by Steph Poe
"Open it...please." I need him to open it before I can start this difficult conversation.
He continues to look at me for a moment before finally tearing his gaze away from me and looking down at the box. He slowly tears away the blue paper and opens the box, staring at what's inside. His eyes lift to meet my hopeful gaze.
"What is this?"
"It's a key." My voice is meek and desperate.
"Yes, Lake. I know it's a key. What does it unlock?"
I take a hesitant step forward.
"It's the key to my heart."
He looks at me, puzzled, waiting for an explanation. I'm thankful that he didn't laugh.
"I've never actually given my heart to you. Not my whole heart anyway. I'm broken, Cal. Three years ago, part of my heart was broken and I've never let myself fully recover. I've blamed myself for my attack and I almost think that more than anything, blaming myself was the real reason it felt like my heart was broken. I was so disappointed in myself, for so long.
"I know I said I loved you, and I do. But when you really love someone...when you've really given them your heart—your whole heart—you trust them."
"Lake," he starts to speak.
"No, please, let me finish." I hold up my hand to stop him. I swallow and lick my lips before continuing.
"I'm scared, Cal. So freaking scared. I love you and I want to trust you. I do trust you. But...he hurt me when I trusted him." I raise my hand in front of me. "I know it isn't fair to you that I have trust issues because of him, but...I can't help that I'm afraid. I still have some things to work through. But I want to work through them...for you." I look up at him with hope in my eyes.
"You're the one, Cal. You make me feel safe. You always have. Please give me another chance. You're the only one that I want to have my heart, if you still want it."
He stares at me, unmoving. He's standing there, staring at me with no change in his expression. My eyes start to well with tears again. My heart can't take this. I turn around and face the door, ready to walk out when I feel his warm hand on my shoulder.
"Lake...turn around."
I inhale a deep breath and square my shoulders so I'm ready to face him and his rejection.
When my eyes meet his, I see it. Love. Forgiveness. His mouth turns up at the corners. He reaches both hands up and cups my face in his palms, rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks to catch the tears that have fallen.
"I want your heart. I want everything." His lips smash into mine and my tense body finally relaxes. His hands leave my face and he wraps both arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him. I bring both of my arms around his shoulders, pulling him as close to me as I can. I've never felt so relieved, so comforted. In his arms, I feel complete. My fingers run through his hair as he caresses my back. I never want this to end. I force myself to stop the kiss because I remember what's in my back pocket.
I pull back from him and he tries to pull me back in.
"Hold on. Can I give you your non-cheesy present now?"
He laughs. "I sort of liked the cheesy present."
I roll my eyes at him, feeling a little embarrassed by my cliché first gift. I reach into my back pocket and pull out the two folded up pieces of paper. I hand them to Cal and wait for him to unfold them.
He looks down at the paper and smiles.
"I was hoping you would take me to my first Muse concert."
"Hell, yes! This is great, babe. Thank you." He kisses me gently.
"Better than the key?"
"No fucking way. The key is the best gift I've ever been given. I promise to take care of your heart, always." He brushes my hair out of my face and puts his hand on the back of my neck, turning my face up so it's only inches from his. "I'll never hurt you. I'll always keep you safe, Lake. Forever." His lips meet mine again and we get lost in each other.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
"Lake, can you come out here for a minute?" Ashton calls from the hallway.
I'm just finishing up an e-mail to a client. "I'll be right there."
I stand up and walk out to see what my business partner wants.
"What's up, Ash?" When I emerge from my office, I see all of my team standing together near the front entryway of our building. They're all staring and smiling at me. What are they up to?
"We have a surprise for you!" Brynna says excitedly.
They part down the middle as I approach them.
"Ta-da!" Ashton displays her arms in true Vanna fashion, pointing to the wall.
Displayed on the wall is a large wooden frame that holds the cover, my cover, of Indy Magazine. It also has the article framed beside it.
"Congratulations, Lake!" Ashton reaches out and wraps me in a hug.
"Thank you guys, so much. This is very sweet. It looks great!"
They each take turns giving me a hug.
"You make a beautiful cover girl, Lake," Carissa says as she squeezes me in a tight hug.
I'm so happy to have her working here. We happened to meet up one day while we were both shopping. We talked for a bit and she revealed that Anna was not a good person to work with, and she was unhappy at her job.
I told her I had been nervous that Anna wouldn't write a fair article after I found out she was jealous of my relationship with Cal. Carissa had said that Anna was obsessed with her job, so despite being a bitch, she would probably never do anything to jeopardize her career.
It was the perfect opportunity to offer Carissa a job because since the article came out, Lake Maxwell Events has gotten much busier, and we needed to hire another assistant. Carissa was a wonderful addition to our team.
