Finally, You (The Finally Book Duo 2)

by Burke, Roseanne

  "You don't have to worry. I can control my drinking," I said quickly.

  "I didn't mean-" he started

  "No it's ok, I know what you were wanting to ask. I think I'm good on booze for tonight. But if you would like wine, please, feel free. I mean it," I said, poking my finger into his chest. I hated the thought of making him uncomfortable.

  He bent down and kissed me. "We'll save it for another time."

  I smiled, leaning back against the counter. "So what are you making me?"

  He glanced at me as he continued setting up his mise en place. "Pork larb."

  "Larb? That's a terrible word," I giggled.

  "Yeah, it sounds weird. But I assure you, it's quite delicious. It's a Thai dish." He flashed me his adorable dimpled smile.

  My eyebrows raised as I nodded my head. "Ok, I trust you. You're the chef."

  He smiled and started opening up cabinets. "Now where could I find a skillet?"

  "Down here, actually," I replied, reaching down and pulling one out for him.

  "Thanks."

  He grinned at me as he poured the ground meat in the pan. It was really sexy, watching him cook.

  "Well now that date three has officially commenced, you need to tell me your favorite movie."

  I eyed his broad hands as he chopped up a pepper. "You're right," I laughed. "Well, it's actually Now and Then. It's totally a girlie movie I loved when I was younger. You probably haven't even heard of it. But I could watch it every day for the rest of my life."

  He chuckled. "I think I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it."

  "What's yours?" I asked.

  "American Beauty. You know, with Kevin Spacey, and Annette Benning?" He glanced sideways at me.

  I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. "Um, haven't seen it."

  He dropped his utensils dramatically. "Where have you been living? In a cave?" he teased. "First not seeing Mad Men, now this?"

  "Well, you'll just have to make me watch it sometime then," I smiled.

  "Oh I will."

  I was liking all the excuses I had to spend time with him.

  "So," he said, continuing his work. "Does this mean I can officially call you my girlfriend, then?"

  I only saw his profile, but I could see the twinkle in his eyes. His words caused my heart rate to increase.

  "Is that what you really want?" I asked quietly.

  He didn't look at me; he just continued cooking. "More than anything."

  Those three words had my stomach doing flip flops. I wanted to jump up and down for joy, but instead, I just said, "Well alright then. I think it's official."

  He turned his head slightly. God, that dimple. I reached my hand up, rubbing the side of his face, and brought my lips to his. I realized I needed to stop worrying and over-thinking everything, and just enjoy the man in front of me.

  As he finished cooking, I set up two place settings on the coffee table in the living room.

  "Sorry, I hope this is ok. This is where I usually eat since I don't have a dining room."

  He set both our plates down on the table, then gripped my face in his hands. "It's perfect, as long as I'm with you." With that, he planted a sweet kiss on my lips. He sat down, readying himself to eat. I, on the other hand, sat slowly, slightly in a daze from everything that had happened tonight. It was hard to imagine that just an hour and a half ago, I was sitting on this couch, thinking he had abandoned me, that he didn't want me. And now, here we were, officially a couple. I eyed my Lucky Bag, which was propped up by the wall. Guess I won't be needing that anymore.

  "So," he said, interrupting my thoughts. "You take a lettuce cup, load in the meat, and then pour over the sauce, like this. It's a little spicy; I hope that's ok," he said, licking his finger.

  "Spicy is good," I smiled.

  "You're spicy," he teased, bumping me with his knee as he took a bite.

  I loaded up my lettuce cup. "Oh yeah? What is that supposed to mean?"

  "It means you're not bland or boring," he replied. "You're like a shock to the system."

  I raised my eyebrows. "And that's a good thing?" That didn't necessarily sound like a good thing.

  "It's a great thing." He winked at me.

  "Did you think I'd be 'spicy' when you first saw me?" I asked.

  He chuckled, then finished chewing before he said, "Well, obviously I thought you were smoking hot when I saw you at the bar. But I honestly never thought we'd be here a week or so later."

