by Claire Adams
"Yeah. It would be fucking amazing." He smiled and touched my shoulder. "You would be amazing for him, and man, do I think he would rock your world, too."
I chuckled and let a few tears roll down my cheeks. "Alright. I'm going home. I need to think things through a little more. Tell him to call me when he gets up?"
"Absolutely." He winked and let me go without another word.
I drove down the few blocks to our cabin with indecision rushing through my heart. I knew what the right answer was, but it seemed like a huge risk to take on someone I didn't know that well. I'd been straightforward with Brody over the fact that I really wasn't a fling-type of girl. And, I wasn't. I wanted long-term again, but I knew I wouldn't be much good at it until I could process everything that had happened with Brandon.
"Or maybe that's just an excuse." I growled and pulled into our driveway. My phone sat in the cup holder beside me, and before I chickened out, I reached down and grabbed it to call my mom.
She answered on the first ring, which was a little surprising seeing that it was so early.
"Baby? What's going on? Are you hurt?" The concern in her voice was enough to melt me.
I let out a soft sob and sunk back in my seat. "I'm fine. Just so torn right now, Mom."
"About what, Cora? Talk to me. Do I need to come get you?" She cared. I could hear it for the first time in a long time.
I wiped at my eyes. "No. I just met someone and he reminds me so much of Brandon, but I don't think he's anything like him. I want so badly to figure out if there's something between us, but I need more time, Mom. Coming home is something I'm doing for you and Dad, but I don't want to live my life for you guys, anymore. I'm almost twenty-three. I want to live it for me."
"Oh, Cora. Why didn't you just say something? Your father simply thought you were being timid about coming to work because you're so unsure of yourself with all this legal stuff. Remember last summer when you helped us out and you were scared like hell you were going to mess something up?" she laughed softly.
"Yeah. Who wouldn't be scared? Dad fired some poor guy the first five minutes I was there." I reached for a napkin in my glove-box and wiped at my nose. "I just don't want to let you guys down, but I really like this guy, Mom. I need more time. More time to spend with him, to make sure he's the one before I do something stupid."
"Then take it, baby. I'll talk to your dad about all of it when he wakes up."
"He's going to be upset. I don't want him taking that out on you." I sniffled and got out of the car as the darkness started to give way to daylight. The sunrise was sure to be beautiful and seeing that I was never up this early, I didn't want to miss it.
I walked down to the pier and let my eyes move across the lake as my mom's voice filled my ear.
"Get mad at me?" she laughed. "That wouldn't happen in a million years. You only see the demanding side of your father, baby, but he treats me like a queen when no one is around. We're just old school. I love him and would follow him anywhere. If I could have more time at the lake when we were younger, I'd have upset my parents and his, too, without thinking about it." She laughed again.
"Really?" I crossed my arm over my chest.
"Absolutely. Stay out there and we'll tape everything for you. We support you and your decisions, too, Cora. You just need to start making more of them with your future in mind. The future you want." She sighed. "I love you, baby. Call me later, and we'll chat some more."
"Okay, Mom. I love you, too." I slid my phone into my back pocket as realization washed over me. I'd completely seen what I wanted to with my mom and dad. He was demanding and seemed to always be in charge where she or any of us were concerned, but to hear it from her...she liked it that way.
"Cora." Brody's voice was thick and full of emotion.
I turned and smiled, walking toward him and sinking into his embrace. "Hey, baby."
"Why did you leave?" He leaned down and touched the side of my face. "Was it something I did? Something I didn't say?"
He was so precious in his navigating our relationship. I needed to keep that in mind as we moved forward.
"No. It was me needing to think through what I wanted most for my future." I lifted to my toes and brushed my lips by his. "My parents are good with me staying the rest of the summer. I told them I might have a chance at something really great and I wanted to explore it more."
"Oh, yeah?" A smile broke out on his face that would rival the beauty of the sun rising across the lake just behind me.
"Absolutely. Let's figure this out." I squeezed him tightly to me.
"You figure it out for yourself. I already know that I wanna try this thing between us. I want to see if forever is really what they say it is." He brushed my hair back and gave me a cheeky grin as my heart melted in my chest. "You know what?"
I smiled and watched him closely. "What, baby? Tell me."
"We are totally a chick-flick right now."
"Or a horror movie?" I laughed as his expression changed.
"Never. Not in a million years." He picked me up and pressed his lips to mine. Even though I was scared to death to take another risk, a larger part of me was far too afraid not to.
It seemed to right. Too good. Like so much more than a summer fling.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Cora
"To us." Clay lifted his beer in the air and smiled around the table as we all sat on the patio of the restaurant we'd gathered at.
"To us." We all called out and lifted our beers to hit them against one another.
It'd been a year since we all met on Lake Havasu. A long year. A great year.
Brody wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned down to kiss me. I lifted up to meet him halfway, pressing myself against his side and deepening the kiss until we got the usual catcalls. I moved back and smiled at everyone.
"Why are we back here at the lake eating at a restaurant instead of having our own personal chef whip us up something good?" I glanced over at Cindy, who was sitting in Derek's lap. They'd gotten engaged a few months back, much to all of our surprise. Their plans of expanding Derek's parent’s ranch and starting a small restaurant at the front of the property had panned out over the last year, and they were great together.
