Wanted By You

by Steph Nuss

  She Googled my girlfriend. Are you fucking kidding me? I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled any irritation I felt toward Harper. I knew she just wanted to do something nice by including Elly.

  "I'm sure she'll love it," I said, smiling back at her. All of our parents' events were black tie, and I wasn't sure if Elly owned any gowns. Hell, I didn't even know she owned a dress until a month ago.

  "I'm gonna need her to try it on Saturday, so you have to tell her about the party before our dinner," Harper said, raising her brows at me.

  "Will do," I said, standing up. "Well, I think I'm gonna go. I'll see you Saturday, okay?"

  She jumped up and threw her arms around my neck for a hug. "Thanks for stopping by." She hooked her arm through mine and walked me back to the elevator. "I'm so excited for you! First, we're meeting family, then we're popping the question and planning a wedding, and then making cute little Carter and Elly babies! I can't wait!"

  "You do realize you're not a member of our relationship, right?" The way she talked about us was frightening. She needed to get her own relationship—beyond the one she had with her sketchpad. Maybe introducing her to Maverick wasn't such a bad idea. They'd at least have their tattoos to talk about if they had nothing else in common.

  "I know," she said, smacking me in the arm. "Can't a sister just be excited for her little brother?"

  "Yeah, but you could easily have all those things yourself if you took a little break from your sketchpad from time to time."

  "I'm a designer, Carter."

  I stepped onto the elevator and smiled back at her. "I know, and you make enough money off your clothing lines that you don't have to work for the rest of your life. Take some time off, H. You deserve to be happy, too."

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ellyson

  When I walked to work this morning, I could still feel the aftermath of our morning in the smile that refused to leave my face. I used to envy other women who started their days off right, looking all sated and content from morning sex. Carter started our day off beautifully, giving me four amazing, toe-curling orgasms before I left for work, and now, here I was: one of the women I used to envy. Broad smile on my glowing face, a day-dreamy look in my eyes, gloss-stained lips bruised from hungry kisses, and a soothing pain with each step I took. It made me feel invincible, like I was Wonder Woman ready to conquer the workday with my sexual needs sitting on their thrones of satisfaction.

  "Seriously, it's been, like, four hours, and you're still glowing," Tessa said in disbelief when she walked into my office.

  "I know," I said, smiling.

  "I'm so jealous," she said, plopping down in the chair across from my desk. She unpacked the lunch she brought for us onto my desk. "I wanna be having amazing sex that makes me glow."

  I laughed at her pout and opened up the Tupperware that smelled Italian. "Oh, yum! I love it when you bring lunch!"

  "I found this recipe for chicken lasagna and tried it out last night. My brother liked it. I hope you guys do, too."

  "Um, hello, I love food period. You know I'll love it," I said, sliding the dishes into the microwave. "Wait. Are these containers safe in here?"

  "Yes," she said, shaking her head at me. I had a minor history of ruining Tupperware products in the microwave.

  "Okay, how many—"

  "Two minutes." She laughed at me again and grabbed us waters from the fridge while I stood in front of the microwave, starving and impatiently waiting for our food. Tessa was always finding delicious recipes on that Pinterest thing, and Paige and I reaped the benefits whenever she brought lunch for us.

  "So," she said, as I grabbed everything out of the microwave. "Are you gonna tell me all about your morning romp?"

  "Romps. Plural," I said, picking up my fork just as Paige walked in.

  "Something smells absolutely amazing," she said, setting her purse down on the floor.

  "Chicken lasagna," Tessa said proudly.

  "I love you, you little Betty-Crockery bitch," Paige said, placing a kiss on Tessa's head. Tessa laughed and Paige took a seat and smiled at me. "What's wrong with you?"

  "What do you mean?" I mumbled through a mouthful of food. I was so hungry I didn’t even care that I was stuffing my face. Throughout the morning, my stomach had been cramping from the lack of breakfast, and the ninety-calorie granola bars I kept at the clinic did not suffice … not even three of them.

  "She's glowing," Tessa said in annoyance.

