We walk to the bar, and I get the bartender’s attention and order a water for myself and a couple of glasses of wine. “You look beautiful,” I tell her, and she looks up at me and smiles, and then she looks to the side and her whole face changes.
“Oh my gosh, Zara,” a man’s voice from beside me says. “Jesus.” Then he looks at me, and his mouth hangs open. “Oh my, you’re Evan Richards.” He holds his hand out to me. “I’m a huge fan.”
I look at Zara, waiting for her to say something, but she just looks at him. “Zara,” I say to her, and she looks at me and then looks back at the man.
“Ed,” she says, then laughs. “This is my ex, Ed.” She points at the guy, and I now look at the man who broke her heart so badly she tweeted me. I want to reach out and shake his hand and thank him.
“Baby,” a female’s voice says, and I look over at the woman he must have left Zara for. She is smaller than Zara with brown hair and brown eyes. It is like night and day compared to her.
“Holy shit,” someone says behind me, and I see Zoe coming toward us. She looks at the bartender. “Lou, give me five shots of tequila.”
“Hey, pencil dick,” Zoe says to him, then looks over at the girl. “My condolences to you.”
He just looks at Zoe with his mouth pinched together. “Why is it no surprise you would be five steps behind?”
She shrugs. “Why am I not surprised that you would show up here knowing we are always here?” She leans on the bar and grabs the shot that the bartender puts in front of her. She hands one to Zara. “To the past,” she says, and Zara quickly swallows the shot and then grabs another one. I watch her, and she winces when she takes the second shot but then quickly takes the third one.
“Well, it was nice seeing you,” he says and then ducks his head and walks out with the girl beside him.
“Oh, my God,” Zara says, but Zoe just hands her another shot.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I tell her, and she just shakes her head.
“You have no idea what just happened,” she tells me, “and I’m guessing she didn’t either.” She motions with her head to Zara who just finished her fifth shot and then looks at me, her eyes starting to glaze over.
I look at Zoe and then Zara, and I look to the side where I see Matthew and Cooper now standing next to us. “That’s enough shots,” Matthew says. “I hate when you girls drink, and I have to be on guard all night.” I ignore him and his ire, and Cooper just slaps him on the shoulder and then looks at me.
“I think Evan has this handled.” He smirks at me. “Let’s get the M back to the other M.” Matthew glares at him and then turns to walk away. “You got her, right?”
I nod at him and then look back at Zara. “Are you okay?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.
“I think I want to go,” she says, and I just nod my head.
“I’ll tell everyone you headed out,” Zoe says, and I grab Zara’s hand and walk outside. I hail a cab, and I look over at her and see that she is swaying to the side. The door behind her opens.
“She forgot her jacket,” Zoe says, and then Zara just giggles.
“How much did she drink tonight?” I ask her, and she shrugs.
“Isn’t he hot?” she says to Zoe. “Hooottttt,” she hisses and then reaches out to touch me, but her hand falls, and Zoe holds her straight. She whispers in her ear, and Zara just nods her head. A car stops, and I grab Zara, and we walk to the cab. I get in after her, giving the guy the address.
“Are you okay?” I ask her as she looks out of the window.
“Yup,” she says. “Peachy.” I nod my head and look out my own window.
“I can’t believe he showed up there,” she says, her words about slurring. “Like he didn’t know I was going to be there.” She doesn’t wait for me to say anything. “It’s so shady.”
For the whole ride, she goes on and on about her ex, and by the time I get out of the cab, my stomach burns and my anger is to the level where I just want this fucking day to be over. I grab the key out of her hand when she misses the key hole for the fifth time.
“I got it,” I tell her, grabbing the keys from her. I unlock the door, and I wait for her to walk into the house. I close the door, and I don’t have time to even turn on the light before she throws herself into my arms. I catch her before she falls, and she gives me a sloppy kiss.
