by Elyse Kelly
“He shot out of his chair, thanking everyone for coming, and thanking your dad for dinner. He said you were really wiped out from today and he needed to get you home so you could rest.”
“It wasn’t what he said, but how he said it. Like the place was on fire and he couldn’t get you outta here fast enough,” Ava says, a huge smile on her face.
“Yeah girl, you better go before your man comes in here, throws you over his shoulder, and carries you out the back.” She shakes her head, laughing, but none of us doubt for one second that Asher really would carry his woman out of here, just to get her home and in his bed.
We all leave the bathroom and head back to the dining room. We say our goodbyes to our parents before Asher and Callie head out together, leaving me and Ava behind. Dane and Christian are still here, too, and the four of us decide to hang out at Dane’s house, which just so happens to be right next door to the house Christian shares with his brother, Asher. I’m sure we’ll run into the two lovebirds sometime later this evening.
“Hey Sophie, do you wanna ride with me? We can come back and pick up your car later,” Ava offers.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks!” I tell her, grabbing my purse from the back of my chair. We all walk out together, Dane holding open the front door for us, and I’m the last one to step out. Just approaching him makes my insides quiver.
Dane Kelly. The most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He is so stunningly beautiful, he’d put a GQ model to shame. Dane is six feet, four inches of milk chocolate heaven. His muscles have muscles! I know he spends time every day perfecting his Adonis-like body, on top of the physical labor he puts in working at the auto shop. His abs are so strong and pronounced, like they’ve been carved out of the finest marble, and his arms are so big I’m sure he could crush a watermelon just by flexing.
And that smile! Good heavens, that smile! When that man smiles, with those full lips and perfect white teeth, ovaries from two counties over explode. I’ve seen women practically faint when he walks by. He could make any woman throw her panties at him with just one wink.
And he has no idea I’m in love with him. I have tortured myself, lusting after this man for years, but I can’t seem to stop. No matter how hard I’ve tried.
I have wanted Dane since the eighth grade, when we had our first class together in middle school. He sat down next to me on the first day of school and my heart literally skipped a beat. For being just a kid, he had so much swagger, even back then. And every girl in school wanted him. But he hardly even noticed me.
Don’t get me wrong, he was always nice to me. I was just never on his radar. He was always with Asher and Christian, his two best friends, and he only seemed to care about football. But why wouldn’t he, when he was a star athlete? We were all sure he was going to college to play ball, but he declined the offers, saying he wanted to stay close to his mom and sister. After that, his focus seemed to stay on his friends and family, and his job at Davis Auto, the garage Christian and Asher took over from their dad.
Sure, he dated occasionally, and I always watched from the sidelines, hoping one day it would be me. But it never was. Now we’ve both grown up and I still can’t get over my obsessive crush on him.
“You remember how to get to my place, don’t you Soph?” God, my simple nickname sounds amazing coming from him, in that deep timbre of his.
“I do, but I’m riding with Ava. I’ll come back later to pick up my car.”
“Ok. I’ll see you at my place,” he says with a wink. Great, now my panties are ruined. I’ve never been to his house before and I’m not sure I can survive a night being in such close proximity to him, for a long period of time. I guess we’re about to find out.
CHAPTER 2
Sophie
Ava unlocks the doors to her car and we hop in, buckling up. She keeps giving me a strange look and I’m not sure what it’s for. I turn my head to look over at her in the driver’s seat.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is there pizza on my face?”
“No, girl. There’s nothing on your face.” She chuckles at me.
“Well... what is it then?”
“So, don’t get mad ok?”
“You can’t tell me not to get mad because that only implies that what you’re about to say, is probably going to make me mad.” My brow wrinkles in worry about what she going to say.
“That’s fair. And honestly, I don’t think you’re gonna be mad. Just... maybe surprised, that’s all.” She glances at me while she driving and I lift my eyebrows in a “Well, get on with it” kind of look. “So... you like Dane, huh?”
“Well, yeah. We’re all friends. We grew up here together.”
“No, I mean really like him,” she says, her left brow looking like it’s been snagged with a fish hook. Surely, she can’t know about my silly crush. She blows out an exasperated breath. “Ok, I’m just gonna say it. Last night, when we all went out to the bar, you had hearts in your eyes every time you looked at him, which was a lot. You were practically drooling, watching him and Christian play pool.
“Then, at the grand opening, you basically hand-fed the man cupcakes, as you made him try all the flavors. And tonight, at dinner, I thought you were gonna pass out when he put his arm around your chair, while you sat next to him. Admit it. You want him, don’t you?” Well, shit!
“Do you think he knows?” I ask her.
“I don’t think he has a clue. He seemed pretty oblivious to me.”
“Oh, thank God! Whew, girl! You scared me for a minute.”
“What? Why? Why don’t you want him to know?”
“Are you crazy?! He’d never go for a girl like me.”
“A girl like you? What’s that supposed to mean? You’re gorgeous, Sophie. Any guy would wanna date you.”
“Not any guy,” I mutter bitterly.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head, looking out the passenger window.
