A Winter's Date

by Sasha Brümmer

  Who the fuck am I kidding? I can’t say no to that gorgeous ass.

  I move her and climb on top of her, kissing down her neck. “You win.”

  A week passes and Heather and I have made two trips to Long Island to see Henry about her foot. His prognosis remains the same, though. They spend an hour or two doing physical therapy while I watch or help Ellery in her garden. Heather and I have been going at it every night; I’m not complaining because I’m more than satisfied.

  Heather is now sitting down at the end of the exam table in her gynecologist’s office. I’ve told her that I don’t need to be in here while she has the exam, but she’s insistent; part of me thinks that she’s worried something could be wrong, but why would something be wrong?

  The doctor comes in and within a few minutes she’s inspecting Heather. I feel as if I shouldn’t be in here.

  “All right, Miss Lane, we’re all done. Everything looks like it’s supposed to, and I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to conceive.”

  “That’s great; could you give us an estimate as to when her birth control will be out of her system?”

  Heather beams up at me as she removes her feet from the stirrups.

  “Well, different studies have turned out different outcomes, but I’m going to give you an estimate of roughly three months. Now, that is just an estimate, so it could take longer, but it could also happen much sooner than that.”

  I’m sitting at the head of the exam table and look down at her. She’s smiling up at me with her hands splayed out on her flat stomach.

  “Thank you.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Miss Lane, please feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns. The checkout desk will have my card for you.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” she says politely and I help her sit up as the doctor leaves the room. She’s looking at me expectantly.

  “Are you happy with that news, little ballerina?”

  “I’m so nervous,” she says as she looks down at her stomach.

  I exhale deeply and rub the back of my neck. “That makes two of us.”

  A week passes by since we went to see Heather’s doctor and I’m in full study mode, with a side of research.

  Damn, I need to call Dani. And Lana and Dillen.

  I decide to put down my textbooks for today while Heather is pampering herself. She says she might be too sore for my lips to graze her skin, so I’m treating her to a full-day, all-inclusive day at the spa with Dillen and Lana. I think there’s still tension crackling between those two, but I believe Joel might have gotten through the tough front that Dillen puts up. Regardless, it’s not my business until they decide to make it mine.

  Dillen has been staying at my apartment while Heather and I look for a house on the sound. And from what I’ve heard from Coen, I believe Lana might be interested in Heather’s apartment too.

  I open my laptop and pull up Google where my search will begin. It takes me a good three hours to secure everything before I can even call Dani. I let out a deep breath as the phone rings twice before Dani is on the line with me.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Dani, it’s Noah. Do you have a second to talk?”

  She’s breathing heavily, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve interrupted some sort of cardio workout she was doing.

  “Of course I do. How are you? Heather has been telling me about each visit you two have with the Somers. They sound like they adore you two.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a learning curve, but I’ve enjoyed having them in my life. I cannot imagine what they’ve been through, though.”

  “I know, but you’re all together now. I’d love to come out there and see them again.”

  “Well, that’s kind of why I am calling. I’ve planned a road trip for Heather and myself, and I would like for you and Brannon to meet us there. I’m going to have Lana, Dillen, Coen, and Joel, if he can get out of work, meet us there too.”

  “Oh sure, we’d love to come. Where, might I ask, are we going?”

  “Well, I’ll set up the rooms and pay for them, since I’m asking you all to travel up. I’d like for you all to come up to Moraine Lake Lodge in Canada, on July eighteenth.”

  “That’s rather specific, Noah. Why don’t we go up for the Fourth of July instead? I’m sure there will be fireworks.”

  “Well, I’m taking the bar in the second week of July, and the following week we will be road-tripping up to Moraine Lake.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You’re going to kick this exam’s ass—I have no doubt. So is this just a vacation?”

  “Well, you could call it that.”

  After I got off of the phone with Dani, I go back to planning our road trip. I’d like to get my SUV before we leave. Hell, I could go to the dealership right now and surprise my little ballerina when she gets back.

