Drew

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  Finally, after another fifteen minutes, Sebastian emerged from her house and started back over. He hadn’t even made it halfway back to my house before I was off the porch and up in his face.

  “What the hell were you doing?”

  “Excuse me?” His brows were knitted in confusion.

  “Don’t give me that shit. You were over there for forty-five minutes. What. The hell. Were you doing?”

  “Shit, Drew. Relax. I walked her home and then we talked for a little bit.”

  “Were you hitting on her? Because she doesn’t need that shit right now. She’s got two babies on the way to think about.”

  “I wasn’t hitting on her, but maybe you should rethink what she needs. Do you really think that she shouldn’t think about the opposite sex because she has kids on the way? Maybe she needs a good man to help her out.”

  “And I suppose you think you’re that man?”

  “No. That’s not me, but now I’m starting to wonder if that’s you.”

  “If what’s me?”

  “If you’re the good man that could help her out.”

  “Why the hell would you think I’m the man that could help her out? I’m not in any place to take care of a woman and two kids. Besides, I know nothing about her. She doesn’t share anything. I couldn’t be with someone that hid herself from me.”

  A look of disappointment crossed his face and I couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t know anything about her so why would he care if I wanted more from her or not. Besides, I wasn’t exactly an open book and I wasn’t planning on becoming one anytime soon.

  “You could just be a friend to her. That’s really all she needs right now. You don’t need to know all about her to do that for her.”

  He walked past me and headed back to the party. I stood staring at Sarah’s house and considered what he said. He was right. I could be a friend to her. There was plenty I could do to help her out that didn’t involve any sort of romantic attachments. I walked back to my party and considered what I would need to do and how to put my plans in motion. By the end of the night, I had a solid plan and had the guys all in to help out next weekend.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  The next Saturday at precisely seven in the morning, I walked across the property with my tools to Sarah’s house. I had wrangled Cole, Sean, Ryan, Logan, Jack, and Luke into helping me do some work on Sarah’s house. Sebastian wasn’t able to make it because of an important job he had going. We were going to be replacing her roof and all her windows today. She just didn’t know it. I had come by during the week and taken measurements of the windows and Ryan had placed the order for me. The windows had arrived yesterday and he was going to be bringing them with him this morning. I walked up to Sarah’s door and knocked. The look of surprise on her face morphed into confusion when she took in my tool belt.

  “Um…Morning, Drew. What are you doing with all those tools?”

  She glanced behind me and I heard all the trucks pulling into the drive and up to the house. I figured that it would be best to wait until we were supposed to meet up to tell her what our plans were. She was much less likely to nix my plans if all the guys were there to help. I knew she wouldn’t like the fact that I was paying for this, but I had the money to help out, and she needed the help.

  “What are they all doing here and why are they coming to my house?”

  “We came to do some work on your house. We’re gonna replace the roof and all the windows today and you are going with the girls.”

  “Going with the girls where?”

  Luckily, I heard Harper behind me and that could only work in my favor. “Hey, Sarah! Are you ready for our spa day?”

  “Spa day? Drew, what is she talking about?”

  “Well, I didn’t think you would be very relaxed if you were sitting around here all day while we were working, so you are going with Harper, Vira, Cece, and Anna to the spa.” I decided now was the time to throw on the pleading. “Please do this for me. Harper hates the spa and she’ll go crazy if she has to sit and do girly shit with the others. They all love that shit.”

  I pulled out the puppy dog eyes and did my best to look really distraught. A small smile played at her lips and she quirked an eyebrow at me.

  “Nice try. I know what you’re doing and I’ll play along, but only because you’ve basically railroaded me into it.”

  She grabbed her purse and then walked out toward one of the trucks, but turned as she stepped off the porch.

  “Drew, I can’t…I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

  “You don’t have to. I’m just trying to help you out.”

  “Thank you.” Then she turned and walked off toward the girls.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “So, what inspired this little project today?” Logan asked.

  “Have you seen the windows? They won’t work for shit next winter. That won’t be good for the babies, and the roof was leaking like a sieve.”

  “You sure that’s the only reason why?”

  Now that Logan and Cece were officially together, he seemed to have grown a vagina and thought it was okay to try to ‘figure me out’. All of which included talking about potential love interests and questioning me on past relationships. Usually I just ignored him, but today I felt particularly irked by his line of questions.

  “Now, why would there be another reason? She’s my neighbor and friend. She’s having twins and has no one to rely on. Why is it so hard to believe that I would help her out just for those reasons?”

  “It’s not, but you have to admit, she’s very pretty.”

  “Yes, she is, and what exactly would that have to do with anything?”

  “I’m just saying that since you’ve been here, you haven’t put your dick in anything that I’m aware of. Unless, of course, Harper and you have something on the side that we’re all unaware of. In which case, I wouldn’t let that little piece of information reach Jack’s ears. I don’t think he’d take too kindly to that.”

  “What wouldn’t I take too kindly to?”

  Jack walked around the corner of the house with Sean in tow.

  “Drew and I were discussing whether or not he was sticking his dick in anyone at the moment.”

