Now And Always (Crown Creek)

by Theresa Leigh

  The violin kicked up again, giving me cover. I lifted the tent flap and ducked back in, dropping to my knee. “Claire,” I hissed.

  She looked down at me, wide-eyed. “What the f—?”

  “Here!” I held out my handkerchief and gestured to under my eye.

  She widened hers and touched her cheek. When her fingers came away black, she looked appalled and took my handkerchief to wipe the smear away.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “I love you,” I whispered back.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Claire

  I almost fell off my shoes. These damn, damn shoes.

  There was no time to say “what?” I had to gallop triple time to rejoin my place in the recessional line. I kept my smile in place, but I was sure I must have looked dazed as I wobbled back to the house, still clutching Ethan’s handkerchief in my hand.

  Had that really just happened? Had Ethan really just performed a Mission: Impossible stunt to give me a handkerchief to wipe my face, and then told me he loved me on top of it?

  My family had congregated in the kitchen, laughing and whooping it up as the photographer snapped away. But I was too dazed to join in. I didn’t want anything to distract me from the moment still playing in my brain.

  Thank you.

  I love you.

  I’d known I loved him for ages, but I hadn’t had the courage to tell him yet. Part of me wanted to be irritated. You should have said it first, Claire. It’s not the 1950s. You shouldn’t be afraid of saying how you feel.

  But the bigger, giddier, girlier part of me just wanted to run into a bedroom and squeal. He loves me! Oh my God, Ethan Bailey loves me!

  Finn popped the cork on a champagne bottle, sending it careening onto the second floor balcony. “Get in here! Get in here!” he yelled, pouring overflowing glasses for everyone in the kitchen.

  Except Gabe, who approached me, holding out a bottle of sparkling cider. “Is it wrong that I'm happy to not be the only sober one at the party for once?” he joked as he poured me a glass and shoved it into my hand.

  Unasked, he clinked his glass against mine, then seemed to finally notice my near catatonic state. “You all right over there, Claire-Bear?”

  A slow smile spread across my face. I felt like my face was going to split, it was so wide. “I’m in love,” I told my brother before sipping my cider.

  Gabe snorted. “Yeah, you think?”

  “Hey, asshole, I’m having a moment here?”

  “Yeah, well, glad you finally realized what the rest of us have known forever.” My brother softened his snarky words with a grin and chucked me under the chin with his knuckle. “Happy for you, sis.”

  I scowled at him. “Just once,” I sighed, rolling my eyes heavenward. “Just once I want to tell someone I love Ethan and have them actually act surprised.”

  Gabe shrugged. “Why not try telling him, then?” he asked, then wandered off to join the party.

  By the time the photographer was done taking pictures indoors, the party had really gotten underway outdoors. I pulled my cape back over my shoulders and started the careful ascent onto the side lawn.

  The tent flap opened, and there he was, the man whose handkerchief I still clutched in my hand. “You're right,” he said, taking giant strides down the small hill to grip my elbow. “Those shoes are ridiculous.”

  “Luckily, the ground is frozen, so I'm not sinking in,” I grumbled through gritted teeth.

  “No, you'll just break your neck instead,” he sighed.

  Then he slid his arm around my waist because he loved me. And I let him help me because I loved him.

  Inside the tent, the deejay—who had a rather terrible sense of humor, it seemed—was playing a medley of King Brothers hits. Some of the townspeople had cornered Jonah and were plying him with champagne to get him to sing along while Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed. Jonah closed his eyes, really getting into his solo parts, completely unaware of Gabe and Finn creeping up behind him until they tackled him to the ground.

  Willa and the rest of my crew had commandeered one of the tables farthest from the speakers, forming a tableau that looked for all the world like another Thursday night at the Crown. The pergola had been moved to one side to clear the way for a small, portable dance floor on which some of my mother’s library friends were already whooping it up.

  Ethan turned to me with a grin. “Looks like some kind of grown-up version of prom night.” He pulled me closer. “And this time, you’re actually my date.”

  “Hopefully it’s a little better than prom,” I sniffed, laughing. “What was the theme again?”

  “The Time of My Life,” Ethan retorted immediately. “And I only remember that because it was anything but.”

  I didn’t know what to say, so I kissed him, and that seemed like enough for both of us.

  Our kiss was cut short by a deafening shriek of feedback. Everyone clapped their hands to their ears.

  “Whoops,” Finn said into the microphone. “Sorry about that, folks.” He grinned and waved to Beau and Rachel, who had just reappeared through the side flap. “There you are, you almost missed my toast, you two, where’ve you been?” He waggled his eyebrows to roars of laughter, then turned back to the crowd. “Uh, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m Finn, the better-looking one.” Beau rolled his eyes and mock-scowled. “I wanted to thank you all for coming and helping us get my brother safely married off. Beau and Rachel, we’re so happy to be here with you tonight. We're so happy to see two people love each other the way you do.” Finn thanked the waiter who pressed a champagne glass into his hand and raised it. “So here’s to the bride and groom. Cheers!”

  “Cheers!” we all yelled back. Ethan folded me into his arms. “Where’s your drink?” I whispered to him.

