Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set

by Annalisa Nicole

  I look at the envelope and shake my head no, then fold it and put it in my back pocket. I don’t want to read it, not now, and maybe not ever. Right now I want to live in the happiness of my new found memories.

  As much as I don’t want it to show, I’m pooped. I sink into Jade, which is surprising, because I feel like I’m floating. I run through my memories as Aiden drives us home. We pull into the driveway and into the garage. I haven’t thought about it before and I’m not sure why, but for the first time, I notice the empty spot next to Jade. It never occurred to me until just now that Ruby never came home from the warehouse. I don’t know where she is or what happened to her. I pull my heart out of my stomach and rationalize that it’s alright, if gaining back all of these cherished memories was in exchange for everything I went through and losing Ruby, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m just so happy that all the old memories of me and my mother have come back to me.

  Chapter 10

  Aiden

  As much as I can’t control my fiancée, after we get home from the storage unit, I do manage to get Savvy to lie down and take a nap. While Savvy’s napping, the rest of us unload the moving truck into the garage next to my car. Savvy can go through the boxes at her own pace.

  After the last box is placed in the garage, everyone comes together in the driveway. Not a word is spoken. If you would have told me just a few short years ago that my siblings would all be married, most with kids, and that I’d be engaged, I would have laughed in your face.

  Asher was in such a dark place after his first wife died. I never thought I’d see a smile on his face again. He was consumed by grief and I never understood how Willow had the power to show him he still had so much more love to give, until I met Savvy. Now I understand. Here he is today, married, with two kids and a third on the way. He moves heaven and earth for their happiness, and goes above and beyond to be there for all of us.

  Amelia was so broken and no one knew why, until Kyle came into her life. I never understood how someone could come into your life and change it drastically for the better, until I met Savvy. Now I get it. Now she’s happy and married with a beautiful son. She’s been through so much to get where she is, but she’s here. She’s beautiful and vibrant, and so in love.

  Adrian had been sad and depressed since high school. When Shay came back into his life, she put that spark back into his eyes. I never understood how a woman could ignite such a fire, until I met Savvy. This fire in my soul feels fucking fantastic. As a family, we’ve had to learn to forgive and to accept. We value and hold close to our hearts, what’s ours. There’s nothing we won’t do for each other. Adrian and Shay had to overcome so many obstacles, but by each other’s side they conquered them together. When they thought they’d never have a child of their own, they adopted. By the grace of God, they were able to conceive and gave us our father’s namesake, Sammy. Even the timing seemed divine. He came into this world when our family needed it most.

  The day our father died, was an end to the greatest man that ever walked the face of this earth. He was my hero and my mentor. None of us have been the same since he died. I’ll miss him every day for the rest of my life. Our mother has stepped into a role that seems impossible to fill, but she does it with grace and dignity that honors our father’s memory.

  I never would have guessed Max would be the perfect addition to this family as our brother. He’s been such an important part to each of our lives. He dropped everything and put his life on the line to rescue Amelia. Through his selflessness, he met another important addition to our family, Chloe. Having Kyle’s twin sister marry Max was just so perfect. Max never thought he deserved to be loved, but Chloe brought something to his life that no other woman could. Chloe was so broken and honestly, we were on the brink of losing her. Max did what he had to do to get her to see she was so much more than her deepest scar could ever be. The two of them helped each other like no one else could. I never understood how two people were so right for each other, until I met Savvy. Now I understand. That feeling when you find the person that was meant only for you is indescribable.

  Ava was so focused on her career that she had forgotten about her own happiness in the process. My parents couldn’t even reach her. She was so focused on reaching her goals that she forgot to live her own life. When Jax came into her life, it took the act of a greater power to show her she, too, deserved to be happy. I’ll never forget the look on Jax’s face when Ava was in the hospital. I didn’t understand how one human being could love someone so deeply, until I met Savvy. I understood what it was like for Jax to see Ava hurt. I’ll live the rest of my life to make sure nothing ever hurts Savvy again.

