Cherishing Her During Adversity: A Friends to Lovers Romance

by Alexa McLean

“We should call the cops.”

  And she was right. Calling the cops was the most logical solution even though all I wanted to do was find this crook and beat him to the ground. But who would do something like this? I tried to run through a mental list of my enemies but I couldn’t come up with a conclusive answer.

  “Who could have done this?” Lola asks aloud.

  It was then that it dawned on me.

  Liam.

  This was an act of revenge. He blamed me for this brother’s unemployment and this was the way he planned to make things right but he made a big mistake involving Lola because no one messes with my girl and gets away with it — no one.

  “Come on, we have to get down to the police station.”

  I took Lola’s hand before she could utter a word of protest. I really did not have the time nor the mental stability to explain the situation to her. Behind the wheel of her car, I drove like a madman because the faster I made my statement to the police, the faster they would have that crook behind bars where he belonged.

  Thankfully, the police station wasn’t very far. I pulled in to a parking spot, car askew. I really didn’t care whether I was inside the lines or not.

  As I rounded the car to open Lola’s door, I noticed movement in the shadows. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the man of the hour. We were wondering whether you’d ever show up but like the coward you are, you came here to tattle on us instead of handling your problems like a real man.” Liam showed himself. He was standing underneath the nearby floodlight. The light was casting a weird glow across his face making him look almost hollow in appearance.

  Beside him stood a man I had never seen before but by the resemblance, I could tell that this was Liam’s brother, the same man that had once worked for my company.

  Now, trust me, I wanted to push over there and decorate both their faces with my fists but given that I was outside a police station, that wouldn’t be the best idea in the world.

  “Ivan, we should get inside,” Lola whispered as she stood behind me, using my body to keep herself distant from these two vile individuals.

  “What’s your grand plan?” I asked. “Because last time I checked, burning down a building will not get your brother’s job back. It won’t put food on the table. More likely than not, it’ll get you jailed for arson.”

  Liam laughed. “Jailed? I’ve got more friends in this station than you’ve got brain cells.”

  Apparently, that was the best he could do in terms of an insult.

  “And the fire department will remain loyal to its longstanding employee. You’ve been working there for a couple of days. They might even suspect you of starting the fire yourself so that you could call yourself a hero.”

  “Are you insane? Why would I burn my girlfriend’s house to the ground?”

  “I’m done talking.” The brother stepped forward and that’s when I noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. Even his walk was compromised. Had these men been drinking or was it worse than that?

  Liam cracked a horrifying laugh that rose the hairs on the back of my neck.

  A switchblade glinted.

  I swore under my breath and pushed Lola out of harm’s way just as the first attack was made.

  She screamed and dashed for the police station. In the meantime, I had to stall these guys which meant it was time to get my hands dirty.

  There was warm blood running down my arm from where my ex-employee had cut me. There was so much adrenaline running through my system that I didn’t feel a lick of pain.

  “You aren’t so tough out on the streets,” mocked my assailant. “It’s not so easy when you lack all that money to hide behind.”

  I ducked as he swung the blade a second time. I thought I was out of the woods but Liam tackled into me from behind. I crashed into the asphalt, my cheek dragging across the ground until it burned.

  Something sharp was pressed against my neck. Were these guys really going to threaten my life with a police station less than thirty feet away? Clearly, these men were both out of their minds.

  That fight or flight instinct kicked in and I jammed my elbow into the face of whoever was pinning me down. The groaned with the pain of a broken nose. There was blood just about everywhere.

  Slash!

  This time, the blade came for my cheek, decorating it with a thin line of red. It stung like one heck of a paper cut.

  It was time to end this.

  Using speed to my advantage, I grabbed my ex-employee by the shoulders. With a well-aimed knee, he had the wind knocked right out of him. I used that to my advantage to clock him in the face where he fell, unconscious.

  One down, one to go.

  I turned around, balancing on the balls of my feet in case Liam had any further tricks up his sleeve but all his confidence had dissipated with the collapse of his brother.

  “Hands up!”

  Finally, an officer came on the scene. It took them long enough. If I had to guess, they probably had Lola filling out paperwork or something before coming here. That’s how inefficient the police really are. It’s amazing that bad guys ever manage to get caught but, then again, Liam and his brother had just proven to me how idiotic they could be.

  Suddenly, Liam made a run for it, furthering my point about their stupidity. I swear, they had to be doped up or something. No sane person acts this way.

  Buzz!

  Like a sack of potatoes, he came down — hard. The taser was steaming.

  “We need to bring you in for questioning, sir.”

  I agreed and I also agreed to be brought to the hospital so I could have my arm stitched back together. Fifteen stitches in total.

  IT WAS CLOSE TO DAWN by the time we returned to Lola’s mother’s house. She forced us to tell her the entire story and by the time we were finished, the sun had already risen over the horizon.

  The pain meds they had given me at the hospital were making it nearly impossible for me to stay awake. I felt like a member of the living dead.

