anything at all? How about compliments?”

“Compliments are good. I’ve discovered I like them.”

He scanned her slowly. “Nice dress, honey.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you noticed.”

“I’m noticing the legs, as much as the dress. They’re incredible. Anything else you need me for?”

“I need you for a lot of things. That’s why I came home. To tell you all the ways I need you. And I came to give you something. Keep still—” She growled at the man who was trying to extract himself from her hold. “I’m talking. Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking. I love you, Matt. That’s what I came to say.”

His heart kicked against his chest and his gaze locked on hers. The look in her eyes was something he’d given up hope of ever seeing. “You love me?”

The man on the floor squirmed. “For fuck’s sake—”

Neither Frankie nor Matt spared him a glance.

“I love you.” Her smile was wobbly but her voice was full of conviction. “I’ve been in love with you for years.”

“So you’re saying you want to have a fling?”

“I’m not interested in a fling. Not with you. I want the whole thing, thick and thin, richer and poorer, sickness and health, but only if you one hundred percent trust in what we have.”

For the first time in his adult life Matt found it difficult to speak. “That’s what you came here to say?”

“Yes. And I came home to give you something, too, but then I found this scumbag in my apartment.” She dug her elbow into the man’s back. “You hurt the cat and got glass in my
Ocimum basilicum.”

“Your what? Lady, I wouldn’t touch a single part of you, let alone your—whatever that thing is.”

Matt didn’t shift his gaze from Frankie’s face. “What did you want to give me?”

“A token of my feelings. And they’re strong feelings, Matt. I hope you’re up to handling them.”

“He’d have to be a sadist to want to go anywhere near you,” the man on the ground screeched and Frankie frowned.

“I think the word you’re looking for is
masochist. Sadism
would describe what I might do to you if you don’t stop interrupting what might be the most important conversation of my life. Matt, I love you.”

“You already said that.” The man on the ground squirmed. “And I don’t want to hear this shit.”

“Well, tough. You’re hearing this shit. And if you’re sensible you’ll take something away from it, like the fact that when a woman says she doesn’t want you in her life, she means it. Love isn’t something that can be extracted through pain, fear or extortion, Eddy. It’s something that is given. Watch and learn.” Her eyes locked on Matt’s. “I’m giving my love to you, Matt. All of it. All of me.”

The air left his lungs in a rush. “Frankie—”

“Shut up!” Eddy squirmed like a fish on a hook. “It wasn’t my fault! I never wanted the baby. She was the one who insisted on keeping it.”

“That’s because Roxy is a wonderful human being. You can think about that when they lock you up. And if you ever
come near Roxy or Mia again, I will personally make sure you are never again able to make a baby you don’t want.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you. One dark night when you’ve forgotten all about me, I’m going to be waiting for you in the shadows. And what are you going to do then?”

Matt felt anger rip through him and took a step forward but Frankie shoved Eddy’s arm higher and gave him a thoughtful look.

“I guess I’ll do the same thing I’m doing right now. Pin you to the ground and give you a piece of my mind. You’re a wimp, Eddy. A bully and a wimp. And it’s time you took your bullying wimpy ways and left Roxy the hell alone. How can I put this so that I’m sure we understand each other?” She paused, thinking. “If you
ever
lurk in the shadows and try to scare me or anyone I love again, I will personally kick the shit out of you.”

“You won’t have to, because I will already have done it.” Roxy stood there, her face set and angry. “You stay away from me, Eddy. And you stay away from Mia.”

Eddy’s expression was ugly. “You’re all big and tough when you have your friends here, Roxy, but we both know you don’t have the guts.”

“Try me.” Roxy braced her shoulders. “You come within a hundred feet of my baby again and you’ll find out how much I’ve changed since I had the sense to walk away from you.” She turned to Matt. “The police are here. Can I leave you to handle it for a minute? I left Mia with James.”

“James is here?” Matt wondered how it was that his whole team suddenly seemed to be camping out in his house.

“I called him and he came right away. That’s what friends do.” Roxy glared at Eddy. “I’m making a statement. I’m telling them everything. You don’t scare me anymore.”

Matt hoped Eddy couldn’t see what he could see. That Roxy was shaking.

Eddy squirmed. “I have rights!”

