by Christa Lynn
“Nash, Amber, and your mom need you. Stay here, get to know each other, and we’ll see each other after your shift, okay?”
“Okay, you’re right. I’m needed here, but I need you too.”
“And I need you, but here is where you’re needed most. I’ll have you to myself in a few days.”
“Okay, I love you,” he says as he presses his lips to mine.
“I love you,” I say, his eyes softening as he hugs me. “Drive safe.”
“Always.”
Chapter 25
I drive home in silence, not even turning on the radio. That was intense, and I need a moment or two alone. I grew up drama free, so any type of scene throws me for a loop. I stayed away from that stuff in school, and college … but sometimes drama finds people who aren’t looking for it. But I can’t take my mind off of that poor girl, or Nash’s parents. They’ve all been through so much, and I have to take the time to be thankful for what I have. I might complain that I work too much, but I love my job, and I’m lucky to have it.
I pull into the parking lot and head into my townhouse, kicking off my shoes and head straight for the shower. The hot water soothes me, body and soul, and I know that I can’t walk away from Nash, or Amber. I’m in this for the long haul, and I couldn’t be more excited … and terrified.
I can’t even begin to explain what I feel for Nash. It’s too soon to be in love with him, but is it? I’ve never been a believer of ‘love at first sight, ’ but with him, I can’t help myself. Maybe it’s just lust, but I don’t think so. The way he was with Amber and the way he misses his sister, you can’t make that shit up. He’s close with his parents, and he loves his job. He also tried to help me with my job, though that kind of pissed me off at the time, I overreacted. Maybe I exaggerated leaving The Bennett’s house too, but I do think they needed family time to try and figure this out.
I know Pearl wants her daughter back, and I hope and pray she’s doing this for the right reasons, and not because she’s replacing Jade. She has a hole in her heart, they all do, but Amber isn’t Jade, and she’ll never replace Jade. But maybe, this will cover over the scar just a little bit.
After my shower, I pull my wet hair up and throw on some yoga pants and a t-shirt, grabbing my laptop to see what my schedule is for tomorrow at work. I log into my intranet and see I have a major meeting with Innovex Technologies, who’s trying to revamp their advertising campaign with a new gaming app they’ve developed. They hope to be the next big thing in the app world, but I can’t get into it. Jason, the only guy I have working for me now, will go with me to this meeting, as he’s the tech guru of the bunch. He graduated from MIT and why he’s in advertising I’ll never know, but I’ll keep him around as long as he wants.
I close my laptop down and grab a glass of wine from the kitchen, sitting back down and staring at the walls. “I need to paint,” I say out loud. “These white walls need a splash of color. And I hate this coffee table,” I groan. I’m not sure why I’m thinking of redecorating at a time like this, hell … the place is brand new. But after I rebuilt I just grabbed smooth delivery items to get it furnished so I could move back in. I love Sarah, but she was getting on my nerves.
I jump and spill my wine when the doorbell rings. “Fuck,” I groan as I grab a tissue from the box and dab the drops of wine off my tee shirt. I peek out the side window and see it’s Nash, standing there with his hands in his pockets, looking like he’s nervous.
I open the door, and his eyes catch the purple wine on my t-shirt and his eyes darken before he looks up at me. “You wear that well,” he groans as his finger traces the trail of wine down my shirt.
“Let me go change, you startled me when the doorbell rang.”
“I’m sorry,” he says as he steps into the house. “I left Mom’s but didn’t want to go home.”
“Don’t you have to be at the station early?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to see you. I didn’t get the chance to properly thank you for finding Amber earlier.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I say as he steps forward, invading my space.
“Oh, but I do.” He smirks. “And I want to thank you in the best way possible,” he says as he cradles my face, gently kissing me. His lips are soft, and his tongue swipes across my bottom lip before he sucks my lips between his teeth, biting gently but hard enough to cause a ripple of pleasure to seep into my blood.
“Have you eaten?” I push back and try to change the subject. It’s not that I don’t want him, because I do, but I’m hungry.
“That’s the plan.” He smirks.
“Not that.” I laugh. “I mean food, nutrition, sustenance. You know … food?” I smart.
“Oh, that kind of hungry. No.”
“Well, I am, so come help me fix some spaghetti.” I laugh, turning to walk into the kitchen.
“But I’d rather suck on your noodles,” he retorts.
“Funny,” I say as I start grabbing items to make spaghetti. I take the easy route and grab a jar of sauce and the noodles, filling the pot with water.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” he asks.
“No, I’m hungry.” I laugh. He sits down at the kitchen table and watches me boil water. “Are you having fun there?” I ask.
“Watching your ass is always fun.” So, I poke my ass out over the counter and shake it, a deep growl coming from Nash’s throat. “Tease,” he says.
I poke my tongue out and toss it over my shoulder at him, but keeping him at arm’s length. If this relationship is going to work, we have to do more than just have sex. I refill my glass with wine and fill another for him, his full lips curling around the glass. He sits quietly while I finish dinner and I hand him a plate. “I’d still rather suck on your noodles.” He laughs, but I ignore him.