  "I know, but something's different," Paige said, her baby blue eyes studying me.

  "Well, instead of their usual morning romp, Carter gave her more than one orgasm this morning." Tessa cut into her lasagna and stabbed it with her fork. "At least you don't have to look at her all day. I'm really starting to hate this job. I need a guy."

  "You both need guys," I said, swallowing my food. "And nothing's different except that Carter and I had our first round of makeup sex last night, and let me tell you … it was hours of incredible, mind-numbing, earth-shattering orgasms."

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah, sounds just like the regular sex," Paige said, waving her fork at me. "Tell us about your fight. What'd he do?"

  Tessa looked over at Paige and frowned. "Carter's such a sweetheart."

  "Yeah, well, all men can be assholes, even the sweet ones," she said, turning her attention back to me. "So?"

  I sighed and shook my head. "Actually, this one was all on me." I took a quick drink of my water before continuing. "I was just being stupid. I had dinner plans with my dad last night, and when I told Carter about them he wanted to come with me so he could meet my dad. And I freaked out and told him I wasn't ready."

  "Elly," Paige sighed with a frown. "Why would you think you're not ready? You've wanted to be with him forever."

  "Yeah, and Carter's perfect for you," Tessa said, smiling.

  One of them was frowning at me and the other was smiling. I wasn't going to tell them about my cancer worries or about how my dad didn’t even know Carter existed until last night. I'd only get lectured, and that could potentially ruin my glow. "He is perfect. I just thought we weren't ready to take that next step. I went to dinner at my dad's alone and talked to him about it, and when I came back home Carter and I worked everything out. We're fine now."

  "Good," Paige said, turning her frown upside down.

  "Yay!" Tessa said, happy dancing in her seat. "I'm so excited for you. I can practically see you guys' wedding already." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before diving into the details. "I see you guys having an outdoor wedding in May. Your gown would be a strapless A-line in peach by Vera Wang with a lace bodice and ruching at the hips and an organza scalloped skirt over tulle." When she opened her eyes they were shimmering with excitement and she continued talking in an awe-struck haze. "Your colors would be peach and charcoal. Your bridesmaids would be in short, charcoal dresses and the groomsmen would match, and Carter's vest would be peach to match your dress. Your hair would be braided into a soft, fishtail side braid, and you wouldn't wear a veil because your red hair's too pretty to be covered up. And instead of your dad walking you in to “Canon in D,” I see you guys walking in to "Time in a Bottle" because "Canon in D" sounds too much like the graduation march and you're into the oldies. And I just saw two poems on Pinterest the other day that I thought would be perfect for you and Carter to have read at your wedding. One is called “How Falling in Love is like Owning a Dog,” by this guy, Taylor Mali, and the other is Pablo Neruda’s “Sonnet XVII.” And, finally, you'd have a five-tier, square red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, because red velvet's your favorite, and it would have calla lilies around the edges." She paused momentarily, staring off into space. "Oh yeah, and your flowers would be peach and ivory calla lilies."

  When she was finally done, Paige and I stared at one another in disbelief while Tessa sat there still reveling in the fairytale day she just described. Paige smiled really big and her eyes widened, which made me break into a fit of laughter, and she starte
d laughing with me. Tessa had clearly dreamed of my wedding more than I ever had, but, to be honest, what she described sounded like the perfect wedding. I would love having Dad walk me down the aisle to Jim Croce. I wasn't sure how my pale skin would look in peach, but I liked charcoal. I also liked the idea of having my hair in a braid because it had a natural look about it, an I-didn't-spend-hours-on-my-hair-just-for-one-day look. I also liked the idea of having a May wedding because that's the same month my parents married. I mentally shook away the beautiful images and peered back at Tessa. She definitely spent too much time on Pinterest.

  "Tessa, do we even want to know how much of your wedding you have planned already?" Paige asked, laughing.

