by Tori Fox
“What are you talking about? One, this is not your fault. Don’t apologize for being assaulted. Two, it wasn’t Kyle.”
“But—but she—” Jess quivers.
“He wasn’t there that night. I know for a fact. We were on a date, remember? You begged me to take you to that party but I told you I wouldn’t and I told you not to go. Of course you didn’t listen because you are you. And you know I kicked myself so much for not showing up after our date. Do you remember that? Remember why I wouldn’t go?”
Her eyes go wide as the memory hits her. “It was your anniversary.”
“Yeah and Kyle was with me all night. In fact, he was the reason we didn’t go to the party, even after I heard that you went. He wanted our night to be special. But when we found out what happened, it was both of us that came and got you and took you home.” I grab her hands as the tears fall down her cheeks. “Becca is a worthless piece of shit in my eyes now, Jess. She’s manipulative and hurtful. And she would say anything to get you on her side.”
“Anything else you want to say about me?”
My eyes snap up when I hear Becca’s voice. My fist clenching hard against the wood of the porch. Jess must see my rage as she grabs my clenched hand.
“Calm down, Anna May,” Jess whispers.
I push to standing. “I’m not going to fucking calm down.”
“Look at you finally showing some grit,” Becca says. And by the way she is stumbling, I am guessing she is drunk.
I walk the few feet to her and get in her face. “Grit? I don’t need to show grit around you. I need you to get the fuck out of here.”
“Anna, can’t we just talk?” she slurs and stumbles into me. That’s when I notice the black eye she has.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“But I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have told you.”
I stand my ground in front of her, controlling my anger as best I can. “You should have told me a lot of things. But you didn’t. And most of what you did tell me was lies.”
“That’s not true. I—”
“I don’t want to hear it, Becca.” I hear the front door slam behind me and turn to see Noah storming down the stairs, my parents and Conner standing next to Jess.
I throw my hand up behind me, signaling Noah to stop. I love the man but he needs to let me fight my own battles.
“Please, Anna.”
“We both know you are full of lies. And I quite frankly don’t want to hear any more of them fall out of your mouth. Stay away from my sister, stay away from me. Get off my parents’ property and get out of my life.”
I turn to leave but she pulls on my arm. I go to throw a punch, not giving a shit she already has a black eye but Noah stops me.
“Not worth it,” he whispers in my ear.
I throw one last glare at Becca and walk into my parents’ house, my sister right on my heels.
I look out the window and I see Noah talking to her. Connor is next to him on the phone as my parents walk in the house.
Jess grabs my hand and whispers in my ear. “Thought you would like to know I gave her that black eye.”
I turn and look at my sister, not quite sure if she is serious. But the look on her face tells me she really did.
I grin at her as I drag her to the kitchen. “I think we both need a shot.”
“Amen, sister.”
9
Anna
The drive back to Asheville has been peaceful. I feel like I’ve gotten the closure I need to move on. I can finally rebuild my relationship with my family. I can let myself love again.
I look over at Noah as he drives. His aviator sunglasses covering part of his face just make his jaw more pronounced. I look at his biceps as he turns the wheel. I can’t say it enough, but he is the perfect specimen of a human being. The cop you see in those memes on the internet.
And he is all mine.
He looks over at me and smirks. “Want me to take my shirt off?”
“Yes.” I smile back at him.
He laughs so loud I can feel it vibrate inside of me.
“I love you.”
He looks back over at me, pulling off his sunglasses. “I love you too, Anna May.”
He reaches over and squeezes my thigh as he pulls onto our street.
I lean over to kiss him on the cheek but his words stop me.
“What the fuck?”
I look up and there’s a huge “For Sale” sign in front of the duplex where I live. “That motherfucker.”
Noah pulls into his driveway and I jump out of the car before it’s even in park. I stomp over to the sign and pull a sheet out of the document holder. There are pictures of the inside of both sides of the duplex on the document. I was not home when those were taken. I kick the “For Sale” sign. “Motherfucking asshole.”
“Whoa there, karate kid.” Noah pulls me back. “Knocking this over isn’t going to help you.”
“I know.”
“I’ll call Carson.”
“Thank you.”
Noah takes the one sheet out of my hand and whistles. “This is priced high.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Might take time to sell. Depending on the buyer.” He glances back at the sheet. “You sure your landlord didn’t leave you a message?”
I throw my hands on my hips and glare at him. “I’m positive. Not to mention he was in my place taking photos without my permission!” I point at the photos that clearly show the décor of my house.
“Fuck. Let’s talk to Carson. He might have some advice regarding the legality of all this.”
I humph as I storm to the door, forgetting I didn’t even grab my purse. I turn back to the car but Noah is already there grabbing my purse and my weekender bag. He meets me at the front door and I grab my purse, searching for my keys.
“I only have a few hours before work. I need to find a place to live.” I shove the key into the door and walk through. Throwing my bag on the ground. “I need to call my neighbor. See if he knows more. And what about showings? My landlord needs to inform me if people are coming over. What if I am in the shower? Shit, I need to straighten this place up.”
