by Lauren Wood
“Then how the hell did he get in?”
But he was standing right in front of me before she could guess at an answer.
“Christopher,” I gawked, thinking he did look awfully good in his tux. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you,” he said. “Abby, I’ve been thinking a lot since we ran into each other at the restaurant. I know we didn’t have much time to get to know each other, but I did really like you. Now that I’m single again, and you are too…”
“How did you know I was…”
“I wanted to come here tonight and ask you out,” he cut me off.
“Oh…” my brow furrowed. “Oh, I… I…”
I was trying to wrap my head around my feelings, and then an answer, but then I caught sight of something even more jarring over his shoulder. The ballroom doors opened, and Joshua appeared. He stopped and scanned the room, but it didn’t take him long to spot us standing in the middle of everything.
“Christopher,” he nodded.
“Joshua,” Christopher turned up his nose. “When you said we’d both take a stab at getting Abby back, I didn’t know you meant on the same night.”
“I didn’t know either, but here we are,” he grumbled.
“Oh boy,” Val croaked by my side.
“So that’s why you’re both here?” I laughed in disbelief. “To try and win me back?”
Joshua pushed past everyone and took the loaded tray from my arms. He could have handed it to Valerie, which would have made more sense. But instead he shoved it into Christopher’s hands, not giving him a chance to object before pulling me a few feet away.
“Abby, I’m sorry it took me so long,” he said, looking intently into my eyes. The crackling energy between us picked up again instantly, making my chest seize up. “I should have chased after you that day. I shouldn’t have given up. I didn’t know what you wanted… I didn’t know what to do. But I’m here now. And I’m letting you know that I’m going to do whatever I can to convince you that I can be the man you thought I could before I screwed everything up. I love you, Abby.”
“Hey, that’s not fair,” Christopher huffed from behind him, listening in on everything. “I might love her by now… if you hadn’t come in between us.”
Hearing Joshua say he loved me took my breath away. But then, there was Christopher. Who maybe wasn’t looking his best right now in his desperation with his arms full of shrimp cocktail, which he held so awkwardly. But he was like a shiny, fresh, clean start. He never had a chance to screw things up, and maybe he never would if I gave him another chance. The chance we never got. The one I didn’t even think I wanted until it was taken away from me.
I felt Valerie come up to me, whispering in my ear, “Girl, you know damn well which one you want.”
As soon as she said it, I knew she was right.
“Christopher,” I said, stepping past Joshua. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding between us. I’d say we should go have dinner, but I think I can save us both the time and tell you now what I would have said that night if you showed up.” His face lit up with a confident smile, as if he already knew what I was about to say. “You seem like a really great guy, but I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
“What?” he shrieked in shock.
I raced back over to Joshua, but stopped just in front of him. I gave him a cold, stern look. “You were a real jerk, you know that? You scared the guy I was seeing off. You practically stalked and harrassed all of my friends. You got wasted and gave Cassie over there all the ammunition she needed to make me think you two hooked up. You may very well be the craziest man I have ever met in my life.”
“I know,” he said grimly, bracing himself for rejection.
“But I love you,” I confessed, my voice cracking. “I love you too.”
His face relaxed into a smile, and I even thought I saw the glimmer of a tear forming in one eye. But before I could fully make it out, he swept me up into his arms for a big kiss. I lost myself there for a moment, relishing in the feeling of his big strong arms wrapped tightly around me. The feeling of those familiar lips pressed to mine. I sucked in his scent like it was the air I needed to breathe and all I could think was… Finally. I missed you.
I barely noticed Cassie appear behind us in the cluster with Christopher and Valerie, who couldn’t stop themselves from gawking at us—both for very different reasons.
“I give them two months,” Cassie noted resentfully before looking up to Christopher. “But hey… you’re single. I’m single. Want my number? I’ll go out with you.”
Christopher looked her up and down and seemed like he might consider it, but then he turned his attention to Valerie, a completely different air about him.
“Hey, I’m Christopher,” he said, reaching out his hand to shake hers.
“Hi,” she blushed. “I’m Valerie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Well… I heard that you’re a doctor,” she chuckled.
The two of them continued chatting and flirting, sending Cassie off into the kitchen in a renewed rage.
“Poor girl,” I sighed, watching her walk away. “You sure you wouldn’t rather go after her instead?” I asked Joshua, not letting go of him. “I hear she’s more than willing to quit her job and move in with a guy she just met.”
“Well, what’s the fun in that?” he quipped. “No challenge? No thank you.”
“Uh-huh, I see,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And when I finally give in and stop challenging you?”
“We live happily ever after,” he winked, kissing me again. “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”
“I’m working,” I reminded him.
“Name your price, and I’ll double it.”
“Stubborn as always,” I laughed, shaking my head. “What now? You pull your ‘life is short’ line on me.”
“Well, it is,” he defended. “Too short to spend a night without the woman you love while she walks around with trays of hors d’oeuvres for boring rich snobs. What do you say? Partner in crime?”