  “Well, not that I’ve seen. The only woman he ever goes near is Harper and we all know what would happen if he touched her,” Jack said with a smirk.

  “Yeah, you’d beat the shit out of him,” Sean replied.

  “No, Harper would grab a turkey and beat him with it,” Logan cut in.

  “Uh-uh. Harper and I already had a nice, long conversation about staying away from all large meat products that could be seen as a potential weapon,” Sean said with the shake of his head.

  “Guess you’re in the clear then, Jack.” I couldn’t help but get in on the ribbing.

  Jack glared at me, but shrugged off the comment. “You know what they say, it’s not the size of the ship or the motion of the ocean. It’s whether the captain stays in port long enough for all passengers to get off.”

  “How many passengers are we talkin’?” Sean asked.

  “Two. Just two. I’m not into that kinky shit. Besides, Harper’s a handful all by herself. I don’t need to add anyone else to the mix.”

  We got to work replacing the windows in the back of the house as the guys continued to rib one another. Sometimes, you just didn’t need to hear the shit that came out of their mouths.

  “There’s nothing wrong with kinky shit. Cece can be quite wild in the bedroom.”

  “Yeah, I walked in on that shit.” Sean turned to me, telling me a story from when he first met Cece and Vira. “So Cece texted Vira, telling her to send me over to Logan’s place to ‘release him’.” He shook his head as he recalled the events of that day. “That was something I definitely didn’t need to see. I walked up to his bedroom to see him buck ass naked on the bed, handcuffed to the headboard, and he had a coffee filter over his dick. She just left him there.”

  “In her
defense, it was part of her scheming to get back at me,” Logan said defensively.

  “In her defense? Now you’re defending her revenge? Man, you are pussy whipped,” Jack said as he pulled out the old window.

  “Have you ever had revenge sex?”

  “Can we just get the windows installed? Jesus, are we just gonna talk about your women all day?”

  “Hey, I don’t have a woman,” Sean insisted.

  “Really? Vira’s not your woman?” I asked.

  “Don’t listen to him. I’ve heard them fucking in the next room. Believe me, if her pussy is as magical as he tells her it is, he won’t be looking anywhere else.” Logan shuddered like he was trying to shake off the images.

  Sean just shrugged. “She’s not into relationships, so no, we’re not together, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fuck her until I find someone else. And believe me, she does have a magical pussy.” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned.

  I had enough of this shit. I didn’t need to sit around and listen to them talk about pussy all day. I came here to do a job and I just wanted to finish it so I could go back home and relax. I walked away from the guys and headed for the ladder to the roof. I would just help Cole, Ryan, and Luke for the rest of the day.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  We finished with the house around seven that night and everyone was headed into town for dinner. The girls had gotten back around three and I told them they could hang out at my house until we were done. I was in no mood to go out for dinner with everyone. I liked hanging around with everyone, but I still wasn’t as social as everyone else. No matter how hard I tried, I just wanted time to myself with Iris.

  After making myself a few sandwiches, I headed out onto the back porch with a few beers. I sat out there enjoying the peace and quiet for a good hour when footsteps drew me out of my thoughts. I turned to see Sarah walking up the steps to my back porch, carrying a six pack of beer.

  “I see that you already have beer. I picked this up for you today as a thank you. I know it’s not really enough, but I didn’t know how else to thank you.”

  “You don’t have to give me anything. I was just doing it for the babies.”

  The last thing I needed was her thinking I did it out of affection for her. After Logan’s ribbing today, I started to worry that he wasn’t the only one that would think I was helping her because I liked her or wanted more from her. I hadn’t thought about that when I started planning this. Sebastian had convinced me that I could be a friend to her, but what if she thought I was offering more?

  “Well, either way I appreciate it. Can you let me know how much I owe you?”

  “You don’t owe me anything. I didn’t do it with the intention of being paid back.”

  “Well, I would at least like to pay for the supplies.”

  “Look, I don’t know about you, but I think it would be pretty shitty if I decided to fix your roof and windows and then asked you to pay for it after I had already done it. I took care of it and it’s done. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “Well, maybe I can cook you dinner and make you dessert or something.”

  “I already told you, you don’t need to pay me back.”

  “I don’t want your charity and I’m not going to sleep with you.” She practically shouted at me and I finally realized that she was just as nervous as I was that this meant something more.

  “Look, I’m not expecting anything from you. I did it because you’re my friend and I was trying to find some way to help you. That was something I could do to help. I’m not looking to sleep with you and I’m definitely not at a place in my life where that even sounds a little tempting.”

  She looked a little stricken with that last comment, but did her best to hide it. “I know that being pregnant doesn’t make me the most attractive prospect, but you don’t have to be an ass about it.”

  Shit. That wasn’t how I meant it at all. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just not in a place to be tied to any woman, let alone a woman that is about to have kids. That requires responsibility and I can barely take care of myself most days. Like I said, I was just looking for some way that I could help you.”

