All of My Soul

by Jenni Wilder

“Put me down!” I demanded again, this time quieter. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I told you I was going to throw you in the pool if you didn’t give me my beer.”

  He couldn’t be serious. Now that the sun had set, the temperature had dropped and it was freezing outside.

  “No! Lincoln! It’s too cold!”

  He smacked my butt again. “Well, you should have thought of that before.”

  I tried to stretch my head up to see where we were at in the house. I hadn’t been in this part of Kennedy and Brian’s home before, but I could tell we were getting closer to the back, which meant we were close to being outside at any minute.

  “No!” I cried as I struggled in his arms. “I’ll get you another beer, baby!”

  Lincoln laughed loudly and held me tighter. “Too late for that now!”

  I heard a metal door clang as he carried me through a doorway, and the air temperature changed drastically. But instead of being the cold blast of air I expected, it was suddenly warm and humid. I looked around as best I could from my awkward angle and saw we were in a small atrium. There were windows all around, and brown cloth lounge chairs were stacked next to the doorway we had just come through.

  “Where’s your phone?” Lincoln asked.

  “What?” I gasped.

  “Where’s your phone? Is it in your pocket?”

  He didn’t want to throw me in the pool if I had my phone on me. “Yes! Yes! My phone is in my pocket!”

  “She’s lying!” I heard Rebecca yell. “It’s in her purse!” I looked up and saw her smirking at us from the doorway, so I raised one hand and flipped her off.

  “All right! Are you ready?” Lincoln asked.

  “What?” I was confused. We were still in the atrium.

  Lincoln pivoted slightly, and a medium-sized pool came into view. Oh, thank God. He wasn’t taking me outside.

  He walked up to the edge of the pool. “Are you ready? One!” he cried and shifted me in his arms. “Two!” Our group joined in the countdown, and Lincoln moved his hands to my hips readying to toss me into the pool. “THREE!” everyone cried, and I clamped my legs around his chest. If I was going in, he was going with me. But he surprised me. Instead of pushing me into the water, he jumped in himself, taking me with him.

  My scream was suddenly cut off as we hit the water and sank like a rock. Lincoln held me close to him, and I felt him push off the bottom of the pool. The water was warm, and had I not been in jeans and a sweater, it would have been perfect.

  Lincoln smiled widely at me as we surfaced. He shook his head to get his wet hair out of his eyes, and I rubbed my face. I was still clinging to him, only now we were face-to-face, my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms circled around his neck.

  I couldn’t help but smile back at him. Sure we were both soaking wet, but they were only clothes. They could be washed.

  “That was fun,” he said.

  His big goofy grin made my heart flutter. He was irresistible like this. So happy and full of joy. I pulled myself closer to him and kissed him hard on the mouth. He kissed me back with passion, and it wasn’t too long before I heard Kennedy complain.

  “Oh, come on! I wanted to see her get pissed at him, not making out in my pool. AHHH!!”

  I pulled away from Lincoln and looked up in time to see Brian lift up his wife and throw her into the pool. Only he wasn’t as nice as Lincoln. He managed to stay dry with his feet on the ground as his wife sailed through the air and into the water. She shrieked as she surfaced quickly.

  “You are so dead, Brian!” she cried. She swam to the ladder and hoisted herself out of the pool, her cotton pajama pants and tank top clinging to her body.

  Brian laughed and tried to dodge out of her grasp, but she managed to climb on his back. She was dripping wet, and now half of Brian was too. He must have realized this because he grabbed her legs to keep her from letting go of him as he ran for the pool. I couldn’t help but laugh as he jumped into the water, taking her with him.

  Matt made a move to grab his girlfriend but Kailey took a step backward toward the door and held up her hand. “Don’t even think about it, Matthew. This sweater is cashmere!”

  She turned and stormed out of the atrium. Matt gave a longing look back at those of us having fun in the pool but then turned and begrudgingly followed his girlfriend back into the house. Poor guy.