I was just about to answer when I heard the barking yell of my boss from across the room. He had really lost it this time, barreling straight for us—not caring how many of the guests he offended or alarmed.
“You!” he pointed right at me with veins bulging from the side of his head. “That’s it! I’ve officially had it! You know how nice and quiet and peaceful it was around here these past few days while you were gone!? You made it really easy to tell who the problem child is around here. Well, no more Mr. Nice Guy, missy. I want you out of here! For good! Don’t come back! You’re fiiiiired!”
Joshua bucked up as if he might try and defend me, but I stepped in front of him, reaching for the tie on the back of my apron.
“You know what? You can’t fire me. Because I quit!” I shouted, taking the apron off and tossing it on the ground between us.
His face dropped, while both Joshua and Valerie stared me down with an expression of Are you sure about this?
“That’s right. I quit,” I confirmed confidently. “Because I just took a new position. A paralegal position at Heartstring.” I paused for a moment and turned to Joshua, mouthing quietly, “That’s still a thing, right?” He nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, so… Have fun with your catering gigs and stupid lunches at the country club. I have better ways to earn my money! No offense, Val.”
“Oh, none taken,” she said before flashing another smile at Christopher, who she seemed to be hitting it off with.
My resignation didn’t stop my former boss from ranting and raving, and I could only assume he intended to do so right up until the second we walked out the door—and maybe for a while after.
But I didn’t care. I was in the arms of the man I loved, and I was done running from him. Whatever happened tomorrow would happen. Until then, I was going to soak up every ounce of him I could.
He swept me up in my arms and carried me right out of t
he ballroom, stopping every few steps to kiss me and murmur again that he loved me.
Epilogue
I was surprised when Joshua carried me out to the car waiting out front and hopped into the driver’s seat.
“No driver tonight?” I asked.
“Not tonight. This is special. I have a surprise for you,” he explained. “And we have to hurry while there’s still some daylight out.”
“Ah. A surprise, huh? Okay. But I would have been just fine with you taking me to the nearest bed. Or pulling over on the side of the road.” I ran my hand across his thigh. “I’ve missed you.”
“Don’t tempt me, Abby. There will be plenty of time for that.”
I waited patiently while we drove. Well… sort of. I kept torturing him with my daring hands, exploring up and down his leg. Still, I sat back and waited to see what he might have in store for me.
After a short drive to the edge of the city, he finally pulled the car to a stop on a mostly empty street. The sun was setting just off in the distance. I looked at the only thing to be found around us… and couldn’t believe what I saw. Joshua couldn’t have known it, but we just so happened to stop in front of a house that was identical to the one I always imagined myself living in.
It was a medium-sized home, white with black shutters, complete with a cliche, but adorable, little white picket fence. There was a decent amount of land around it, even though it was still such a short distance from the city.
“What a coincidence,” I marveled as we climbed out of the car. “It’s so crazy. I always wanted a house like this. I used to draw pictures of something like it when I was a little girl. It’s only missing one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t want to say,” I laughed. “You’ll make fun of me.”
“Try me,” he grinned.
“Well… there’s the fence and all,” I said slowly. “So, in my dream… I always imagined a dog running around the front yard. Not just any dog. A golden retriever. My grandma had one when I was growing up, and he was the best dog ever. Anyway, where are we? Why did you bring me here?”
I looked to the other side of the street, thinking there must have been something else around that was our intended destination. But Joshua continued down the sidewalk, right up to the latch of the little white picket fence. My mouth dropped when he clicked it open and waved for me to go inside.
“Joshua! What are you doing? Someone lives here! We can’t just go inside their yard!”
He pointed to the corner of the yard to a FOR SALE sign with another smaller sign plastered on top that read: SOLD.
“That doesn’t mean we can just…”
Before I could finish my sentence, an opening in the front door creaked. I looked up to see none other than a golden retriever bounding out of the doggy door in the house, running straight for me like I was a long lost best friend.
“This is so unreal!” I shrieked, dropping to my knees to greet the puppy. She jumped up and licked my face, making me laugh. “Joshua! Look! Can you believe this? She’s just like what I…”
I stopped, realizing that he wasn’t surprised at all. In fact, he hadn’t seemed surprised by my admission of dreaming of this very thing when I was a little girl either.
“Wait. What’s going on here?” I stood up, letting the dog run back inside. “Joshua?”
“Welcome to your new home, Abby,” he announced, leading me to the front door.
I was speechless as he pulled a key from his pocket and slid it into the lock. He opened the house up and led me inside. The interior was everything I used to fill childhood diaries with, right down to the wallpaper in the foyer.
“Now, I know you want to take things slow,” he explained as I looked around with my mouth gaping. “I’ll give you all the time you need. I’ll stay at my penthouse whenever you want me to. You can even keep your apartment, if you want. But this house is yours. It’s ours… For the future, whenever you decide you’re ready.”
