“What changed your mind?” Gage pulled us to a stop.
“You. This.” I placed my hands on his chest as I looked up at him. “I’m not scared about our future together because I know we will last. I know we will have the same kind of love my parents still have, as well as my grandparents. I am not scared about living on our own and making our way in this world.
“I mean, look at you. You are going to be a partner CEO with Ethan in a few years, and that is incredible. I already have an internship with a wedding planner, and hopefully one day I can open my own photography place. I know along the way there will be some mishaps, and things may be difficult at times, but I’m okay with that. I’m okay with the what-ifs and the scary possibility that things can turn bad fast. I am okay because you will be there beside me as we navigate this and learn the ropes.
“I am ready to start my life with you, Gage, and not look back once.”
All of that came from nowhere. It just slipped past my tongue and out. But it was all true. I wasn’t scared anymore.
“You know I love you, right?”
“I do.”
“Good because I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
“I know that too.” My grin got wider as our heads got closer. Gage’s hands came up and cupped my face gently. Our lips pressed against together, and I knew we would be fine. We would be more than fine in the years to come.
Chapter Ten
Three years later….
My hand moved across the canvas on its own. My fingers were stained with paint and lead from my pencils. Slowly the picture was coming more alive, looking exactly the way I wanted it to. Music played, but I wasn’t really listening, too focused on the canvas in front of me.
My hair was pulled back messily, and my jeans had some more paint added to them. My butt was starting to ache from sitting here so long, but I had no notion of getting up any time soon. I was in the zone and I needed to finish.
The sound of my cell phone ringing loudly and the music stopping made me pause. Still looking at my painting in front of me, I reached over and grabbed my phone. I swiped to answer without even looking at the name on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Tell me exactly what you are wearing. If it sounds ugly, you are changing,” Macey said through the phone, not even bothering to say hello.
“Hello to you too, Mace. What are you even talking about?” I asked, cradling the phone between my ear and shoulder. My fingers still moved across the paper.
“Please tell me you didn’t forget!”
“Forget what?” I was barely listening, honestly.
“Dinner tonight!
“Dinner?” I stopped what I was doing and sat up.
“Deep breaths, Macey, deep breaths,” she muttered to herself. “Yes! The dinner date, at five-thirty p.m. We all agreed on doing something for Ethan and your boyfriend’s promotion to CEOs.”
“Shit, shit, shit! I forgot about that!” I jumped up from my seat and dropped my paint brush.
“You better hurry and get ready. Our reservations are in an hour and a half!” I barely heard the last part as I hung up and ran from the room.
How could I have forgotten about this? Macey and I had planned this for weeks now, and of course there I was forgetting about it. Now I had an hour to get ready for dinner and make sure the present I got Gage was wrapped.
My boyfriend and Ethan were made CEOs of their company G&G this past week, becoming two of the youngest people to do so. It had nothing to do with Ethan’s father owning the place. They both worked hard these past three years, and they deserved it. More than anyone else. Both guys worked harder than anyone else in that office.
I quickly ran to my bathroom and started the water, stripping out of my paint-stained clothes. I had been so busy with the new business and getting some of my paintings done for the art exhibit in two weeks, that a lot of things had skipped my mind lately.
My shower was probably the quickest one I have ever taken. In less than ten minutes my hair was washed and wrapped in a towel as I moved around the bedroom, trying to find something to wear. I didn’t have to be dressed too fancy, thank God.
I was so proud of Gage and what he had accomplished already, which just made this day even more important. Plus, I had a small surprise for him tonight as well. Well, not really small, but I knew it was something he had wanted for years now. Our anniversary was coming up too, so I wanted to give him something he would love. I just hoped he would like it and not be mad at me.
Finally, I found a dress that wasn’t too fancy or too simple. I wasted no time in sliding it on and smoothing it down. I looked in the mirror and smiled at my reflection. Thankfully even three years after college, I still looked the same. The only thing different was my hair: that was still short. Glancing at my bedside clock, I noticed the time, which made me groan and quickly go back to the bathroom.
Since it was only going to be our friends, I didn’t bother to get too made up. I put on just enough makeup to cover the bags under my eyes, and some other flourishes to make me look alive. I went with a red lipstick to match my red dress. With my hair straightener, I quickly added some curls to my hair.
Doing a once over, I made sure I looked presentable before leaving the bathroom. I went into our bedroom and opened my jewelry box. I grabbed the thick envelope I’d hid in there. This held all the information and keys for Gage’s present. I stared down at the envelope, getting slightly worried he would be mad at me for what I did. Sighing, I grabbed my purse and placed it inside. I barely put it in my purse when I heard the front door open. A wide smile appeared on my face. I knew my amazing boyfriend was home.
My feet quickly led me out of the room and down the hallway, until I reached the living room. I stood there watching Gage place his keys on the table beside the door, loosening his tie. When he turned around and saw me, I bit down on my bottom lip. Damn, he still looked good in a suit.
We have been together six-plus years, now and every time I see him, I still get butterflies. Gage Harper still makes me feel like the eighteen-year-old I was when we first met.
