Whatever It Takes

by Elizabeth Perry

  “Of course, she knows me.” He mutters, before wrapping his arms around me. “She’s mine.” His gruff words are through clenched teeth before his mouth mashes down on mine.

  I wrap my arms around him, before pulling back, suddenly not even caring about the fact that Wyatt is getting a show right now.

  “Oh my God...Eric. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Baltimore!”

  “I needed to see you.” His arms wrap tightly around me before his eyes flash angrily over to Wyatt.

  “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Eric, relax. This is Wyatt.” I take a step out of his embrace before motioning towards Wyatt, who is standing with his mouth wide open, glancing between the two of us.

  “He’s my partner for my presentation project. Remember? I was telling you about it?”

  “You failed to mention that your partner was a guy.” His mouth sets in a firm line.

  “Really? Are you serious right now?”

  He exhales long and slow before finally shaking his head.

  “Sorry baby.” He mutters, before taking a step back and extending his hand to Wyatt.

  “Sorry, brother. I temporarily lost my manners. I’m Eric.”

  I watch as the two of them do an awkward handshake. It’s really only awkward because I’m pretty sure that Wyatt recognizes Eric, and I’m even more sure that Eric is barely holding it together right now.

  “Wyatt is kind enough to walk me to my car after classes,” I tell Eric, who still looks about ready to snap. “Since it’s dark out here, I don’t really like to walk alone.”

  He nods slowly, before doing some kind of a chin lift towards him.

  “Thanks for watching over my girl.” The possessive tone is completely evident as he claims ownership over me.

  “I can take it from here, though. Have a nice night. Wyatt.”

  Chapter 25

  Eric

  I grip and ungrip the steering wheel so many times that I’m fairly certain I’ve worn a hole through the leather.

  I’ve hardly said a word to Avery since we left the school parking lot, mostly because I’m trying to calm myself down before I say something that I might regret.

  But it’s all on the damn tip of my tongue...

  She breaks the ice first.

  “I’m really glad to see you.”

  “Yeah?” I start, before slamming my mouth together hard.

  Because, well?

  It certainly didn’t seem like she fucking missed me...

  “Alright, you know what? Just say it, Eric. You’re pissed off at me. Get it out, please, so that you don’t wreck the rest of the night.”

  “I don’t fucking like how handsy that guy was with you. I fucking watched him the whole damn time, Avery. That guy had his hands all over you, and you seemed to like it a little too damn much.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

  She unbuckles her seatbelt and turns to face me, her eyes staring daggers into me even in the dark night.

  “How dare you! Wyatt is a nice guy. He wasn’t handsy with me. He was walking me to my car for goodness sakes! You want me walking into a dark parking lot all by myself?”

  “Obviously not. And now that I know that the parking lot is so damn dark? I’m meeting you there every night. And when I can’t? I’ll make sure that someone else is there to do it. Someone besides old buddy Wyatt.”

  “You are such an asshole.” She mutters, before throwing herself back against her seat and crossing her arms.

  “Put your seatbelt back on.”

  “Stop telling me what to do.” She mutters but does as I ask.

  I exhale sharply, before shaking my head.

  “Listen. I don’t want to fight with you about this. But I’m a guy, ok? I can tell when a man wants a woman, and I can tell. He wants you. He wants to fuck you, Ave’s. It’s so damn obvious. And I don’t like it one bit.”

  “You know, for someone who preaches all the damn time about how we need trust, you sure as hell don’t seem to trust me very much.”

  “I do trust you...”

  “Right. That’s why you’re freaking out right now. What are you even thinking, Eric? Are you thinking that I’m just going to go off and fuck Wyatt? Is that really what you think?”

  “Well...”

  “Well, nothing.” She turns again towards me, and I can literally feel her eyes burning into my side.

  “Keep in mind, I’m not you. I don’t just fuck anything. I’m not like that. I am not you.”

  I furiously punch in the code to the gate when we reach our driveway.

  I make it just past the gate before slamming on the brakes and putting the car in park.

  “Always going back to that, aren’t we?” I turn to face her, before shaking my head. I try to breathe deep and calm myself down, but I just can’t fucking do it.

  I’m out of the car and wrenching her door open before I can even realize what I’m doing.

  I grab her out of the car, as a small gasp leaves her lips. I kick the door shut before pinning her against it.

  Her dress is pulled up and her panties ripped off in a split second, as her eyes widen.

  “Eric...what are you...”

  “Showing you that you’re all I want.”

  I force her legs around me, before slamming into her, making her head roll back as my name leaves her lips.

  “I’m showing you that no one can make you feel the way that I do.”

  It’s angry fucking, at its finest, as she grips my shoulders hard and screams my name. But she’s also begging for it, begging for it to be harder, and faster, which I give her.

  Hell yes, I give it to her.

  All of my pent-up anger and frustration over the last few days leaves me, as I lose myself in her, right here, against the car in our driveway.

  I’m panting by the time we’re through, and she’s limp against me.

  She’s no longer digging her nails into me, but instead, her hands are gently trailing along my back.

