Safer Together (The Safer Duet Book 2)

by Amy Rose

  I feel his presence without even looking at him, like my body is somehow in tune with his. The electrical current bounces between us and it takes everything I have not to slam the door and leap at him.

  Instead I take two deep breaths, I choose distraction as a technique. “Can you grab me a large glass bowl for the trifle, Elliot?” With cream, custard, jelly and fruit balancing in my arms I turn around and deposit them on the counter behind me. Elliot appears at my side with a large round bowl made from crystal. “Thank you. I’ll get this ready” I don’t look at him, as I know that if I do, I’ll kiss him again. The charge between us is so strong, somehow becoming even stronger since our confession of love to each other. I don’t know how I’m going to last. Luckily, he moves away, retrieving two items from under the Christmas tree and then sits on one of the stools in front of the breakfast bar.

  I start the process of layering the sponge cake with jelly, assorted berries and other fruits, custard and cream, methodically making sure it looks as nice on the outside as possible, knowing full well that as soon as the first spoonful is removed, it turns into a mess. I finish the last layer by shaving milk chocolate over the top.

  I turn around and open the fridge door, making room on the top shelf. I swivel to grab the trifle bowl and deposit it and close the doors behind me, scooping up the rubbish I place it in the bin that pulls out from under the sink.

  While there I grab a bottle of spray and wipe and begin to clean the surface of the countertop. Once complete, I look at Elliot who is smiling at me. “What?” I ask.

  He gets up from his position and walks around the counter, wrapping his arms around me from behind. Encircling my waist, he kisses my cheek. “You look beautiful Angie. We match.”

  I see his arms are also covered in green, he is wearing the Ralph Lauren sweater I gave him this morning. “We are, too. It fits you well,” I comment.

  Turning in his arms, I lift my face to look into his eyes “are those presents for me?” I ask, feigning innocence.

  He smiles. “They sure are, want to open them? We have half an hour before my family arrive.” He presses his lips gently on the tip of my nose before pulling away taking my hand in his pulling me around to the other side of the counter.

  There are two parcels, one larger than the other. I’m not sure which one to open first. Elliot makes the decision easy by giving me the large one first. It has a card attached to the front, I pull that away and open it first.

  Dear Angela,

  Merry Christmas, Baby.

  I hope with all my heart that this is just the beginning of our forever.

  Love, Elliot xx

  I feel a tear sliding down my cheek, it’s so beautiful. It doesn’t escape my notice that it says forever. He wants me to be a part of his life forever.

  I look up from the card and smile at him. His face seems to be a little reserved as though he doesn’t know how I will react. “I hope so, too.” I reach my hand out and take his in mine and squeeze.

  “Okay. Open your presents” he orders. I pull my hand back and open the first package, as soon as I see the Prada gift box inside the wrap, I know exactly what it is.

  “Elliot Sands. You did not buy me a Prada handbag” I pull open the box to reveal the beautiful black and red leather handbag we saw yesterday.

  I look up at him and he is smiling shyly. “Looks like I did buy you a Prada handbag.” He shrugs his shoulders.

  I can’t help but laugh. “Yes, you did. I love it,” I say. I keep to myself that it’s far too expensive a gift. After yesterday’s gift of the Cartier necklace, it seems like it’s a normal present for Elliot to give to a loved one. In fact, I know that he is giving his mother a handbag and his sister jewelry.

  He pushes the small box towards me. It’s very small. I unwrap the paper to reveal a simple black box. I lift the lid and inside are two keys, I look at Elliot, no doubt the shock displayed clearly on my face. “The keys are for you. One is for this place, the other one is for the home in Nashville,” is his explanation.

  My mouth drops open. “Why?” is all I can manage to get out.

  “I know you can’t just pack up your life in Nashville and move to New York for me, but you can have it for when you visit. The key for the Nashville home, on the other hand, is an offer for it to be our home. If you choose to live there, I’ll move there permanently to be with you.”

  I drop the keys that I had picked up and started playing with. I can’t have possibly heard that right. Elliot is asking me to move in with him. “You can’t move to Nashville; your company is here.”