  Being the second oldest, I take it on myself to make sure my family is safe, and I’ll do anything to keep them that way. I couldn’t ask for better husbands for my sisters or better wives for my brothers. I pound my fist on my heart in thanks above for the angel that came crashing into my life and saved me too from my own bitterness. I was selfishly jealous that my siblings were happy and had families of their own. I filled my heart with anger and closed the door. Savvy crashed into my life and forced that door wide open, and filled my heart with love.

  “Alright. I’m out of here before all you sappy-eyed freaks start a round of Kumbaya,” Max says, pulling his wife’s head to his lips.

  He lets her go, then reaches his hand out to me. I place my hand in his, then he pulls me in for a bro hug.

  I watch as the last car pulls away, then I close the garage door and head into the house. Quietly I head down the hall to our bedroom door. Opening the door, I see Savvy laying on her side with her casted arm resting on a pillow. Walking to the side of the bed, I look down at the most beautiful, amazing woman. I pull a chunk of hair off of her cheek and smooth it behind her ear. She needs her rest. I turn and head out of the room.

  Just as I put my hand on the doorknob, she says, “Aiden,” in a sweet, sleepy voice.

  “Yeah, sweetheart,” I say, turning around, looking into her beautiful eyes.

  “Thank you for today,” she whispers. She scoots over, pulls back the covers and smiles.

  I climb into bed with her and wrap my arms around her.

  “You rest,” I say, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a squeeze, then I place my lips on her shoulder.

  “I have the rest of my life to sleep. Right now, I just want to live in the moment and never forget this feeling,” she says, getting choked up.

  “This feeling you’re feeling right now. Get used to it. I’ll live the rest of my life making sure you feel this every day for the rest of your life until the day I die,” I say, kissing her shoulder.

  She turns her head so she can look at my face. Her lips slightly part as she inhales a breath. I think it’s time to lighten things up just a little. I take my finger and softly trail it down her arm, down her hip, then down her thigh as far as I can reach. She pants in short, ragged breaths in anticipation. Coming back up, I stop at her waist. Her eyes are glued to my finger. I wet my lips, then trail them on the top of her shoulder down her upper arm stopping to kiss every inch. I lift her shirt and kiss down her side to the arch in her waist. My hand comes up to my lips and I tickle her. She moans in frustration, then curls into a ball in a fit of giggles. Her left arm lifts off the pillow and comes straight at my head. Before I can move out of the way, it connects with my forehead, right between the eyes. Note to self, wear a helmet next time I tickle Savvy.

  “Oh my God, are you alright?” we both ask at the same time.

  “Forget about me, are you alright? Is your wrist alright?” I ask concerned.

  “I’m totally fine. Did I hurt your head? Oh my God, you already have a huge goose egg on your forehead. You look like a Cyclops,” she says, then giggles again.

  God, I could never get tired of her giggles.

  “Alright. No more horsing around. You’re supposed to be resting. How about we watch a movie?” I ask, rubbing my forehead.

  “That sounds f
antastic. I’ll go get a glass of water, then we can sit on the couch and chill for the rest of the night,” she says.

  “You stay put. I’ll get you some water and I’ll pick out a movie and bring it back in here. We can have a movie night in bed,” I say getting up.

  I get us each a bottle of water, pick a movie we’ll both enjoy, then snuggle in bed with Savvy for the rest of the night.

  Savvy

  “Come on sleepyhead, it’s time to get up,” Aiden whispers, gently kissing up my arm.

  “Mmm, just five more minutes,” I say, sinking my face into my pillow.

  “I thought maybe we’d go to the zoo today. Or, maybe that’s not such a good idea. You’re supposed to be resting,” he whispers.

  “The zoo! I’m totally rested out. I feel amazing, I promise!” I reply shooting up on my knees. “It’s Sunday, though. What about family dinner?” I ask.

  “I thought we’d go and spend the day at the zoo, then afterward we’d drive straight to my mom’s for dinner,” he says.

  “What are you still doing in bed then? Get up, get ready. Let’s go!” I say, getting out of bed.

