Chapter Twenty-One
Her son.
After all these years, she could hardly believe she was here with him. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but not this talkative, curious kid who seemed so well-adjusted, despite everything he’d been through.
She got a kick out of the way that he’d attached himself to Rick, probably because he’d apparently had women taking care of him most of his life. But when he’d gotten tired at the end of the day after going for a long walk and going to the nearby restaurant to eat, Shanna had been the one he’d snuggled up to on the couch near the roaring fire that Rick had started when they’d returned after dinner.
It felt like she had a real family, Shanna realized. There was the tender way that Rick kept looking into her eyes. It was something that she’d never experienced before.
She was taken aback at how much she desired him. For the first time in her life, she wanted to know what it would be like to be with a man who wanted her for more than an object of sexual gratification.
But that would have to wait, despite her sudden yearning. They barely knew each other. She felt like she was lacking, never having had the opportunity to even finish high school. Look at Rick. He’d mentioned he was in the Air Force and had been working in search in rescue until he’d been injured and recruited by Jake.
Shanna gently stroked Johnny’s cheek. He was a handsome boy, but it made her nervous to say so, thinking of what could have happened to him in the hands of someone like her father.
“What’s wrong?” Rick whispered.
“I was just thinking about what could have happened to Johnny if my dad would have followed through with his threats,” she admitted.
“Oh, Shanna,” Rick groaned. “I have a feeling you’re going to be having trust issues for the rest of your life.”
“I know enough to realize that I’m going to have to get help, Rick, and talk with a shrink. It might be a long time before I feel any sense of self-worth. I don’t even have a high school degree,” she said softly.
“I don’t look at you like that,” he said. “Even a man like Wes saw the real you. What you need to do now is just celebrate the fact that you’ve found your son.” Rick sighed. “Shanna, I’m telling you now, nothing you do is ever going to make me turn away from you. Maybe you’re not ready for marriage or a relationship yet, but I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You’d do that for me?”
“I’d do that for us , Shanna. Like you said, I’ve always been with you, no matter how lonely you were, but you’ve always been there with me too. I could never shake away my thoughts of you, no matter how I tried to tell myself that there was nothing I could do. It was a video image of you that brought me back to Crystal Rock, you know.”
“I didn’t,” she whispered.
“How would you feel if I kissed you? Nothing more,” he said.
“I’d like that,” she agreed.
Bending over, his mouth met hers. Sweet and tender as it was, the kiss filled her heart with desire.
“It’s kind of like magic with us, isn’t it?” he asked, smiling wryly.
Tears filled her eyes once again as she nodded her agreement.
He smiled. “I’m going to leave you here with Johnny and go get some sleep. I have a feeling that you really don’t want to leave him alone tonight.”
“You’re right.”
“Let me go get you a couple blankets and pillows. Luckily, that leather sectional is made for sleeping.”
A few minutes later, Shanna finally fell asleep holding Johnny in her arms.