A Beautiful Thought

by Alicia Rae

I watched Lily shift in her chair a few times. “You okay, Lily? Is Baby Blimp doing somersaults over there?”

  “More like triple backflips.” Lily laughed, moving again. “The baby is very active at night. Poor Kyle hasn’t slept in days. When I’m not using him as a body pillow, I toss and turn a lot at night.”

  “I hope you make him suffer,” Abbey teased. “Men shouldn’t get to sleep if women don’t.”

  “Such love you have for your brother,” I joked. I took another gulp of my delicious drink, not wanting to waste a single drop.

  “You know it.” Abbey winked.

  Lily chortled. “Oh, don’t lie. You love him.”

  “Most of the time,” Abbey scoffed.

  Abbey’s favorite song, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, came on. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my chair.

  “All right, girls, enough chitchat for now. Let’s dance!” Abbey shouted enthusiastically before tugging me behind her.

  Lily and Audrey stood to their feet, and we promenaded over to the dance floor and weaved through the crowd. The four of us started swaying our hips to the beat, each of us beaming and singing along to the lyrics. The blinking strobe lights illuminated the small area and set the mood. Even Lily let loose as she shook her booty with us.

  I smiled at Abbey, Lily, and Audrey, suddenly feeling beyond thankful to have such wonderful ladies to call my friends. They always stood by my side. We might not get to see each other that often, but I knew no matter how much time had passed, we could call one another and pick up right where we’d left off as if not a day had gone by.

  For the next two hours, we made a routine of dancing and then going back to the table to take a shot—well, Lily would chug more water. Then, we would dance some more. It was perfect.

  On our fourth walk back to the table, Abbey leaned on me for balance. “God,” she sighed, laughing. “My feet are going to kill me tomorrow. They are throbbing like a mo-fo.”

  Her slang made me join in on her amusement. “Me, too,” I agreed. “Except mine are already numb, and I think that’s worse because I’m past the point of pain.”

  “Oh, shit.” Abbey snorted as we reached the table and all sat down. “That is bad. You’ll be limping in the morning.”

  “I know I will be,” Audrey piped in.

  “Thank goodness I wore flats,” Lily said, sounding exhausted.

  Abbey glanced at her watch. “We must be getting old. It’s only eleven o’clock, and we are all exhausted.”

  “Wow. It seems as though if you don’t go out regularly, you lose your tolerance to stay up late.” Audrey snickered.

  “I already have,” Lily responded.

  As my friends continued to converse, Keith Walters, a retired quarterback, caught my attention.

  “Hey,” I said in between them talking, rising from my chair, “I see an old patient of mine. I’ll be right back.”

  I walked over to him as he waited at the bar for a drink. I stopped next to him, and just to be sure, I asked, “Keith Walters?”

  He turned around to face me, and I smiled when I confirmed it was him.

  “Hey, Dr. Bennett!” He smiled kindly and offered me his hand. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing great! I’m still at Fit ’N’ Healthy Rehabilitation Center with Greg,” I responded, shaking his hand. “How have you been? And how’s your knee?”

  “Surprisingly enough, I’m loving retirement.” He laughed. “And the knee healed up great—all thanks to you, Doc.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. And how’s the fam doing?” I asked. “Those three boys still giving you trouble?”

  “My eldest just left for college, and the younger two are keeping me on my toes.” He grinned.

  “I bet!” I replied. “Well, it was great to see you,” I added, politely excusing myself to get back to my friends.

  “You, too. Be sure to tell Greg hi for me.”

  “I will,” I said, waving good-bye before I turned.

  The crowed had shifted, so I detoured to the right to head back to my table. A waitress with a full tray of drinks suddenly spun around. When I sidestepped to the left in hopes of diverting a disaster, I bumped into a huge body.

  I rotated while saying, “I’m so sor—” I broke off, and my eyes went wide as I came face-to-face with my ex-boyfriend, Zach.

