Everything I Need (The Everything Series Book 1)

by A. K. Evans

  “Does Blackman have anything to do with this?” he asked.

  Oh no. Was Greg really going to give me a hard time about this?

  “He’s been helping me through a lot of stuff, Greg. And while he was initially the one to question why I was not doing it full time, the choice I made is something I’ve thought long and hard about it.”

  “He’s good for you. You’re different now. Happier. Lighter. Don’t know what happened to you in California, girl, but always knew something was weighing on your mind. Wes comes into the picture and you’re smiling, talking, laughing, and now leaving to take care of you. Yeah, he’s good for you.”

  I stared at him.

  “I’m happy for you, Charley. But if you leave here and don’t call I’ll be pissed!”

  I smiled. “I’ll do one better. I’m going to plan an outing for all of us. You, Hannah, and me. We’ll all go out and I’ll bring you up to speed on everything.”

  “I’m holding you to that.”

  Greg and Hannah had known each other for years. They both grew up in Rising Sun and attended the same high school. I had gotten my job at First Tracks and when I mentioned to Greg that I was looking for another job he told me that his friend, Hannah, had told him how they were hiring at Brew Stirs. He gave me her contact information and they hired me on the spot.

  “Alright, Greg. I’ve got to get going. See you Monday. Tell Tony I said hello.”

  “See ya, Charley.”

  I pulled into the lot at Parks Ridge and made my way to my spot. As soon as I parked I saw Wes pulling into the lot. He parked, came over to the Jeep, and hopped in.

  He kissed me quickly on the lips and asked, “How’d it go?”

  “Surprisingly well. I knew Bob and Carol would take it in stride. I was worried about Greg. He was happy for me, though.”

  “Happy to hear it,” he said. “You feel up to riding?”

  I smiled at him, “Absolutely.”

  Wes and I rode for a bit and then I went to work while he went back to his offices to supervise the final stages of a renovation project he had going on at the new warehouse location.

  “Hi Mark. Hi Hannah,” I said, as I arrived at the coffee stand.

  “Hey Charley, you good?” Mark asked.

  He was referring to yesterday. I nodded my head.

  “I need to talk to you, Mark.”

  “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” he asked.

  I looked between Mark and Hannah. They were disappointed.

  “I’m sorry. I need to give my official notice to you because I’ve decided to pursue my graphic design career. Before I moved here I was pursuing my dream, and after some bad stuff happened I let go of it. I need to go back to it.”

  “That’s awesome, Charley,” Hannah said. “Congratulations.”

  Ok, so Hannah was good. Now Mark.

  “Thanks, Hannah. I still have to figure it all out and don’t have a position lined up, but I know it’s what I need to do.”

  “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,” she added.

  I nodded to her.

  I looked back to Mark.

  Finally, he spoke, “Happy for you, Charley. You are a great employee and we’ll be sad to see you go. If you need a reference, you can put me down.”

  I smiled. “Thank you, Mark.”

  “No sweat, honey. Now get your ass to work.”

  I smiled at him and got my ass to work.

  A few hours later, I was closing up and Wes was walking in.

  “All good?” he asked as he walked up to me.

  I loved that he cared about how it went.

  “All good,” I answered.

  “Good. You feel like waking up to me tomorrow, gorgeous?”

  Tomorrow was Saturday. That meant sleeping in and then waking up to Wes.

  “Absolutely,” I answered.

  Wes walked me out and followed me to my place. We showered together, made BLT sandwiches for dinner, and I went to bed satisfied and smiling, for more than one reason.

  Chapter 18

  Charley

  My body jolted awake at the blood-curdling scream.

  Before I could even get out of bed Wes was already up and moving out of my bedroom.

  Shit.

  I ran out of the bedroom and tried to pass him.

  “Wes, I’ve got it,” I said, running to Emme’s bedroom.

  “Like hell you do,” he roared.

  He kept right on moving towards Emme’s bedroom down the hall from mine. His legs were longer than mine so he made it there ahead of me. When he opened the door, he stopped and froze. I caught up to him and snuck in under his arm that was propped up against the door.

  I ran over to Emme who was panicking, crying, and shaking in the middle of her bed. She was sitting up, her knees curled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. I got to the bed, wrapped my arms around her, and held on tight. She immediately tensed up.

  “Shh. It’s ok, honey. It’s Charley and I’m right here with you.”

  She was frantic, but I just kept my hold on her. I glanced to the door as I held her and saw Wes standing there with another look I’d never seen before on his face. He was concerned, but it was more than that.

  “I’ve got you, Emme,” I whispered softly as I began rubbing my hand up and down her back. “It was just a nightmare.”

  After a few minutes, she began to calm down.

  “Wes, can you give us a few minutes?” I asked.

  He hesitated, but eventually nodded and closed the door as he backed out of the room.

  We sat in silence a bit longer.

  “I’m sorry, Charley,” Emme said on a hushed whisper.

  “What are you apologizing for?” I asked.

  “You had Wes here overnight and I’m a mess now.”

  “Don’t you worry about Wes. I think he’s a little freaked, but I’ll take care of it. Are you ok? It’s been a while since you’ve had an episode.”

