The Falling of Love (The Falling Series Book 1)

by Marisa Oldham

  “Yes!” She yells. “Yes, yes, yes! Yes, I do. I mean I will!”

  Ian reaches into her nightstand. She looks at the nightstand, then at him, then at the nightstand again, mystified. From the nightstand, he pulls out a tiny black box. He opens it slowly to reveal a ring. It is a simple, one stone gold ring.

  “You had it in there the whole time?” she asks.

  He winks at her and slowly nods. His shaking hand slips the ring on her finger. Her eyes become enormous, then she lands on his chest again, throws her arms around him, and kisses him. She cannot recall ever feeling so loved or so happy. Their kiss immediately becomes passionate and heavy with desire. She smiles at his hand reaching between her legs, arousing her even more as he strokes her. She buries her head into his neck and moans softly.

  With his two fingers, he circles around her clitoris, moistening her skin with her own wetness. He easily inserts his fingers inside of her. She lifts her body up into a sitting position. Sitting on his hand, her body moves in the same motion as his hand does. She moans out of pure pleasure. He lifts her up by her bottom, puts himself inside of her, and then sets her down on top of him. She cries out in elation, unable to keep quiet. Bearing down on him she pushes herself in forceful, rhythmic movements. He thrusts harder and harder inside her as they both moan out, “I love you.”

  Grace’s bedroom door flies open and James stands in the doorway looking furious. His jaw is taut and his face is reddened. Grace jumps off Ian, bringing the sheet from her bed and covering her body. Ian grabs a pillow to cover himself and scampers toward the headboard.

  “What the fuck is going on here?” James yells. “Get your fucking hands off my sister, you little pig!”

  Before she can do anything, James grabs Ian off the bed and has him pinned to the wall by his throat.

  “Stop, stop it! You’re hurting him!” she screams, as she pulls on James’ arm.

  James pushes Grace and she falls onto the floor. He releases Ian who drops to the floor grabbing at his throat, choking and coughing.

  James rushes to Grace’s side, kneeling next to her and reaches out for her arm. “Grace, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Don’t touch me!” she yells. “Get out! Just get out!” she says, half crying and half yelling. The lump in her throat threatens to choke her.

  James’ eyes dart from Ian lying on the ground struggling to breathe, to her, lying on the hardwood floor barely covered by the white sheet. She notices that her nipple is uncovered and sees that James notices it at the same time. His eyebrows wrinkle together in anger and she can see the skin on his neck begin to flush. Quickly she covers herself, but it is too late.

  He points to Ian and growls, “You’re not welcome in my home anymore. You get your shit and you get the fuck out now!” He leaves the room, slamming the door so hard that many of Grace’s trinkets fall from her dresser to the floor, smashing to pieces.

  “Are you okay?” Ian asks, as he scoots across the floor to her side.

  Stunned, Grace only nods as she pulls the sheet around her shivering body as if to protect herself from everything that has just happened. Ian stands, still naked, and puts his hand out to her. She takes his hand and when she rises a sharp pain stabs her hip and she winces.

  Ian bends slightly to examine her hip. “It’s already bruising.” His fingers graze her leg.

  “We need to get dressed,” she says, her gaze falling on the red marks on Ian’s neck in the shape of James’ fingers.

  Ian stands up straight and takes her into his arms. Knowing she does not have time to stay comforted there, she pushes away. “Get dressed, Ian.”

  They both rush to their clothes and pull them on as fast as they can. Grace bends down and reaches for the sheet that is still lying on the floor. The flare from the sunlight catching on the diamond on her finger grips her attention. Kneeling down she stares at her engagement ring. Ian’s hand on her shoulder pulls her out of her reverie.

  “It’ll be okay, baby. We’ll go talk to him when he calms down.”

  James’ heavy footsteps startle Grace as she rises to her feet and throws the sheet onto the bed.

  Without knocking James once again barges into her room. “I thought I told you to get the fuck out!”