“You are home.” I breathed out, moving toward him. As I reached him, I wrapped my arms around his neck as his wrapped around my waist and pressed my lips to his. I sighed against him. The two of us had been so busy I hadn’t seen much of him lately. He was busy with work and some big deal that he and Ethan were working on, that when he got home he would immediately pass out. I felt so bad that he was working so hard, and he never complained.
I kissed him a little harder before we pulled apart. Gage’s grip on my waist was tight, and with him staring down at me with heated eyes, I wanted to drag him to our room and forget all about our dinner. I held myself back, though, knowing Macey would have a fit if we didn’t show up.
“How was work?” I asked.
“Good. We actually landed that deal I was telling you about. The people were hard-asses, but we got them down.”
“That is great!” I beamed up at him. “I know you two have been working for that these past few weeks.”
“So.” Gage softly moved me a step back by my hips, his eyes looking me up and down. “Why are you dressed in a sexy little red dress?”
“We have reservations at Blue Hill with everyone in about thirty minutes.”
“Did I miss something important?” I shook my head.
“No, we just all wanted to go out together. Oh, and you know, celebrate you becoming a CEO.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
“You have been planning this for a bit, haven’t you?”
“Yup, although most of it was Macey’s idea.” I reluctantly pulled out of his hold. “Go freshen up while I finish getting ready, then we better get going.”
“How about we skip it all and stay home” Gage reached for me and grabbed my hips, pulling me tight against him. I shook my head, but I smiled. Whenever we had to go somewhere or do something, Gage always tried to get out of it by seducing me. Can’t deny it
worked most of the time.
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get yelled at by Macey. So, go change or whatever, then we will go.” I grabbed his hands and pried them off me. I turned around and headed back to our bedroom, shooting Gage a smile over my shoulder.
While Gage moved around the room, I slipped on a pair of black heels and made sure I had everything in my purse. Because it was nearing the end of September, I grabbed a cute black cardigan just in case it got cold. Once I was ready, I turned around to see Gage standing in front of the mirror, rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt up.
He had taken off his suit jacket, so I had a view of his back muscles through his white dress shirt. His shirt fit him so well that even just the slightest movement made his muscles ripple. I really was damn lucky he was all mine.
I bit down on my bottom lip as I watched him. Things had been great for us since college. Sure, we fought occasionally, like every single couple, but it was nothing neither of us couldn’t handle. Fighting comes with the territory.
“Are you going to continue standing there gawking at me?” Gage asked, breaking me out of my staring.
“I will gawk all I want!” I could feel my cheeks turning slightly pink. Even after all this time Gage still knew how to make me blush. “You are mine, and I can gawk whenever I want.”
“You make it sound like you own me.” He turned around and smirked at me.
“I do. You should know that by now.”
“Well, I don’t mind being owned by you.”
“Good, because you aren’t going anywhere.” I grinned. “Now we better get going. We can’t be late.”
“Macey is always cock-blocking me,” Gage muttered. Shaking my head, I grabbed his arm and tugged him after me, out of the apartment.
The ride to the restaurant didn’t take long. Of course Gage took the opportunity to try and feel me up on the car ride. After I slapped his hand away ten times, he finally got the hint and pouted the rest of the ride.
When we stepped through the front door of the restaurant, we were immediately led to a secluded table in the back. I saw Luke and Macey were already there, but everyone else was still missing. The moment Macey saw me, she jumped up and pulled me into a hug. We hadn’t seen one another in a good two weeks. Both of us were busy with work and our own lives now. While Mace and I hugged, Gage and Luke did their manly handshake thing.
As soon as I pulled away from Macey, I was pulled into another tight hug from my brother. I hugged him back and smiled. My brother was just like my dad when giving hugs. Warm and safe. Stepping back, I took my seat next to Macey at the edge of the table. Macey and Gage sat across from Luke. That way all the guys would be able to talk to one another.
“So where are the other two?” I asked once I was seated.
“They should be here any second, honestly. But you know Dylan; he will be late then complain about us eating before him,” Macey said, rolling her eyes. Just as she finished talking, Dylan person came bounding toward our table.
Dylan Stiles was still the exact same person he was when I met him six years ago. Still high energy, funny, protective. He was dressed in his normal grey-washed jeans, a matching dark grey shirt, along with a black leather jacket. Everything screamed “bad boy,” even though he was anything but that.
“Care-bear!” Dylan practically yelled once he said hello to everyone else. He came up to me and yanked me out of my chair for a hug. He acted as if we hadn’t just seen each other three days ago. I smiled at the nickname he still had for me after all this time.
“Hey.” I hugged him back. Dylan was one of those people who I didn’t know what I would do without. He just makes things better and more fun when he’s around.
“How’s the job going?” I asked once he pulled away.
“Same old, same old,” was his reply as he moved to take a seat next to Gage, across from Luke.
To be honest I had no clue what Dylan wanted to do once he graduated college, and I don’t think he knew either. One thing I didn’t know about him was that he was great with computers. It was like his hidden talent. Whatever you needed done on your computer, he could do it in a matter of minutes. He could even hack into the best system in seconds.
