Falling Deep Into You Trilogy Box Set

by Terra Kelly

  She didn’t know what to say, this was all new territory for her. She touched the side of his face. “I think you need to talk with her, maybe work out a few things so this doesn’t happen again.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I will try to talk to her tonight when I drop the kids off.” He pulled her close and stayed like that for a few more minutes. “You sure you don’t want to spend the day with us? I love having you around.”

  “I’m sure. I need to take care of some stuff at home. The twelve-hour shifts make it hard to get shit done.”

  They finished showering and helped each other to dry off. Preslie scowled. “Where are your kids?”

  “Watching a Disney movie," he said shrugging his shoulders. "It works every time.”

  A few minutes later they both were ready. Preslie had borrowed a pair of Miles’ boxers and rolled the waist band a few times to make them fit. Then she threw on a t-shirt and tied it in a knot around her waist. “So, what fun do you have planned for your day with the kids?” She was keeping it together, but the moment she was home…all bets were off.

  “I was thinking about taking them to the Ontario Science Centre. Since you won’t be with us, we may wait though.”

  She smiled. “Go, it’s okay. I have stuff that needs to be taken care of at home. I kinda put it off for too long. You have a blast. I bet they will go again. Kids love stuff like that.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll see. I’ll ask them when we get back here after dropping you off. Sometimes they like to just hang out at home. Angie is always on the go.”

  “Really? Kids need to relax, too.”

  “I agree. Which is why I give them the choice of what they want to do.”

  She walked forward and placed her hands on his chest. “You’re a good man, Miles Callahan.”

  He scrunched up his nose in disgust. “No, please don’t tell me that.”

  She laughed. “You are and I’m lucky to have met you.”

  “And I you, princess.”

  Twelve

  Miles took Preslie home. The kids sat quiet in the back seat which was unusual. When he arrived at her place, he put the car in park and turned in his seat. “You sure you don’t want to hang out with us today?”

  She looked toward the kids and smiled. “I think they need time with their Daddy.” Turning back to Miles. “But thank you.” She grabbed her bag from between her legs and opened the door to get out. She crouched down. “Have fun. Maybe I can talk to you later?”

  “Absolutely. I'll call you around 10:00 p.m.”

  She nodded and turned to head inside. Once the door was closed behind her, she collapsed to the floor. Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she called Vikki.

  Her friend picked up on the first ring. “Hey, gorgeous. I miss hearing your voice.”

  Preslie sighed. “Emergency cookie conversation. You up for it?”

  “On my way, sweetie.”

  Preslie stood and walked to the couch where she stayed until Vikki arrived. They each had keys for their places for reasons just like this. When Vikki walked in holding up the chocolate sandwich cookies and milk, Preslie wanted to break down right there.

  “Tell Dr. Vikki what’s causing you to need cookies and milk?”

  Preslie rested her head on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m not sure if I let my heart jump into something too fast?” She looked up. “Miles is amazing. I mean, like holy fuck amazing. But man, he has a lot happening for him right now. A divorce, two kids to care for alone, a dear friend who stabbed him in the back. You see my point? Then here I come along and interrupt the flow of his life. What if he could’ve gotten back together with Angie? With me interfering there is no chance for that to occur.” She reached for a cookie and took a bite. With her mouth full. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “You done?” Vikki asked and shook her head. “Babe, he wants you, it’s written all over his face. Actually, the man has got it bad for you.”

  Preslie giggled. “You think so, huh?” She leaned up and rested her elbows on her legs. “I accidentally met the kids this morning.”

  Vikki gave a questioned look. “Accidentally?”

  “Yup. We were heading to get coffee and make breakfast. He was still in bed when I headed to the kitchen. I heard an ever so light knock on the door. “I opened it and there were his kids and babysitter. I think we all were shocked to see each other. The babysitter looked pissed to see me half naked, and worse, in his house. The kids said like two words and had to be prompted to talk.”

