Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  The screen flickered to life and revealed that there was only one file on the stick – a video file.

  I tapped on it nervously, snuggling further down into the blanket I’d been given.

  The file opened and I could just make out Colt’s face, looking at the screen in a dark room. He held his finger up to his lips, indicating for me to be quiet. He held the phone out, revealing a sleeping me in the bed he’d just got out of.

  I giggled.

  What is he doing?

  He crept out of the room and shut the door behind himself. “Hey, baby,” he whispered to the camera.

  I reached out and stroked a finger down the side of his face.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you, and I didn’t want sleeping you to find out.” He chuckled. “I’m confusing myself, present you, future you, whatever, this is for you, my little song bird.”

  He sat the phone down on the coffee table in his living room, before sitting on the couch and adjusting the phone to ensure he could be seen on the screen.

  He slipped his glasses on and my heart fluttered.

  He grabbed his guitar from next to the couch and slung it into his arms, before starting to strum it gently.

  I recognized it instantly as ‘Tenerife Sea’.

  He sang every word so beautifully, looking right into the camera with a sweet smile, the one that seemed to be reserved only for me.

  I was shocked... mind blown... totally and utterly stunned. I couldn’t believe I’d slept through this, I couldn’t believe he’d done this for me.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  Does he? Is he telling me he loves me?

  I had a pretty good feeling that he felt the exact same way I did. I loved him completely. But I also knew that it would have made the situation so much harder for the both of us if we had said those words aloud.

  He finished the song and I could tell he was battling with his emotions the same way I was right now. He’d poured everything into that song, I loved Ed Sheeran, but my boyfriend had just given him a run for his money.

  He placed the guitar back down next to the couch and picked up his phone. He crept back down the hallway, opened the door to his bedroom quietly and snuck back into bed. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my sleeping head and blew a kiss to his phone.

  Then the screen went black.

  I squeezed my eyes tight and cried for what felt like forever.

  “And before he walked away he whispered to me “Just because the timing is off does not mean that you and I are not destined to be. There is no end to our story.””

  - Natalie Jensen

  26. Colt

  My life right now was like the scene in the movie where they played the montage of the guy after he’s lost the love of his life. The one where he’s walking around the streets aimlessly, heartbroken and alone. The music is slow and depressing and the weather is cloudy and raining.

  Welcome to my life.

  Every single damn minute since she’d left had sucked.

  There hadn’t been even a fraction of a second in which I hadn’t thought about her, or missed her, or wanted her to come back.

  I didn’t even tell her I loved her.

  She wasn’t coming back though. And I couldn’t go to her. I’d never hated the club and the responsibility I had there more than I did right now.

  Truthfully, it wasn’t the club I hated... I loved my job, I loved being around people, especially when they were having a good time... but I hated the ropes that were currently tying me down to the job.

  If it weren’t for this job – mine and my brother’s investment, I’d be there by now.

  I’d be with her.

  My phone rang and I hoped, like always, that it was Lexie. I knew it wouldn’t be though, I was up early, and she was three hours behind. My girl liked her sleep too much to be up that early. I put the Polaroid photos of Lexie and me down with a sigh and grabbed my phone.

  It was an unknown number, which always made me nervous.

  “Hello?” I answered cautiously.

  “What kind of welcome is that for your big brother?” the voice demanded.

  “Mitch?” I asked in disbelief. I hadn’t heard from my brother in what felt like forever. He was in the army and he didn’t get in contact often.

  “The one and only,” he drawled. “Wanna get a coffee?”

  Smartass.

  “I wasn’t planning on flying out to the base today,” I drawled.

  He was silent for a beat.

  “Well it’s your lucky day, kiddo.”

  I heard a knock at my door.

  No way.

  I jogged down the hall to the door and flung it open, my phone still glued to my ear.

  I couldn’t believe it. Standing right in front of me, in the flesh, was Mitch.

  I hadn’t seen him in person for over a year and it hit me like a ton of bricks just how much I’d missed him.

  “Holy shit.”

  “It’s good to see you too, bro.” He pulled me into a man hug.

  “You don’t know just how good,” I replied.

  ***

  “You gonna spill about this girl or am I gonna have to kick your ass like old times to get it out of you?” He mock punched my arm.

  I hadn’t realized I was so transparent.

  “How’d you know there was a girl?”

  “A guy’s face looks like that? It’s always about a girl.”

  I huffed out a laugh.

  We’d been sitting around for about quarter of an hour now, he’d been filling me in on his latest antics at the base and I’d told him about the club. All safe, light subjects.

  I flipped him off, but sighed in defeat. “Her name’s Lexie.”

  “Hot name,” he replied quickly.

  “Give it a rest, man.”

  “Sorry, carry on.” He smirked.

  Mitch had always had too much energy. He was older than me by five years, but sometimes I swore he was the least mature of the three of us.

  “She’s something else, man, sings like an angel, she’s beautiful, funny, sexy, kind... and I know you’ve heard shit like this from me before, but this is different,” I insisted. “After Quinn, Harrison told me that one day I’d meet the one and that I’d just know. Well, I know. She’s it.”

