Fatal Intent - Jamie Jeffries Page 0,32
told me you went to Phoenix!” Alex greeted everyone with hugs and exclamations, especially her housemates, who’d made it in time, to Dylan’s relief. Then, she turned to Dylan. “You lied.” She punched him lightly on the arm, and he caught her hand and held her there.
“I couldn’t have you dropping in on Wanda. She was baking your cake.”
Dylan looked around at the assembled guests, all seated under the misting hose that Paul had installed under the patio cover. “Thanks for coming, everyone. I think we really surprised her.”
Everything was perfect. Alex was happy, the food was delicious, and even the temperature cooled as the sun sunk further to the west and the long shadow of the house provided more shade. One by one or two by two, the guests departed as the afternoon became evening. The housemates were the first to go, since they had the furthest to travel. Then Ange and her boyfriend. Thurston hung around for a while, but left when he realized Wanda planned to stay later to visit with Alex’s Nana. She of course would spend the night at Paul’s.
When the party had wound down and everyone else was visiting quietly while the boys played chase in the twilight, Dylan drew Alex aside, away from the eyes of the other adults. Under a grape arbor, he sat on an old bench and pulled her down beside him, kissing her hungrily. When he sensed she was relaxed and willing, he pulled her close and took a deep breath.
“Alex, I love you. I don’t know how I could love you any more than I do. I know you want to finish school first and all, so I’m not going to pressure you. I want you to know I’ve applied for transfers to parks closer to Phoenix. If I get the transfer, and I’m sure I’ll get one of them, I’m willing to move the boys as soon as it happens. Closer to Phoenix, I mean.”
Alex stiffened in his arms, which he didn’t expect.
Am I making a mess of this?
Quickly, before she could ask a question or voice an objection and derail his intentions, he went on. “Would you, I mean, could you consider, maybe, moving in with us?” He held his breath, waiting for the explosion, but she relaxed again.
“Wow, Dylan, I didn’t expect that. I thought you wanted to wait at least a year to move the boys.”
She hadn’t answered his question, but she hadn’t said no, either. There was hope. He answered her implied question. “I’ve been talking to their counselor, and she said they’re doing fine. They haven’t established strong ties to the other kids in their class yet, since they came in late. She said if we could move in time to start the school year in a new school, it would actually be better to go now.”
“So, where are these other parks? How far from Phoenix would we actually be?”
She said we! That meant she was considering it, didn’t it? Dylan cleared his throat. “That would depend on which position I got. I have an interview next week with the Forest Service for Tonto National Forest, and I’d be able to work out of the Mesa office if I got that. Are you still thinking the Tempe campus?”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Dylan, that’s amazing! When will you know?”
“I should know by the end of July. Alex, if I get that one, we could live in between, and you wouldn’t have to worry about housing expense.”
“I’d want to pay my share,” she objected.
“We can work all that out. Just tell me you’ll consider it.”
“Of course I will, Dylan. That would be… wonderful.” A shadow crossed her face, and his heart hitched.
“What? You thought of a problem. What is it?”
“Nothing, Dylan. Well. Maybe something. I have to be free to pursue the stories I’ll need, for homework and my blog and whatever other reason I may have. I mean, I could get a job with the student TV station, or even a paying one somewhere. I won’t always be available to help with the boys.”
Even though he’d hoped she would be, Dylan could see her point. “I’ll figure that out. Other working couples deal with kids, so can we.”
“I like the sound of that. ‘Couple’. I love you, Dylan.”
This was better than he’d been able to hope, ever since she’d called him crazy for proposing to her last November. He still wanted marriage, but if she was willing to take this step and not that