Midnight Kisses Page 10

  Only three weeks and he was already falling in love with her. He didn’t want to acknowledge the word, but there was nothing else that it could be.

  Under the covers he hardened again. This woman had the ability to control him. She worked her magic and he loved it. He loved what she did to him and he loved what she made him do. The passion he shared with his first wife had been incredible, but with Renée things even went further.

  Renée stirred and her eyes opened slowly. She smiled up at him.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “No, thank you,” he responded.

  “Mutual admiration,” she said, laughter in her voice.

  “I’m serious,” he said. “I haven’t felt like this in years. It’s like a heavy weight has finally been lifted and I can breathe.”

  “It’s healing,” she replied. His fingers ran along her arm. She shivered. He knew how to arouse her.

  “No, it’s you,” he repeated.

  “Not really. I may have just come at the right time, but you were ready for this.”

  “At least I’ve made a start. Hopefully, I don’t have too much further to go.” His fingers had traveled upward and now trailed along one firm breast. “I know I need to make a trip back home to where Lorraine and Chelsea are buried. I need to say goodbye to them. I have to do that before I can move on.”

  “And what about the rest of your family? That’s part of your healing. You won’t be complete if you don’t talk to them.”

  “I know how you feel about this, Renée, but I know my family. I’m not sure if I want to see them yet. They didn’t even try to find me.”

  “But isn’t that what you wanted? For them not to find you,” she replied.

  “I don’t know. I may have wanted them to find me. The past three years have been crazy years for me. Sometimes I’m not even sure what I wanted in that first year.” She could hear the sadness in his voice and she ached for him.

  “But your family is important.”

  “Let’s not talk about my family anymore. I’ll call them. Soon. But not now. I’m not ready.”

  Renée didn’t reply. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his family. He did. But he was ashamed. He’d left them without one word…and maybe they were annoyed with him. He’d take his time…He’d get around to calling them. Maybe at Christmas. Or Thanksgiving. He knew he now had a lot to be thankful for.

  His life was still a good one. He had a good job and even though he was no longer in the ministry, he made a difference. He’d loved counseling before the tragedy, but he loved his work now just as much.

  He worked before to bring people to salvation. He’d been one of those ministers who called down fire and brimstone. His focus had been enforcing the rules, his rules. Today he offered them love, compassion and healing. That alone made him proud of what he did.

  He drew nearer to Renée, placing his arms around her, her back curved into his stomach. She felt good next to him. He could see himself waking each morning with his arms around her. Fanciful thinking. Or was it? It was strange that even a few months ago he’d vowed that he would never marry again. But things had definitely changed. He’d changed. Now the future suddenly didn’t look like a long, narrow, empty road. Tonight, the images he saw painted in the canvas of his imagination bloomed with flowers and vibrant color. And he owed it all to this beautiful, generous woman, who touched people’s lives and had certainly touched his.

  Her breathing slowed and soon she was fast asleep. Daniel stayed awake, thinking about her and how he’d changed long into the early morning hours and it was only when the sun peeked between the curtains that he finally fell into a quiet, untroubled sleep.

  The next morning after Daniel left, Renée opened the paper to see Alana Buchanan, the artist, and her husband, Taurean, staring out at her. She immediately saw the resemblance. Daniel and Taurean could easily pass for twins, and only a discerning eye would be able to distinguish the subtle evidence of an age difference.

  While Daniel’s eyes concealed all his thoughts, Taurean’s eyes sparkled with life, and from the way he was looking at his wife in the photo, Renée could tell he adored her. Renée’s envy surprised her. But she knew why. She wanted that for herself. She wanted Daniel Buchanan to look at her with that same adoring, devoted look.

  Renée read the article slowly. The show was scheduled for the next day at the Alan Koppel Gallery. She had to try to reach them. A part of her knew that she was intruding where she didn’t belong, but she was encouraged by her need to help Daniel. He needed to be with his family and an opportunity like this couldn’t be passed up. She knew he was going to be angry, but she could deal with him. She had to do this because she was thinking about him.

  She picked the phone up and dialed the Marriott where they were staying. She asked to be connected to their room. “Hello,” said a deep male voice, so similar to Daniel’s.

  “Hello, may I speak to Taurean Buchanan?” she asked.

  “Yes, this is he.”

  “I’m sorry to call you at this time, Mr. Buchanan. I’m calling you about your brother, Daniel.”

  “Daniel? Who is this? This had better not be a joke!” Renée could tell he was annoyed.

  She tried to calm him by reassuring him that the call was legitimate. As quickly as she could, she explained who she was and why she was calling.

  Ten minutes later the call came to an end. Taurean had asked for Daniel’s address. He promised he’d go there that night when Daniel was home. Renée hadn’t expected things to move so quickly and experienced a slight feeling of dread.

  Tomorrow, or later tonight, would tell how he would respond to her intrusion. She knew he’d be angry, but she was convinced she’d done the right thing.

  Daniel stood, water cascading around him. He’d taken a well-deserved bath, and soaking himself within the soppy suds seemed to bring relief from a stressful day. Now that he was showering off, he thought back to the evening he had had.