  But fuck, I want her to be a part of all my decision-making. I want her to be included in everything I do. She’s a part of who I am: she’s my future. Fuck it, I’ll wait, and we’ll go together.

  Instead I decide to call Coen. I dial and hit call; it rings three times before he answers.

  “Hey dipshit.”

  “What’s up, man? Are you too busy with your new chick to hit me up?”

  “First off, fuck you. Secondly, damn right I am. What can I do for you?”

  “Lana’s great. I think you might have a keeper. Listen, I need you to block off a week starting on July eighteenth.”

  “Can do. What’s going on?”

  “Heather and I are going to road-trip to Moraine Lake in Canada, and I’d like you and Lana to join us. Of course, you two would fly there.”

  “Oh shit. Hell yeah, we’ll join you two.”

  “Nice, man. Her sister and her sister’s boyfriend will be there too, and I’m going to ask Joel and Dillen.”

  I can hear him grunt over the phone. “Ah fuck. Dillen’s great, but I don’t want any trouble.”

  “You? You don’t want trouble? Shit, where did this motherfucker I know named Reed go?”

  He laughs. “Yeah, yeah.”

  I hear the front door close and Heather yells for me.

  “All right, dude, I believe my girl just got back in, so I’ll call you later. Shit, and tell Lana not to say anything about you guys coming up to Canada. I want it to be a surprise.”

  “No problem, man, you got it. My lips are sealed.”

  “Oh hey, before I forget . . . I think Joel and Dill have something going on. So just a heads up,” I warn him. He’s quiet for all of four seconds before he starts laughing.

  “Damn, I feel sorry for him because I knocked the bottom out of that shit.”

  “Fuck, man, I don’t need the damn details. I was in the other room.”

  “I’m not sorry, dude. But I’ll let you go, and I’ll let you know what Lana says.”

  Heather walks in and crawls onto the bed, then into my lap. She leans her head against my chest and my arm automatically moves around her, securing her in place. “Thanks, man. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “See ya,” he replies before hanging up.

  I set my phone down and smile down at Heather. “Hey gorgeous girl. Did you enjoy the spa?”

  “Yes, it was amazing. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, baby. I hope the girls enjoyed it too, and I found a house I think you might like.” I pick up my tablet and pull up the realtor website that I found it on.

  “You did?” She sits up on my lap excitedly and watches me move my fingers across the screen to the website that hosts the house.

  The house that I click on is on a three-and-a-half-acre property with a shingle-style, two-story house overlooking Long Island Sound in Old Field, New York.

  “Noah, it’s beautiful. Scroll down. What type of shingles are those? I love how they blanket the house.”

  “It says they are cedar. I like the floor plan. It’s an L-shape with the main wing that faces the sound. And, hell, that porch is huge. Shit.”


  “It’s gorgeous. I like that the porch is undercover and it sort of has a Japanese look to it, right?”

  “I think you’re right.”

  I click on the next picture and it shows the second wing, which hosts a three-car garage and a long driveway out to the street.

  “There’s only one thing I need to say about it.”

  “What? What’s wrong with it? Did it burn down?”

  “No, sweetheart.” I chuckle. “I’m not into mowing the lawn. Even as much as Ellery has a green thumb, I would kill the damn grass, all three acres of it.”

  Her soft laugh fills the room. “Okay, we’ll get someone to cut it for us.”

  “Thank fuck.” I scroll back up and pause at the first picture again.

  “Noah, are you sure you are okay with paying that amount? I can help.”

  “Don’t worry about it, ballerina, I’ll be paying it off immediately. There won’t be any payments.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. Would you like to call the realtor on this site and set up an appointment to go see it in person? It says it was listed a few days ago.”

  “Uhhh, yes please. Could we go on the way down to your parents’ tomorrow? I don’t want someone else to get his or her grubby hands on it. I love it so much.”

