When We Met

The DVD began and an announcer’s voice filled the room.

“The Stallions are down by three with the clock ticking. McGarry’s playing with a bad shoulder, but everyone knows if the Stallions are going to make it out of the play-offs, it’s up to him. We’re watching the clock. There’s the snap. McGarry steps back and finds...”

“Rib?” Jack asked, passing her an open container.

She was about to refuse when she realized she was kind of hungry. She took one and a napkin.

Sam and Kenny had each taken one of the oversize club chairs, while Jack sat next to her on the sofa. She’d already had two shots of tequila, so it was just a matter of time until the ache inside faded just a little.

She’d specifically asked her female friends not to give her one of those “he’s such a bastard, you need to feel better” parties. Looked as though she was going to have one anyway. In a kind of twisted way. With her family. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be.

* * *

“THEY’RE SO PRETTY,” Olivia said as she opened the box from Plants for the Planet.

Angel stood behind her and glanced down. Yup, there they were. Wreaths done in tiny pink flowers. With matching ribbons. Nine of them. The girls would be—

“There’s nine,” he said. “Who gets the ninth one?”

Even as he asked the question, a voice in his head screeched the answer. He held up both hands. “No way.”

Char grinned at him. “You have to. You’re our Grove Keeper.”

“It’s not for him,” Chloe said. “It’s for Taryn.”

“Where is Taryn?” Sarah asked.

Angel knew fighting about the wreath would be easier. “Taryn’s, ah, not coming to the meeting.”

Kate frowned. “But this is our last one. We have to be in the parade.”

Layla shook her head. “She’s not coming. I heard my mom talking on the phone. I wasn’t supposed to be listening.” She bit her lower lip. “Taryn and Angel are getting a divorce.”

Eight pairs of eyes stared at him accusingly.

“We’re not getting a divorce,” Angel muttered. “We weren’t married.” That wasn’t making it better, he thought grimly. “I mean we were going out and now we’re not.”

Regan’s eyes filled with tears. “What happened?”

“Sometimes relationships don’t work out.” He felt small and crappy. Worse, he knew that Taryn would know what to say way better than him. “We’re still friends,” he added lamely, although that was a lie. They weren’t friends. They weren’t anything.

He waited for Chloe to yell at him, but she only turned away. He put his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?” he asked gently.

She looked at him. Her skin was pale and her freckles stood out. Gone was the happy, outgoing girl she’d become.

“We’re getting our family beads today,” Chloe reminded him. “After the parade. You can’t be part of a family if you don’t have Taryn.”

There were a lot of different ways to answer, he thought. Telling her that his relationship with Taryn was a grown-up thing and she wouldn’t understand. Explaining that he’d had a family once and lost it. That he hadn’t been able to keep them safe.

As he stared at Chloe, he saw the flash flood again. Her fear and how she’d reached for him. He’d saved her. He would have died to save her—to save any of them.

He hadn’t had the chance to try to save Marie and Marcus because he hadn’t been there. He couldn’t be there every second of every day. It was an impossible task. Even if he could make it happen, Marie wouldn’t have wanted that for either of them. She had wanted to live her life and have him live his. They had stayed together out of love, but she wasn’t looking for a bodyguard. She’d wanted a partner. He’d been that. He’d been a father and a husband.

“We miss Taryn,” Olivia said.

“Me, too,” he admitted.

There were no guarantees, he thought suddenly. No promises. There was only this moment and what he had accomplished so far in his life. If he were to die right now, he would regret not telling Taryn that she mattered to him. He would regret that he didn’t admit what had been so obvious all along.

“We need to get to the parade,” he told the girls. “Now.”

He passed out wreaths. When Chloe handed him the ninth one, he sighed once, then stuck it on his head.

They went to the start of the parade and got in their place. The music began. Angel walked with his girls but searched the crowds on the side. Whatever had happened, Taryn wouldn’t miss this. He was sure of it. She would be here and he would get his chance to talk to her.

He wondered how much he’d hurt her. Why couldn’t he have figured this out sooner? That she was so important to him. That somewhere, when he hadn’t been paying attention, he’d fallen in love with her, too.

He heard a loud whistle and saw Ford and Isabel. Ford gave him a thumbs-up. “Looking good, big guy.”

Angel smiled. He would get Ford back tomorrow—in the gym.

He saw a lot of people he knew. Parents of his Acorns, families from town. Montana with a couple of service dogs in training. The lady from—

The back of his neck tingled. He swung around, searching. Taryn was here. He couldn’t see her yet, but she was here. He studied the crowd lining both sides of the street, then spotted Kenny, Jack and Sam and knew he’d found her.

“Come on, girls,” he said, breaking from the rest of the groves and heading to the sidewalk. All eight Acorns scampered along with him.

As he approached, the three large football players formed a protective flank. Angel knew that together, they could do a lot of damage, but he wasn’t concerned. Taryn might have three football players watching her back, but he had eight Acorns and he would bet that heart beat brawn anytime.

He stopped in front of the guys. They all stood with their arms folded across their wide chests. Their expressions were menacing. At least until Chloe smiled and gave a little wave.

“Hi, Kenny.”

The tallest of the three smiled back, tentatively. “Hey, munchkin.”