I look over at Noah who is shaking his head and chuckling. “Babe, your house is always clean. You don’t need to straighten it.” He sets my weekender bag down and walks over to me grabbing my shoulders. “Talk to your neighbor. But your landlord can’t legally show this place without letting you know.”
I look into his eyes and let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Okay. But I need to find someplace to live. Soon. Maybe I can move in with Seraphina or Liam temporarily.”
“No.”
I raise a brow at him. “No?”
“You are not moving in with another man.”
“In case you weren’t aware, Liam is gay,” I say as I roll my eyes.
“Are his roommates?” Noah asks as he pulls me in closer, his grip on my shoulders firm.
Well shit. How am I supposed to lie to him about that? “Umm, one is.”
“And doesn’t he have three?”
I shrug.
“You’re moving in with me.”
“Excuse me?” I try to pull away from him but he has me locked in his arms.
“It’s the easiest solution.”
“One, we just started dating—”
“Months ago,” he cuts me off.
I ignore him. “Two, you don’t get to tell me what to do.”
He lifts the left side of his mouth into a grin. “You sure about that?” he leans in closer whispering into my ear. “You let me control you in the bedroom all the time.”
My cheeks flame at that because it’s true. But beside the point. “Three…”
He pulls me in so I am flush against his body, one hand holding my ass, pressing my hips into his. The other on my neck forcing me to look him in the eyes. “Baby, you don’t have a three. Just give up. Say yes.”
“You didn’t even ask me so I can’t
say yes.” I retort. “And besides I do have a three, it’s—ugh—this is a bad idea.”
He smirks at me. “How so?”
I bite my lip searching for an answer. In all honesty, I would love to move in with him. See how this relationship unfolds. I am in love with him so naturally this is the next step but I don’t want to admit that the real reason is that I am scared. Scared about what could happen. Scared he could break my heart.
“Baby, I know you’re scared.”
Okay, so maybe moving in with him will be okay since he can read me like a book.
“It is scary. It’s a big step. But I love you and if us living together means I get to spend even more time with you, then I am willing to do it. Jump off that diving board into a pool of fear. Because I think it will be worth it in the end.”
Why does he have to be such a sweet talker?
His lips brush over mine. “Will you move in with me?”
I look into his eyes and find sincerity and understanding. My heart is bursting out of my chest as the anxiety recedes. If I move in with him I get to look into these eyes every morning when I wake up and every night when I fall asleep.
I press a brief kiss to his lips. “Okay.”
He smiles, his grin taking up his whole face and I can’t help but smile too because I love putting that smile on his face.
“And breathe in,” I say with a deep breath. “And out into warrior two pose.”
It’s Monday morning. Three days after Noah asked me to move in with him. We moved some of my clothes over yesterday since we both didn’t have to work. But since he had picked up a shift on Saturday night and I worked til four in the morning, we spent most of yesterday sleeping.
I still don’t know what to think about moving in with him. I wonder if it’s too soon. Actually, I know it is. But he brings up a good point which he would not quit telling me yesterday when I kept asking him if he was sure if he wanted to do this. He said if I get an apartment in this neighborhood I will be lucky. But I will probably end up twenty minutes from him and with our work schedules, we will either never see each other or I’ll be at his place so often it would be like we live together.
I know that would be what happens but I still worry. I haven’t been in this position in over nine years. Kyle and I lived together our senior year of college and then got an apartment in Hartswell when we moved back after we graduated. Besides Kyle’s indiscretions, I did love living with him. Waking up next to him every morning, making breakfast together, having dinner together. It was the domestication I always wanted.
My chest grows heavy with anxiety. Is that the life I want again? Will my freedom be taken away if I settle down?
“One more deep breath.” Yoga is supposed to be relaxing yet all I can think about is Noah. And I am doing a shit job of teaching today. “Now twist your body forward, bend that right knee into a low lunge. Deep breath in and out, try to drop your elbows to the ground, feel that stretch.”
Noah will never be the man that forces me to change my ways for him. I know that. He is dominant as hell in the bedroom but he lets me make my own decisions everywhere else. Even though I know he wants me to be more confident, he doesn’t push me more than I am comfortable. And I want to be more confident. You’d think losing fifty pounds would bring out confidence but all it did to me was make me more insecure.
Although, if I am honest with myself, the wringer that Kyle put me through made me insecure. But I promised myself last week on that first day alone at the cottage I would put thoughts of Kyle behind me. Live life with a fresh start, a new outlook. I know I can’t let my past control me anymore but is it wrong to completely ignore what I’ve learned from it?
“Bring that right leg back, shoulders square, and into downward dog. Breathe in and out. One more time in and out into sphinx.”
I focus on the rest of my yoga class, using my breathing to calm my anxiety and find my center, just like yoga is supposed to do.
When class is over, I step into the office and make myself some coffee.
“So what happened when you went back to Hartswell?”