  He smiles. “I can run my company from home most of the time, only needing to come to the office for meetings when required.”

  I shake my head. He can’t go doing this, he must not be thinking straight. “You want to live in Nashville?” My hands are shaking. He takes them in his own.

  “Angie, look at me.” I do. “I want to live wherever you want to live. I want to be with you.” He takes one of his hands back and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a small black box. He takes his other hand away and lifts the lid. Sitting in a cushion of black velvet I see a ring. It’s a white gold band with a large heart-shaped diamond, surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds, and even here in the dim light of the kitchen it’s sparkling like a twinkling star. I take a sharp inhale of breath as Elliot is lowering himself in front of me onto one knee.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper. He smiles a shy smile and I see him take a deep breath to ready himself for what’s to come.

  “Angela, I love you. I want everything of mine to be yours. It’s so evident that when you are not with me, my heart goes with you. And I don’t want to live the life of half a man when you make me whole. Will you do me the greatest honor and accept my proposal? Become my wife, my love. Will you marry me?”

  I stare at Elliot, and then at the engagement ring he is holding in his hand, before returning to Elliot’s face, so full of love. My heart tells me what to say right away. My head, however, urges caution.

  Is it possible for a heart to burst? Because right here, in this moment, my heart feels like a balloon that has been filled with too much air, and because it can’t contain it anymore, it pops. Here I am, with my heart beating so fast and hard against my chest it feels as though it may burst open. And the reason for that is because the man I am totally and wholeheartedly in love with has just confessed that he wants to be with me, now and forever.

  Here was Elliot, kneeling before me, asking me to marry him. A certain elation has spread through my entire being. I know we haven’t been together that long, and yes, I acknowledge that it has been a whirlwind couple of months. But as my grandmother always told me, “Trust me Angela, when you meet that special person, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you will know.” And being here with Elliot, looking into his handsome face, his eyes filled with emotion, I agree with grandma one hundred percent. I know that I want to be with this man for the rest of my life. I know that I could never love another the way that I love him. He is mine and I am his, and so we shall be, forever.

  “Angela, don’t leave me hanging.”

  I smile and hop off the stool to get down on my knees in front of the man I love. “Yes, Elliot, I will marry you.”

  The smile that crosses his face is unlike one I have seen before. It’s huge. “Oh Angela, you have made me so happy.” He slips the ring on my finger, and it looks even bigger out of the box and on my hand. It must be at least two carats. It’s exquisite. I reach my hands across to grab his face and I launch myself at him and kiss him with everything I have. He wraps me in his arms and squeezes me, kissing me back with love. We hear a knock on the door and we laugh, I try to pull back but he brings me closer again to plant a gentle kiss on my lips, we continue the kiss until another knock sounds at the door.

  “We should answer that” I breathe against his lips.

  He nods, “I’ll go get it. Don’t you go anywhere, Mrs. Sands.” He kisses
my nose before standing up with grace and walking towards the front door.

  I take this opportunity to stand up and run my fingers through my hair and along my dress to smooth it against my body. I’m sure I look idiotic with the ear-splitting smile I have across my face, so I take it down a couple of notches.

  I hear Elliot opening the door and welcoming his parents. This is going to be interesting. Last time we met it was very early on in our relationship, and now we are engaged to be married. I walk around to the other side of the kitchen counter, retrieve the turkey from the fridge and place it in the oven to heat and then pull out some cold cut meats, cheese and a chopping board. Making myself busy seems the best course of action.

  I am placing salami, ham and cheese on the platter when I hear them enter the room. “Honey, my parents have arrived.”

  I look up, smile and give them a wave. “Hello Arthur, Maggie. Merry Christmas.” I quickly wash my hands and make my way around the island counter and settle myself into Elliot’s open arms, ensuring my left hand is tucked behind his back, I’m not going to make the shiny declaration of love from Elliot obvious. I’ll let him tell his family when he is ready.

