“I’m up here! Send Raven upstairs!” came a voice calling out from somewhere upstairs. His mother’s voice, I assumed. “I have all her clothes and the dresses up here.”
I narrowed my eyes at Mickey. “What did she mean all my clothes?”
He shrugged. “Come on, Samantha—let me give you the grand tour of the house and then we can walk down to the rocks outside.”
Samantha bounced on her feet, grabbing his hand. Dammit, Samantha was even more smitten, if that was possible, with Mickey than even I was. She adored him. When he wasn’t around, all she wanted to talk about was him. When he was around, she wouldn’t leave his side. It would break my daughter’s heart if I screwed up this thing with Mickey. So, putting on my bravest ‘non-annoyed’ face possible, I ventured up the curving staircase that led to the great unknown upstairs.
“Mrs. Jasmine…Um, Pamela…” I called out when I reached the top of the stairs.
“In here,” she answered.
I followed the sound of her voice, passing several rooms. One of which looked like it might have been Mickey’s old childhood bedroom. I would love to have explored that room, but instead I ventured into the next room.
My jaw dropped open.
I found Mickey’s stepmom in a room with women’s clothes piled all over the bed, all over the ground, and on top of the sofa against the wall. There were designer shopping bags lying haphazardly about the clothes. “I might have went a little overboard shopping,” the woman admitted.
Yeah, no shit.
“And call me Pamela, please,” she requested. The women wore a lace, long-sleeved black dress. She was a bigger woman, but looked like the picture of sophistication in her dress tonight. So why were all the clothes in this room casual clothes?
“I thought Mickey said you had dresses for me to try on?”
“The dresses are in the closet. But I also got you all this other stuff—at Mickey’s request, of course.”
What the fuck? I was too shocked and dumbfounded to enter the room. “What?”
“He didn’t tell you? He said you needed some clothes—other than Sandra’s to wear. He gave me the sizes and designers that you’d been borrowing of Sandra’s stuff. So I went to a bunch of stores and bought a bunch of stuff. You can keep what you like, and I’ll return whatever you don’t like.”
I didn’t know whether I should be angry or happy with Mickey. What girl doesn’t like a bunch of free, beautiful clothes? But then again, what girl wanted a man who clearly told his mother too much about his personal life?
How embarrassing that Pamela knew I’d been wearing Sandra’s clothes?
“We don’t have to go through the clothes right this minute. We can do it another time. Let me go get the dresses I got for tonight,” Pamela said. She shuffled among her piles, tiptoeing for the closet. From the closet she pulled out four, floor-length dresses. She laid the dresses out on the bed.
They were stunning dresses.
Still—I exhaled, trying to calm my nervousness and trying not to be upset with Mickey for all this.
“Something’s wrong,” his mom figured. “I went too far. I bought too much stuff. Don’t worry. I can return everything. I can give you gift cards instead.” Yeah, that wasn’t helping. “Or Mickey can take you shopping himself. Whichever you’d like.
It was hard not to feel like a prostitute in this moment. Like Mickey was buying me with all these clothes. It hurt. Mickey hadn’t meant to hurt me, I knew that, but I still hated this feeling. Tears wanted to leak from my eyes, but I managed to keep my emotions in check in front of Pamela. With a breath—I lied. “I think the clothes are wonderful. It was very thoughtful of you to shop for me. I’ll just take the dresses and go try them on now.” As quickly and as calmly as my racing heart would allow, I grabbed all four dresses.
“You can change in Mickey’s room next door. Let me know if you need anything.”
I nodded, clutching the dresses tight, before I disappeared out of the room and into Mickey’s old room. I closed his door behind me and took in the sights of his room. There were posters coating the walls—some of baseball players, some of movies from about ten years ago, a few of actresses he must have crushed on. I felt sick to my stomach, but also oddly comforted by Mickey’s room. It smelled like him. It reminded me of him. I could almost imagine him as a teenager in this room.
