Chasing Air (17 page)

Makenzie made a mental note that there were two bedrooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs, along with a game room for kids to play. She stood in the kitchen and looked out over the family room. She thought about children and her mind drifted to what it would be like to have babies with Ryler.

“Mak, what did you think about the pool?”

No answer.

“The game room would make a great media room too, yes?”

No answer.

He’d called out to her several times, but it was obvious that she was daydreaming. He put his hand on her hip and pulled her close to his side, resting his chin on her head.

“Hey, where did you drift off to?”

“I was thinking about the game room upstairs with kids playing, and my mind went to what it would be like to have babies with you.”

“Oh, is that all?” He played it cool. “You had me worried there for a minute. I thought you might not like the house.”

“I love this one. The house is beautiful and the pool will be, with some landscaping work. You think this is the one?”

“Mmm, yep, I do. I’ll tell Cooper to make an offer.”

They hung around the house for a little while looking for a place to put in a doggie-door and watching Daisy play. With the contract offered, Ryler tormented her with his surprise.

“Off to our next stop!” he said with a beautiful grin.

When they arrived at the McKinney Airport, Makenzie was a bit confused. She knew he had something up his sleeve again, but she had no clue as to what. She saw David and turned to look at Ryler. “What’s he doing here?” Nothing seemed to make sense.

“Patience, grasshopper.” He gave a low, sexy laugh. He knew he was tormenting her, but he loved every minute of it.

David and his dad started pulling long lines of cord and fabric out of the trailer before wheeling out a large basket crate. She realized it was the hot air balloon that David was always talking about. At that moment, she thought she would just be watching hot air balloons. She had no idea of what was to come.

“We’re going to watch hot air balloons?” she asked with excitement.

“It’s my first time, I was hoping that it was yours, too?” He avoided her actual question, hoping she didn’t catch him.

With everything assembled, David’s dad, Pete, had the balloon fired up and ready to go. He opened the door to the basket and invited Makenzie in. She turned in excitement to Ryler, “I get to ride? Aren’t you going with me?”

“Babe, this ride, I wouldn’t miss.” He joined her and Daisy in the basket. They waved goodbye to David as he watched them rise higher and drift off. It was a beautiful day with calm winds and the perfect day for a flight, according to Pete.

Makenzie and Ryler were in awe of the ride.

When they were a bit settled and used to the movements of the balloon, Ryler took Makenzie’s hand.

“I want to spend the rest of my life chasing air with you.” He dropped to one knee and took out a black box from his jacket pocket. “Makenzie Holder, I’d be honored if you would grow old with me. Make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me?”

With tears of joy filling her eyes, Makenzie leaned down to kiss him, “Yes, I thought you’d never ask!” She whispered. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. I told you I’d wait you out, my girl.” He kissed her hand.

“That you did. I can’t wait to tell my family,” she said while wiping tears away.

“They already know, I got their blessing before they left.”

***

Four weeks later, Ryler had just finished moving his things into the new house. They were together at Makenzie’s apartment, packing for the final stage of moving her things into the new house. The movers were taking the last few items down to the truck when Makenzie noticed that Daisy was not in her carrier and not perched on her bed. The search began for the little puppy.  She looked everywhere, but Daisy was nowhere to be found.

Makenzie was at the end of her rope. Tired from packing and stressed over wedding details, she didn’t want to think that she’d lost Daisy.

“What are you looking for?” Ryler asked her as she opened and closed cabinet doors. “We’ve emptied those already.”

“I’ve lost Daisy.”

“You mean Miss Busybody has disappeared?” He poked fun at her, but he put his detective skills to work and went downstairs. He called out for Daisy, but couldn’t find her. The way she liked to climb into things gave him an idea. He went over to the moving truck and asked the movers to open the last few boxes that had recently been loaded. Tucked into the box containing Makenzie’s clothes was the puppy, all nice and cozy, taking a nap. The guys shared a laugh and Ryler shook his head, before picking up the little rascal and taking her back upstairs, stowing her in the carrier.

“Where was she?” Makenzie gasped in amazement at how fast he found her.

“Hitchin’ a ride with the movers. You packed her up in a box with your clothes.”