  "Oh I see. You thought you could just hit it and quit it, huh?" I joked, taking my first bite. Mmm, he had been right. It was delicious, despite the odd name.

  He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not proud, but that was kind of my M.O."

  I shuddered slightly. I did not want to think about that. "So what changed your mind?"

  "I think it was the way you came toe to toe with me. You weren't intimidated or shy. And you seemed genuine. That was my problem before. I was into vapid and superficial. You're so much deeper than that. I found myself actually caring what you thought of me," he answered softly. "And then obviously, when we went in the bedroom, I felt connected with you in a different way."

  I couldn't help but smile, thinking about that first night.

  "What about you? What did you think of me when you first saw me?" he grinned, wiping his hands on a napkin.

  I smiled, trying to choose my words. "Um, I obviously noticed how hot you were, initially. But I believe the words, 'twenty-one year old frat boy douche' specifically crossed my mind. Just because of your collar, though!" I cried.

  He burst out laughing. "Ok I get it! No collar ever again!"

  I ran my hand on the back of his neck. "But see, it all worked out, despite the obstacles in our path."

  He turned his head to face me and kissed me swiftly. "And I couldn't be happier."

  Honestly, neither could I. "Me too."

  "So what did you think?" he asked, pointing to my empty plate.

  "It was delicious! You'll have to do that more often."

  He grabbed our dishes and walked into the kitchen. "Any time," he called.

  I sat back on the couch, propping my feet up on the table. He joined me, wrapping his arm around me as he reached for the remote. When he turned on the TV, it was still on Lifetime.

  "Um, no," he laughed. "We're watching something else."

  I giggled, snuggling myself into him as he flipped through the channels. I realized this was just the beginning, and the prospect of spending time with him was so exciting, making me the happiest I had been in a really long time.

  ********

  I was so disappointed when I realized Lacey and I didn't work any overlapping shifts during the week. I wanted to update her on my love life. And I wanted to hear how she and Ben were doing. Maybe we could all go on a double date?

  Despite our opposite schedules, Todd and I at least talked each day during the week. He was really attentive, sending me "thinking of you" messages throughout the day. It was incredibly sweet, but I couldn't help but think, was he just doing this to avoid me possibly having another major meltdown? No, Shannon, shut down that line of thinking immediately.

  I hadn't told Carrie about us yet, either. It was still too new; I wanted to proceed with caution. But the way I felt inside was anything but cautious. I was falling for him. Hard.

  I decided to bring him in to "officially" meet Johnny. It was my night off, so we decided to stop in after going to dinner.

  I pushed open the familiar door and I spotted Johnny behind the bar. We climbed up onto the stools. He walked over to us, with a grave look on his face.

  "Johnny, this is-," I started. "What's wrong?"

  "You just missed Lacey. She and Ben split," he replied.

  "What?" Todd and I both exclaimed in unison.

  We looked at each other, wide-eyed.

  "What happened?" I asked. The introduction to Todd would have to wait.

  He leaned up against the bar, shaking his head. "Apparently things did
n't go well when Ben took her to meet his parents yesterday."

  Todd snickered.

  "What?" I asked, turning to him.

  "Oh, his mom has always been a tough woman to please. She didn't like me for a long time because of where my address was: not on the same block as their private gated neighborhood. She's that type of person."

  Bitch.

  "Ok, so what happened?" I asked, turning back to Johnny.

  "Well I guess Lacey went home, and Ben came back here for a few to give her some time to cool off. The last thing I knew, Ben left here to go to her. But apparently his ex girlfriend had gone to his apartment and was there waiting for him. And I guess Lacey walked in and found her there."

  I gasped. "They weren't, you know..."

  Todd shifted in his seat. "Trust me, they hadn't been doing that for a while before they finally broke up."

  "No," said Johnny. "But I guess Lacey didn't want to deal with all of it. And apparently it was the mother that had given the ex a key in the first place."

  "Oh my god!" I cried. "How awful is this woman?"

  Todd just shook his head.

