by Toni Aleo
“Which you will, like always,” Bryan said with a grin as he kissed her cheek, “I don’t think I scared him too bad,” he whispered in her ear as he hugged her tightly.
“Hopefully not,” she said as he shook hands with Shea. They all walked out together and waited for their cars from valet in silence. Elli shivered since it was started to get crazy cold. Gotta love Tennessee weather; last week it was 80 and this week it is 60. Shea wrapped his arms around her from behind, hugging her close to him. She smiled at the feel of his hard body against her soft one. When she saw her daddy and Papa watching them, she became nervous but hell they might want to get used to it, Shea wasn’t going anywhere, she hoped.
After leaving the club, they drove back to Elli’s house, were they gathered up her bag and Adler, before jumping in separate cars and driving back to Nashville. Shea had complained about her driving, but when he left, how was she supposed to get home? She wanted to see him off at the airport and she needed a car to get home. He agreed but was not happy about it.
When they got to his condo, she put her things in his room, as he stayed in the kitchen setting up Adler’s bowls. It was so cute how much he cared for Adler. He was just as excited about having Adler at the house as Adler probably was about a sleep over somewhere else.
“Baby, we need to go get him a dog bed, we forgot his at the house.” Elli rolled her eyes as she came out of the room.
“Shea, he can sleep on the floor for a night.”
“No, I want him to feel at home, we’ll run to Pet Smart real quick, he can go with us.” Adler looked up at Shea lovingly, and Elli again rolled her eyes.
“Whatever, what time do we need to be at your sister’s?” she asked as she grabbed the leash and hooked Adler up. He started running in circles from excitement making her laugh as Shea chuckled.
“Six. We have time to run out and then come back and relax, maybe-” He pulled her to him, and she grinned up at him, “Maybe I can seduce you?” He wiggled his eyes brows at her, causing her burst out in a fit of giggles.
“Shea Adler!” she pushed him away and started for the door, when she reached the door she looked behind her and he was grinning at her. “We’ll see.”
“Oh, will we now?”
“Maybe.”
After a trip to Pet Smart, Shea, Elli, and Adler walked out with over two hundred dollars in stuff that Shea insisted on paying for. Elli shook her head as she watched Shea load everything into the car. New bed, leash, collar, bowls, a dog car seat, a 40lb bag of the best food in the store, toys, toys, and more toys, oh and some bones and treats.
“Shea, you over spent on a dog that doesn’t even live with you.”
“Hey, Adler is my bud, so if I want to spend money on him, I will. Plus, when you need to stay at the condo while I’m gone, Adler can come.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“And you like me.”
“I do,” she said with a huff as went to put Adler in his new car seat. She had been wanting one for him, but never got around to getting one. She was jealous that Shea was the one to buy it for Adler and not her. The dog already adored him! Anytime he was around, Elli didn’t even matter, damn traitor dog!
After loading everything up and going through the Taco Bell drive thru, they headed back to the condo, where Shea unloaded everything and played with Adler, leaving Elli to watch on the couch. After about thirty minutes of watching them play catch, Elli cleared her throat.
“What happen to playing with me?” she asked, Shea laughed while petting Adler’s head.
“Awe, is your mommy jealous?” he asked Adler. Adler let out a bark, and Shea nuzzled against Adler’s head, before crawling over to Elli, putting his head in her lap as he laid on the couch. She moved her fingers through his hair, as he looked up at her, smiling. “I love your dog.”
“I know, he loves you, too.” They sat for a moment watching Adler run back and forth bringing all his toys into the kitchen where his bed was. “Was my Papa and Daddy real bad when I went to the bathroom?”
Shea shook his head, “Not really. Bryan threatened to break my pretty face, but other than that nothing too bad.”
“He’s just overly protective of me, he never had kids.”
“I know, that’s why I’m not letting it bother me.”
“It means a lot to me that you went today and last night.” He looked up at her, cupping her cheek.
“Elli, don’t you get that you mean a lot to me?” She shrugged her shoulders, and he dropped his hand into his lap, he looked at her for a moment, and then asked “Do I mean a lot to you?”
“Of course, you do.”
“You never say I do, and like I’m bursting with feelings for you, I feel like a damn girl.” Elli smiled, “I just need to know if you feel what I feel.”
“I do, Shea, if I didn’t I wouldn’t be freaking out about you leaving, or hello, I had sex with you.”
He smiled as he gave her a very naughty look, “Yes you did, and for the first time ever I don’t want to leave for the road trip.”
“Really?” she asked with a small sad smile.
“Yeah, I wish I could take you with me.”
“I wish that, too,” she took a deep breath trying to keep the tears at bay, “I’m gonna miss you so much.”
He cupped her face again, looking deep in her eyes, “Not as much as I’m gonna miss you,” he then brought her down for a sweet kiss that curled her toes.
Elli was gonna miss Shea something stupid and in a way she didn’t know how she was going to handle it.
For the first time ever, Shea was doing dishes by hand. He hated doing them that way, and wondered why Grace didn’t just use the damn dishwasher, but it was her house, who was he to tell her how to wash her dishes, but then again,
“You need to use your dishwasher,” he complained as he handed her a plate for her to dry.
