Love, Me: A Pleasant Valley Novel

by Anna Brooks

  After I admire them for another few seconds, I hand them to Vaughn. “I don’t want to lose them.” He takes them and pulls out his wallet, puts the tickets in by his cash, and then shoves the wallet back in his jeans.

  The smaller box feels heavier than the bigger one, which would make sense since it was just paper. I peel the wrapping off and know immediately it’s jewelry. And not from one of those stands in the mall. This is from the actual jeweler who is extremely expensive because of their handcrafted diamonds. I know because I went with my dad to pick out something for my parents’ anniversary a couple of years ago.

  My mouth drops open, and I look up at him. “Vaughn . . .”

  “What?” His brows pull together. “What’s wrong?”

  I open the box while my eyes are still on him then drop my gaze. When the necklace comes into view, I gasp. “Oh, my God.” I’m afraid to touch it. It’s beautiful. And ironically perfect. And filled with more diamonds than I own combined. Diamonds cover the infinity design—not just the front, but the entire piece.

  “It’s so pretty.” I brave a glance up at him, and he’s acting like it’s nothing. “Thank you.”

  “Welcome, baby.”

  “I’m scared to wear it.”

  His shoulders come up in a small shrug. “You can put it on later. Doesn’t matter.”

  “No.” I shake my head. “I’m scared to, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to.” I pull the chain carefully out of the box and set the pendant on my palm to admire it for a moment. When I try to clasp the chain around my neck, I struggle, and Vaughn reaches over and does it for me.

  Once it’s clasped, he pulls my hair out from under the chain and kisses my cheek. “It’s infinite, Rayne.”

  I give him a gentle shove. “Open mine.”

  He chews on his bottom lip and reaches for a box. “No, do the big one first.” I hand it to him.

  When he opens it, a huge smile spreads across his face. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, I did. I puked on your other one.”

  He holds up the black leather jacket and turns it around. “It’s awesome. Thanks, darlin’.”

  I sit up on the couch so I’m on my knees and can barely contain my excitement. He sets the jacket on the back of the couch and tears open the paper on the small box. When he lifts the lid, his brows pull together, and he lifts the leather bracelet. When he sees it, he presses his lips together then looks at me. “Come here, baby. Now.”

  I sit on his lap and wrap my arms around his neck, and he shoves his face into my hair as he holds me so tight. “I love you so much, Rayne.”

  “Does it fit?” I ask him.

  He removes his arms from the vise they’re in around me, and I sit back to see. With one hand, he slides the band onto the wrist he has his other bracelets on. Mine is the fattest, but in order to get one with the infinity symbol, it had to be. Once it’s on all the way, he holds it up to show me.

  “Infinite,” I whisper. The time he told me how much he loved me has never left my mind, and I wanted to get him something to show him just how much he means to me, too. I’m overjoyed that we are not only on the same page but writing the same story at the same time.

  “Infinite,” he says just as quietly.

  He kisses me, and I put my hands in his hair. Clapping begins, and I hear my dad’s voice hooting.

  “I forgot we weren’t alone,” Vaughn says against my lips.

  “Me too.” I smile and pull away, then get up to show my necklace to my mom.

  The day couldn’t have gone any better, and I can’t wait to show Vaughn the Christmas present I’m wearing later tonight.

  Chapter 20

  Vaughn

  “Slow down, baby. I don’t want to come yet.”

  My girl ignores me and continues to ride me hard and fast. My balls tighten, and I push my heels against the mattress to flip us over. She squeals and pulls my head down, so her mouth is on mine before I even have a chance to breathe. Her legs tighten around my lower back and from beneath me, she presses her clit against me and grinds herself as I slowly pump in and out.

  “Faster, Vaughn.”

  “Look at me, Rayne.”

