Between Him and Us

by Nicole Richard

  “Do you think I could talk to you for a second?”

  “Maybe some other time,” I dismissed him, and my eyes shifted to the flawless woman standing just inches from his side. Assessing her, I hated the feeling of inadequacy I allowed to settle within me. I hated her long, shiny brown hair, her hazel eyes that sparkled in the light, and her body’s curves, which were in perfect proportions. “It would be rude of you to keep your date waiting,” I added flatly, rolled my eyes before turning to ignore him all together.

  What I really needed was for him to catch the hint, take his date, and get the hell out of my face so I could sneak out unnoticed. There was no way I would be able to sit there and enjoy my evening, knowing he was there with someone else.

  My date? She had lost her damn mind.

  If Lilly thought for one second I was leaving there without a fight, without her, she was delusional. I was well aware of the chance that she might be upset. Frankly, she had every right to be, and technically, so did I.

  After all, I was the one who was in love with someone who was considering having her dead husband’s baby. No. I wasn’t mad about that. I actually understood that. No. I was unrealistically pissed that she had someone before me. That he would leave her solely responsible for a decision that took two people to make.

  What made it an even harder pill to swallow was that I knew she was still weighing her options.

  But anger wasn’t something I felt.

  Not even standing there, watching her being stubborn as an ox.

  Once things finally settled in New York and we got some answers, I became desperate to talk to her. It was only then I realized I had lost my cell phone and had no idea where the hell it could have been. The last time I had recalled using it was on the airplane, so that was probably where I had left it. I didn’t have Lilly’s number and my aunt didn’t, either. I probably could have had my aunt track down Lilly’s number, but I hadn’t thought of it at the time.

  Quickly doing a mental recap of the last week and a half, I tamped down on the rare appearance of my rising temper. She had no idea why I had picked up and left without so much as one word. And before all hell had a chance to break loose, I wanted to rectify that.

  By then, all eyes were on me, offering blank stares, probably wondering what the heck I was doing standing there.

  “Excuse me,” I said politely. “Lilly, could I speak to you for a minute, please?” She ignored me, but I wasn’t letting her get off that easily.

  I shook RJ’s hand, gave each one a courteous smile, and nodded. When I felt comfortable that the other guys weren’t going to step in and “handle” the situation, I moved closer to her. I wasn’t there to disrespect anyone or cause any problems. My focus was to talk to Lilly.

  Grabbing her seat back, I bent close to her ear and growled low so only she could hear. “Don’t do this, Sunshine. Please come outside and talk with me for a minute.” I was hungry and exhausted, not to mention my patience was wearing thin. “I’ll make a scene if I have to.”

  Christ, this woman made me question my character.

  “You wouldn’t.” Her voice was soft but deadly as she seethed her words through a clenched jaw.

  “Don’t be so damn stubborn, and I won’t,” I replied calmly. Everything in me wanted to haul her by her pretty little ass and love her, and then figure out how to maneuver around our roadblock.

  With heat blazing in her eyes and her posture stiff, Lilly stood and excused herself from the table, stubbornly waiting for me to take the lead.

  So, I did. I stopped by the table to tell my sister to go ahead and order, but she said she would grab something to go and see me later.

  To say I was irritated was an understatement. None of this should be happening. I should be with my woman, introducing her to my sister and enjoying a nice dinner. Instead, I had to handle whatever stroke of madness Lilly had spinning her head before it blew up into epic proportions.

  Sophia got up and gave me a hug. “Don’t be too hard on her,” she whispered, kissed my cheek, and swiped the menu from the table before heading toward the bar.

  I went in the opposite direction, and by the time I made it outside, Lilly was nowhere to be seen.

  “Dammit!” I cursed, looking left and then right. After roughly raking my fingers through my hair, I noticed she had already put a block between us. “Lilly!” I yelled, but it didn’t stop her. If anything, she picked up the pace, which had me resort to shouting, “Lilly, please stop.”

  Why in the world was she being so damn stubborn?