“And I have a black belt in karate,” Frankie said pleasantly. “Want me to show you a few more of my moves? I’m having fun trying them out in a real-life scenario.”

Two uniformed officers entered the apartment and Eddy started to howl.

“Get her off me! This is assault.”

Matt felt a ridiculous urge to smile, an urge that faded as soon as Frankie stood up and he saw the blood pouring from her leg.

“You’re hurt—”

“I knelt on glass. If I hadn’t been wearing this stupid dress I would have been okay. I should have stuck to yoga pants.” Wincing, she pulled out a large shard and frowned at the kitchen floor. “This place is a mess. Roxy can’t bring Mia back in here until we’ve properly cleaned it up.”

“She can use our apartment for the moment.” He was by her side, grabbing a towel to stem the bleeding. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“I’m fine. But I don’t want to get blood on my new dress. It’s the only one I own. Did you say
our
apartment?”

“Frankie, you’re not fine. And yes, I said
our
apartment. That’s what it is, providing you meant all the things you said back there.”

“I meant every single word. And I still have to give you something. I had it all planned, and then this happened. He messed it all up!”

Matt looked into her eyes, but decided that this wasn’t the right time to tell her everything he wanted to say. “Let’s
deal with Eddy, speak to the police, get your knee seen and then we can talk.”

“We need to get Claws to the vet, too. She stepped on the glass.”

“I’ll do that.” Eva stepped into the room and Matt felt a rush of affection for her.

“You hate my cat.”

“I wouldn’t say I hate her, exactly. It’s more that she scares me. But she’s injured and she needs attention, and so does Frankie. You can’t do both, so I’ll deal with the cat.” Eva glanced at Roxy and smiled. “Sometimes it’s good to face the things that scare you.”

James walked into the room holding a tearful Mia. “If you all take yourselves off and stop tramping glass around, I can clear this place up.”

“Bad man,” Mia sobbed. “Bad man shouty.”

“He’s gone, honey. You’re safe.” James stroked her back and Mia hugged him tightly and covered him in kisses.

“James horsey.”

“Later.” He unpeeled her arms from his neck and handed her to Roxy. “Take her for a walk in the park. Give me a couple of hours. I want to make sure there’s not a speck of glass left in this place. Don’t want her to hurt herself. Or you.”

Roxy stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

Color spread across his cheeks. “What was that for?”

“For coming when I called you. And for caring about my daughter.”

Matt suspected that James cared about more than just Roxy’s daughter, but he didn’t say anything.

He had his own relationship to think about.

And finally, finally, it was almost time to focus on that.

T
hey talked to the police and then Matt insisted on taking her to the hospital.

By the time they left, it was late afternoon and she still hadn’t said what she wanted to say.

Now that it was over, she felt shaken and sick.

Matt had refused to leave the room when she was being treated, as if he was afraid to let her out of his sight.

“You gave me heart failure, Frankie. When I walked into that apartment and saw you in the middle of the broken glass with Eddy—” He ran his hand over his face and she gave a rueful shrug.

“He had his hands around my throat. I had no choice but to throw him.”

“I wanted to put my hands around his throat for touching you.”

“You have hidden caveman tendencies. I’ve suspected it for a while.”

“He could have had a gun. Or a knife.” Matt’s tone was raw and she knew he was feeling the same aftereffects she was.

“A knife I could probably have dealt with. A gun—” she frowned “—I prefer not to think about that.”

“I prefer not to, either, but I can’t get the image out of my head. The broken lock. The look on his face.”

“How about the image where I sat on him and almost dislocated his shoulder? Can’t you replace it with that one?”

“I’ll try. So you were, what, seventeen when you took up karate?”

“Yes, but I’m a quick learner. Turned out I had a talent for it.”

“And we’re all relieved about that.”

“Eddy didn’t seem too pleased.”

Matt gave a reluctant smile and then his phone beeped and he dug it out of his pocket. “It’s James. He says that the apartment is clean, the window is fixed and he’s spending another night on the couch so that Roxy and Mia feel safe.”

“Do you think he’s in love with her?” Frankie gave a half laugh. “Listen to me—I sound like Eva.”

“Yes, I think he’s in love with her. I think he’s probably been in love with her for a while, but nothing is going to happen.”

