Right from the Start (29 page)

Big-time.

And somehow Kenzie knew, and in that intuitive way of hers, she
did exactly what he needed. Twining their fingers together, she gave a
reassuring squeeze, a gentle touch that seemed to say simply, “All is well.”

He finally turned to her, met that dazzling gaze and felt the
warmth of her smile from the inside out.

And he knew all would be.

Even better than he could have ever imagined possible when he
pulled her into his arms and they kissed.

And kissed.

When Will finally lifted his head to peer into her beautiful
face, her expression so filled with pleasure, all he could think to say was,
“So, while I was getting poked and prodded, you were pretty busy.”

“Oh, Will.” She faced him with an expression he’d never seen
before, a mischievous one that could barely contain her excitement. “You have no
idea.”

And she was right. Will couldn’t possibly have imagined that,
after facing so much negative press, for every protestor there would be three
people willing to step in and help Angel House achieve its goals.

Not only did Bob, with Jason’s help, rally friends and business
acquaintances from all over town who had shown up to complete all the projects
Will couldn’t on his own, they wrapped up much more work than he’d even hoped to
get done.

Every piece of trim installed. Every wall painted. Every vent
and light and plumbing fixture mounted and wired and caulked. They were
professionals who knew how to work together on job sites, and there was lots of
laughter and good-natured complaints and lots and lots of jokes about Will’s
accident.

To support the generosity and efforts of the construction crew,
Kenzie rallied her friends to help out by running a buffet at Positive Partings
to keep everyone fed while they worked.

By Friday night, the work was completed and all the
contractors’ trucks cleared out of the parking lot.

At the crack of dawn on Saturday, the moving trucks arrived.
Kenzie’s dad moved the buffet outdoors, setting up his grill in the parking lot,
marinating his special barbecue chicken and feeding the workers and movers from
Angel House.

The contractors who had worked maniacally for two days showed
up again, only this time to sit in lawn chairs and talk shop. Main Street from
West Orchard to South Wall took on the appearance of a block party, a full week
before the Apple Festival was set to begin.

Even Kenzie’s not-at-the-moment loser
friend
had turned up to lend his efforts to the cause. And to Will’s
surprise, Mr. BMW wasn’t so bad after all. At least once his status permanently
changed to
never-again
boyfriend, now only friend.
His loss was Will’s gain, so Will could afford to be generous.

Monday morning saw Kenzie’s parents packing up the grill and
her friends heading back to work, her included.

But by then Angel House had things under control. The place
remained a flurry of activity with teachers working around the clock to install
the school in its new permanent location. Parents came and went, helping out
when they could in between setting up for the Apple Festival, which would take
place only a few blocks up Main Street.

And when the day of the walk-through finally arrived, there
were protestors with their signs, but they were swallowed up by the crowd of
supporters eager to present Angel House as the community effort it was.

Even Melinda surprised Will by showing up, taking her place
beside him as the parent of an Angel House student. But this particular parent
had an extensive background in public relations, so whenever Deanne and the
Ramsey team fell silent, Melinda stepped into the breach to seize the
opportunity to do what she did so exceptionally well—manage Angel House’s
reputation by communicating all the ways this one resource center served not
only the Hendersonville community, but also provided a yardstick for the global
community that so desperately needed innovators and leaders.

But the biggest surprise of all came when Deanne’s assistant
arrived midafternoon as the group gathered around an observation window of a
classroom, where one of the faculty and an aide worked with several kids,
including Sam.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” she said to Deanne. “But I
wasn’t sure if you knew about the media outside. They’re here to cover the
building rededication.”

Deanne managed her surprise for the benefit of the Ramsey team,
but still had to point out, “The building rededication isn’t until five, when
the mayor kicks off the festival.”

Her assistant shrugged nervously. “Looks like they’re a bit
ahead of schedule then. It’s a pretty big crowd.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” Then Deanne turned to her guests.
“Would you like to be a part of the excitement? I’ll bet it’s not every day you
conduct a walk-through during the rededication of a potential grant recipient’s
new permanent location.”

The Ramsey folks were very interested in being a part of the
festivities, but Will could tell Deanne wasn’t sure what to make of the
situation. He
knew
Melinda wasn’t pleased. Too many
unknowns when they were trying to reassure the foundation and a lot of those
unknowns had to do with protestors who could undo some of the good work they’d
done this morning.

“Did the mayor say anything to you about this?” Melinda asked
under her breath as they headed toward the main doors.

“Not a word.”

“I wonder what’s going on.” She plastered a smile on her face
and braced herself to do damage control.

They made their way outside, but as he and Melinda trailed at
the rear of the group with a few other parents, he couldn’t see much more than a
sizeable crowd and some local news trucks.

This didn’t look good.

Deanne was immediately called into action, but not before
whispering, “Will, you’re on.”