Taryn pushed her way through the phalanx. “It’s okay,” she told the guys, then looked at him. “Angel.”

He hadn’t seen her in nearly two weeks. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She’d always been thin, but he would guess she’d lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose. Her eyes were wary; her mouth trembled at the corner.

In that moment, he saw what he’d done to her and he was ashamed. Taryn had been nothing but an unexpected gift and he’d emotionally brought her to her knees. What had he been thinking?

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “Taryn, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Incredibly wrong. When I lost Marie and Marcus, I kept telling myself that if I’d been there, I could have saved them. What I didn’t realize was that while that was true, it wasn’t real. I could never be there every second.”

A muscle tightened in her cheek. Otherwise, there were no changes and he didn’t know what she was thinking. Around them the parade went on. Music blared from speakers, and friends and family called out to their FWM girls as they walked by. Except in their little corner.

“I felt guilty and lost,” Angel continued. “I loved them. They were my family and then they were gone. I didn’t think I could go on. But I did. I made my way here and I started to heal.”

He took a chance and reached for her hand. She let him, but he continued to wonder what was going on behind those blue-violet eyes of hers.

“Then I met you.” He smiled. “You’re amazing. Smart and determined. Strong as...” He stopped as he remembered the Acorns listening intently. “Really strong. I was intrigued and impressed. I thought we would be good together. But I never thought I’d fall in love again. You see, I learned the wrong lesson from loving Marie and Marcus. Instead of learning that love is a gift to be treasured for as long as we have it, I learned that I hadn’t kept them safe. So I could never keep anyone safe.”

He heard a sniffle from behind him. Before he could turn and figure out who was upset, Kenny pushed past him and dropped to his knees.

“Munchkin, what’s wrong?”

“I’m okay,” Chloe said, sniffing again. “Sometimes I miss my dad. But Angel’s right. I loved him and he loved me and that’s like a gift.”

Kenny pulled the little girl to him. His hands were huge on her narrow back, but she clung to him fiercely. Kenny shot Taryn a “for God’s sake, help me” look, but she turned back to Angel.

“You kept me safe,” she told him. “You saved Regan and Chloe and me.”

“I know, and it scared me. That I could have lost you. That I was there. When you said...” He paused, aware of their audience. “You know what you said.”

“Did you tell him you love him?” Olivia asked. “My mom says men have trouble with that sometimes because they’re emotionally immature.”

“Gee, thanks,” Sam told the girl.

Taryn’s mouth twitched. She looked back at Angel. “When I said I loved you, you freaked out.”

“I did,” he admitted. “I felt guilty and confused. I wanted to be with you, but what if I couldn’t keep you safe, either? What if we had kids and something bad happened?”

The girls started whispering.

Taryn’s mouth curved up into a smile. “Stop,” she said. “No one is pregnant. Are we clear?”

Chloe stepped away from Kenny. “I’d like a little brother or sister. I’ve told Mom, but she says that isn’t going to happen.” She turned to Regan. “She would have to get married first.”

Angel swore under his breath. When had he lost control of the situation? This was not how he’d planned on telling Taryn how he felt.

He looked at her and realized control was nothing but an illusion. All any of them had was this moment. He’d been blessed with two amazing women in his life. It was about time he recognized that.

He pulled the wreath off his head and put it on Taryn’s, then reached for her other hand.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he told her, staring into her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize how lucky I was to have you love me. I’m sorry I disappeared without an explanation. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay,” she said slowly.

“I love you, Taryn. I think I have from the first time I saw you.”

Her lower lip began to tremble, but she didn’t speak. Tears filled her eyes.

He pulled her into his arms. She went easily, fitting in as if she’d always belonged with him. Her arms came around his body and pulled him close.

“I love you,” he whispered, so only she could hear. “For always. Later, I want to do it right. On one knee. But just so you know, I mean to marry you and grow old with you.”

“Naked?” she asked softly.

He pulled back a little and stared at her. “You want me na**d when I’m old?”

She giggled. “No. During the proposal.”

He gave her a slow smile. “I can make that happen.”

“What are they saying?” Allison asked. “I can’t hear them.”

“Probably for the best,” Jack said. “All right, you two. That’s enough emotion for any afternoon. Break it up. These girls have to be in a parade.”

Angel held out his hand to Taryn. “Come with us.”

Taryn felt the hole in her heart finally heal. She hadn’t been looking for love, but somehow it had found her. Found them. She took Angel’s hand and knew, no matter what, she was never letting go.

They stepped into the street and the girls walked with them.

When they reached the end of the parade, Denise Hendrix was waiting. As each girl walked by, she handed her a small wooden bead.

“The family bead,” Angel said.

Taryn pulled her leather bracelet out of her pocket. “I’m ready for mine.”

Denise saw them and smiled. They each took a bead. Before Taryn could put hers on her bracelet, he drew her close and kissed her.

“You know I agreed to continue with the grove,” he told her.

“I hadn’t heard.”

“I’m going to need an assistant.”

“Yes, you are.”

He touched her cheek. “I’d like it to be you.”

She sighed happily. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”

* * * * *

If you love Fool’s Gold, don’t miss this sneak peek

at Susan Mallery’s next delicious romance,

BEFORE WE KISS.