  “James, please,” Grace pleads.

  “Out!”

  Turning to look at Ian she nods, telling him to leave the room. “Go pack,” she says, the words barely coming out in a whisper.

  She has never seen her brother so angry. His eyes follow Ian’s every move as he scurries past him.

  “James, please listen to me. I love—”

  “I don’t want to hear it. What is wrong with you? What are you thinking?”

  “I love him!”

  “You’re too young to know what love is, Grace. You’re just a kid!”

  “I’m not a kid!”

  “I can’t believe you would lie to me. That you would take the trust I have in you and destroy it like this. I raised you better than this. I didn’t raise you to be a slut!”

  That one word breaks her heart into pieces and she can no longer control the tears. Falling to her bed she throws her hands over her face and sobs.

  “I don’t want to listen to your crying. I want you both out of my house.”

  His words crush and surprise her. “What?”

  “You heard me! Get the fuck out! If you want to act like a slut, you can do it living in the back seat of your boyfriend’s shitty car. I’m not going to work my ass off to support you and take care of a liar!”

  “I had to lie to you!” she yells, sitting up, bracing herself with her hands on either side of her, her knuckles digging into her bedspread. “You wouldn’t accept the truth if I tried to give it to you.”

  James stares at her wordlessly then turns his back to her and walks to the door.

  “James, please! I know what I’m doing. We’re in love. You can’t expect me to stay a little girl forever. Please don’t be mad and don’t kick us out. We have nowhere to go.”

  James stops, his back still turned to her. Her eyes follow down his arms and land on his fists which are tightly clenched.

  “Get out and take your loser boyfriend with you, Grace.”

  Ian rushes to pack the little bit of things he kept at Grace’s home. He hears James and her shouting at each other upstairs and wants to rush to her rescue, but figures he would only make things worse. Looking around the tiny guest room, his stomach sinks. He is packed in less than thirty minutes. He decides that waiting to talk to Grace out by his car is the best option.

  Even out on the street he can hear rage coming from the normally quiet, peaceful home. Shock consumes him as he watches Grace come out of the front door with her suitcases in her hand. He runs up the walkway and takes the bags from her. Her face appears stoic, but the redness and puffiness of her eyes betrays her.

  Feeling confused he places his hand on her lower back and leads her to the car. As Ian puts her last suitcase into the trunk of his beat up old Chevy Nova, she turns around to gaze at her family’s home. Her hand rushes to her mouth as she tries to control her tears and this makes his heart ache. He has never seen her so sad and is at a loss of how to comfort her. There is no sign of James or Michelle in any of the windows or the front door. The house looks cold and desolate as the snow drifts down in large flakes from the gray sky, not warm and welcoming as it has been for the last few months.

  Grace wipes the tears away onto the sleeve of her jacket and then throws her arms around him. While he is relieved that she chose him over her family, he never wanted it to go this way. Removing her arms from around his neck, Ian grabs her by her waist and leads her to the passenger side. He helps her into the car and shuts the door. He walks to the trunk and gently closes it. His only concern is getting her away from James and his fury. He takes a moment and pauses to look at the house that had become his new home. His heart breaks, almost like it is actually tearing in two. Not even his own parents treated him as well
as James did and now he has ruined any respect James had for him. He climbs in the driver’s side and stares at Grace wondering what to do next.

  Grace turns her head and looks out the window. “Let’s go to L.A.”

  The engine roars to a start and Ian speeds off down the street and out of town.

  Chapter 8

  The trip down the Oregon coast is a brutal one. Grace sobs on and off the entire time. Keeping her focus on the passing scenery, she completely ignores Ian. As she draws broken hearts on the steamed window, she wonders how long they have been driving. She knows it has been hours, but is unsure of the exact amount.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Ian’s voice comes gently.

  “No!” She did not mean to snap at him, but her emotions are all over the place. Not turning to face him, she still feels his eyes burning on the back of her.