Sighing, I inspected the dresses. I’d already finished my makeup and hair at Mickey’s house, so all I had left to do was get changed. There were four dresses—two black, one red, and one emerald green. Immediately I was drawn to the green dress. Which was long, back-less, with an extra low V-neck lined in shimmering beads. I yanked off the clothes I had on currently and shimmied into the dress. Nothing more elegant or beautiful had ever touched my skin. Or more expensive. Because I found it still had a price tag.
Holy shit! Two thousand dollars.
Lord have mercy on my racing heart—I nearly started to hyperventilate.
Part of me wanted to take the dress off, go find Mickey, and demand he take me back to his house immediately. The other part of me, the winning part, just wouldn’t take the gorgeous dress off.
I heard someone out in the hallway.
“—and this used to be my room,” I heard Mickey saying. The door to his room opened. He must have still been giving Samantha the ‘grand tour’ because into the room they both came.
“Mommy, you look so pretty!” Samantha said in awe. She rushed up to me and ran her fingers over the fabric of the dress. “Like a princess!”
I didn’t feel much like a princess at the moment.
Mickey let out a low whistle, and he clutched his hand over his chest, also looking at me differently. “You’re exquisite.”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t deny the batch of nervous, excited tingles that ran through me. As much as I’d been feeling annoyed with him, I instantly felt special. His blue eyes were sincere and kind, staring at me like I hung the moon in his eyes. He knew the worst about me and…still, he’d only ever looked at me with adoration.
I dropped some of my insecurities, relaxing a little about this evening, and started to just enjoy the moment.
CHAPTER 23:
MICK
Normally I hated these sort of functions. They were for charity, so I was obligated to attend, but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about them. But being here with Raven—who was absolutely fucking stunning—made all the difference. I smiled. I laughed. I enjoyed myself.
Raven seemed to be enjoying herself too.
Although, she had yet to let go of my arm. Not that I minded. Half the single guys from my team, and some of the married ones too, were no-lie undressing my girl with their eyes. Right in front of me, no less. I had half a mind to take each and every one of them outside, and give them a piece of my mind. Raven’s hand on my arm meant that, at the very least, everyone knew who’d she come here with and who she’d be leaving here with tonight.
“So how does this silent auction thing work?” Raven asked, drawing my attention back to her. Her eyes were such a sharp shade of green when paired with her dress that every time I looked at them they took my breath away.
Taking a breath, clearing my throat, I said, “All the items that are up for auction have been donated. There’s a piece of paper next to each and you can bid on them. Whenever the night ends and the auction ends whoever is the highest bidder will win the prize.”
“I can’t believe you donated that vase.”
Before I could answer her, Tony Christmas walked up. He had a beer in his hand and a look on his face that told me it wasn’t his first beer of the night. He echoed what Raven had just asked. “I can’t believe you donated the Waterford vase. You couldn’t just give it to Sandra and end this whole mess.” He didn’t sound pleased, which was precisely why I couldn’t wait to get rid of this vase for good.
“Raven this is Tony. Tony this is Raven,” I said, making introductions.
“Hi Raven.” Then he wen
t on, bitching when I clearly didn’t give a fuck. “So now she wants me to bid on this stupid vase. The bid is already at three-thousand. Who the hell would pay three-thousand for a vase?”
“It’s worth forty,” Raven muttered.
“No shit?” Tony gawked.
“Yeah, no shit. Bye, Tony.” I pulled Raven away from the conversation. I wasn’t here for Sandra. The dance floor had opened up, and I suddenly wanted to see what kind of dancer Raven was. Nothing else mattered. As we went out of the floor, I spun her around, catching her in my arms. She felt so good there, pressed up against me, her skin hot to the touch, her body made to fit in my arms that the rest of the world melted into the background.
“Who knew two kids from Pecan would end up all the way out here in Maine?” I whispered to her as we slowly danced together. “I should have come back for you sooner. All the time we spent apart—it feels like wasted time now. For the first time ever, I feel like I’m living rather than merely existing.”