“We need to have sex,” she tells me, and I make a decision at this moment that is going to fucking suck. Her hands go to the top of my shirt as she tries to unbutton it, and I stop her, but she is so far-gone she doesn’t even realize that the mood has changed. She tries to unbutton my pants, and I walk away to the stairs, holding her hand so she doesn’t fall. “Yes, let’s go to the bedroom,” she says. “We need the bed to have sex in.”
“Yeah, that’s why we are going upstairs,” I tell her, and as soon as I get into the room, she rips her shirt open and stands there in the same bra she was wearing before.
“Let’s get naked,” she says, throwing up her hands and then swaying. I look at her, and in the dimly lit room, I know she will always have a piece of me.
“Why don’t you lie on the bed? I’ll be right back,” I tell her, and she smiles and goes over to the bed while I go into the bathroom and wait until I hear her soft snores fill the room.
I walk back into the room and see her lying in the middle of the bed with her pants on only one leg and her hand over her stomach. I pull the pants off her leg and then slowly tuck her in before I lie on top of the covers beside her. She’s facing me, and I take a mental picture of her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zara
The sun is hitting my face, and I can feel it. I try to swallow, and I literally can’t. The pounding in my head comes full fucking force, and I groan. How much did I drink last night? I slowly peel only one eye open and look at the room. I groan and close my eye. “Here is water and ibuprofen,” Evan says, and then my head turns to look at the side of the bed. He is sitting on the edge of the bed. I open one eye again, and this time, I zero in on him. He sits there in his jeans, his hands on his knees, and his shoulders slumped down. I close my eye again, trying to piece together what the fuck happened last night.
“You’ll feel better once you take the pills.” He reaches over and gets the water and the pills. I get up and have to fall back down on the bed ’cause my head spins. I wait a couple of seconds and then get back up. He hands me the water bottle and the pills. I sit up and swallow down the pills.
I keep drinking the rest of the bottle. My tongue feeling like shit. “Thank you.” I smile at him. “I need to brush my teeth.” I slowly roll out of bed and walk to the bathroom. I wash my face and brush my teeth. I feel slightly human, and I look down to see that I’m wearing nothing but my bra and panties. I walk back out and see him standing up and looking out the little window I have in my room. “I swear I still taste tequila.” I walk into the closet to get my robe and then come out and see he is still looking out the window. “Evan?” I say his name, and he turns around, and I finally see his face. “What’s wrong?” I say to him my hangover now not even bothering me while my heart starts speeding up.
“I can’t do this,” he tells me, and I have this sudden pain in my chest. I suddenly don’t think I can breathe.
“What?” I say, and my hand goes to my chest.
“I can’t be in a relationship with you when you are still pining for your ex.” He says the words, and I just try to make them register while he continues. “It started as a joke, and I get it.” He shakes his head, and I take him in. He’s dressed in black jeans and a plain black T-shirt. He is wearing his boots, and I shake my head. He was waiting for me to wake up before he left. “But it’s not a game to me anymore.”
I hold up my hand now to stop him from talking. “Just a second.” I swallow down. “What do you mean pining for my ex?”
“I saw you,” he says. “The way you reacted.”
“The way I reacted?” I’m
repeating everything he’s saying, trying to make sense of it.
“You haven’t once led on that you wanted to have sex with me until you were drunk,” he says, and I hear the hurt in his voice.
“You think I got drunk because of my ex?” I ask him the question, and he just looks at me. “You think I only want to sleep with you because of Ed?”
“Well, look at it this way. You are totally fine, and then the minute you see him, you get shitfaced.” His voice tight.
“Do you know why I took those shots?” I ask him, and I don’t wait for him to answer me. “I took those shots because I finally realized that I’m in love with you.” I’m angry now, and I don’t wait for him to say anything. I just continue.