  She opens her eyes and the lust in them makes my cock jerk inside her. I don’t pick up my pace at all, but after I pull out to the tip, I thrust into her harder and deeper than I ever have. I could do this forever. There’s nothing more satisfying than being with her. Any preconceived notion of what I thought love was has been completely obliterated. This, with her, this is love. This is what it feels like to love somebody more than you love yourself. To know you’d do anything, be anybody, and risk everything just to see her smile.

  She moves her head to get some air. “I can’t wait.”

  “Then don’t.” My mouth hovers over hers because I want all of her when she comes around me. I want her gasps, her nails; I want to drown in her. When her walls constrict around me so tight it takes me over, too, and we come at the same time, I memorize how it feels. How her heart pounds against mine. The way her eyes fill with unshed tears. I listen when her mouth parts and sounds of pleasure rush out, saying more than words ever could.

  My weight collapses on top of her, and she runs her fingers up and down my back. “Fuck.” I roll over and kick off the comforter tangled up in our legs.

  “Merry Christmas.”

  I laugh and lean over the bed to pick up the scrap of red lace she had on under her clothes and fling it at her. “Don’t ever throw those out.”

  Her laughter is fuckin’ beautiful. “I have them in black, too.”

  “You’re amazing, baby.”

  “I’m not.” She turns and props her head up with a pillow. “You are. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you love me.”

  “I’m the lucky one, darlin’.”

  “I’m not going to argue with you about which one of us is luckier because it’s me, by far. What I am going to do is close my eyes and go to sleep because I’m exhausted.”

  I hop out of bed and get a towel from the bathroom then come back and clean her up before shutting off the light and holding her until she falls asleep.

  Once I know she’s out for the night, I slide my arm away and quietly get out of bed. I pull on a pair of basketball shorts and flick on the hallway light as I walk out of the bedroom.

  My steps don’t falter as I make my way to the table by the window. I sit down and turn the dial for my overhead light to come on. The stack of envelopes stares at me, and I pick them up. As I run my fingers along the corners of them, I nod to myself and get up to toss them in the kitchen garbage. As soon as the lid closes, I go back to the table.

  With a fresh piece of paper and a pencil, I draw an oval. I close my eyes as I picture Rayne’s face and meticulously sketch every beautiful freckle, every laugh line, and the pure love that radiates from her eyes.

  When she invited me over for Christmas, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. I’d never celebrated a holiday before, but I knew enough to know it’s a big deal for many families. Everything was fine until we sat down to open presents. I got her parents each a small gift—her dad a collection of rare whiskeys and her mom a handmade vase from the art studio downstairs.

  I didn’t expect anything from them. As the pile grew bigger, I got anxious. I don’t ever get nervous, and I was freaking out. It was almost too much, and I could tell Rayne knew. But I didn’t want her to feel bad, so I pushed through. When her dad called me son, which I know isn’t a big deal to most people, I almost lost my shit.

  I have never had anything like that happen in my life. I’ve never had someone care about getting me a gift or even sitting down at a table for a family dinner. And then Rayne, God, then she goes and gets me a damn bracelet with the same symbol of the necklace I got her.

  It’s kismet. She’s my destiny. I knew the moment I got home that I was going to toss those cards, the memories. I have something special now, something good and real. Someone who is just as beautiful
on the inside as she is on the outside. I have an angel in my bed, and there is no way in hell that I will let the devil ruin any more of my time, my energy, or my life. What I’m devoting myself to, the person who’s getting absolutely everything I can offer, is the woman who gave me the one thing I never had but always dreamed of—someone to love me.

  * * *

  “If you take any longer, we’re going to miss it!” I tell her again, and this time, she comes running out of the bathroom with clothes on. The last time, she only had on a bra and panties. Now, she’s wearing skintight leather pants and a Reason to Ruin t-shirt that has holes in it, making her stomach peek through. What finishes it off is the damn Chucks that make her look like a teenager.

  “Sorry, sorry. I’m ready.” She grabs her coat, and I do the same before I shut the door behind us.

