Her eyes meet mine with an intense look. “You were there. You found me and got me out of there in one piece. I never doubted the entire time that you were going to find me. Maybe it wasn’t going to be at the hotel, but I knew you’d never stop looking.” She stands up and walks over to sit on my lap. “Besides, if this didn’t happen we’d still be looking over our shoulders, wondering when Brian would pop into our lives again. This way it’s over. We don’t have to worry about him anymore. We can just move on with our lives.”
“I know you’ve already pieced things together, but I want to tell you so you hear it from me. Brian was my first real boyfriend so I guess I was swept up with the excitement of that. He was a nice man but he became very possessive and controlling. I didn’t really know what to do. When you’re in a situation like that, it’s hard to see things clearly. It wasn’t until he hit me and I fell down the stairs of our apartment building that I realized I needed to stop worrying about what would happen to me if I left and start being concerned with what would happen to me if I stayed.”
It feels good knowing she finally trusts me enough to confide in me. I’m afraid if I say anything she’ll lose her train of thought, so I keep my mouth shut and just hold her tightly.
“I wouldn’t let him touch me after that. It turns out the neighbors called the police. The cops showed up and took Brian to jail. I couldn’t think straight. Cate told me to pack a bag and come here and stay with her mom, so I did. “
“So you said he only hit you the one time, what happened to set him off?”
“We were at one of his company events. Besides getting together with Cate, those were the only social things I did toward the end of our relationship. I used to dread having other men come up and talk to me. It used to make Brian so mad. He’d always accuse me of flirting so our nights would always end with a fight. So during dinner that night, a really nice man that works with Brian came up to talk to me. We had a lot in common and I felt so comfortable talking to him that I forgot to worry about what Brian would think. I had also had a few glasses of wine at that point so I guess I was more relaxed than usual.”
I can tell she’s far away from me while she relives that night in her mind. I wonder if it’s the same for all of us that have those moments that change the course of our lives so completely. We can remember every detail of every moment of what happened.
“Brian was so quiet on the ride home that night. Normally we’d be in the middle of a screaming match so his complete detachment from me was really unsettling. We had just reached the top of the stairs leading to our apartment when I finally broke the silence and asked him what was wrong. Without a word he just turned around and struck me across the face. I fell backward down the stairs, hitting my head really hard along the way. Our neighbor heard what happened and called the police. I went to the hospital to get fixed up while Brian went for a drive in the back of the police car. Not that he spent much time there. He’d already been released by the time I was driving to Winterhaven the next day.”
“You’re so strong, Bree, I’m proud of you.”
“I don’t think I was strong. I’ve actually been mad at myself for a long time because I was so weak when I was with him.”
“You can’t be so hard on yourself.”
“It made me doubt my judgement, you know? And I was scared to get involved with anyone because of the experiences I had with him. But there was just something about you that I couldn’t ignore.”
“Was it my wit or my good looks?”
“I would say it was both. But mostly your good looks.”
We both laugh and I’m overwhelmed with the intimacy that I feel in this moment.
“And now we can work on putting our pasts behind us and building our futures, together.”
“Mmmm, I like that sound of that.” All of the sudden I am starving, but not for food. Bree bends down and kisses me softly. My need for her is too strong, though, and I kiss her back with the fierce passion she unlocks inside of me. My hands can’t stop touching every inch of her body. It’s like I just need to touch her to know that she’s in one piece and hasn’t been hurt by what happened. Our food forgotten for now, she straddles me right here in the kitchen on this hard wooden chair.
“Bree,” I say as she starts to move her hips against me.
“Yes baby,” she says in my ear.
“I love you.”
“I love you too. With all my heart.” She softly caresses my face and looks right into my eyes. Her hands move down my body and unbutton my pants. She lifts herself just enough to pull my pants down to my thighs. I want her so badly I just tear her panties off and in the next breath she sinks down on my cock. Our love right now is forceful and needy. It’s about needing the connection that we have when I’m inside of her. We’re pounding into each other at a frantic pace. Bree’s fingers are holding onto me so tightly I’ll probably have bruises. We don’t stop until we both feel the orgasm that we need thundering through our bodies.
Still deep inside of her, we hold onto each other as our breathing slows. Bree rests her head on my shoulder, nuzzled into my neck. One of her favorite positions and the one I’ve become extremely fond of. I rub her back and enjoy the intense connection that sex gives us. I enjoy the feeling of knowing she is mine and I’m not going to let anyone take her away from me again.
The big day has finally arrived. Heath and Jack, along with some other guys along the way, have finished the coffee shop. As soon as it was finished, I set to work organizing all of the other things that needed to be done. The furniture was delivered a few days ago so we actually have tables and chairs for people to sit on. Cate was in town last weekend and we had way too much fun picking out wall hangings, coffee mugs, silverware, plates, towels and everything else that was sitting in the open boxes behind the counter.
