The Angel Tasted Temptation (32 page)

Rebecca let out a low moan. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I do need to go to the hospital."

"Oh! Oh yes! Now, shoo," Aunt Gloria said, waving at Meredith and Rebbeca. "I'll get the door. And the suitcase. And the—"

Seven hours later, Maria, Candace and Meredith had been dubbed godmothers to Jackson Hamilton, whose six-pound, four-ounce perfection had completely won over all three women as well as his grandmother and great aunt. Rebecca and Jeremy, who had flown back just in time to see his son born, were firmly ensconced in the hospital room with their new baby. Aunt Gloria and Uncle Mike were busily plunking change into the pay phones and spreading the news.

Before she left, Meredith peeked in on Rebecca one last time. Jeremy lay on the bed curled against his wife, marveling over every toe and finger on the newborn in their arms. The look on the faces of Rebecca and Jeremy was one of such complete joy that Meredith felt a stab of envy so sharp that it could have been a knife in her heart.

She leaned her head against the wall and took in a deep breath. She'd thought she could come here and leave behind the things that had seemed to be keeping her from living the life she wanted. Things like family. Commitment. Relationships. She'd purposely sought out the complete opposite.

And where had it left her?

As empty as a deflated balloon.

She knew exactly where she needed to go to fill that empty place in her heart. Meredith didn't walk out of Mount Auburn Hospital.

She ran.

She paused outside the house. There was one more bridge to repair before she went forward with her own life. Meredith climbed the stairs to Aunt Gloria's house and saw her mother inside the living room, sitting on the couch.

Meredith let herself in. "Hi, Momma."

"Meredith! How's Rebecca?" Her mother was folding a basket of laundry that looked like it had already been haphazardly done by Aunt Gloria.

"Rebecca's great and the baby's going to be just fine, even though he came a little early." Meredith sunk into the chair opposite her mother and reached for a T-shirt, spreading it on the ottoman before her and neatly pressing each sleeve back, then either third of the shirt before flipping up the bottom half, turning it over and giving the front a final smoothing. Just the way her mother liked it

"Everything's still all right?"

"Yep. Aunt Gloria and Uncle Mike are still there, calling all the relatives and cooing over the baby every chance they get."

Momma laughed. "I don't blame them. Grandchildren are an amazing thing." Her face turned wistful, even envious, and Meredith knew there was one thing that chaotic, exuberant Aunt Gloria had that Martha didn't.

Yet.

"Momma, I wanted to talk to you." Meredith paired two socks, tossed the roll into the basket, then sat back.

"Uh-huh." Momma went on folding a pair of pants, straightening the hems again and again, trying to get the crease perfect.

"Can you stop folding for a minute and look at me?"

Momma shook her head and tugged at the cuffs of the pants harder.

"Momma," Meredith said softly, laying a hand on her mother's.

She stilled, the pants shaking a bit in her grip. Finally, Momma looked up, her eyes misty. "I don't want to hear what you're going to tell me. I know you're going to say that you're never coming home and I'm never going to be next door when you're having your first baby. I'm going to miss it all." The pants fell into a crumpled heap in her lap and a sob escaped her. "I'm sorry I've been so... difficult. I guess I want the best for you and sometimes that best comes with a lot of—"

"Clorox?" Meredith finished, adding a lighter note. She slid forward onto the ottoman, reaching to take one of her mother's hands in both her own. "I know that. And I haven't been very understanding or nice to you. I kept thinking if I could get far enough away from Heavendale, I could change who I was."

"But why would you want to do that?"

"Because I wasn't happy."

Momma looked stricken, as if she took personal fault for Meredith's unhappiness. "Unhappy?" she echoed.

"With who I was, not with where I was. Well, I thought it was where I was. But I realized since I got here, and well,
all of you
got here too, that it doesn't really matter where I am, but
who
I am."

Momma cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Meredith let out a breath and tucked her legs underneath her in the chair. "I needed to get to know myself. What I was capable of, outside of that perfect little box of Heavendale. Growing up there, I never really had to try hard to make friends or succeed or heck, even get a job. Because it's so small a world. Then I got here and I had to try harder, stretch those wings a little more. And you know what I found out?"