"What's next, Lake? A feature in Brides Magazine?" Brynna folds me in a warm embrace.
"We can dream, I guess, Bryn. You never know," I say.
Brynna has been doing an amazing job as an assistant. She's well on her way to handling an entire event on her own. Clients love her, especially brides. She has a way of making people feel happy and at ease.
Ashton walks back over to me.
"I'm so proud of you, Lake. Looking back, I never could have imagined that we would've come so far. I knew you'd be a great wedding planner, but I never imagined all this." She gestures to the frame on the wall and the entire office.
"I was only able to get this far because I had you by my side, Ash. Thanks for being like a sister to me." I hug her again.
"Have you changed your mind, yet?" I ask her.
She pulls away from me. "No, way, Lake. I might be your partner now, but this is still your baby. I wouldn't change a thing."
"Well, I still think that Maxwell Anderson Event Co. sounds great."
Before we can start in on the same argument that we've been having for the past six months, the front door opens and in walks sex-on-legs, also known as Calvin Ryker.
I can't take my eyes off of him as he walks towards me. He greets everyone, only taking his eyes off mine briefly to do so.
"Hey, babe. Ready for lunch?" He leans down, planting a soft kiss on my cheek while his hand squeezes my waist.
"Yeah, let's go." I turn to my team, who all happen to be staring at our little encounter. That realization makes me blush in embarrassment. "I'll be back in an hour, guys."
"See you then! Have the best lunch ever, Lake," Ashton sing-songs.
"Okay, thanks, Ash." My eyebrows are drawn in confusion. She seems extra chipper.
Cal and I walk out towards Lola. He was so excited to drive his car again after having her stored for the winter. Spring has come early, and while the weather has been a little rainy, but overall we've had pretty mild temperatures.
He opens my door for me before walking around to his side. He starts up the car and we head towards Enzo's, my favorite little Italian restaurant. I told Cal last night that I was craving their breadsticks.
Cal drives past the street that the restaurant is on.
"Um, Cal?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"You missed the turn for E
nzo's and I'm like, kind of starving here."
Cal shakes his head and chuckles. "No worries. I got lunch covered."
I look at him suspiciously. What the heck is he up to?
My eyes slant, studying him, but his smirk doesn't give anything away.
My head turns to look into the backseat, searching for clues. No food back there, so what is going on? I didn't have time to eat breakfast, it's already after noon, so I'm not in the mood to miss another meal.
"Relax, Lake. I'm gonna feed you." Cal reaches his hand over to rest on my knee, and then slowly slides it down my thigh.
His touch is probably the only thing that can distract me from my empty stomach.
My hand covers his and guides his hand under my skirt.
"Or, I could feed you," I say, as his fingers glide over my satin panties, making me forget all about lunch.
He laughs and moves his hand away from where I want him and back to rest on my knee. I groan at the loss of his touch.
I look out the window to see that we've left the city. Now I'm really confused.
"Where are we going, Cal? I hope you plan on keeping me in Indiana, because I have an appointment in a few hours."
"We're not leaving the state, Lake," he chuckles.
I decide to stop worrying and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I think about the past six months and all we've been through. For Christmas, we flew to Arizona to spend the holiday with Margie. She was so happy to have us there. From the very first day we met, she's treated me like her own daughter.
My favorite times spent with her were our morning talks. We had coffee out on her deck every morning we were there, just her and I. Our talks ranged from my childhood, to her memories of Cal and Henry as children. Nothing is off limits with her. She is so easy to talk to.
From that first night we met, even amidst the unfortunate circumstances, I felt a connection with her. Now I have a second mom, and I couldn't be happier about it.
He drives us down familiar country roads. I'm pretty sure I've figured out where he's taking us, and it brings a smile to my face.
"What are you thinking about, beautiful?"
I smile at his endearment. "I was thinking about Christmas with your mom. I really enjoyed spending time with her."
"She really loves you, you know?"
"I really love her too."
Cal pulls onto the long gravel driveway. I look over at him to see a big smile stretched across his face. I can't help but mirror his obvious joy, even though I don't have a clue what he's planned.
As we approach the end of the drive, the surrounding land looks different. Where there were several trees last time he brought me here, there is now a larger clearing, leveled to only dirt.
Cal stops the car and turns off the engine. I stay seated, patiently waiting for him to speak.
He turns to face me.
"Are you hungry now, or can you wait ten minutes?" he questions.
He's excited about something and I can tell he doesn't want to wait for me to eat.
"I can wait ten minutes but I'm timing you, Ryker." I look down at my watch and pretend to set the dial.
He shakes his head as he gets out of the car and closes his door. I wait for him to come around and open my door for me.