  “S-sorry?” he sneered, stepping into my personal space. He moved his head from side to side in a disapproving manner.

  I nodded, not knowing what else to say, as I observed the glossy look in Zach’s eyes. He was definitely drunk. His tall body towered over me, making me feel so small and weak, just like he used to when we’d dated. I had been so stupid not to realize his negative attitude sooner in our former relationship. Now, it seemed ten times worse.

  “You always were klutzy,” he added when I did not respond.

  “Well, I’d better get back to my friends.” I pointed behind me. “Sorry for bumping into you.”

  “Wait,” he slurred, grabbing my arm.

  I whipped around, feeling rage boil within me. “Get your hand off of me—now,” I hissed, emphasizing each word.

  He let go and waved his hands in front of his face. “Oh,” he said mockingly. “Did someone finally get a backbone?”

  “I did,” I replied, looking directly into his eyes. “Good-bye, Zach,” I added dismissively.

  If I had learned one thing since dating him, it was that he was not worth a minute more of my time. I twisted around while taking a forward step, and I crashed into another body.

  Damn, this is not my night, and I’m not even drunk. “I’m so sorry!” I said as I glanced up.

  Damon was standing in front of me.

  “Oh, thank heavens, it’s you!” I breathed in a sigh of relief. I was elated to set my eyes on him and also glad that I’d not run into anyone else.

  “Who was that?” he asked in a hard, steel-like voice, his posture rigid and tense.

  Before I could answer, someone jostled into my back. I felt like a ping-pong ball from bouncing into so many people within minutes.

  “I’m Zach,” he cut in, sounding like he was ready for a pissing contest. “And you must be the new guy.”

  “No,” Damon responded in a calm but menacing tone. “I’m the guy, and you’d be wise to remember that.”

  Damon set his hand on the small of my back, and I knew he was ready to move on. Jason and Kyle appeared out of thin air, each with a look that mirrored Damon’s expression.

  “And who do we have here?” Zach asked arrogantly before we could make our exit. “Dumb and dumber?”

  “Nope.” Jason laughed. “We are the backup.” He tilted his head at Damon. “Not that our brother needs it. But if you don’t pull your head out of your ass and let us be, then we will just enjoy the show.”

  “You’re that confident, huh?” Zach leered at Jason while taking a sip of what I was positive was straight tequila.

  I tightened my grip on Damon’s hand, not sure how he would respond to Zach’s antagonizing, drunk behavior. I did not want Damon to get in trouble for fighting even though Zach deserved a black-and-blue eye at the moment.

  “We are,” Damon replied in a strong and confident voice that meant business. He gently pushed on my lower back, trying to guide me toward our table. “You just keep chugging your drink though, and we’ll be on our way.”

  We began walking off.

  “Chickenshit,” Zach muttered. “That’s okay. You can have the bitch.”

  And that was it.

  In the next instant, Damon spun around with impeccable speed. He popped his arm back and slammed it straight into Zach’s face. A loud thud filled the air, and Zach fell backward into the counter of the bar before stumbling to the floor.

  Zach covered his nose with an agonized groan. “You hit me, you asshole!”

  “And I’ll gladly do it again if you so much as ever speak to my girl, you fucking piece of shit,” Damon threatened in the deepest, darkest voice I
had ever heard. His body was moving up and down with his labored breathing as tension poured off of him.

  Zach went to get up, but Jason stepped forward.

  “If I were you, I would stay down,” Jason hissed in an ominous tone. “Next time, he won’t let you get back up. Instead, you’ll be leaving in an ambulance.”

  The crowd parted, and a huge bouncer who had to be at least six feet five came barreling up to us. He glanced between Damon and Zach.

  “What the hell happened here?” the guy said, asking Jason and Kyle, who I assumed he thought were witnesses.

  “The fucker got cocky and fell into his elbow,” Jason said in a serious tone, pointing at Damon.

  I had to close my mouth to keep from laughing.

  The bouncer turned to Kyle, not bothering to even question Damon. “Did you see what happened?”