  “When they stopped shortly after we moved here I hadn’t had any for months until your birthday. I’ve been having them ever since. This was the worst.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. It was too soon. Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

  “You’re getting your life back, Charley. You are finally smiling and happy. I figured this would pass, but clearly, it’s getting worse.”

  “I’m here for you, Em. We’ve been through a lot. Just because I’m doing better now than I have in months doesn’t mean you go at it alone. When you need me, you need to tell me. And get it out of your head that whatever you are going through is going to put a damper on any happiness I’m feeling. If I find out again that you are keeping this shit from me I’m going to be seriously pissed off. You got me?”

  She nodded. “What are you going to tell Wes?”

  “I’m not betraying your confidence, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll give him enough so he doesn’t worry, but he won’t get the details.”

  “Thank you, Charley.”

  I smiled at her. “You good? Do you need anything?”

  “I’m good.”

  With that I got up and walked out of her room. I stopped in the kitchen to put on some coffee and noticed that it was already brewing. I went down the hall back to my bedroom and found Wes sitting up in my bed, his back up against the headboard. He did not look happy.

  “Hey,” I said as I walked in.

  “Hey? Really, Charley?” he asked. “Care to enlighten me on what I just witnessed?”

  “Emme had a nightmare.”

  “That was pretty fucking obvious. What I want to know is why she had one that you seemed not even remotely fazed about?” he asked, clearly losing his battle with trying to remain calm.

  I stayed silent, not sure yet how I was going to broach the subject.

  After a beat I said, “She has them sometimes.”

  He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “Charley, that girl is fucking scared out of her mind. It’s not just a n
ightmare she has sometimes. That night at Lou’s you pulled her off the dance floor when she looked about ready to freak. Then, as you were leaving she had the same look when my boys and I walked you and your girls out to the car. Not for nothing, gorgeous, but I’ve had a nightmare once or twice and I’ve never screamed like she did. And now it fucking makes sense why you never want to spend the night at my place. If she has a nightmare like that and nobody is here for her…Christ. There’s something bigger going on than you are telling me about.”

  “Yes, Wes, there is. I am not going to lay it all out for you, but the stuff I told you with Taj is part of what she’s dealing with. She’s been through a lot, maybe more than what I’ve dealt with and she is trying her best to move on. I don’t want to make it harder for her. The nightmares stopped for a couple months and they just started again.”

  “Fucking hell,” he said, clearly pissed at this point.

  I genuinely appreciated his concern for Emme, but I needed to respect where she was at mentally. I also needed to get Wes out of his mood.

  I walked toward the bed and climbed up his body. “Wes, honey, please let this go for me? At least for now. I really wanted to sleep in today, wake up in your arms where I feel safe, and then spend the morning fornicating.”

  His eyes immediately softened and he laughed. It was a good laugh that caused his head to tilt back.

  When he finished, he asked, “Are you trying to distract me from the issue at hand using your body and this mouth?”

  Since I knew I’d gotten him, I played the innocent card again, “I have no idea what you are talking about, Wes.”

  He laughed again, “You’re too fucking much, Charley.”

  He put his hands under my arms and dragged me the rest of the way up his body so that I was straddling his hips and my face was right in front of his. He kissed me and then I got reacquainted with his body.

  After Wes let me get lucky that morning we made our way to the kitchen for breakfast. I made some scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, bacon, cinnamon raisin toast, and a side of fruit. Emme joined us and thankfully Wes was amazing. He made sure it wasn’t awkward and I could tell she was comfortable.

  “Hey, I’m glad I have both of you here,” Wes said, pausing to take a sip of his coffee. He continued, “Since this will be your first Christmas in Rising Sun you don’t know the tradition. Lou hosts a massive party at his place on Christmas Eve. It’s a good time with music, food, and karaoke of mostly Christmas songs. You two up for it?”

  “I’ll go,” Emme said, shrugging her shoulders like it didn’t matter one way or another to her.

  I looked to her, surprised that she was willing to go and asked, “You sure, Em?”

  She nodded, “I’m sure, sweets.”

  “Good. I’ll come by and pick you both up for it. I know your other girls were just here, but if they come out for the holiday they’re more than welcome to join us,” Wes said.

  “We’ll call and fill them in. I’m not sure if they’re planning to come out here, but it can’t hurt to try,” I said.

  “Besides, anything that will up the count on Nikki’s list is worth calling them for,” Emme added.

  We all laughed.

  We finished up breakfast and Emme took off for a full day of holiday mini-sessions.

  Wes and I spent the rest of the day doing my normal weekend routine with some new fun activities that really involved Wes thrown in the mix.

  I even shared more of my art work with Wes. I showed him the ones I had done prior to Taj’s death and then the ones following. He learned which were some of my favorites. Then, I told him about the one that meant the absolute most to me. The one closest to my heart was the first one I drew following Taj’s death. It was an ocean wave cresting as the sun was setting behind it and it had footprints in the wet sand of the beach leading out to the ocean water. After showing him this one I decided, while sitting on the floor of my bedroom, to give him more of me.