  By some miracle, we made it to bed. It was a tight squeeze considering that Lola’s childhood bed was a twin sized mattress but as far as I’m concerned, that just meant more cuddling.

  “It’s been one heck of an evening...” said Lola. “I still can’t believe it happened.”

  “Neither can I.” I held her cheek in my hand and looked into her eyes. “You do realize that your house burned down because of me? Those men wanted to hurt me yet, you were the one that suffered the most.”

  She snuggled a little closer. “I don’t care about the house. Everything I had in that place is replaceable. What isn’t is you. When those men started to attack you, I was scared I was about to lose my best friend.”

  “You know, this could happen again.”

  “If you are trying to push me away then it’s not going to work. You’re stuck with me.”

  “Even if it means dealing with the mess I created? With all the repercussions of the bankruptcy?”

  “Every last one of them,” she said without an ounce of hesitation. “Through the good times and the bad, I’ll be by your side. I can only hope that you’d do the same for me.”

  “Always.”

  Chapter 14: Lola

  A FEW MONTHS LATER.

  Moving back in with my mother was strange at first but it wasn’t all that bad. The upside? I got to eat home cooked meals almost every day. The downside? My mother is a chatterbox and she likes to tell me everything. I could write a biography of the women in her pilates class. And I could tell you which cashier to look for at the grocery store and which ones to avoid.

  Today, however, it would seem that my mother had other plans because her car wasn’t in the driveway and all the lights were off.

  Thank Heavens, I thought to myself. Maybe I would finally get some peace and quiet.

  I unlocked the front door and paused. I waited for a beat to make sure that I truly had the place to myself but after a few moments, I picked up on a distant sound. I wasn’t certain but it so
unded like soft music playing from the back porch.

  Ivan maybe?

  I followed the twinkle through the house and straight to the backdoor as I had suspected. Through the screen, I saw my teddy bear rocking on our hammock.

  Curious, I stepped outside and grabbed it. The poor, old thing was tattered and worn but I could never bring myself to throw it away. It just meant too much to me because it was at that carnival that I had first fallen in love with Ivan.

  I ran my fingers across his fur. He had once been soft but now he was just mangy.

  “Huh?” I spoke aloud as I cocked my head to the side. There was a note attached to the little collar he wore around his neck.

  “Turn around,” was what it said so that’s what I did.

  All of a sudden, there was Ivan, down on one knee, ring in hand.

  I gasped, nearly passing out from the shock. I couldn’t believe it. Was this really happening? Was Ivan really about to propose? It felt like my eyes were about to pop right out of my head.

  “How?” I asked even though there were a million and one questions going through my head.

  He grinned like someone who had been hiding a dirty little secret for a long time. “My mother always told me to follow my heart and that’s what I did.”

  “I mean... how did you afford this...?” The ring was stunning. The diamond alone looked like the north star in the way that it glittered. But that wasn’t even the half of it. There were diamonds lining the entire band as well. Plus an intricate working of the gold in a floral pattern so that it looked like roses were holding the diamond in place. “This looks incredibly expensive.”

  “It was.”

  “Ivan,” I started, my voice stern. Since his bankruptcy, we had worked off of a budget system so that we’d be able to afford a house together sooner rather than later. Having him buy this ring would definitely put a dent in that budget.

  “Would you stop being pragmatic for one second?” He took my hand and looked into my eyes. “Because all I want to know is whether you’ll marry me.”

  Those three final words made my heart skip a beat. I had dreamt of this moment and I never thought it would play out like this.

  “You’ve proven to me that you’re the key to my happiness. You make dark skies blue again. Your smile lifts me up whenever I’m feeling down and you’re the rock when the world falls apart. You’re my everything and I want to live out the rest of my life with you by my side. I want to cherish and protect you — to grow old with you. I want to start a family and bring our children to baseball games and ballet recitals. I want everything and more but I want you most of all. So, won’t you say ‘yes’ and make me the happiest man on the planet?”

  There were tears in my eyes and my throat felt like it had sealed shut. Still, I managed to nod my head and fall into his loving arms. Together, we tumbled to the ground and rolled into the grass. I laughed and settled onto his chest where I was safe from all the bugs that liked to live in my mother’s backyard.

  Gently, he slipped the ring onto my finger and it was a perfect fit. “Wow...” I whispered aloud. “It’s beautiful.”

  “But not nearly as beautiful as you.” He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. “I hope you like it, though.”

  “I love it but the question still stands — how did you afford this thing?”

  “My mom gave you a music box for your birthday.”

  “Okay...”

  “But it wasn’t just a music box. It was a safety net in case we ever needed it.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not following.”

  “There was a false bottom.”

  “What?”

  “And inside was my mother’s most expensive piece of jewelry.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not.”

  “How much?”

  “About half a million.”

  “Half a million?” I repeated, flabbergasted. “And I just had that sitting on my vanity for years? What would have happened if I threw it away?”