I had no words to reply. All I could do was wander from room to room, the feeling of what he had done washing over me. All that time he spent prodding my family and friends for dirt on me, it wasn’t just about little romantic things. It was about the life I had always envisioned for myself. And he had recreated every detail of it.
There was a study filled with a complete law book library and a sparse guest room, which I imagined could one day be converted into a nursery. I looked out the window and envisioned a swing set in the backyard. I could watch the kids play while I worked from home.
“You really did all of this… for me?” I gasped.
“You deserve to have all of your dreams come true, Abby. Hell, I didn’t have any dreams until I met you. But if you’ll let me, I’d love to share yours.”
I walked from room to room with him following behind me before finally stopping in the kitchen and bracing myself over the sink.
“What do you think?” he asked sheepishly.
“What do I think?” I laughed, not turning to face him. “I’ll tell you what I think. You, Joshua Meadows, are the craziest man I have ever met in my life. The verdict is in. You are absolutely mad.”
He nodded, flashing the same look he had in the ballroom when he was preparing himself to be turned down. But I walked over and wrapped my arms around him.
“You’re absolutely mad, but… You’re my mad man. And the love of my life.”
“So, you’ll take the house?”
“Take it?” I smiled wide. “I’ll take it and you, together. All at once. Right now. Starting tonight.”
His face lit up as he leaned down to kiss me. “I was hoping you might say that. Now, there are just a few more things to get in order.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden scales necklace I had left at his place. After fastening it back around my neck, where it belonged, he reached into his other pocket. Only this time, he got down on one knee.
Joshua kneeled before me with a velvet box in his hands and opened it up to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring. “Abby Matthews. I hate to keep piling on demands, but if we’re going to be living together… I’m sorry, but I just have to make an honest woman out of you,” he teased. “Will you marry me?”
For the first time since we met, I felt not a moment’s hesitation or doubt. “Yes,” I whispered, feeling my eyes well up with happy tears. “I’ll marry you, you crazy man. I don’t feel like I have a choice. I’ve tried to pretend like I do, but from the moment we met… I don’t think I’ve had a choice.”
He slid the ring onto my finger and embraced me for a kiss. The romance of the moment was only intensified by the time we had spent apart. My body tingled with a ferocious need for him that I could tell he felt for me in return.
Our kiss deepened as we laughed and stumbled back against the kitchen wall. I could have given myself to him right there on the countertop, but he lowered me to the ground and pulled away, whispering with a smile, “I forgot to show you the best part of the house. The place where dreams really come true.”
“Oh yeah?” I raised a brow. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
He swept me up into his arms and carried me into the back of the house, kicking open a door to reveal a master bedroom where a bed had already been installed.
“Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I figured if everything went just the way it did… we might conclude the evening in here.”
“You really did think of everything,” I said skeptically, circling the room to draw out the suspense.
He waited anxiously for my approval, or disapproval. But I was kidding myself to even pretend I could resist him for a moment longer. I fell back onto the bed and held out my arms to him.
He raced over like a kid on Christmas morning and jumped onto the mattress next to me. “Oh, Abby. I’m determined to make you the happiest woman on earth if it’s the last thing I do.”
“You already have,” I smiled. “But I hope it’s not the last thing you do.
There’s something else I was hoping for before you stop.”
“My pleasure,” he murmured against my lips before kissing me deeply.
I whimpered with relief as his hands smoothed up and down the length of my body, taking his time to hint at every inch he planned to caress and kiss and tease. It was all so overwhelming, all I could do was lean back, letting our bodies melt together, and let him do his work… which he did, oh so well. His expert hands stripped off my clothes and touched me everywhere I needed him to the most.
We made love until the sun went down. Outside of the city, we could see the stars twinkling in the sky outside the window. We laid in bed for hours, tracing each other’s skin in the dark, admiring the view both inside and outside of my little dream home.
“What would you have done with this place if I had gone out with Christopher instead?” I asked him as he swirled his fingers around the curves of my stomach.
“Held onto it and given it to you two as a wedding gift,” he joked. “I wouldn’t have been happy about it, but this is your house. Even if you haven’t chosen me or Christopher, I would have given you this place. I put it all together for you. Well, with the help of your mom.”
“My mom?” I shrieked, smacking his chest. “I guess that makes sense. How else would you have found all of this stuff out about me!? Even Rachel didn’t know about half of this. But jeez, Joshua! She didn’t even know we were dating! You two have never even met!”
He ran his hand down my arm and held my ring up to glisten in the moonlight. “And now when we do meet, it will be as your fiance.”
I felt my eyes growing heavy as a slow smile spread across my lips. I had my dream home, and before long would have my dream career. Not to mention, a guy I never dreamed of, but now couldn’t imagine living without. Now all that was left to do was enjoy a lifetime of evenings just like this, tangled up in his arms.
“Partners in crime,” I whispered, just before fading off to sleep.
I hope you enjoyed Picture Perfect Love! If you did, I would love if you could leave a review HERE to help other readers find it.
