by Parker, Lexy
“I’m with you. This is a nice place to visit, on occasion, but I could never live like this day in and day out. It would feel claustrophobic with all the people everywhere,” she said with a small laugh.
We stood holding hands facing the edge of the building, both of us taking it all in. I imagined Emmitt up on the roof and feeling like a million dollars. It really did help me understand him a little better. He’d always been a dreamer. He wasn’t meant to be a country boy. I hoped for his sake he could start over and have the life in the city he dreamed about. There was definitely an appeal to it all and Emmitt would have fit right into the hustle and bustle.
I turned to face Dani, putting one hand on her cheek and giving her a sweet kiss. “I guess we’re just a couple of simple country folk.”
“I guess we are. Does that bother you?”
“Not in the least. I think a steak cooked on the grill with just the right seasoning is pretty close to being as good as the steak I had here,” I told her.
“I agree. Being able to wear jeans and flats anywhere and still being dressed up is also a huge perk,” she said with a giggle.
I stared into her eyes before dropping to my knee. I heard her sharp intake of breath and looked up in time to see her hand go to her mouth. She had a look of pure terror in her eyes. I winked at her and pulled up my pant leg to retie my dress shoe.
“Just tying my shoe,” I told her.
She slapped at my shoulder. “You ass! You scared me.”
I got back to my feet and grinned. “Scared you?”
“Yes. That would have been very sweet, but a little too soon,” she said honestly.
I laughed. “I know. I just wanted to tease you. But there is something I wanted to say, and I want it to be said here,” I said, getting very serious.
She looked up at me, quizzing me with her eyes. “Say it.”
“I love you.”
A smile spread across her face. “I love you too.”
I grabbed her and kissed her, infusing the kiss with the love I felt for her, showing her how happy I was to hear she loved me in return. My heart felt full, like gluttonously full. I loved her so much she filled my heart and soul. I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
“I know it’s early and I won’t push you too fast, but I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” I told her, being completely honest.
She smiled. “I think I would like that.”
I knew she was still working through the emotions of doing her best to not feel guilty about being with me. Philip told me over and over to give it time. This wasn’t a relationship that could be rushed. It had to be carefully navigated with the expectation there would be some bumps in the road. I was ready for it. I was willing to wait forever for her.
“I wish I would have been smooth enough to have had a rooftop dinner prepared,” I said.
“You are very smooth, and this is absolutely perfect. I love it up here. The view is gorgeous, but I think I’m ready to go back to the hotel now,” she said in a breathy voice.
“Are you now?” I grinned, running my knuckles down her side before reaching around and grabbing her ass, pulling her close to my body.
“You keep doing that and those planes flying over us are going to get an eyeful,” she warned.
“We’re not on the tallest building here. There are other rooftops all around us. I think it’s the people on those rooftops that would really be getting a good show,” I joked.
“Then we should probably get out of here because I really, really want you naked right now.” She breathed out the words, stepping close to me and running her hands under my suit jacket.
“Got it. We’re out of here,” I growled, taking her hand in mine and practically dragging her behind me as I made my way to the door.
We got into the elevator, our mouths melded together as the passion ignited between us to a point of no return. I was already trying to think of where I could take her. I couldn’t wait to get her to the hotel. The temptation to push the emergency stop button was strong, but I persevered.
Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, we were both moving fast. We smiled and waved at the security guard before I pushed the door open and found our waiting limo. The ride back to the hotel was intense. I was fighting the lust and could feel her barely holding back as well. I hoped it was always like that between us. I never wanted to lose the passion. I wanted her to want me like I wanted her for the rest of our days.
“I love you,” I told her again as the limo turned the corner, our hotel not far ahead.
“I love you. You’ve shown me an amazing time tonight and I’m forever grateful. It was perfect. All of it was absolutely perfect.”
I kissed the top of her head and tucked her against me, waiting for the moment we could get out of the back of the car and make the mad dash for our hotel suite. I already envisioned her dress dropping to the floor, revealing whatever it was she was wearing underneath the thing. It couldn’t be much. The dress wasn’t much to beging with, which made me very, very anxious.
Epilogue
Dani
Six months later
I yawned and stretched out my arms over my head. Last night Clay and I had stayed up late, way too late for an old couple like ourselves. We’d attended a Christmas party with Philip and Jamie and had a little too much to drink and danced a little too much. It had been perfect and amazing. I felt whole once again after feeling like an empty shell for too long. Our lives the last six months since we had returned home from the romantic trip to New York had been filled with a lot of love.
