I Belong With You

by Ashelyn Drake

  “I don’t know. I have to move out, right? He lied to me. He told me what I wanted to hear just to get me into bed.”

  “You don’t know that,” she says, forking a piece of cantaloupe. “It’s possible he was going to tell you but didn’t want to spoil his birthday.”

  “Great. So now you’re making excuses for him.” I shake my head.

  “I’m not. I’m on your side. You know that. I’m just saying, if I were you, I’d want to hear his side of it. He owes you an explanation. At the very least, you deserve to hear this from his mouth and not his sister’s.

  I agree with her there. I deserve that much. “I can’t believe he’d do this. We agreed to see other people and keep it casual.”

  She tilts her head and studies my face. “And how well did that go for you?”

  “What are you talking about? I’m dating Sebastian, too.”

  “Right. And when was the last time you actually went on a date with him? And the lunch you had here doesn’t count since he showed up unexpectedly. Your only planned date was the one at Bella Noche the night David showed up. Ever since then, you’ve been canceling on Sebastian and avoiding his calls.”

  “It’s not the same as what David did. I didn’t end things with Sebastian. We’re going to lunch today.”

  “Then why are you having brunch with me now?” She reaches her hand across the table. “Emily, I love you, but you aren’t always good at seeing what’s directly in front of your face. You care about David, and you hated seeing him with Lonnie. Why do you think that is?”

  Because I wanted him to myself. Oh God! I shake my head. “No. This is crazy. It’s not me. I don’t do relationships. I’ll only hurt us both.” My breathing gets erratic.

  “You don’t know that. What did you learn from doing that story on the oldest couple in Priority?”

  I shrug. “I didn’t write it.” I couldn’t bring myself to because Ethel and Frank Burbridge go against everything I know to be true. I can’t make sense of their relationship.

  “Then write it now.” She opens her purse and takes out a notebook and pen. She’s the only person I know who carries things like that around with her instead of using her phone like the rest of the human population. She opens the notebook and flips to a blank page. “Ignore my shopping list on the previous page. Write.”

  “I can’t do this here.” I gesture to the café.

  “I’m not letting you leave until you do.” She pulls my plate to her. “I’m not letting you eat either.”

  “I’m still not doing it. You can’t force me to stay here and...”

  She reaches for my purse on the table before I can stop her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Texting Sebastian to come by.”

  “No!” I grab for my phone, but she pulls it out of my reach.

  “Why? Tell me why you don’t want to see him, Emily. Please, be honest with yourself for once.”

  “I’m not playing games, Tara. Give me my phone.”

  She starts typing. “‘Sebastian, can’t wait until lunch. Meet me at the corner café now.’” She looks up at me but keeps her finger poised over the phone. “Tell me why or I’m pressing ‘send.’”

  I stare at her, tears forming in my eyes. “Tara, you’re supposed to be my best friend.”

  “I am your best friend, and I know what you refuse to say.”

  “Then why are you making me say it?” Tears spill down my cheeks.

  “Because you aren’t going to accept it unless you admit it to yourself first. Tell me why you won’t see Sebastian.”

  “Because he’s not David,” I practically yell, drawing the attention of the diners around us.

  Tara gets up and walks around the table to me. She wraps me in a hug, and I cry on her shoulder. “I know, sweetie. I know. And I really think if you write that story, you’ll find the answer you’re looking for.”

  How can I write what I myself don’t know?

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  David

  I rush through my shower, my pulse racing, even though my run ended over twenty minutes ago. I can’t believe Monica told Emily about the conversation she and I had in private. I’ve never been so angry, and I can’t even direct it at Monica. She was right. I should have confessed to Emily immediately. The only reason why I didn’t was because I was a coward. I was afraid Emily would leave me. And she did that anyway. Monica said Emily’s moving out. I fucked everything up.

  I throw on the first clothes I can find and walk out of my room, heading to the kitchen, where I left my car keys.

  “Where are you going?” Monica asks.

  “I don’t know. I’ll drive all around Priority if I have to.” I have to look up her friend Tara, find out where she lives. I’ll bet anything Emily is with her, telling her what a dick I am.

  “Then I’m going with you,” she says, grabbing her car keys. “You’re in no condition to drive.”

  The door opens, and Emily walks in holding a small yellow notebook. Her eyes go to me and then Monica. “Monica, could you give us a minute, please?”

  Monica nods. “Of course. I was just saying it looked like a nice day for a walk. Take your time.” She squeezes my arm reassuringly as she walks past me toward the door.

  Emily closes it behind her. “Can we talk?”

  I can’t believe she’s even willing to talk to me. “Yes. Absolutely.” I put my keys down on the counter. “Do you want to sit?”

  She shakes her head. “No, I think I need to stand.”

  So she can bolt at a moment’s notice? I drag a hand through my wet hair. “Okay,” I say.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Lonnie?” she asks, her voice softer than I expect, considering how mad she must be.

  “I was planning to. I almost did yesterday, but you planned all those things and I didn’t want to ruin it.” She starts to say something, but I hold my hand up to stop her. “No. That’s no excuse. It’s my fault, entirely my fault. I should have told you the second it happened.”