I jump at Seraphina’s voice. “I didn’t hear you walk in.”
“Well?” she asks, ignoring me.
“Oh you know. Apologies were made. I feel like I mended everything with my sister. My parents are happy that I am happy. And Becca showed up and I nearly punched her in the face.”
“Why didn’t you?” Seraphina says with a grin.
“Because Jess punched her in the face a few days beforehand.”
“Dang, I wish I’d been there to see all this.”
I look at her with a raised brow.
“Okay fine, no I don’t because you know I would have killed that bitch. God,” she sighs as she flops into her office chair. “I cannot believe she did that to you. Well, I can because I always thought she was a bitch but I didn’t think she would do it to you.”
I shrug. “What’s done is done and all I can do is move on from it.”
Sera sits up a little straighter in her chair, leaning forward, her ice blond hair falling over her shoulders. “Did you just say you are moving on?”
“Yes?” I answer confused.
“Well heavens to Betsy, Anna May Cooper is finally moving on after seven years of living in misery.”
I roll my eyes. “If I had something to throw at you right now, I would.”
“Does this have anything to do with Mr. Handsome, Muscular Cop?” she asks, raising her brows up and down in suggestion.
I bite my lip as I look down at the floor. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” she shouts in question. “Girl, you better tell me everything.”
“I told you what happened.”
“No, you told me about Kyle. You didn’t tell me anything after I made you admit that you were in love with Noah.”
I look at the clock on the wall. The next class starts in two minutes. “Look at the time. I need to get the next class started.”
I turn to leave but she bolts out of her chair. “You stay,” she tells me before walking out of the office and into the studio, telling the class we are starting with ten minutes of meditation.
When she walks back into the office, she shuts the door behind her. “Did you tell him?”
I think about all the concerns I had about telling Noah I loved him. Everything I was holding back because I feared the rejection I was expecting. But when he showed me what those words meant, when he said them back to me, the thought alone is making me melt into a puddle right now.
“Well from that look on your face I can tell you did. Let me guess, he said he was in love with you too.”
I smile at her and nod.
“I knew it. You two are so smitten with each other. Now tell me, did you buy green lingerie like I told you to?”
I laugh at that. “I wasn’t planning on it. But you put that damn thought into my head and then I saw this beautiful set, so I bought it.”
“Ha! I knew it. Let me guess, it turned his brain to mush?”
I bite my lip and nod. “He just about lost it.”
“Works every damn time.”
“But it put me back some so I need a raise,” I joke.
She opens the office door. “I’ll think about it. We should go buy more today after lunch! Now get out there and teach your class!”
As I teach my next two classes, I feel lighter. The thoughts weighing me down before having cleared. I know this move with Noah is the right one. And once I tell Seraphina, she is going to flip.
I walk through Noah’s front door with another bag of my clothes, the obscene amount of lingerie Sera made me buy tucked inside. Although I am excited to put some of it on for him.
I find him sitting on the couch, studying for his exam. I drop my bag and lean over the back, kissing him on the cheek. “Hey babe.”
He smiles up at me before pulling my mouth to his for another kiss. Before I know it, he is pulling me over the back of the couch and has me flipped ont
o his lap. “That’s better,” he says.
I giggle as I let him kiss me, the best welcome home kiss I have ever gotten in my life.
“How was your day?” he asks as he pulls away, pushing loose curls from my face.
“It was good. My first yoga class in over a week, felt a bit rusty at first.”
“I would like to watch you do yoga.” He grabs my ass hard. “See this ass bent over in those yoga pants.”
“Such a perv.”
“Mmm.” His lips are on my neck.
I push him back. “I need a quick nap before I go to Jimmy’s.”
“I’ll take one with you.”
I climb out of his lap. “Nope. Because then we won’t be napping.”
He smirks. “Is that a problem?”
“Yes! I need some rest before my shift so I don’t fall asleep.” I start to walk toward the stairs that lead up to his bedroom, grabbing the bag of clothes as I go.
He stalks behind me. “Then you should have slept at your place.”
I push him away as his hand glides down my back. “And you need to study. You have two weeks until your exam, Detective.”
He growls at me and scoops me up before I have time to protest.
I yawn as I look at my watch. It’s been relatively slow tonight and the fact I didn’t take a nap is making time drag.
I shouldn’t have called Noah, detective. I know how much he likes it when I call him that. So my nap time turned into an hour and a half romp in the sack making me almost late for work.
I only have two tables left for the night but one of them has been here for two hours and they don’t look like they are leaving anytime soon.
I text Mason. We were supposed to write some new music tonight but I am too tired to do anything but crawl into bed and sleep.
By the time my last table leaves, it’s nearly eleven. I was supposed to be the early cut tonight but I wanted that tip from that table. A bunch of rowdy college kids that would not stop flirting with me. Fortunately, they weren’t cheap when it came to tips and left me a nice chunk of change.
I grab my bag and say goodnight to my manager and head outside to my car. Somehow I make it home without falling asleep.