  Pounding my feet against the pavement, I closed in on her. Reached out and curled my arm around her waist, pulling her flush to my chest. If we weren’t in the middle of a whatever-the-fuck-it-was situation, I would have spun her around and kissed the hell out of her. Claim the woman who stole my heart and made me dizzy with emotion.

  “What the hell!” I gasped for air and tightened my hold. “Why are you running from me? I just want to expl—”

  “Explain what? Huh! What the fuck is there to explain?” She struggled, twisting from side to side and trying to get out of my hold as she dug her elbows into my chest. I refused to let her go.

  “Will you quit for one second?” I breathed next to her ear, and she shivered.

  No matter how pissed off or angry she was, there was no way she could deny her body’s reaction to me. I almost chuckled when her head started to fall back against my chest, but she caught herself.

  “Easton.” She huffed, holding on to her fight. “Please just let me go. Go back to her—”

  “Go back to whom, Sunshine?”

  “Her!” She shoved out of my arms and whipped her body around, a beautiful scowl on her face and her eyes raging with an intense heat. “Just leave me alone.” She stepped past me. I reached for her arm, and we came face to face with the flower shop’s entrance.

  The lights were off and the closed sign faced out. I dug in my pocket for my keys and forced out in a firm voice. “Can we talk? Upstairs, please?”

  “I have nothing to talk about.”

  “I’m pretty sure there are a few things we need to discuss,” I countered, standing there surrounded by warm humid air and a hot-headed woman. I unlocked the door and held it open, hoping she wouldn’t make me beg. “Please, Lilly. Let me explain.”

  By the faraway look in her eyes and the slight slump of her shoulders, it was clear she was putting a wall up, and that I would have my work cut out for me.

  “It isn’t what you think, Sunshine,” I spoke gently and brushed the back of my knuckles down the side of her face.

  “And just what is it that I’m thinking?” she argued with a little less heat in her voice.

  Not wanting to lay it all out on the table right there in the street, I tilted my head toward the open door, hoping she’d catch the hint.

  Lilly stomped past me and into the flower shop, refusing to make eye contact. After locking the door and setting the alarm, she preceded the rest of the way and waited at the base of the stairs.

  “Did you go back for her?”

  “Go back for whom?”

  “For her!” She forced her arm out in the general direction of the pub, and I assumed she meant my sister.

  “No. She came to me.”

  “Excuse me,” she scoffed. When I didn’t elaborate, she shook her head, spun, and headed for the front door.

  “Lilly, will you please give me a chance to explain?” I released a frustrated breath, stalling for a second since I had no idea where to start. “How have you been?” I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling like an idiot.

  “Great,” she clipped. “And by the looks of it, so have you.”

  “I don’t know about that.” My voice dropped as I thought about the events that consumed me these last ten days.

  “Funny, could’ve fooled me.”

  “I’m confused.”

  Lilly glanced over her shoulder, her left eyebrow higher than the other. “She’s gorgeous,” she sai
d flatly and looked away.

  “She is,” I agreed, assuming she was talking about my sister again. Sophia would have loved to have heard Lilly’s compliment of her. The last few years, she’d struggled with her self-confidence, which made no sense since she was beautiful inside and out. I guess an asshole of an ex-boyfriend can do that to any woman, more so a young and naïve one.

  “Un-fucking-believable,” she muttered, and again, I had no bloody idea why she was so angry with me. Upset I could understand. Frankly, I expected it, but her turbulent attitude left me frustrated and confused.

  Yes, my departure was abrupt. There was radio silence between us for ten long days, but with damn good reason. It still wasn’t enough to warrant her abrasive attitude. Being this was the first time we’d spoken since I got back earlier today, I was positive she had no idea why I had to leave. Regardless, she could have some consideration and let me explain.

  “Easton, just go back to her and leave me the fuck alone.” Lacking force, I grabbed her arm, refusing to let her walk away from me. Her attempts to shove me to the side proved worthless, which only fueled her fire even more.