We spent a lot of time talking and hanging out by the lake before the weather drove us indoors. He had been spending most of his time at my place. It had felt like the natural progression was for us to move in together. I was looking forward to coming home to Clay every night and sharing a home with him. His business was doing well and his relationship with Emmitt was improving with each day. They still had some minor arguments here and there, but overall, things had been rather calm.
Emmitt did have an excellent head for business and could certainly be credited with helping turn things around for Clay. They actually worked very well together, as long as they didn’t have to be staring at each other all day. Clay had taken a small step back from the company, freeing up some of his time for us to be together.
I immediately sensed Clay wasn’t in bed and was hoping he had just gotten up to go to the bathroom or crank up the heater. I could feel the cold air nipping at my nose and pulled the blanket up a little higher. His presence wasn’t something that could ever be ignored or overlooked. I rolled to my side, reaching out to pull his pillow close to me without ever opening my eyes. Maybe he was making me breakfast in bed, I thought to myself, hoping that was the case. I was prepared to spend a day in bed, doing nothing but napping and making love. I inhaled, expected to smell the scent of him but getting an entirely different, unexpected aroma.
“What the hell?” I muttered, pushing away something velvety soft from my face.
I opened my eyes, focusing on the red rose petals that were scattered over the bed and must have been on his pillow when I had pulled it against me.
“He’s such a romantic man,” I said with a sigh. He was always doing little things that made me feel special and loved.
I sat up in bed, pushing the hair away from my face and saw a trail of rose petals leading out the door of my bedroom. I smiled, loving how silly and romantic he could be. It looked like I was going to have to eat my breakfast at the kitchen table.
I threw off the blanket and slid my feet into my warm slippers before pulling on my thick robe. It was a chilly morning and I was wearing a very tiny bit of clothing. I walked to the closed bedroom door and found more rose petals scattered over the floor in a narrow line. I followed the trail into the kitchen, where there was a cup of coffee waiting for me. I sipped some of the hot liquid, allowing it to run through my body and do a slow wake-up of the senses.
“Hello?” I called out, noticing there weren’t any dirty dishes in the sink to indicate he had cooked at all.
Clay didn’t answer, which I thought was odd, but assumed he had probably run to a fast food place to pick up breakfast. I stood, sipping my coffee. It was then I noticed there were more rose petals leading through the archway back into the hallway and into the spare bedroom. I followed them in, expecting Clay to be waiting for me. I was anticipating a naked man or maybe some mistletoe hanging overhead. I found neither. Instead, I saw my coat hanging on a nail in the wall with a note that said to put it on.
I shook my head. Leave it to Clay to send me on a scavenger hunt before I was fully awake. I often felt he was a big kid at heart, full of jokes and laughter. I put on my coat, feeling a little silly but I was up for whatever it was he had up his sleeve. With my coffee in hand, I followed the petals into the living room, right up to the Christmas tree we had put up together, buying all new ornaments that we both loved. There was a huge red arrow attached to the tree, pointing to an ornament I hadn’t seen before.
I picked it off the tree and smiled. “Our first Christmas together,” I read aloud.
It brought tears to my eyes. It was a beautiful way to mark a very special occasion. The ornament would always hold a special place in my heart. I put the ornament back on the tree and wondered what the man had up his sleeve. I was standing in my robe, slippers and my coat in the middle of my living room, feeling a little foolish.
I looked down at the floor, looking for my next trail of rose petals and found it leading out to my back patio. I cringed at the thought of going outside but had expected as much. I opened the glass doors and finally found him, wearing a pair of pajama pants and a giant bow around his neck with nothing else on. I burst into laughter at the sight of him looking so goofy and sexy at the same time.
“What are you doing?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“You’ve certainly done that. You must be freezing,” I scolded. “You don’t even have any shoes on,” I said, noticing his bare feet on the concrete.
He shrugged a shoulder, pointing to the patio heater behind him. “I’m hugging that thing.”
“You could hug me,” I offered.
He grinned. “Not yet.”
