by Sandi Lynn
“That was a very nice ceremony. Wouldn’t you agree?” I asked as my arm was wrapped around his.
He glanced over at me with a raised brow.
“They just vowed their death sentence.”
Rolling my eyes, I sighed.
“What the hell has gotten into you?” he asked as we made our way to the bar for a drink.
“Nothing. I just thought it was nice.”
“You hate weddings as much as I do.”
I shrugged and didn’t say a word. I could already tell these subtle little hints were not going to go over well with him. The groom was one of Jackson’s clients and we were seated at a table where he knew everyone. As the round of introductions began, I was the friend who tagged along.
“You look so familiar to me,” the brown-eyed brunette sitting on the other side of me spoke.
“Perhaps you’ve been in my shop. Emily’s Edge.”
“Oh my gosh. That cute little shop over on East 9th?”
“Yes.” I smiled.
“I’ve been in there a few times and I absolutely adore it.”
“Have you been in since we expanded?”
“No. I don’t think so. Are you carrying more designers?” she asked.
“Yes. A few more, and we now have an espresso bar.”
“Wow. How fun. I will definitely be stopping by.” She smiled.
As dinner was being served, the bride and groom made their way to the tables to greet their guests. Jackson introduced me as the “friend” and had a light conversation with them before they made their way to the next table.
“They seem so happy.” I smiled as I stuck my fork into my salad.
“For today and maybe the next week,” Jackson replied as he glared at me.
“Who knows? Maybe they found true love and will be together forever.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Emily?”
I let out a light laugh. “I’m still here.”
“Could have fooled me,” he spoke with a serious tone.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ever since we got here, you’ve done nothing but say positive things about something you are so strongly against.”
I shrugged my left shoulder. “Maybe I was wrong.”
“Wrong? Just all of a sudden?”
The sick feeling in the pit of my stomach caused me to put my fork down. I had to be careful because I could sense a huge fight brewing.
“I don’t know, Jackson. This couple just seems different.”
“They aren’t any different than anyone else.”
Grabbing my fork, I picked at my food, eating just enough so he wouldn’t question me. I wanted to tell him that maybe we were wrong and that we were just basing our decisions on how other people influenced us. But he wasn’t ready to hear it and I wasn’t ready to lose him. I had already broken rule number nine.
After the bride and groom shared their first dance together as husband and wife, the DJ played a slow song and Jackson took hold of my hand.
“May I have this dance, Madame?” He grinned.
“Of course.”
He led me to the dance floor, and in a flash, I was swept up in his arms, our bodies lightly touching.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing’s wrong? Why?”
“You seem quiet and like something is bothering you.”
“I’m just tired, I guess.”
“Are you sure nothing is bothering you?”
“Nothing is bothering me.” I lightly smiled as I reached up and brushed my lips against his.
I lay on my stomach with his dark gray-colored sheet covering only my lower half. His arm draped around me and the soft whispers of his breath soothed me as he slept. My attempts to try and convince him that maybe relationships weren’t so bad after all was a total fail. His attitude towards me was different while I was dropping subtle hints. It was an attitude of dismay and disappointment. Once I stopped, his attitude went back to the carefree, fun, sexy man who fucked me twice last night because as he said once wasn’t enough.
I turned my head and faced him. His eyes were closed as his cheek was pressed comfortably against the oversized fluffy pillow. I couldn’t help but let a small smile cross my lips as I stared at the man I had uncontrollably fallen for. His eyes slowly opened and stared into mine.
“Good morning.” His hand moved up and down my back. “How long have you been staring at me?”
“Good morning. Just a few moments.”
“May I ask why?” A grin crossed his face.
“Why not? You’re sexy. Especially in the morning with your messy hair.” I brought my hand up to his head. “Plus, I love waking up next to you. It makes me incredibly happy.”
The look in his eyes changed instantly. Almost as if they went blank. He kissed the tip of my nose and climbed out of bed.
“How about some breakfast?”
“Sure,” I put on a fake smile as I stayed in bed for a few more moments while he left the bedroom.
I didn’t understand the sudden urge to get out of bed. Usually, we’d have sex before either one of us stepped one foot on the floor. Today was different. He seemed different. Maybe it was his issue with his parents that still weighed heavily on his mind. Climbing out of bed, I slipped my robe on and headed down to the kitchen, where I saw him making scrambled eggs.
“I hope scrambled is okay. I tend to fuck up the eggs any other way.”
“Scrambled is fine.”
“Coffee is ready.” He nodded over to the coffee maker.
After pouring two cups of coffee, I took them over to the table while Jackson plated the eggs and toast.
“There’s some fresh cut-up fruit in the refrigerator if you want,” he spoke.
“Thanks.”
Walking over to the fridge, I pulled out the plastic container and took it over to the table. I was feeling uneasy because something with him was off.