“Well, I think you should tell him. You should ask him out. You’re both attractive, single adults. And you’d make a super cute couple.”
“Yeah, well... just don’t say anything, ok? I’ve got enough on my plate right now. I don’t think I could handle rejection from the hottest guy in Magnolia Springs, on top of everything else.”
“Suit yourself, girl. But I’m going on the record saying you should give it a chance.”
“Duly noted,” I tell her, with a small smile. As much as I’d love for Dane to finally wake up and notice me, I’ve got bigger problems than a crush right now.
We finish the short drive to Dane’s, making small talk on the way. It’s so easy to be around Ava. She’s so sweet and kind. She seems to be fitting right in, and I’m really happy to have made a new friend. Maybe I’ll open up and tell her about all the drama going on in my life later tonight. But first, drinks.
Ava and I are in Dane’s kitchen, opening our second bottle of wine. It’s been such a nice evening, just hanging out and relaxing. It feels really good to just forget all about what Kyle did, even if it’s just for a little while.
Kyle. What an asshole! I don’t date much, mainly because I’m so busy with the boutique, but I’ve never been treated the way Kyle treated me. If he wanted to end things, that’s all he had to say. I didn’t even really like him anyway. But to walk in on what I saw, that’s unforgivable.
“Why do you look like you’re ready to commit murder?” Dane asks, walking into the kitchen, shaking me from my thoughts.
“Who’s ready to commit murder?” Christian asks, as he joins us.
“Sophie, from the looks of it,” Ava answers.
“Just thinking about my ex, is all. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just forget it.” I top off Ava’s glass of wine, before refilling my own.
“I didn’t know you were dating anyone.” Dane comes t
o stand next to me at the kitchen island. He smells so good, all masculine and clean, I almost close my eyes and moan at his scent. Ava must see my reaction and hides her smile with her wine glass.
“Uh... I was. For a little while. But it’s over and he’s a dick,” I say, my voice dripping with disdain.
“Want me to kick his ass?” Dane asks me. I crane my neck to look up at him, as I consider if he’d really do something like that for me.
“He’s not worth it. I just have to figure out how to be around him and not kill him, that’s all.”
“What do you mean?” Ava asks.
“This is embarrassing. Can we please just forget it?”
“C’mon, Soph. We’re all friends here,” Christian says.
“Fine, I guess I can tell you guys. Maybe you can give me some advice on how to handle this awful situation.” They all look at me expectantly, but I definitely need more wine before I tell them this story. I down my glass of wine in a very unlady-like fashion, then shake my shoulders to loosen up. Inhaling and releasing a deep breath, I think back to the beginning, when I first met Kyle.
It was about three or four months ago, when he came in to my boutique. He was passing through town, on his way to Savannah, and was looking for a gift to take to his mom. My mom had been on my back all week, about how I needed to get more help at the shop, so I could spend more time on my personal life. Because, as my mom said, “You’re not getting any younger, Sophie. You need to get married and have babies. You can’t do that when you’re always at that little shop of yours.”
“That little shop of yours.” I can’t believe that’s how she said it. Most parents would be beyond proud of their kids if they went to college, got a business degree, created their own business plan, and opened their very own clothing boutique. But not my mom. No, sir. She measures success by the man at your side and how many babies you have.
So, when Kyle came in and began flirting with me, I thought maybe it was time to put myself out there. At least so I could shut my mom up for a while. And after all this time, it sure didn’t look like I was ever going to have a chance anyway, with the man of my dreams, Dane Kelly.
When Kyle asked me out, I said yes, even though he lived one town over. The distance wouldn’t normally be a big deal for most couples, but I was running my own business. I couldn’t just drop everything, simply because he came all this way to see me. He acted like it was the end of the world for us to make plans, versus just being spontaneous all the time.
But I had a shop to run. I couldn’t just close it anytime I wanted to. Customers expected me to be open when I said I would be. If people kept coming by and the shop was closed, all because I was on a date, my reputation would be ruined.
He said if I really wanted to be with him, I’d hire more help so we could spend more time together. But that costs money and I need to keep my expenses down. The shop is doing great, and I’ve almost paid off the start-up loan I took out to open the place. Just one more year, and it’ll be paid off. Then Sophie’s Boutique will finally be all mine and no one can take it from me. He should’ve been proud to date a self-made woman.
Oh, but not Kyle. Douchbag. The more time we spent together, the more I realized he was all wrong for me. He hated that I was so quirky, so independent, and such a workaholic. I tried to make it work, simply for the fact of appeasing my mom, but that blew up right in my face.
I actually did close the shop early on a Friday, and made the forty-minute drive over to his place. I wore his favorite dress, which was a bit more conservative than I’d normally wear, but whatever. Compromise, right? I get to his place and knock on the door, but he didn’t answer. I knew he was home, because I saw his car parked in the driveway.
Turning the knob, I tested to see if it was unlocked. To my surprise, it was. I let myself in, closing the door behind me and called out his name. No answer.
