by M. E. Carter
“Don’t remind me,” he groans. “Next year, we’re going with a fake tree. All the way.” He suddenly stills. “I mean, you know. If you’re still dating me or whatever.”
I ignore the insecurity in his voice, knowing most of it stems from a habit I want to help him break. “You better make sure I go with you to pick it out. After this year, I think you might need a little extra advice and I happen to be a Christmas expert.”
“Oh, you are, are you?” He pinches my side making me giggle.
“I am. But before we talk about next year, and before we do it again,” that gets a happy moan from him. “We probably need to go get my stuff out of the car.”
I know I just ripped the band-aid off on a new topic of conversation, but I can’t avoid it forever. He rolls to face me, forcing me to move from my comfortable spot. “Wait, I thought you said Kiersten drove you. Did someone pick her up?”
I scowl. I knew he’d catch that. “I may have told a little white lie.”
He flops back on the bed. “Nicole. Do I need to kick you out again?”
“No. Listen.” I nudge him. “She knew I was coming. It’s not a big deal.”
He pops back up, poised to argue. “It is a big deal. Jeremy is still out there.”
“Actually, he’s not.”
That stops him. This is new information he doesn’t know yet. I barely even know. “What?”
Sitting up, I tuck the sheet under my arms, having discovered Kade’s obsession with my boobs and knowing we’ll never get through this conversation if I’m not at least somewhat covered up. As much as I’d like a replay, this is too important for all our peace of mind.
“I got a call from the assistant DA before I came over. Jeremy accepted the plea deal.”
“Wait… wait, wait.” He pushes himself up to lean on the headboard and grabs his glasses. “I thought you had to go to the trial to testify or something.”
“The plea bargain means there won’t be a trial at all so I didn’t have to go.”
“What was the deal?”
This is the hard part. It’s not great, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Brace yourself,” I warn. “He gets three months of jail time, a couple hundred hours of community service, and two years probation.”
“Three months? That’s it?”
I can already hear Kade’s anger ramping up, not that I blame him. Jeremy’s issue didn’t just affect me. He changed the lives of all the people around me as well.
“I know it’s not a lot. But I told you guys this before. He’s a white frat boy with country club parents and no prior record. I’m surprised he got any jail time at all, to be honest.”
“That’s just…” Kade shakes his head dejectedly. “It’s not fair.”
“It never is. But the point is, he’s already in custody and his time starts today. For the next three months at least, we can all get back to normal for a while.”
“And then what? We look over our shoulders again? I don’t like it.”
I rest my hand on his upper thigh and don’t miss the flare of lust in his eyes. It’s only there for a second, but I see it. I also make a mental note to remember what my touch does to him, at least while he’s still new to this whole sex thing.
“Neither do I. But it’s what we have to deal with and I’m not going to let him stop our lives because he’s decided to stay in town for whatever reason. We don’t even know if he’ll be back when he gets out. Faith could have broken up with him or whatever and he won’t have any reason to come here.”
“Except to stalk you.”
I cock my head with understanding because he’s right about that part. “Maybe. But I’ll just keep documenting that he’s teetering the line of violating the order so when it comes up for renewal, I’ll have solid evidence that he’s still a credible threat.”
Kade shakes his head and runs his hand down his face, obviously unhappy with this turn of events.
“Hey. Look at me.”
He complies, fear in his eyes. “I just got you. I’m afraid I’m going to lose you.”
“Because of Jeremy or just because?”
He has to think on that one for a second. But to his credit, he answers honestly. “Just because, I guess.”
I scoot forward a bit, still holding onto the sheet. “I told you before, and I’ll keep saying it until you believe me. I love you, Kade. I love the way you treat people and the way you laugh and the way you bring peace and calm and stability to my life.”
“Even if I never make a lot of money and we live in an apartment forever?”
“Even if we live in a box, I will still love you.”
His lips quirk up on the side. “Let’s just stick to the apartment for now.”
“Agreed.”
“And Nicole?”
“Yeah?”
His hand cups my cheek and I let the sheet go, knowing instinctively where this is headed. “Thank you for loving me. I really love you, too. Always have. Always will.”
He kisses me gently a few times before his movements turn reverent again. I spend the next several hours showing him how much I love him with my touch, no more words needed.
Chapter Thirty
Nicole
6 months later
Trotting down the sidewalk, I don’t dare slow my steps. Today is an exciting day. Thank goodness my classes end at two so I can get home. There’s a lot to do and not much time to do it.
Getting to the parking lot, I stop dead in my tracks when I see Jeremy leaning against his black truck. My heart rate begins to pick up but I quickly redirect my thoughts, like Dr. Rhonda and I have been working on.
Breathe in, two, three, four…
He won’t hurt me.
…hold, two, three, four…
He can’t control me anymore.
… and out, two, three, four…
He is an insignificant part of your day.
…hold, two, three, four…
Quickly, my heart rate returns to normal so I pull out my camera and take a picture of how close he is and make sure there is a time and date stamp before moving it to the folder on my phone that connects automatically to a dropbox.