“Listen, Emily. I don’t know how to say this.”
The feeling I got in the pit of my stomach was unsettling.
“Say what?” I asked.
“I know we were supposed to spend the day together today, but I have to go into the office and prepare for a huge presentation tomorrow for a failing casino I want to invest in. I didn’t realize it was tomorrow until I was looking at my calendar last night. I thought it was next week.”
“Oh. Okay. I understand.”
But I didn’t. Why didn’t he tell me this last night? Why wait until this morning to spring it on me? Maybe I wouldn’t have come back to his place after the wedding and just went home.
“Are you sure you understand?” he asked.
“Of course.” I made a face at him for even questioning me. “Why would you think I wouldn’t?”
“I don’t know.” He finished off his eggs and took his plate to the sink.
He walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. “I have to go shower.”
“Okay. I’m just going to get going,” I spoke as I stood up from my seat.
“You don’t have to. I can drive you home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll catch a cab. Plus, I want to stop at the shop on the way home.”
“But you’re closed today.”
“Doesn’t matter. I still have some work to do. Just like you do. You know the work never stops when you’re your own boss.”
“True.” He smiled.
He went back upstairs, and I cleaned up the kitchen before I headed up, changed and attempted to get the hell out. I hurried and threw on my jeans and a crème-colored sweater. I didn’t care that I still had on last night’s makeup and my hair was a mess.
“I’m leaving,” I shouted so he could hear me from the shower.
“Can you wait until I’m finished?” he shouted back.
“No. I just want to do what I have to do and get home,” I lied.
“Okay. I’ll be in touch.”
“Yeah. Okay.” I rolled my eyes
as I grabbed my purse and my bag and headed towards the elevator.
Chapter 36
Jackson
She really made me angry that she couldn’t even wait until I got out of the shower. She was mad. I could tell. Even though she said she understood, I knew she didn’t. She was different last night. But it wasn’t only last night. It had been over the course of a couple of weeks. Between her acting strange and the debacle with my parents, I just needed some time to myself. I wasn’t lying about the presentation tomorrow, and I did have some work to do. Work that could have been done in the morning, but I—I didn’t know. I just wanted to be by myself.
As I was sitting at my desk, enjoying the peace and quiet, my phone rang, and Jules was calling.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey, Jackson. Are you and Emily home?”
“No. I’m not seeing Emily today and I’m at the office.”
“Oh. I just got off my shift and I was going to stop by for a visit.”
“My office is closer to the hospital. Come by here.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt your work.”
“You wouldn’t be interrupting. I’ll see you when you get here. Did you eat?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
“I’ll place a carry-out order from that Thai place next door. You want the usual?”
“Yeah and order a spring roll.”
“Alright. I’ll see you soon.”
I placed the order for delivery and turned back to my computer to plug in the final numbers for tomorrow.
“Knock knock.” Jules lightly tapped on the doorframe before stepping into my office.
“Come on in.” I smiled.
She sank into the chair across my desk and let out a big yawn.
“Tough night?”
“Car accidents galore. Two overdoses. A gunshot victim. A wife who had been stabbed by her psycho husband and, are you ready for this one?”
I chuckled. “Do I want to know?”
“A guy was rushed in because he broke his penis during a threesome with two women he had just met.”
“Lucky guy with the women. Sucks he broke his penis.” I laughed.
“So yeah. Tough night.”
The delivery boy stood in the doorway holding the plastic bag with our food in it.
“I’m sorry. Did you say some guy broke his penis?” he nervously asked as he stepped inside.
“Yes.” Jules turned around. “During a threesome.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that was possible.”
“It is. I see it more times than I want to.” Jules smiled. “So, let this be a lesson to you. Have sex with only one woman at a time and if you’re going to be rough, do it cautiously.”
I laughed as I reached into my pocket and handed him some cash.
“Thanks. I will. Especially now. Umm. Have a good day.”
I took the food over to the table and Jules followed.
“I thought you and Emily were doing something today?”
“I had to cancel. I had some work to do,” I spoke as I took the containers from the bag.
“Hmm. What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Bullshit, Jackson. You’re my twin. When something’s bothering you, it bothers me. What’s going on?”
There wasn’t one single thing I could hide from my sister, and sometimes it drove me crazy. She knew just by the slightest change in my facial expression or the subtle change in my voice, something wasn’t right.
“I think Emily is changing her views on relationships.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned.
“She’s been acting strange the past couple of weeks and, last night, we were at a wedding. She kept saying things like how beautiful the bride was and how happy the couple seemed. Then she said that maybe they found true love and they’d make it.”
“And why is that such a bad thing?”
“Because it’s not who she is. It’s like all of a sudden, she jumped on the relationship train and is all for them. It bothers me.”
“Why? Are you scared she’s going to want more from you than what your contract states?” Her brow arched.