  She takes my tablet from me and starts going through the pictures again. I glance at the time and it’s just past five-thirty.

  “I’ll call them now; hopefully they’re still open. They should be, though; it’s only Monday.”

  About a half-hour later I’m off the phone, and my ballerina is doing a dance on top of her bed. I laugh and walk over to the edge of the mattress and pull her to me by her thighs. I finally get her to stop dancing, and I lift her shirt so I can rub my nose across her flat stomach before biting at her rib cage. “You smell so damn good. You have no idea how beautiful you look.”

  She tangles her hands into my hair and tries to inch away when my teeth make contact with her soft skin. She moves her hands and pulls her blouse up and off of her body; now I can fully admire what’s mine.

  “I want to take you somewhere after I take the bar exam.”

  “Oh yeah?” She asks with genuine surprise and I lick around her navel.

  “Mmm. How about a road trip? We’ll find some romantic cabin. We could drive up to Canada and sit in front of the fire naked. You could wear your fuzzy socks—only your fuzzy socks.”

  Her giggle makes me grin, and I look up at her. “That is hardly sexy, Noah. But that sounds so romantic.”

  “Yeah, well, it was a good ploy. And you might as well say yes, because I’ve already found a cabin and reserved a room for a week.”

  I grunt when she grips my hair and yanks my head back. “Noah! Seriously?” She starts bouncing up and down on the bed and squeals excitedly. “Oh my God, our first vacation together.”

  I breathe in through my teeth because damn, she’s strong. “I’m going to take that as a yes, ballerina.” My fingers grip her ass and I squeeze.

  “Yes, yes, yes, take me away!” She crushes her lips to mine heatedly.

  I lift her off of the bed as I bite her lip. “Make me dinner, woman. Then I’ll work on getting you pregnant.”

  “Swear?”

  “You have my word.”

  I really want this with her now. I want a life with her. I want the family I was never allowed to have—with her. Thinking back on the first time I saw her, I knew instantly that she would make an impact on my life, but never once did I think we’d be where we are now. In less than a year, I’ve figured out that she’s the one I’m meant to be with, and I believe we both deserve it. We’ve been stripped of our families and been dealt such a shitty hand of cards that I believe this is right.

  Nothing in our lives has followed the plans we had set out for ourselves—they’re better. I’ve come to realize that I can’t save someone, but I can love that person unconditionally, which is what I’ve done with Heather. I couldn’t save her from falling off of the damn stage; I couldn’t save her from it ruining her dance career; I couldn’t save our unborn baby, and I couldn’t save our broken relationship before I left for London, but I don’t think I’ve once stopped loving her, and I know, without having to second-guess myself, that it’s what she needs.

  Heather has loved life, and it has loved her right back, even though it has hindered her in ways that are simply unfair. Heather is the strongest, most loyal, and loving woman I have met. She knows her limits and sometimes tests them to see how far she can push herself, yet she knows when to pull back and put a stop to any advances.

  She’s made me become what I respect in a person: someone who is able to look past the disparities in life and live life for today. Heather has helped me use my struggles as steppingstones to become someone who suits me, someone who is more than a stranger in the mirror.

  As I look down at her in the kitchen from the top of the stairs, I realize that any woman could throw herself at me, and I wouldn’t be able to tear my eyes away from my ballerina. She stole my life. She is the sole owner of my heart. I want nothing more than to keep that smile on her lips for the rest of my life. She must feel me watching her, because she looks up and over her shoulder at me, and, hell, that smile gets sweeter each time I see her, and it breaks my soul with its beauty. My soul, my life, and this love are no longer black and white; it’s all scattered with pinks and glitter. I don’t think I could stand without it. She’s helped me push out the poison and dilute the destructive parts of my life that felt all encompassing.

  She looks down and it’s as if life is in slow motion as I acknowledge the thought of her being my remedy. I’ve always believed that better things were coming, and she has proven to be it.