  “She’s the one?”

  I nodded. “All it took was seven days.”

  “Seven days to what?”

  I looked him in the eye. “Change my life.”

  “Shit, man,” he acknowledged as he leaned back and spread his arms wide on the back of my couch. “That’s some deep shit.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “I know.”

  “So where is she? I wanna meet this sexy Lexie,” he replied with a shit-eating grin.

  “Jesus.” I shook my head. “Don’t call her that. And she’s not here. She’s gone... back home.”

  “Well that sucks a donkey dick...” he muttered, his voice actually sounding sympathetic for once. “So what are you gonna do about it?”

  “You’re not going to tell me I’m being stupid?” I asked skeptically. I’d been expecting him to laugh in my face, the same way he had the last time I’d told him I loved a girl. Although, now I could see why he’d laughed at me in the past.

  I hadn’t been in love at all – not like this.

  He shook his head. “Not this time. You look... I dunno... different. I guess you look the way I feel when I think about...” he trailed off.

  I opened my mouth to ask him what he’d been going to say, but he cut me off.

  “So what are you going to do about it, little bro?”

  I ran my hand through my hair. “I dunno, man, there’s nothing I can do. The club needs me, and I’d never ask her to give up her dream job to be here with me.”

  “So you’d give up the club if you could?” he asked quizzically.

  Hell yes.

  “In a heartbeat. I can run a club anywhere,” I told him without a moment’s hesitation. It was t
rue. The club was nothing to me in comparison to being with Lexie.

  His lips spread into a slow, easy grin. “Well then, today really is your lucky day, little bro.”

  Doesn’t feel very lucky.

  “And how’s that?” I prompted.

  “I’m not just here for a visit.” He let the words settle for a moment. “I got honorably discharged.... I’m here for good,” he explained.

  His words hung in the air between us. Mitch had been in the military for as long as I could remember.

  “You left the military?” I gaped.

  He nodded. “I did.”

  “Why?” I asked in disbelief. I’d always imagined that he’d be there either until he was old and grey, or until they kicked him out. The ‘honorable’ part of his discharge assured me that wasn’t the case now.

  “I met someone too,” he answered with a smile, taking me completely by surprise. “Her name’s Sophia, we’re engaged and she’s carrying my son.”

  Mind explosion.

  “I’m sorry, what?” I stared at him blankly, certain I must have misheard him.

  He chuckled loudly. “You heard right. I’m all loved up; my woman’s got my ring on her finger and my baby in her belly.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “Holy shit indeed,” he mused.

  “I can’t form thoughts.”

  My mind was totally blown. Out of the three of us, I would have thought Mitch was the least likely to be getting married and having kids. But here he was, retired from the army, engaged and having a baby.

  “I’m moving back,” he announced, blowing my mind even further. “Soph is from here too and she wants to be closer to her parents and her sister when the baby comes, which works out well for me.”

  Finally, some good news after all the shit lately.

  “That’s awesome. It’ll be cool to have you close.”

  He chuckled again. “But you won’t be here.”

  I frowned, not understanding. “Umm... last time I checked, we were sitting in my apartment... I’m pretty sure I live here.”

  “I’m giving you your out,” he stated, his steely gaze focused on mine. “I can take care of the club from here; it’d be about time I pulled my weight there anyway.” He pointed at me. “You go get your girl back.”

  “You want to take over managing the club?” I asked, totally and utterly astonished by the unexpected direction my morning had taken.

  “Sure, why not.” He shrugged. “Can’t be that hard.”

  I chuckled. He may have been trying to wind me up, but I didn’t give a shit. He’d just given me the opportunity I’d been dreaming of ever since I watched my world walk away from me at that airport.

  I hadn’t been able to bring myself to hire a stranger to run our club, but Mitch... Mitch I knew I could count on.

  I stood and he mimicked me. I pulled him in for a hug and clapped him on the back. “Thank you,” I told him quietly as we broke apart.

  “It’s what brothers are for,” he insisted.

  “How quick do you think you can learn the ropes?” I asked, my mind already whirring with the possibilities.

  “I can start as soon as Sophia and I find an apartment.”

  That might take weeks.

  The light bulb flickered to life above my head. “How’s this one?” I suggested, gesturing around the space – it wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean and tidy and there would be plenty of space for them for now.

  Mitch glanced around and shrugged. “Looks pretty good to me.”

  “It’s all yours,” I announced. I wouldn’t be needing it anymore anyway.

  “Too easy,” he drawled. “So now what?”

  “I’ll give you two days,” I offered. “I want to meet this woman of yours, say hey to her and her belly and then get the hell out of here.”

  “You in some kind of hurry?” He smirked.

  “You bet your ass I am,” I replied without hesitation.

  It’s going to be a long two days.

  27. Lexie

  Everything felt wrong without him in my orbit.

  For the first time in my life, I wasn’t looking forward to getting on that cruise ship today, I wasn’t excited to sing or dance, I wasn’t even really looking forward to seeing my friends onboard.