  Shrieks from my sisters drew my attention as Deacon attempted to maneuver both of them into the pool. Deacon grabbed Emily’s right arm and Rebecca’s left arm and pulled them to the pool as he walked backward toward it. Deacon was just like Lincoln, full of muscles, and if he wanted you to do something, there was little you could do to fight against it. Although both my sisters tried. They both pulled against him until the last second before they reached the pool. In a quick move, Rebecca grabbed Deacon’s arm and surrendered to the inevitable. She jumped in which caused enough momentum that Deacon was unable to stop himself from going in with her while pulling Emily along with him. Once they surfaced, the three of them began splashing each other, which gave me an idea.

  I thought Lincoln was distracted but as soon as I brought my hand back to splash him, he grabbed it and shook his head at me with a smile.

  “Remember what the punishment is for splashing, Princess.”

  I bit my lip to try to stop from smiling as I remembered our Valentine’s Day bath. Tickling was the punishment, but it was worth it. He must have seen the gleam of mischief in my eyes because before I could splash him he moved his hand to my waist and began tickling me.

  I screamed loudly, not caring about waking the kids anymore since it seemed as if the metal door would block out the sound. “No fair! I didn’t splash you!”

  “Oh, but you wanted to. I could see it in your eyes.”

  I tried to push away from him, but he still had one hand around my wrist, and every time I managed to get out of his reach, he would pull me back while laughing at me.

  Our playing was shortly interrupted by a large echoing splash coming from the other end of the pool. It got everyone’s attention. Carter had been the only one not in the pool, but as I looked around I found he was missing. Emily was now standing on the edge of the pool with a devious look on her face. She must have ditched her sweater, because she now stood there with her skintight leggings and tank top clinging to her body.

  “What—” I started to say, but just then Carter surfaced from under the water, flailing his arms and gasping for air. Emily must have pushed him in. His gray suit was drenched, and his wet hair fell in front of his eyes. He stood in the chest deep water in shock, and everyone froze waiting to see how he would react.

  A small giggle from Emily broke the silence, and Carter looked up at her with disbelief.

  It’s not that Carter was a total grump. He was a good guy and a great brother to Lincoln and Kennedy, but I hadn’t ever seen him just let loose and have fun. I didn’t think he’d be mad at Emily, but I wasn’t sure if he’d think she was funny or annoying. But thankfully after a few tense seconds, Carter laughed and swiped his arm through the water, creating a massive wave that hit Emily from head to toe.

  She shrieked and jumped back into the water, aiming to hit Carter with most of the water from her cannonball. Rebecca used the distraction to surprise Deacon. She vaulted up out of the water and push down on his shoulders, trying to force him under, but he simply grabbed her arms and dove under the surface, pulling her under with him.

  Lincoln pulled me close to him again and moved us farther away from the rest of the group. That last beer I slammed started to hit me hard, and I pinched my eyes shut and rested my head against his.

  “Mm… stop spinning us around, Lincoln.”

  He rubbed my back. “We’re not moving, baby.”

  “Then the room is spinning.”

  “Are you going to be sick?” he asked with alarm.

  I shook my head, but made no other attempts to move. My stomach was fine, but I was suddenly extremel
y tired and was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

  I felt him pull back from me slightly. “Are you going to be okay, or do you want to go to bed?”

  “No. I don’t want to leave the fun.” I knew I was whining again, but I didn’t want the evening to be over. This night had been one of the most enjoyable nights with my friends I ever had.

  Lincoln ran his hand over my head and down my hair. “There’ll be more fun tomorrow, Princess. It’s late. We should go to bed.”

  “Hmm… okay,” I agreed. I had no energy to put up a fight. I closed my eyes and rested my head against his again.

  “Don’t fall asleep yet, baby. We have to get out of the pool first.”

  “Okay.” I was willing to do whatever he asked at this point as long as it involved a bed.

  “Okay,” Lincoln repeated with a chuckle. “I’m going to lift you up to the edge of the pool, but you have to help me, all right?”