  "I tried talking some sense into her; I hope she'll reconsider," Johnny said, shaking his head slowly.

  I rubbed my fingers on my temples. What the hell? This was not the way this was supposed to go. And I hadn't even been able to tell her about Todd yet. I couldn't imagine she'd be too excited for me after everything she just went through.

  "When does she work next?" I asked.

  "Tomorrow," Johnny responded.

  "Ok, so do I." I turned to Todd. "We have to do something about this."

  "Like what?"

  "Like we need to help them get back together," I answered. "We need to talk to them. I'll work on Lacey tomorrow. And you need to get together with Ben soon. Invite him out for a drink or something." I was on a mission.

  "And say what? Hey, by the way, I'm dating Shannon, and I heard you broke up with Lacey. Sorry about that?" He gave me a wink.

  I glared at him teasingly. "You'll figure it out. Johnny, by the way, this is my boyfriend, Todd." I took a lot of enjoyment in saying that.

  Johnny grinned and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

  "You too," said Todd.

  I grinned, watching the exchange. I knew Johnny wanted to say something about "not hurting his girl," but I knew he didn't want to embarrass me. Instead, he said, "So what can I get for you two tonight?"

  We enjoyed a round of drinks and decided to head back to Todd's place. I loved spending the night with him. I was quickly getting used to it, and resenting the emptiness of my bed when he wasn't there.

  We walked into the living room, and he pulled me into his arms. I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be with a man who was so forgiving. He stuck with me even after he had seen a flash of my crazy.

  "Thank you for putting up with me," I smiled, rubbing my nose with his.

  "I hardly think 'putting up with' are the right words," he responded as he started kissing my lips and peeling my jacket from my shoulders.

  "I mean it, though. I really want to thank you for staying with me," I said between kisses. The anticipation was quickly building now. I wanted to be with him and show him my appreciation, rather than just tell.

  "Well, you're welcome. But I suppose I'll be thanking you in a few weeks after you stick with me after meeting my brothers." His arms wrapped around my ass, lifting me up. I clasped my legs around him, running my fingers through his hair.

  "Oh I'm meeting your brothers, am I?" I was secretly bubbling with excitement. He wanted me to meet his family?

  "Yes, at Thanksgiving. You should've heard my dad's voice when I told him I was bringing my girlfriend." He started carrying me toward the bedroom. I loved that word, girlfriend.

  "What did he say?" I asked, gripping his face and kissing him deeply.

  He laid me back on the bed, then climbed over me, continuing to plant kisses along my neck.

  "It was more like what he didn't say. He was in shock. But really happy for me."

  A smile crossed my lips.

  "Thanksgiving is still like two months away," I grinned. He had already planned on me being there?

  "Eh, a few weeks, a couple months, whatever. All I know is I want you there with me."

  My heart was doing somersaults. I was trying not to let on how excited I was. "Ok, Thanksgiving at your house it is."

  "Good," he said, grinning at me. "But enough about that. Now, I want to make love to you."

  Yes, please.

  With that, he crashed his mouth to mine.

  Chapter 17

  My stomach was in knots as I waited for Lacey to come in to work. Should I just come out and tell her about Todd? No, I should try to comfort her. And convince her she was being stupid. I hated to see them not work out. They were just so cute and perfect for each other! God, I sounded like such a sap. With my own happiness, I was now seeing the world with rose-colored glasses.

  I was in the middle of washing glasses when she came in. I could see her scoping out the whole room before she made her way to the bar. She had an air of gloom about her. Poor thing. Here goes nothing.

  "Hey lady, long time no see," I smiled as she joined me behind the bar. It was nice seeing her again. I couldn't believe it had been so long. I guess I'd been a bit preoccupied.

  "Hey to you," she said. I could tell she was trying to put on a brave face. I decided not to even bring up the topic until she did.

  We got to work; it was a typical Tuesday night. Not too busy, but steady enough. She just didn't seem to have her heart in any of it. And she looked as if her eyes were glued to the front door. Was it because she was afraid Ben might walk in? Or did she want him to? I was going crazy, wanting to talk to her, but I didn't want to bombard her.

