by K B Cinder
I was in shock that it all happened, the time at Dad’s barely numbing the horror. “I don’t know how she knew!”
“She stole pictures from Marty’s office. Peggy sent her in there Friday to gather files when he was at lunch. He was scheduled to be fired the day everything happened. Monica found the pictures and took your personnel file. That’s why you were pulled into HR Monday morning. She laid it all out, so she’d have time to hand out copies without you noticing.”
“Pictures?” I breathed, a hand flying up to cover my mouth. “What pictures?”
“Us kissing at the carnival on our first date, outside the Ferris wheel. He was there with his wife. He took pictures as an insurance policy since he knew he was screwed.”
Nausea struck again. “That’s creepy.”
“Yup. Monica sent a packet to the Board too.”
I shook my head, unable to process it all. “I’m sorry.” It was too much, too many facts whirling at once.
He shrugged, a smile touching his lips. “It doesn’t matter. I beat them to the punch and resigned.”
“From Ithaca? Are you moving right to Chicago?” He had to be so excited to be free of that place. While the shock of what happened stung, I was relieved to escape the drama.
He smiled wider. “I'm not going to Chicago.”
“Why? Are you going to work out of Tampa again?” I asked. He seemed to like it there, but he sold his dream house.
He stared down at me, grabbing my hands in his. “I resigned from the company.”
I shook my head. “Jase, you're at the top of your career!”
He nodded. “I was. Good luck to them finding a replacement.”
“What are you talking about?” I sputtered.
He worked so hard for that job. It was everything to him.
He squeezed my hands. “I've wasted years chasing something that left me empty. When I met you, I realized that. I’m not complete unless I’m with you. That’s worth more than any job.”
I shook my head, tears falling. “You're talking crazy. You can't do that.” I wouldn’t let him throw his dreams away.
“I already did. They told me to fire you, or I was fired. I quit instead.”
He gave everything up for me. I couldn’t stop the influx of tears; guilt, happiness, confusion, and all swirling through my mind. I didn’t know how to feel. “What are you going to do?” I choked out.
He brushed my tears away. “I have some ideas, babe.”
I shook my head. He was talking nonsense. “Like what? You signed non-competes...”
He must have. That meant he was iced out of the industry–the only industry he knew. He took his career and threw it in a woodchipper like I did.
He smiled. “For starters, I'm going to kiss you until you're blue in the face from more than just the cold. Then I'm going to whisk you away to a diner out here in the middle of fucking nowhere, and we're going to plan our life together.”
I shook with sobs, unable to believe what I was hearing. “Are you crazy?”
He pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Only about you, Keebler.”
“You are insane,” I muttered, cuddling close.
He chuckled. “So are you.”
“How so?” I asked, glancing up at him, my chin digging into him.
“You ran into the woods in the middle of a snowstorm,” he exclaimed. “It’s like you’ve never seen a single episode of Forensics in your life. That’s How-to-Get-Murdered 101.”
“True,” I muttered, a smile creeping to my lips. “I thought you were going to kiss me?”
“I would if I wasn’t afraid of our faces freezing together.”
He took my hand, and we trudged through the snow, following our footsteps through the trees. In retrospect, my plan was pretty damn stupid. I zigzagged a mile through the woods. I was lucky I didn’t run into a moose. Christ, I could have come across a pack of coyotes and been lunch.
By the time we got back out to the road, I was faced with the horror of snow in my socks, the icy chunks freezing my ankles to the bone. I also knew I had my own secrets to share, ones that only Lee knew. I almost preferred the ice-cold hosiery to the heat burning in my stomach.
I climbed in the passenger seat, Jason’s winter coat making up the figure I thought was a passenger. I happily climbed under it until he slid in the driver’s seat when I pushed it his way. “Put this on, doofus.”
He shoved it back on my lap. “I hate driving in it. I’ll be fine.” He did, however, crank up the heat when he started the vehicle.
I turned to him, swallowing hard. “I want to talk to you before we head back to the cabin.”
“To the cabin?” he asked, cocking his head.
“I need to tell my dad where I’m going. He’ll start looking for me.”
He nodded. “We can plan there, then. He’s a part, right?”
“Jason, I -” I began, but he cut me off with a kiss, his lips melting against mine. I burst into tears all over again, claiming him back as I did, my heart reduced to jelly at his words.
I pushed away, wiping tears from my cheeks, staring at the man I loved. “I haven’t told you the truth either,” I admitted. “I have debt still from the wedding. Debt that my dad doesn’t know about. No one knows about it except Lee and now you.”
“And Justin,” he replied. “That came up in our little chat when he told me where to find you. He’ll be cutting you a check for the full amount.”
“WHAT?!?” I screeched.
He cradled my face in his hands, his skin icy. “I don’t care about the debt, even if he refused to pay it. I don’t care about Justin. All I care about is that you’re right here in front of me. No matter what comes up, I’m here for you, Elena.”
He held my gaze, and I was lost in his eyes, the beautiful blue sparks that had me from day one. There it was. The look I was waiting for. I knew I was the icing on the cake to him, all hints of doubt gone. “I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you sitting there in a sweater in fucking July.”