  “Yep.” Kyle gestured to Jason. “What he said. The drunk idiot disrespected the lady and fell into his elbow,” he finished, now motioning at Damon.

  “I see,” the bouncer said, glancing down at Zach. He bent forward and yanked on Zach’s arm. “Up you go.”

  “Aren’t you going to have them arrested?” Zach bellowed out in anger while standing to his feet.

  “From what it sounds like to me, you drank too much and fell into his elbow.” The guy shrugged. “I can’t do anything about that.”

  Zach swore under his breath. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

  “That’s what you get for disrespecting a lady.” The guy tugged Zach’s arm toward the exit. “Now, let’s go.”

  “Thank you,” Damon said to the bouncer.

  The guy tipped his head with a nod and then let us be.

  I stepped closer and weaved my arms around Damon’s back, feeling his accelerated breathing with my touch. I gazed up at him and soothingly ran my hands up and down him. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Are you okay?” he inquired, looking me over, never once showing concern for himself.

  “Yes. I was perfectly safe behind you,” I told him, repositioning myself to grab his hand. “Are you?” I asked, worried.

  “I am now,” he breathed, pulling me near, as he maneuvered us through the crowd. “No one will ever talk to my girl that way.”

  The way he’d said my girl made my heart skip an uneven beat.

  We approached the table to see Abbey, Lily, and Audrey still talking. I pulled Damon to a stop, and he swirled around until we were facing each other.

  I cradled his cheeks in the palms of my hands and lightly said, “If you want us to leave now, I’ll understand.”

  Damon gathered me in his arms and buried his nose in my neck. “And ruin a perfectly good night with my girl? Not a chance.”

  After stealing a few kisses from him, the two of us turned our attention to see Abbey and Lily dragging their men out to the dance area with Audrey following close behind.

  I looked back at Damon, feeling a second wind of energy. We had never been out dancing before.

  “So,” I drawled, backing out of his arms toward our friends, “can you dance?”

  His eyes followed my every move, so I was sure to sway my hips with sauciness while I envisioned him peeling me out of this dress later tonight.

  His eyes darkened with that sexy, smoky look, heating my insides, as he strode after me. I could see his muscles flexing with each graceful step of his.

  “Oh, sweetheart”—he grinned mischievously, shaking his head—“you have no idea, but you’re about to find out.”

  As we found a rhythm together on the dance floor, I could not think of a better way to end the night than in my man’s arms.

  ~Damon~

  I awoke early on Sunday, feeling restless, and I was pretty sure it had to do with running into Gail’s asshat of an ex-boyfriend last night at the bar.

  I was not usually the jealous type. But when I had walked into the bar last night, hoping to surprise my girl and instead finding Zack talking to Gail so rudely, it had taken everything within me to keep my cool and not pummel the dude to the ground, drunk or not.

  Gail was mine, and I didn’t share.

  She was still sleeping peacefully beside me. I smiled softly over at her, trying to remember when I’d ever been this happy with someone, and I knew the answer was never. I leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. I reminisced how I’d kept her up half the night because I could not keep my hands off her gorgeous figure, especially after seeing her in that red dress.

  I regretfully climbed off the bed, leaving her there to let her catch up on sleep. I needed to tackle some work that I was finishing up outside of Lake Tahoe. I quietly walked over to the dresser and retrieved my laptop and briefcase.

  I went to sit at the kitchen table, and I fired up my computer. I already had eighty messages from the last few days. A grumble left my throat. It would take me forever to sort my way through each one.

  I got up from the table and flipped the switch on the coffee pot. Eighty emails required a lot of caffeine to wake up this tired guy. Coffee in hand, I sat back down and got to it, starting off with the easiest messages first. All my current blueprints were compressed in zip drives, so I uploaded and sent them to my contractors.

  An email from William Rawn Associates caught my attention, and I clicked on it.

  Dear Mr. Johnson,

  Thank you for your recent inquiry with William Rawn Associates.