  HEATHER

  I’m anxiously pacing the living room. I’ve cleaned all I can in this place; I’ve even used my Swiffer on every surface imaginable, which got me thinking about the night at the club. I haven’t talked to him since this morning, and it’s now after six in the evening. I’m not anxious because I haven’t seen or heard from him: I’m anxious because he took the first part of his bar exam today. I’ve got everything ready for dinner—I made his favorite: meatloaf, yuck, with mashed potatoes and candied carrots as sides. I know he knows his stuff, but an eight-hour exam is brutal for anybody, regardless of how well one knows the material. I’ve picked all the nail polish off my nails while I constantly check my phone for a call or a text.

  This past month has flown by with my physical therapy, and we went to go see the shingled house on Long Island Sound a week ago. Other than that, Noah has been studying continuously. I’m hoping everything will pay off; he deserves this.

  I finally manage to sit down and stop pacing when I hear the door open. It closes before I even hop up off the couch, and I can hear his heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor.

  “Baby?” I call out before rounding the corner. “How did it go?” I ask before I take in his mood. My Greek god looks as stressed as I’ve ever seen him. He’s wearing a look of utter exhaustion and defeat.

  “Hey sweetheart,” he says in a cool, smoky voice and pulls me into his arms. Oh, I’ve missed my man more than I thought I could. I’m melting in his arms as I press my body to his and bathe myself in his lingering cologne.

  He wraps his strong arms around my waist and holds me tightly to him. He exhales a heavy breath. “Jesus, what a day. I’m pretty sure I got every question incorrect,” he says in a voice I’ve never heard from him before. He’s always so confident, never second-guessing himself, so this is new.

  “Oh baby, that’s not possible. You’ve been studying so hard. It’s just nerves.”

  “I don’t know. I think I’ve fucked this up already. Shit, I need to go study.” He lifts his wrist up to check the time while I place a kiss on his chest.

  I look up at him and frown. “No, you don’t. You’re going to wear yourself out. You need to eat. Come sit down. I’ve made dinner and it’s all ready.”<
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  I pull back from him and tug at his hand. I can see that tonight I’m going to have my hands full with keeping him occupied and away from the books. He grudgingly follows me into the kitchen and lets go of my hand to make himself a drink.

  Sitting down at the kitchen island with a Bourbon on the rocks, he asks, “What did you do today?”

  I look up at him after plating his food and slide it over to him.

  “I cleaned.” I smile and try to keep him talking. “I used my Swiffer.” I watch as he takes a drink, and I’m not sure if he’s even listening to me.

  He sets his glass down and a smile plays on his lips. “Yeah? Those things seem to come in handy. The apartment looks great. Oh shit, I think I got a phone call from the realtor.” He pulls his phone out and taps the screen a few times before her voice comes across on speakerphone.

  “This message is for Noah Ryan and Heather Lane. Please give me a call back at your earliest convenience. I look forward to hearing from you. Bye now.”

  I smile after I hear the voicemail. “Do you think we got it?” I watch as he sets his phone aside and picks up his drink again.

  “Doubt it,” he answers me in a dejected voice.

  I can’t help but frown. I know he wants the house just as much as I do. My Greek god is so disheartened tonight, so I decide I want to console him in some way. I hop up onto the kitchen island and move his plate out of the way, moving my legs to either side of him in front of me. “Noah?”

  “Mmhmm?”

  He’s staring into his glass as he twirls the liquid around and around, listening to the ice clink against the glass. He doesn’t even notice that I’ve moved in front of him. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  He sighs heavily and places his hand on my thigh. “I’m really not hungry, baby.”

  “Hey . . . come on, you can’t go hard at this tomorrow if you don’t eat.” I rub his hand that rests on my thigh and try to tilt my head to get into his line of sight.

  He finally looks up at me with weary eyes. “If I eat, can we just go to bed?”

  I nod and rub softly under his tired eyes with my thumb. “Yes, baby.”