He had no idea what she meant, but Melinda was already herding
him through the group, sticking like glue to his heels. He heard Deanne explain
to the Ramsey team, “I mentioned earlier, Will’s a city council member. He works
closely with our mayor who works with our governor.”

Will didn’t get a chance to react because both the mayor and
governor were standing right there on the front step, presiding over a crowd
that filled the circle drive and blocked access to the street.

An aide he recognized from the mayor’s office handed her a
portable microphone.

“Good day, my friends,” the mayor said. “Welcome to the kickoff
of our fair city’s Apple Festival. Today we’re rededicating the newest addition
to our Main Street Historic District and we have a very special guest, the chief
executive of our excellent state of North Carolina, our governor, Pat Smithson.
Please join me in a warm welcome.”

When the applause finally died down, the mayor said, “Thank you
for accepting our invitation, Governor Smithson, and welcome to
Hendersonville.”

She passed off the microphone and the governor addressed the
crowd in the pleasant, media-friendly persona that had made her the first woman
to ever be elected to the governor’s office.

Will exchanged a glance with Deanne, who could barely contain
her excitement. The Ramsey Foundation group appeared to be suitably impressed.
By the governor’s enthusiasm about Angel House or by such influential support,
Will couldn’t say, but he was more interested in the woman who appeared in the
wings when the governor spoke a few words about preserving the state’s history
and blending the past with the present and the future.

Kenzie.

She was dressed as she usually was for business in one of those
formfitting skirts he favored, the kind that showed off her legs. She carried a
champagne bottle, and led the small procession with the governor and mayor at
its head around the building to the cornerstone on Main Street.

As the governor rededicated the building amidst a frenetic
flash of cameras and rolling video, Will finally caught up with Kenzie. There
was no opportunity to talk, and no need. He slid his hand into hers, content to
be near her, sensing her excitement. And he knew that somehow she, with her
network of connections all around the state, was responsible for this media
opportunity and illustrious visit.

He could wait until later for the details.

“Governor, I hear you’re responsible for fixing my potholes,” a
gruff voice called out from the crowd.

“What’s your name, sir?” the governor asked, her voice
amplified, an eruption of flashes popping off rounds like automatic gunfire.
“The man with the potholes?”

“Chuck Ridgeway.” A grizzled old guy stepped out of the crowd
and, sure enough, it was the man from Kenzie’s class.

Will and Kenzie exchanged a glance. What were the odds?

“Did you vote for me, Chuck?”

“In fact, I did, Governor. But that was before I knew you were
responsible for my potholes.”

There was laughter from the crowd, and the governor didn’t miss
a beat. “Well, I’d like you to vote for me again in the next election, so file a
report with the Department of Transportation. I’ll have my office follow up.
Does that sound like a plan, Chuck?”

“Sounds like a plan, Governor.”

There was applause and more flashbulbs, then Kenzie leaped into
action, leading their procession through the parking lot, laughing her lovely
laugh that filtered through him in such a physical way.

“I think Madame Estelle would be so pleased,” she
whispered.

Will sent up a silent whisper of thanks to the dance instructor
who had shared her talents with this woman by his side. There was still one
dance studio in the building, and Will intended to make sure it was put to
incredibly good use.

Because in this moment, his impossibly busy life didn’t feel
like an exercise in stealing good moments from days spent putting one foot in
front of the other. Instead, it felt like a gift.

Such
a gift.

EPILOGUE

H
AD
IT
ONLY
been months since
Kenzie had been on schedule making progress with her five-year plan, ticking
along with her plans for the future and thinking she had all the answers?

It
felt
like another lifetime.

In reality only eight months had passed since she’d revised her
opinion about love at first sight. Now she had an entirely new lease on life.
Her wonderful new office felt like home, and her five-year plan had been
updated.

“All done?” she asked when Sam showed up at her desk with his
homework sheets in hand.

He set the papers in front of her showing the pictures he’d
colored and the lines he’d drawn to match items to words.

Toaster.

Toothbrush.

Dog.

Swing.

Man.

In this case, Kenzie suspected
man
was actually Dad because Sam had colored the hair black and the eyes gray. But
no cast. For a while there, Sam had been including that in his drawings, too,
but Will’s arm had healed and the physical therapy sessions had ended, so he’d
retired the wrist support he’d been wearing—permanently, to hear him tell
it.

“Good job,” she said and meant it, her heart melting around the
edges when he smiled at her with laughter in those big blue eyes.

Then he grabbed his checklist.

He crossed
homework
off the list in
orange marker, then slipped the dry-erase marker into the slot that kept writing
utensil and checklist together. He pointed to the next item, which was his
reward for completing his homework.

“Wii,” she said.

Sam smiled and nodded, slipping his hand into hers and tugging
her along. Kenzie hopped up from the desk, grabbing the clipboard before he led
her from the office and upstairs to her studio.