  “Eek, yeah, this may be awkward. Did they know about you?”

  Preslie nodded. “They do, thank God. Still, the looks.” She leaned back on the couch. “Maybe I jumped to quick into this, Viks. I’m thinking about going away for a few days. Just to get away from it all for awhile and maybe figure out where my heart wants to be.”

  “I could go with you?” Vikki grabbed her hand. “I get it, I do. Fuck, you have been through way too much. Taking time away would be healthy.”

  Preslie leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I want to go alone. I love you but I need to do this for me. Give me a beach, a little cottage, and a chaise lounge. Heavenly.”

  They both sat there talking for several hours while devouring one package of cookies. Vikki agreed to keep this all between them. Preslie planned to leave on Thursday and enjoy five days away. Vikki would have all her info just in case anything was to happen. They would also set their phones to international calls, so Vikki could call every night. When her friend left, they both hugged for several long minutes.

  “You know how much I love you?”

  Preslie nodded. “And you know I love and adore you.”

  About 9:30 p.m. she settled into bed and turned the TV to Seinfeld reruns. She struggled with leaving and not telling Miles, but it was for the best. Just then her phone rang. “Hey handsome.”

  Miles moaned. “God, I love the sound of your voice. I wish I could be with you right now. Did you have a productive day?”

  Preslie wanted to laugh. Productive? Did eating a whole package of cookies and spending time with your best friend count as productive? “I did. How about you? What did you three do today?”

  “Well, Gracie decided we needed to go on a picnic. Then Jack decided we needed to watch a movie at home. So, we had an amazing day together, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day.”

  “Awwwww, well if it helps, I thought about you a lot, too.” She thought but didn’t say out loud and missed you so very much. She yawned. “Shit. Sorry, I guess I need to crash.”

  “Okay, but first, let me take you to dinner on Tuesday? You available?”

  She paused, scared to answer. Hell, she wanted to go, but she needed to keep away from him for a while. Her mind was going back and forth. The end decision. “Okay, what time?”

  “I will pick you up around say 8:00 p.m.? Wear one of your sexy dresses, I plan to wine and dine you.”

  She laughed. “Okay, as sexy as the red dress?”

  “Sexier.”

  By Tuesday, Preslie was worried her blood pressure would sky rocket. She bought her plane ticket, had her bags about fifty percent packed and was fucking going on a date with Miles. She felt horrible keeping this from him but she knew it was for the best.

  She was just putting the finishing touches on her make-up when the doorbell rang. When Preslie opened the door, he about took her breath away. He looked so handsome standing there holding flowers. Could he get any more perfect? She walked into his personal space. “Hey you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Hey yourself. You look amazing. Ready for a delicious dinner?”

  The restaurant where Miles was taking Preslie was only about fifteen minutes away. They spent the time in the car talking about work. Well, some work, but mostly how much they wanted each other. Preslie was trying to tamp down her libido but was finding little success in that quest. One thing was for sure, they had chemistry. So why was she leaving? Why
not ask him to go with her? She threw those thoughts away. She wanted to do this alone. She needed to do this alone.

  Once they arrived at the restaurant, they found rock star parking. Miles had his hand on the small of her back and was walking so close to her. His touch sent shivers down her spine, God he made her feel good. They were seated at a table not far away from the bar. The place was known for the variety of seafood dishes they offered. It had five star ratings and an amazing wine selection. Miles ordered a bottle of the best Cabernet Sauvignon they had on the shelf.

  He squeezed Preslie's hand. “You deserve the best. You know that, right?”

  “Um, I don’t know…I guess?”

  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it lightly. “Well then, I will keep reminding you until you believe me.”

  Dinner was beyond amazing and they finished the bottle of wine. They were sitting there completing the dessert they ordered together and were talking. There was laughter in the bar that distracted Miles, so he looked over and saw Angie with two of her girlfriends. She acted like she had consumed one too many martinis.