  We’re staying in a hotel in Chicago since the drive is just too far to do in a day. When we get into the elevator, she looks at her reflection and messes with her hair.

  “Stop fussin’, baby, you’re driving me nuts. You look great.”

  “Sorry.” She blows out a breath. “I don’t know why I’m nervous.”

  “I honestly don’t either. It’s just a concert.”

  “I know. I guess because I’ve wanted to see them forever.” She taps her fingers against her leg, and when the door slides open, she rushes out.

  The entire way there, I make sure to always have a hand on her. I’m afraid she’s going to run off or something. The last thing I want to do is lose her in a crowd at a rock concert. We hop in a cab and get out a block from the venue. It’s cold and windy in Chicago, so I try to keep Rayne warm and hold her close.

  When we finally get inside, her excitement is starting to rub off on me, and we rush to our seats. Before we sit down, I wave a beer guy over, and we each get one. As the lights dim, the crowd becomes deafening.

  The opening act comes out, and since she apparently doesn’t care about them, she just angles her head toward mine and slides her fingers through my hair. Her nails bite into my scalp, and I cup her face in my hands. We make out for the entire set, only separating because the lights come on to switch the stage.

  We’ve both downed our drinks, so I look around for the beer guy again but can’t find him. “I’ll go grab us more drinks. You want anything else?”

  “No. Beer’s good. Thanks, babe.”

  I hurry out and stand in line for a few minutes before I get to the counter. After paying a ridiculous amount of money, I grab the cups and head back. The moment I notice a man in my seat, I swear under my breath. I stand next to him, and he doesn’t even notice me. But I notice him. He has a damn mullet. How am I supposed to kick this guy’s ass when I’m too busy laughing at him? I also notice his arm across the back of her seat. He’s leaning into her space, and I crouch down and set the beers down.

  “I’m giving you five seconds to get your ass out of my seat and away from my girl before I slam your face into my knee and break your fuckin’ nose.”

  His neck wobbles as he turns to face me. “Whatchu say, boy?”

  “Five. Four.” He doesn’t make a move to get up, but the arm around her chair drops so he’s touching her. “One.”

  I grab him by his hair on the back of his head, which isn’t hard to do, because . . . mullet, and bring my knee up the same time I slam his head down. He howls in pain, and I don’t relax my hand as I pull him out of my seat. His drunken slurs of protest don’t make a lick of sense. Bastard can barely walk. I march his ass down by the security and shove him at them.

  “Whoa. What happened?”

  “He fell.”

  I turn around and walk back up to my seat, grab the beers, and hand Rayne hers.

  “Cheers, baby.” I hold my plastic cup out, and she clinks hers to mine.

  “Cheers.” She scowls at me and slams half of it before setting it down as the lights lower again. “He was harmless, you know.”

  “Nope.”

  “He was wasted.”

  I shrug. “I gave him a chance to leave. I wasn’t going to hurt him until he touched you.” I finish off my beer and toss the empty cup on the ground. “You’re mine, Rayne. I fight for what’s mine.”

  “I don’t belong to you, Vaughn. I love you, but I’m not your property.”

  I turn in my seat and contemplate how to word this. “I used to dig through the trash for food. People would try to steal the food, the scraps, I had just got from a trash can. I’d get my ass kicked for a French fry. They’d try to steal the fuckin’ cardboard box I slept on and the single glove I had to switch from hand to hand. I figured out really fast that the only way I got to keep anything was if I fought for it. It’s all I fuckin’ know.” I roll my shoulders to try to get some of the tension out. “I respect the hell out of you, Rayne. I know you’re not my property, but you are mine to love, mine to keep, and mine to protect. So if I see some motherfucker with his hands on you or if somebody is threatening you, I’m going to fight them. It’s who I am, so sorry, but you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

  Her anger had faded away and in its place is sadness. “You had to steal food?”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “I had no idea. I don’t kno—”

  “You ready to be ruined, Chicago?” The lead singer’s distinct voice comes through the speakers, and everyone screams as the bright lights from the stage circle around the arena.

