The One Left Behind (The One Series)

by Lena Nicole

  “Hell no, she doesn’t knock. She walks up in here like she owns the damn place.” His comment makes me grin. Jeremy seems very disgruntled by this. He’s either genuinely annoyed, or trying to cover up something. I’m definitely going to get to the bottom of this one.

  Morgan lets out a huff and rolls her eyes. “Ugh, what does it matter? You were going to let me in anyway. If anything, I saved you the trouble of getting off your lazy ass to answer the door.”

  And let the bantering begin. I kick up my feet and let them go at it when they’re interrupted by Morgan’s phone going off. She’s staring at her phone with her mouth hanging wide open. She finally comes out of her trance as she lets out a high pitched squeal that I’m sure only a dog could hear.

  Jeremy looks over at her, “What are you all excited about? Finally get your daily porn update?”

  “Hardy-har-har. No,” she looks back down at her phone but doesn’t offer up any other information.

  “Let me see then.” He holds his hand out so she can give him her phone.

  “No! Mind your own business, Jeremy.” After she says this she looks at me with something in her eyes. I swear I almost see pity, but can’t understand why she would be looking at me like that. While she’s looking at me, she’s not paying attention to Jeremy so he snatches the phone out of her hand.

  “Jeremy! No, I mean it. That’s none of your business, asshole!” She’s climbing all over the couch and on top of Jeremy trying in vain to get her phone back. It’s too late though. Whatever she didn’t want him to see is in his full view as his eyes go wide.

  “Holy shit,” he says. Now I’m curious.

  “What? What is everyone getting so worked up over?” I say.

  Jeremy looks at me and I see the same pity in his eyes that flashed through Morgan’s. “Man, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but, uh, Addison is, uh, engaged.” He’s rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact with me.

  I thought I had better prepared myself for this news. I mean I knew it was coming and I was told in advance too. Hell, I even knew it was going to happen this week. Still, all the mental preparations don’t do shit to prepare my heart. It drops like a stone to my stomach and fracturing into tiny pieces. I guess a small part of me was hoping she’d say no. Obviously, she didn’t. Then again, why would she?

  “Yeah, I know,” I say quietly to them. They stare at me blankly like they’re not getting it. “Pierce came by my office last week to give me the heads up as a ‘courtesy’.” I use my hands to imitate quotation marks when I say the word courtesy.

  “Shit, Colin. You didn’t tell me that. Are you okay?” Jeremy has concern written all over his face.

  “Yeah, I’ll manage. I didn’t really want to talk about it, that’s why I didn’t say anything. What can I do? She doesn’t remember me and it’s been nine months since the accident. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that she’s not going to remember. I’m just trying to deal with it and attempt to move on. I want her to be happy and if she is with Pierce, then I can do nothing but support her.” I run my hands through my hair just to give them something to do.

  Morgan starts to sniffle and wipes a tear off of her cheek. I look at her in confusion. “That was so nice. You are truly an amazing person. I don’t know anyone else who would be dealing with this as well as you are. I know it’s not the outcome you were hoping for, but I hope you find someone special for you. You deserve to find happiness too.”

  I smile at her but the problem is I already found that person. Then she was ripped away from me.

  Jeremy pats me on the shoulder in comfort. “I’m sorry, man. I know this sucks.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s not anyone’s fault―well other than the drunk driver’s. I’m not a hundred percent over it yet, but I’m getting there. I’m finally in a good place. I’ve stopped drinking and have been knocking out some cases at the law firm. It’ll be a while, but I’ll get there eventually.”

  I give him a sad smile as I repeat what I just said in my head in an attempt to convince myself. I desperately hope one day I’ll be able to move on and look back on this as a sad memory instead of an emotionally crippling outcome.

  IT IS CHRISTMAS morning and I wake up to the best present I could ask for. Pierce. I’m shocked he is still sleeping. Since this never happens, I sneak out of bed to make him breakfast. I slip out from under his arm and pat my leg for Ali to come with me. She lifts her head, grunts at me, and snuggles back up next to Pierce, so I leave her there.