  Fuck, this woman had me hell-bent crazy.

  “Lilly, what is going on? I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all day. I’ve called at least a hundred times. I’ve pounded on your door, but you never answered. Yet, you’re acting like I did something wrong here. I had to leave. I didn’t have a choice. Can’t you understand?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “I wish you would, Sunshine. I’ve missed you so much.” I sighed and slowly backed her into the wall, pressing my lower half into her belly. It had been way too long since I felt her wrapped around me.

  “How dare you,” she spat the words, shoving on my chest. “How dare you bring her here, and let her hang off your arm as you parade her around Savannah like she’s some goddamn beauty queen! Are you trying to make me jealous? Is this some kind of payback—” Heat erupted in her eyes. Mix that with the closeness of our bodies and her sweet scent of orange blossoms, and I was aroused in seconds.

  “What are you talking about?” I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip to avoid biting and sucking on hers. Damn, she was tempting. Even in the middle of a shit storm she had me all riled up.

  “Don’t you dare play dumb with me,” she seethed. Her breaths came harder, and my eyes shifted to the rise and fall of her chest. “Of all people—why her?” She jabbed her finger into my chest. “If you went back for her, why the hell couldn’t you just stay in New York? Why bring her back here?” She shoved me away, slipping past me, but she didn’t make it far.

  I reached out and held her by the elbow, leaned into her side, and whispered close to her ear, “Just who are you talking about, Sunshine?”

  “You’re going to make me say her name?” Her voice was low and menacing. Lilly looked up and over her shoulder, locking her storming eyes with mine. “You really want to hear me say it? Hear me say, Sierra.” The disgust rolling off her tongue as she said my ex’s name had me cringing.

  “You mean, Sophia?” I enunciated so there was no mistaking who we were talking about.

  “No! I said, Sierra.”

  I grabbed her hips and spun her around to face me. I held her cheeks in my hands and focused on all the opposing emotions she worked so hard to hide behind her beautiful brown eyes.

  “And you’re wrong.” I paused. “As far as I know, Sierra is back in New York. That . . .” I spoke softly and jerked my thumb over my shoulder, “was my sister, Sophia.”

  Her eyes narrowed, clearly not believing a word I had said.

  “How naïve do you think I am?”

  “I never said you were, Sunshine.”

  “Well, if I recall correctly, your sister should be back in Seattle, probably moving into a dorm room and getting ready to start her first year of college.”

  “Originally, yes, that was the plan. Then she dropped the bomb on my dad that she isn’t going to attend the University of Washington, but rather some ridiculously expensive culinary school in New York.” I waited for her to say something, anything, but when she didn’t, I added, “Can you imagine how my dad took the news?” I brushed my thumb along her bottom lip, and the urge to touch her grew stronger each second she was in my presence. “It’s no secret that he had his heart set on her going to his alma mater. More so, since I never would.”

  Shortly after, her eyes widened in recognition, and she dropped her forehead to my chest, hiding her embarrassment. I didn’t say anything. I was too busy trying not to laugh, which would have made the situation even worse. Instead, I wrapped her in my arms and held her, silently telling her that it was okay. That somehow we would be okay.

  “Easton,” she whispered. The heartache in her voice made my breath stall in my chest.

  “Lilly, no. Come upstairs and talk. Your emotions are all over the place. Let’s just sit and talk this out.”

  “I can’t.” She shook her head against my chest and sniffled. “We shouldn’t.”

  “Can’t what?”

  “I’m not sure we should do this anymore.” My body went rigid, and I held her tighter. “I lost my husband, and when I thought I lost you, too . . .” She took a step back, and when she looked up into my eyes, all I saw was pain and sadness. “I’m not sure that I’m strong enough to go through the ups and downs of another relationship. I barely have a handle on my emotions and dealing with Tyler’s death and then you pick up and leave—”

  “But, Sunshine, that was an emergency and a misunderstanding on my part. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt you, you gotta know that.”