Momma put the pants aside and sat back against the couch. For the first time Meredith could remember in her life, her mother wasn't doing anything while they were talking. She was giving her undivided attention. Not washing dishes. Not folding laundry. Not cooking dinner. It was just the two of them, talking in the silent house. "What?" Momma asked.

'That I'm capable of so much more than I thought. And I can weather a lot more of a storm than I thought."

Momma nodded, as if she'd known that all along. "I was really proud of you for the way you handled that. I know I didn't sound it at the time, but I am."

"Thanks." Meredith smiled. "And thank you for helping me."

"You know," Momma said, taking a sip from a glass of water beside her, "you're not the only one who learned a thing or two here. I found out I can go halfway across die country in a hearse and survive—"

Meredith laughed.

"And that I can breathe the air here and live—"

Meredith chuckled again.

"And that I can help my daughter out of a jam and be really proud of what a strong, capable woman she's turned out to be."

"With your help, Momma," Meredith said, rising. She wrapped her arms around her mother and drew her familiar scent to her. "You had a little to do with that, you know."

Momma returned the embrace, then after a long while during which Meredith was sure she heard a sniffle or two, she pulled back. "A little? If I hadn't put those bumper pads on the coffee table and stored all the hazardous chemicals out of reach, why you wouldn't have even made it to your second birthday."

"Momma..."

Her mother's face sobered and she cupped Meredith's face. "You're all grown up now. I guess it's hard for me to let go."

"I won't be so far away."

"Anyplace that isn't next to me is too far." She brushed a lock of hair off her daughter's temple in a gesture reminiscent of when Meredith had been five and fallen off her bike. She'd had the wind knocked out of her, and been too afraid to get back on the two-wheeler. Her mother had sat with her and done that same thing, pushing the hair off her face and telling her that she could, indeed, get back up and ride again, and be just fine, because Momma would always be there with some Betadine.

"I'll be as close as I can be," Meredith said. "And when I'm having my first baby, how about I fly you out to stay with me until your new grandchild arrives?"

Momma beamed. "I'd like that. I could help you get the baby's room ready and do the disinfecting of all the surfaces and—"

"One thing at a time, Momma." Meredith laughed. "Let me get married first."

"Oh! Speaking of that," Momma said. "I forgot. Travis has been waiting for you to come home. He's over at Rebecca's. I fed him some dinner—that boy is too skinny, you know—then I let him in." Her mother smiled. "I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Travis is here? Waiting for me?" Meredith scrambled to her feet, the laundry forgotten. She pressed a kiss to her mother's cheek, not waiting for an answer.

Then she bounded out of Aunt Gloria's house, down the steps, across the sidewalk and up into Rebecca's house.

Finally, she was in the right place. At exactly the right time.

Meredith's When-the-Mood-Is-Right Lobster Stew

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound lobster meat

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Paprika

Pull out all the stops now with the most decadent dish you can create. This one is rich ... in everything you've been denying yourself. Melt the butter and fry the lobster meat until it's warm and heated through. Add the cream and milk, gradually, stirring it carefully over low to medium-low heat.

Don't rush it! The end result will be worth every second you put into it. Season with salt and pepper, then let this simmer gently for about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Since this dish is so indulgent, be careful who you serve it to. He might just come back for seconds. And thirds. And ...
more
.

Meredith skidded to a stop in the living room. Travis was sitting on the sofa, his head propped on one arm, asleep. The beagle snored at his feet.

Travis looked ... peaceful. At home. And for just a second, she allowed herself to imagine seeing this sight every night for the rest of her life. It wasn't such a bad image after all.

She slid into the space beside him, careful not to wake him, and slipped her head into the alcove created by his shoulder and neck. It felt comfortable here. Right.

Travis stirred, dropping his arm to wrap around her. "I thought you'd never come home."

"I was talking to my mother. I didn't know you were here." She snuggled closer, seeking his warmth, his touch. Everything about him.