He’s been back for a few months now and I guess he and Faith are still together. As I watch her walk toward him, a wave of sadness hits me. It’s June and summer is making sure we know she’s on her way with more heat and humidity.
And Faith is wearing long sleeves and a scarf. I know why and I wish I could make her see reason, but I can’t make someone leave if they aren’t ready. I can only hope she saved my number from when we were lab partners and will use it when she is finally ready to protect herself.
I gesture my head in greeting at her, knowing she won’t respond. She never does and I don’t expect her to. I’m sure it’s dangerous for her to acknowledge me.
They climb into his truck and I watch as he peels out of the parking lot, the sounds of his car likely the only way he can express his anger at my refusal to let him control me. Dr. Rhonda and I have talked a lot about it and if he can’t use his words or fists to express his anger toward me, he’ll find another way to let me know. I can only assume the squealing tires and revving engine are it.
Kade thinks I should be more on alert, but right now, I don’t feel like I’m in danger. The worse that happens is the automatic adrenaline kick I get when I see him unexpectedly, but even that is getting easier to control. If Jeremy gets any closer than the back of the parking lot while he waits for Faith, it’ll be a different story. And yes, I know he’s technically violating the order, but the whole purpose was to keep him away from me. Since he does, I’m letting it ride.
Climbing in my car, I toss my bag onto the seat next to me and crank the engine, grateful the A/C blows cool air almost immediately. June is nice, but it still gets hot inside a closed car in Central Texas.
I make my way back to the apartment Kade and I still share, although we sleep in the same bedroom now. Unsurprisingly
, the extra bedroom turned into the XBOX room complete with a couple of gaming chairs I sprang for as a late Christmas present and the whole console set up he sprang for shortly after. Kade loves it. Unless Carson is spending the night and he has to sleep in the bed we still have stored in that room. Then Kade rethinks the whole idea of our new setup.
I’ve gotten really good at distracting him when he can’t play his beloved video games, though. He complains a lot less now that he knows putting the handset down means he can do other things with his fingers.
All his fears about not being good in bed? Totally unwarranted. Kade is the most generous lover a girl could ask for.
Tossing my keys on the counter when I walk into the apartment and dropping my bag by the couch, I know exactly where my boyfriend is by the yelling coming from the other room.
“Archie, you asshole, how did you miss jumping back on your horse? It’s a two-foot jump.”
I peek my head in the door, and sure enough, he’s leaning forward in his chair, obviously engaged in some sort of train heist.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” He doesn’t even look up as his thumbs move in rapid time. His biceps flex from the movement and I swell with pride at how far he’s come.
After I walked in on Kade learning how to do pushups, he sheepishly admitted it’s something he’s always wanted to master. So, I encouraged him to continue and promised not to be in the room while he practiced until he was ready.
He’s up to thirty pushups in a row now without so much as breaking a sweat or making me move off the couch when he does it. It doesn’t matter to me that he can do them now, but it makes him feel good about himself and that’s what really matters.
Also, I don’t hate the way short sleeves look on him. Not at all.
“We have to leave in thirty,” I remind him, curious if he’s even listening.
“Kay. Go, Matty! Go! Got the bag of money?”
“And we’re supposed to bring that ring box in the top dresser drawer.”
“Kay. Got it! Good job guys.”
“And a spaceship landed in the middle of campus and beamed up a bunch of people.”
“Cool. Do you see a sheriff? I have a gut feeling guys. We need to keep our eyes open.”
Rolling my own eyes at the fact that he’s obviously not listening to me, I sit in the spare gaming chair, put on the headset and flip on the remote.
“Hey, Nicole’s here! Hey Nic!”
I smile at the sound of his voice. “Hey Matty. Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“Exempt from all my finals.”
“So, you’ve just been sitting around playing Red Dead Redemption all day?”
“What else is there to do?” he asks like the high school senior who is ready for graduation next week that he is.
“Plenty. In fact, I’m going to have to grab my boyfriend because we have plans.” I turn my character to shoot Kade’s avatar in the back with a shotgun, killing him on the spot.
“Who shot me?” Kade yells. “Where is he?”
“Right behind you babe.”
The look on his face is so comical, I can’t help but laugh. “What? You killed me? What was that for?”
“When I told you all about the aliens on campus and you didn’t flinch, I just knew you forgot that we have plans in twenty-five minutes.”
Kade grabs his phone and looks at the time. “Shit. You’re right. I gotta go guys.”
He’s answered with a chorus of kissy noises and “he’s so whipped” as he leaves the game. Kade used to be embarrassed by it but quickly decided his friends are just jealous and didn’t that just boost his ego a bit.
“Hey babe,” he finally says once the handset is set aside, actually putting his attention on me. Leaning over, he gives me a kiss, lingering just a bit while I scratch at the scruff on his face. “How was class?”
“Fine. Math. I hate it.”
“If you need help, you can always ask.”
As it turns out, Kade is better at math than he gave himself credit for until his adviser suggested he consider a career in something math-based like accounting. He’s still technically undecided but is leaning in that direction when he has to declare a major. He doesn’t mind all the numbers and has gotten a bit cocky about how easy it comes to him if you ask me. I love it of course. It’s nice seeing him have the confidence he never had before.