  The sun was starting to set and the more I talked to Sarah, the less time I had with Iris. She needed to go now. My chest was starting to tighten at the thought of missing out on my time with Iris. This was my ritual, my special time with her and this woman was intruding.

  “I never asked you to take care of me or my kids. I just came to say thank you.”

  “Well, you said thank you and now you can go the fuck home and leave me alone.”

  “Good Lord, you run hot and cold more than any person I know. Fine. I said thank you and now I’ll leave you to your brooding.”

  “Thank fuck!”

  She stomped off the steps and I dismissed her from my thoughts the moment she hit the driveway. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair, waiting to feel Iris wrap her warmth around me. It was like this every night. I would watch the sunset and wait for Iris to show. No, she wasn’t actually here, but I’d swear that she was here in spirit. I was still hanging on to every last piece of her. No matter how much I chose to move on with my life, this was the one thing I could never give up.

  I had made the decision to stay in this town, to get a job here, to open myself up to friends, to buy the house, to buy things to fill the house. I had moved on as much as I could, but I would hold on to this time with Iris as long as she continued to show.

  I cleared my mind of all the bullshit of the day and finally allowed my mind to drift to better times with Iris.

  “Drew, where are we going?”

  “We’re going dancing. Get your cowboy boots on and let’s go.”

  I was practically shaking with nerves. Tonight was the night. I would make her officially mine and we were gonna start our life together. She was back to the door a moment later with brown cowboy boots that had teal stitching all over them. She was wearing a knee length dress that got wider at the waist and had small flowers over it. She exuded innocence, but she was a temptress deep down.

  “Come on, cowboy. I can’t wait to dance with you.”

  We headed out to my truck and after I helped her inside, I walked around to my side, patting my pocket one more time to be sure the ring was still there. We pulled up to the club ten minutes later and I ushered her inside and right to the dance floor. Going line dancing was one of our favorite things to do on the weekends. I spun her around the dance floor for a few songs. We two stepped to “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson and “A Good Run Of Bad Luck” by Clint Black. She threw her head back and laughed as I stepped on her feet occasionally. I was generally a pretty good dancer, but there were times I was too caught up in her beautiful smile to keep my feet moving in time to the music.

  When “Any Man Of Mine” by Shania Twain came on, I begged off for a drink at the bar while she line danced with the other ladies. I didn’t mind at all. I sat and drank my beer while I watched her shake her ass on the dance floor. I hadn’t quite decided yet when I was going to propose to her tonight, but the next song had me headed to the dance floor and pulling her into my arms. “I Cross My Heart” by George Strait played over the speakers as I pulled her close and rested my chin on her head. Her hand rested on my chest with my hand holding it there. I sang softly to her as I twirled her around the dance floor before stopping and looking into her eyes. She was completely shocked when I got down on one knee and pulled the ring from my pocket.

  One of the DJ’s must have seen me because he turned down the music so she could hear me.

  “Sweet Iris, I cross my heart and promise to give all I’ve got to give to make all your dreams come true. In all the world, you’ll never find a love as true as mine.” I sang along with the music, but stopped for the next part. “Marry me, Iris. There will never be anyone but you for me. You are my love and my life. Say that you’ll share the rest of your life with me.”

  She knelt down and flung her arms around
my neck as people started clapping. I didn’t give a shit about them because the most gorgeous girl in the world had just given me the best gift of my life. I pulled back and slid the simple diamond ring on her finger. She smiled up at me and I pulled her back to her feet to finish dancing to the song with her. When the song ended, I didn’t want to release her yet and I still would have slow danced even to a fast song with her. Luckily, “Cowboy Take Me Away” by The Dixie Chicks came on and I got to hold my sweet Iris a little longer.

  She was there with me as the memories washed over me. Like every other time, her perfume lit my senses and I could almost feel her arms around me. I kept my eyes closed as the tears pricked my eyes once again.

  “My sweet Iris, I’m forever yours. Nothing can take me from you.”

  The warmth of her started to fade and I opened my eyes to the sun setting low on the horizon. She was gone for tonight and I was once again alone. There would never be a time when I would be used to the feeling of her leaving me. I got up from my chair and headed inside to go to bed alone like I did every night.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Sarah

  I COULDN’T FIGURE Drew out. One minute he was doing the most amazing things for me and the next, he was practically shoving me out of his life. I could only guess that I had crossed some imaginary line. The problem was, he never talked about anything personal and I didn’t know which lines I couldn’t cross. If I was going to have any kind of friendship with him, I was going to have to talk to him and find out how to stay on his good side. For now, I would give him a few days to calm down.

  I knew I wouldn’t have any right to ask him to open up to me when I wasn’t allowed to do so myself. I supposed that I could make up a version of the truth and give him that much, if he ever asked, which I doubted he would. Drew didn’t strike me as the kind of guy that got to know his friends on a deeper level. Except maybe Harper. When we went for our spa day, Harper filled me in on how she met Drew. It was a funny story, but the way she described Drew at the time broke my heart. I could see it in him from time to time, like last night. It was like he was lost and needed to be alone. I’m sure if Harper had been here, he wouldn’t have asked her to leave.