We sent out the invitations for our grand opening, so I have been working around the clock to make sure we make our deadline. Our coffees have arrived as well as the various syrup flavors we use for all of the different drinks we offer. I have them all set up behind the counter with the labels all facing the front, meticulously placed. The coffee machines are gleaming with that fresh ‘never been used’ stainless steel. We had a few mini fridges installed under the counter to keep the refrigerated items handy when it gets busy.
A few days ago I visited Embry in the bakery downtown. We need a vendor for our baked goods and I thought keeping it local would benefit both of us. She was thrilled with the idea and now we have fresh baked muffins, scones, breads, cookies, pies and cakes available for people to buy with our coffees. Everything is falling into place and I couldn’t be happier.
I find myself checking the clock and looking in the mirror to make sure I look okay. I have everything prepped and ready, I just hope I’m not forgetting anything. Cate should be here in an hour or so to help with our launch. She was so excited when she finally saw our new location and what an amazing job the guys did on the renovations. It has an adorable cottage feel that fits in so perfectly with the town.
I hear the little bell ring against the front door as it is opened. I look up to see Heath standing just inside. “Did I come at the wrong time? I thought the invitation said eight?”
I walk over to him and give him a quick hug and kiss. I’m not sure why I’m nervous, but I am. “Well, your invitation said eight. The rest of the invitations that we sent out said nine.” It’s silly to say I feel shy right now, but I do. “I just wanted you to be the first person to share this moment with me. You did such an amazing job and well, look at it!” I motion my hands behind me to show him the finished product. “It’s the coffee shop of my dreams and I have you to thank for it.”
He walks over to me and stands right in front of me with the sweetest look on his face. “I’d do anything for you, beautiful. You already make me so happy, I felt like doing this for you was the least I could do.” I wrap my arms around him again. I can’t seem to keep my hands to myself when I’m around him. It ju
st feels right when I’m touching him. “I love the name, by the way. A Hearty Brew. It’s very clever.”
“You like it? I was worried that it’s a little cheesy but I thought it was a cute way of suggesting coffee lover.”
“Yes, I think it’s perfect. And speaking of hearts, now that no one else is going to show up for another hour, there’s something I wanted to ask you today.”
“Oh yeah? Well ask and you shall receive.” The nervousness I felt a moment ago has disappeared. Heath has a way of always making me feel at ease. But the moment he sinks down to one knee in front of me, my heart jumps to life, pounding away in my chest. I can’t help but gasp and then immediately cover my mouth to hide the sound.
“You, Bree Collins, stole my heart from the first time I saw you crossing the street. I’ve never wanted anything in my life as much as I want you and if you let me, I’ll spend the rest of our lives making sure you have everything you need to keep you happy. Will you marry me?”
“Yes of course I’ll marry you!” I sink down on my knees in front of him and he takes my left hand and slides a beautiful, but modest, diamond ring on my ring finger. It fits perfectly. My giggles keep escaping as we kiss. “And you’re all I need to make me happy,” I add. “Well, you and hopefully a couple babies. I’d really like to have at least two babies with you. So you and me plus a few babies, that’s all I need.”
“I’m more than happy to help you with that request.”
Once I finally let him go I just look down and admire the ring on my finger. Shaking my head I say, “I can’t even think straight right now. Somehow I have to be on my game to open today but I’m so incredibly excited.”
“You just focus on having an awesome opening today. We have as much time as we need to figure things out from here. One thing at a time. I couldn’t wait any longer to ask, sorry if it was bad timing.”
“No, it is perfect timing. I’ll always remember what a special day this is.”
“So, what kind of specials are you running today? I want to be the first person to buy a drink from you.” Heath walks up to the counter and pulls his wallet out of his back pocket. “Then my dollar will be the dollar you can hang on the wall to signify your first dollar earned. That way you’ll always have a part of me in your coffee shop.”
“I like the sound of that. I can hang a picture of you right underneath the dollar, kind of like an employee of the week plaque. You’ll be the coffee shop’s mascot.”
We both laugh a little too hard, like we have so much happiness inside of us right now that it’s bubbling over.
“I have a drink I think you’ll like, if you trust me to surprise you. Now that I’ve converted you to a coffee drinker I’ll get to try out my new creations on you.”
“Bring it on. I’m sure if it’s coming from you, I’ll like it.”
I get started on his drink, grabbing the supplies I need and testing the flow as I go. Everything we need to make the drinks needs to be close at hand so everything can run smoothly during our busy times. I’ve also taken on the task of getting everything organized by myself and I really want Cate to be impressed when she gets here. Once I’ve made us both a drink, we take our coffees over to a little table by the front windows. We spend the rest of the hour sharing our excitement and making plans for the future.
Eventually Cate arrives and I love her reaction when she first walks through the doors. “Oh my God! I just love it! I can’t believe everything is finished, you must have worked your butt off to get this all done.”
I walk over to her and give her a big hug. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? I’m so glad you were able to make it for the grand opening.”
“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” She takes my hands in hers and gives them a squeeze. The transformation from excited to surprise crosses over her face quickly as she pulls my left hand up and looks at my ring. Her eyes are huge and her mouth just seems to hang wide open while she processes what she’s seeing. “What is this?”