  As they drive along the coast, Grace continues to stare out the window. What have I done? She is angry with herself. She is angry with James, and she is angry with Ian. She is confused, hurt, scared, and unsure of what lies ahead for her. For crying out loud, I’m engaged and on my way to living in California! What have I done?

  This is not the way her life was supposed to be. She knows this is most certainly not the way that her brother, who supported her both emotionally, and financially her entire life, envisioned her future. The silence in the car only leads her mind to a darker place and she longs for some kind of distraction. She takes a heavyhearted sigh and then reaches for the stereo, turning it on.

  “Jaden is working on cleaning out rooms for us,” Ian says, sounding timid, breaking a long silence between them.

  Grace looks at him with a blank expression.

  “He said the rooms are really big and it’s cool that we don’t have rent money right now.”

  Grace turns her head back to the window, once more focusing her gaze on the passing landscape and completely ignoring Ian.

  A couple hours go by, and Ian can no longer take her silence.

  “You have to talk to me, babe. You can’t just sit there ignoring me all the way to California.”

  “What exactly would you like me to say, Ian?” Her voice is cold and harsh.

  “I just want to know how you’re feeling and what is going through that head of yours. You’ve been staring out the damn window for hours now.”

  Grace gives him a heavy sigh and a tear trickles down her face. Ian pulls the car over on the side of the road. He cannot concentrate on driving with the tension between them. Looking past Grace, Ian catches a glimpse of a stunning vista overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Jagged rocks jut out of the ocean and the sea is raging below them. They should both enjoy the beautiful scenery, pointing out things of interest and gasping together. Instead, it’s a harsh reminder of the events that brought them to this point.

  Ian reaches for her and pulls her close to him. At this, Grace loses all self-control and falls apart in his arms.

  “It’s going to be okay. I promise. I’m going to take care of you,” he says, doing his best to comfort her.

  “I’m scared, Ian. I haven’t even finished high school. I’m not even going to graduate from Lincoln. I miss my brother. I miss my sister and I miss my house!”

  “Then I don’t understand why you left?”

  “He kicked me out, Ian!” she says, abruptly. “What other choice do I have but to go to California with you? Where else could I have gone?”

  Her words and tone wound him. “So, you didn’t come with me because you couldn’t stand for me to leave without you? You didn’t choose to come with me because you love me?” he asks, with deep sorrow in his voice. He tries to stifle it, but there is no use. Grace has reached into his chest and pulled his heart out with her bare hands.

  Unable to control his emotions, he needs to get away from her. Ian gets out of the car and walks to the edge of the cliff. The sky crackles above him as he throws his face into his hands. As the sky opens up and pours rain, Ian cries. The exact circumstances as to why Grace emerged from her house with her suitcases was not clear to him, and now he feels foolish for thinking she chose to leave her family for him. The truth behind why she is now sitting in his car, an emotional wreck, wounds his heart.

  In her chest, physical pain stabs Grace as she watches Ian standing close to the edge of the cliff, his face in his hands, his body shivering and convulsing because he is crying. She knows she has deeply hurt him, but she is angry with him. She knows it is not only his fault. What happened is just as much her fault as it is his, but she cannot control her resentment toward him. She stays in the car and sobs as he stands looking out over the ocean, rain pouring over him as he stands still in the same spot. I should go to him, she thinks as she continues to stare, then she quickly turns her gaze away from him and back out the passenger side window. She tries to calm herself while she wipes her tears onto the sleeve of her sweater.

  Ian returns to the car about fifteen minutes later, soaked through to his skin. Grace has since finished her bout of crying, but her eyes are still red and sore.

  “I’m taking you back,” he says, directly and she notices he has little feeling in his voice.

  Grace looks at him, shocked. “No, Ian! That’s not what I meant.”

  He looks at her with pain seeping from his entire face. “You’re everything I have in this world, Gracie. You’re my everything. Nothing else in my life makes me happy the way you do and as far as I’m concerned, I need nothing else in life but you. But I’m not your everything,” he says, sadly.

