by Marchman, AC
I find this place called Country Kitchen when I was driving around. It’s a hole in the wall, but judging by the parking lot, it’s at least got good food. I put my car in park and debate on texting Allie. I pull my phone out and unlock the screen. I’ve dialed her number so many times over the last forty eight hours. I just stare, not knowing whether to try my luck again or just leave it alone. I decide on the latter; she wanted some time. If time makes her happy, then I’ll give it to her. I just hope her definition of time isn’t forever. I put my phone back in my pocket and get out the car.
When I walk into the place, I swear I’m the only person under the age of sixty. I head to back of the restaurant and chose a booth. The walls look like they haven’t been painted in forty years and there’s a dry-erase board with today’s specials. A lady comes up to get my drink order; I get a coffee and water. She hands me a menu and says, “Here you go, honey, Debbie will be right with you.” I look at the prices and I laugh to myself. Allie always made a big deal about the price of food, now I see why. The prices here also haven’t changed in years. Nothing is more than eight bucks, which doesn’t bother me a bit.
Debbie, a short, heavy set woman, comes to take my order. The most appealing thing looks like some kind of ham with raisin sauce, so I go with that. She smiles and tells me, “It’ll be right out, sugar. I’ll go get you some rolls.” What is it with everyone around here calling me cutesy nicknames. I shrug, then slip my phone out again. This time, I decide to put my earbuds in and listen to some music.
Our time apart is like knives in my heart...God, I’m trying to, trying not to love you only goes so far. Trying not to need you is tearing me apart...Cuz trying not to love you, only makes me love you more.
Damn you, Nickelback. I rip the earbuds out and toss it on the table. Maybe music wasn’t a good idea. I look up and when I do, I see none other than that bastard, Matt Bowman, walk in. He sees me, too, and he smirks.
Jackass.
He heads my way, and I glare him down, daring him to come closer to me. He stops just a few feet from my table.
“So, you’re Allie’s new boyfriend, huh?”
“What’s it to you?” I feel my heart pick up a beat from the adrenaline that starts to course through my body.
He is the complete opposite of me. He’s got that jet black hair with extremely dark eyes, and he looks like a skinny ass wimp with his tight cowboy jeans on. What the hell did she see in him? “Look, dude. I don’t want trouble. I just want to talk. Mind if I join you?”
Is he serious? “What in the world would you have to talk to me about? Except the ass whipping I gave you earlier?” A smile creeps across my lips, knowing I gave the jerk a nice bruise on his cheek. It shows up even more now.
“The only thing we have in common; Allie.” Oh, so he sees it, too? I nod my head to the seat across from me and he slides in.
“So, start talking.” I cross my arms across my chest.
He looks extremely nervous, and it takes everything in me not to laugh in his face. He rubs his hands on his pants, apparently he is nervous. “I gotta apologize for acting the way I did this afternoon. I honestly didn’t know she had a boyfriend. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have kissed her.”
That stings; why didn’t she tell him from the get go that we were together. “Well, it didn’t look like she wanted you kissing her.” I know she told me otherwise, but I want to get his answer.
“Well, she didn’t. She told me to leave, but I had to give it one more chance. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. She’s the mother of my son, and I guess I wanted to try to be a family. Then, Jackson....he didn’t even know who I was.” His dark eyes look away to the floor and I can tell that pains him. I should be understanding of that, but I’m not.
“Well, you fucked her over pretty bad. Coercing her into having sex when she wasn’t ready, getting her pregnant, your friend blasting that shit on Facebook. What did you expect?” I run my hand through my hair. “Did you expect her to come running back to you with open arms, ready to forgive you?”
“I was kinda hoping she would. But truth be,known, I knew it wouldn’t work. But, like I said, I had to try. She told me to leave and to stay away from her before I kissed her. She told me she wanted nothing to do with me. Now, I know.” He shifts in his seat. “And I can tell, she loves you. I saw the way she looked at you when you got out of the car. I saw it in her eyes. That’s why we’re talking now. I want her to be happy, and if you do that for her, so be it.”
“So, you came here to give your blessing? Tell me, did you know I was here? Did you see my car outside?” I eye him suspiciously. That’s the last thing I need is another stalker.
“Honestly, no. I had no idea you were here. I’m just playing this shit by ear right now. I came here to get something to eat, I swear.” He holds his hands up in defense. “I’m not trying to start anything. I really just want her happy.”
I ponder this for a minute. Allie’s ex wants me to make her happy? This sounds a little off. “So, you’re sure that’s all you want is for her to be happy with me, and not with you? Because I plan on making her the happiest damn woman on this planet.” I’m not about to let him know that she’s not speaking to me right now.
“Yeah, that’s what I want. I wish you nothing but the best.” He gets up to leave. “By the way, I don’t even know your name. I’m pretty sure you know mine.”
“Donovan.” Short and sweet; he doesn’t deserve anything other than that.