  “Angela, how nice of you to join us on this family occasion,” Maggie speaks. I know she didn’t want me here. Oh well, I’m not going anywhere.

  I widen my smile. “It’s great to be here.”

  Elliot squeezes me nice and tight against his side. “It sure is, baby” he says before leaning down and kissing my cheek.

  Another knock on the door sounds and it gives me an opportunity to get a moment away from this awkwardness. “I’ll grab it.” I turn away from Elliot’s embrace and pad down the hallway to the front door. Once there, I steady myself and open the door.

  “Merry Christmas,” I say. The family of four looks at me and smiles before entering the house, walking right past me without even a hello and making their way to the living room, where the rest of the family is located.

  This had to be Beth, David, Jack and Nikki. Beth is stunning, a statuesque lady; taller than me by several inches with blonde hair that curled to below her shoulder blades, the same blue eyes as her brother. The similarities are instantly recognized. Where Beth is fair, David is dark. Dark brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail, round glasses covering his hazel eyes, his skin a beautiful mocha color.

  Nikki, is nine, and the female version of her father, but with dark chocolate ringlets rolling down her back, and gorgeous brown eyes. Her skin lighter than her father’s, a perfect combination of her father and mother. Jack, who just turned seven a couple of weeks ago, looks like a mini Elliot. Unruly blond hair and curious blue eyes. A stunning family, that could easily appear in one of those family portraits professional photographers use to persuade you to have a sit-down with them.

  I close the door behind them as I hear Elliot welcome his sister and family.

  “Who’s the chick? Where’s Andrew?” Beth’s voice rings out.

  I stop in my tracks; she thinks I’m the maid. “That woman is Angela,” Elliot replies.

  “Angela. As in the real estate agent from Nashville? Why is she here?”

  I hear someone snickering; I presume it’s Maggie.

  I take my first slow steps toward the lounge and plaster a smile on my face, pretending I didn’t hear anything. I enter the room and Beth turns to look at me. I stop in the entrance and Elliot makes his way across to me and takes me in his arms, “Yes, Beth, Angela is the real estate agent from Nashville. She is also my fiancée.”

  Well that didn’t take long.

  ~ Chapter Sixteen ~

  Angela

  “She’s your what?” Maggie sputters out. I tense up. This isn’t going to go well, Elliot feels my body change and strokes my back with his hand, slow strokes up and down, a calming gesture.

  “I asked Angela to be my wife this morning, Mom, and luckily for me, she said yes.” He reaches around with his other hand and locates my left hand and brings it forward in front of us both, showing my engagement ring to his family.

  Beth squeals and drops her handbag, from shock, happiness, I can’t tell. I decide to clear the air and choose to act as though it’s not uncomfortable, “Hi Beth. Elliot has told me so many wonderful things about you and your family. You must be David.” I offer my hand for a handshake and he accepts. It’s solid and firm.

  He smiles kindly at me, “Hey, Angela. Congratulations to you both.” I smile back.

  I then turn my attention to the two children beside him. “Nikki, Jack. Elliot and I have some presents under the tree for you. Would you like to come open them?”

  I offer both of my hands to the two small children, who take them eagerly. “Really, presents?” Jack says.

  “I bet Uncle Elliot got me a better one then he got you” Nikki says.

  I lead them over to the Christmas tree and sit them down. “Elliot, did you want to give them out?” I call out over my shoulder.

  I feel him behind me in a second. “Absolutely. Tell me, who is ready for presents?”

  “Me! Me!” the two children scream in unison.

  Elliot steps in front of me and locates the presents. He gives them to both of the children. “Thanks Uncle Ell,” Jack says.

  “Your Auntie helped me choose them for you” Elliot speaks in response, he looks at me and speaks again. “Thank you.”

  I smile.

  “You’re more than welcome.”

  Elliot and I sit down side-by-side on the floor. He puts his arm over my shoulder casually and kisses my cheek. Wrapping paper is being torn off the presents in front of us.

  “Mom, Dad, they gave us iPads!” Nikki squeals in delight. She puts it down and launches herself at us. “Thank you, Uncle Ell!”