  Just when Preslie glanced toward the bar, Angie caught site of them. Preslie turned to Miles. “I’m going to use the restroom, then I think I need to get home. Is that okay?”

  “Yes, of course.” He noticed Angie walking their way. “I’m sorry, Preslie.”

  She shrugged. “No worries.” Preslie avoided Angie and her stare as she walked away. There was a little couch off to the side in the restroom. She sat down trying to get her thoughts in check. She took in a few deep breaths and stood to head out. As she rounded the corner almost to her table, she stopped dead in her tracks. Angie was sitting next to Miles, and they were laughing. What the fuck was going on here, was she in a time warp? She walked up to the table and cleared her throat. “I’m going to grab a cab.”

  Miles grabbed her arm. “No, please, don’t leave like this. She was telling me something about Gracie. I swear that was all it was, I would never want to hurt you.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. You are too kind of a man. I’m okay, I promise. You go back and talk to her about the kids. I think keeping your relationship in the good is better. I have an early start anyways.” She placed her hand on his face. “My Miles.” Then she turned and left.

  Miles was speechless. What just fucking happened? He was staying back at the restaurant with his soon-to-be ex-wife. No. He walked over and paid the bill. Then looked at Angie. “I have to go after her, I’m sorry. Thank you for sharing about, Gracie. I look forward to letting her know how very proud of her I am.”

  Angie stood up and walked around the table. She invaded his personal space and placed her hands on his chest. “Don’t leave. I miss you.”

  “Are you kidding me? You ask for a divorce, tell me our marriage was a shame, and then fuck my friend.” He took her hands off him. “This...” He made a circle in between them. “Is over.” He shook his head. “If this charade was all to get rid of Preslie, bravo. You still lose though, Angie.” He didn’t know what to do, but he had to talk to Preslie. He walked to his car and called her. He knew she was delicate and this could break her. He wanted to scream. Why did he let Angie sit down, what was he thinking? The phone connected, but it wasn’t Preslie. “Vikki?”

  “Hey copper, have a nice dinner?” Preslie had her phone forwarded to Vikki. Her friend had done this before and Vikki knew the drill. “What happened?”

  He sighed. “My fucking ex-wife happened.” He shared the events that played out after dinner. “You have to believe me, I would never want to hurt Preslie. Hell, I think I may be falling in love with her.”

  Vikki laughed. “I know. Here’s the thing copper, I need you to give her some time. She needs to be on her own for a few days and get shit better in her head. What she has been through. What you have been through. Love is fine, but not yet. You both need to absorb everything first.”

  “I can’t lose her, Vikki.”

  “Hey, I never said that. Just give her some alone time. That's all.”

  Preslie just wanted to go to her room and hide under her covers. When she opened the door, she saw Vikki sitting at her kitchen table on the phone. She was quiet when she walked over and sat down beside her friend. The moment Vikki hung-up, they both sat there silent.

  Preslie sighed. “How was he? Will he give me space?”

  “He is a basket case right now. What the fuck happened?” Vikki stood up and walked over to grab wine. “You text a cryptic message, then I get a weird phone number calling me.” She handed Preslie a glass of wine. “He didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”

  Taking a long swallow of her Pinot Noir. “He was laughing and chatting it up with Angie. We all saw each other, so I excused myself and went to the restroom. I’m on my way back and see the show, so I bailed.”

  Vikki sighed. “There has to be a good explanation. He was beside himself on the phone, like almost freaking out.”

  “Good," Preslie said shrugging her shoulders. "What did he think would happen when I caught them together? I mean, he has admitted to loving her. He shared that he loved her, but she never cared about him.”

  Vikki refilled both their glasses. “You’re kidding, right?” She looked out the window above the sink, “I don’t know, something’s missing. Whatever it is, you still need to take a few days away.”

  “You think?” She grabbed a cookie. “The worst part? We had an amazing dinner together.”

