“I’m feeling rested, but I’m still not sure what we’re going to do, Porter. Everything is really messed up.” She could feel herself start to tense up as soon as her brain tried to start processing everything that had happened in the last two days, two months even. It was all too much to take in and her body’s natural response to the stress was panic.
“Breath, Ella. What do you want to have happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think we should do?” She thought for a moment about what would logically make the most sense. The police told her that she shouldn’t go back to Poppy or to her apartment until Kyle was caught.
“Well, I can’t go to work for a little while. And I can’t stay at my apartment. You’ve already missed so much work. Maybe we should both stay in Lincoln City until they find Kyle and arrest him.”
“Ok, we can go wherever you want. Are you sure you’ll feel safe at my house? He’s been there too.”
Ella thought about his question. Did she feel safe there? No. But she didn’t feel safe anywhere. Porter’s house was one of the places she could be that wasn’t one hundred percent tainted by Kyle. She was sure if he wanted to Kyle could find her anywhere and she refused to hide. She would be smart and safe, but she wouldn’t hide. He’d stolen enough from her already; she wasn’t about to lay down and let him win.
“Let’s go to Lincoln City. We’ve got the 4th of July cookout coming up anyway. I’ll hire private security for Poppy and I will just spend some time at the beach. I need a vacation anyway,” she said with a forced smile, trying to downplay the severity of the situation.
“Babe, this won’t last long. They’ll catch him. He’ll slip up soon and you won’t have to worry about it anymore. But I’ll do everything I can to make you feel safe. The Fourth of July is coming up, I can take a few days off and we can just relax – let the stress of the last couple days fade away. Maybe we should have some people over to the house for the holiday. We could grill and watch the fireworks.”
“Thanks, that sounds like the best idea I've heard in a while.” She said as she placed a small kiss on his mouth.
“Are you excited about the house?”
Ella knew he was trying to change the subject but felt a smile creep across her face reagrdless.
“Yes.” Truthfully, she was more than excited. She was ecstatic. The idea of having a home to share with Porter made everything seem tolerable. Knowing that the two of them would be making a home together made her stomach flip in a deliciously anxious way. She wanted every part of their life together: she wanted to argue about who was going to take out the garbage, she wanted to drive him crazy asking him what he thought about patterns for curtains, she wanted to watch him sweat through a sexy baseball shirt while he mowed the lawn. Everything about a normal and mundane life, she wanted it all with him.
“Do you want kids?” She blurted out before she had a chance to think, surprised by even her own jump to a serious topic.
“Generally or specifically?” He asked. She knew he couldn’t really see her, but she drew her eyebrows together in confusion anyway.
“What the heck does that mean?” She asked and heard him laugh.
“Well, I mean, in a very general way, I’d say sure, I want kids. I like the idea of having children. I feel compelled as a person to continue my lineage and all that. But specifically, with you, I want kids so badly I can hardly wait. To see you carrying our child, Ella, that will probably be the most beautiful thing I’ll ever see. To hold our baby, to know that our love created a person, someone that will be a combination of us; it’s the most important thing we’ll ever do together, creating that child.”
Ella’s breath stole from her lungs at his words. His words. What kind of poet had he been in a past life to be able to weave words together in such a way that made her heart beat right out of her chest?
“Who are you?” She asked very seriously. “What made you the way you are? Why are you so kind and sweet? Strong and possessive? I can’t even imagine what my life would be like right now if you weren’t in it. How did you become so perfect?”
“Ella, I’m not perfect,” he whispered.
“You’re perfect for me,” she quietly replied.
“I couldn’t agree more. But honestly, we’re just lucky I think.”
“Lucky?”
“Think about everything that had to happen for you and I to be at my mom’s bar at the same time that night: if her dishwasher hadn’t broken, if it hadn’t been raining, if you had decided not to go to the beach, if you hadn’t left your lights on. There were a million different ways that night could have played out, Ella. How lucky are we that this is how our story ended up?” He emphasized his point by running his hands along her bare back, bringing goose bumps to the surface of her skin, making her shiver. “But luck only takes us so far. Now that we’ve found each other it’s up to us to work at making our life together.”
She smiled at his words, knowing that he pictured a full and complete life for them to share. As sure as she was about being with him, that he was with no doubt the only man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Her feelings of surety were only made stronger by the fierceness with which he believed in their relationship. He believed in their forever. And it made her love him even more for it.
“So,” she said, trying to hide the fact that her cheeks were hurting a little from the giant smile on her face. “Tomorrow we go back to Lincoln City?”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Can I spend some time at the bar with your mom while you’re at work?”
“I think my mom would really like that,” he said sincerely.
“Good, I miss your mom.”
“Let’s go back to sleep. When we wake up we can get ready to go.”
She stretched out along the bed, turning her back into Porter’s chest as she felt his arm weave around her waist, pulling her close.
“I love you, Porter. More than I think I can even wrap my mind around.”
“Don’t worry. I know exactly how much you love me. It’s just a little less than I love you.”
She smiled and eventually found herself slipping away into sleep again.