“You hush,” Grace said with a grin as she looked out the windows where the kids were running around the yard with Elli. James was in his office on a conference call while Shea and Grace did dishes. “She’s so good with kids.”
“She is.”
“Everything okay with you guys?”
“Yeah, we had sex last night.”
After making a face, she tried to smile but it didn’t work and Shea just laughed, “Sorry, but hearing about you having sex is still gross to me.”
“Stop being a baby,” he teased as he handed her another plate, “she went on birth control.”
“Wonderful,” she said sarcastically with another disgusted face.
“I’ve never done it without a condom.”
With that statement Grace dropped the plate she was holding, “I mean really, Shea! Ew!”
“What?”
“I don’t want to know about your penis!”
“Shut up, I can’t talk to anyone else about this, so you’re the lucky contestant on ‘Shea is going to have sex without protection and its freaking him out’ show.”
“Oh my god, you named the show?”
“Shut up, what if I blow in a minute after getting in her.”
“Oh, God please, go talk to James.”
“No! He’ll laugh at me!”
“So you want to make me gag! Come on, Shea, I don’t care what you do in bed.”
“I’m worried, though, dad always told me ‘Don’t be a fool, cover your tool’ so I have.”
Grace just look at Shea with nothing but disgust all over her face, “Are you kidding me right now? Come on, please.”
“No, really Grace, I’m really worried about this.”
“So talk to Elli about it! Not me!”
“Fine, you’re no damn help.”
“You should have known that when you started this damn conversation!” She spat back as she picked up a plate and started drying. Shea just shook his head, damn woman was no help.
They continued on the dishes in silence, with the occasional scream from the kids or Elli outside, Shea looked over at Grace, “She’s rich
.”
“Who?”
“Elli.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, like wicked rich.”
“Wow, I always thought she dressed too nice to be photographer, she has a sick style and it isn’t a cheap one.”
“Yeah, but that was another thing she has never told me. This morning I saw her take some pills, she said they were for hormones.”
“Hmm, maybe she’s just secretive.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Well now that all her shit’s on the table, just ask if there is anything else.”
“I will,” Shea handed her the last dish, when she was done drying it; he took Grace’s hand in his. “Do me a favor?”
“Sure,” she said turning to face him.
“Keep an eye on Elli for me, call her and stuff.”
“Of course.”
Just then the door open and Elli came in with Amelia on her hip and Ryan’s hand in hers. “I think we’re done,” Elli gushed, breathing hard. Amelia kicked to be put done so Elli obliged. Amelia took off past Shea and Grace, down the hall to where James was coming up.
“She’s her daddy’s girl,” Grace said with a shrug as Ryan took off running, “So I was thinking we’ll go to the Adventure Science Center tomorrow with the kids before you leave.”
Shea shook his head, grabbing Elli’s hand, bringing her to him. She nuzzled into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. “No can do, we’re spending the day together.”
“Oh.”
Elli looked at Grace then up at Shea before looking back at Grace, “Or we can come with you.”
“Baby, I want to spend the day in bed before I gotta go on a road trip.”
“It’s fine, Elli,” Grace said a little sharper than normal. “Things change when a new person comes in your life. Spending the day in bed is way more fun than spending the afternoon with your family.”
“Wow Grace, guilt tripping me?” Shea asked. Grace just looked at him with anger filling her eyes.
“You’re going to be gone for two weeks, then mom and dad will be here and you won’t have any time for us.”
“I’m gonna go in the living room,” Elli said as she dropped her arms, trying to get away.
“No, its fine baby,” Shea said, wrapping her back up, “Grace, really?”
“What?”
“Stop, if I do remember correctly, I didn’t see you for three months when you and James first got together.”
“That was different, I was pregnant.”
“So you being pregnant made it okay to not talk or see me for three months? But me spending the day with my girlfriend in bed instead of going with you is not okay? When I call and come see you at least every other day?”
“Whatever, Shea, I’m not arguing with you.”
“Cause I’m right.”
“Whatever,” Grace stomped out the room and Elli looked up at him.
“Maybe we should just go; I don’t want to piss her off.”
Shea put his finger on his lips, just as Grace came back in the kitchen just as he knew she would, she looked at Elli than Shea. “I’m sorry. I’m just not handling you leaving this time very well cause for some reason I feel like something is going to happen, so just be careful, but like I said, I’m sorry,” Shea let go of Elli to wrap Grace up in his arms. He knew that was the reason why they were fighting. When Grace got really nervous or worried about him, she took it out on him by fighting. She had been up his butt ever since he had gotten slashed on the collar. He loved her so much, so he took what she threw at him, she had been doing it to him since they were younger. No telling what Elli thought, probably thought they were crazy, “Just please be careful.”
“I will, I’ll call every night.”
“You better.”
Chapter 16
“How did you know Grace would come back?” Elli asked as they drove back Shea’s condo a couple hours later. After a tearful goodbye from Ryan and Grace, Shea had to get out of there. He hated when Ryan cried, but seeing Grace cry; he couldn’t handle it.
“When she gets real worried about me, she gets like that. She had been a little testy with me the past couple weeks.”