I used to open my own door, but he told me that he likes to open it for me, because he feels like it's his duty to be a gentleman for me.
My door opens and Cal reaches in to take my hand. I barely have a chance to stand up all the way before he's on me, pushing me against the car and attacking my mouth with his.
When he kisses me, I feel it all the way to my toes. I hope he always kisses me this way, like he can't get enough of me. He pulls back before I want him to. Taking my face between both of his hands, he studies my eyes, searching them the way he likes to do.
"Come with me." He takes my hand in his and leads me out to the clearing. We stand, side by side, looking at the land. A cool breeze makes me shiver, reminding me that winter has only recently come and gone.
"Do you remember when I first brought you here?" He asks.
"How could I forget? I believe you took advantage of me, right over there," I say, pointing to an area I'm sure is where he made love to me under the stars months ago.
"The next day, you asked me if I had ever considered building my own house here, on this land."
I nod, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Do you remember what I said?"
"You said it hasn't been the right time."
He turns to face me, grabbing ahold of both of my hands and turning my body to him.
"Lake, there is no better time than now to do what I've wanted to do from the first time you rejected me in your office."
I chuckle at that. I have rejected him a few times, so afraid of trusting and loving someone again.
Before I can respond, Cal falls to one knee.
"Lake Maxwell, I want you to be my wife. I want us to build a house, here on this land, together. I want to make babies with you. I want to watch our kids grow up here. We'll sit on the porch, watching them play in their tree house. We'll listen to music, and I'll always ask you to dance with me, whether it's in the kitchen, or in the grass, doesn't matter as long as there's slow music, and you. I want it all, baby, you and me. You know I'll keep you safe, always."
Tears flood my eyes, blurring my vision. They stream down my cheeks, showing no sign of stopping anytime soon.
"What do you say, baby? Will you marry me?"
Through my tears, I see him pull out a small box from his jacket pocket.
All I've ever wanted is right here, kneeling in front of me. The man I've always needed to keep me safe and love me the way I deserve.
"Yes, Cal. Yes, I will marry you!" I fall down, into his arms, tackling him to the ground.
My future with Cal looks promising. We had our struggles, almost losing our way a time or two, but here we are, ready to start our forever.
THE END
Thank you for reading my first novel! I sincerely hope you enjoyed it and will tell your friends and leave me a quick review on Amazon and Goodreads. I welcome all feedback, positive or negative.
Steph xo
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I want to thank my family and friends for being supportive of me following my dream of writing a novel. I know I've been glued to my laptop and lost in my notebooks for the past year, and it's likely only going to get worse as I hope to continue this writing life. You all have been so understanding and encouraging, and for that I'm grateful.
Indies Ink has been instrumental in helping me get this book ready. I was completely clueless as how to make the book actually happen once it was written. Thank you especially to Dee Ellis, Jess Bryant, and Stella James who have been so patient with me as I continually asked them questions about this self publishing world. You ladies rock! (And your books are awesome!)
To Laura (aka Red Pen Princess), who did an amazing job editing this book for me. You are so good at what you do.
To my first ever beta readers, Carrie, Brittany, and Jen. Thank you so much for wanting to read my book and giving me excellent feedback.
Thank you to Shay Cole and L. M. Halloran for choosing me to beta read for your books. I didn't even know what a beta reader was a year ago, so thank you for teaching me and accepting my feedback. You both are amazing writers!
To all my Instagram family—I love you all! I am amazed at the outpouring of support for my writing from people I only know through social media. The 'Bookstagram' community is wonderful and I'm in awe of all of the positivity and support that happens there.
And lastly, I'm going to thank myself. My life has taken a lot of twists and turns in the past thirty or so years. From a young age, I knew I loved writing. I knew that I would write a novel one day, it just took me a little longer that I originally thought. This past year has been an amazing journey for me, where I think I've finally found my calling—writing sexy, dirty, somewh
at comical (I hope), contemporary romance novels. You did it, Steph! Even if no one likes this book, you still did it. Dreams do come true, if you work your ass off to make it happen!
About the Author
Steph Poe was born and raised a 'Cheesehead' in Beloit, Wisconsin. A sixth grade writing contest that awarded her second place is where her love of writing began, but it really blossomed in Creative Writing class in high school. Her dream has always been to write a novel.
By day, she works as a Dental Assistant, and at night, explores this new journey of writing erotic romance. She's an avid reader of romance novels, (especially the dirty ones with alpha males).
She lives in Indianapolis with her husband of 13 years, two boys, and their dog. Besides reading and writing, she loves spending time with her family, whether it's watching movies or hiking in the park.
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E-mail: [email protected]