Saved (A Standalone Romance) (A Savery Brother Book)

by Naomi Niles

  Her answer surprised me. I thought she was going to give me a list of reasons why I should stop talking to Harrison, but she didn’t. She told me exactly what I needed to hear. The feelings didn’t go away immediately, but I knew that I would eventually see things the way she did. She was right. I am grown, and so is Harrison, so neither of us should care what anybody else thought about what we had going on between each other. Without warning, I put my arms around Meghan. “Thank you for that. Honestly. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Caroline. Now, I am no Sarah, but I am always willing to hear you out. I know that she was your bestie and all, and she can’t be replaced, but I just want you to know that I am here for you. Anytime you need me, I am here for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime. Now,” she stood up and wiped the sand from her behind, “I am going to walk my sexy ass around on this beach and see what kind of men I can scrounge up for myself. You aren’t the only one who can find a sexy-ass man to have sex with. Come on,” she said as she pulled me up by my arm. “You are coming with me. Even if you aren’t giving your pussy away, you can at least act like you are for me. Come on.”

  I laughed as she pulled me across the sandy beach to approach a huddle of young boys. I needed this time alone with her because it helped confirm what I needed to do with Harrison. Later that night, she brought me back to the hotel. I went straight to Harrison’s room, and when he opened the door, I gave him a solemn glance. “Are you alright?” he asked cautiously.

  I closed the gap between us and planted a kiss on his lips, then wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sorry, Harrison. I’m sorry for acting like such a bratty little girl yesterday because of some stupid rumors. None of that matters. The only thing that matters is us, and I know I’ve said that before, but this time, I mean it. No more outside noise will distract me from you, OK?”

  He smiled, then held me tighter. For the first time, I felt that every insecurity I had about the way we got together had vanished into thin air. I was free to love Harrison in whatever way I wanted to, because it was our business and that was all that mattered. I could only hope that he felt the same way about me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Harrison

  I stretched my hand across the mattress. My eyes sprung open when I realized that Caroline wasn’t next to me. Slowly, my mind brought me back to reality. It had been a few days since we came back from California, but I still envisioned her laying right next to me. It wasn’t just the fact that she kept me company, but it was the warmth I felt in my soul when she was close. After a deep exhale, I reached for my phone. Coping with Sarah’s death was just beginning to get better, but I still had a hard time letting go. Her room was still completely intact, and I planned on keeping it that way for as long as I lived in this house.

  My cell phone was still full of her voicemails. I flipped through until I landed on one at random. “Hey, Dad. School is almost over! I cannot wait to walk across that stage and grab my diploma, then throw up a big middle finger to ASU!” She laughed. “I’m kidding. I love that school, but it is time to step into the real world. Start a career. Build a family. You know, normal grown-up stuff. Anyways, just calling to say hi. So, hi. I love you. Call me later.” I glanced at the diploma cover that I received when I walked across the stage in her place. I hadn’t done anything like that since high school, but it made me want to further my education. I didn’t have a reason to go, but it was just something that crossed my mind. Something that would help keep Sarah’s image alive. I grabbed my things and headed off to work.

  When I walked into the building, Brian stood at the front, speaking with one of our head construction guys. “Hey, Phillip,” I said, interjecting myself into their conversation.

  “What’s up, boss?”

  He grabbed my hand and shook with firmness. “Nothing much, man. Good to see you. How’s all?”

  “Things are alright.”

  I looked at Brian just as he spoke up. “Yeah, except our guys didn’t come in to take care of the grass again.”

  “I noticed. What is this? The second or third time in the last few months?”

  He shook his head. “Yeah, man, something like that. It may be time to find ourselves a new group. One with a little more consistency.”

  “My sentiments exactly. Well, I’ll go upstairs and get ready so we can knock it out. Luckily, it’s not sweltering out there.”

  “Hold on, boss,” he turned to Phillip and handed him a sheet of paper. “So, yeah, those are the adjustments, and if you have any problems, just give me a call, and I’ll walk you through it.”

  “Got it, Brian.”

  Afterward, Brian followed me to the elevator, giving me an update on a recent account. Our guys were nearly finished with it and making room for another project whenever we could land it. When the elevator stopped on our floor, Caroline stood on the other side just as the doors opened. She smiled as soon as she noticed me. “Hey, Harrison. Hey, Brian. How are you guys doing?”

  “Good,” I said, mirroring her expression. “I just showed up not too long ago.”

  “Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we’re just um, we’re just going to go out and take care of the lawn since our guys didn’t show up, you know? Guy stuff.”

  “OK.” She scooted past us as I held the door open for her. “Well, you guys take care of the, um, ‘guy stuff’ and I guess I’ll catch up with you later. Oh, before I forget, I dropped a few papers off on your desk for you to look over. No rush. I just wanted you to see the numbers and projections for this month.”

  “OK. I’ll look them over.”

