by Katee Robert
“No way am I helping you carry this thing out of here if you change your mind. Besides, this…whatever it is you’re trying to do…is cute.”
“I’m apologizing.” She opened the top drawer. It was filled with a handful of shirts, panties, and a pair of pants. Everything a girl would need at her boyfriend’s house. It might be stupid, but it was a symbol she thought Ian would understand.
“This is so adorable.” Elle bounced on her toes and then winced. “God, that hurt.”
“I promise I’ll make all this up to you, too. Right after I fix things with your brother.” When she’d called Elle to come in with the assist, her best friend had jumped at the chance to be part of her plan. Standing here, in the middle of his half-finished house, she wasn’t sure it was the best plan she’d ever had. But she’d see this through, because it was the only plan she had.
It had to work.
“So he’ll come here and—”
“I hope so.” Roxanne shoved her hair out of her eyes. “I’m heading to pick up the rest of it as soon as we leave here.”
“Cool. From what he said, he usually gets here around seven, so you shouldn’t have long to wait. You have to let me know how it goes.”
Her friend’s enthusiasm was infectious. She grinned. “You’ll be the first one I call. Promise.” She just hoped it was a call with good news, and not that Ian had told her where to shove it.
Ian had spent all morning searching for the perfect piece. It had taken five stops, but he finally found the right one. He just hoped Roxanne would love it.
He fished his ringing phone out of his pocket. “Hey.”
“Hey! How did it go? I haven’t heard anything, and I can’t get a hold of Roxanne. I was starting to get worried.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?” A long pause. “Where are you right now?”
“Downtown. I was just about to pick up lunch.
Why?”
“What the heck? Why aren’t you at your house? You know what? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. It’s been hours.”
If this were anyone other than his baby sister, he’d accuse her of being on drugs. As it was, the search had worn his patience to the breaking level. “Spit it out. What’s going on?”
“You need to go to your house. Actually, no. You need to go to Pine River Park. Like now.”
“Pine River Park? Why?” Wait, that was where he’d taken Roxanne after they went out for sushi.What did that have to do with anything? Hope dawned, but he was afraid to let it take hold. “What’s this about?”
“You were supposed to have been there by now. Just go.Then call me later and tell me all about it.” Elle hung up, leaving more questions than answers.
Apparently he was going to the park. Shaking his head, he got into his truck and headed north. Even speeding, it took him twenty minutes. As he pulled into the parking lot, the dark skies that had been threatening all day opened up. Rain poured down, making him wish for an umbrella. There were only a few cars there, but he recognized one as Roxanne’s Camry.
Cursing under his breath, he hurried over the bridge. Ian stopped short at the bottom of the stairs on the other side when he caught sight of her. She had her chin on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs, looking like she didn’t have a single friend in the world. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and beg for her forgiveness.
Since she was facing the river, she didn’t see him until he dropped onto the table next to her. Both of them were soaked through, and still the rain came down. He glanced at the open tub of ice cream next to her. What little was left was completely melted. Fuck. How long had she been here? “Hey.”
“I didn’t think you were coming.” Roxanne still didn’t look at him. “I figured you saw the note and decided you really didn’t want to be with me.”
“What note?”
She turned to face him, a frown on her face. “The note I left in the dresser.”When he just shook his head, she frowned harder. “If you haven’t been home, how did you know to come here?”
“My sister called me.” Thank God. He put his hand over Roxanne’s where it rested on the table.“What did the note say?”
“You really haven’t been to your house yet?”
“I really haven’t.”
She took a deep breath. “It said that I’m sorry. Instead of recognizing that you were in a rough place after your family dinner, I just reacted and freaked out at you. And that’s not fair. I…I love you. I want a future with you—the full nine yards. I know I haven’t made things easy for you with this relationship, but I want to make it work. If you’ll have me.” She waved a hand. “But it was a whole lot more eloquent.”
Ian pulled her into his lap, so damn glad to be able to wrap his arms around her again. “I love you, too. I never should have said any of those things that night. I might be fucked up, but I’m getting better. You are helping me get better.”
“You sister said you turned down that job.” She toyed with the edge of his shirt. “Was that because of me?”
“Yes and no. I wouldn’t have been happy traveling that much, and the thought of being away from you isn’t at all appealing.” He hugged her tighter. “I mean it. I am so, so goddamn sorry I walked away from you. I’ll never do it again.”