Instead, he moved away and slid off the sofa, kneeling beside it and taking her hands in his. His green eyes met hers. "I have to tell you something."

"No, wait, Travis. I want to tell you something first."

He pressed a finger to her lips. "Please. If I don't tell you, I know I'll regret it." He took in a breath, then let it out. "I know you don't want to fall in love with anyone. But I love you, Meredith. And if I can't be with you, I think I'll go insane. So if you don't want a relationship right now, I'll live with that. Just don't walk away. Because then," he gave her a grin, "you'll be breaking my heart and—"

This time, she pressed a finger to his lips. "Stop. Don't say another word."

"Let me finish."

"No." She smiled. "All you have to do right now is kiss me."

He did as she asked, leaning forward and taking her mouth with his own. His lips caressed hers softly at first, then with more insistence, fueled by all the teasing and the desire that had been brewing between them for two weeks.

The feel of his mouth on hers was different somehow—sweeter, more tender, as if by telling her he loved her, he had added a new dimension to his touch. She'd been attracted to him before, but now she felt a comfortable warmth layering over the heat and passion between them.

"I want you, Meredith," he said, pulling back to tangle his hands in her hair and trail kisses along her neck.

Oh, those were the
other
words she'd waited to hear. "Then what are you waiting for?"

He grinned. "Directions to your bedroom."

She pressed her lips to his throat, to the throbbing pulse in his neck. "Second door at the top of the stairs."

Travis scooped her up and took the stairs two at a time, while Meredith started early on to get him naked. This time, there weren't any damned buttons to slow down her progress. She tugged at his T-shirt, wrestling it out of the space between them and when they got to the top of the stairs, she slid out of his arms, then pulled the shirt up and over his head and tossed it to the floor.

He had a glorious chest. Hard and defined. Perfect for her head, her chest. In fact, she could imagine almost any of her body parts against that wonderful space. She placed her hands against his torso, then her lips, kissing down the length of him, lingering at the V of hair that met his waistband.

"Oh God, Meredith." He groaned. "Which door was it?"

She chuckled, then took his hands and hauled him into the guest bedroom. "Here. Though I would have settled for the stairs."

"I wouldn't have let you," he said, tipping her chin to place a soft kiss on her lips.

She smiled. "Trying to make sure I have a good time?"

"And that I don't end up with a broken back."

She laughed again, then reached to take off her shirt.

"Oh no you don't," Travis said, grasping her hands and stopping her. "I've been wanting to do that myself ever since I met you. You always have all the fun."

He tugged the pale blue shirt up and over her head, then allowed his hands to drift down her throat, along her neckline. He teased the valley there for a long, hot second, then slipped his fingers under the slim satin of her bra straps. They slid off her shoulders, revealing her breasts to his gaze. The warm air of the room drifted over her naked skin, tickling against her.

Travis bent down, teasing a circle around each breast with his tongue, then taking one pert nipple in his mouth, sucking it gently for a long, sweet second before moving on to do the same to the other one.

Fireworks exploded in her brain. She wanted him to stop. Do it again. Do something even better.

Meredith moaned and tilted her pelvis up against his, asking for more, for anything. "Oh, Travis. Oh, God. Oh ... more."

"In a hurry?"

"Oh yeah."

"Patience, sweetheart." He grinned, then released the hooks from the back of her bra and let it fall to the floor. His hands drifted down her torso, his mouth following suit, until he reached the snap of her jeans. She raced her palms over every part of him that she could reach, dying to have more of him in her grasp.

One agonizing second after another passed as he undid the snap, then the zipper, then peeled the denim back and slid it down, inch by inch. He kissed a trail of seduction down her hips, her thighs, her legs, as he made his way down with the jeans to the floor.

She wanted to tear off her underwear, grab him and throw him on the bed. But when she reached for him, he caught her hands in his and came up to kiss her mouth again, bringing his naked chest to hers. The infusion of warmth and Travis's long, slow kisses sent her heart down a tender path. Desire still throbbed within her, but the easy, gentle way he was touching her made her feel like a queen.