  She sighed and smiled at us. "Okay, I will admit that I have a wedding board on Pinterest, but I don't necessarily have my wedding planned. I have what kind of dress I'd like, what colors I see for my wedding, and what flowers I'd want, but nothing besides that. I just know Elly, and I know she hasn't given her wedding day a single thought. She doesn't even have a Pinterest account!"

  She said that last bit like it was a crime.

  "Neither do I!" Paige said, laughing a little more. "And you've definitely been spending way too much time on yours."

  As they bantered, I kept on envisioning the day Tessa had planned for Carter and me, a day I had never imagined until right now. She had no idea that "Time in a Bottle" was my parents' wedding song or that Carter loved when I braided my hair. She had no idea that red velvet cake was only my favorite because it was Carter's. I pictured our outdoor ceremony taking place somewhere secluded and beautiful, with a landscape full of color and life, somewhere outside the hustle and bustle of the city. I imagined Carter looking dangerously handsome in a black tux, his hair naturally mussed, looking incredibly sexy as he waited for me at the end of the aisle while our family and friends quietly looked on, celebrating our love with us.

  The day looked picture perfect.

  "You know," I said, propping my feet up on my desk, "she planned the perfect day. I mean, I don't know if peach is a good color on me, or what either of those poems are, or what an organza scalloped skirt even looks like, but I could see us getting married on a day similar to what she just described."

  "God, I'm good!" Tessa said jubilantly, "And when Carter asks you to marry him, I will be more than happy to help plan your wedding!"

  "Oh, Jesus," Paige teased, rolling her eyes. "You better watch out, Elly. She'll probably ask Carter to propose just so she can get these plans underway."

  "Don't even think about it," I said, pointing my finger at Tessa.

  "I would never do that," she said sincerely, smiling back at me, "but I am glad you like my ideas."

  I more than liked her ideas. I loved them. The only question was, would Carter? Women always went on and on about their wedding being their day, but I didn't want it to be my day; I wanted it to be our day. Hell, he might hate the color peach. What if he wanted a traditional church wedding? I didn't even go to church.

  Elly, he hasn't even proposed!

  Right.

  What was Tessa doing to me? Did she put something in the lasagna? Was this what Pinterest did to women: turned them into wishful thinkers and do-it-yourselfers? Had I just been Pinterested? Was that even a thing?

  I wanted to remove the word "wedding" from my vocabulary by the time we finished lunch, but after Paige left, Tessa showed me the stuff she found on Pinterest and I became even more infatuated with everything. Like the pretty peach invitations she customized with our names and the readings she mentioned that were perfect for us. She even showed me how Stag could be our ring bearer, and I felt myself wanting it all—a whole big, beautiful day full of marital bliss.

  In a matter of one day, I went from freaking out over meeting family to gushing over wedding details, but I knew Carter wouldn't think any less of me because his words from last night replayed in my head, reminding me of how much he loved me—even crazy me; even sometimes-bipolar me.

  "Nothing could ever stop me from loving you."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Carter

  Tonight, I was finally meeting Elly's dad. It was Wednesday night, and I was walking up the stairs to her apartment, thinking back to the day I found out her dad was a basketball legend.

  "You watch ESPN?" I asked, sitting down at her desk. It was Sunday morning, and we were hanging out in her dorm. She'd just turned on the TV and flipped it over to SportsCenter, something I'd never seen a girl do in my entire life.

  "Yeah," she answered with a shrug. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, spooning another bite of Captain Crunch into her mouth, smiling at me.

  Was this girl for real? She was beautiful, smart, funny, and laid-back, and she liked sports and watched ESPN. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. I picked up my bowl of cereal and continued eating breakfast with the girl I couldn't stop thinking about. I’d only met her four days ago, and already she was like another vein inside my body, pumping more blood back to my heart, making me feel more alive just by being in her presence.

  A few minutes later, the door to her dorm opened and her roommate, Paige, came in from her morning jog.

  "Hey, guys," she said, smiling at us. I nodded at her and balanced my chair back on two legs. Paige sat on the bed next to Elly's, untied her shoes, and grabbed a towel and her shower caddie. "Watching your dad?"