“Never is a long time, Charming.”
Not long enough. “I mean it, Roxanne.” He kissed her, right there in the rain with the tub of melted ice cream beside them.“I love you.”And he would tell her that every damn day for the rest of their lives.
“I love you, too.” She framed his face with her hands. “Seriously, it was a really great note. I spent a lot of time on it. I can’t believe you didn’t read it.”
Ian laughed. “I believe you. If you want, we can go read it right now.”
“Sorry about the ice cream, too.” She nudged it. “I got a little depressed when I thought you weren’t coming and broke into it.”
“I’ll buy a new carton, and we can break into it together.”
“I like that plan a whole lot better.” She smiled. “I don’t suppose you have a working shower?”
“That, at least, I do have.” He’d spent the last few days putting the necessities into the bathroom. “I also have a few extra changes of clothes in my truck if you want to head back there and get into something dry.”
Roxanne glanced away. “That, ah, won’t be an issue.”
He saw what she meant when they walked through the front door fifteen minutes later. The very same dresser he’d admired at her apartment now stood against the wall in his living room. It was so finished and out-of-place, it took him a long moment to find his words. “Your dresser is in my house.”
“Yeah… About that…”
He opened the empty drawers, and with each one his confusion increased—right up to the point where he got to the one with her things in it. One drawer— the one without the knob, ironically enough. It wasn’t moving in, but it was a declaration of moving forward. The note lay on top of her clothes, but Ian didn’t read it. No matter what she said, hearing those words from her mouth hit him so much harder than any written note could.
He turned back to her. “You know, this is kind of funny.”
“Funny?”
“Yeah.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the knob he’d spent all morning searching for. It was because of that search that things hadn’t played out how she’d planned, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. Ian held it out. “I got you something. It’s kind of fitting, considering everything.”
Roxanne pressed her hands to her mouth as he screwed the knob into the empty spot. “It’s finally a full set.”
“I thought this one might be a perfect fit.” He pulled her into his arms. “Kind of like us.”
“You’re so cheesy.” She kissed him. “I like it.” “Best get used to it. I’m not going anywhere. I’m
in for the long run, and I want forever and always with you.”
Epilogue
>
Ian laced his fingers through Roxanne’s as people streamed around them, though he didn’t need her touch to keep the panic at bay. In the months since they’d figured things out, he’d made leaps and bounds in settling into life back home. There were still times when his issues got the better of him, but with the help of her and the new therapist he’d been talking to, those days were few and far between.
She gave his hand another squeeze. “If you want, you can take up a barstool. I’ve got to socialize a bit, since this party is for Elle and Gabe and I’m planning their wedding and all. I have to supervise, or nothing will be done right.”
“It’s a burden you’ll just have to bear.” For all her gruffness, he knew for a fact that she was thrilled Elle had asked her to plan the wedding.
“I know. I’m practically a saint—a saint with a vested interest in the bridesmaids’ dresses.” She laughed. “You ready?”
“Yes.” When she took a step forward, Ian yanked her into his arms and bent her backward. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
Her smile widened. “Only about seven times today.”
“Let’s make it an even eight. I love you.” “I love you, too.”
Ian kissed her, not caring if anyone saw, sliding his tongue along hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Just when he was about to be swept away entirely, someone nearby whistled, reminding him of where he was. He straightened with a laugh and set her back on her feet.
Roxanne straightened her dress and nudged him with her elbow. “If you manage to behave yourself, I’ll consider dragging you into a storage room when we get a moment alone.”
“Promises, promises.”
She tugged him past the elevator to the stairwell. “You know, I about died on that first night when the elevator doors opened and there you were. You weren’t even breathing hard.”
“I had excellent motivation.” Ian held open the door for her. It had been desire driving him that night, but something beyond that as well. He’d needed her touch like a drowning man flailed for a life preserver.
He still did on his bad days.
Tonight Roxanne had outdone herself. Her little black dress hugged every curve in a way that made him want to follow through on her half joke about finding a storage room, but the thing that really did him in was her shoes. Those red heels made her legs look like they went on for miles—if he’d ever seen come-fuck-me heels, these were them.
They also had to be killer on her feet. “Come here.”
She gave him a wary look. “Self-control isn’t exactly our strong suit, and we can’t really walk in there fifteen minutes late, adjusting our clothes.”
“Woman, come here.” He held out his hand, challenging her silently.