“I’m glad you knew what was going on because for a second I thought she hated me.”
Shea laughed, “No, baby, she’s just nervous.”
“I am too; I don’t want you to leave.”
“I know,” he said taking her hand in his; they drove the rest of the way home like that.
Nothing else was said until after they were washed up from the day, Adler was fed, and they were lying in bed together. The light was still on; the bed was turn down as they laid on top of the blankets. Shea was wearing just his boxers while Elli was wearing his AHL shirt and panties. She was lying on her back, while he laid on his side, tucked up against her side, running his hand up and down her thigh.
“Hey,” he said since her eyes were closed, she opened them then smiled, “How did you get sick?”
She bit her lip, than shrugged her arms as she looked up at the ceiling, “I don’t know.”
“How old were you?”
“Nineteen.”
“What happened?”
She shrugged her arms again, “It all happen so fast, like one minute I’m on top of the world. I was Roxie Hart for Chicago, it was my second show and I was so excited cause I had just signed my contract for a third show. I was dating a Yates, something my mother had wanted me to do since I was born, I had this beautiful apartment in New York, and I was spending more money than I should,” She let out an empty chuckle as she moved her hands under her thighs, he guessed since she was picking at her nails. “I woke up and my jeans didn’t fit, and I was like what the hell? So I stopped eating the way I was and went on an intense diet and started running, but I kept gaining. When I finally got to the doctor, I was already topping over two hundred pounds, had already lost my job, was packing up to come home ,and Justin was livid but he still stayed with me, which made no damn sense then, now it does, but still. Anyways, I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I have been on medicine ever since.”
“When you got on the medicine did you start losing the weight?”
“Yeah, but it was slow, it took three years for me to get where I am, and I still have problems. I still get real tired and weak sometimes if I don’t take my meds. I gain weight so stinkin' fast if I don’t watch it, and depression sticks its head into my life every once in a while.”
“Okay, but you’re okay now, right?”
“Yeah, if I take my meds and stay away from my mom,” she said with a smile. He smiled back, kissing her temple.
“Will you get better? Or well you have to take the pills forever?”
“No, I have to take them for the rest of my life.”
“Does it scare you?”
Because it scared the living shit out of him.
“No, not too bad. I’m used to it now, I guess. I guess when I get pregnant I’ll probably be worried, since if I don’t take my pills and take care of myself, it could hurt the baby.”
Shea nodded as he looked her over, she was so beautiful, he hated that something like this could happen to her, but in a way he was happy it did. He knew it was selfish but her going through what she did brought her to him, and now that he had her, he could never imagine her not being there.
“Do you miss it?”
She shook her head, he was surprised she knew what he was talking about; he guessed they were that connected, “No, when I was singing I thought I would never be happy doing anything else, but I love what I do. I love taking pictures of people for them to keep that moment forever. I make good money, I can pay my employees, and pay all my bills and still have money for my shopping addictions. I have a beautiful house that I love, a dog that loves me when you are not around, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m happy.” He smiled as she turned on her side, putting her hand on his cheek and the other on his neck. “It’s cause of you, you know.�
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He gave her a sheepish grin, because if she knew how much she changed his life, she would probably run, he wanted to scream at her that he loved her but instead said, “Really?”
“Yes Shea, I have never loved my life, but you came along and flipped it upside down and I couldn’t be happier. You make me so happy.”
His hand slid down her back from her hip, and he pressed her closer to him, meeting her mouth with his, kissing her hard. She melted against him, kissing him just as hard as she wrapped her arms around him, basically molding her body with his. He moved his hand up her body, pulling her shirt up as he went, and she let him causing him to smirk against her lips. She smiled back as he moved himself over her, pulling her shirt off and throwing it on the floor. Her arms folded over her stomach and she looked up at him with worry in her eyes.
“Shut the lights off,” she said, he shook his head as he kissed one side of her mouth, then placed a kiss on her lips, bringing his lips to the other side of her mouth kissing it.
“No, I want to see you,” he whispered as he sat back on his hunches, her thighs were touching his as her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Shea, I don’t want you to see me naked in the light.”
“Oh, but baby,” he said as he tried moving her dead locked arms away, he smiled down at her, “I want to see you.” He finally got her arms moved and looked over her naked chest, her perfectly voluptuous breast, with her rosy hard nipples, her smoother than silk skin.
“Don’t look at my stomach.” she complained, trying to cover it again, but he wouldn’t let her. He looked down her ribs to her soft looking belly. Her little belly button was surrounded by little white jagged lines; they ran along her hips too. “Shea quit, you’re making me self conscious.” He looked back up at her beautiful face.
“Show me what you think is a problem.”
“I know you can see em, stop looking and kiss me.”
“No, show me.”
She let out a frustrated breath, and pointed to the marks around her belly button, “They are disgusting.” He smiled, leaning his head down, placing feathery light kisses against each one of the marks. She let out a breathy sigh as he followed up her hips, to the side of her breast before taking her nipple in his mouth. He gave the same attention to her other breast before reclaiming her mouth with his. He pulled back to look down at her beautifully pink flushed face.