  “Don’t need one,” he whispered back, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

  After the toast, the chatter started up again. But then died away as Finn cleared his throat and looked down. “Uh, I had one more thing I wanted to say. Some of you might know that for a long time I didn't think love was possible.”

  A hush fell over the crowd, and I pressed my hand to my heart, hurting for my brother and the struggles he'd endured. Finn glanced up at Sky and then over to Beau. “Rachel,” he said to our new sister-in-law, “if you hadn't shown me what kind of love was available, I wouldn't have known how to find it.” He looked at Sky again. Her mouth was hanging open in shock, and he grinned. “Don’t worry, baby, Beau told me this was okay. Would you come here?”

  We all gasped as he dropped to one knee. “Sky, Beau and Rachel have shown me that happiness is possible. And you have shown me that it’s possible to live as a good, happy man. I love you, and today has cemented in my brain that I want this, baby. I want to do all this wedding shit—oops, sorry, Mom—with you. Will you marry me?”

  I yelped as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Sky clapped her hand over her mouth, and then threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. Finn grinned as he spoke into the microphone, “In case you guys didn't hear, she said yes.”

  We burst into applause. Jonah rushed forward and grabbed the mic from Finn’s hands. “King family,” he yelled. “Get up here!”

  The music started again as Jonah and Ruby, Gabe and Everly, Beau and Rachel, and Finn and Sky joined my parents in a couples’ dance. I grinned and looked at Ethan. “You still think this is like prom?”

  He stared at my family, a little line of sweat breaking out along his newly shorn hairline. But he gamely gripped my hand. “Nah, it’s better,” he drawled and started toward the dance floor.

  Then stopped and dropped to one knee.

  “Oh my God, Ethan, what the hell?” I clapped my hand to my mouth.

  He looked up at my stricken face and burst out laughing. “Claire, I’m helping you out of those ridiculous shoes, settle down. You should see yourself right now.”

  “Shut up,” I muttered, bracing my hand on his shoulder for balance and allowi
ng him to lift my foot free from its confines. But I couldn’t ignore the way my heart was banging around in my chest.

  Had I really thought he was about to propose?

  For one moment, yes, I had.

  And I would have said yes.

  That thought was even more dizzying than the circles he spun me in once we made it out onto the dance floor. I pressed my face into his warm jacket as we swayed in time to the music, gradually relaxing into him, as I realized, for maybe the first time in my life, that I didn’t want anything more than what I had.

  “Oh my God,” he whispered in my ear once the song was over. “You actually let me lead.”

  I laughed and pulled back. “Don't get used to it.”

  He pulled me into a kiss, twirling me around and around under the sparkling lights. Everyone in my life could see us now. Ethan and me. Together. And I was damn proud too.

  Except.

  I looked around at my family, everyone laughing and celebrating, enjoying the wedding that I’d busted my ass to help put together. I always pictured staying until the bitter end, laughing and having fun with my friends, teasing my brothers, and generally being the Claire they were all used to.

  But I wanted something else now.

  I turned back to Ethan and raised my eyebrows. “Should we finally get out of here?”

  “Mmm. Where do you want to go?” he murmured against my forehead.

  I cleared my throat. “We’re closer to my place. And I know for certain there’s no one there, so….”

  Ethan didn't say anything. He just grabbed my shoes off the floor. Then we ran.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Claire

  “I’m finally in your bedroom,” Ethan rasped against my skin as we tumbled into my bed.

  “Now I know why we haven’t done anything here yet,” I complained, tugging at his shirt buttons. “This bed is too damn small. We should have gone to your place.”

  “Too late,” he groaned as his hands slid up my skin to cup my breasts. “I’m too distracted to get back in the car.”

  “I just hope you don’t get a cramp from… oh!” I gasped as his lips found my nipple. I arched against him as he curled his tongue around the stiffening peak. My breasts were already hypersensitive with all the hormones surging through my body. So when Ethan nipped at them with his teeth, deliberately dragging them over the pebbled surface, I almost passed out.

  “God, how much underwear are you wearing?” he complained, tugging at my half-slip. “You’re like some kind of Victorian maiden.”

  “Maiden implies I’ve never had sex before, and as you know, that is very much not the case, mister.” I lifted my hips so he could unroll my accursed pantyhose. “Speaking of which, why are you still wearing pants?”

  “Like I said. Distracted.” He grunted as my fingers found his zipper.

  “By the way, I didn’t tell you,” I said, looking up at him with a grin as I freed his cock from his boxers. “I like this suit.”

  “You’d better. You picked it out.”

  “I know, that’s why I like it.”

  “Well, now it’s going to get all wrinkled on the floor.”

  “That’s what dry cleaners are for.” I laughed as I took him in my mouth.

  I always viewed giving head as a power play. I was proud of my technique, and I relished making big, strong guys go weak in the knees. It was satisfying, but the satisfaction was all mental.

  But with Ethan it was different. Opening my mouth wide to take him in was as much for me as it was for him. Making him groan, feeling the strain bunching in his thighs as he struggled not to thrust too deep was as erotic as a kiss. I felt like I was giving him something. And because I wasn’t sure I could ever give him enough, since I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to make him feel as good as he made me feel, I always got a little too… enthusiastic.

