by Claire Adams
"Nate?" I called carefully, walking into the room, feeling petals beneath my feet. The playing stopped and he looked over his shoulder at me. He didn't have a shirt on. He was on the bench in just a pair of pajama pants. He smiled seeing me and waved me over.
"Morning, babe," he said, grinning.
"Hey," I said smiling, walking up to the bench. I sat next to him with my back to the piano so I could face him. He kissed me sweetly. "What happened in here?" I asked.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful, but I don't know what we're celebrating."
"Do I need a reason to do something nice for you?" he asked, smiling.
"This is for me?"
"Everything I do is for you, Abby," he said.
It had been two years of hearing him say things like that to me and they still never failed to fill me up with insane pleasure. He was a songwriter, he knew how to say things to make them sound the sweetest, but that wasn't even where it stopped. I believed him when he said things to me because he was generous with his words, his heart, his body, his money. He gave me everything.
"I love it," I said. "Thank you."
"I love doing things for you; don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you," he said.
"Me? What for?" I asked.
"For all the delicious food you make me, for coming with me on tour, for being my biggest supporter," he said making a list.
"I do those things because I love you, Nate. You don't have to thank me."
"I wouldn't be able to do anything without you, Abby," he said.
"Oh, come on. What were you doing before we met?"
"Nothing," he said seriously. "Nothing good. I wasn't making music, I was high all the time; I was a junkie."
I sighed. I remembered. The more distance we gained from the time, the more dire it seemed in my remembrance of it. We were both here on the other side of it, in love and stronger than ever, but when we had met, this man that he was today was somewhere obscured behind the pain of a broken dream, marriage, and addiction. It was hard to think sometimes that he was the same person.
His left arm was covered in beautiful, dark tattoos instead of track scars now. He was inspired and healthy, and through it all, he was still the creative, beautiful soul I'd been drawn to when we met.
"All that happened in the past. You aren't that person anymore. You got better and you took your career back."
"I didn't do shit, Abby. You're the one who got me here."
"I just didn't let you ignore me," I said, smiling.
"You treated me like I was someone worth saving," he said. "I wouldn't be alive if you hadn’t driven me crazy the first summer I got here." I smiled, remembering how upset he would get when I'd wake him up in the morning.
"Yes, you would, Nate," I said. "I'm not the one who beat your addiction – you are."
"If you weren't there, I wouldn't have been able to do it. You were it, Abby. You still are. I'm alive because of you, and you deserve every last one of the years I have left on this earth." I felt my eyes well up.
"You don't owe me anything, Nate. Here and now with you is enough." He shook his head.
"I don't want here and now Abby; I want every day." I watched him stand and round the bench. "Abby," he said quietly. He took one of my hands and sunk down on one knee. My heart started pounding as I realized what was happening.
"Every good thing in my life I can trace back to you. I had nothing when we met, and you gave me everything. I didn't know what unconditional love felt like before I met you and when I think of the future, you're the only thing I know I can't live without. I have a life because of you and I don't want to live life without you."
I wanted to say something, but I couldn't, my throat was closed and tears were pouring down my face. I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out a ring.
"Abby Terrell, I love you and I don't want to live a life without you in it. Marry me?"
I nodded because I couldn't speak. He slid the ring on my finger and stood up. I looked at it. It was a beautiful pink stone in a rose-gold band.
"I thought..."
"You thought I'd never ask you?"
"I thought you didn't want to do it again," I said.
"I didn't want to do it again with the wrong person," he said. "You're the right person, Abby. You're the only person. Do you want to be my wife?"
"Yes," I said, looking up at him. "Of course. I just want to make you happy."
"You already do, babe," he said. I smiled. He made me happy too. Happy, excited, passionate...full. He was my missing piece to paradise. Now I had everything.
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FIREWORKS
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Claire Adams
Chapter 1
Cora
"Finally. Thanks for staying behind with me. I though the funeral was going to be more difficult than it was." Emily turned around and smiled. "I'm glad I have you."
"You stayed with me while I wrapped up that issue I had with my science credits, and I stayed to help you get through Mimi's death. We're best friends. It's what we do."
"I guess. Remind me to give the other two hell for leaving without us a few weeks ago."
I tugged on the zipper of my suitcase and glanced up. "I'm glad they did. I'd rather they get to the lake house early and clean up the spider webs for us."
"I guess, but I'm sure Cindy already has several guys helping do anything she wants. I swear the girl sold her soul to the devil to attract any man she wants." Emily moved over to my bed and pushed down on the top of my suitcase. My best friend since grade school was far too pretty to cover herself up the way she did. I glanced over and let my eyes run over her baggy t-shirt and loose shorts.
"She's just friendly, cute, and looks innocent. Unlike us." I snorted and tugged hard on the zipper. "You're bringing something other than your baggy clothes, right? You have a hot body under all of that, you know?"
"This again?" She gave me a sideways glance. Her dark hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail, her face free of makeup.