  I let the door close on her smile as Brian laughed. “Man, you are acting like you are in high school again. Your nose is wide open.”

  “Is that what it is?” I said, walking to my office. “A funny thing happened today before I left my house. My ex came by out of nowhere.”

  “Your ex?”

  “Sarah’s mom.”

  His eyes widened. “Really? How long has it been since you saw her?”

  “She came to my house not too long after Sarah died. It was some bullshit, but before that, it had been years, man. Sarah was maybe 3 or 4 years old. She just left. No note. No contact. She just went ahead and expected me to figure everything out on my own. I did, but that is not the point. She left, and since then, I never settled down with anyone. It was always one-night stands here and there, you know? Nothing to signify anything concrete.” I looked at him as he stood by my desk, waiting for me to change my shirt. “You know what it was? I didn’t realize it until she came this morning. I was just afraid of commitment. I was scared that the next woman I met was going to leave me just like Sarah’s mom.”

  “Wow,” he said as he rubbed his chin. “That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense, boss. It is just crazy that it took you seeing her again for you to realize that. What happened when she came over?”

  I took off my shirt and threw on a white T-shirt to help reflect the sunlight when we went outside. “Nothing. I didn’t even let her in. I told her to get the fuck out of my face and never come back.” He laughed as I continued, “She said that she tried to contact me when Sarah passed away, but my phone was disconnected. My phone has not been disconnected since I was in my early 20s. I don’t know who the hell she was calling, but it wasn’t me. She said she found my number with a Google search.”

  “Yeah man,” he said as he grabbed water bottles from the refrigerator, “it doesn’t take much to find someone these days. You should probably make your information private or something. I don’t know if that will help, but hell, it’s better than nothing.” He tossed me a water bottle. I caught it with one hand. “So, how does that affect your thing with Caroline?”

  “My thing?”

  “Well, I don’t know what to call it. You won’t say that the two of you are an item, but then again, you won’t tell me if you are. So, I just call it, ‘your thing.’”

  “Cl
ever.” I unscrewed the top off the water bottle and took a swig. “Well, I don’t know. I didn’t feel she would leave. I didn’t have the same fear with her that I had with the other women.”

  “I see.” He paused and tapped his fist on the table, as if he was hesitant to speak.

  “Spit it out, man. I know you’ve got something for me.”

  “Well. She is only supposed to be here for six months, so, there is a possibility that she may leave. I was always told not to mix business with pleasure because things could get complicated down the line, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know. I understand your concern, but I don’t think this is that. I think we are taking it slow, and eventually, things will work themselves out.”

  “Alright, boss.”

  I grabbed my hat. “Well, let’s get to it before the sun decides it wants to stay out from beyond those clouds permanently.”

  We headed outside to take care of the lawn, but all I could think about was Caroline. I hoped that Brian was wrong about her, because based on my feelings, I would be crushed if she decided to leave. The thought made me want to take a few steps back just to protect my heart, but it was too late for that. I was already in too deep.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Caroline

  I had just sat down on the couch when I noticed that there was a leak in the ceiling of my front room. It dribbled down the corner of the wall and made a small puddle on the floor. Great. The maintenance crew at the apartment complex was already done for the day, so I knew they weren’t going to get my call until tomorrow morning, and I had no clue how much more damage the leak would have done by then. I grabbed my phone to give Harrison a call. I figured that since he owned a construction company, he may be able to do a little something to hold me over until tomorrow.

  “Harrison? Hey.”

  “Hey, Caroline. Is everything alright?”

  “Yes. Well, yes and no. I am fine, but I seem to have gotten a leak in my ceiling. It must have been due to the rain we got over the past few days.”

  “I see. Well, do you want me to come over and take a look?”

  “Will you? I know it is last minute, I just don’t want any damage to my things. Maintenance won’t be around until tomorrow.”

  “No problem. I am on my way.”

  “Thank you.”

  I hung up the phone just as the stream of water began to thicken as it dripped down the wall. The apartment complex, for the most part, was pretty well kept. It was a bit on the cheap side because I was unsure of my income before I moved in, but for now, it had to do. At least until my lease was up. I parked myself on the couch and waited for Harrison to show up. About 15 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peephole to make sure it was him. “Hey, Harrison. I’m glad you could come out here.”

  He walked inside of my apartment with a small toolbox. “No problem at all. I wasn’t doing anything,” he said as he looked towards the ceiling. He pointed, “Is that it right there?”

  “Yup. That’s it. I don’t know how it started, either. I just noticed it before I called you over, so I don’t know how long it has been there.”

  He grabbed a chair from the dining room. “May I?”

  “Sure. Knock yourself out. However, if you fall, don’t expect to get any money if you sue. This is all at your own risk.”

  He laughed as he positioned himself on the chair. “I can manage.” I watched him as he reached towards the corner of the ceiling and felt around the hole. I thought it was sexy how he could come over and fix things whenever I needed him. It added to his attraction. I stole glimpses of his physique as he stood high on the chair. “OK. This is nothing major. Here,” he pointed to the toolbox, “can you grab that little white tube out of there and hand it to me? Please?”