  Aiden chuckles and says, “I thought you’d see it my way.”

  It takes no time at all for the both of us to get ready. I walk out into the kitchen just as Aiden puts his cellphone in the front pocket of his jeans. We slip into Jade and we back out into the street. He slams on the breaks scaring the bejeezus out of me.

  “What? What’s wrong?” I ask, looking at his face.

  “I forgot something,” he says and pulls back into the driveway. “I’ll be right back. You . . . ah, you just wait right here.”

  He fumbles with his keys at the front door, dropping them at his feet. He turns to look at me then offers a smile.

  I see his frame take in a huge breath of air, then he picks up his keys and calmly enters the house. He comes right back out two minutes later. He locks the front door, then gets back in the car.

  “What did you forget?” I ask, intrigued.

  He looks me straight in the eyes and does a fish out of water mouth thing that only I thought I did.

  “I left my cell phone on the table. I’ve got it now. Asher may need to get a hold of me today,” he says, looking away from me as he says it.

  He just lied straight to my face. I saw him put his cell phone in his pocket in the kitchen. Why would Aiden lie to me?

  “It’s Sunday. Why would Asher need to get a hold of you on a Sunday?” I challenge.

  “Oh, you know. The Stran Corp. merger,” he says, continuing to go with his lie.

  He backs out of the driveway and soon we’re on the freeway headed toward the zoo. It’s such a beautiful day to go to the zoo, too. The sun is shining bright in the sky, and ever since the first time Aiden took me to the zoo, I couldn’t wait to go back. Now, I’m just not sure what to think. I look out the window the entire drive, wracking my brain wondering just why he’d lie to me over something so minor.

  The parking lot is already crowded. On such a beautiful day I wouldn’t expect anything less. Aiden takes my hand and we head toward the entrance.

  “Where would you like to go first?” he asks.

  “I don’t have anywhere particular in mind. Where would you like to go first?” I return.

  “How about if we hit the aviary first, then head toward the meerkats? I know how much you love the meerkats. Then I thought we could grab a bite to eat, then wander around wherever your heart desires. How does that sound?” he asks with a smile.

  “That sounds fine,” I reply.

  He looks at me with a concerned look, but quickly dismisses it taking my right hand in his.

  “Are you feeling alright? Your wrist isn’t hurting is it?” he asks, as we walk toward the bird exhibit.

  “I’m fine,” I reply, quipped.

  “I thought we could look at the aviary exhibit, then follow the path to the meerkats. I know how much you love the meerkats. Then I thought we could grab a bite to eat then wander around wherever your heart desires,” he says, again.

  This is dumb. I love the zoo, I love being with Aiden. Why am I letting one little lie ruin my day? We walk from exhibit to exhibit, a little faster than I’d like to, but then again I don’t have a choice. Aiden keeps looking at his watch, then pulling me toward the next exhibit. Does he have somewhere he’d rather be? This was his idea to come here in the first place. I just don’t get it.

  He looks at his watch one more time, then takes my hand and leads me toward the meerkats. I can’t help it. Even as weird as Aiden is being, those cute little meerkats light my face with a huge smile.

  Aiden lets go of my hand and says, “I’m just going to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

  I’m glad he needs to use the bathroom, because he’s moving way too fast through everything. I could stand in front of the meerkat exhibit alone all day and just watch them run around.

  About a minute later, I feel a little tug on my jeans and a sweet, little voice say, “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  I turn around and see Abbey standing right behind me. What’s Abbey doing here? And more importantly, why is she by herself? I quickly look through the crowd and I don’t see Asher or Willow anywhere.

  “Abbey, honey, where’s your mommy and daddy?” I ask her, bending down to her level.

  “This is for you,” she says in the sweetest happy little voice.

  Her hands come out from behind her back and she produces an orange tiger lily. Her face is lit with a huge smile, she leans forward, kisses me on the cheek, hands me the flower, then runs off toward the crowd.