  “This is it,” I said as I held up the drawing.

  “Tell me about it, gorgeous,” he said, a pleading tone in his voice.

  I took a deep breath and looked to Wes.

  “Taj was a surfer. He was always in the water. And, at every opportunity he got he would make me go out in the water with him. I guess that might be why I picked up the snowboarding so quickly. I had practice riding on a board. That first time I rode down the trail without falling and you behind me, Wes, it was just like the first time I rode a wave with Taj by my side. I’ll never forget it; I had been practicing for so long and I would continuously eat it. It was so frustrating, but Taj pushed me. Then, one day we went out in the water and I just got it. When I got back on the sand after riding that wave, I burst into a happy dance and my big brother was so very proud of me,” I said, my voice getting rough on the last few words.

  Wes’ eyes were warm and he put his arm around me. “Baby…” he said as his voice trailed off.

  “It’s ok, Wes. I’m ok. I’m finding it’s getting easier. Talking to you about him has been good for me. Thank you for listening.”

  “Anything you need, Charley.”

  I moved my body closer to his and snuggled my face into his neck. His arm tightened around me and he held me while I told him more of my surfing adventures with Taj.

  Through this, I was beginning to realize just how lucky I was to have Wes come into my life.

  Chapter 19

  Charley

  The next two weeks passed in a flash and I had just finished my final day at work. Greg and I made plans to get together after the holidays with Hannah. I was honestly excited about maintaining these friendships for years to come, and they were both thrilled when I actually agreed to and settled on a date with them. They’d been asking for months, but I hadn’t been ready.

  On the new job front, I was actively looking for a position to at least get myself started and get more experience. Unfortunately, this was not going well. Still, I tried to stay positive and keep in mind that I’d only really been looking for two weeks and it was the holiday season. I was not regretting the decision and I knew financially I would not need to worry, but it was still slightly disappointing.

  Emme and I had also reached out to Nikki and Monroe last week to let them know about Lou’s Christmas party. Unfortunately, they were unable to make it out for the celebration, but since Nikki loved that Emme and I were going to be going out she agreed to add it to her list. Monroe asked us if there were any special events happening for New Year’s Eve. Of course, we had no idea, but we told them we’d ask about it. They were both hoping to make it out for a visit to celebrate and ring in the new year.

  Emme and I had plans to go shopping tonight to find something to wear to the Christmas party. Wes was working late…again. He’d been working late a lot in the past two weeks. He said he had a few projects he was trying to finish up before the holidays in addition to dealing with the increased sales the company had received as the Christmas holiday approached. In addition, the extra work load made it so that he was not able to ride with me for the last week.

  I picked up my phone and decided to call him before heading out with Emme.

  “Gorgeous,” he said, relief in his voice.

  “Hi Wes. How’s it going?” I asked.

  “Better now. It’s been a rough two weeks with everything going on here.”

  “I know, honey. I’m sorry. Are the projects coming along ok?”

  “Nearly complete. They tied up all the loose ends on the construction project in the warehouse earlier today, so after the holidays I’ll start the process of transitioning everything from the old building to this one. One of the other projects I have going on, which is the more important one, should be finished tonight. What about you? How was your last day today?

  “It was good. I’ve made plans to get together with Greg and Hannah in the new year, so I’m looking forward to that.”

  “Any luck on the job front?” he asked.

  I took in a
deep breath, “Not so much.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll happen when it’s the right time. You heading out shopping with Emme soon?”

  “Yeah. Missed you and wanted to hear your voice first, though.”

  I heard his breath catch, “Charley…I miss you, too. I’m sorry we haven’t had much time together lately, but I am thinking about you all the time.”

  “Same here,” I reassured him. “Well, I better get going. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, Wes.”

  “Me too, baby. You and Emme should be ready by six tomorrow. I’ll pick you both up then.”

  “Sounds good. Bye, Wes.”

  “Later, Charley. Be careful.”

  I disconnected the call, threw my phone in my purse, and walked out to the kitchen to meet Emme. We went out to the car and I drove us to the mall. We shopped for several hours until the stores were closing, but we managed to find incredible outfits for the special occasion. Emme was a bit more hesitant, but I succeeded in talking her into the dress that only she, with her beautiful body, could pull off.

  We got back to the condo and lugged all our bags in.

  “I’m wiped, Charley,” Emme said.

  I knew she was. Over the last two weeks I’d woken up with her almost every single night. Her nightmares were getting worse and I was seriously worried for her. I was hoping it was just the holidays approaching that she was experiencing so much anxiety. If this continued into the new year, I wasn’t sure I was equipped to deal with it. That is not to say that I wouldn’t do whatever I had to for her, but I think she needed more than what I could offer her.

  “Me too. It’s been an exhausting couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to not having anywhere to go tomorrow morning.”

  “How about it? I don’t have any shoots scheduled until next year. I am so ready for a break after the holiday rush.”

  “I’m hoping to find a job to start the new year, but I think it’ll be good for both of us to have a little bit of down time. Tomorrow should be a nice way to kick off the break, though. By the way, when I talked with Wes earlier he said that he’ll be picking us up at six tomorrow.”