  I sifted through his tools until I found what he was looking for, then handed it to him. He squeezed some white putty into the hole and then used a small, spoonlike object to smooth it over. He tapped it with his finger and examined it one more time before he climbed down from the chair. “That’s it. That will hold you over for at least a few weeks. They may have to redo this whole ceiling, though. I imagine that if there was a hole here, another one could pop up any time now.”

  “That’s just what I needed to hear.” I exhaled and ran my fingers through my hair. “I knew this place was cheap, but I didn’t expect to get holes in my ceiling within the first month of living here.”

  “How long is your lease?”

  “Six months. I got it for as long as I thought it would take for me to move out to California.”

  “Right.” He slowly grabbed the chair and placed it back into its position alongside the dining room table. I could tell something was wrong with him after I spoke. If we were on the same page, he might have been considering my lease. As of right now, I was still on the fence about whether I should move or not, but my relationship with Harrison complicated the move more than I expected.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Um.” He looked away as if he was hesitant to speak.

  I stepped closer to him. “Go ahead, Harrison. Tell me what it is.”

  “The move,” he said finally. “I was just thinking about your move coming up a little while down the line. Are you still set on going?”

  “As of right now, I am. I mean, things could change, but I just don’t know. A lot could change, actually. I guess I am just waiting for some confirmation, one way or the other before I make that decision.”

  “What kind of confirmation?”

  I walked away from him and took a seat on the couch. I didn’t know that our talk would come like this, but I guessed that it was as good a time as any. “I just want to know where we are headed. I mean, I like you, Harrison. A lot. We have gotten through one of the roughest times in our lives together, and it has been a lot of ups and downs, but I’m comfortable with you. I just don’t want to put my all into something and not know if it will be returned, you know?”

  He smiled, then took a seat next to me on the couch. “I understand. I feel the same way. I’ll be honest though; I am afraid of commitment.” As soon as he said those words, I wanted to cry. I guess I had hoped that eventually, we would be together, but it felt like that was just a dream. I braced myself for what he was about to tell me next. “Well, that was before I met you.” He completely changed my train of thought. “After I met you, all of that fear went away. I knew it meant something, especially when I found myself turning women down for you.”

  “Turning women down? When was this?”

  “At the hotel when you went out with Meghan. A young woman at the bar started flirting with me. Now, normally, I would have taken the bait, but this time, I didn’t. After I had finished my drink, I left the card she gave me on the counter and went back to my room to wait for you to return. Like I said, that kind of behavior is unheard of for me, but now, it just feels natural. It seems right. Knowing that I want to take us as far as we can go. I love you, Caroline. A lot. This is not something that I want temporarily. This is something that I want long-term.”

  Tears formed at the bottom of my eyes, and suddenly, I lunged for him and knocked him backward onto the couch. It felt like he just proposed to me, but his words were strong enough to clear the uncertainty from my mind. It was all I needed to hear to let me know that I wasn’t the only one thinking that between us. It was a load off my shoulders. I kissed him on the cheek, then slowly moved to his lips as we sat on the couch. “You don’t know how much it means for me to hear you say that. It is such a relief. I know things felt right between us, but everything that feels right does not mean that it is right, you know?”

  “Yes. I know that all too well.”

  We sat in the front room talking a little while longer before he decided to head home. “Yeah, it probably is a good thing that you leave. We both have to be up tomorrow for work.”

  “How about you take the day off?”

  “The day off? Why?”

 
“You deserve it. You have been working tirelessly ever since you got hired and you have done an excellent job. Take the day off.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am positive. The only thing I require is a dinner date. If we can do that, then everything is square between us.”

  “Well…” I closed the gap between us as we stood by the door. “I guess that will be alright.”

  “You guess?”

  I smiled, then kissed him on the lips. His hand had roamed my body before I brought it to a halt. “No, no, see… that is going to lead to other things, and it is already 11 pm. Besides, we just got another contract, so I know you need to be at work to help get the plans situated. So, let’s save this moment for later. When we both have time to really explore each other the way we want to.”

  He mirrored my expression. “Good call, Caroline.” He kissed my lips one last time. “I guess I will see you at dinner?”

  “Yes, you will.”

  I watched him walk to his car and kept my eye on him until he drove out of the parking lot. It was great that we finally got on the same page with each other. After weeks of worrying, I could finally put that to rest. I grabbed the remote and flopped down on the couch, glancing at the hole that he had fixed a few hours ago. It looked as good as new, but I still wanted to move out of this complex. That was already the third thing that had to be repaired since I moved in, so I knew there would be more before it was all said and done.

  Just then, I got another text. I smiled, thinking it was from Harrison, but when I saw Johnathan’s name, all I could do was shake my head. “Are you busy?”