“I don’t know. I hope not. I’m still the same person I always have been, and I still have the same beliefs.”
“I changed my beliefs and I think you might too.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Am I, Jackson?”
“Yes, Jules. You are. I’m not in love with her if that’s what you’re hinting at. Sure, I love to spend time with her. We have fun together, and the sex is out of this world. But that’s as far as it goes. I like things with Emily just the way they are or were.”
“But you just said she’s changing and it’s bothering you.”
“It is bothering me because I just feel like she’s not the same woman I entered into the contract with.”
“Fuck the contract. Emily is the same person. She had an epiphany, Jackson. She now has a father that she never knew about and she’s starting to question everything because what she was taught and told was by a woman with a broken heart. I have never seen you as happy as you are when you’re with her.”
“Yeah, I’m happy because I know there won’t be any bullshit, pressure, or commitment. We had a deal.”
“Well, your deal sucks ass and you need to take a step back and reevaluate your life. I did. Why do you think I said yes to Carter’s proposal? Do you know how scared I was when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him? Any normal girl would have been giddy with excitement, but not me. I was shaking with fear. All I saw was a future of everything that could go wrong, instead of seeing the beauty of what he’s already brought into my life. We can’t live in fear of the future.”
“And that makes me happy for you, Jules. But I’m not changing my mind, and no one can make me. I stand by how I feel and that’s one commitment I’m not about to break.”
She took in a long, deep breath. “Then prepare yourself, Jackson, because the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. Thanks for lunch. I need to go home and get some sleep.”
Emily
I stepped inside the shop and locked the door behind me. Turning on the lights, I stood and stared at everything I had accomplished. I stared at the dream that I’d always wanted. Walking over to the espresso bar, I made myself an espresso and leaned over the cosmic gray granite countertop and thought about Jackson. It saddened me. He saddened me with the way he abruptly canceled our time together today. I knew he felt I was more than just a companion. I could feel it in his kiss, his touch, and the way he made love to me. Maybe if I just stuck to our negotiation, he’d eventually see that I was more than a girl who agreed to a relationship contract. Did I regret doing it? Not at all. At that time, it was the perfect thing for me; a time when I held the same beliefs as he until my world fell off its axis and changed everything. But his world was still the same, or maybe even worse since the announcement came forth about his parents reconciling. Now he truly believed that relationships were as fucked up as they could get, and I didn’t blame him. I was thinking too much about him, just like my mother probably did with my father. Hence the reason we had frequent conversations about independence and having control over our own emotional state. But she had years of practice for that. This was something new to me and I was still learning how to deal with it.
Chapter 37
Two Weeks Later
Emily
As I was changing the clothes on one of the mannequins, Evelyn walked into the shop with a wide grin across her face.
“Good morning, my beautiful friend.” She kissed my cheek.
“Good morning.” I smiled. “Who put some happy pills in your coffee this morning?”
“I’m just high on life.” She twirled around.
“Okay. What’s going on?”
“Dylan and I are moving in together!” she screeched.
“That’s wonderful. Your place or his?”<
br />
“Actually, both of our leases are up, so we’re going apartment hunting today.”
“You two should look at my building.”
“I already thought about that, but there aren’t any two-bedrooms available right now.” She pouted.
“You’ll find something. I’m so happy for you.” I gave her a hug.
“How are things with Jackson?” she asked.
“Things are good.” I smiled.
“And you’re happy?”
“I am. After doing some thinking and self-reflecting, I realized that my life is almost perfect. I have this amazing business that is doing so well, I have great friends, and I have Jackson. What more could a girl ask for? Why try to fix what isn’t broken? Right?”
“Right.” She narrowed her eye at me. “Listen, I just dropped by to tell you the news. I have to go. I’m supposed to meet Dylan in fifteen minutes. I’ll call you later.”
“Have fun apartment hunting.”
“Thanks.” She turned and smiled as she walked out of the shop.
The truth was that I wasn’t about to risk my relationship with Jackson because I wanted more from him. Everything in my life was going so well and there was no need to compromise it. Since I stopped dropping subtle hints, Jackson seemed back to his old self. The past two weeks had been wonderful, and I wanted to keep it that way.
Just as I was getting ready to leave the shop to go home and change for dinner, Jackson’s mother walked in.
“Hello, Emily.”
“Hi, Gwen.” I smiled. “Welcome to my shop.”
“It’s very cute. I will admit I have never been in here.”
“That’s fine. This store isn’t for everyone. What brings you by?”
“I was hoping to have a little chat with you.”
“Sure. Would you like a cup of coffee?” I asked as I led her over to the espresso bar.
“That would nice. Thank you.”
“Jen, two coffees, please.”
“Coming right up, Emily.”
“Please, have a seat.” I waved my hand to the small round table. “What did you want to chat about?”