  We have reviewed your resume and would be delighted to see more of your work. Could you please forward your most recent blueprints that represent your best work along with at least three references and their contact information?

  I sincerely thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

  Regards,

  Jonathan Reagan

  Human Resources Director

  William Rawn Associates

  Astonished, I stared at my laptop screen for a good three minutes. When I had sent that resume months ago, I never fathomed actually getting a response, let alone a chance to submit my work. To say working at William Rawn Associates was my dream job would be the understatement of a lifetime.

  But they were located in Boston, and Boston was a long ways from Lake Tahoe.

  I thought of Jason and Kyle and how much blood and sweat we had been putting into our office here. We were so close to finishing, and I wanted to be here when the office doors opened for the first time.

  And Gail…

  Fuck. I could not just leave her. I was pretty damn sure my girl was wrapped around my heart. Leaving her would be like leaving my soul here.

  I dropped my head in my hands, deliberating if she would come with me and leave her family and friends behind.

  It was not right to ask her to leave them either though.

  But this was my dream. It had been since I was ten years old.

  Motherfucker.

  Does she love me enough to come with me? Do I love her enough to stay?

  Do we love each other?

  Fucking hell.

  My mind was going batshit crazy.

  An inner war raged within me. I had no fucking clue what to do. My only sense of solace was that sending blueprints for a job inquiry was still an early stage in the process, especially since William Rawn Associates was the largest architectural firm in the United States. Inquiring about my work did not mean they wanted to hire me. I reassured myself that there was no reason to rock the boat at the present moment.

  I let out a heavy sigh.

  I uploaded and sent the necessary requirements. It was only then that I noticed I was sweating and nearly on the verge of a damn heart attack over the possibility of this job and the effect it would have on my girl and our families.

  It seemed Gail and I were in for a serious talk about our future today.

  A phone vibrated on the kitchen counter behind me. I ambled over to it, setting my current freak-out moment on hold, and I picked up Gail’s cell to see that her mom was calling. I did not want to invade her privacy by answ
ering her phone, so I strolled into my bedroom where she was sound asleep.

  “Gail,” I said quietly, “your mom’s calling.”

  She groaned softly, turned onto her stomach, and tucked her head into the pillow. “Ugh, it’s Sunday morning. Can you answer it? Tell her we’ll be there at two or maybe three this afternoon.”

  I couldn’t help but grin at why she was tired. It was all her fault for wearing that sexy red dress last night.

  The phone stopped ringing before I could answer it. I walked out of the bedroom and back into the living room, so I would not disturb Gail’s rest.

  The phone started vibrating again with Mom flashing on the caller ID.

  I picked it up and said, “Hello?”

  “Hello?” Kathy asked before clearing her throat. She sounded like she was crying. “Damon? Where is my daughter? I need to speak with her right away.”

  “Mrs. Bennett, hold on one second,” I said, racing back to the room. “I’m getting her now.”

  I pressed the phone against my lounge pants as I reached the bedside. Then, I knelt on the bed and bent over her. “Gail, sweetheart, you gotta get up,” I said, lightly shaking her arm. “Your mom is on the phone, and I think she’s crying.”

  Gail flew up in bed, sitting straight up and nearly knocking me unconscious in the process. “What? What’s wrong?” she asked, panicked.

  “I’m not sure.” I thrust the phone at her. “Here.”

  Gail met my eyes while taking the phone. The fear of the unknown in her gaze knocked the wind right out of me.

  “Mom? What’s wrong? Is Caroline all right? Dad okay?” she fired off, not taking a single breath.

  Then, she stopped cold. Her body went rigid, and then she started to tremble. Tears filled her eyes and coursed down her cheeks. All the while, she stared into my eyes. My chest seized painfully at seeing her look so heartbroken and absent. She was right in front of me, yet her mind was somewhere else.

  All I could do was extend my hand out and hold Gail’s tiny one until her mom finished talking.

  “What room?” Gail asked.

  She listened to her mother’s response.