Chapter 19

Judy was reading a novel in the living room when the two of them returned. Kyle, she said, hadn’t even stirred while they’d been away.

“Did you two have a good time?” she asked, eyeing Denise’s flushed cheeks.

“Yes, we did,” Denise answered. “Thanks for watching Kyle.”

“My pleasure,” she said sincerely, slinging her purse over her shoulder and getting ready to leave.

Denise went back to check on Kyle as Taylor walked Judy to the car. He didn’t say much as they walked, and Judy hoped that it meant Taylor was as taken with Denise as she seemed to be with him.

Taylor was in the living room, squatting by a small cooler he’d removed from the back of the truck, when Denise emerged from Kyle’s room. He didn’t hear her close her son’s door, lost in what he was doing. Silently Denise watched as he slid open the top of the cooler and removed two crystal flutes. They clinked together as he shook the water off them, then he set them on the small table in front of the couch. He reached in again, this time pulling out a bottle of Champagne.

After peeling the foil off the top, he untwisted the wire that held the cork and popped the cork free in one easy movement. The bottle went onto the table, next to the flutes he’d brought. Once again he reached into the cooler, then fished out a plate of strawberries neatly wrapped in cellophane. Once the strawberries were unwrapped, he straightened everything on the table and pushed the cooler off to the side. After leaning back to get a better perspective, he seemed satisfied. He rubbed his hands on his pants, wiping the moisture from them, and glanced toward the hallway. At the sight of Denise standing there, he froze, an embarrassed expression on his face. Then, smiling bashfully, he stood.

“I thought this would be a nice surprise,” he said.

She looked toward the table and back at Taylor again, realizing she’d been holding her breath.

“It is,” she said.

“I didn’t know whether you liked wine or Champagne, so I just took a chance.”

Taylor’s eyes were fixed on her.

“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” she murmured. “I haven’t had Champagne in years.”

He reached for the bottle. “Can I pour you a glass?”

“Please.”

Taylor poured two glasses as Denise approached the table, suddenly a little unsteady. He handed one to her wordlessly, and all she could do was stare at him, wondering how long it had taken him to plan this.

“Wait, okay?” Denise said quickly, knowing exactly what was missing. Taylor watched as she set down her glass and ran to the kitchen. He listened as she rifled through a drawer, then saw her emerge again with two small candles and a book of matches. She set them on the table beside the Champagne and strawberries, then lit them. As soon as she turned out the lamp, the room was transformed, shadows dancing against the wall as she picked up her glass. In the glowing light she was more beautiful than ever.

“To you,” he said as they tapped their glasses together. She took a sip. The bubbles made her nose twitch, but it tasted wonderful.

He motioned to the couch, and they sat close to each other, her knee pulled up and resting against his thigh. Outside the window, the moon had risen and its light spilled through the clouds, turning them silver white. Taylor took another sip of Champagne, watching Denise.

“What are you thinking?” she asked. Taylor glanced away briefly before facing her again.

“I was thinking about what would have happened had you never been in the accident that night.”

“I would have had my car,” she declared, and Taylor laughed before growing serious again.

“But do you think I’d be here now, if it hadn’t happened?”

Denise considered it. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I’d like to think so, though. My mom used to believe that people were destined for one another. That’s a romantic idea that young girls have, and I guess part of me still believes it.”

Taylor nodded. “My mom used to say that, too. I think that’s one of the reasons why she never remarried. She knew there could never be anyone to replace my father. I don’t think my mom’s even considered dating anyone since the day he died.”

“Really?”

“That’s how it always seemed to me, anyway.”

“I’m sure you’re wrong about that, Taylor. Your mom’s only human, and we all need companionship.”

As soon as she’d said it, she realized she was talking about herself as much as she was about Judy. Taylor, however, didn’t seem to notice.

Instead he smiled. “You don’t know her as well as I do.”

“Maybe, but remember, my mother went through the same things your mom did. She mourned my father always, but I know she still felt the desire to be loved by someone.”

“Did she date?”

Denise nodded, taking a sip of her Champagne. Shadows flickered across his features.

“After a couple of years, she did. She saw a few men seriously, and there were times I thought I’d have a new stepfather soon, but none of them ever worked out.”

“Did that make you angry? Her dating, I mean?”

“No, not at all. I wanted my mom to be happy.”

Taylor raised an eyebrow before draining the last of his Champagne. “I don’t know if I would have been as mature about it as you were.”

“Maybe not. But your mom’s still young. There may still come a time when it happens.”

Taylor brought the glass to his lap, realizing he’d never even imagined the possibility.

“What about you? Did you think you’d be married by now?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said wryly. “I had it all worked out. Graduate at twenty-two, married by twenty-five, my first child at thirty. It was a great plan, except that absolutely none of it worked out the way I thought it would.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I was,” she admitted, “for a long time. I mean, my mom always had this idea of what my life would be like and never missed the opportunity to remind me. And she meant well, I know she did. She wanted me to learn from her mistakes, and I was willing to do that. But when she died . . . I don’t know. I guess for a while there I forgot everything she’d taught me.”

She stopped, a pensive look on her face.

“Because you got pregnant?” he asked gently.

Denise shook her head. “No, not because I got pregnant, though that was part of it. It was more that after she died, I felt like she wouldn’t be looking over my shoulder all the time, evaluating everything in my life. And of course, she wasn’t, and I took advantage of that. It wasn’t until later that I realized the things my mom said weren’t meant to hold me back, they were for my own benefit so that all my own dreams could come true.”

“We all make mistakes, Denise-”

She held up a hand, cutting him off. “I’m not saying it because I feel sorry for myself now. Like I said, I’m not disappointed anymore. These days, when I think about my mom, I know she’d be proud of the decisions I’ve made over the last five years.”

She hesitated before taking a deep breath. “I think she’d also like you.”

“Because I’m nice to Kyle?”

“No,” she answered. “My mom would like you because you’ve made me happier in the last two weeks than I have been in the last five years.”

Taylor could only stare at her, humbled by the emotion behind her words. She was so honest, so vulnerable, so incredibly beautifu . . .

In the glowing candlelight, sitting close, she looked at him squarely, her eyes lit with mystery and compassion, and it was at that moment that Taylor McAden fell in love with Denise Holton.

All the years of wondering exactly what that meant, all the years of loneliness, had led to this place, this here and now. He reached out and took her hand, feeling the softness of her skin as a well of tenderness rose within him.

As he touched her cheek, Denise closed her eyes, willing this memory to last forever. She knew intuitively the meaning of Taylor’s touch, the words he’d left unspoken. Not because she’d come to know him so well. She knew because she’d fallen in love with him at exactly the same time.