He clears his throat. “Well, Donovan, good luck with Allie. She’s an amazing human being and I kick myself every day for screwing us up. Cherish her, or I swear, shit will get started.” With that being said, he turns and walks out the front door.
What in the world just happened?
That conversation ranks up with one of the strangest I’ve ever had. Yeah, I’ve had to deal with ex boyfriends, and of course, Frank, but I’ve never actually had one go quite like that. The exes I deal with were jealous boyfriends that wanted their girlfriends back, so I had no problem with it. I didn’t care about those girls. Claire was a different story, but Allie is different on a whole other level. I want to settle down with her someday. Now I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance. She is as stubborn as a mule sometimes, but I suppose I can be, too. Maybe that’s why we work so well, or least, we did work.
I’ve lost my appetite, so I flag the waitress down and ask for a box. As I pay my bill, my mind wanders back to Allie. I wonder if she found my little surprise in her mom’s car seat yet.
Chapter 29
Allie
“Oh, Donovan, please don’t stop!” I moan as I grab his head that’s between my legs. My hips buck off the bed as his tongue pushes deeper into me. I’m so close to climax; I feel my muscles tighten, my body begging to cum. His hands grab the inside of my thighs to hold me down, but my pelvis wants to lift off the mattress. Doing this in my old room feels so wrong, but so right at the same time.
“Baby, it’s been so long. I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers in between kisses and licks. Those words choke me up.
“I’ve missed you, too. I love you.”
Just as I say those words, he stops. His tongue quits moving and he leaves me hanging.
What? Don’t go, please! Come back.
My eyes fly open and I sit straight up, frantically in search for Donovan. Where did he go? He was just here with me, in my bed, Then I realize, he was never here. It was all a dream, just like the last six days.
The longest six days of my life.
I look over at the alarm clock; 6:30 in the morning. I flop back down, now ticked off that I woke up this early. It’s a shame I’m not the type of person that can go back to sleep when they wake up. Lucky me. I stretch and swing my legs over the side of the bed, That’s when I realize how damp my panties are. Unbelievable; I almost got off in one of my dreams. How embarrassing. I decide I need a shower after that one. I stalk off to the bathroom.
It’s been almost a week s
ince I’ve heard or seen Donovan. I’ve been doing nothing but trying to analyze our relationship. Mom has told me countless times to reconsider making him wait so long. When I’ve talked to Livey, she’s always got that “gut feeling” that we’ll get back together. Jon says it’s my decision and if I want, he can kick his ass. Of course, I decline for the ass kicking part.
My heart is still as torn as it was the first day. I thought it would get easier with each passing day, but it’s worse. I haven’t gone anywhere at all, other than get Jackson. Jon and his family came over here when my son was over and the boys had a blast. Hanging out with Jodi was good for me, too. I really did miss my family, more than I ever thought possible. It’s almost enough to make me want to move back. But I know I need to finish PA school before I can do that. Besides, if Donovan and I work out, then who knows what will happen?
As I step into the warm shower, my thoughts turn toward the package I received the same day I last saw Donovan. It’s sitting on my dresser, closed.
Your time is almost up.
What did that mean? My only thought would be Claire, but since she’s in jail, how would she be able to send that? Don’t they check everything that goes in and out of prison? If it’s not her, who could it be? I don’t know a lot of people in Georgia, especially ones that want to threaten me. Could it be Regina, Claire’s sister? I suppose it could be, but it would still be indirectly coming from Claire. How would she even know I was here? Why would she send it here in the first place?
That’s when it occurs to me; I have to talk to Donovan about this. He’s the only one that can give me some insight to this. I turn off the water, step out and dry myself off. After getting dressed, I sit on the edge of my bed with my phone in my hand. I stare at the screen, actually nervous about talking to him. It’s so early in the morning; 7:00. I know he’s probably awake, getting ready for his day at the Bayside clinic. I take in a deep breath, unlock the screen and scroll through until I find his number. As I hit ‘call’, I let all the air out of my lungs. It rings one time.
“Allie?”
“Hi.” It’s the only word I can form. So many emotions run through me when he says my name; anger, hurt, excitement, nervousness. I can’t pinpoint which one I feel the most.
“How are you?” He seems as awkward as I do.
“I’m okay, we still need to talk, but I have a question for you first. Do you know how Claire would get my mother’s address?”
There’s a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone, then a long pause. “I have no idea. What happened? Are you okay?” The panic is apparent in his voice.
“I got this package from Georgia on Sunday, the day you...left. It was a small hourglass and the note said ‘Your time is almost up’. What is that supposed to mean?” I glare at the tiny package, looming over me like a dark cloud.
“An hourglass? What color is it?”
“Uh, it’s black and it’s really small. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Because, as weird as it may sound, I don’t think this was Claire’s doing. She wouldn’t be able to have something like that in her cell. The person I’m thinking of collects small knick knacks like that from her trips around the world, like thimbles, postcards, and including hourglasses.”