  "Yeah," Elly said.

  What the—? My chair wobbled and then I fell backward, hitting my head on the radiator with a loud thud as the chair screeched underneath me and smacked the tile floor, scattering cereal and milk all over me and the floor. Did she just say Keith Evans was her dad?!

  "Ohmigawd!" Elly jumped off her bed and kneeled down in front of me, laughing and picking up cereal. "Are you okay, Carter?"

  "Here," Paige said, tossing a rag to Elly.

  "Thanks."

  I heard the door shut and looked up to find Elly cleaning up the mess I made. I pushed the chair away and sat up, rubbing the back of my head where I could already feel a bump forming. Smooth move, Jennings.

  "I'm sorry about the mess. I can get it," I said, pulling her trash can toward us.

  "No, it's okay. Don't worry about it," she said, in a sweet voice. She threw the Styrofoam bowl and cereal into the trash, wiped up the milk, and then sat down beside me. Her beautiful brown eyes were full of concern as she studied my face. "Are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard when you fell."

  "Yeah, I'm good." I laughed lightly and nodded. I took the rag from her and cleaned up the milk on my shirt and shorts. "I thought I just heard that Keith Evans was your dad."

  She smiled and helped me to my feet. Her hands were so soft against mine as she pulled me up from the floor. I never wanted to let her go, but she quickly dropped my hands and walked over to her desk. She woke up her laptop and pointed to her wallpaper picture. "He is my dad."

  My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I peered closely at the picture of the two of them standing together. He had his arm around her shoulders in a fatherly embrace and they were smiling at the camera. Her dad is Keith Fucking Evans. "I thought I was just hearing things."

  "Nope, you heard right," she said, picking a blueberry crunch cereal ball out of my hair. "I've never made anyone fall over before though."

  "Ha ha, very funny," I said, finding more cereal in my hair and tossing it into the trash with the rest. "What do most people say when you tell them?"

  "Well, I usually don't go running through the streets shouting that he's my dad," she said with a faint laugh, "but when people find out, they ask if they can meet him and get his autograph." She gazed up at the TV again and then looked back at me. "I've learned to choose my friends wisely."

  Standing outside the door to her apartment, I shook off the embarrassing memory and filed it away. It was as if my brain was writing a book about us, adding chapter after chapter of crystal-clear memories she and I made together. So much had changed since that morning in her dorm, but the one thin
g that hadn't was my feelings for her.

  When I walked in, I was immediately engulfed by the wonderful smells coming from her kitchen. A Crock-Pot was sitting on the counter with steam curling from its lid, and I found pork chops simmering in a seasoned broth. Three potatoes were washed and slit and ready to be microwaved. I opened the fridge and saw she had already prepared a salad and a variety of toppings for the baked potatoes.

  I grabbed the salad and dressings and potato toppings out of the fridge and set them down in the center of the dining table she had set with three place settings; plates, napkins, and silverware all perfectly aligned. I heard her coming down the hall and I threw the potatoes in the microwave to cook. I turned around and leaned against the counter as she walked toward me.

  "Hey," she smiled, walking into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me. "I thought I heard you come in."

  "Everything looks and smells amazing," I said, smiling against her lips.

  "Yeah, well, let's hope it tastes amazing, too," she said, laughing.

  "It will."

  She grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge and filled two glasses with Zinfandel. She handed me mine and took a sip from hers, but I just stood there watching her. She wasn't gulping down the alcohol like she normally did when she was nervous. She looked completely relaxed and drop-dead gorgeous in a pair of black jeans that hugged her legs perfectly, and a tight green top. Her hair was loosely braided to the side. I ran my fingers down the long length of her messy braid and sighed. I set my glass down and slid my hands into the back pockets of her jeans, and she kissed my neck and held onto my waist tightly. "What's going on? Are you nervous?"

  I shook my head and kissed her forehead. "No, I'm the furthest thing from nervous." I smiled back at her and caressed her cheeks with my thumbs. "On my way over here, I was thinking about that morning in your dorm when I found out who your dad was."