  Jerome had got into an altercation at school and had been sent home on suspension. The boy had refused to fight back, remembering that Daniel had told him how proud of him he was. Daniel was torn up when he’d rushed over to Jerome’s grandmother’s home. He had seen the tears in the boy’s eyes. So much for the bravado Jerome tried so hard to show when the other boys were around. He kept saying, “See, I didn’t fight back. I didn’t fight back.”

  Daniel swelled with pride and only left the apartment when Jerome had finally fallen asleep. He promised he would return in the morning.

  Now, he strolled out of the bathroom, drying his skin as he contemplated aimlessly.

  The doorbell rang.

  Damn, who could it be at this hour? he wondered. He wrapped the towel around him and rushed to the door. There was no one there. He eased the door open and peeped out, only to see a back that seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place the person immediately.

  The man turned around at the sound of the opening door.

  Daniel’s heartbeat accelerated.

  Taurean.

  He was at a loss for words.

  Taurean hesitated for the briefest of moments, uncertainty scrawled across his face. Then he moved quickly, at a speed that belied his size. He wrapped his arms around Daniel, almost desperately. Daniel felt the moisture on his cheek and wondered if it was his brother’s or his.

  Never in his imagination had he expected his reconciliation with Taurean to be like this. He wondered how Taurean knew where to find him, but in time he’d find that out. Now, he just wanted to feel the comfort his brother’s arms offered.

  “I really think we should go inside before your neighbors get the wrong idea.”

  Daniel withdrew, glanced around, and they both laughed.

  He placed his arm around his brother’s shoulders and dragged him playfully into the apartment, closing the door behind them.

  There was silence, as if after the show of affection they were both unsure of what to say.

  “So, how are
you doing, Daniel?” Taurean finally asked.

  “I’m doing fine,” he replied, his voice filled with emotion.

  “You know I’m pretty angry with you.”

  “I suspected that much,” Daniel said, knowing. “And you’re still not worried about saying what’s on your mind, I see.”

  “Yeah, one of those things we have in common,” Taurean said, then paused. “You’ve changed,” Taurean commented, “in a good way. You’re not as stiff as you used to be. You’re more relaxed, softer.”

  “Well, I can’t argue with that. Come, sit down so we can talk. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Give me a minute. I need to call Alana and let her know I found the place or else I’m sure my cell phone is going to ring soon.”

  Taurean pulled his BlackBerry out and made a quick call. Again, Daniel saw the spark of happiness in his eyes and heard the gentleness in his voice.

  “Love you,” were the last words he heard his brother say before he disconnected the call.

  “Okay, Alana is a lot happier now. When I get back to the hotel we’re going to call Melissa and Joanne.”

  “They must be a handful by now.”

  “Oh, yeah, both of them. Melissa is at one of the leading high schools on the island, The St. Michael School. And Joanne is just Joanne—smart, energetic and a handful.”

  “You don’t need to say any more. If she has taken after any one of us, especially you, I can imagine.”

  They both laughed and then they were silent again.

  “So when did you plan to call, to contact us? I was worried. I mean, it’s been three years.”

  Daniel sighed. “I’m sorry, Taurean, but I needed to do what I did. Lorraine and Chelsea’s deaths devastated me. I needed to save myself.”

  “I know, but I could have been there for you. You didn’t let me,” Taurean said.

  “You mean like I should have been there for you? When I left, I hated myself. I hated the person I’d become. Now I look back, I didn’t know how you all dealt with me. I was horrible.”

  “You were, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t worried. I was worried. A night hasn’t passed when I haven’t thought about you, wondered if you were all right. At least now I’ll be able to get a comfortable night’s sleep.

  “I’m sorry,” was all Daniel could say.

  “Life for me has been wonderful. I have a beautiful wife who loves me and two of the greatest kids any man could want. But I need my brothers.” He looked directly into Daniel’s eyes. “Each one of my brothers.”

  “If it’s any conciliation, I was planning to call some time soon.”

  “Well, I’m glad your girlfriend called.”

  “Girlfriend? Renée? Renée called?”

  So she had done the calling.

  “Yes, about an hour ago. She sounded worried about you. Is there something to worry about?” Taurean asked.

  “No,” he said quickly.

  Taurean stared at him. “Okay, I’ll trust you. If she would call me, she must be someone special. I know you, and you still can’t lie to me.”

  “She’s beautiful and I’m attracted to her but she confuses me.”

  “Sounds just the way I feel about Alana.”

  They laughed.

  “So what are you doing in the Windy City?” Daniel asked.

  “Alana is having a show at the Alan Koppel Gallery,” Taurean replied.

  “That’s great. She must be doing really well to have an exhibition there.”

  “Oh, yeah. She makes more money on one painting than the resort does in months, and it isn’t doing too badly, so that should give you an idea of the kind of money she commands.”

  “That’s good. You must be so proud of her.”

  “I am. You have to come to the opening tomorrow night…and bring your girlfriend. We’ll go out to dinner afterward. Alana will be glad to see you.” Daniel hesitated.

