Page 31 of Finding Hope

Jonathon wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked toward the doors. “How did you know this was my favorite restaurant?” He simply shrugged and gave her the smile she loved.

The hostess led them to a table by the front window. It had a lit candle sticking out of a wine bottle in the middle of the table. He ordered himself a beer and she ordered an iced tea. Gloria, the owner, stopped by to say hello before their waitress brought their drinks and took their orders.

“I got Josie in to see a therapist who deals with children. She can see Josie on Thursday,” he said. “My sergeant has already given me approval to have the day off. If you have to work, do you think Mary or Kasey could watch Henry?”

It made her so happy that Jonathon was getting Josie in to see someone who could help her deal or teach her how to deal with everything that had happened. She still couldn’t get the look on Josie’s face out of her head from the day before. The little girl had been pale and trembling.

“I do have to work. I’ll ask, and I’m sure that either one will say yes.”

Their waitress brought out their dishes and Shannon inhaled the scent of her chicken piccata. Jonathon had a huge serving of lasagna on his plate. Conversation was stalled as they both dug in to their food. At the first bite of her chicken, Shannon moaned around the lemony flavor. She loved the capers in the sauce. The dish was served with homemade mashed potatoes.

“How was your first day back? Did they take it easy on you?” He held out the breadbasket to her and she grabbed a hunk out of it.

“It was good. Don’t get me wrong, I love my snuggle time with Henry, but it was nice to be around adults and have adult conversations. They didn’t take it easy on me, that’s for sure. A few of the regulars brought in gifts for Henry. They’re in the trunk of my car. I figure we could open them when we get home.” Home—it felt so good to call his place that, but what if he didn’t feel the same way?

Jonathon grabbed her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. Just that simple touch had goosebumps popping up all over her body. His eyes locked with hers and his gaze could only be described as hungry. Her nipples hardened and an ache formed between her legs. What was wrong with her? Maybe it was because it had been a long time since they had been together. She missed that intimacy with him.

After they finished their food, they ordered crème brûlée, which they shared. Jonathon spooned some of the custard and brought it to Shannon’s lips. The sugary goodness melted on her tongue, and she embarrassed herself by moaning around each spoonful.

When they finished, he pulled her chair out for her and grabbed her hand in his. They made their way back out to his car. “Thank you for dinner. It was delicious.”

He took her back to her car and told her he’d see her in a bit after he picked up the kids. The whole way back to Jonathon’s, she smiled.

***

Shannon sprayed Josie’s hair with pink hair spray, making sure it stood up just right. “You look great, honey.” She used blue eye shadow on Josie’s lids, a bright pink blush on her cheeks, and then took red lip liner and drew little hearts and stars on Josie’s cheeks. She totally looked like a rocker chick.

She tied bandanas around Josie’s wrists and one around her ankle. The girl was doing well after her first therapy session the day before. Jonathon told Shannon that they wanted to see her once a week for at least four sessions and then they would reevaluate the situation. When Jonathon and Josie got home the night before, she went directly to her room and went to bed. Jonathon looked worn out. Without a second thought, Shannon made him sit down on the floor in front of her and she began massaging his shoulders and his neck.

It gave her a thrill to listen to him as he moaned and groaned. His muscles were so tight under her fingertips but the more she worked on them, the quicker those muscles relaxed.

Jonathon didn’t know that Shannon woke up during his dream the other night. He had been thrashing around in bed and she put her sound processer in so she could hear what he was saying, but as soon as she did so, she wished she hadn’t. It was hard to hear the man she loved whisper the name of his deceased wife in his sleep, but that’s exactly what he had done.

She’d immediately removed her sound processor and luckily fell right back to sleep. Since that day, he hadn’t treated her any differently, which she was grateful for. They were in a good place and she didn’t want that to be a major step back. It did remind her that she needed to be careful because if he broke her heart, she didn’t know if she could come back from that.

“Okay, sweetheart. Go grab your microphone. I’ll meet you in the living room.” Josie skipped out of the bedroom and across the hall to hers. In the living room, Jonathon was putting Henry into the stroller. They decided to dress him up like a little puppy dog and Henry hated it when they first slipped it on him. She’d never heard him scream so much before. He finally started to settle once his daddy had him in his arms.

Josie joined them a few minutes later looking like a mini rock star. “Daddy, how do I look?” She gave him a little spin and then posed like a diva.

“You look gorgeous. Aunt Tess and Uncle Cash are coming to go trick or treating with us. While we wait, let’s get some pictures.” Shannon took several pictures first of Josie by herself and then of Henry in his carrier, looking extremely bored. Once Tessa and Cash arrived, they took pictures too before Cash helped Jonathon load the wagon they were bringing that held snacks and drinks. One of their neighbors, Tracey, mentioned that the parents always did that and it was a tradition.

Shannon walked alongside Tessa as she pushed Henry in his stroller. Josie was walking between Cash and Jonathon with her huge bag of candy. She was having such a great time hanging out with Jonathon’s family. Tessa was one of the sweetest people she had ever met. Watching Tessa and Cash together was like watching two people who were destined to be together. They were constantly glancing at each other and smiling. Jonathon rolled his eyes at them.

“How are the wedding plans coming?” Shannon asked.

Tessa’s cheeks turn the most adorable shade of pink. “They’re going well. I wanted to just go to Vegas, but Cash won’t hear of it. He wants me to have the wedding I deserve. I told him that I just want him. The rest is only a formality.”

Shannon opened her mouth to speak, but Cash cut between them and grabbed Tessa’s face. “I love you so much,” he said before he kissed Tessa passionately. Shannon’s gaze met Jonathon’s and he just shook his head with a small smile on his face. She pushed Henry’s stroller until they were walking beside Jonathon and Josie.

“They are too sweet,” Shannon said. Jonathon surprised her by wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m so happy for her. She asked me to give her away, and of course I said yes.” He sighed contentedly. “That’s all I wanted for her, those two together. She’s suffered so much in her life. I just wanted her to find her happiness. She smiles all the time now, and it’s not just because she has a man, or at least not completely, but everything has fallen into place for her. Like I said, I just wanted her to find happiness.” Shannon looked behind them and Tessa and Cash weren’t kissing anymore, but they were in a close embrace. Cash’s lips were moving and Tessa was smiling up at him.

Shannon turned back to Jonathon. “I think she found it.”

***

After putting Henry to bed, Shannon made her way out into the living room. Jonathon had mentioned earlier that he wanted to talk to her after the kids went to bed. Now she was nervous as hell. What did he want to talk about? Did he want them to move out…maybe just her? Her pulse spiked and her stomach turned. Out in the hall, she took a deep breath before heading into the living room. Jonathon was on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table. Feet had never turned her on, but his were pretty—long, slender, and hairless.

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