  Finally, midway through the night, she leaned up against the bar and asked, "So what's new with you?"

  Did she somehow already know about Todd? Or was she just trying to avoid talking about herself? Either way, I was too nervous to tell her my news.

  I kept my head down, acting busy. "Oh, not much." Damn, my voice sounded too high.

  "You're a terrible liar," she laughed.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. I guess now was as good a time as any to tell her.

  "Ok, ok, I'm seeing someone." I looked sideways at her, biting my lip.

  Her face lit up. "That's awesome! Why wouldn't you want to tell me that? Because I broke up with Ben? I'm not that big of a bitch, I can still be happy for you."

  I let out a slight sigh of relief. I wondered if she would feel the same if she found out who I was dating.

  I stood up, putting my hand on my hip. "Well, I'm actually seeing Todd."

  I held my breath, waiting for her reaction.

  "That's great," she smiled sweetly. She looked as if she might pass out.

  "Really, you're ok?" I reached and grabbed her arms in my hands.

  She swallowed somewhat harshly. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm more than fine, I'm happy for you." Sweetheart. She was trying really hard. But I could tell she couldn't help but think about Ben, hearing my news.

  "Well good. And I'm so sorry about what happened with Ben. Johnny told me. What a cunt."

  She burst out laughing. That was the first true emotion she had shown all night.

  "Which one?" she asked.

  "Both! The mother and the ex," I replied.

  "Yeah, you're right. Can you believe she gave her a key to his apartment? Like she was intentionally trying to sabotage us. What kind of soap opera bullshit is that?"

  "That is ridiculous," I responded. I was happy to see her finally opening up.

  "But I have to admit, I was pretty cool when I found her in his place."

  I clapped my hands. "Oh, do tell!" I cried.

  "Well I walked in, expecting to just apologize to Ben for being over-dramatic, and I find the two of them on his couch. He looked utterly disgusted with her, so I knew nothing had happened. I just walked over to him
, kissed him, and asked him our plans for the rest of the night, like there was nothing unusual about the scenario."

  "Oh my god!" I clasped my hand over my mouth.

  "Yeah, and then I introduced myself to her, asking who she was, even though I already knew exactly. And as I was leaving the room to go take a shower, I said, 'It was nice to meet you, Melissa,' instead of Marissa."

  "You are fucking fabulous!" I exclaimed. Good for her, not showing any defeat, not faltering. But I still wasn't satisfied with her and Ben apart. None of this had really been his fault. I needed to fix it. "Hey, why don't you come to my place after this. We can get sloppy drunk and not worry about men."

  She grinned. "That sounds exactly like what I need."

  A little while later, I checked my phone. I smiled as I read a message from Todd. "Hey babe, I went out with Ben tonight, took him to Somberitos ;) He's a wreck. Any headway with Lacey?"

  I made sure she was occupied and replied, "Not yet, she just told me what happened. She's coming over after work and I'll get to work on it. Miss you."

  "Miss you too. See you tomorrow?" he sent back.

  I grinned. "Absolutely."

  After we closed down the bar, we walked together out to my car. I needed to get to work quickly on my mission. I started to tell her a little about the dates Todd and I went on as I drove, but I could tell she was only listening half-heartedly. I was half tempted to tell her something crazy, like we had done anal, just to see if she was listening. But I decided against it. She was too vulnerable right now to be joked with.

  "And here we are," I chirped, pulling into a parking spot.

  She smiled feebly at me. We needed alcohol fast.

  We headed in to my apartment.

  "First things first," I said, stepping into the kitchen and reaching into the fridge. "Wine!"

  I grabbed an opener and some glasses. "Here, let's go in here." I motioned back to the living room. We sat opposite each other on the couch. She accepted the glass I handed to her graciously.

  "Mmm, this is delicious," she said, taking a sip.

  "It's a good wine to drink when you want to just get drunk. It goes down really smooth," I giggled. I knew a thing or two about that.