I set my purse and keys on the entryway table and stepped further into the house. I called his name again, but still no answer. Then I noticed a pair of pink stilettos and matching purse dropped in the hallway leading to his room. My gut churned and I knew I should turn around and leave that instant. But I tortured myself and kept moving forward.
As I kept walking down the hall, I noticed a trail of clothes and began to hear soft moans coming from his bedroom. Everything in my body screamed for me to stop, but I ignored it like an idiot, and kept going. When I finally reached his door, I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what I was about to see.
When I opened the door, I saw Kyle standing at the foot of the bed, behind some bottle blond with fake breasts. She was bent at the waist, her face pressed against the mattress, with Kyle’s hands holding her hips as he pounded into her.
“You cheating bastard!” I screamed, before hightailing it out of there. Kyle pushed off the woman, running after me completely naked, begging for me to stop.
“Sophie! It’s not what it looks like. I swear!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?! You’re naked! And two seconds ago, you had your penis in someone eles’s vagina. Are you really gonna tell me, it isn’t what it looks like? Because I’m pretty sure I know what sex looks like, asshole!” The fake apologetic look disappeared from his face and was immediately replaced with anger.
“What did you expect, Sophie? You’re always too busy with that stupid boutique of yours! I need a girlfriend who’s actually going to be my girlfriend. Someone who’s around when I need them. A man has needs, Sophie. And I’m a man.”
“No, you’re a twat!” Both our eyes widened at my use of that word. I’m normally not so crass and try to keep the foul language to a minimum, but there was no better word to describe the idiot standing before me.
“You’re a damn coward, Kyle. If you wanted to see someone else, then you should’ve told me. Before you had sex with someone. I’m outta here. I deserve way better than you, Kyle.” I slammed the front door on way out.
I’m fuming as I pull out of his driveway and head back to Magnolia Springs. But when I got home, I realized I wasn’t really even that mad that the relationship was over. Truth be told, I didn’t really like Kyle that much anyway. I was only with him to try to please my mom. And unfortunately, his best friend just so happened to be my sister’s fiancé, so I didn’t want things to get awkward between them, because of me. No, it was more that my ego was bruised and I was embarrassed by the whole situation.
I finish telling the guys my story, standing in Dane’s kitchen, twirling my wine glass between my fingers. At least it gives me something to look at, so I don’t have to see the looks of pity on their faces. When I do finally look up, I look to Dane first. And what I see in his eyes, makes my heart stop beating, right in my chest.
CHAPTER 3
Dane
The more I listen to Sophie explain how some motherfucker named Kyle cheated on her, the angrier I get. I have a mom and a sister, and if any man dared to ever hurt them, I’d kill them. With my bare fucking hands.
Christian says I have a hero complex, and a deep need to help any damsel in distress—he calls me Captain Save-A-Hoe. I guess on some level, maybe he’s right. My dad died in a car accident not long after my sister, Noelle, was born. Ever since then, it’s just been the three of us, and I always took care of my mom and sister, being the man of the house. I guess years of taking care of two females has bled over, and now I can’t stand to see any woman in need.
But what’s so wrong with that? Asher thinks it makes me an open target for any female to take advantage of me. But that’s just Asher though, the former playboy of Magnolia Springs. There was no way on Earth some woman was going to tie that man down. That is, until he met Callie. Now he follows that girl around like she has beer-flavored nipples. And he’d kick my ass if he knew I even thought about her nipples.
Christian, on the other hand, is a damn walking Hallmark movie. He’s such a sappy romantic and do
esn’t care who knows it. I know he’s feeling some type of way about Ava, if the looks he’s been giving her all night are any indication. Maybe he’ll grow a set and make a move. Hell, Ava’s gorgeous. I admit I was interested in her too, but it looks like Sophie needs my attention right now.
I guess I’m somewhere in between the two brothers, if I think about it. I have my fun and enjoy the company of a hot girl warming my bed, but I also, at some point, want to find the right girl to settle down with. I know that would surely make my mom happy.
So, when I hear that some moron like this Kyle, has cheated on a beautiful girl like Sophie, my blood starts boiling. Sophie is pretty unique, but that’s what makes her so great. And what she’s accomplished with her business is amazing. Any man should be proud to have a girl like her.
I realize she’s stopped talking and is looking up at me. I must have some kind of expression covering my face because I hear her swallow loudly as she wrings her hands. Trying to calm the irrational rage running through me, I take a deep breath. Deciding I want to talk to her privately, I grab her hand and lead her into the living room.
“If I find him, Sophie, I’m kicking his ass. He better never drive through here again or he’s dead.” Sophie shudders at the threat in my voice.
“Well, um... it is possible you might see him. Here in town, I mean,” she says tentatively.
“Why is that? I thought it was over,” I say, turning my body to completely face her, my hands balling into tight fists.
“Because his best friend is marrying my sister. I just found out that he’s going to be the best man, and I’m the maid of honor.”
“So, you’ll have to see him at the wedding?”
“Well, yes, but I’ll also have to see him at all the pre-wedding events, too.” Sophie sighs and looks up to the ceiling. “And my sister said he’ll be bringing his new girlfriend, too. Wanna guess who that is?”