"I'll always plague you about this. You're never going to find a guy when you don't look like you want to." I moved back and bent over, tying my tennis shoes and admiring her shapely legs. "And, I know you want a boyfriend."
"I do, but I'm not getting him with nothing more than physical attraction between us, Cora. I've seen how well that's worked out for both you and Cindy. Guys who are head-over-heels for a hot girl are everywhere. And no offense, but it would seem that it's not just the first hot girl they meet that steals their attention. It's every hot girl. How long am I going to entertain a guy that thinks with his dick instead of his brain?"
I nodded and stood up. "I get it."
There hadn't been too many times in my life that I could recall having a boyfriend who didn't sleep around while we were dating. Brandon James was the most recent, and thanks to him, I'd sworn off guys for a while — and blonds forever.
"Hey." She reached out and touched my shoulder. "I didn't mean to insinuate anything. I just don't want a guy who's interested in the size of my boobs and not my personality, nor my intelligence."
"Good luck with that." I walked to the kitchen table and picked up the brochure from Emily's grandmother's funeral. "The service was beautiful. I'm proud of you for speaking at it. I know that had to be hard."
I turned to smile at her as countless memories of our summers at her Mimi's house raced over me.
"
She would have been disappointed if I didn’t. I'm sure the silly old goat would have haunted me." The smirk that lifted her mouth didn't take away from the sadness around her eyes, but it was a start toward healing.
"This is true, and she would have haunted me for not supporting you." I laughed and grabbed my sunglasses and keys. "We ready?"
"Yep. I just need to run to the restroom. Get the snacks out of the cabinet that I picked up for us. It's cheaper to buy in bulk." She turned and walked out of the room as I rolled my eyes.
After grabbing the treats, I did a quick sweep through the apartment and let out a sigh. "Four years of my life...over."
Graduation had been a few weeks before, and I was now a grown up — or was supposed to be.
"Are you talking to yourself again?" Emily snagged the keys from me. "I want to drive the Beamer. My parents aren't rich, and I'm almost out of time to live vicariously through you and yours."
"Don't say that." I picked up the bag of snacks and walked into the living room. "You and I are going to be in each other’s lives forever."
"You really think so?" She glanced over her shoulder as she popped the handle to her suitcase.
"I know so. We've been friends since grade school. Why would that change now? We're finally free." I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. "You sure your brother is going to take good care of this place?"
"Yes. For the millionth time. He's just like me. Conservative, timid, and a clean freak." She shrugged and opened the door, moving out into the hall. "Besides, he needs to check out the campus, and this is a great way to do it. We're stuck in this damn lease until September, thanks to you."
"Always my fault." I paused to lock the door as a warm breeze blew through the open-air hallway.
"It usually is and you know it." She chuckled.
"If it makes you feel better to blame me, then fine. I'll take it." I tugged at the shoulder of her shirt and shook my head. "I'm getting you in a bikini this summer."
"I'll wear one with you guys, but it's not happening in public. My boobs are too big, and they don't talk back." She smirked.
"They don't talk back? What the hell does that mean?" I paused by the only elevator in our apartment complex, preparing for a long wait as per usual.
"Guys talk to my chest when I wear normal clothes. My boobs don't talk back. I need to get a shirt made that says that."
"I almost feel giddy for the man that actually catches your eye and means enough to pull your clothes off for. He's going to feel like he just uncovered buried treasure." I laughed as she pushed at me.
"You're jealous."
"Of course, I am. You're insanely hot and yet you hide yourself behind all those clothes. It makes no sense to me, but I support whatever makes you comfortable." I got into the elevator to find it empty. The apocalypse must have been coming; it was usually packed with people, most of whom were frat boys who didn't seem to think personal space existed.
"No, you don't, but whatever. Your peer pressure might work on Cindy and Dedra, but I'm immune to it. I've been fighting it my whole life."
I let out a soft gasp. "Me? Peer pressuring someone? Next, you'll be calling me bossy."
"You? Never." She rolled her eyes and held the door for me.
"I can't help it, and you know it. You've met my father, right? If he wants his way, all else be damned." I tugged my suitcase out into the hallway and nodded at a hot guy walking toward us. I turned my head to check him out as he passed, only to find him doing the same.
"I thought you swore off men." Emily bumped her suitcase against mine.
"Just blonds. He had brown hair." I winked and moved down the sidewalk, letting out a groan. "Why is Arizona so hot during the summer?"
"At least it's dry heat." Her tone was pinched.
"Alright, what's up?" I popped the trunk and lugged my bag into the back of the car. My parents had outdone themselves with my new BMW for graduation, and where I wanted to think it was for doing a great job, I knew better. Nothing came from my father without strings attached. It was an incentive to keep going. My business degree was great and a good start, but pre-law was next. No matter how much I abhorred the idea of it.
"Nothing. I'm just worried about you." She lugged her bag into the back. Her shirt pulled tight, and I could make out her curves. She was perfect, and yet her jacked up sense of self-preservation left her hiding all the time.
She hides behind clothes, and I hide behind false importance.