Raven took a deep breath, about to say something to me, when the music cut off abruptly. Everyone on the dance floor stopped moving, including Raven and I.
“Hello, ladies and gentleman. Welcome to the Sea Dog’s Charity event. Sorry to interrupt the dancing.” It was Sandra on the microphone. And although she helped plan this thing annually, she was most certainly not the host. My stomach promptly felt like I’d swallowed grit. “I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for attending. Keep those bids coming. Every dollar you spent goes to help children with cancer. A dollar might be the difference between life and death for these kids, so keep those pocketbooks open everyone. We appreciate all your support. If you don’t want to bid, we also will accept donations. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces out there this evening—”
Sandra kept rattling on. I looked around the room for my mom, wondering if maybe this speech of Sandra’s had been planned after all. Maybe I was being paranoid for nothing. But when my eyes connected with my mom’s I knew right away that this most definitely was not a planned speech. Oh God.
I grabbed Raven’s hand in mine and started to pull her away from the dance floor. Whatever Sandra had planned—I wasn’t going to stick around for it.
“Oh Mick—don’t you go anywhere. Mick Jasmine everyone. Mick donated the beautiful, one of kind, priceless Waterford vase.” The crowd clapped for me. I gave a forced smile, still pulling Raven with me.
“And allow me to introduce Mick’s new girlfriend—the woman in green—Raven Malone.” Fuck, how did Sandra know Raven’s last name? “It’s such a cute story: Raven and Mick. Did you know they grew up in the same small town? Pecan, Kansas. That just sounds quaint, doesn’t it? Anyway, it sounded like such a cute town I actually went there to see it myself. Turns out…not so cute. And I learned the most alarming thing about Raven—”
Holy shit! “Someone take the mick from that woman!” I shouted, uselessly.
Sandra kept talking. “Raven is an escort. Is that the correct term for prostitute?” She laughed. “I hardly know what’s polite. Anyway, shocking right? My question is...” And now she spoke directly to me. “Are you paying her for sex, Mick? Or is she some sort of Pretty Woman wannabe, hoping you’ll fall in love with her too?”
The room went even more silent than it had been a moment ago. With rage burning inside me, I lost Raven’s hand as I rushed stage.
“Seriously Mick,” Sandra kept talking even as I came charging up the steps, “I need an answer! Given that you only broke up with me less than a month ago. Are you for real dating this hooker? Or is it some stunt to make me jealous and win me back? Because if it’s a stunt it’s—”
I yanked the microphone from Sandra’s hands. Putting on the charming smile I always wore in public, I addressed the crowd in one quick statement. “I’m not sure what this crazy one is rambling about. I’ve moved on with someone new. I guess Sandra’s having a hard time doing the same. Sorry everyone for the interruption. Carry on.” I chuckled as if I found this whole instance comical, when actually on the inside my blood boiled, and I handed the microphone over to one of the band members.
I grabbed Sandra’s wrist, pulling her off the stage. “That’s enough,” I hissed at her. “What do you fucking want from me? A restraining order?”
“You know who I also met in Pecan?” she asked, calmly. “Your mother.” She gently touched my arm. “You never told me she was a drug addict. No wonder you have issues with love and with women. Mick, baby, I understand everything now.”
I shook my head. This woman was certifiable. I didn’t have issues with love—only with her. And where was Raven?
“We’re over,” I said sharply, glaring at her. “O-v-e-r. Over. I’m dating Raven now. I love Raven. I plan on marrying Raven one day. I’m sorry it took me two years to figure out that you and I weren’t right for each other. You want me to bid on the vase? Will that fucking end this?”
She instantly smiled. “Okay.”
“You gold digging bitch,” I muttered. I didn’t have the patience for this shit. “Goodbye, Sandra.”
“Mick? The vase?” she called out after me. But I was already weaving my way through the crowded dance floor in an effort to return to Raven.
Except—Raven wasn’t on the dance floor anymore.
My heart squeezed in my chest as I scanned the people.