  These words break her heart and pierce her soul. He is her everything. Asking herself one question helps her to open her mind and step past the grief. If I had not gone with Ian, how would I feel right now? Before she speaks, she thinks of what he has just said. It sinks in and she realizes that although she does love her family, Ian is her world. He is more important to her than anything or anyone else. He is more valuable to her than her own life. She reflects on what would happen if she did go back. If she allows Ian to take her back home, James will forbid her from seeing him. She cannot live that way. She has to be with him every moment that she can or her life would mean nothing.

  “Ian, I love you so much. You are my everything. I’m just upset. I’m confused and hurt. I want to go with you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I just need some time to process everything that has happened,” she says, shaking her head. “I can’t live without you. I choose you over my family, over my home, and, Ian…” She pauses and reaches for his hand. “I do this gladly. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.”

  The confused look he gives her is understandable. First, she is a wreck because she already misses home, and now she wants to go with him. The red shade of his skin says that he does not know what to make of her and that she is pissing him off. He sits still with his hands on the steering wheel looking out at the raging ocean and storm before them. His breathing is shallow and rapid. His eyes are red and watery.

  “Do you still want to marry me?” he asks, without looking at her.

  Without hesitation, she answers, “Yes, of course!” There is nothing she wants more than to spend the rest of her life with him. She knows in her gut that she is meant to be with Ian and regardless of her age, she does not see any reason why they should wait to get married.

  “And you’re sure you want to start our life together in L.A.?”

  She gives him a sigh and a sweet smile. “I’m just scared, Ian. This is all new to me. I’ve never even left Ocean View in my life. But, yes, I’m sure. Please don’t take me back there.”

  Ian stares at her for a long moment then starts the car and heads south in the direction of Los Angeles, without another word.

  They stop for the night in a small town that only occupies each side of the highway. Ian pulls the car up to a seaside motel and kisses Grace before exiting. A storm is raging on outside of the car as Grace watches Ian run into the motel’s lobby. When he returns to the car, he is soaked from head to toe. Ho
lding up the plastic key card, he smiles. “Your suite awaits.”

  They are both exhausted and overwhelmed with so many different emotions. Ian slides the key in the slot and the door opens and hits their noses with a foul smell. Wrinkling his nose Ian looks at her, smiling. He holds the door open for Grace and she lugs a suitcase in her hands as she enters the room. Ian, who carries his suitcase and another of Grace’s, walks over to a lamp that stands near a beat up, old, wooden dining table.

  There is only one chair seated by the table that has rips in its gaudy orange upholstery. It takes her a moment to place the smell, then Grace notices that the room smells like mold and cigarettes. Ian rushes over to the closet, unfolds the luggage rack, drops the bags he was carrying on it, walks up to Grace, and delicately removes her suitcase from her cold, wet hands. She slowly eases herself onto the orange, brown, and green striped bedspread. “Do you think I can call Michelle?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Grace picks up the telephone immediately after she hears the word “not” and dials her home phone number.

  “Hello?” asks Michelle.

  “Missy,” Grace says, with a heavy breath. She is so relieved to hear her sister’s voice.

  “Oh my gosh, where are you?” Michelle asks, frantically. “What the hell happened?”

  “We’re on our way to L.A. I’m okay.”

  “What!” Michelle gasps. “What are you doing? Why are you…” She stops. “I love you,” says Michelle.

  “I love you, too. I just wanted you to know that I’m okay. We got a motel on the coast and we’ll be heading out again tomorrow morning. We’re moving in with Ian’s friend Jaden that I told you about.” Grace pauses and takes a deep breath. “Also, I want you to be the first to know that Ian and I are engaged.”

  “Holy shit!” Michelle shouts in excitement. “Umm wow! Well, congratulations.” Michelle takes a deep breath. “I’ll let James know?” she asks, cautiously.