  “She didn’t get called into work earlier this week, did she? That’s when you ended it.” She nods, putting it all together.

  I take a deep breath and decide to come completely clean. I owe her that much. “I was never okay with dating Lonnie. She’s great, but I couldn’t see myself with her. Not when I still have feelings for you.” I step toward her but don’t touch her. “I thought if you saw I was open to a casual relationship, you’d be willing to date me and ultimately see we were right for each other. It wasn’t fair of me to put you in that situation. I was an ass, and I’m sorry.”

  She’s quiet, and I don’t know if she’s trying to process what I said or if she’s too angry to speak.

  “I also asked to write that article on the Burbridges because I thought if I went there with you and we saw a couple who made it work...”

  “That I’d be able to envision a future like that with you?” she asks.

  My stomach sinks, but I force myself to nod. “I’m sorry, Emily. I know I’ve made a mess of everything, and if you really want to move out, I’ll understand. I deserve that.”

  “I wrote my piece on Ethel and Frank,” she says, opening the notebook. “This morning actually.”

  After I ruined everything. Now I feel like I should apologize to Ethel and Frank as well. I’m sure Emily’s feelings for me made her slant her piece in a negative way.

  She turns the notebook in my direction. “I want you to read it.”

  God, I’ve never been dumped via an opinion piece, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. I take the notebook, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before reading it.

  Can Love and Marriage Withstand Human Nature?

  by Emily Richards

  If you asked me weeks ago what my stance was on commitment, I’d flat-out tell you there was no such thing. Look at the divorce rate in this country. The evidence is in black and white. Most marriages fail. Why? Because people are incapable of committ
ing to anyone but themselves.

  My parents and their parents before them were divorced. I don’t have a single example of a loving relationship between a man and a woman in my life. I never have. And then I met Frank and Ethel Burbridge, a couple who has been married for seventy-two years, living right here in Priority. I was able to speak with them and find out how they’ve managed to make their marriage last. And do you know what I learned? They considered divorce at one point. That’s right. The couple who holds the title for the longest marriage in Priority almost called it quits. Because when life throws you curve balls, instinct is for self-preservation. That’s what happened with the Burbridges. They experienced a loss that almost drove them apart. I admit I wasn’t surprised when I heard that.

  What did surprise me is what Ethel told me next. She said Frank refused her suggestion of a divorce. He wanted to help Ethel through her grief. He saw past himself and thought of her instead. I was still leery at this point because how many men like Frank Burbridge really exist in this world? If we look at those divorce rates again, the numbers tell you there aren’t many. Things aren’t looking good for love and marriage, are they?

  But here’s what I also learned. While I’ve never met a Frank Burbridge, I have met a David Burke. I dated David, not once but twice, under the pretense of things remaining casual—no true commitment to each other. Surprise, surprise, it didn’t work. And do you want to know why? The reason surprised me. I fell for him. He cared more about my happiness than his own. He sacrificed his feelings for mine. In the end, that made him keep secrets from me and ultimately drove a wedge between us. But I’m hoping the source of those lies by omission—love—is strong enough for us to make this work.

  So can love and marriage withstand human nature? The answer isn’t an easy one. It can if and only if you’re willing to work hard at it. Divorce rates say most people aren’t willing, but that doesn’t mean that’s the answer for you or for me. In fact, I can tell you it’s not the answer for me.

  When I finish reading, I realize I’m holding my breath. How is it possible that she’s willing to forgive me for what I did, knowing why I did it? “Emily...”

  “I don’t want to be my parents or my grandparents,” she says through tears. “I don’t want to date Sebastian, no matter who he looks like or how sweet he is.” She steps toward me. “When Tara asked me what was wrong with Sebastian, do you know what my answer was?”

  I shake my head and swallow hard.

  “He isn’t you. I tried to keep myself from feeling these things for you, but what I realized was I had only succeeded in keeping myself from admitting my true feelings.” She steps close enough for me to touch, but I don’t. I don’t want to push her or rush her in any way.

  “I’m falling for you, David, and it scares the hell out of me. But you were willing to try something for me, and if you still want to, I’m willing to work hard at making things work between us. Just us. No one else.”

  I’m not stupid enough to question her on this, not after that piece she wrote. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “For not being honest from the start.”

  “I know you are. I know the kind of person you are, David. You didn’t intentionally try to hurt me.”

  “I never would.”

  “So what do you think? Are you willing to make this work between us?”

  I’ve never seen her look so vulnerable. I know this isn’t easy for her. I reach for her waist, and she places her hands on my arms. “Emily, that was my real birthday wish. That you’d let me in and realize we belong together, which is something I’ve known all along.”

  “Sorry it took me so long. I always thought I was a quick learner.”

  She never had anyone to show her what love looked like. “I’d say you did learn pretty quickly once you had a good example.”

  “What do we do now?” she asks.

  I dip my head toward hers. “We start here.” I kiss her softly. “And then we take this as slowly as you need to.”