“How did it go with Amber after I left?” I change the subject. Nash eats his spaghetti faster than I can get the words out. “Hungry?”
“Hungrier than I thought I was, I guess,” he says.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?”
“I think she’ll be okay, in time.”
“I worry about her,” I say.
“Me too, but only time and love can heal her wounds.”
“You say that from experience, I know. Maybe she can help heal your wounds,” I admit.
“You’ve already done that,” he says as he gets up.
“Where are you going?”
“I forgot something in the car,” he says as he eyes me, then walks outside. I finish my plate and start to do dishes, but he comes back in the kitchen, placing his hands on my hips and turns me to face him. “I have something for you,” he says.
He pulls his hand out from behind his back and gives me a bundle of those woven roses that I fell in love with at the City Market. “Oh, Nash, I love these!” I say as I take the roses. There are three of them tied together with a thin red bow.
“I know, I saw you admiring them and went back to get them for you.”
“I love them, thank you,” I say as I go to grab a vase to put them in. I’ll go back and get a woven basket for them another time, but I want to display them now. I cradle them in my arms, and something falls out of one of the roses. “Oops, what’s that?” I ask as I look for whatever fell on the floor. But before I can reach down to pick it up, Nash is on his knees in front of me with the sparkly item in his hands, pinched between his fingers and his thumb.
“Shelby, I know it’s soon, and you don’t have to answer now. But my mom saw the way we are around each other and said our love is strong and unable to hide. She gave me my grandmother's engagement ring, hoping that one day you’d wear it. I was going to wait, but after missing you when you left today, I realized that I don’t want to be away from you. You brought a spark back into my life that burned in that house years ago, and, for that, I am thankful.”
I stand there, shocked and with tears in my eyes. I had no idea that he felt this way and my heart is racing, feels like it’s going to b
urst through my chest.
“Just a few short months ago, you hit me in the head with a nut, and my life hasn’t been the same. I knew when I backed my chair over your foot, that I wanted to know you better, though I had no idea I’d fall in love with you so quickly. Shelby, I would be honored if you would become my wife,” he says, his own tears now streaming down his face.
Here I stand with wine and spaghetti sauce on my shirt and Nash on his knees in front of me proposing. Am I ready to get married? I don’t know about that, but I know I don’t want to be without Nash, not again. Not ever. I get down on my knees in front of him and cup his face in my hands. “I’ve never been a believer of love at first sight, not sure I am now. But when you ran over my foot at Beer Knobs, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Was it a coincidence that brought you to the accident scene, or was it fate? That I can’t be sure of, but if I hadn’t wrapped my little green bean around that telephone pole, I might not have seen you again. You saved me that day, and for that, I am eternally grateful.” I hold my left hand out, and he slides the antique diamond ring on my finger.
“Is that a yes?” he chokes out.
I nod because I can’t speak anymore. My heart is full, and at this moment, I feel complete. I had no idea that the past few months would fill the holes in both our hearts. A line from Jerry McGuire comes to mind, but I decide to let it go and not ruin the moment. I kiss him gently and wipe his tears away.
His lips brush my neck, and his fingers drift down my stained shirt. “I think you need to put this in the wash,” he says as his fingers hit the hem of my shirt and he lifts it over my head. He kisses down my neck and along the side of my breast before sucking my nipple into his mouth, the pressure is soft but firm. His touch makes me weak, and I lean forward, causing him to lose his balance and fall back on the kitchen table. The leg of the table gives way a little and the table tilts toward us, my plate of spaghetti sliding off of the table and onto our heads.
The plate spins like a top next to us, and we stare at each other, fighting back a laugh. He sits up and presses his lips to my ear, then slurps the spaghetti noodle that hangs in my hair.
“Well, you said you wanted to suck my noodles.” I laugh as his lips pop, the light pink shining with sauce. I lick the drop-off sauce off his mouth, and his eyes darken again. Those turquoise pools turn darker every time he looks at me, and that drives me crazy. Crazy in a good way. I pull a noodle off of his head and toss it to the floor. “We can clean this up later.”
“Yeah, I’ll clean you up first.” He stands up, taking the woven flowers with him that I set down earlier. He sets them on the table and takes my hand, leading me upstairs where I’m quickly naked, his tongue taking the rest of the sauce off of me.
“Thank you,” he whispers against my sated body.
“For what?”
“For being you.”
“I don’t know how to be anyone else.” I laugh.
“Good, never be anyone but you. I love you and all your quirky clumsiness, I love your body and your heart. Never change.”
“And I love everything about you, your protectiveness, your love for your family and Amber.”
And it was then it was settled, we love each other for what we are and not for what someone else wants us to be. Who would have thought that two people could meet by accident, and fall in love? Not me, but I’m happy, and that’s all that matters.
The End
* * *
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