  “It’s just . . .”

  “Just what?”

  She didn’t elaborate. She didn’t say another word, actually. She just stood there with her forehead pressed against my chest. No tears—nothing.

  After some time, I gave her one last squeeze and said, “Let’s go upstairs. I’d like to explain everything, and then I’d like for you to tell me about your doctor’s visit.”

  Lilly gave in and nodded. Her lips pressed tight, and she kept her head down as she slowly took each step up to my apartment. She stepped three-feet past the threshold and stopped.

  “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable?” I offered, pointing to the couch.

  “I rather stand, thank you. I can’t stay long.”

  “Lilly.” I released a controlled breath, containing the irritation that was creeping up faster than I cared to admit. I was hoping to bypass the lingering unease. Apparently, I had misunderstood. “Please, have a seat.” She hesitated at first, glancing toward the front door and then back to the living room.

  She walked past me and tucked herself into a corner of the couch.

  Sitting opposite of her, I got a good look at her sad, but beautiful, face and hated the short distance between us. Once I explained and was back in her good graces, we wouldn’t be spending much time in this room anyway. I was determined to show her how much I loved her and needed her in my life. Remind her how much we belonged together—just us.

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No, thank you,” she replied flatly, still avoiding my eyes.

  “Okay. Let’s see.” I rubbed my palms along the length of my shorts and thought it would be best to start off with an apology. “I’m sorry I just up and left, but I had to. There was an accident—” Lilly’s soft gasp pulled me from my train of thought.

  “Are you okay? Were you hurt?” She reached for me then pulled back, quickly masking her emotions again.

  “I’m fine. It was my brother. We weren’t sure if he was going to make it.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth, covering another gasp. She inched closer to me, and I could hear the genuine concern in her voice. “What happened? Is he okay? Is he going to be okay?”

  “He will be, but it’ll take some time.” I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, thinking about my little brother and how badly he was hurt. How he teetered between life and death for far t
oo many days than I cared to have lived through.

  “Easton,” Lilly gently spoke my name, laying her hand on mine. “What happened?” Her features softened dramatically from the stubborn hot-headed woman she was not too long ago to the woman I’d come to love, who was nothing but compassion and understand.

  I squeezed her hand, needing to feel her, to be reassured that she was still there with me, regardless if she was sitting right there next to me. “He was over at a friend’s house. They were goofing off, trying to one up the other, and decided to head over to the skate park.” Thoughts of him lying unconscious and helpless in that hospital bed plagued my mind. “Couple of the resident punks showed up and kept taunting my brother. Telling him he was a poser and wasn’t as good of a skateboarder as he thought he was. They were probably just jealous of him, you know?”

  She nodded her understanding.

  “They dared him to ride the steep hill opposite the park. Kipp knew that hill was dangerous, not to mention a long shot, but he attempted it anyway. He didn’t even have anything to prove to those little pricks. Plain and simple, Kipp is a badass skateboarder.” The skin under my eyes burned as I brushed it away. The sight of my little brother lying there lifeless in a hospital bed haunted my daydreams. The sound of the machines beeping, the tubes, and wires plastered everywhere on his small body had me choking up.

  “According to his friend, Jason, Kipp was halfway down the hill, going at a speed he normally would have never attempted. They don’t know what it was—probably a rock in the road or something—but Kipp wiped out. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and the way he landed could have killed him. Almost did kill him.”

  “Oh my god!” I squeezed her hand, letting her know that she wasn’t alone in her reaction.

  “All I knew was that my brother’s life was stuck in limbo, and I needed to get to him. When I first got to the hospital . . . seeing his head swollen, wrapped in white gauze, his body bruised and banged up . . . any kind of hope I had of him recovering vanished.” I inhaled a sharp breath through my nose. “It was touch and go for a while. They had him in an induced coma to ease the swelling in his brain. After the first few days, the doctors planned to wean him off the medication with the hopes he’d come to. That didn’t go as planned. The swelling would come back, and they would have to put him under again.”