Makenzie snickered and shook her finger at Ms. Daisy. “We’ll have our hands full with her at the new house. She has way too many square feet to hide in.”

“I think she needs a playmate,” he said as he came up behind her, pulling her close.

Makenzie just turned to him and glared. “She’s a handful. At least she won’t be going to work with me anymore since you put in the doggie door at the house.”

She went back to the last box, wrapping up the last few dishes. When done, she taped the box shut.

“You know you loved having her in your office.” He laughed at her with his hands on his hips.

“Well, she might need a playmate, but I don’t think we need another dog right now.”

“I wasn’t talking about a dog.”

Makenzie turned her body to face him in slow motion. “No cats, I’m allergic.”

“No, not talking about a cat either. How about a baby?”

Makenzie dropped the taping gun and slowly raised her eyes up to look up at Ryler. “You want to have a baby?” Her eyes misted over immediately. Her heart began to race with excitement at the thought of having his baby. She’d been wanting to talk about having kids, but didn’t want to rush things. They weren’t even married yet and so much had happened over the last few months.

“I want to start trying as soon as you’re ready, there’s no rush.”

Makenzie wrapped her body around him. “Want to start right now?” She nibbled at his neck.

Ryler reared his head back in laughter, “Um, in case you forgot, we’re in the middle of a move. We have big guys and a big truck downstairs to deal with.”

“Dang, what’s a girl gotta do to get lucky then?”

“Hurry up with the last boxes and get your ass to my...um...
our
house. I have a surprise for you.”

“Sweet. I love your surprises.”

She kissed him passionately and tried to maneuver them to the bathroom, but he grabbed a hold of the door facing. “Nope, you’re not getting it right now. Go, move your ass. I’m heading out with them. I’ll take this box down and I’ll meet you at the house.”

Not even a kiss bye, dang, he wasn’t playing fair, but was teasing her by playing hard to get
, she thought to herself.

Makenzie grabbed her purse and Daisy’s carrier, and walked around to check that she hadn’t forgotten anything.

When she walked towards the french doors going out to the balcony, she had a flashback to the night she thought the door had been purposely jammed. She hadn’t checked the locks once since Drew died. She’d finally let her ghosts die with him. Therapy was helping, and the love that she and Ryler shared was more than anything she could’ve ever imagined for herself.

She went into the property management office on her way out to turn in her key. She and Sarah were talking about Sarah’s pregnancy when Jonathan walked in. At first, the conversation was awkward about her moving, but when he noticed her ring, she saw the sadness in his eyes.

“When we were together, I really thought I might be the one putting a ring on your finger. I really messed things up, didn’t I?”

“It wasn’t you. I’d already committed my heart to someone else, I just wasn’t ready to accept it. Ryler is a great guy, he’s the one for me. I’m sorry if I hurt you, it’s not something I meant to do. You’ll meet the right person, for you and for Trippe. When you do, I want to hear all about her over coffee.”

The look he gave her when she moved passed him made her heart ache. She knew what she had begun to mean to him, but some of his actions reminded her of Drew and for that reason alone, they would’ve never worked.

“Friends?” he asked.

“Always.”

She walked out of the lofts able to leave her old life behind and excited about her future.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Makenzie pulled into her spot into the garage at the new house. The movers were unloading the last bit of her things. She yelled for Ryler, but didn’t find him until she went outside. He was in the backyard discussing the final plans with Manny, a landscape designer.

“Hey you,” she said, snuggling up to his side.

“The movers are on the last few pieces. They need you to sign off on the load list, they said I couldn’t do it.”

“Got it. And what have we here?” She smiled as she looked around at all the beautiful plants sitting on the patio and in the yard.

He looked around. “I think they call it progress. Manny is telling me that they will be done in a couple of days. But he needs to know where you want to put this?” He held up a photo of a koi pond.

“A koi fish pond, really?”

“Yep, complete with a bridge and waterfall. He’s picked two spots where it will work great, but if we put it here, we won’t be able to have a playscape in the future.” He pointed to an area over in the corner. “But if we put it over to the left side of the pool, he can tie it all in. Which would you prefer?”

“I think maybe leave room for a playscape. It’s beautiful, I love it.”