  “You can’t not come,” Taurean insisted. “Alana will be disappointed. I have no intention of losing you for another three years. I already lost you for those seven years I was in prison and your recent time in exile. You owe me.”

  “If you put it like that. I’ll call Renée and let her know.”

  “Good. I wish I could stay longer, but I should really get back.”

  Taurean stood and Daniel followed suit.

  “It’s been good to see you, Bro. I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too,” Daniel replied.

  They gave each other one of those warm, brotherly hugs that had been so much a part of the Buchanan household.

  “I love you, Bro,” Taurean said. “We’re going to talk. We have so much catching up to do. And you know Alana will be showing you all the photos of the kids tomorrow night.”

  “I look forward to seeing them. I didn’t even ask how you got here.”

  “A hired car. Renée gave me the directions so it wasn’t difficult to find the apartment building. I haven’t been in Barbados that long, so I still remember the city.”

  When Taurean left, he picked up the phone and dialed Renée’s number.

  “Hi,” she said timidly. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything’s okay.”

  “You’re not too angry with me, I hope?” she asked, uncertainty filling her voice.

  “I should be angry, but I’m not,” he reassured her. “I didn’t realize that I wanted to see my family so much. Seeing Taurean makes things different. Of course I’m a little annoyed that you called them even though I told you not to, but my brother is my brother.”

  Relief was evident in her voice. “I’m glad things worked out okay. I’m sorry for calling but I knew I had to. I couldn’t let him come here and you not see him.”

  “He invited me to the opening of the show tomorrow. You’re invited, too. You can’t refuse. Taurean is looking forward to meeting you.”

  “I’d love to join you,” she responded.

  Daniel heard a beep.

  “Sorry, Daniel. I have to go,” Renée said. “I’m expecting this call. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.”

  Renée was right. She’d done what she’d done, but in the process she’d disregarded his wishes. He’d wanted to do things on his own time and she’d made the choice for him.

  He did, however, understand her reason for doing what she did. Renée was so accustomed to helping people that she would think she had to help him. Daniel hoped this wasn’t why she’d been so willing to spend time with him. That she saw him as some troubled, tragic hero who needed to be healed. A feeling of dread caused a physical pain in his gut. It immediately reminded him of when he’d lost his family.

  He breathed in deeply. He had to take control of his life. He’d basked too long in the shadow of his past. Here he was again, blaming external forces for his state of mind when he was in control of who he was, who he’d become.

  Maybe this was a new start for him.

  Though he was off of work tomorrow, he planned on spending the day with Jerome. Here he was wallowing in his own despair and there was a young boy out there without a father or a friend. He had decided to do this work because he wanted to work with kids. He’d felt something for Jerome yesterday. He’d felt his heart cry out.

  He enjoyed working with kids, always did, but since starting at the Center, he’d kept them at a distance—until Jerome. He didn’t know why his thoughts were heading in that direction, but the boy needed a father. He was single and he was a counselor.

  He’d spend some time with him and see where it went from there. Maybe it would keep his mind off of everything else that was going on. Tomorrow night he’d spend time with Taurean and his wife. Renée would be there.

  Change. He’d always thought that change brought sadness with it. Instead, now he realized that change could bring something good.

  Daniel finished eating his breakfast quickly and arrived at the Center just as the night shift was going off. He greeted his colleagues and explained that he knew it was his of
f day, but that he was in to do some work. He informed the counselor on duty that he wanted to see Jerome as soon as he arrived. He worked steadily on finishing the reports he needed to complete by month’s end and was on the last one when there was a knock on his door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  Jerome walked in, bedecked in his usual getup.

  “Yo, man,” he greeted Daniel.

  “Yo,” he responded.

  “I heard you wanted to see me.”

  “What are your plans for the day?” Daniel asked him.

  “Well, I was going to hang with my boys later and then I have this chick to meet.”

  “That means my plans can’t work.”

  “What plans you mean, man?”

  “I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang with me today.”

  “For real?” he asked and then stopped. “Man, it’s cool. I can give my friends a call and let them know I’m going hang out with a friend. And I’m the man, I’ll let the girl know, another time. She won’t mind.”

  Daniel smiled. “So it’s on then.”

  “Yeah, man. I can spare you a few hours of my valuable time.”

  “Okay, I’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes. I just need to get this report completed.”

  “I’ll go outside and hang until you’re ready.”

  Jerome left the room, whistling. Daniel knew he’d made the right decision. He was sure Jerome didn’t have any plans for the day, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit it. In time, he hoped Jerome would learn to trust him.

  Renée walked out of the changing room and turned around, striking a sensual pose.

  “I totally approve,” Cheryl exclaimed. “You’re going to have him lusting after you all night.”

  “Okay, let me put it back. I want to look classy and elegant. I’m going to the opening of an art show. I don’t want my date to feel like he’s escorting someone without class.”

  “Renée, you know what I mean. You do look classy and elegant and sexy. The dress is perfect for the show. I’m not letting you leave unless you buy it.”

  “Okay, I do love it.” Renée giggled. “You know me and red. But I’m going to be broke for the rest of the month.”