Poppy remained closed for the day until the private security company could arrange for one of their security guards to be on site. Ella considered a one-day loss in sales to be a happy sacrifice to keep her friends and family safe. Megan was a little unhappy with the decision, offering to take Patrick with her to act as bodyguard, but Ella told her unequivocally no. That was not a risk she was willing to take.
Ella called Kalli, and even though Kalli was in no way holding Ella responsible for anything that had happened with Kyle, she couldn’t help but feel the sadness that radiated off of Kalli. She knew Kalli felt used and stupid, hating herself for thinking that ‘Scott’ had wanted to be with her, only to discover that Kyle just wanted to get information about Ella out of her. In a phone conversation that morning, Kalli told her she felt responsible for everything that had happened at the club, as if she had led Kyle to Ella. This admission broke Ella’s heart. Kyle was a bastard that had recently taken to ruining people’s lives, but the last thing Ella wanted was her friends to feel badly about his psychotic ways. They had a lengthy conversation that really only solidified they were both really sorry and that Kyle was an asshole. She confirmed Kalli would be at the 4th of July cookout, and then Ella tried to convince her to invite the guy she’d met at the club before all hell had broken loose. Apparently, even in the chaos of leaving the club in a hurry, Kalli still managed to get his number. That alone made Ella smile and think something good had at least come out of all their drama.
Ella sat, once again, in the cab of Porter’s truck as they drove to Lincoln City. It would be nice to live with Porter in Salem and she couldn’t wait to start that portion of their life together, but she would always consider Lincoln City a special place for them. As they neared the oce
an the scenery changed, trees became more spread out, the grass became a different shade of green. Her window wasn’t rolled down, but she knew the air smelled different too. Pure. Fresh. Clean. She was looking forward to spending some time trying to relax at the beach, even if it was a forced vacation brought on by unimaginable circumstances. Ella would take it and make the best of it. She looked over at Porter and felt that any time spent with that man would be amazing, regardless of the situation.
Her belly did a delicious flip when he reached up and threaded his fingers through his hair, the brown locks always messy in a sexy way. His unconscious habit of running his hands through it made it impossible to remain styled, but it didn’t matter because he looked edible with rumpled hair. He turned his head her direction, caught her eyeing him and gave her a sexy smile.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy about everything going on with Kyle, but if I’m really honest, I am kind of glad that I get to spend the next two days with you uninterrupted,” he said, turning back to face the road. Ella’s chest filled with warmth at the idea of being alone with him until Wednesday when he had to go back to work. Spending their nights together was good for them and something she wouldn’t have ever given up, but being with him all day was something she knew they both needed. She needed to have him near her, to be able to touch him if she wanted, to hear his voice and see his face.
“Mmm… me too. It will definitely be a nice change of pace.” She thought back to their first week together, how they had spent the last few days of her stay holed up in his house talking, reading and making love. She hoped the next two days would be a repeat. She turned so her back was resting against the passenger door and propped her feet up on his lap as he drove. She pulled a book out of her purse and settled in for the rest of the drive to Lincoln City.
The two days passed too quickly. When Ella woke on Wednesday, she smiled as she stretched and felt wonderfully sore from all the attention Porter had paid to her body since they’d arrived at his house. True to his word, he never let her leave the house and she was pretty sure neither one of them had put pants on for at least thirty-six hours. It was wonderful. They had ordered in food, watched movies, laid on the couch together with their legs tangled around each other, both reading books. At one point she’d gotten curious as to what he was reading so she reached up and took his book, handing hers to him, and they spent an hour reading each other’s book. They switched back and forth every hour for the rest of the evening, never commenting on the books, just content to share them. Eventually he took both of their books and tossed them on the coffee table and took her mouth in a fierce and smoldering kiss. His tongue teased hers and he tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth.
When he finally pulled away from her, he had a smug grin on his face.
“What’s so funny?” She asked, breathless from the staggering kiss.
“I’m just glad I could put my research to good use.”
“What research?” She asked, confused.
“All the tricks I just learned from your book,” he said, his smile growing wider. She blushed at his comment. “Don’t get all bashful on me now, Babe. I’ve got more notes and tips I want to try out on you before this night is over.” Ella tried to hide the fact that she really wanted him to do all those things to her.
“That’s not fair. Your book was only full of soldiers and battles,” she said with a mock frown.
“Well, in that case, just to make it fair, you can call me Sergeant Masters while I do things to you that you’ve only read about,” he said and gave her a self-satisfied wink. She couldn’t help but laugh at him which continued as he hauled her up off of the couch and carried her all the way up the stairs to the bedroom.
As she thought about what happened in that bed the night before, she was sure that trading books would become a new hobby for them. The dull ache and pull of her muscles only made her remember the places Porter had taken her last night with his hands, his mouth, and every other inch of his body. She groaned out a smile and continued to stretch as she sat on the edge of the bed. She turned her head to look at Porter still sleeping on the other side of the bed.