  All I wanted to do was sleep, eat, look at our photos and listen to the song he’d sung for me; I knew that I was probably heading to a really unhealthy place if this continued. I knew I needed to get out of my apartment, but I just felt hollow inside.

  Colt and I had spoken every day, at least once, and I knew he was doing it as tough as I was. We were both miserable. I’d nearly booked plane tickets back about ten times, but I couldn’t seem to hit accept. I had my job here, I’d worked hard to get here, and I knew that I shouldn’t just give all that up.

  Colt had confessed to nearly up and leaving to come to me too, but his responsibilities to the club made it impossible. He was the one in charge and there was no one to take over for him.

  We were both stuck in our own lives.

  These had been the longest weeks of my life. I wished that I’d stayed with him until my next shift and spent my free weeks there with him instead of here alone, but at the time I hadn’t thought it would be this hard.

  I was so wrong.

  So here I was, packing for a fifteen-night cruise to the Hawaiian Islands, which I didn’t even want to be on anymore.

  I probably couldn’t recall a single thing that was in that suitcase, I just didn’t care. The only items of clothing I cared about anymore were the t-shirts of Colt’s I’d snuck into my suitcase before I’d left him.

  I abandoned the packing and decided to call Colt. I needed to hear his voice telling me that everything was going to be okay. He was the only thing that could calm me down now.

  Tears threatened to well up in my eyes. I’d been so damn emotional these last two weeks, it wasn’t like me, but then, I’d never been in love like this before. It had changed me in an irreversible way.

  “Hey, this is Colt; leave me a message after the beep.”

  Dammit. Voicemail.

  The shrill beep pierced my ear and I hung up. Colt had been so busy the past few days that we hadn’t been able to talk as much as we usually did. He’d blamed it on some changes he had happening at the club... he’d seemed pretty excited about what he had going on. If I was honest, it hurt to think that he was getting on with his life without me.

  I called once more, but got the same message.

  Back to packing it is...

  I trudged into my bathroom and started poking around for my makeup, toothbrush and paste, tampons, hairbrush...

  Woah...

  Reality hit me like a slap in the face.

  Oh shit.

  I held the small pink box of tampons in my hands, my heart thumping in my chest.

  Oh shit.

  I flew back into the bedroom, pulling up the calendar on the screen of my phone.

  My period had begun the Saturday before I’d arrived to see Quinn and El. That was about fourteen days before I’d arrived back home. I’d been home for over two and half weeks now.

  The numbers swirled in my head.

  That was too many days. I had a twenty-eight-day cycle. Always.

  I was five days late.

  Holy shit.

  I can’t be pregnant...

  Can I?

  Other than that first time, we’d been careful. And I’d taken a morning-after pill.

  They’re effective... breathe... it’s just a few days.

  I wasn’t convincing even to myself.

  I grabbed my laptop and flipped it open. I hastily typed ‘morning-after pill effectiveness’ into the search bar and hit enter.

  I felt my heart speed up as I read the words on the screen in front of me.

  This can’t be right...

  The first search result stated that if taken within seventy-two hours, the morning-after pill could reduce the risk of pregnancy by
up to eighty-nine percent.

  Up to eighty-nine percent?

  I couldn’t breathe. Only up to eighty-nine percent...

  How was that possible?

  I had stupidly believed that I was taking something that was nearly one hundred percent effective.

  I scrolled further down the page.

  Ninety-five percent effective if taken within twenty-four hours...

  Well shit.

  After all of our forgetfulness, I certainly hadn’t made it within the twenty-four hour cut off.

  I clicked on every link the search had found, but the results were still the same.

  I am so screwed...

  I dialed Colt again, but still got his voicemail.

  Oh. My. God.

  I needed to take a test. My brain was screaming at me to go and get one, but my body wasn’t getting the message.

  No, no, no...

  Holy shit....

  I didn’t even need to take a test; I was convinced that I already knew what it would say.

  Pregnant.

  All the sleeping, eating, the emotions... it all made sense now.

  Holy shit.

  I needed to talk to Colt.

  Take a test first, woman...

  The sensible part of my brain took over and I grabbed my keys, some cash and my phone.

  I was taking a test, right now.

  ***

  The two bright pink lines stared back at me, taunting me.

  I knew it.

  Part of me was overjoyed at the fact that I was carrying Colt’s baby. He was the only one for me – I had no doubt about that. But the reality of the situation was that we lived thousands of miles apart, and that didn’t look set to change anytime in the foreseeable future.

  It was already a complicated situation that had just become one thousand times more complicated by this new addition.

  I still couldn’t get Colt on the phone, and I was beginning to freak out here on my own. I had to be on the ship in forty-five minutes and I still had no idea what I was going to do.

  I need Colt.

  I needed to let him know what was happening, but I felt overwhelmingly guilty at the prospect of telling him he was going to be a dad over the phone... but I also couldn’t get off that godforsaken boat for two whole weeks to be able to do it in person.