When she left, Ryler and Manny finished with

their plans. With only the last few boxes left to unpack, she took a break and joined Ryler in the backyard. He stood there gazing out into the distance. A cold November air rustled past them as she snuggled against his back.

“You make me feel special,” she said, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He took her arm and pulled her around to face him. “I love your spirit, your fiery passion. You’re the most cherished blessing I have.”

“Strange how we came together, isn’t it?”

“Not strange, Mak, it was fate.”

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tightly to his chest. “By the way, did you see that new collar I got for Daisy? I laid it on the kitchen counter.”

“Yes, it’s blue. You got her a boy’s collar?”

He realized she didn’t even look at it or pick it up, and started laughing. “Well, I didn’t think about the color being an issue. It was the only one with a bell on it. Now, you’ll be able to hear Ms. Priss wherever she manages to hide, unless she’s asleep, which isn’t often.”

“That’s just the puppy stage, she’ll slow down. Hey, what do you want for dinner? I’m heading to the store.”

“I’ll go with you. All the boxes unpacked?”

“Just a couple left, kitchen stuff.”

“Let’s knock ’em out and then we’ll go.”

They unpacked the last of the boxes and put the new collar on Daisy. Makenzie frowned at the blue color.

“You’ll thank me when she’s missing the next time.”

Chris called Ryler’s cell phone while they were on the way to the store. They had a new homicide case and he needed Ryler to meet him at the crime scene. Ryler turned the car around and headed home.

Makenzie was deep in her own thoughts while doing the shopping. She reminisced about how with everything happy in her life, Ryler was behind it. She couldn’t wait to become his wife at Christmas. What a way to start a new year and a new life. Because she was going to be off both the Christmas and New Year holidays, she had agreed to cover Thanksgiving. A luxury of being the boss over the calendar. She and Ryler both enjoyed snow skiing, so Aspen was the perfect honeymoon for them.

She was unloading groceries when she realized that Daisy wasn’t under her feet. She called out to her, but Daisy didn’t come running, not even with the promise of a treat. She went looking for her and heard the bell. She laughed out loud at the sound and knew she would have to confess to Ryler. Daisy was busy digging a hole at the fence trying to get into the neighbor’s yard. Daisy was completely covered in dirt. “You little devil. I’m gone just a few minutes and you’re trying to dig your way to China. As bad as you hate a bath, maybe you won’t dig when you learn it leads to a bath every time.”

With the bath over, the hole filled, and Daisy’s mess cleaned up, Makenzie finished sorting all of her clothes in their huge closet. Her phone rang and it was her mom calling with all the details of their trip. They were going to come and stay most of the week, but she wanted to give her a hint that Cessa was bringing Rob, the guy she’d been seeing, for them to meet.

“Mom, do you think this is the one?”

“I do. You and Ryler are going to love him and the fact that you have a great deal in common with him will help him feel welcomed. He’s a pediatric plastic surgeon doing missionary work in Haiti, but he’s wanting to move to a great location and open his own practice. I’ll let Cessa fill you in on all those details.”

There was something that her mom wasn’t telling her and she was a bit annoyed. She hated being the last to know the family gossip. She had talked to Cessa many times over the last few weeks and all she had mentioned about him was they were casually dating. “I’m calling Cessa, she needs to spill on the secrets.” She laughed.

“How are the wedding plans coming, Jud...?” She was just about to call Makenzie by her old name. No one had mentioned that name since the events of that night.

“It’s okay, Mom, you don’t have to hide behind it. I won’t fall apart if you say my name. It’s just that around here, no one knows who Judith is. I don’t want to give Drew’s family a reason to come here and start trouble.”

“Has something happened that would make you think that?”

“Oh no, Mom. They know everything and could find me with no problem, but they are so high on the FBI watch list that I think they’d be afraid to. Every case he was working on was opened up once he died. Hey, Mom, someone’s at the door. I’ll call you later. Love you.”

When she opened the door, she recognized the woman standing in front of her from the internet photos. “Ms. Sharcova, what brings you by?”

“You know who I am?” The tall, attractive blonde spoke with a deep, smoker’s voice.

“I’ve done my homework. Why are you here?”