“I don’t know anyone from there, except you, Livey and your...family.” I almost drop the phone. I know Donna hates me, but would she stoop to this level?
“Exactly. For whatever reason, Donna doesn’t want us to be together. She thinks Claire and I are meant to be. I haven’t figured it out yet; it just doesn’t make any sense. The only way I know is that I called Megan when I was driving up to Virginia and I told her you came home.” He lets out a sigh. “She must have told Dad, and in turn, he must have told Donna. I can’t think of anyone else that would want to upset you like that.”
It makes sense to me. “She’s hated me since day one, now I know she wants you with Claire. Maybe I should just let you...” I can’t finish.
“No, Allie. Don’t do this to us, please. I don’t want her, I swear to you. It’s you I want and I will walk into the pits of hell just to see you again. I don’t want anyone else, ever.” I can hear the tears choking him, and it’s heart shattering.
“Donovan, being with me is obviously putting you in a bad situation that is only bound to get worse. Why do you even want to go through that?” I hang my head, trying not to let me grief for him take over me. I don’t want to lose him, but I can’t let him go through all this.
“Because...I love you. I don’t want to spend another minute of my life without you. I need you more than I need air to live. I don’t want to go through this life without you in it.” His words come fast and furious, like he’s never going to speak to me again and needs to get it all out.
My mouth drops and I gasp for a breath. “What did you say?”
“What part?” I hear him chuckle a little beneath the sadness.
“You know which part, Donovan James Callahan.” My heart drops into my stomach..
“I love you, Allison Marie Marshall. I should have told you before all this went down. I held it in, worried about telling you and you running off. If I would have told you all of this before, maybe you wouldn’t have left me standing there.”
“You...love me?” I’m in disbelief. “If you loved me, why did you lie?” The conversation has turned from hearing the words I longed to say, to the betrayal I feel.
There’s a long pause. “I’ve told you, whether or not you believe me is another story. I didn’t want you to think of me as this guy that just fucked whoever he wanted. I’m not like that anymore. “Maybe in the past, but not anymore. That all changed when I met you.” I picture him running his hand through his hair right now. “I just didn’t want you to think less of me because I did what I did. What happened was stupid and I regret ever sleeping with Claire. But I can’t take it back, and I can’t take back sleeping with those other women. All I can do now is look towards the future, and I can’t picture it without you in it.”
“I’m coming home today, can I see you then?” I whisper, unable to speak any louder than this. I feel like the wind has been knocked out of me, and right now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“What time are you leaving?”
“My flight leaves at four.”
“Can I just drive you home instead?” I hear the smirk in his question.
“What? What do you mean?” I stumble. No way’s he’s still in Lynchburg.
“I’m already on the way to your mom’s house, be there in ten.” I nod my head, as if he can see me.
“You mean...you stayed this whole time? Why?”
“You know the answer to that, Allie. I waited for you to call, so I could be there. I called Livey and asked when you were supposed to come home, so I booked my hotel until today. I’ve already checked out, so I have no place to go but either home, or to you.”
“Where are you right now?” My heart is racing, just like the first time he kissed me.
“Some road called Village Highway. Like I said, see you in five.”
With that he hangs up. I lay the phone down on the bed. That’s when I realized I’m still in just a towel, so I rush to throw some clothes on. I grab a pair of pink shorts and a white tank top. I throw my hair into a bun and take a quick glance in the mirror. I look at the reflection and groan. It looks like I’ve lost a few pounds, not that I’m really complaining about it, and I have dark circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. I hear the tires run over the gravel and I rush out the front door to meet him.
My heart goes from my stomach to my throat when I see Donovan step out of the car. The morning is foggy from the humidity, but I can make him out perfectly. His hair is tousled and the stubble on his jawline is overgrown. He has on black basketball shorts with a red Nike t-shirt. He starts to come around the car, then stops in front of the hood. His eyes are red and he looks tired, but he’s still as beautiful as ever. He crosses his legs at his ank
les and folds his arms across his chest. My arms wrap around my waist, only to restrict myself from running and hugging the life out of him.
We stare at each other for what seems like hours, not moving or speaking. It’s like we’re trying to memorize each other’s features like it’s our last time seeing each other. He breaks the silence first.
“I’ve missed you.” The blue in his eyes still dazzle; damn him for being so sexy when I look like a complete mess.
I don’t say anything; I just keep my eyes locked on his. God, I missed this man. Seeing him is exactly what I needed, and now knowing that he loves me, makes me love him even more.
“Allie, I wanted to tell you about all this for so long. It was killing me inside, holding my past back from you.” He runs both his hands through his chocolate brown hair. “I swear to you, there will be no more lies. I know I have to earn your trust back, and I will die trying.” He takes a tentative step towards me. That’s when I break out into a run, straight to him.