He looked peaceful and young, his dark lashed fanned out against the tan flesh of his cheeks. He was shirtless and the chorded muscles that roped his back ran one into the other, making his body look more like a sculpture than a person. Every muscle was defined and prominent, even in rest. She shook her head, knowing he didn’t even have a gym membership and all that rippled muscle and toned skin was just a product of his work. Ella was, by no means, out of shape, but she felt lazy and round when she looked at his amazing body. The thought was fleeting though because nights like the one before only cemented in her mind that he worshipped her body. Shivers ran through her remembering how he had paid homage every part of her.
She stood up and headed to the bathroom, hoping to shower and be ready for the day by the time Porter left for work. She thought she could spend the morning with Tilly at the restaurant. When she was done showering, she went back into the bedroom only to find Porter still asleep on the bed. Trying not to wake him, she dressed quickly and then went to the kitchen. She was almost done preparing some eggs and toast for him when he came down the stairs. He came up behind her and laid a kiss right behind her ear.
“Is this what I have to look forward to once we live together full time?”
Ella shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not opposed to cooking a meal now and then, as long as it’s reciprocated,” she said, turning to smile at him over her shoulder.
“You know I’m not a good cook,” he said, almost pouting.
“How is it that your mom owns a restaurant and you can’t cook?”
“Because my mom owns a restaurant.” He said, like it was the clearest explanation he’d ever given. “I ate a lot of meals there and someone else always prepared them. My mom, for obvious reasons, never wanted to cook at home, so we ate out – a lot.”
“Gotcha,” Ella said as she slid over to prepare a plate for him. She handed him the plate and melted a little at his smile.
“Thanks, Babe,” he said as he pecked a kiss on her lips and started eating. She couldn’t help but imagine many more mornings spent this way: the two of them getting ready for the day, eating breakfast, small and not so small kisses. It was perfect and she wanted it forever. She smiled to herself, basking in the certainty of them. He was it for her. She’d had this thought before, a moment or two where she was reminded that he was most definitely the center of her universe. And every time her mind and body reminded her that she was irrevocably his, she was shrouded in a peaceful contentment. There was nothing as sweet and comforting as knowing you’d found the person that all your forevers were tied to.
Chapter Seventeen
Ella
She spent the morning hours trying to help Tilly around the restaurant. She cleared tables, did some dishes, but when she had tried to help a gentleman at the bar, Tilly shooed her away.
“You are not an employee, Ella. Sit down and relax,” Tilly said with an exasperated smile.
“I hate just being in the way; I want to help,” Ella said, trying to sound convincing.
“You could never be in the way, Honey. If Porter thought he’d let you spend the day with me to be wiping down tables and doing dirty dishes, I’d never get him to fix a darn thing around here again. You’re simply here to keep me company and look pretty. Do you want a drink?”
Ella laughed because it was ten in the morning. “No thank you, maybe later.”
Tilly shrugged her shoulders and gave a wink to Ella. “When more help gets here I want to take you out for lunch.”
Ella was a little surprised by the invitation. “I don’t want to be any trouble, we can just eat here.”
“I’ve eaten ninety percent of my meals for the last twenty years here. Indulge me a little and go out to lunch with your future mother-in-law.”
Ella blushed at the insinuation that she and Porter would inevitably get ma
rried – not to say that she didn’t think it was true, it was just a little soon and Ella felt silly for believing in the fairy tale aspect of their relationship.
“No use getting all worked up about it. Facts are facts my dear and my son isn’t going to let you get away again. I would bet anything on it.”
“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” was all Ella could get out before she started to blush again.
When lunch time came around, Tilly drove them to a little café on the waterfront. The sun was shining and warm and it felt wonderful against her skin. She was pleased to see there was outdoor seating and agreed enthusiastically when Tilly asked her if she wanted to sit outside. There was a slight breeze coming off the water, bringing with it the salty-sweet scent of the ocean that she loved.
Both Tilly and Ella ordered a salad with crab, something Ella would only order while at the beach so she thought it a treat of sorts. Once they were left alone to wait for their order, Tilly asked Ella about her life before Porter: high school, college, parents, jobs. The conversation flowed easily and Ella found herself laughing more than once and Tilly’s sweet and good natured interest in her background. Tilly’s curiosity pushed Ella to talk about her first boyfriend, which got Tilly talking about hers.
“I was a senior in high school here in Lincoln City and he was a year older than me, working at the mill.” Her eyes went hazy and Ella could tell her mind had drifted into the past. Tilly gave a small and quiet smile. “Andrew was so handsome: tall, dark hair with brown eyes. He was still young then, but he was so big and broad. His presence was imposing sometimes, all shoulders and chest, much like Porter.” Ella nodded her head because she knew exactly what Tilly was talking about. “Everything about how we met was mundane and typical, no heroics or drama was involved, but it was perfect. I was a waitress at a diner in the evenings after school and one night he came in with a few friends. When I went to their table to take their order, I almost couldn’t speak for how handsome he was. My brain went all silly and girly, but I managed to muddle my way through.” Tilly’s eyes twinkled with the memory and Ella could feel the love she still had for this man radiating off of her.
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