  She wraps her arms around me. “Not too slowly,” she says with a smile before kissing me again.

  Epilogue

  Emily

  David and I have been going strong for a month now. I’m still in shock at how easy it is to love this man. He’s not overbearing in any way. In fact, he encourages me to go out with Tara and have her over as much as I want. And even though we work together, live together, and share a bed, I still look forward to seeing him when I wake up, when I get back to the office after meetings, or after a night out with friends. I really can’t get enough of him.

  We end up at Last Call on a Friday night, and Tara and Dominic are with us. While they have no romantic interest in each other, Tara and Dominic get along really well, so the four of us have a great time together. I see Lonnie at the bar when we arrive, and I place my hand on David’s chest. “Are you going to be okay with this?”

  “Are you?” David asks, pointing to Sebastian at the end of the bar.

  I let Sebastian down gently, telling him I was involved with someone when we met and didn’t want to hurt him when I had feelings for someone else. He understood because he really is a great guy.

  “No worries. Sebastian and I are good,” I say, giving Sebastian a wave when he looks my way. He waves back, and when he sees David, he gives me a knowing smile.

  “Do things always work out so well for you?” he teases.

  “I got you, didn’t I?” I playfully jab him in the ribs.

  “Come on, you two. Time to get this over with. It’s only as awkward as you let it be,” Tara says. She walks right up to Lonnie and sits down on the barstool. “Lonnie, right?”

  David and I watch as Dominic approaches Sebastian and says something to him.

  “What are they up to?” I ask David.

  “No idea. Should we be worried?”

  “Good question.”

  We move toward Tara, but Lonnie walks away before we get there. She heads for Sebastian, and it looks like Dominic introduces them. Lonnie smiles at Sebastian, instantly taken in by his looks.

  “Are you and Dominic trying to play matchmaker?” I ask Tara.

  She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “I asked her if she was a fan of Supernatural, and she said yes and started gushing over the guy at the end of the bar who looks like Dean Winchester. So I told her Dom could introduce her. The rest is up to them.”

  Lonnie and Sebastian are laughing together when Dominic walks over and sits down next to Tara. They high-five, and Dominic says, “What would you two do without us?”

  “We’d clearly be miserable,” David jokes.

  “Yeah, except with you, we’re going to be thirsty,” I say. “It doesn’t seem like Lonnie is going to get us drinks any time soon.”

  “Nope. She’s busy,” Tara says with a laugh. She and Dominic start talking, so I turn to face David.

  “I need a date to Sharonda’s wedding. I got the invitation in the mail the other day,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist.

  “Are you asking me to go with you?”

  I nod.

  “You know it’s to a wedding, right?”

  “Yeah, I think Sharonda and Devonte have a shot at making it work.”

  “You do, huh?” He dips his head and kisses my neck. “Do you know any other couples who might make it work?”

  “Maybe. Nate and Aria seemed to be doing well,” I tease.

  He kisses my neck again. “Any others?”

  “Hmm, not sure. I might need more convincing.”

  “Sounds like a challenge to me,” he says.

  “Are you up for it?” I ask, sliding onto a barstool.

  He takes the one next to me and cups my cheek. “You know I am.” Even though we’re in the middle of the bar, David kisses me like there’s no one watching. And for the first time, I’m okay with kissing in public. I’m okay with all of this because David is my Frank Burbridge. He’s becoming my everything.

  Look out for the next book in the Love Chronicles series, S
ince I Found You, coming February 2018!

  And stay up-to-date on all of Asheyln’s releases by subscribing to her newsletter: http://bit.ly/2pvYT07

  Also by Ashelyn Drake

  Reignited

  It Was Always You (Love Chronicles #1)

  After Loving You (New Adult romance)

  Campus Crush (New Adult romance)

  Perfect For You (Young Adult contemporary romance)

  Our Little Secret (Young Adult contemporary romance)

  Writing as Kelly Hashway

  Lies We Tell (Lies We Tell #1)

  Secrets We Keep (Lies We Tell #2)

  Fading Into the Shadows

  Touch of Death (Touch of Death #1)

  Stalked by Death (Touch of Death #2)

  Face of Death (Touch of Death #3)

  The Monster Within (The Monster Within #1)

  The Darkness Within (The Monster Within #2)

  Into the Fire (Into the Fire #1)

  Out of the Ashes (Into the Fire #2)

  Up In Flames (Into the Fire #3)

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks to my editor Amy McNulty for whipping this book into shape. You’re always a joy to work with. Alyssa at Uplifting Designs, thank you for creating the perfect cover for this book. Amber Noffke, you continue to be the one to keep me on track on this crazy journey. No matter how much I through at you or change my publication schedule, you remain on top of it all. I can’t thank you enough.

  To my street team, Kelly’s Coven, thank you for always being there to talk, to share my news, and spread the word about my books. A world of thanks to my family who has to listen to me constantly talking about my books and put up with me disappearing in my office when I think no one is looking. I love you guys. And to YOU, reading this book now, thank you for letting me and my characters be part of your world.

  About the Author