  I inhale sharply a few times, trying to catch my breath, before the words that have been circling my brain for weeks now manage to slip out.

  “Marry me,” I whisper as I stare hard into her glazed over eyes.

  “What?” She lifts her head slightly off of my shoulder, as I take another ragged breath.

  “Marry me, baby. Be my wife.”

  “You’re...really?”

  She pulls back, forcing us to lose contact. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me and shakes her head.

  “Really? You come home unexpectedly, basically tell me that I’m cheating on you, angry fuck me against the car in the driveway, and then ask me to marry you?”

  She at least smiles, before shaking her head.

  “I can’t answer that question right now, Eric. You just threw a tornado of emotions my way. And I’m not going to marry someone who doesn’t trust me.”

  “I do trust you.”

  Our eyes lock as I again move closer to her.

  “I flew home for a twelve-hour visit because I missed you so damn badly that I couldn’t stand to be away from you for another second. I had to see you, Ave’s. I fucking had to feel you.” I shake my head as her face softens.

  “I’ll admit, I did go overboard when I saw you with Wyatt. I guess...” I shrug. “I guess I’m just waiting for you to pay me back. For you to try to hurt me the way that I hurt you before.”

  She reaches up, cupping my face with her hand as I relax against her.

  “Eric...I’m not going to do that.”

  “I know that.” I sigh against her. “But I would deserve it if you did. And I know that. That’s why it freaks me out.”

  “Marrying me isn’t going to make that any better. It might make it worse.”

  I scoop her back into my arms before holding her tightly against me and pressing my lips to hers.

  “It wouldn’t make it worse. Avery, I’ll drop it right now because you deserve better than to
be proposed to while getting fucked against a car. But I’m marrying you. Soon. And it’s not because I need it in order to trust you. It’s because I can’t imagine my life any other way than having you as my wife. You are my everything.” I whisper into her mouth before pulling back and meeting her eyes. “My everything. And I’m not going to rest until you are my wife. That’s how much I love you, Ave’s. You are my forever. My always. My entire fucking life.”

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU left yesterday,” Brock mutters, as we finally load up for our flight home. “It’s pretty fucking insane, Waynsie.”

  I just shrug. I could try to explain it to him, I totally could. But Brock isn’t in any position in his life to try to understand that.

  Nor does he want to be.

  He’s perfectly happy leading his selfish single life, which for him? Is totally fine. But one of these days, he’s going to meet his match.

  And I’ll be the first one lining up to give him shit about it. You can fucking bet on that.

  “Waynsie’s in love.” Jake shrugs. “Leave the guy alone.”

  “I woulda done the same thing when Laci and I were first starting out if she hadn’t been on our away streaks with us.”

  “You are a different story.” Brock wrinkles his nose at him. “You’re a grade A stalker, remember? You probably woulda left and just went and followed her around a bit. Creepy.” He shudders, making Jake growl something at him under his breath.

  Brock totally ignores him before placing his earbuds in his ears and leaning back in his seat.

  “Don’t let him give you shit,” Jake mutters. “One of these days, his stupid ass is going to get blindsided by some woman. And I cannot wait to be here to witness it.”

  “Same.” I agree, before sinking back against my seat.

  I scan around to make sure that no one else is paying attention to us.

  “I asked her to marry me last night.”

  His eyes widen as he reaches out and smacks my arm. “That’s fucking awesome, man! Congrats!”

  “She said no.” I finish, as his face falls.

  “What? Oh, fuck. I’m sorry...”

  “Don’t be.” I wave my hand. “I kinda did it in a bad way, and...”

  “Tell me you didn’t ask her while you were having sex.” He rolls his eyes as my face drops.

  “Dude. That’s the worst.”

  “I know! I mean, I didn’t really mean for it to slip out. But it did. Of course, I want to marry her. If she woulda said yes to that last night? Fuck man, we’d be skipping the event tomorrow and be on an island someplace, where I would officially be locking that shit down for good. Believe me. But she said that she wouldn’t until I trust her.”

  His eyebrows wrinkle, and he starts to open up his mouth to ask when I wave him off.

  “It’s a long, unpleasant story. Let’s just say I lost it over something that I shouldn’t have. I’m asking her again. But this time? I’m going to make it so damn romantic that she can’t resist me. Just watch.”

  “Nice. Gonna put a rock on it?”

  “Fuck yeah.” I nod, before popping my earbuds in.

  Hell yes, I’m gonna put a rock on it.

  I promised her a lot of things all those years ago, and a rock is the last thing that I haven’t given her yet. I always told her that I was going to buy her a big ass house, a flashy car and a big ass ring for her finger.

  I can check the first two off the list.

  Now I just need to get a ring and a plan.

  But it’s happening. And she is going to say yes this time.

  Chapter 26

  Avery

  “I don’t know. Do you think this one is too much?” I glance over at Laci, as I spin sideways in the mirror, staring at my reflection.

  “Are you kidding me? Girl. You look fabulous. It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  She motions for me to spin fully around, and I do, watching in the mirror as her grin widens and she nods her head enthusiastically.

