Just A Kiss

by Tessier, Shantel

  She’s the first one to pull away, but I don’t let go of her face. She looks up at me with sad eyes once again. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she whispers.

  “I wanted to help you.”

  She sniffs, and a new tear rolls down her cheek. “Thank you, I appreciate it, but Asher … she won’t make it another year.” She closes her eyes, and a sob wracks her body.

  I pull her against me and wrap my arms around her, holding her tightly. I run my hand through her hair, trying to soothe her pain. I know what it’s like to lose a mom, and it’s heartbreaking. You never get over it. But if I can help make this easier on her, I will do everything in my power to make that happen.

  It’s been two days since I barged into Asher’s office and pretty much told him to go to hell. Two days of bliss. For the first time in a long time, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Like I can breathe again. I took him to the nursing home Sunday to meet my mother, and although she didn’t remember me, she was very impressed by Asher. But who wouldn’t be? He told her some stories about himself and Aiden and how, as kids, they used to play tricks on one another. And she laughed. She smiles like she’s known him all her life. It broke a little bit of my heart that she felt a connection to him but not me, her own daughter. But in a way, it warmed it as well. He was making her happy. And that was all that I ever wanted.

  Monday rolled around, and I worked during the day at the retail store and at The Horseshoe that night. He came in to see me, and I hate that I smiled like an idiot when he walked in the door. But it quickly fell when I saw the picture later that evening of him and Candy hand in hand at the gallery on the front page of the newspaper. It stung. He ripped the paper out of my hand and threw it in the trash where he said it belonged. I couldn’t have agreed more.

  Tuesday was the same thing. And so was Wednesday. Thursday rolled around, and it was New Year’s Eve. We hadn’t had sex yet. He hadn’t made a move, and I was starting to get nervous. Why the sudden change in wanting me? Did giving me money make him feel different about me? Make him want me less? Maybe he felt if he slept with me that it would make me a prostitute after all. I mean, that would be the case, right?

  “Andrea?” I hear Hadley call out from downstairs.

  “Up here,” I answer, standing in my bedroom.

  She enters my room with a garment bag draped over her arm. “I got it.”

  “You didn’t have to do this,” I say with a sigh. “I have plenty of dresses to wear.”

  She waves me off. “I wanted you to have it for tonight.”

  “You sure you don’t want to go with us?” Asher has invited me to an event. I have no clue where it is or what it is for because he said he wanted to surprise me. And I know it won’t disappoint.

  “I’m sure.” She sits down on the end of my bed. “Tonight is the night that I tell Aiden about the baby.” I smile at her. “I have it all set up.” Her eyes drop to her nails, and she bites her bottom lip nervously

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, going to sit down beside her. “He’s gonna be so happy, Had.”

  She shakes her head. “That’s not it.” And her eyes meet mine. “I’m just nervous about being a mom. My mom and I never had a good relationship, and I don’t want that with my child.”

  I take her hands in mine and give her a reassuring smile. “You are going to be a great mom. Don’t compare your relationship with your mom to what you think you will have with your child. Because you are nothing like her.”

  She lets go of my hands and pulls me in for a tight hug. I hear her sniff, and I rub her back softly. “I love you,” I tell her.

  She sniffs louder, and her body gives a little shake. “I love you too.”

  When she pulls away, she rubs the tears from her face. “I cry all the time. I can’t imagine what I’ll be like in eight months.” We both laugh at that. “Well, I better get going and let you get ready.”

  I stand and give her a big smile. “Thank you again.”

  She smiles back, and says, “You better call me later.”

  I tilt my head in confusion. “Me call you? You better call me. I wanna know all about how Aiden reacts to the good news.”

  ASHER

  I stand outside her house in an all-black three-piece suit and my hands in my pockets. She doesn’t keep me waiting long. When she opens the door, my heart stops at her beauty. The champagne-colored dress hugs her body like a glove. It has two thin straps over her shoulders and deep V to showcase her chest. It’s not too low to show too much but low enough to make my mouth water with anticipation.

  She gives me a big smile. “Hey, handsome.”