  “Don’t worry about it, all right?” I lean in closer. “Are we good?”

  She puts her hands on the side of my face and gets so close to me that when she breaths out of her nose, I can feel it on mine. Without any words, she kisses my forehead and then links our fingers together and stands.

  She moves in front of me, and I wrap my arms around her, crossing them over her chest. The music is fast and loud, and the whole arena vibrates, but the one thing that’s the loudest is the steady beat of her heart under my hand.

  Chapter 21

  Rayne

  It’s been a month since I gave myself the permission to be free, to love, to live, two weeks since Christmas, and one week since the concert. Vaughn and I have gotten into a routine. He stops into the restaurant and eats lunch before going next door to work. He and my dad have really gotten along well, shooting the shit with each other daily. After the restaurant closes, I head next door and either hang out with Vaughn until his next appointment comes or just say hi if he’s tattooing.

  Depending on the day, we sleep at each other’s places. I have a drawer in his apartment, and he has one in mine. I got sick of smelling like a man, and going to work smelling like sweet pea embarrassed him, so we now have our own bath stuff at the other one’s place too.

  I’m waiting for him right now in the vestibule of Complexity. He dropped me off, since it’s snowing and I’m wearing a short skirt with knee-high boots.

  Kenny and Brad are hanging with me, and I give them another warning. “Now seriously, don’t give him shit for being here again.” I scold them.

  “I can’t promise anything,” Brad says.

  Kenny snickers, and I roll my eyes at them. I’d been trying to get Vaughn to come back here with me, but he usually works Friday nights late and wasn’t really keen on going back to a gay club. He said the only reason he did it last time was for the engagement party.

  I want to dance with him again. We haven’t gone out much, and when we do, it’s usually just to dinner and maybe a movie. I’ve truly enjoyed spending time with him alone, and I like that when I have gone to the club without him, he worries but still gives me my space.

  “Damn.” Vaughn comes in and stomps some snow off his black boots. “It’s like fifteen below.”

  “What’s the matter; forget what a Wisconsin winter feels like?” Brad jokes.

  “I did, actually.” He puts his hand on the small of my back, and we follow Brad and Kenny inside.

  I’ve learned a lot about Vaughn the past four weeks. When he confessed at the concert tha
t he used to have to steal food, I didn’t even know what to say. What do you say to that? Sorry? I haven’t brought it up again, and neither has he, but I’m hoping with more time, he’ll let me in even more.

  I’ve also learned that his parents aren’t in his life, and when he turned eighteen, he moved down to Tennessee with a friend. He was there for almost eight years before he moved back here in the spring and now is experiencing his first winter since he’s been back.

  I have discovered he is amazingly sweet without even knowing it. I mean, I knew that from the start, but he surprises me more every day. He works his ass off and lives well within his means. I feel so guilty for wearing such an expensive necklace. I don’t want him to think he has to spend money on me. Right now, it’s not my place, but when things progress, because they will, and we eventually move in together, we’re going to have to have the money talk. But not tonight. Tonight, I’m dancing!

  Brad pushes through the door, and flashing strobe lights and head pounding bass immediately surround us. “What do you want to drink?” Vaughn asks me as I slide into a booth.

  “Long Island.”

  He and Brad walk to the bar while Kenny catches me up on the wedding plans.

  “We decided we’re going with the old brewery for both the ceremony and the reception.”

  I’m relieved; finding a venue they both agreed on was like pulling teeth. “Oh, good. That’ll be nice. Did you get your deposit back on the gazebo?”

  “Only half, but that’s okay. It was worth losing the money to know we had options this close.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure. Are you getting excited?”

  “Yes. I can’t wait. Only a couple of weeks away!”

  “Yay!” I clap like a little schoolgirl, barely able to obtain my excitement. Kenny shakes his head as he tries to stifle a laugh.