He somehow got a job at one of the best technology companies in New York, and now he came up with new ideas on how to make computers faster, along with new types of phones and laptops. In just a few years he had been able to take over the company and was coming up with new ideas daily. I would not be surprised if he came up with a whole new computer system that everyone would soon use.
We all sat around talking for a few more minutes before Ethan finally showed up. He strolled on in like he wasn’t thirty minutes late, and acted as if he didn’t feel Macey’s hard glare. You could tell he went home and showered because his hair was still slightly damp.
Even after six years Ethan Galloway still looked the exact same. Same dark hair that was in its normal messy style, with bright blue-green eyes that made women swoon when he glanced at them. He was still very nice-looking, which made sense as to why women turned their heads to look at him as he passed by.
After hugging him and kissing him on the cheek, I took my seat, Gage’s hand coming to rest on my thigh. I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t that Gage was still worried about me and Ethan, but it was a way for him to tell everyone—including me—that I was his. Men, I tell you.
Gage and Ethan were fine now. With both of them working at the same place, it really brought them closer together. They became somewhat like brothers. They didn’t have the same relationship normal brothers probably did, or even the same relationship Ethan and my brother had, but they respected one another. They’d come to terms with the fact that they are related and that they should just get along. And let me tell you, it made things a lot easier between all of us.
“What took you so long?” Luke asked, finally reaching for his menu so we could order.
“I had to change.” Ethan shrugged, but all of us knew better than that. As recently named “Most Eligible Bachelor in New York,” Ethan had taken it upon himself to sleep with every girl in New York. He wanted to live up to his new title, I suppose.
“Don’t you want to settle down?” Luke asked.
“Why? I am only twenty-six.” Ethan shrugged. Next to him, Dylan high-fived him. Before we could say more on the subject, the waiter came over and took our order.
Both Dylan and Ethan were single. Things between Anna and Dylan didn’t work out. They dated up until a year ago, when Anna decided she wanted to move. Dylan didn’t want to leave New York and everything he knew behind. It broke Dylan’s heart when Anna decided to still move without him. Four years of dating ended as she moved to Florida, where they apparently have some of the best hospitals. It’s been a year and Dylan still hasn’t really moved on. I know Dylan is mad at her for throwing it all away, but I knew he still loved her and wished her the best.
Ethan and Amy were a different story. They broke up on semi-good terms. Neither of them were really feeling it anymore. Amy wanted to travel and get away, while Ethan had to stay here and take over the family business. Neither would compromise. Amy wanted to get away from family, and so she did. She took a job in Australia that specialized in marine biology. It’s been about two years now since she left. I heard from her occasionally, but she was busy living her life. Ethan decided he wanted to be single for a while, and now he’d been named an eligible bachelor. Everyone kind of saw the end coming for them. More and more they started to fight, and neither seemed happy.
Conversation between all six of us was easy. Even if we didn’t spend every waking second with one another, every time we got together, it felt like old times. Instead of talking about grades and mean professors, we talked about work and deadlines. Growing up was so fun. Note the sarcasm.
“So, Car, how’s the gallery coming?” Ethan asked after a bit.
“It is going good. I mean, I still have a lot to do to be ready in two weeks, but I’m
excited.” I smiled.
“Still cannot believe my sister is going to have her own art gallery show.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.” I waved him off.
“Yes, it is. Your stuff is incredible, Car.” Macey patted my hand on the table. Everyone else agreed, making me blush.
“Of course all of us will be there,” Gage said, his hand squeezing my thigh reassuringly. I smiled up at him.
“Now onto more important things,” Dylan interrupted. “So yesterday this girl came up to me and, like, dry humped-my leg! Being the nice person I am, I helped her out.”
“You helped her out?” Gage asked, raising an eyebrow. “How?”
“We went to the closet.” Dylan smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. I grabbed a piece of my bread and threw it at him.
“Gross!”
We all threw pieces of bread at him while Dylan asked what he did wrong. I grinned and shook my head at him. Just like old times.
***
Dinner flew by. I hadn’t laughed that much in a while, and it felt nice hanging out with everyone. It was nearing 7:30, which meant we had been here a good two hours. While it was still early and all of us could go out and do something else, I already had plans for Gage and me. Plus, I’d be seeing everyone soon anyway.
We all paid a while ago, and with it getting later and later, I knew it was time for us to leave. When there was a lull in the conversation, I spoke up.
“Hey guys. I am sorry, but Gage and I have to be going.”
“We do?” Gage looked at me in surprise.
“Yeah.” The only person here who knew what was going on was Dylan. Out of everyone, I went to him for help. I wanted his opinion, and he’d gone with me to make sure it would work. I could have told the others, but I wanted this to be a secret; something that didn’t work well in our group. I was actually surprised Dylan was able to keep this a secret from Gage. The others would find out soon anyway.
“You two better get going then,” Dylan said, a sly look on his face. Standing up, I started my goodbyes. Macey of course demanded to know tomorrow what was going on, so no surprise there. Luke and Ethan just said goodnight. When I got to Dylan, he whispered in my ear.
Silent Love Part Four_Forbidden Series Page 16