  “Hey, gorgeous.” It’s been three weeks since we shared our night in Tahiti, and tonight, I’m going to show her just how much she means to me. It’s New Year’s Eve, after all. At midnight tonight, we will start a new year, and we will start it together. Ready for whatever life throws our way.

  I offer her my arm, and she takes it, allowing me to lead her to our limo that awaits curbside. I open the back door for her, and she thanks me as she slides in. We talk and laugh during the time it takes us to get downtown to Legacy Tower. Which is longer than usual, considering the traffic.

  “What are we doing here?” she asks as we pull up. “Do you have some work to do?”

  “No,” I say as I lead her into the building.

  We enter the elevator, and I press the top floor. Confusion takes over her face, but she doesn’t question my actions anymore.

  Once it comes to a stop and the doors open, I take her hand, and she follows me down the long hallway, and then I enter the code for the black door to open. We step inside, and I turn on the lights to the apartment.

  “Is this your place?” she asks confused.

  “It is now.” I go over to the open kitchen and open the see-through fridge door and pull out the bottle of champagne. Popping the cork, I grab two champagne flutes and pour us each a glass. I hand one to her, and she sets the glass down on the black bar top. Her not so subtle way of telling me she’s not going to take a drink until I explain things to her.

  I set mine down as well. “It was Aiden’s. I bought it today.”

  “Why?” She tilts her head to the side.

  “You’ll see,” I say, and she rolls her eyes, but a big smile spreads across her face. She likes surprises. I pick up her drink and offer it to her. She takes it, and I lift mine. “To New Year’s.”

  “To New Year’s.” She taps her glass to mine, and we take a drink.

  Two hours and a bottle of champagne later, I take her hand and lead her over to the floor-to-ceiling window. I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. I point at a spot off into the distance. “Watch right there.”

  “Okay.” She giggles, and I kiss her neck, sneaking a peek at my watch. Only seconds until our life changes forever. In the best way.

  “What are we …?”

  Her voice cuts off when the first firework explodes, lighting up the sky in a vibrant purple. She gasps.

  “Pretty?”

  “Gorgeous,” she says in awe as another one shoots up into the sky and bursts, matching the color of her dress. “Did you …?”

  “Buy this apartment just for this view? Yes.” I chuckle, and she spins around in my arms.

  “Asher, that’s …”

  “Awesome?”

  “Crazy,” she corrects me.

  I laugh at her shocked face. “Well, it’s a new year. I wanted to make a tradition.”

  “Tradition?” She whispers the word.

  Another firework goes off behind her, and it lights up the dark apartment. I go to my knee, and she gasps, placing her hands over her face. I pull the box out of my jacket pocket and open it, showing her the ring I bought just for her. “Andi, I want to spend every New Year’s Eve for the rest of my life with you, in this apartment getting a kiss from you. I’ve been in love with you for two years. You’re all I want. Will you marry me?”

  Tears run down he
r face, and she stares down at me with wide eyes. I smile at her. I have no doubt what her answer is.

  She begins to sob, and when her hands fall away from her face, she nods. “Y-y-ye-es-s-s.” She manages to get out. I place the ring on her finger, then stand and pick her up. I spin her around as she lets out a laugh, and then my lips are on hers as more fireworks go off outside the windows, ringing in the new year. And I can’t wait to bring her back here year after year to celebrate our life together. And then one day our children.

  “I love you,” I whisper against her lips.

  “I love you,” she says, and then her lips are on mine again.

  It’s funny how the rest of my life started with just a kiss.

  “I knew you would look gorgeous,” Had says excitedly, bouncing her little girl on her hip.

  I look down at my wedding dress and smile. “Yeah. You did great, by the way.” I allowed her to plan my entire wedding. The only request I had was that it was in Tahiti where it all started.

  “Oh, it was easy.” She waves off my compliment. Little Ariel begins to fuss. “Give me a minute. I need to change her.”

  “Oh, I can do it.” The nanny that she hired to come on this trip with us offers to help her, so she hands her off to her.

  I turn to face the floor-length mirror and run my hand over the white wedding dress. It was my mother’s, and I had just a few alterations made. It was a strapless dress, and I had lace shoulder straps added. It was plain satin with no design, so I had a lace belt made that ties in the back with a big bow.