  I nodded, but in reality I didn’t know how much help I could be. The room was still spinning, and my head was so heavy.

  “The ladder is right behind you. Can you reach back and grab the handles while I push you up?”

  I silently unlocked my arms from around Lincoln’s neck. He had his hands on my hips, holding me steady in the water. Somehow he managed to push me up to the edge while I steadied myself on the railings of the ladder.

  Sitting on the edge of the pool, I watched through half-closed eyes as he nimbly hoisted himself out and sat next to me. He stood up, taking me with him, and I watched as he pulled his wet T-shirt off and threw it on the floor next to the pool before shucking out of his jeans. Even drunk, I appreciated how gorgeous he was as he stood in front of me in just his boxer briefs.

  “Woo! Take it off, Lincoln!” Emily yelled from the pool. A slight flare of irritation burned through my drunken haze, knowing my sisters were now seeing my man in just his underwear, but I decided it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t much different than if he had been wearing swim trunks. Besides, I could touch and they couldn’t. I reached out and lightly brushed my fingers over his abdominal muscles.

  He chuckled and grabbed my hand to stop me. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed the back of it before stepping closer to me.

  “Okay. Your turn.” He reached for the hem of my sweater and tugged it up, slowly peeling the heavy, wet, fabric over my head. I felt fifty pounds lighter as he threw the soaked sweater on the floor, leaving me standing in front of him in my jeans and tank top. “Now your jeans.” He moved to start unbuttoning my pants, but I pushed away from him in panic.

  “No! Lincoln! I don’t want them to see my scars,” I said in hushed tones as I looked down with shame.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got a robe right here.” He held open a big, fluffy brown robe, blocking me from anyone’s view but his.

  My drunken fingers slowly undid my belt, and I put all my concentration into unbuttoning my jeans. It took me a few tries, but Lincoln never lost patience or told me to hurry up. Eventually I got it, and I held on to one of his strong shoulders for balance as I worked my jeans and panties off. I peeked over my shoulder to ensure no one could see me before I undressed completely.

  Our wet clothes lay in a pile next to the pool as Lincoln wrapped me in the fluffy robe and lifted me to cradle me in his arms. I felt totally cared for and protected as Lincoln carried me out of the atrium, bidding everyone goodnight.

  It wasn’t that far of a walk to the guest room we were staying in, and I managed not to pass out in Lincoln’s arms as he carried me. He set me on the end of the bed, and suddenly there was a bottle of water in my hand. I don’t know where he got them from, but he held out two little white pills.

  “Two aspirin now and two more in the morning,” he instructed me.

  I took the pills. “You sound like you have experience taking care of drunk girls,” I managed to say. I think he understood me despite my slurred speech.

  He smiled and knelt in front of me so we were closer to eye level. “No, baby. I’ve just drank more than you have in the past.”

  I chugged half the bottle of water before handing it back to him and lying down in bed.

  “Do you want me to dry your hair?” His tone was soft and comforting, as if he’d be honored to do it.

  My head smushed against the pillow as I shook my head to answer him. I just wanted to sleep.

  I lifted my hand to invite him into bed, and he crawled in next to me and pulled the covers over us.

  “I didn’t take my contacts out.” God, I sounded so helpless.

  “If I get your case and saline solution, are you going to be able to take them out?”

  I nodded. I would somehow manage despite my drunken state. I hated sleeping with my contacts in.

  Lincoln was ever patient as he brought me my eye-care gear, and I slowly and carefully took my contact lenses out and placed them in the case.

  I snuggled back into bed as Lincoln set my things on the nightstand and then wrapped his arms around me, curling up against me, my head on his chest, tucked under his chin. He was so attentive to my needs. I loved how he cared for me.

  “Lincoln?” I whispered.

  “Shh… go to sleep.”

  I was nearly passed out already, but I desperately wanted to tell him how I felt. I think I started to tell him, but the alcohol and exhaustion won the battle, and I ended up mumbling something incoherent into his chest before passing out.