My lips quivered at his words as I hovered dangerously close to ugly cry territory. “I love you too.”
He pulled me into a hug, and we held one another, crying like saps in the middle of a snowstorm, ready to live our life together, publicly.
Epilogue
Elena
“The property includes two-hundred acres of forest and backs up to a lake,” Ruben explained, gesturing towards the towering Balsam fir trees. “But it’s also right off the main road and only a ten-minute drive into town, so it’s the best of both worlds.”
Jason and Dad were chattering, oblivious to everything the real estate agent was saying. The property was just off Dad’s logging trail on the main road, a prime piece of land for building our dream home. It was more expensive than I realized, out of our price range since we had to build a house too.
“So what are our energy options out here? What about the internet?” I asked, cautious about both. Jason and I both worked from home, me as a product manager at Commons Electrical, and he as a director of sales for a defense contractor. I also had graduate school starting up in the fall.
“You could opt to tie into the power lines down the road. I always recommend a back-up generator too. For the internet, rural providers have come a long way in speed. I’d say the service out here would be as fast as in town.”
I smiled, relieved he at least put those concerns to bed. I was in love with the property, and it was in the perfect location, but the price was a problem. Maybe we could talk it down a little. Okay, we would need to talk it down a lot. “And how long would it take a builder to complete the project?”
Ruben thought for a moment, bobbing his head back and forth. “Depending on the floor plan, anywhere from six to eight months.”
Jason nodded, tuning back into the conversation. “Sounds reasonable. So we’d have a house by September or November?”
Ruben counted on his fingers quickly. “That sounds abou
t right. Hopefully September. We’d want to beat any chance of snow.”
“We have a busy summer ahead, so September would be nice,” Jason replied.
What were we doing in the summer? I was planning on relaxing before jumping into the school year, my first classes in over a decade. “Do we?” I asked, turning to face him.
“Yep.” He wiped his hands on his jeans, the worn denim perfectly molded to his frame.
“What are we doing?” As far as I knew, we were working and maybe visiting his brothers a few times. That wasn’t my definition of busy.
“Hopefully, getting married.”
“What?” I whirled to face him just in time to see him drop to one knee, a small box in his hand. At the center was Mom’s engagement ring, the floral diamond piece taking my breath away just as it had when I was a kid. I hadn’t seen it in years.
Jason’s eyes locked with mine, nothing but love pouring forth. “Elena, you’re my best friend, my confidant, and the woman I love. You make me a better man every day, and you complete me in more ways you’ll ever know. Will you marry me?”
I shrieked, dropping to my knees and wrapping my arms around his neck. I must have kissed his face a hundred times in five seconds flat, overcome with every emotion in the book.
Dad and Ruben clapped around us. It sounded almost too loud, and I realized it was as soon as I looked up to see more loved ones. Lee, Jesse, and the kids appeared, along with Luke and Ethan, all giving us a round of applause, not a dry eye in the crowd. That was all it took for tears to break loose and make quick work of my smoky eye.
“So is that a yes?” Jason asked, laughing.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I could barely hold still as he slid the ring on my finger, and as soon as he did, I hauled him in for a kiss, ignoring the surrounding crowd. I kissed the man I loved with everything I had until he pried me off of him.
“So it will be a busy summer,” he chuckled, pulling me to my feet as he stood, the knees of our jeans caked in dirt. “You’ll have to do double-duty with planning, babe.”
“Maybe we should wait on the house then,” I surmised, knowing it was probably for the best.
“Too late,” Jason replied, smiling. “We break ground next week.”
Josie Roberts.
She taught me how to love.
She taught me how to hate.
She burst into my heart as abruptly as she left.
I’ve spent eleven years wondering why until she showed up all these years later.
Still bright. Still beautiful.
Still the only woman I’d loved.
* * *
Luke Barrett.
Lover. Liar. Cheat. Criminal.
He left me on the hook for his sins.
I haven’t thought about him since the day I said: “I do.”
But life has a funny way of Bringing Up your deepest, darkest desire when you least expect it.
And mine just happens to be him.
* * *
Prologue
Thirteen Years Earlier
Dear Luke,
Day five of Imprisonment is far worse than day four. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll survive under these conditions. The Warden has grown resistant to my pleas and cut all privileges in a cruel attempt to break me. But he won’t. I’m a Roberts. How could he forget?
I haven’t left my cell, and solitary confinement is taking its toll. I miss the warm glow of the sun on my skin… The Warden is sure it’ll teach me a lesson, though I fear it’ll only drive me toward utter madness.
There are two more days left in my sentence, but I’m not sure how much longer I can bear. Please stay strong for me.
Love always,
Josie
P.S. I could really go for a Milky Way.
I chuckled at the letter, staring up at Briar’s own Rapunzel, the beauty locked away in her tower for a week after getting a C on a trigonometry pop quiz.
If Ed Roberts thought that was worthy of a jail sentence, he’d flip shit if he ever saw my grades.
Nan would be over the moon if I hit that level of the alphabet. Unfortunately for her, I liked a lot of things more than homework — one of which I was staring at right now.