  They both just sat there together in silence for about fifteen minutes. Finally, Preslie stood up and headed to her bedroom. She realized leaving on Thursday was too far away, she wanted to leave tomorrow. She grabbed her notebook with all the travel info and walked back to the kitchen. Grabbing her phone off the table. “I will check on flights going out tomorrow.”

  Vikki knew her friend too well, she was struggling to keep it together. She leaned back in her chair. “You sure about all this?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. It’s for the best," Preslie said and talked with the airlines about options. Five minutes later she had written her new schedule and was thanking the person on the other line. “Well, that was painful but worth it. I have to pay an extra $250.00 to get a flight out tomorrow.”

  They both spent the rest of the night getting Preslie packed and organized for the trip. She would only be gone for six days, but she wanted to be prepared for anything. Sometimes there were fun dinner events going on or even fun day trips. She was heading to Clearwater Beach, Florida. Some place far away but not secluded. It was just what she wanted. She had rented a little cottage on the beach and planned to be in her bathing suit the whole time. Which was why she packed five different bikinis.

  Vikki stayed the night with her and planned to drive her to the airport. When they both crashed, it was about 1:30 a.m. Preslie ended up tossing and turning all night. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Miles laughing and Angie with her hand on his shoulder. Yes, a few days of R&R would be good. Well, she hoped it would be.

  Thirteen

  By Thursday morning Miles was about to punch holes through every wall in his house. Fucking Angie. Somehow, she found a way to control him even with the divorce already filed. When she sat down next to him at the restaurant, he felt something in the pit of his stomach. He somehow knew it would not end well, not even a little. His mind was still replaying that night over and over. The worst part to that evening, the look on Preslie’s face. With everything she went through with her ex why would she trust him? Hell, he wouldn’t have even trusted himself.

  He packed up his guitar to head to the studio for practice. He took one last look at his phone, hoping for a text message from Preslie. Nothing. As he headed out the door, he stopped suddenly. Vikki was standing by his vehicle with her arms crossed over her chest. “Everything okay?”

  She smiled. “Heading to go rock it out?” She moved to the side so he could put his stuff in the backseat. “I shouldn’t be here.”

  He finished putti
ng everything in the SUV, then turned to face Vikki. “You shouldn’t be here? Why?” He was feeling concern. Was there something wrong with Preslie?

  “Because, she doesn’t want anyone with her right now. I beg to differ.” Vikki shrugged her shoulders. “I have been friends with Preslie for so many years, she won’t stay mad at me too long.”

  “So you plan to share her little secret?" Miles teased. "Don’t. If she needs to be away for a while, I get it. I’m struggling with how things ended before she left. My fucking ex is a piece of work.” He shook his head and leaned up against his vehicle. “She knew what she was doing from start to finish. The moment Preslie walked out, she told me she missed me.”

  Vikki gasped. “Really? Oh shit. Yeah, Preslie is just confused. It’s hard to believe after you have an ex that tried to kill you not once, but three times.” She looked up to the sky and shook her head. “Nope, I have to share. Go to your rehearsal because your flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow.”

  “What? You bought a plane ticket?” Miles stared at Vikki. “Wait, why would you buy me a plane ticket?”

  “Just shut up and stop asking questions.” She held out a small bag. “Everything you need is in here and pack a few different bathing suits. She packed five bikinis. I believe she plans on living in them the whole time.”

  “Where the hell did she go?”

  Pointing at the bag. “It’s all in there. Even her number. Try to avoid calling her, I think surprising her is the better way to go.”

  Miles sounded concerned. “Will she want me there?”

  Vikki smiled. “Not at first, but the woman has it bad for you. Just talk to her, okay?”

  “Thanks. I don’t know what else to say. I know you won’t have to worry about her being mad at you. I will make sure of it.”

  Vikki leaned in for a hug. “I love and adore her so much. Her and I have been through a lot. The way she talks about you, it’s like she sees the future. Preslie’s not one to just give her heart over to someone so easily.”