  “Claire, Claire,” he groaned, pressing his hand to the top of my head. “You’re going too fast and I’m...” Instead of finishing, he growled, low and sexy, and gave me a gentle shove.

  I fell back onto my childhood bed with a laugh, then a gasp as he buried his face between my legs. I’d never met a guy who liked this part as much as Ethan seemed to like it. It wasn’t just the skill in his tongue, or the way his sharp, precise licks brought me right to the edge of sanity. It was the hums and little grunts of appreciation that escaped his throat as he did it. He set about making me orgasm with the fervor of a starving man at an all you can eat buffet, and he acted like every single thing on the menu was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.

  And he loved me.

  He loved me.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and surrendered myself to the sensation, still keeping them closed as he slid inside of me. “You’re still coming,” he gasped, and on his lips the dirty word sounded almost worshipful. “God, I can feel you. I love you so much, Claire.”

  "Ethan!" I cupped his face with my hands. He looked alarmed until I gasped, "I love you too."

  "You do?"

  "Are you kidding me right now?" I groaned. "You can't tell?" I wrapped my arms and legs around him.

  "Okay I guess I believe you." His smile was like the sun. Warm and radiant. He kissed me. "But say it again, just so I'm sure."

  "I love you, Ethan. I always have."

  "I love you too, Claire. I always have."

  I pulled him closer, urging him higher, harder. If I could have absorbed him into my skin, I would have. Driven out of my mind with the need to show him just how much I loved him, I felt something break loose inside of me, and in the next moment I felt like I was floating outside of myself. All I could hear was the roar of my blood thumping in my ears and the sound of Ethan’s gasp as we came together.

  He fell forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “Goddamn,” he breathed before kissing me hard. "You must really love me.”

  “Yeah.” I could barely form a thought, much less a coherent sentence. “Likewise."

  He let his head fall to the pillow beside me. I closed my eyes again and listened to his breathing slow and relax as I stroked my hand up and down the back of the man I loved.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Ethan

  The dawn rays caught the haze of sawdust, sending a visible shaft of light onto the stoop that led up from my garage workshop into the kitchen, where it illuminated a set of perfectly painted toes.

  “Good morning, did I wake you?”

  Claire rubbed her eyes sleepily. I still couldn’t get over what it was like to have her wake up in my house every day. My best friend, who was also seriously sexy with her bleary eyes and bedhead. “No,” she sighed. “Okay, well, yes, but I needed to get up.”

  “It’s okay to not be the first one to work,” I reminded her.

  She glared at me from over the rim of her Cuppa Cuppa Burning Love mug. Yes, I considered it hers now. “Who are you talking to?” she grumbled. I think I loved before-coffee Claire the best. “You’re out here working all the time. I heard you at five!”

  I winced. “You did? I was just measuring, sorry.”

  She stepped into the shop. “Careful of your feet,” I warned. “There might be a stray nail lying around.”

  “But how would you know,” she asked, nudging the pile of sawdust that drifted along the side of my table saw. “If it’s buried under all this?” She turned in a slow circle, taking in the state of my shop. “You need help sweeping tonight?” she asked pointedly.

  I grimaced. She was right, my shop was in a shambles. But that was only because I’d taken on so many orders. I didn’t have time to clean up.

  She turned back to me with a raised eyebrow. “I always thought I was the workaholic in this relationship,” she said lightly. “And yet I’m still in my pajamas, and you’ve been up since five.”

  “Four thirty,” I corrected.

  “Ethan, why?”

  “Couldn’t sleep.”

  “What, I didn’t wear you out enough last night?” She touched my
face, then grimaced. “You haven’t shaved in a while, either.”

  I rubbed my scruff. “You don’t like it?”

  “I didn’t say that. But I thought you didn’t.”

  It was true, my face was itching like hell. But I could shave once I got this order out. Once I got paid and put the money away for our little girl.

  Claire had had her twenty-week ultrasound last week. Inside that rapidly swelling belly was a perfect baby girl. I’d seen her because I’d been there at the appointment, holding Claire’s hand.

  It had been downright magical and lit a fire under my ass like nothing ever had.

  I picked up my drafting tools. Claire watched me for a moment, pressing her lips together. Then frowned. “Okay, well take a nap at some point today.”

  “That’s my line,” I joked.

  “I know. I learned from the best.” She touched my face, tilting my chin down until I had no choice but to look right into her beautiful hazel eyes. “Seriously, Ethan. I’m not sure exactly what’s been going on with you this past month, but you need to give yourself a break.”

  I bit my lip. “I’m just trying to get enough money in the bank so—”

  “Ethan, I have a good job. I never asked you to—”

  “No, you didn’t. But I want to. I don’t want you worrying about anything.”

  “I’m not worrying about anything except you right now,” she snapped. Then her face softened. “I don’t want you working yourself to death to prove something to me. You have nothing to prove. And if you did, you proved it a long time ago, you hear me?”

  “Yeah,” I mumbled.

  “Ethan, I love you exactly the way you are.”

  I couldn’t help my smile. “Still haven’t figured out exactly why, but okay.”