When It Was Us

by Larissa Weatherall

  Without her, it just felt empty.

  The images in his mind of Anna and Mason together, married and happy, started to feel like a bigger possibility every second. Yesterday morning he’d convinced himself to call her, but when she didn’t answer, he only felt worse.

  Drew swept the recliner closed and put his face in his hands.

  He needed to see her.

  It was already dark outside, but Drew ignored the hour and grabbed his keys off the counter. Operation Sit on Layla and Ryan’s Porch Until She Talked to Him started now. Maybe she’d tell him to leave, but he’d promised to fight for her, and he wouldn’t sit around while she slipped away.

  After a search for his wallet, Drew shoved it in his pocket and turned toward the garage. The doorbell stopped him as he reached to turn the knob. He stalked through the kitchen and flung open the door, his eyes narrowing with annoyance at whoever kept him from getting to her.

  His breath came out in a rush as his Sunshine’s eyes locked with his.

  “Anna,” he whispered. “Why did you ring the doorbell?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked down, lingering on the keys in his hand. “Am I keeping you from something?”

  His arms wrapped around her waist, and he swept her inside, squeezing so tight he wasn’t sure she could breathe. “I was coming to see you.”

  Drew kept his hold, afraid she might bolt at any minute. Her head tucked under his chin as he breathed her in, placing a kiss in that silky blonde hair. She melted into his embrace, and he leaned them back against the entry way wall.

  There were dark circles under her red, tired eyes. Drew’s lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” she mumbled into his shirt.

  Drew took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to meet his gaze. “If you’re leaving, just do it, okay? I can’t…”

  Before he could finish, she reached on tiptoes, grabbed his neck and kissed him hard. He’d been dying to feel those lips on his for days, the sweetness melting away the knot in his stomach.

  Anna leaned her forehead against his chest. “I love you, Drew.”

  He sighed with relief, placing another kiss in her hair. “You don’t know how badly I’ve wanted to hear you say those words, Sunshine.” His hands ran up and down her back as he continued. “Anna, the papers?”

  “He signed them.” She squeezed her eyes closed for a brief second, then looked back at Drew.

  He wanted her with him more than he wanted his next breath, but he wanted her happiness more.

  “Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure that…”

  “Drew, it’s you,” she whispered, those green eyes searing into his. “When I close my eyes and picture the rest of my life, I see you.”

  He gently cupped her face in both hands, brushing his thumb across her lips. Drew touched his mouth to hers before leaning back slightly. She rewarded him with the smile that had always owned him.

  Drew pulled her down next to him on the couch, her breath warming his neck as she snuggled into his side. There was so much more he wanted to say, that he wanted to ask, but he simply held her close. He continued to whisper how much he loved her, stroking her side as she fell asleep in his arms.

  ***

  Four Weeks and Two Days Later

  Drew closed his eyes as they rode the elevator to their room. Anna stood next to him, her tiny fingers intertwined with his. The cool metal of her engagement ring and diamond wedding band rubbed against his finger.

  His wife.

  The soft fabric of her white gown brushed against his arm, and he glanced toward her. Anna’s gaze rose and meet his. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip as a bright pink blush covered her cheeks and neck.

  Anna’s divorce was finalized two days earlier. Drew woke early the next day as always. He made her favorite breakfast and drank three cups of coffee before he heard her stirring from sleep.

  As soon as she walked through the door, he got down on one knee holding the little red ring box.

  Her eyes widened with surprise, both hands covering her mouth. His name was a whisper from her lips as he told her he loved her, loved her so much more than he could ever tell her, and that he didn’t want to spend one more day not being her husband.

  Then he asked if she would please be his wife.

  Tears ran down her cheeks as she dropped to her knees in front of him and said, “Of course I will marry you.”

  Drew smiled as he placed the round diamond on her hand. He lifted it and placed a tender kiss on the ring.

  He tugged her into his arms and kissed her, then stared in awe at the woman he had loved his entire life.

  “I meant it,” he told her softly. “I don’t want to spend one more day not being your husband. Let’s elope.”

  She’d started to laugh but realized the seriousness in his expression. Drew nodded his head toward their packed bag next to the door. He’d already asked Layla, Ryan, and Luke to come along. They were meeting in two hours. If she said yes.

  She looked from Drew to the bags then grabbed his face in her hands.

  “Yes.”

  And thirty minutes ago, he’d stared into his Sunshine’s eyes as she promised him her forever.

  I, Anna, take you, Drew, to be my husband and my best friend. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.

  Now Drew held her hand while they walked to the honeymoon suite. Halfway down the hall, Drew scooped her into his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she giggled.

  “If you think I’m missing out on carrying you over the threshold, you’re crazy,” he whispered. Drew shifted her in his arms to reach for the room key, but she gave a sassy smirk and slid her hand into his pants pocket. She grabbed the key, running her fingers slowly along his thigh.

  The lock flashed green, and he pushed them through the door. He loved her dress, loved the way it hugged her curves and still had a feminine flow to it. But he wanted her out of it more than he wanted his next breath. Drew pressed his lips to hers as he walked into the room, and she fisted her hands in his hair.