  As I walk into the kitchen I take out the frying pans as quietly as I can. I grab the eggs, cheese, green peppers, ham, and potatoes from the fridge, then I brew some coffee to help get me going. Let’s face it, I was never a morning person. I take my phone out and put some music on quietly so it doesn't wake up Pierce.

  Once I get the hash browns all set up to cook, I start on the omelets. I take a sip of my coffee and place it down and start to dance around the kitchen to the music that is playing on my phone while I cook. I flip the omelet and Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines comes on. I start to sing and swing my hips to the music.

  “Well, had I known I would wake up to this every morning, I would sleep in more often,” I hear Pierce say from behind. He initially startles me but grabs a hold of my waist from behind and starts to dance with me in the kitchen. I love dancing with Pierce because he moves so well. He has a certain swagger to him that oozes sex appeal. I feel him rolling his hips with mine so I push my ass into him.

  “If you keep that up, I’m going to have my way with you right now,” Pierce states wickedly.

  “Well, we can’t have that, especially since I slaved over a hot stove for you. Go ahead and sit, it’s almost done. I’ll bring you some coffee.”

  I finish making breakfast and serve it up on our plates. I’m bringing them over and place Pierce’s in front of him. He pulls me down onto his lap and nuzzles behind my ear and says, “Merry Christmas, my love.” He pulls me in for a kiss.

  “Merry Christmas.” I attempt to get up to take the chair next to him, but he grabs my hips and holds me in place. I pull my plate over and eat while on his lap. He tries to eat around me but ends up dropping a piece of egg on my shoulder. I reach for the napkin to wipe it off but he stops me.

  “I’ve got it,” he says in a throaty tone before placing his mouth on my shoulder and sucking off all remnants of food left on my body. He moves up my neck, slowly licking and sucking before reaching the spot behind my ear that makes my whole body tingle. I close my eyes and feel my breathing pick up before he pulls away and says, “There, I think that took care of it.”

  I open my eyes and am momentarily dazed. Taking in a lungful of air, I hold it and let it out in a rush to calm myself down. Behind me, I hear Pierce lightly snickering. He’s so cruel.

  After the house is all cleaned up, I put on some Christmas music and kick my feet up on the couch. I am looking at the lights on the tree when Pierce comes and sits next to me.

  “I wanted to give you your presents before our families get here.” He has two boxes and a bag in his hand. “Open this one first.”

  He hands me the bag first so I pull out all the tissue paper nestled inside and pull out my gift. My face lights up remembering that night and how Pierce told me if I was a good girl Santa would bring this to me. It’s an elegant, silver frame surrounding the picture of the two of us in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. There’s an inscription on the top and bottom of the frame. I look closer and it says, “You’re all I want and all I need, I will follow if you lead.” I feel hot tears fill my eyes but quickly blink them away to keep from becoming a blubbering mess. I’m so touched by the thoughtfulness of this gift. I look up at Pierce, “This is amazing. I don’t care what else you got me, this is my favorite. I love you.”

  He hugs me before gently pushing me back and handing me a box. “Now open this one.”

  I open it and lift the tissue paper that is hiding its contents, pulling out t
wo tickets. I read the destination of them out loud. “Paris and Italy.” I pause and then it registers, “Oh my god! You’re taking me to Paris and Italy?” I squeal with excitement. I look back down at the tickets to make sure the destination hasn’t changed on me. Holy cow! I can’t believe it! I’ve never been to Europe before and am beyond excited about going with Pierce.

  “You have been so patient with my hours with this expansion, so I wanted to give you my undivided attention since it is all done. I had to pick a date to book them but it can always be changed, but there’s one more.” He reaches to his side and hands me a long rectangular box.

  Inside it is a tennis bracelet. It has three large diamonds in a row with each one surrounded by smaller diamonds. After the third one there are diamonds grouped together in the shape of a butterfly. Then the pattern starts over again. It is exquisite and completely over the top. I get teary eyed and say, “Pierce, you really shouldn’t have. The trip and then this—I don’t need extravagant gifts from you. You know that, right?”