“I kind of thought I liked you,” I tell him, “but then yesterday, it hit me. Like a cement truck.” I lay it all out for him. “I was standing there with my niece, and I saw you, and my heart, I don’t know, it got full,” I tell him. “Then I went back into the lodge, and I saw my mother look at my father, and then it just was there. I was holding my breath the whole game while drinking wine, I might add.” I throw my hands up. “I was getting the courage to tell you how I was feeling.”
“Beautiful,” he says to me, and I shake my head while a tear falls out, and I wipe it away so fast you would get whiplash.
“I watched the hockey game last night,” I tell him, walking now back and forth in front of him in the middle of the room, “The whole game. I was actually cheering for hockey,” I tell him. “I don’t like hockey, Evan.” I shout the last part. “But I did it because I love you.”
“You love me?” he whispers.
“I do,” I finally tell him. “I thought I loved Ed, I really did, but it’s nothing.” I shake my head. “It’s nothing like what I feel when I’m with you.” His eyes don’t move from mine. “I won’t get over this,” I tell him softly. “I know what everyone was saying now.” I throw my hands up. “I get it, that feeling like you can’t breathe when you’re not together. Or the missing them so much your heart aches. The whole my stomach is sick from not touching you. It all makes sense.”
“You love me?” he whispers again, and I just shake my head.
“Yeah, jackass, I love you.” I’m still aggravated. “That is why I got drunk.”
“So it wasn’t because you were doubting us?” he asks me, and I swear men are dumb sometimes. Most times, generally all the time.
“The only doubt I had in my head was if you felt the same way about me,” I tell him. “There was no doubt about Ed. He wasn’t even on the same wavelength as you.”
“I’m coming to you,” he tells me, and I just nod. He rushes to me, his hands going into my hair, his mouth crashing on mine, and my arms wrapping around his neck while our tongues fight a battle. His hands leave my hair and wrap around me, and I jump into his arms as he picks me up.
“I love you,” he whispers to me when he finally lets go of my lips. “Loved you the first moment you walked into my house and sweet talked my dogs.” His forehead rests on mine as I hold his cheeks in my hands.
“I didn’t sleep a wink last night,” he whispers. “I spent the night watching you.” I laugh now, my heart a little less heavy than five seconds ago. “In a non-stalker way.”
“Evan,” I say his name. “I am so sorry you doubted me or us.” I kiss his lips.
“Will you come home with me?” he asks me in a whisper.
“I already bought a ticket,” I tell him, and he smiles.
“Good. Get ready,” he says. “I rented a plane, and it leaves in an hour.”
I look at him shocked. “What?”
“The team headed back last night, but I rented a plane for today so I could spend the night with you, but I have to be on the ice tomorrow morning,” he tells me. “I was going to woo you, hoping you would come home with me.”
“My bag is already packed,” I tell him. “Any chance we can leave earlier?”
“Let me call the company,” he says, letting me go. “Go get dressed just in case,” he tells me, and I run into the closet and pull on a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt, his sweatshirt, and when I finish, he is hanging up the phone. “We are good to go in forty-five minutes,” he says. “I have a car coming to get us, and it should be here in ten minutes.” He looks up from his phone and sees me wearing his hoodie. “Beautiful.”
I walk to him and wrap my hands around his waist. “Let’s go home to my puppies,” I tell him.
He kisses my lips and holds my hand while carrying my bag in the other. I had everything packed yesterday afternoon so my carry-on is already waiting at the door. “I’m going to text Zoe that I’m leaving,” I tell him, grabbing my phone and seeing a couple of missed calls from her.
I dial her right away, and she answers on the first ring. “Thank fuck,” she hisses. “Where the hell were you?”
“I was sleeping, and I just got up,” I tell her and see that Evan has opened the door and is now carrying my bag out. “Now I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going?” she asks me, and I hear a guy in the background.
“Who is that?” I ask her.