  I look at myself, and my heart breaks that she won’t be here. I was right when I told Asher she wouldn’t make it through the year. She passed away in March. And although it was rough, I know she’s in a better place. I have to remind myself of that every morning.

  “Don’t cry,” she orders me and gives me some tissue. “Not until after.”

  I laugh and blot the corners of my eyes. “I’ll try my best.”

  She takes my hand and gives me a big smile. “Let’s go walk down the aisle. Your husband awaits you.”

  I nod. “Lead the way.”

  The End

  For those of you who have not read my donut collaboration novella, that we released for National Donut Day, make sure to check it out. Donut Overthink It is Aiden and Hadley’s story.

  Donut Overthink It

  Amazon US—

  https://amzn.to/2jYx63R

  * * *

  If you are into dark reads, make sure to check out my novel, I Dare You. It is a YA with very mature content.

  Read on for the prologue of I Dare You and purchase link.

  Prologue

  Cole

  Have you ever been to a funeral where the preacher stands before the friends and loved ones of the deceased and talks about how shitty the person was? How he fucked around on his wife? Or spent his family’s life savings to feed his gambling addiction? How about during his bachelor party when he snorted coke off a hooker’s ass?

  Me neither.

  Why is it that we’re fucking saints the moment we die?

  You hear the preacher say things like, “Oh, John Smith was a lovely man who loved his wife and kids,” when he should really be saying, “John Smith was a worthless piece of shit who fucked the underage babysitter every chance he fucking got while his wife was busy working two jobs and raising his ungrateful children.”

  And let’s not forget that the deceased in that casket before you never even went to church. Let alone knew the preacher who speaks so highly of him. All he knows are the stories the blinded loved ones wrote down on a little card for him to share.

  He’s a fucking puppet.

  Now, I haven’t read the Bible word for word, but I know the Lord says if we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, he will cleanse our souls, and we will be forgiven.

  Poof. It’s like magic.

  That begs the question–what if you’re not sorry? What if you don’t care to be forgiven?

  No amount of holy water could cleanse my soul, and I’m okay with that because when I sinned, I understood that I would one day have to pay. We’re all going to die eventually. You can be one of those people who bury your head in the sand to avoid talking about it all you want, but it’s life!

  Live or die.

  Heaven or hell.

  Angel or devil.

  It’s black and white. There are no gray areas.

  So tell me ... when you’re lying in that casket in front of your friends and family, what are they going to think of you? Are they gonna believe that preacher who talks bullshit, or are they gonna know you didn’t care if you were going to burn for eternity?

  I’m not a religious person. Obviously. But I do know this. When I am damned to hell, it’ll be because I fucking earned it.

  * * *

  If you’ve enjoyed this prologue from I Dare You, you can purchase below.

  Amazon US—

  https://amzn.to/2L9Geiy

  New Year with a kiss!

  * * *

  Kiss Me Like You Miss Me by Felicia Fox

  A Kiss to Remember by Geri Glenn

  First Last Kiss by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  Covered by a Kiss by Lisa B. Kamps

  Kissing Gabe by Mayra Statham

  Kiss My Glass by Melanie Codina

  Just a Kiss by Shantel Tessier

  31 Kisses by Sonya Jesus

  B.A.K.E. Belladonna’s Arousing Kissing Extravaganza by Teresa Crumpton

  Lost in His Kiss by Tracie Douglas

  Kissing the Bad Boy by Winter Travers

  Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

  Make sure to follow Shantel Tessier for the latest news and exclusive giveaways.

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  Goodreads—

  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7086716.Shantel_Tessier

  The UN Series—

  Undescribable

  Unbearable

  Uncontrollable

  Unchangeable

  Unforgettable

  Unforeseen

  Unpredictable

  Unimaginable

  Seven Deadly Sins Series—

  Addiction

  Obsession

  Confession—Coming soon

  Selfish Series—

  Selfish

  Myself

  Selfless

  Slaughter—standalone

  DASH—standalone

  I Dare You—standalone

  Donut Overthink It—standalone