With a sigh, she stepped into his arms, just as he’d known she would. “The sacrifices I make for you.”
“I know.We already covered your saint status.” He scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder.
“Ian!” She smacked his back. “What are you doing?”
“Saving your feet.” He took the stairs as smoothly as he could so he didn’t jar her stomach with his shoulder any more than he had to.
She laughed. “Right. This is all about saving my poor little feet. It has nothing to do with cementing your man card.”
“Nope.” Though he loved the fact that she let him toss her around like this.
It was only when they reached the country floor that he slid her down his body. He settled his hands on her hips as she leaned into him, running her fingers through his hair. She shook her head. “You’re such a caveman. I like it.”
“If you’re feeling squirrely, we can play Me-Tarzan, You-Jane later.”
She smacked him and stepped away. “You’re so bad.”
“You love it.”
She stopped with her hand on the door. “You know I do.” She grinned wickedly. “Come on. Let’s go congratulate the happy couple.”
Ian had more or less come to terms with Gabe— with Roxanne acting as a kick in the ass. Last week he’d finally agreed to what she termed a “man-date.” He, Nathan, and Gabe had gone shooting with Ian’s new rifle and shared a twelve-pack. They might not be best friends, but at least he wasn’t convinced the man would trample over Ellie’s heart. Gabe loved her, and he’d do damn near anything to ensure her happiness. There wasn’t much more a big brother could want for his baby sister.
He followed her into the country bar, making a beeline for Elle and Gabe. Now that they’d finally picked a date for their wedding, things were moving quickly. In less than six months, his sister would be Elle Schultz, and he was genuinely happy for her.
Elle saw them first. “You made it.” Her grin was so
wide it made him glad he hadn’t given in to the need to shove Roxanne against the stairwell wall and have his way with her. As she hugged Ian, Elle whispered, “Thank you so much for giving Gabe a chance. He said he had a really good time last week.”
“I did, too.” Once she stepped back, he shook Gabe’s hand. “Hey.”
“Hey. Glad you could make it.” “Yeah, me, too.”
Roxanne raised her eyebrows. “Please, guys, try to contain yourselves. You’re embarrassing us.” She slipped her hand into Ian’s. “Elle and I have found the perfect place for the wedding. It’s down on the Columbia River, and get this, there’s a natural amphitheater where you’ll have the ceremony.” She glanced between them. “Oh, who am I kidding? You guys don’t care about the dirty details. You will, however, care about this—they do a brewing and canoeing tour thing. How cool is that?”
Ian blinked. “Brewing and canoeing.”
Elle slipped under Gabe’s arm.“Yeah, you actually canoe up the river to the brewery and then have lunch and do a beer tasting. It sounds really fun.”
Actually, that did sound like a lot of fun. Ian smiled. “Cool.”
As they spoke, Nathan exited the elevator and made his way over. “Hey.”
Roxanne zeroed in on him, her green eyes flashing. “And there’s the mystery man himself.”
“You make me sound like James Bond.” He raised an eyebrow.
“You are quite the enigma. So tell me, Nathan, are you bringing a date to the wedding? Because if not, I have at least a handful of eligible women who would throw themselves in front of a bus for a chance to go out with you.”
Nathan actually flinched, though Ian wouldn’t have noticed it if he hadn’t been watching his best friend so closely. He recovered almost immediately and even managed a smile. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
“It won’t?” Ian’s interest sharpened. “You’re bringing someone?”
Nathan met his gaze steadily. “I have something in the works.”
Before Ian could press for more details—not that his friend would give them—Nathan moved to the bar. Elle frowned. “I worry about him.”
Roxanne waved that away. “You don’t have time to worry about Nathan—you have to worry about your wedding. It’s going to be so fabulous.”
“With you planning it, I have no doubt about that.” “We’ll let you go socialize, instead of monopolizing your time.” She pulled Ian back as another group of people approached to talk to Elle and Gabe, and then Roxanne stepped into his arms. “So what are your thoughts on finding that storage closet?”
The small amount of pressure present in his chest evaporated as she let him see exactly how much she cared about him. What couldn’t he face with this woman by his side? Ian felt like a Superman, bulletproof and able to leap tall buildings with a single bound. He cupped the back of her neck and pressed his forehead to hers. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
Christ, he loved this woman.And he always would.
About the Author
Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over a million copies. She lives in the Pacific Nor
thwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.
* * *
www.kateerobert.com