  “Abbey, wait! Where are your mom and dad?” I quickly ask. But before I can take one step to follow her, there’s another tug on my jeans. I turn around and see Micah. “What’s going on?” I ask confused, looking around again.

  “This is for you,” he says, handing me another tiger lily.

  He crooks his little finger at me in a come-hither motion, so I bend down to his level. He, too, kisses me on the cheek, then runs off.

  “What on earth is going on?” I stand up and look at the two tiger lilies in my hand, utterly confused. Believe it or not, there is another tug on my jeans. I turn around and see Noah standing there wearing a black tux, looking so dang cute I want to squeeze his chubby little cheeks like weird grandmas do. The crowd of people around me has started to take notice and have formed a wide open circle with me in the center of it. “Noah, where is your mommy?” I ask, bending down again to get to his level.

  He smiles, hands me a tiger lily, and points his cute little finger to the left. I look to the left, but I don’t see Kyle or Amelia anywhere. A small opening in the sea of people opens up. A huge lump in my throat forms as I see Aiden walk to the front. He, too, is wearing a tuxedo. Not only is he wearing a tux, but he’s also wearing the biggest smile on his face I’ve ever seen. Then one by one, people start coming forward to the front of the crowd. Asher, Amelia, Chloe, Max, Shay, all of them. The entire Wellington family is here, and each of them has a tiger lily in their hand. I don’t know how I missed them all before. Tears fill my eyes and I suddenly feel like I could walk on water. In Aiden’s hand is a huge bouquet of tiger lilies. He takes a step forward away from the sea of people, and by instinct, I take a step back as my hand goes to my stomach. He smiles that killer smile at me. My brain races and those words swirl around in my head, I can dream, can’t I. It’s not a question. It’s a statement. With each tear that spills down my cheek, Aiden takes another step closer to me.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ava’s hand wipe a tear from her cheek. Chloe reaches for her hand, and it’s as if it’s her hand in mine. I can feel their happiness for me. I never dreamed that happiness of this level would ever fill my heart.

  I look back to Aiden, and he’s only a few inches from me now. His eyes are dancing with fire behind his thick, black-rimmed glasses, and his hair, oh my God, his hair looks so amazing in the warm, cool breeze. Forget George Clooney and David
Beckham. He has hair like . . . Who has better hair than them? Shit, I can’t even think right now. Aiden’s head cocks to the side as he searches my eyes.

  “Do you have your phone? I left mine at the house,” he teases, breaking the tension, putting a smile on my face. My right hand comes to my mouth to stop the ugly cry mouth look that I’m sure is going on right now. “You saw that this morning, didn’t you?” he questions.

  I nod my head with a smile as his thumb comes to my left cheek and wipes away the tears.

  “Come on, already. My kids want to go see the dolphins,” Asher calls from the crowd.

  Aiden chuckles, and then shakes his head back and forth. I stand on my tip toes and look around Aiden at his family. Chloe gives me a wink and a smile, then nods her head at Aiden.

  I look back at Aiden again and it hits me. In the blink of an eye, this man came into my life outside of a bar, that I was literally being thrown out of. He caught not only me, but my heart, and he’s standing in front of me, smiling, with sexy ass hair, wearing a tux and his heart on his sleeve, with love in his eyes and he’s about to propose. Let me say that again so it registers. Aiden Wellington is about to propose to me. To me! Either that or they’re all doing some weird flash mob thing. And really, that’d be kind of cruel, because this really feels more like a proposal kind of thing than a flash mob kind of thing.

  “Savvy, I didn’t understand why I never had anyone in my life. I honestly thought there was something wrong with me. But when those words, she’s with me, came out of my mouth, I just knew. I knew right then and there why there was never anyone in my life. There was no one in my life because I was waiting for that exact moment in time, for you. I was waiting for my soulmate to fall into my arms. That day I knew that what I had was something so special, so perfect, and that I was never going to let it go. I was never going to let you go. Then I thought I lost you. My God, I’ve never been so scared in my life. Savvy, I love you with all of my heart and soul. In front of my family, these strangers, and these meerkats, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”