  He set her on her feet, and they stared out at the oceans waves through the wall full of windows. The large white king-sized bed, hundreds of candles flickering with light and twelve bouquets of her favorite red roses filled the room. She turned and smiled, a sexy little grin that had him insane with the urge to rip the damn dress off.

  She didn’t need it anymore, right?

  Anna walked to the bathroom entrance and stared at the giant whirlpool tub. Drew placed a kiss behind her ear. “We’ll get to that later.”

  She moved to stand in front of the desk and mirror, her chin to her chest. He walked up behind her again, his fingers caressing the bare skin of her shoulders.

  “Anna.” He touched his lips between her shoulder blades then ran his hands down her arms.

  Her gaze met his in the mirror as he pulled her closer. Her stare was shy and timid under long lashes.

  “I’m…nervous,” she whispered. “What if I’ve built up this moment…what if…”

  Drew’s arms wrapped around her waist, her citrus scent surrounding him. “Sunshine.”

  “Yes,” she sighed, placing her hands over the top of his on her stomach.

  “This moment is everything it was always supposed to be. You and me, here, together. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  He smiled against her neck, kissing all the way to the buttons of her dress. He flicked each one open slowly, placing a kiss on her skin.

  “I’ve spent ten years picturing exactly what I’d do to you if I had the chance,” he whispered. “I guarantee you will not be disappointed.”

  She trembled as he opened the
last button and spun her to face him. Heat flashed in her green eyes. The eyes of the woman with one hell of a hold on his heart.

  Drew gave her dress a slight tug, watching as it pooled at her feet. His sharp intake of breath brought her gaze back to his. Her cheeks blushed the brightest red he’d ever seen as he took in every single inch of her. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

  His lingering perusal of her body stopped immediately on her left hip, where he spotted a tiny orange and yellow tattoo.

  A tattoo of the sun.

  My Sunshine…

  Drew slid his hand down her arm, her side, and held onto her hip as he stroked his thumb across the inked perfection.

  “Your tattoo…is of…the sunshine,” he barely choked out as the emotions welled in his throat.

  She’d had it all this time.

  Her teary gaze met his as she smiled and stroked her fingers along his jaw. “I’ve always been your Sunshine.”

  Fighting back tears, Drew swept her in his arms again and walked over to the massive bed. He laid her down gently, dying to fulfill the biggest fantasy he’d had since he was fifteen.

  She bit her lip and smiled, pushing at his jacket. “I love you, husband.”

  He ripped the damn thing off, and it ended up somewhere across the room. Easing down closer to her, he rested his elbows at her sides, his thumb stroking her collarbone.

  She loosened, then pulled the baby blue tie over his head. Her hands shook as she slowly unfastened the buttons of his white dress shirt, their eyes never breaking contact.

  With the last button open, Anna slid the shirt torturously slow down his biceps and forearms. It joined his jacket as her hands blazed a trail down his chest and abs.

  Drew’s forehead fell against hers. “I can’t convince myself this isn’t a dream. That you are really my wife.”

  Anna tipped his face up, and a knot lodged in Drew’s throat with the devotion shining back at him. No one could ever make him feel more loved with only one look.

  “Believe it,” she whispered. Her hands caressed the skin at the back of his neck, inching him closer until her soft lips covered his.

  Epilogue

  It had been six weeks since their wedding, and there were still moments Drew stared down at his wedding band, amazed and damn happy he’d been blessed to call her his wife. He hadn’t wiped the stupid grin off his face since the honeymoon.

  There were days they stayed tangled in bed and never left the room. He wouldn’t change one minute, but as expected, their families and the entire town were not happy they’d been excluded from the celebration.

  Solution: have a huge party to celebrate with those they loved. There were tents with twinkling Christmas lights set up in the field on his parents’ farm with their spot on the river as a backdrop. They’d have dinner, cake, and dancing. Drew hadn’t yet gotten a first dance with his bride, and he intended to make that happen tonight.

  Speaking of his lovely bride…they should’ve left for the party fifteen minutes ago.

  “Anna, sweetheart, we really need to go,” he yelled across the house. “I get that we’re the guests of honor, but we’re going to be late.”

  No response.

  Drew found her in the bathroom, her back to him in the same white dress she’d worn when they exchanged vows on the beach. His mind flashed back to the way it fell to the floor, and he reined in the insistent part of him that wanted to carry her back to their bedroom.

  “We should probably be on time for our own party,” he urged her, leaning against the doorframe.

  Her reflection stared down at the countertop.

  “Sunshine…”

  She spun to face him, biting her lip.

  “Honey, I’m late,” she whispered. It was so quiet he almost didn’t hear.

  Drew laughed, gesturing with a sweeping motion of his hand for her to leave the bathroom. “Yeah, babe, I know we’re late, so let’s go.”

  “No, I mean, I’m late, late.”

  He tilted his head and stared. Confusion lingered for at least a minute before the meaning of her words set in.

  “Oh, come on.” He laughed, pushing off the doorframe. “There’s no freaking way. I’d have to be, like, Superman or something.”