  “Eric is going to go nuts when he sees you.”

  I take a step back, staring at the floor length off white gown that dips to a low V in the front and an even lower V in the back. So low in fact, that I will have to be very careful with my choice of underwear.

  If I can even wear any at all.

  The sleeves are long, which is great since it hides my now fading bruises. But they are still sheer enough to be sexy.

  It’s classy, and elegant, and honestly? It makes me feel a little bit like a princess

  It’s nothing that I would ever imagine for myself, and had Laci not been here with me today, I may not have even chosen it. But the second that she saw it, she snatched it off of the rack and thrust it my way.

  “This.” She had said. “This is it.”

  Well, she was right.

  It’s perfect.

  I glance down at the price tag and gasp.

  “Oh, dear god. I probably should have looked at the price before even bothering. This is way too much. No way can I...”

  “I was given specific instructions that money was no object. Your boyfriend was very clear about that.”

  Laci grins wickedly before pulling out a black AmEx card and waving it around. “He gave it to me since he knew you would say no.”

  “He said, whatever you want, you get. So,” she motions to the clerk. “We’ll take it. And can you please find us some shoes and a bag to match?”

  The clerk smiles wide before nodding, scurrying off to find accessories, probably mentally high fiving herself for being the first one to greet us at the door.

  I mean, lord. If these ladies make commission?

  This girl just had a great day.

  “I feel a little bit guilty spending this much money on a dress.” I stare at my reflection again before sighing.

  “Maybe I should look for something else.”

  “Absolutely not.” Laci shakes her head, making her gorgeous blond curls fly. “That dress is perfect and trust me. Eric can afford it. He’s expecting you to spend a lot. It’s fine. I promise.”

  “I know. I guess I’m just not used to this. I mean, not used to him having money like this.”

  She sizes me up, before finally nodding her head.

  “You really love him, don’t you?”

  I turn my head in her direction, before sighing.

  “I do.”

  “Would you still love him if he lost every dime tomorrow?”

  Without any hesitation, I nod.

  I mean, I fell in love with Eric when I was seventeen. At that time, he had nothing.

  He was a poor kid from the way wrong side of the tracks, who had a rough as hell exterior. But once I broke through it and saw the sweet guy that lived behind that high wall?

  Well, I fell in love with him.

  Blindly, in love, and had my heart shattered once at his hands.

  Giving him another chance this time has absolutely nothing to do with his fame or his money.

  It certainly wasn’t enough to make me immediately run right into his arms. It’s taken a hell of a lot to get us to where we are right now...

  “Good.” She smiles at me. “I figured that was the case, but, mother hen in me had to ask.”

  I glance around the store before sinking onto the bench next to her.

  “Can I tell you something without it going any further than us?”

  She smiles and nods, and I know without a doubt that I can trust her. She’s just one of those people, you know?

  “Eric asked me to marry him last night.”

  “What?” She shrieks, before waving her hands wildly.

  “Girl! How have you been keeping that a secret all day? That is awesome! Oh my god!” She claps her hands together before squealing.

  “That is the best news I’ve heard in a long time!”

  “I said no.”

  Her face immediately falls, and her mouth drops open in question.

  “What? But why? I thought...”

 
; “The timing was off.”

  She freezes before shaking her head slowly.

  “The timing was off? But, I mean, still...that’s a lot for him to put himself out there. What if he is afraid to ask again?”

  Her question takes me off guard, because, well?

  I never really thought about that.

  “Do you want to marry him?”

  I weigh her question for a long time, before finally nodding my head.

  “Yes, I do. Someday.”

  “But what if that day needed to be today? If, you know, gun to your head, you had to decide today. Would you marry him today?”

  With no hesitation, I nod.

  “Yes.”

  Oh my god. I swallow hard, as I realize that I didn’t even need to think about that answer.

  Of course I would marry Eric today. In a damn heartbeat. Because no matter what he has done to me, or what kind of time has passed between us?

  I still am absolutely head over heels for the man.

  And he has done nothing except try to show me that, while the entire time, I have done nothing but had one foot out the door.

  The whole damn time.

  “Oh my god.” I finally breath. I look up at her with panicked eyes.

  “What if I really screwed up this time? What if he doesn’t want to ask me again? You know, fear of rejection?”

  She smiles over at me, before reaching out her hand and placing it on my shoulders.

  “He will. But you may just have to wait for it this time.”

  Well, fuck.

  “I’M TOTALLY FINE WITH skipping this entire thing.” Eric tells me, before pulling me off the cobblestone walkway and towards the dim garden light.

  “Seriously, baby. I would love to take you right home and let this beautiful dress lay crumpled on the bedroom floor.”

  “You’re crazy.” I tell him, as he pulls me in close before running his nose along my neck. He breaths in deep and then groans, gripping my arms tight.

  “I am crazy. About you. And I have no idea how I’m going to make it through the night. You look amazing, Ave’s. Sexy as hell. And bringing you in here and having to watch every damn man here ogle you is going to kill me.”