“How do you know?”

Matt typed a reply and slid his phone back into his pocket. “Because Roxy thinks James is too good for her. She didn’t finish high school and before James threw it all in to work in landscaping, he worked as a lawyer.”

“I didn’t know that, but I can’t imagine James caring about that.”

“I agree, but Roxy won’t. And she’s pretty stubborn.”

“She’s also brave. And very smart. Poor Roxy. How did she cope when she was pregnant and living with that monster? She must have felt so alone.”

“She told me once that if it hadn’t been for Mia, she’d probably still be living with him. Mia spurred her into leaving. But she never had the courage to give a statement to the police before now.”

“She’s a great mother.” Frankie looked out the window of the cab. “We’re going the wrong way. This isn’t home.”

“I’m not ready to go home yet. There are things I need to say to you and things I want to hear you say to me. And I don’t want to do it in the chaos of the house. I love our friends, but today I want you to myself.”

“What about Claws?”

“Eva texted when you were in the emergency room. The vet has given her some antibiotics and we’re to watch for infection, but they didn’t seem too worried. Eva has agreed to keep her in her apartment until we’re home.”

“Claws and I can heal together.” Frankie glanced out the window again, nerves fluttering in her belly. She’d had a plan, but that had all gone awry thanks to Eddy. Now she didn’t know what to do. When was the best time to say what she wanted to say? “So where are we going?”

“Central Park?” Matt looked at her leg, the bandage exposed by the dress. “Will you be able to walk?”

“Of course.” She settled back in her seat and watched New York slide past her, store windows, jostling crowds, people jabbering into cell phones. A million lives blended into a small island. Small, and yet big in so many ways.

The cab dropped them off near Columbus Circle and
they walked toward Bow Bridge along winding paths, past small children playing baseball and families with strollers.

It was a perfect late-September day.

“Another month and the ice rink will be back.” She slid her arm through Matt’s. “We should go. All of us.”

“You hate ice-skating.”

“I know, but it’s Eva’s favorite thing. Last Christmas was so hard for her. I want this one to be better. Shall we suggest it?”

“That depends. Will you still love me if I land on my butt?” They’d reached the bridge and they both stopped, as if subconsciously they’d both been aiming for the same destination.

Matt leaned on the graceful arch and looked over the lake.

Frankie glanced at him and then at the water, watching the reflections play across the surface.

“Nothing will stop me loving you.” The words came naturally and when he turned to her she continued in a rush. “Before you say anything, there are some things I need to tell you. I spoke to my mother this morning.”

“She called you again?”

“No. I called her. I asked her to meet me. We talked. Properly. In fact, I think it’s probably the first honest conversation we’ve ever had.”

“How honest?”

“I told her about my dad.”

“All of it?”

“All of it. Turned out that wasn’t his first affair. He’d had others. He even had one when she was expecting me.” It still hadn’t really sunk in. “She forgave him. But she had no idea that I knew about the last affair.”

“Do you feel better now that she knows?”

“Yes, but what really helped was telling you.” She paused, wondering how she could make him understand. “I’m not like Eva. I don’t find it easy talking to people about emotional things. I guess it makes me feel too vulnerable. Naked.”

“I like you naked.”

“When my mother arrived, and she was so upset, it was like being catapulted back in time. I felt as if everything was unraveling. As if suddenly I was unlearning everything I’d learned.” She leaned her head against Matt’s shoulder. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” He curved his arm around her and pulled her close. “Your mother spent her whole visit giving you a bunch of reasons not to fall in love, reminding you of all the reasons you’ve spent your life avoiding it, so it was hardly surprising you started backing off. I should have given you space instead of pressing you. My timing couldn’t have been worse.”

“I shouldn’t have let her words affect me the way they did. I
do
trust what we have. It’s special, and real and the most powerful thing I’ve ever known.” Her throat felt thick. “Back there in the apartment you said that I didn’t need you for anything, but that isn’t true. I need you for so many things, Matt. You’re the only person I’ve ever been truly myself with. I love every single moment we spend together, whether we’re up on a roof terrace hauling paving stones, or naked in bed. With you, I’m allowed to be me.”