“Heath asked me to marry him,” I say in a very matter of fact manner. There’s a myriad of emotions that I’m experiencing while I wait for Cate’s reaction. I want her approval. Not having it wouldn’t change the way I feel about Heath but Cate and I have been friends for so long that I feel like I need her support when it comes to the big events in my life. She has always acted as my protector and I want her to understand how important Heath is to me in my life.
“Holy shit! That’s so amazing!” I feel myself relax as a huge smile plays across my face. Cate pulls Heath and I both in for a hug. “You better take good care of her; she means the world to me,” She whispers in his ear, though I can hear her.
“She means the world to me too. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for her,” Heath says.
“Okay, well you have my blessing.” She pats us both on the cheeks. “Now, not to cut our celebrating short, but we should really get ready. We’re opening in ten minutes.”
The rest of the day flies by. Heath leaves with a kiss and a promise to think about me all day until he sees me again after closing. I love having Cate back in the coffee shop with me. It feels like old times, back when we first opened our first shop together. To be honest, I’ve missed her like crazy since I moved to Winterhaven. We have still been in touch but it isn’t the same as being together and feeling the bond that two friends have when they’ve grown up together. I always find myself wishing she would visit more often and stay longer when she does.
We had such a good turn out of customers. All of the friends I have made since coming to town made an appearance at some point throughout the day. Jack and Greta were some of the first to arrive. I was really happy that Abbey came too. I know she thinks I’m mad at her after what happened with Brian that night at the carnival. She stopped over the next day to see how I was doing and I could tell from her red and swollen eyes that she was obviously upset and had been crying. I gave her a big hug and told her it wasn’t her fault and that I wasn’t mad at her. Except maybe still a little mad that she made me go on that ridiculous ride with her. That made her feel better but I could tell she still put some of the blame on herself. I know all too well what that’s like.
After the last customer left and we shut everything down for the night, Cate and I flipped the sign in the window and logged this day in the books as a very successful opening. We walk outside and I see Heath leaning against his truck waiting for me. Ever since Brian grabbed me that night, Heath has insisted on picking me up and taking me home. It doesn’t matter that Brian is in jail, he needs to do this right now and I don’t mind letting him. We all work through these things in our own ways.
“Cate, we’ll see you back at my place,” I say as she heads to her car and I walk into my man’s arms.
“Hello, beautiful,” he says after his lips have had a chance to taste mine. “And how was your day today?”
I look up into those deep brown eyes that made me fall in love with him and say, “Perfect. And do you know what my favorite part of the day was?”
“What?”
“This really sexy guy bought some of my coffee and asked me to marry him.”
“Really? He sounds like a really cool guy.”
“I think so.” I lean up for another kiss and say, “He makes my heart happy.”
18 Months Later
“Oh my God, does it fit? Tell me it fits. Can you zip it? Oh God, tell me you can zip it!”
“Will you stop freaking out! It fits! I’m telling you, it fits. Now just relax and let me zip it up,” Cate says.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly to help calm my nerves. I’m already nervous enough for my wedding day but if this dress doesn’t fit I don’t know what I’ll do. My wedding dress was one of the first things I picked out and bought right after Heath asked me to marry him. I couldn’t help it, I was just so excited. Even as a little girl I used to look through magazines with these beautiful wedding dresses that made you look like a princess
.
So, Cate and I went dress shopping. It took us a few weeks of visiting different stores and trying on a ridiculous number of dresses before I found the one. When I talked to other women about it, they just told me I would know the dress when I saw it. I didn’t really believe them, I mean, all of the dresses were so beautiful, it was just a matter of making a decision. But I will admit that I was wrong to doubt. We ended up in this little dress shop that didn’t look like anything from the outside. Even when we went inside, it didn’t really look like much.
But, this adorable little woman was the dress whisperer. She asked me what I liked and brought out so many beautiful dresses for me to try on. After about an hour of trying on dresses, she walked into the dressing room carrying a dress. It wasn’t one that I would have normally picked as a style that I liked, but she insisted that I try it on. I did and ended up buying it then and there. Seriously, the dress whisperer.
I was so excited until approximately one week later when I woke up and rolled over in bed only to have to make a mad dash to the bathroom. Well, at first I just thought I had the flu. But when I needed to run to the bathroom every morning for the rest of that week, I figured something else was going on. Luckily for me, Cate was so lonely in the city without me she moved to Winterhaven to be closer to me and help me run our coffee shop shortly after our grand opening. Having her in town just gave me one more person to lean on when I needed it. Cate and I either saw each other every day at the coffee shop now or we saw each other somewhere in town. I still remember the day I told Cate about how I had been feeling and why I had been late getting to work. She laughed at me and stopped by with a pregnancy test later that day. I was ecstatic when I saw that little blue plus sign. I literally jumped up and down with joy.
A Cautious Heart (The Heart's Temptation Series Book 1) Page 12