“My business is with Ryler. Please let him know I’m here.” She aggressively stepped into the home uninvited.

“You should’ve performed the appropriate social etiquette and phoned first. He’s at work.” Makenzie took a step back, but held the door open.

Petra whirled on her expensive heels and glared at Makenzie.  “He’ll never marry you, you know that, right? He’ll back out. He does that every time he gets close. He never forgave himself for his ex losing their baby when he wasn’t here and for her leaving him.”

“Well, you waste no time getting to the point, do you? And aren’t you just full of knowledge. Look, you need to leave. You’re not welcome here. Don’t come back.” Makenzie was furious, but something Petra said hurt even deeper: she mentioned a baby.

“He’s a great lover, isn’t he?”

“Get out.”

“Fine, I’ll leave, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. He just can’t commit. He’ll quickly realize that you don’t satisfy his needs or replace what he lost.”

“Get the hell out of our house.”

“You say that like you own the place, but your time here is short lived. He’ll come back to me, you’ll see.”

Makenzie shut the door softly behind Petra, but she really wanted to slam it. She didn’t want to give the bitch the satisfaction. She sent Ryler a text that didn’t give her anxiety away.

Makenzie: starting dinner unless you’re pulling an all-nighter

Ryler: leaving now. c
u in 20 luv u

Makenzie: luv you more

Ryler: More huh? we’ll c about that when I get u naked

A few minutes later, Ryler walked through the door humming a tune she didn’t know. Daisy was under foot with her jingle bell collar going nuts.

“Maybe I should’ve put more thought into that noisy bell.”

“Well, it helped me earlier when she was outside digging while I was at the store. Um, we need to talk about something else though.”

“Petra?”

“Did she call you?”

“Yep.”

“Did she tell you she was here and that she was a total bitch?”

“The part where she was here, yes. The bitch part, no. Look, she’s just being territorial. We haven’t seen each other in over a year. It’s just what she does. Don’t believe a word she says. She’ll get the hint and go away.” He tried to make light of her invading their relationship.

“I get all that. It’s something else that she said that I wanted to ask you about. She said that you get close to committing, but then you don’t. Did you ever ask her to marry you?”

“She talked about it. I never did, and I would’ve never married her. Again, she’s just trying to run you off. She’s pissed that it’s not her.” He was typing something into his phone and not completely paying attention to Makenzie.

“Fine, I get all that. But what about the baby?”

His phone crashed to the floor suddenly. A look of pain flooded his face. He couldn’t answer her, he just stared back with a guarded look.

“Are you okay?” She approached him, picking up his phone and handing it back to him.

“I never told her about the baby. No one knew that story except a few of the guys on the force and my parents. They never talked to her, they didn’t like her. How did Petra know any of that?”

“Something’s not right with this. When did you actually meet Petra?”

“I’ve known her for about eight years. She would follow guys around from the force, getting material to use in her books. She had a press pass.”

“So you knew her before Cyndi ever left?”

“Yes, but we...Mak I was never unfaithful to Cyndi. You have to believe me. I loved my wife. I never forgave myself about being gone so long the night she lost the baby. I wasn’t here for her and she blamed me. Hell, I blamed myself. It took me so long to get over her leaving. It all just happened so wrong, you know.”

“I don’t think she left on her own. I think she was pushed out. I think Petra tried to run her off.”

Ryler began to process everything. He took a seat on the sofa, his head between his knees. His body shook with disgust.
What had Petra done
, he asked himself? The signs were all there, he just hadn’t noticed them.

He took his phone and made a call. “I want to see you, can you come back to my place?” His paused to listen, “No, she went back to her office. How long?” He hung up and turned to Mak. “Petra’s on her way here. When she gets here, I want you to hide, but within hearing distance. I want a witness. I think she may have caused Cyndi to lose the baby. If I can prove it, I’ll see to it that she’s punished. Losing the baby crippled Cyndi emotionally. I can’t take away her pain, but I can see to it that Petra pays for what she did.”

He wiped the tears from his face. Mak held on to him, her love giving him the permission he needed to wrap up his own demons. Makenzie wasn’t the only one in their relationship that had to make peace with a past.