“And I love who you are.” He slid his fingers into her hair. “I thought I knew you so well, and then that day in the apartment when you forgot to wear your glasses, I realized I didn’t know you at all. And the more I learned about you, the harder and deeper I fell. I thought I was in control of everything, and before I knew what was happening I was out of
my depth. There was so much I wanted to say to you, but I was afraid I’d send you running. I knew you had feelings for me, I just didn’t know if they were as strong as mine. I could see that your mother had put questions in your mind, and instead of leaving you to work it out, I waded in clumsily. I really thought I’d lost you. I thought you didn’t trust me.”

“Why do you think I told you all those things about myself? Because I trust you. I love you. I think I’ve loved you for a long time. And the reason I freaked out was not because I didn’t want what you were offering, but because I wanted it so, so much.” She could barely see him through the sheen of her tears. “None of my relationships have ever mattered before. I didn’t want them to matter. I saw what happened when they mattered. And then there was you—”

“Frankie—”

“You broke down every barrier I’ve ever put up. Being with you was exciting, it was fun. And it was relaxing because for the first time in my life I wasn’t carrying secrets. I’ve spent my life being scared of intimacy but I see now that intimacy can be good. There’s nothing better than being with someone who really knows you, and you know me. I’m terrified of loving you.” She swallowed. “But I’m even more terrified of losing you. I want to hold on to what we have and never let it go and I don’t know how to do that. I—I’m new to this. I’m going to need a manual or something.”

“I’ll be your manual. We’ll work it out together.” He stroked his fingers through her hair. “Earlier you said you had something you wanted to give me?”

“Yes.” She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out the object she’d been carrying around. “Here.” She pushed it into his hand and he studied it with raised eyebrows.

“You rushed home to give me the ring pull from your soda can?”

“I was improvising. You need to use your imagination.” Nerves fluttered in her stomach. “It’s a ring. Maybe not the prettiest ring, or the most valuable ring, but that isn’t what counts, is it? It’s symbolic.”

His expression changed. “Is it?”

“Yes. It signifies how much I love you.”

There was a gleam in his eyes. “You love me as much as a can of cola?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed I love diet cola, so in fact, that would be a lot.” She knew he was teasing her, but suddenly her courage faltered. “Of course, if you’ve changed your mind—”

“I am never going to change my mind, and it so happens I’ve been carrying something around, too.” He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a box. “This is for you.”

She stared at the box, recognizing the delicate logo of Tempest Designs, Skylar’s company. “This is from Emily’s store on Puffin Island. You already bought me a starfish necklace—”

“This isn’t a starfish necklace. Open it.”

She took it from him and discovered that her fingers were shaking. Flipping open the lid, she saw a large diamond in an unusual and beautiful setting. “Oh. Oh, Matt. You bought this when we were on the island?”

“Yes.” He took the ring and slid it onto her finger. “Francesca Cole, will you marry me?”

She could hardly breathe. “That depends—”

His gaze grew wary. “On—?”

“On whether you can keep up with my sex drive. I’ve wasted a lot of time.”

The corners of his mouth flickered. “Are you flirting with me?”

“I don’t know how to flirt. I’m telling the truth.” She slid her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. “Have I scared you?”

He gave a slow smile. “Nowhere near as much as you scared Eddy.”

“I was thinking that we could let Roxy stay in my apartment as long as she needs to.”

“You’re going to move more than your toothbrush?”

“I think it’s time. Does this mean I get to adopt your cat, too?”

“I’m afraid so. Does that affect your answer?”

“No. I want to marry you, Matt.” She eased her mouth away from his, happiness engulfing her like a burst of sunshine. She was marrying him. She was marrying Matt. Her best friend.
Her lover.
“So is that it? Have we finished here?”

“Finished? I haven’t even started.” And then he was kissing her, a hot, hard kiss that made her brain melt and her limbs shaky.

When he finally lifted his head, Frankie realized they’d attracted a small crowd of people, some with cameras, all of them watching with rapt attention.

“Oops.” She buried her face in Matt’s chest. “This is embarrassing.”

He grinned. “Honey, this is New York City. The most romantic destination on the planet. The department of tourism will thank us.”

And he kissed her again, until happiness rippled through her and the last rays of the sun set over Central Park.