"Don't worry about me, Emily. I'm good. Brandon is in the rear view mirror — long gone." I shrugged and closed the trunk. "Let's stop talking about the past and start living in the future."
"How about we live in the present?" She glanced at me over the top of the car. "You sure you're good with me driving."
"Yep. You wreck it and you get to talk to my dad."
"Oh, hell no." She tossed the keys over the top of the hood, and I jumped up to catch them.
"I was kidding." I watched her as she walked around the car.
"Yeah, well, just in case you're not. I'm not looking for any reason to talk to your dad. He's the only guy in the world I think has the ability to make someone feel stupid before even entering the room he's in."
I moved around to the driver's side door and opened it, getting in and buckling up. "You should try living with him. College has been a dream come true." Nostalgia rolled over me as I glanced up the road to see the signs for Arizona State. "I love this place. I'm going to miss it."
"Not me. I'm going to start my masters in the fall and before I know it, I'll be teaching in the science department. I'm never leaving." She settled in before turning around to look in the back seat.
"Lucky." I turned to see what she was up to before starting the car. "The snacks are in the back of the car."
"Why? That's not gonna help us when we're starving in ten minutes." She got out and moved to the back as I popped the trunk.
I was leaving behind a lot of good memories from college, as well as some not so good memories. I wanted to be excited about the future, but it was hard. It wasn't my future, but one my parents were still working to control.
A summer on Lake Havasu would do me some good, even if my parents highly disapproved of such a waste of time. Avoiding their phone calls was getting trickier, but I was still managing, somehow.
"Got 'em." She got into the car and tossed the bag in the back. "Let's go. I want to get there and let my hair down."
I reached over and tugged at her ponytail. "Let it down now. I'll roll the windows down, and we can let this hot ass air blow through our hair."
"No thanks. I'd rather breathe, but thank you." She pulled out her phone and leaned back. "Do you really think I might find someone to hang out with this summer?"
"You're hanging out with us." I pulled out of the parking lot and gave her a quick sideways glance. "Are you talking about a guy?"
She popped me in the arm. "Of course, I'm talking about a guy."
"Yeah, I think you could find several someones to hang out with. Let me do your hair and help you pick out an outfit one of the nights we go out."
I almost flinched as she turned to face me. We'd had the same conversation for most of our lives. I loved makeup and dressing up and being girlie. Emily, not so much.
"Alright. I'll let you do it, but you have to promise me that you won't set me up." She stuck out her pinkie. "Pinkie promise me."
"What are we, ten?" I extended my hand and wrapped my pinkie around hers. "I promise."
"Good, and stop degrading our trust system." She smirked and kicked off her shoes before putting her feet on the dashboard. "You okay with my feet up here?"
"Absolutely. It's my dad's car. I'm just using it until I disappoint him again." I gave a sardonic chuckle.
"That's dumb. You're twenty-two, Cora. When are they going to stop acting like you’re still a kid?" She brushed her hands over her legs and let out a long yawn.
"I guess when I stop acting like one, so never?" We laug
hed for a few minutes over how ridiculous my parents were, more so my father than my mother. She just nodded and went along with his directives. As much as I loved her, I wasn't sure she had ever had an idea that wasn't my father’s to begin with.
"What are you looking forward to this summer?" Emily glanced over at me as she worked her long, black hair out of the ponytail.
"Spending time with you, Cindy, and Dedra, for sure. Laying in the sun in a tiny bikini and getting a tan. Finding a cute boy to skinny dip with." I smiled as she let out a dramatic gasp.
"You hooker. You're not skinny dipping with a boy. That leads to sex, which leads to love, which…”
"Ain't nobody trying to fall in love." I rolled my eyes and ran my fingers through my shoulder-length, chestnut hair.
"I'm sure you're not going to be trying, but you know how these things go for you. You're horrible at flings. Dedra and Cindy? They have it down, but you're no good at it." She shook her head, and I reached over, gripping just above her knee and squeezing as she squealed.
"Oh yeah? Maybe I'm going to prove you all wrong." I pulled back as she swatted at me.
"No, you're not." She pulled her legs down and grabbed her phone as it buzzed. "That's Dedra."
"Put her on speaker." I smiled as excitement bubbled up inside of me. I needed this summer more than any of the others. They had something to look forward to at the end of it; I had these three months and that was it.
"Hey. We're just leaving the campus." Emily put the phone on the dash.
Dedra's voice filled up the car, causing me to smile. "Good. It's been a long two weeks without you guys. Cindy is grabbing some groceries, and I was in charge of cleaning up the house. Don't look in the closets or under the beds, okay? No telling on me."
I snorted. "Have you guys been having a good time?"
"Honestly, we've been resting a lot. We have a boat as part of the rental property. Did I tell you that?"
"No, but I'm ready to get on it." I glanced over at Emily and smirked. "Who's been driving that thing? I know Cindy hasn't."
"Me and the occasional boy Cindy brings home. I swear this girl is a man-magnet."