“The contractor,” she says. “I came home to a flooded apartment. The moron cat upstairs touched something, and the sink locked, and well, there is now a swimming pool in my living room.” She then whispers, “He’s so lucky that it wasn’t my clothes.” She takes a deep breath. “Anyway, I was wondering if I could come stay at your house while you’re away.”
“You don’t even have to ask. You should have come over last night,” I tell her, locking the door and then walking to the car where Evan is waiting.
“I thought you wouldn’t want to be disturbed,” she says, giggling. “I want all the details, but it is going to have to wait. I have to go and see how long this mess will take.”
“Whatever. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I tell her and stop by the car to give him a kiss just because I can.
“All good?” he asks me, and I nod my head and get in the car. He gets in after me, and the man takes off.
“Yeah, all good.” I smile up at him. “Zoe’s place got flooded, so she’s going to stay at my house.”
He leans down and softly kisses my lips. “If she wants, she can come stay at my house in Dallas. How long can you stay this time?”
“Um.” I smile. “I quit my job last week.”
“What?” he asks shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well,” I start, “I officially decided to work with Zara’s Closet full time, and I was going to surprise you by staying for a couple of weeks,” I say, leaning in to him. “I mean, if you don’t mind.”
“Fuck.” He grabs me to sit on his lap. “Don’t leave.” He buries his face in my neck, kissing it.
He kisses me the whole flight home, and when we finally touch down in Dallas, I’m starving.
“Do you want to grab something on the way, or do you want to stop?” he asks me, getting into the Yukon truck that is waiting for us.
“I just want to get home to my babies.” I wink at him, and he just shakes his head. I look out the window while he goes nuts on his phone, and when we pull up to the house, I don’t wait for him to open the door for me. I take charge and almost run to the door. “You really need to get the automatic door opener,” I yell at him as he walks to me scowling.
“You always wait for me to open your door,” he says, rolling my luggage and carrying my purse.
“Just open the door,” I tell him, jumping. “Lilo.” I say her name and hear her crying and barking.
“Calm down,” he says, sticking the key and opening the door.
“Hey, my baby girl,” I say, squatting down, and she comes to me and licks my face. She’s so excited, she goes in circles and then comes back. “Oh come on, my boy,” I say, and they both come to me, knocking me off my feet, and I fall on my bum.
“Enough,” Evan yells, and then I see someone coming with two boxes of pizza. “Food is here.” He picks me up from
the floor and then grabs the pizza. I grab the suitcase, and we walk inside the house, the dogs following me the whole way. “Put your bag in my room this time.”
“Really?” I look over my shoulder. “You were going to break up with me less than twelve hours ago.”
“Yeah.” He smiles. “But you love me so …” He kisses my neck, and Lilo barks at him. “I will share her, but she’s mine.”
I shake my head and walk to his room, dumping my bag in there and going to find my man.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Evan
I was going to walk away from her. I was going to cut my losses and move on. It was going to be hard, but I wouldn’t be second prize. But when she stood there and gave me everything, my heart that was breaking filled so hard and so fast, I thought it was going to explode in my chest. I love her with everything I have. I love her like I have loved no other.
That moment you see the person who owns your heart, who can destroy you. Knowing that without her, you are going to be half the man you should be. Knowing that only with her, your heart beats normal; knowing that only with her, everything is going to be okay.
Seeing her standing in my kitchen, grabbing a water bottle while eating a slice of pizza with Lilo following her everywhere, I know that this is it. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for. “What are you thinking about?” she asks me, sitting down in front of me. “What’s going on?
“I’m thinking about you,” I tell her honestly. “Thinking that you here in my kitchen with me.” I take a sip of her water. “I got really lucky.”
She tilts her head to the side. “You did get lucky.” She smiles, grabbing another bite of her pizza. “But you are about to get a whole lot luckier.”
“Really?” I ask, trying not to smirk. “How lucky are we talking about here?” Right here is another reason I love her. She can be serious and then just turn it around and make it funny.
This Is Crazy Page 17