  Chapter Seven

  Somehow I managed to avoid a terrible hangover. I had only a slightly fuzzy head the next morning when I woke, and my mouth felt full of cotton, but other than that, I was fine. All thanks to Lincoln.

  I slid silently out of bed, trying not to wake my sleeping man. I desperately needed the bathroom. I was still wearing the robe Lincoln dressed me in last night, and as I brushed my teeth, there was a soft knock on the bathroom door.

  “Jillian? You okay?”

  I smiled around the toothbrush in my mouth. It was slightly embarrassing to have been that drunk last night, but I couldn’t help but appreciate the way Lincoln cared for me.

  I quickly finished brushing my teeth and opened the door to the bathroom. I found him leaning against the doorframe with a concerned look on his face. His eyes roamed over me. I think he was looking for signs of sickness, but there were none to be found. Brushing my teeth had helped immensely.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  I nodded up at him.

  “Did you get sick?”

  “No. I feel good. Not sick at all. My head doesn’t even hurt.”

  He exhaled the breath he had been holding. “Good. I was sure you’d at least have a massive headache.”

  I hugged him around his waist and rested my head on his chest. He had put pajama pants on, but he was still bare from the waist up.

  “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  He sighed with comfort and wrapped his arms around me. “I love taking care of you. You mean the world to me.”

  Lincoln’s love for me was unfathomable. Somehow after all the pain in my life, God had smiled on me and rewarded me with this wonderful man.

  I pulled back slightly from our embrace just enough so I could rest my hand on his cheek and look him in the eye.

  “How did I get so lucky to end up with you?”

  “I’m the lucky one, Princess. You make my life complete.”

  He leaned down to kiss me, and I looped my arms around his neck. I kissed him with all the love I had for him. I never wanted him for one minute to doubt how much I loved and appreciated him.

  He moaned and tightened his arms around my body. Standing up straighter without breaking our kiss, he lifted me so my feet just lightly skimmed the carpeted floor as he walked to the bed. When he set me down on the edge, he immediately untied my robe and pushed it off. His strong hands cupped my shoulders and pushed me back on the bed until I was lying down.

  My hands traced all over his back. I loved the feel of his shoulder muscles as he h
eld himself over me while he kissed down my neck to my collarbone. Mm… I loved when he kissed me there.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Auntie Jilly!” a little voice cried from the other side of our bedroom door.

  Lincoln froze on top of me. I had forgotten the kids spent the night here.

  “Is the door locked?” I whispered.

  He nodded.

  I tipped my head back to shout at the door. “What is it, Tabby Cat?”

  “Kenny made us waffles and says you need to come eat!”

  “We’ll be there in a little bit, Tabitha!” I yelled in a shaky voice as Lincoln resumed his delicious assault on my neck.

  “Kenny says”—she paused—“Kenny says if you don’t come to breakfast now—” She paused again, and I was almost certain Kennedy was on the other side of the door with Tabitha feeding her lines. “She’ll tell coach you were drunk last night!” High-pitched giggles emanated from the other side of our bedroom door.

  Lincoln and his teammates weren’t forbidden to drink during the season but it was frowned upon, especially the night before a game. Anything that hindered their performance on the ice was strongly discouraged, and if it interfered with the game, they would be disciplined.

  Lincoln remained propped up over me, but he hung his head in defeat. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” he whispered.

  “I hate your sister right now,” I whispered back.

  “Me too,” he agreed and rolled off me. “I never thought she’d actually cock block me.”

  I laughed. Kennedy loved giving Lincoln grief, and there wasn’t a better way to do that than to interrupt our private moment.

  “We’ll be right there!” I yelled, and I heard tiny feet scamper away. I rolled to my side and kissed his cheek. “Tonight. I promise I’ll thank you properly for taking care of me.”

  He rolled to his side to face me and caressed my hip. “Now I’m really not going to be able to concentrate on the game today.”

  I smiled. “You better. I want a win.”

  He laughed. “Okay. Just for you, Princess.”

  ~~~~~~~~