“Raven!” I called out in the sea of dresses and tuxes. The band had resumed playing music. People were dancing as if Sandra’s outburst had never happened. “Fuck,” I said aloud, and I raced for the exit.
Breathing like I’d just ran a marathon, I pushed my through the door and outside into the cool night air. “Raven!” I shouted, frantically. My whole world felt like it was breaking apart and crumbling around me. “Raven!”
“I’m over here,” came her soft voice.
Relief rushed over me. She stood in the shadows beside the edge of the brick exterior of the building, with her arms crossed, and her face unreadable. I hurried over to her, ready to engulf her in a giant hug. Except she pressed a hand up against my chest, stopping me before I could come any closer.
“Raven?” I questioned.
“C’mon, Mickey,” she said. “Who are we even fooling? I’m not good enough for you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m never going to be good enough for you. You can dress me up in these fancy clothes, but I’ll always be me. A prostitute from Pecan. And now your parents and your teammates and everyone else knows that. I think you should take me to go get Samantha now. And then it’s probably best that I go back to Pecan and face reality.”
It felt like a boulder had just fallen on and squashed my chest. “No,” I told her firmly.
“Mickey—please. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“Fuck, no. All of that is such bullshit. You are good enough for me. You’re the only woman on this planet right for me. I don’t care about your past, or your past profession. I don’t give a flying fuck who knows our business. None of it matters to me. This thing right here.” I gestured between our bodies. “It’s the only thing I care about. You’re everything to me. One day I’m going to make you my wife. Fuck, we could go to the nearest chapel right this minute if you wanted. One day, when the time for it comes and you’ll let me, I’m going to want to adopt Samantha. She needs a dad and I think that person should be me. I love her too. And, one day, if you want more kids, then I’m going to put a baby right here.” I softly touched her lower stomach. She gasped at my touch but didn’t push me away. “And I’ll be there for you every step of the way like I wasn’t the first time. I love you Raven. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But even if you don’t want the same from me, I will never let you go back to Pecan.”
There were tears shinning in her emerald eyes.
“Please, Raven, say you love me too.”
“I love you too,” she breathed.
Thank God. I pressed my lips to hers, cupping her face in my hands, moving in close to her body. I put every
ounce of my being into that kiss, savoring her, savoring this moment just in case it might possibly be my last with her. If I lost her, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t know how I’d go on living. But she kissed me back like I meant everything to her too, squeezing her arms around my neck. Her salty tears mixed with our kiss, and I had this overwhelming sense of completion run through me. I needed to hear her say it though—that she wouldn’t leave. I broke away. “Marry me.”
“Mickey—” She shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. I can’t marry you…yet.” She said this with the biggest smile on her lips. The smile was slightly confusing—contradicting her words. “But maybe if you ask me tomorrow I’ll say yes.”
I lit up inside. “Fine. Tomorrow then. It’s settled.”
She laughed. But then softly she said, “Thank you for being so wonderful. To me and to Samantha.”
“It’s easy to be wonderful when it’s you.” That was the honest to God truth. “Let’s go.” I took her hand, leading her toward where I’d parked my car. There was no chance in hell we’d be returning to the party. It wasn’t even about Sandra’s outburst. I needed Raven alone and naked right this minute. I needed to prove to her how much I cared for her, how much I loved her, how much I never wanted to let her go.
Fuck what the rest of the world though. I planned on making every one of my promises to her come true. It was as simple as that.
CHAPTER 24:
Three months later…
RAVEN
Outside my window the vast, familiar openness of the middle-of-no-where Kansas passed by in a blur. My hands had started to sweat, and I rubbed them against my jeans. It was hard to think or even breath past the nervousness in my stomach. Mickey had offered to do this on his own. In fact, he’d insisted. We’d even fought about it. But I had to do this. Going back was something I had to do.
Mickey drove his truck with a rented U-Haul attached to the back. The plan was to be in and out in an hour—two tops. I hadn’t planned on bringing Samantha with us, but last minute I decided she needed to come. She needed closure from our old life, too.
Crazy Sexy Notion Page 17