  He looks at me with such warmth on his face. He cups my jaw and says, “Addison, it’s not nearly enough. There are no amount of gifts on this planet that could adequately describe my love for you.”

  This makes the tears I was trying to hold back break free from my eye, allowing a drop or two to trail down my cheek. I hold up my wrist and ask Pierce to help me put it on. “Thank you. I love all my gifts. Each one is so thoughtful and perfect for me.” I point to the butterfly on the bracelet. He knows how much my life has changed and how much butterflies mean to me now. As I give Pierce another kiss, he wipes away my tears with his thumb.

  “Okay, you gave me my gift early so you can have yours. Stay here and I’ll grab it.” I am a little nervous getting Pierce’s gift. I put a lot of thought into it and I hope he likes it. I grab his present from under the tree and hand it to him as I sit back down on the couch. Pierce holds the box up to his ear and shakes it. I laugh at him because he’s acting like a little kid on Christmas trying to figure out what’s in the box.

  “It’s a good thing there wasn’t any glass in there.” I say sarcastically as I grin.

  Pierce smiles and unwraps his present. Once he gets all the paper off, I see him turn the painting around to look at it. He’s still and silent for quite a while and I am afraid he doesn’t like it. I see his lip start to quiver from the emotion he’s trying to hold back. His jaw is set tight and now I’m really nervous. I didn’t want to upset him and I’m afraid I’ve ruined his Christmas.

  “Pierce, I’m sorry I thought you would like it. I noticed you didn’t have many photos of your dad around and-—” he cuts me off.

  “Where did you find this photo?” he says in a voice that is tinged in sadness and curiosity.

  “I went to your mom’s house and she let me go through all her photos of you guys. I had it framed but then I saw this artist and her paintings and I had her paint the picture onto a small canvas.” I bite my lip trying to gauge his reaction.

  “This is probably one of the best memories I have with my father,” Pierce says as he lightly brushes his fingertips over the canvas.

  “So you like it?” I ask hesitantly.

  “I love it and I love you,” he says as he gives me a tight hug. This picture created such an unexpected emotional response that I want to know more about Pierce and his father. It breaks my heart watching the sadness creep behind his eyes as he looks at the picture. I know this is a bitter sweet moment he’s remembering so I want to know more about it.

  When he pulls away I say, “You said it was your favorite memory. Mind if I ask why?”

  “No, not at all. I was about eleven and my dad was constantly traveling for his business. He couldn’t make the father son fishing trip that the boy scouts were hosting. I was upset but I understood how important my dad’s job was, so I played it off like it wasn’t a big deal. My dad knew me better than I thought and knew I wanted to go. The night before the fishing trip, my dad took a late flight home. He woke me up at five in the morning and told me to get ready. I was so excited that he came all the way home just to go fishing with me. When we got to the docks, he surprised me and walked us over to our boat. I asked him why we were at our boat and not joining the others. He told me because he wasn’t sharing his father son day with anyone but me. We spent the whole day out on the boat relaxing, talking, and fishing. It was quiet and perfect. He called my mother to let her know we got to the docks okay and then he shut his phone off. For one whole day I had my dad to myself and it was the best day I spent with him.” His voice breaks at the end as he looks up from the picture and sadly smiles at me.

  “Your dad sounds like he was an amazing man. I wish I could have met him,” I say as I reach over and grab his hand.

  “He would have loved you. Seriously, thank you for this. This is probably the best gift I have ever received. Besides you of course.”

  As we are throwing the wrapping paper away, the doorbell rings. My parents are the first to arrive. We greet them and see Lexi and Catherine are pulling up the driveway over my mom’s shoulder. Ali bolts out the door to greet Lexi.

  We all get settled and I’m about to get up to start cooking, but my mom and Catherine insist on doing it all. I’m not about to argue with that since I’m a little nervous to be cooking for everyone.