  “I think my mother knew that you wouldn’t and that sooner or later, we’d be together. That’s why she always told me to follow my heart. She knew we were perfect for one another.”

  I shook my head because honestly, I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of having half a million dollars sitting in my room for over a decade without me ever knowing it. His mother had taken quite the risk but her faith in our relationship had proven well-founded.

  “So, what did you do with the rest of the money?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” And there came the return of his signature grin.

  Chapter 15: Ivan

  I HAD LOLA BLINDFOLDED when I brought her to my second surprise. Now, she would probably think I was being impulsive but I had searched the housing market for months trying to find the very best home I could find. I wanted it to be our forever home — the place where we would start a family and grow old together.

  “Are we at the beach?” asked Lola. “I can smell the ocean.”

  “Not exactly but we’re pretty close.”

  “Would you mind telling me where we are going?”

  “We’re almost there,” I assured her as we continued down a small stone path that led to a hill. On that hill was a beach house that oversaw the entire ocean. It was secluded from the rest of the oceanfront property, giving it that added bonus of privacy. As far as I was concerned, it was perfect.

  I fished the keys from my pocket and dropped them into her palm.

  She tightened her fingers around them and cocked her head to the side, confused. “What is this?” she asked.

  “Keys.”

  “Keys? To what?”

  “Our new home.” And that’s when I took off her blindfold.

  She stood there, mouth agape for quite a while.

  “Uh... Lola?”

  “This is ours?”

  “Yes. Paid in full. We never have to worry about a mortgage payment. Property taxes — now that’s something else entirely but I think we can probably make room for it in our budget.”

  “You bought this?”

  “I did.”

  “And we can live here now?”

  “We can.”

  “Is this a joke?”

  “No, it’s not and I can pinch you if —”

  “No!” she exclaimed as she jumped out of reach.

  “So, would you like to do the honor?” I asked, motioning towards the front door.

  Lola stared at the keys for a moment but eventually, she started toward the door. Her hands were shaking but she managed to turn the lock. The door swung back revealing a nautical-themed living room complete with a life preserver and a scale replica of some famous sailboat.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Do you like it?”

  “This is everything I’ve ever wanted.” All of a sudden, she took hold of my face and pulled me in for a kiss. Only, it wasn’t just a kiss. It was much more than that. Her lips were hungry against my own and in a matter of seconds, her tongue was exploring the inside of my mouth. She was ravenous and I knew exactly where this was going. Good thing I had prepared for it.

  Already, the excitement was building between my legs. I was tempted to take her right then and there but I didn’t want to ruin the romantic moment I had planned.

  So, I allowed the kiss to linger until finally, the lack of oxygen brought it to an end. Breathless, she clung to my neck and was about to go in for a second round but before she could do so, I tilted my head toward the trail of rose petals I had left on the floor.

  “Oh?” She followed them as I hoped she would.

  They snaked through the entire house, sending her on a wild goose chase that succeeded in giving her the grand tour. In the end, she arrived at her destination: the bedroom.

  The bed was covered in rose petals and there was champagne waiting for us for when we were done.

  I came up behind her and wrapped my
arms around her waist so that she could feel my growing erection against her backside. My lips brushed ever so slightly against the side of her neck. “What do you say about breaking in the new house?” I whispered, my tone soft and seductive.

  She answered by turning around and planting another ravenous kiss on my lips.

  I picked her up and slammed her into the wall. I couldn’t help myself, really. This girl had a way of turning me into an animal. Already, my teeth were all over her neck, leaving behind an array of hickeys. She would have quite a bit of explaining come work tomorrow and I didn’t want to think about the fuss her mother would make but that was all irrelevant for the moment. All that mattered was making this woman feel good and getting her to scream loud enough so that all the neighbors would learn my name.

  She pulled at my hair and with her grasp, she guided me towards her breasts. I was eager to comply with her request. Her shirt came away with a satisfying rip. Her bra wasn’t quite as easy but after a bit of finger work, I finally got the clasps to come undone.

  As her bra fell, her breasts sprang into action, glad to be free of their confines. “Why, hello...” I purred as I decorated their every inch with kisses. I avoided her nipples on purpose because I knew how much she wanted it.

  She was grinding her hips against mine.

  This was perhaps the horniest I had ever seen her and I planned to take full advantage of it. Today, we’d both have a one-way ticket to sex heaven.

  I laid her down on the bed and took a step back because I just had to admire the beautiful woman that would soon be my wife. It was hard to believe that Lola had been a part of my life for so many years and only now were we reaping the benefits of a relationship we had both been yearning for.

  “Are you going to stare at me all day or are we going to get this party started?” she asked, growing impatient.

  “Someone’s in a rush,” I said as I pinched one of her nipples between my thumb and forefinger. As she rolled her eyes into the back of her head, I rolled it back and forth until her hips were lifted off the bed.

  That’s when I took off her pants and threw them aside. She would no longer need them.