He knew the drill.

Didn’t matter that she still had stacks of folders on her desk.
She’d get to them later. Today was Saturday, and Will would be working at Angel
House until he installed the new appliances in the kitchen—a donation from one
of Angel House’s newest community partners.

There had been quite a few new partners.

Not only had Angel House won the Ramsey Foundation grant, but
all the media exposure—good and bad—had put Angel House on the map. Melinda had
been working closely with Deanne to make the most of the opportunities, and
they’d found so much support among the community.

Kenzie smiled when Sam abandoned her in the doorway and made a
beeline straight for the TV she’d set up as his personal space. After flipping
on the power, he rocked back and forth on his sturdy sneakers, impatient while
waiting for her to untangle the controller cords.

“I’m getting there.” She laughed. “Trying to, anyway.”

Who’d wrapped up these cords the last time, anyway?

Finally Sam chose the device he wanted, then took off as far as
the cord would reach, eager for the game to begin.

“Dad will be back soon,” she reminded him.

Will had only run down the street to the hardware store for
some spackle because the container he kept in his truck had dried out. It
shouldn’t take too long, but until then, she and Sam had some time to enjoy
together.

They’d been getting to know each other during the months since
Angel House had officially taken residence in their new home and she and Will
had become an official couple.

And they were officially a couple.

He made time for dates, which was part of his new
balanced-perspective-on-life plan. They went to movies and wine tastings and
farmer’s markets and hiked along mountain trails.

She accompanied him to political events, which meant she got to
shop with Fiona and Jess for evening wear. He accompanied her to networking
functions and to family gatherings.

They did fun kid things with Sam.

They also spent lots of time at Angel House, where she learned
about autism and met so many wonderful people. Will’s new lease on life had
prompted Melinda to become more involved in Sam’s life, and the very happy
result was her relationship with her son appeared to be going more smoothly.

This had been great for Kenzie and Will because they got to
spend long nights together. They explored their incredible chemistry, sometimes
at her house and sometimes at his.
Always
they wound
up marveling at what they’d discovered together.

They were enjoying their present and looking toward the future,
which they fully intended to spend together.

They’d already begun making plans.

But while they made those plans, they enjoyed every second
now
as they faced the ups and downs of every
day, shared time with family and friends and
lived.

Will had been right about another thing, too—Sam did love her.
Probably because she was pretty good at playing Wii Sports.

And Kenzie loved him right back.

He was a funny and smart little guy, who laughed easily and
loved to hug and was an absolute fiend at bowling. Sure enough, that was the
game he chose to play now. No doubt so he could crush the competition. He was
also competitive and knew her weakness—she was so much better at baseball.

Will said they would venture out to a real bowling alley soon.
Apparently the last attempt had been a bit of a disaster because of the noise
level. But thanks to Wii Sports, Sam not only seemed to have gotten used to the
clamor, but immensely enjoyed trouncing her fair and square, so much so that
they cheered and applauded along with the game after a good throw.

Today Kenzie spent more time groaning at her own lousy
performance than clapping, which made Sam laugh all the more. They were so into
the game that she never heard Will return until Sam bowled a strike. Then they
were cheering and clapping like two maniacs. Sam was the one to notice Will
first, and with all the excitement of the moment and that joyous abandon so
unique to him, he ran to Will, yelling, “Daddy!” and wrapped his arms around
Will in a bear hug.

That one word echoed through the studio, stunning in intensity,
articulate in pronunciation and context. Kenzie caught Will’s stunned gaze in
the mirror, dissolved inside at his stricken expression, the disbelief all over
his face.

Sam had found his words.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”

Will sank to his knees, and Kenzie had tears in her eyes as she
watched those two dark heads bow close together.

“Good job, Sam,” Will said in that gruff voice she’d come to
love so much.

Sam flexed his newfound vocal muscles, apparently wanting to
make up for lost time.

“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”

And Will laughed through his tears, holding his son like he
might never let go.

Kenzie stood there, her hand pressed to her mouth, her eyes
misty. Then Will caught her gaze. In those clear depths she understood
everything. All the uncertainty gone. All their hopes fulfilled. All his prayers
answered.

In one beautiful word that would open the way for others.

They exchanged a glance. She knew exactly what he wanted
because they were intimately connected. She went to him, was pulled into a
family hug that made Sam laugh and cling to her like a little monkey.

Had it really only been eight months since she had finally
started to live? Because that’s exactly what this was—
living.

The one thing Kenzie had known all along was that families came
in all shapes and sizes.

There was room in this one for her.

* * * * *

Be sure to look for the next Harlequin Superromance novel by
Jeanie London! Available September 2013.
Keep reading for an excerpt
from
The Other Side of Us
by Sarah
Mayberry!