“I’ll be fine. No need to throw your calculator brain in my face.”
He snorts a laugh and pulls me to my feet so we can get ready.
“Fine, fine. You’re on your own. What time do we have to be there?”
“It’s about a twenty-minute drive and we need to be there by three.”
“So, I have time to shower?”
“You do. I don’t. Jump in while I touch up my makeup and stuff.”
He smacks me on the ass, his second favorite part of my body after my boobs. “It’ll just take me a second.”
It takes him longer than a second but we’re at least both ready and out the door on time. It takes a little longer to get into the courthouse than I expected once we find a parking space and get through security, but we still make it.
“NicNic!” Carson yells and runs over wrapping his arms around my legs before pulling back and looking up at me. “You look pwetty, Nic.”
“Why thank you.” I do a little shimmy in my short satiny blue frock. “And don’t you look handsome in your suit and tie.”
“I don’t like the tie, Nic.” He yanks on it gently so I pretend to loosen it, mostly to keep his hands from messing it up.
“Does that feel better?”
“Yeah.”
And then he’s back to his parents, tie forgotten about.
“How are you feeling?” I ask my sister as I give her a hug and hand her the bouquet that’s been in my fridge since this morning. “Nervous?”
“About being married? No. About getting in there before they close for the night? Yes.”
I fiddle with her hair, making sure it’s all in place. “You already have your reservation. They aren’t going to leave before doing your ceremony.”
“Rationally, I know that,” she says as she bats my hand away. “But nothing ever seems to go the way I want it to, so I’m mentally preparing myself for the worst.”
“She’s been at it all day,” Paul interjects, putting his arm around her waist. He’s looking just as dapper as Carson in a suit almost identical to my nephew’s. “I keep telling her everything is going to be fine but you know how she is sometimes.”
“Worried that the bottom will drop out on the best day of my life? Yeah. I know,” she freely admits. “But we’re still missing half our people so can you blame me?”
“Yes,” Lauren says as she comes up from behind. “I told you we’d be here. And we are.”
There are hugs and hand slaps all around as Lauren, Heath, Annika, and Jaxon join our little group in the hallway.
“Willoughby-Franklin wedding!”
The yell from the doorway of the courtroom has us all jumping into motion. In a matter of seconds, Paul is standing at the front of the room, the guys all next to him. Annika and Lauren are standing on the other side and as Annika starts the music on her phone, I walk down the short aisle and take my place.
Carson marches in next and walks straight to Lauren like he was told to do. It wasn’t a fight to get him there. Lauren is still his favorite babysitter. Next to me, of course.
Then it’s my sister’s turn. She looks amazing. Her long dark hair is pinned back in loose waves down her back. A short, simple A-line dress showing off her figure and mostly her legs.
But I’m not watching her. I’m watching Paul. It doesn’t matter that he already saw her in the dress. It doesn’t matter that they’ve been living together for over a year. He can barely hold back the tears as he watches her walk toward him, ready to join him in marriage.
The judge goes through the rigmarole of marrying them, but I’m hardly listening, too busy
taking in the joy on the faces of everyone I love.
And then… the words are finally said.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
We cheer as Paul takes Kiersten in his arms and dips her in a dramatic fashion. The longer they stay that way, the more impatient Carson gets. Finally, he’s had enough.
Tugging on Paul’s sleeve, he interrupts. “Mom. Dad. You’re done. Let’s go.”
I can’t help the giggle that escapes me at his demands. I’m not the only one. Heath grabs Carson and tosses him in the air, making him squeal with delight.
I catch Kade’s eye as he stands chatting with Jaxon. I feel like such a lucky woman to have found a man like him. He’s not the most athletic. He doesn’t own a business. He’s not going to be a doctor. But he’s the perfect man for me. And someday, surrounded by our friends and family, we’ll end up as happy and content as my sister just did. I know it with everything in me.
It’s just a matter of time.
The End.
Epilogue
Ellery
Grabbing my purse, I swing the door of my smart Kia Sorrento open and run for the door. It’s pointless. Even parked in the front row, the rain is so heavy I’m drenched by the time I’m standing under the awning.
“Great,” I mutter and try to smooth my hair. Not that it matters. The tight chignon I wear to be professional at work isn’t going anywhere. No, it just lost any volume I had on the top. Figures.
Sighing, I pull open the heavy door and step inside.
“Whoa.” This not at all what I expected to find. The large open space has dim lighting, but it’s still bright enough to see. The walls are a pale gray with black accents everywhere, including the front of the large bar. Modern furnishings are scattered around the room, inviting people to sit and stay awhile.
All the large vehicles in the parking lot suddenly make sense when I notice the customers. There are lots of couples here, but most of them are grouped together in cliques, and all of the men are huge. Not that everyone isn’t huge compared to me. At just over five feet, I tend to dwarf just about everyone. But these men are different. Even sitting down, I can tell almost all of them are well over six feet.