  Pierce and my dad go out back to have a cigar and Lex and I go to the kitchen to see if our moms need any help. When we walk up, I hear them talking about wedding plans. Seeing the smiles on their faces and how happy they are touches my heart.

  “Here she is! Addison honey let me see your ring again,” my mom says. I walk over and hold out my hand. “I absolutely love this ring. It looks like an antique.”

  “It was my mother’s ring, and since she’s no longer with us, I guess it is an antique. But if she was alive to hear me call her an antique, she would probably hit me with her rolling pin,” Catherine says as she is washing her hands.

  “Oh, how lovely. That is so sweet. Just think, one day if you have a son you can hand it down to him,” my mom says.

  “Mom, can I get married before you start planning out what sex my future kids will be?” I’m a little irritated how my mom thinks she needs to plan every aspect of my life, even my future children.

  A few hours later, dinner is ready and we all sit down in the formal dining room to eat. Pierce lets my dad have the head of the table and he sits beside me. We all have our own conversations going on until Lexi asks me the million dollar question that silences the room as all heads turn to me.

  “So, have you set a date for the wedding yet?”

  I look to Pierce since we just chose a date last night. I’m not sure if he wants to tell anyone yet. He gives my leg a squeeze and I know that is the okay to go ahead and tell them.

  “Actually, we chose one last night. It will be June sixth.”

  “That’s great news, congratulations!” My dad says.

  “Now that we have a date, we can start planning,” my mom says as she claps her hands in excitement while looking at Catherine.

  “Yes, that gives us plenty of time,” Catherine replies back to my mom.

  I smile as their excitement grows. Needless to say the remainder of the evening is spent discussing wedding topics. I tell Pierce he doesn’t have to sit through all this, but he insists on staying. He assures me he wants to be part of every little detail of planning our future together.

  Everyone finally leaves and I send a quick text to all my friends wishing them a Merry Christmas. I set my phone down and walk toward Pierce to join him in front of the fireplace.

  “Today went well,” he says, handing me a glass of wine.

  “Yeah, it did,” I let out a big sigh and take a drink of my wine. “I can’t believe how much was decided in one day about our wedding.”

  “Having three hopeless romantics in the family doesn’t hurt,” he kisses me softly on the cheek. “I shared you all day and I finally have you to myself. If you don’t
mind, I would like to do less talking and more kissing,” Pierce says with his sexy grin that I love so much. We spend the rest of the evening making love next to the fireplace and Christmas tree.

  NORMALLY, I WELCOME the holidays. In fact, it’s usually my favorite time of the year. Not this year though. I keep thinking about Addison’s engagement and the fact that I’m going to have to eventually see her with someone else’s fucking ring on her finger. That thought alone makes me queasy.

  I’m spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my parents’ house. I haven’t told them about Addison and Pierce yet. I’m kind of dreading their reaction. It could range from crying from my mother, to swearing from my father. Either way, the last thing I want is pity. Life is shitty sometimes and unfortunately I got the shittier side of it recently.

  My parents downsized their home once there were no kids living there. I walk into the ranch style home and am instantly greeted by the smell of baked goods. It’s the smell I always associate with my parents’ house, and I love it. There’s a tinge of apple in the air so I’m assuming Mom’s making her famous apple pie. Dad is sitting in the recliner reading a paper and watching TV, and Mom is in the kitchen just like I suspected she would be.

  “Hey, Dad. Anything interesting going on in the world today?”

  He looks up from his paper and gives me a smile. “There’s always something interesting happening, sometimes you just have to wait for it.” He gets up to give me a hug. “Glad to have you home, son.”

  “Is that Colin I hear in there?” Mom comes out of the kitchen and spots me. “Come here and give your Momma a hug.” I walk over to her and she engulfs me in an embrace I have no hope of getting out of anytime soon. “Now go sit down and relax while I bring you something to eat.”

  I have a seat and become lost in thought trying to decide how to tell them about Addison so I don’t realize Mom is holding out a glass of tea for me. “Colin, what is wrong with you?” I look up at her with a questioning look on my face.