Josie smiled down from her window, her long golden hair blowing in the breeze as she leaned out blowing kisses.
It was the first time she’d been grounded since we started dating, and so far, the princess of Briar wasn’t faring well. She’d be a goner if she had actually abided by the rules. Sneaking out each night to meet around the block definitely made things easier.
She usually came for lunch down at the shop with sandwiches each day, but midday escapes were a no-go with Ed lurking around town. I visited her instead all week, bringing along goodies she requested in each letter.
I plucked the note from the pad and tucked it in my pocket, scrawling one to send up with the Reese’s I brought.
Dear Josie,
You wouldn’t last a day without chocolate, would you? I’ll bring you the caramel goodness as requested, but I demand homemade chocolate chip cookies when you’re released from prison.
Time is ticking, my dear. You’ll be free before you know it. I’m sure the Warden is just as worn out dealing with such a troublesome inmate. You aren’t exactly making things easier on him. Being a model inmate might lessen your sentence, no? They do release prisoners for good behavior. Just a thought.
You’re beautiful today, as always. I can’t wait to see you tonight. Let’s head up to the ridge and watch the meteor shower.
Love always,
Luke
Luke
ELEVEN YEARS LATER
Good sex was nature’s cure-all.
Headache? Sex.
Irritable? Sex.
Shit day at work? Sex.
One dose of Becca chased away the migraine that made a day in the shop a living hell, the former classmate as generous as I remembered. Running into her at the gas station was a pleasant surprise, but her asking if I’d fill up more than her tank was a better one.
And I did.
Twice.
Headache-free and ready to relax, the only chore left for the day was grabbing the mail. I shuffled through the latest round of bullshit, stopping at an ivory envelope, knowing what waited inside as I tore it open, secondhand dread churning.
Etched in floral stationery was the announcement — obviously Elena’s pick. Jason was the king of clean lines and a minimalist to the bone.
We request the honor of your presence at the nuptials of Jason Joseph Barrett and Elena Rose Julian on Friday, the third of July, at seven in the evening. Willits Estate, 3300 East Drive, Willits Bend, Vermont.
Slamming a nut in a door was more appealing than getting hitched, but I was happy for the couple. Elena was already like a sister, and she made Jase whole, so that was all that mattered. They could enjoy wedded bliss, whatever that was, while I stayed on the fast track of unlimited pussy.
I slid the death certificate of my brother’s manhood to the back of the pile, grateful it’d never be me. At thirty-two, I was a rare breed in Briar, one of the few men not chained down. Watching them glare in envy while I fucked my way through the town’s crop never got old.
As I thumbed through advertisements, I came across a birthday postcard for my pride and joy with a picture of the beauty grinning ear to ear melting my heart.
While other men chased women who’d ruin them, I had Tally — the only girl I’d ever love.
“Tallybug! You got something, honey!”
She loved nothing more than getting mail. It’d been a long time since anyone sent her anything. The last surprise was a box of goodies from her Uncle Ethan.
Her feet pitter-pattered across the driveway as she fled the porch step, the crunch of gravel growing more rapid with each step.
I’d have to get her something extra special for her big day. While birthdays always saw bells and whistles in our house, turning five was a huge milestone for a little girl.
&nbs
p; I flipped the postcard her way as she came to a stop. “Look what you got, sweetie!”
She craned her neck, peeking at the card. A smile tugged at her cheeks as she waited for me to read it aloud.
“Dr. Moore sent a card for my pretty princess!”
She barked at his name, bouncing from paw to paw, the only dog I’d ever had who actually liked the vet.
Well, she was the only dog I’d had, period, but whatever. Weren’t they supposed to hate thermometers in their ass? I didn’t even like fingers in mine. The thought of cold metal up there was more than a nope.
“That’s my girl!” I rubbed her side, her coat silky smooth from her latest grooming appointment. A vanilla lavender spa treatment was always a must for the princess.
I scrunched her floppy ear as it fluttered in the breeze, a fresh round of salt air skittering in from the inlet.
“You don’t have to see Dr. Moore for a while, Tallybug.”
My wallet appreciated that, too.
As I unleashed another round of rubs, a small SUV zipped by, catching my eye. Normally, I wouldn’t pay mind to speeders since I regularly flipped off the law, but the sharp turn around the bend ahead was better suited for a 25-mile-per-hour limit. Not that the town cared.
The SUV wouldn’t be its next casualty, however, cutting left into the driveway of Mrs. Sutton’s place with its tires screeching.
Well, what used to be Mrs. Sutton’s place. It’d been almost a year since she passed. The cozy cottage sat for sale since with no interest despite the views, its interior as ancient as its previous owner. I toyed with flipping it but refused to pay the outrageous price her son wanted.
Usually Dan the Douche would stop in to brag about the offers he had lined up, spewing nothing but crap as he did. It was odd he’d sold it and kept his mouth shut for once.
I shuffled mail, not wanting to be obvious as I lingered, ordering Tally to stay with a snap of my fingers as the love bug geared up to say hi.