  Anna smiled, that gorgeous full ear-to-ear smile, reaching behind her to the counter. She picked up a long strip he hadn’t noticed there before. Squeezing it in her hand for the briefest second, she opened her palm and handed it to him.

  It looked a hell of a lot like a pregnancy test.

  Pregnant.

  The word stared back at him, and his gaze shot to her face.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope.” She smiled again, taking a step toward him.

  “Are you serious right now?” They were having a baby. “But I thought…”

  Anna was having his baby…

  “Are you ready to be a daddy?” she whispered. A single tear escaped and took a path down her cheek.

  Drew looked back and forth from the test to his stunning wife.

  He was going to be a father…

  Anna walked the remaining step to him. She ran her fingers gently through his hair. “Drew, are you okay?”

  Was he okay?

  “More than okay.” He looked down to her stomach. The only woman he had ever loved, ever wanted to spend his life with, was carrying their child.

  He reached one hand up to cup her cheek, the other caressing her stomach. “It’s perfect. I didn’t know there was room in my heart to be any happier than I already was, but this, this baby. I…” He paused, clearing the emotion from his throat. “She’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.”

  “She?” Anna smirked with a raised brow.

  He covered Anna’s lips with his in a mind-numbing kiss. “Yeah, she. One just like you.”

  How could he be completely freaked out and so damn full of happiness all at the same time?

  “Seriously, are you guys ready yet?” Luke shouted from the living room. His footsteps approached down the hallway. “Damn, can’t you put your clothes on and pull yourself away from each other for a few hours to be with other people?”

  Eyes narrowed and hands on his hips, Luke glared at them from the bedroom doorway.

  “Sure, Uncle Luke,” Anna said, her laugh the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

  Drew held up the test, and shrugged as Luke’s eyes widened to saucers. He rushed forward, squeezing them all together in a hug.

  “If it’s a girl, can we name her after Allison?” Luke whispered as they celebrated.

  Drew smiled, kissing Anna’s forehead as his best friend smirked at him over her shoulder.

  This girl, this moment, this life together. It was all worth waiting for.

  Acknowledgements

  Always first, thanks and praise to my Heavenly Father for the gift of salvation and blessings beyond measure. I pray everyone who reads this knows His unconditional love and amazing grace.

  To my husband, Andrew—walking into that Tommy Hilfiger store sixteen years ago and asking the cute guy folding shirts for an application was the best thing that ever happened to me. Thank you for driving me to my dorm after a twelve-hour Black Friday shift and taking a chance on our “second” first date. Trusting you with the stitched-together pieces of my heart was the best decision I ever made.

  To my adorable little handfuls—being your mommy is the most amazing, most difficult job I will ever have. There are days I stare at you like a creeper while you sleep and beg time to slow down, but seeing you grow and learn is something I cherish every single day.

  To my grandparents who have gone to Heaven before me—thank you for showing me what true love and fairy tales look like. Heaven is just a little bit sweeter because I’ll see you all there someday.

  To all four of my parents, baby brother (though you’re all grown up now), family and friends—I may be a little biased, but I am blessed with the most incredible people in my life. From the ones who sit
in the ER with me when my flyboy husband is away on a trip to the ones who are just a text message away, whether we talk every day, once a year or every five years, know that you mean so much to me, and I thank God He put you in my life.

  To Lindsay—because this book wouldn’t exist without you. For the last five years, you have read every single draft and always been quick with an encouraging word when I needed it. But most of all, because from the day you sat with me on one of the saddest days of my life, you’ve never left my side. There aren’t enough words for how special you are to me.

  To Jess—because a seemingly simple comment on a Twitter post about my excitement to read The Love Square became the incredible gift of your friendship. Thank you for your crucial feedback and pushing me to keep going when I really, really wanted to quit; for forcing me to write the sheriff and remember how much I love creating a love story; for every single text; and for participating in my book inspiration craziness. All the Jess words inspire me to be a better writer every day. Thank you for being my writing sister.

  Every single person who took the time to read various versions of When It Was Us and give me your feedback. Jen, Cara, Dawn, Lisa, Stacy, Shirlene, Traci, Kelly, April, Michelle, Linda, Katie, Missy, Christa, Ann, Cindy, Lilly, Elizabeth…Without you, I would have given up a long time ago.

  To Molly - because you answer all my newbie author questions and every time I read and reread your books, from the Edge men to the Grad Night series, I am in awe of your ability as a writer. I want to be you when I grow up. Also, I need Casey’s story…ASAP.

  Thank you to Rebecca Yarros, because reading Full Measures made me fall in love with reading and romance again. No other book will ever replace it as my favorite of all time.

  Everyone on the Limitless team. The day I saw your contract offer in my inbox, I literally had to read it three times to make sure it was real. Thank you so very much for taking a chance on me and this story. It truly is a dream come true, and there will be tears when I hold it in my hands for the first time. My editor, Heather, because you know what I’m thinking without me even saying it. Thank you for guiding me through this journey. And thank you to Deranged Doctor Designs for bringing the story to life with the most unbelievable cover. You nailed the story perfectly and gave me what I didn’t even know I wanted. Thank you, thank you, thank you.