  Elliot wraps his free arm around her. “You’re so welcome, princess.” He kisses her on the top of her head. She lets go and then takes a step towards me, wrapping her arms around me.

  “Thank you, Auntie!” I wrap my arms around her.

  “I’m so glad you like it, Nikki.”

  She releases me and smiles, “I do. I do like it, lots and lots!” She turns on her heel and returns to her iPad, picking it up and running to her parents. “Look Mommy, look Daddy, an iPad!”

  I turn my face to look at Elliot who is looking at me, he leans down to kiss me on the lips. Just before they meet, we hear Arthur call out, “Elliot, can I talk to you, please?”

  He presses his lips to mine before replying “Sure, Dad, later on. Angela and I have gifts here for all of you. Come on over and you can open them.”

  A different voice rings out this time. “Now, Elliot.” It’s Maggie.

  Elliot kisses me once more before jumping up. Knowing that this is no doubt about me, I scoot over to Jack, who is trying to get into his iPad. “Want some help getting into that buddy?”

  He looks up at me. “That would be cool, thanks.” He hands me the iPad. I pierce the film with my nail and run it along the edge then hand it back to Jack so he can rip it off.

  I hear Elliot and his family talking in the background. I can only make out bits and pieces. “What are you doing?”

  “It’s a bit quick don’t you think?”

  And finally, “Gold digger.”

  This word makes Elliot snap, “Angela is not a gold digger, Mom.”

  Maggie retorts right away, “Of course she is. All she sees you for is your money.” Before I can stop myself, I stand up and walk toward the cluster of Elliot’s family.

  “She is not. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Elliot’s voice is filled with anger.

  I lay my left hand on the small of his back. “It’s okay, honey, I can speak for myself.” He looks back at me and he nods. “You think I’m a gold digger, Mrs. Sands.”

  Even though it’s a statement, I leave it open for a response. “Of course you are,” she spits at me.

  “Why do you think that?” I ask calmly.

  Arthur speaks next “Angela, you’re a real estate agent from
Nashville who even with commissions wouldn’t make any more than $80,000 a year. Elliot runs a company that earns that in a few hours. You can see our concern.”

  I begin to speak “Arthur....”

  Elliot cuts me off. “You don’t need to answer that, Baby”

  I turn to him and stroke his back like he did to me, trying to calm him. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”

  “Arthur, when you take into account my earnings from my wages, then yes, you are right. I earn maximum one hundred thousand dollars a year. However, I also earn several hundred thousand in interest per year on my bank account.”

  I pause I see Arthur and Maggie look at each other, “You don’t have to tell them anything, Angie” Elliot speaks.

  Maggie pipes up “I think she does, Elliot. Explain yourself, Angela.”

  “I may not be as wealthy as Elliot, but I have my own money.” I look at Elliot before continuing. “I’ve told Elliot everything, he knows my financial situation, and he is fine with it. So, I don’t see why it’s any of your concern.” Even though Elliot doesn’t know my exact net worth, he acts as though it isn’t news to him.

  “That’s my girl” Elliot is talking only to me. He leans down and plants a kiss on my lips. I pull away after a moment and smile at him.

  “Well Elliot, if you’re happy, I’m happy. I never thought you would get married.” We both turn to look at Beth who is talking. “I’m finally going to have a sister!” She takes a measured step forward and wraps her arms around the both of us. I allow myself to hug her, too.

  “Thanks, Beth, me too.” She steps back and smiles at me, she then turns to her brother.

  “Congratulations, brother of mine”

  “Thanks, Beth” He pulls her to him and gives her a hug. I sneak a look at Arthur and Maggie, who still seem upset.

  I’m certainly not going to tell them everything about myself. I haven’t even told Elliot yet. I need to let him know it all, “Elliot, can you please help me upstairs for a moment?” I turn on my heel and make my way up to Elliot’s bedroom. I sit on the bed, then get up and walk over to the Juliet balcony, opening the French doors to look out at the gardens.