Without warning, he dropped to one knee and produced a black box from out of nowhere. My stomach immediately filled with nerves and butterflies. I nearly dropped the cup of coffee in my hand so I set it aside as he opened the box to present me with a beautiful diamond ring. My heart was pounding hard in my chest as I stared at the sparkling diamond, my mouth suddenly very dry.
“Clay?” I said his name, asking if it was another joke without using the words.
“I’m not wearing any shoes,” he replied, answering the question.
I giggled, tears filling my eyes. “No, you’re not.”
“Dani, we’ve come a long way these past eight months and I want to go all the way to the end with you. I want you to be by my side, through thick and thin and all of Emmitt’s crazy antics. I want you to be my person and I want to be yours. I want to marry you. I want to be your devoted husband,” he said, his voice a little raspy with emotion.
I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry. I wasn’t sad and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. I nodded my head, unable to speak.
“Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Yes! Yes, I will marry you,” I said in a whisper.
He got to his feet and pulled me close, hugging me tight against his big, bare chest that had to be freezing. The bow poked my neck, causing me to giggle. He kissed me before stepping back and sliding the ring on my finger.
“It’s beautiful, I love it,” I told him, staring down at the simple diamond ring that was such an honest statement about our relationship.
We enjoyed the simple things in life together. We were no frills and loved hanging out and watching TV on a Friday night wearing our sweats.
“I’m glad you like it. There’s something else, but maybe we could go inside to talk about it. It’s a little chilly out here,” he said with a laugh.
“Well, you’re out here half-naked, you fool. How long were you out here?”
“Not too long. I was hoping you wouldn’t sleep in too late. You might have discovered a popsicle with a bow on it,” he chuckled.
“I wouldn’t mind licking you from tip to top,” I shot back.
He swatted my butt. “You are so naughty, and I love you all the more for it.”
He walked into the dining room, where there were several sheets of paper on the table. I looked down and knew exactly what they were.
“You started looking?” I asked with surprise.
He nodded his head. “I know I said I didn’t want to, but I want our marriage to start with a clean slate. Buying our first home together is the way to do that. I was reluctant, but it makes sense. I want to buy a house with you and make it into a home for our family. We can live anywhere you want,” he said.
I picked up one of the sheets and stared at the cute house in the country complete with a white picket fence. “I can’t believe you were looking,” I said again, tears filling my eyes.
“I had to put up a little fuss because I wanted to surprise you. I have appointments to check these houses out today if you’re up for it.”
My eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
“Only if you want to. I don’t want to pressure you into anything you’re not ready for,” he said.
We both sat down at the table as I read over the listings. He had listened to everything I had said I was looking for. We had been talking about moving in together and it was then I realized my house wasn’t the right place for us to be together. His house was a little on the small side.
“I want to. I’m ready,” I told him.
“Good, then we should probably get ready. The first appointment is in an hour.”
My mouth dropped open. “Damn! You move fast!”
He laughed. “You said you wanted a roomy house in the country. That one is not going to last long. If you want it, we’ve got to jump on it.”
I stared at the picture of the two-story home with a big oak tree in the front yard. I could see my children playing in that yard—or child, unless Clay had changed his mind about having more than one. It was our house. It was our future. I knew it.
“You’re ready for this?” I asked him again, knowing he’d been hesitant to sell his house.
“I am. We’re going to be married. Hell, we might even be able to get married at our new house if we go with that country one. It’s sitting on five acres. There’s plenty of room for the whole town to come,” he said with a laugh.
I got to my feet and pulled him up before I threw my arms around him and held him tight. I never wanted to let him go. He was my world. I had never thought I could love again, but I did. I loved Clay fully and completely.
We both dressed in record time and were in his truck driving out to the property. I was so anxious I could hardly contain my excitement. He pulled down the long dirt driveway, lined with white fencing. He put the truck in park and we both stared out the window at the house before us. Neither of us spoke. We didn’t have to.
“I think we’re home,” I whispered.
He reached over and grabbed my hand. “I think we are.”
The End
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About the Author
Lexy Parker is the creation of two hopelessly romantic ladies who grew up loving any and every book they could read. They love their men handsome, strong, dead sexy, and with super-soft hearts.
While married to real-life amazing husbands—who secretly rolled their eyes and loudly cheered them on—they collaborated together to become Lexy Parker.
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A Calendar of Love Novel #4
Copyright © 2019 by Lexy Timms & Ali Parker.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
Editor: Eric Martinez
Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art