Clay and Emily had moved in together and were looking at rings, but nothing had been planned just yet. Emily was extremely particular about the idea of what her wedding should look like, which shocked the shit out of all of us, seeing that she was the least likely to act like a bridezilla. They were sitting side by side, reading something on the beer bottle Clay held between them as I glanced their way.
Dedra was already off to dance with a handsome football type, and Daniel wasn't able to join us due to something related to his schooling. He had already started to pull away from the group, but the guys almost seemed to expect it.
I'd taken on the burden of the apartment myself, but I was rarely alone, seeing that the junior high football coach down the road seemed to like the idea of rocking my bed most nights of the week. I glanced up at him to find him watching me like a hawk.
"What?" I smiled and took a quick sip of my beer.
"You. You're what." He glanced around as his smile widened. "This place brings back so many fucking memories. I can't imagine my life without last summer...without you."
He was a different man. One completely committed to me, and if my mom thought my father treated her like a queen, she hadn't seen anything yet. Brody was at my beck and call, no matter what was going on in his own life. We supported each other in a way that made my other friends jealous and left me breathless when I thought about it.
We hadn't talked much about marriage and kids, though I knew our turn was coming up sooner rather than later. It was just the natural progression of things.
"What's for dinner?" Clay stood up and stretched. "You guys wanna order a big platter of ribs and chicken and go out on the patio?"
"Sounds good to me." Derek stood up and wrapp
ed his arm back around Cindy. There was rarely any space between the two of them when they were together. They'd have kids on the way before any of the rest of us, no doubt.
The thought of kids caused my pulse to race. It was a subject that I would be bringing up soon just to figure out exactly what my handsome boyfriend thought of it.
"The baked potato casserole is stupid good, too." Brody picked up a menu and glanced down at it. "And the green beans. Let's just get a family style platter thing and eat until we're stuffed.”
"And then, we can go back to mine and Derek's cabin. I made a few desserts this afternoon before coming up here." Cindy smiled at us, looking far too cute for her own good. She'd put on a few pounds, which actually made her even more attractive.
"Come dance with me." Brody tugged at my arm and I turned, following him onto the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled up at him.
"I'm glad we get these two weeks. I need it." I pressed a kiss to his chest and snuggled against him as he moved us around the room.
"We can come out here any time you want to, baby. I've been thinking that once you get your license, we could look at building a house out here. A log cabin like we both want." He brushed his lips by the top of my head just before I moved back and looked up at him.
"I would love that. The commute would be a bitch, but I'm thinking we could work something out with my parents to stay with them when we were in the city for cases and meeting with clients."
A though brushed by my mind.
"Wait. What about your job? You love what you do with those kids." I ran my hands over his strong back and forced myself not to squeeze his butt, though I wanted to so damn bad.
"There are schools out here, too. Did you see that one on the left just before we pulled into town? They're going to have an opening in the fall. I want to apply for it. If you're down with moving out here with me."
"Are you asking me to move in with you? To build a house with you?" Warmth flooded me as my heart skipped a beat in my chest.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm asking." He stopped moving and cupped my face. "I'm so scattered. Building a house together is a little out of order, hmm?"
He turned and winked at someone, catching my attention. I gazed to my right to find Clay walking toward the DJ booth.
"What are you guys doing?" I turned back to find Brody on one knee in the middle of the floor. Our friends crowded around us, and I realized that the trip to the lake hadn't been Clay's doing, but Brody's. The handsome man on his knee before me and pulled everyone together and set everything up for this moment.
"I never in a million years thought that I would find someone powerful enough to make me want to give up my wanton ways and settle down. The moment I laid eyes on you a year ago, I knew without a doubt that you were her. I'd never been so damn scared in my life. Well, except now."
Everyone chuckled as I tried to catch my breath.
"I love you more than words can express, Cora Ross. Marry me and make me the happiest man in the world. You're that woman, baby. The only one I see anymore." His eyes were filled with unshed tears, and I let out a soft sob as I took the ring and shook my head.
"I wouldn't be with anyone else," I mumbled.
He stood up and pulled me into a tight hug. "Good. I'd hate to have to kick some dude’s ass."
We laughed, and he spun me around before letting me slide down his hard body.
"I love you, Cora." He pressed his lips to mine, swallowing my response and overwhelming me completely. He moved back and smiled.
"I love you, too. Only you. Forever."
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VACATION
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Claire Adams
Chapter 1
Vivian
It was still relatively cold this time of the year in New York. Heading to Miami wouldn’t help much. It was liable to be cold there too. With the shifting of the seasons, spring break was stacking up to be miserable. Not that I was in the mood to enjoy anything more than a good book and my pjs, but my roommate wasn't going to let me back out of our trip. She was far too excited to let anything dent her mood.
"I really don't think this is the best idea, Casey. Maybe we could call the airlines back and see if they're willing to move the flight just once more." I ran my fingers through my long crimson hair and dropped down on my small bed in our dorm room. "Just think about it. We could stay here and go to all of our favorite places. You know you love Central Park this time of the year."
"No, Viv. This is going to be great. You've been moping around this place since the beginning of February. We're getting the hell out of here for a little while. It will do you some good. It will do me some good. I'm tired of this frigid-ass weather. I need to see the beach and pretend like one day I'll get out of here." She moved to stand in front of me and touched my shoulder gingerly as I shifted my gaze toward the floor. "Hey, it's going to get better."
My eyes filled with tears, though I honestly didn't figure I had many more left in me. I'd known Jackson my whole life, and dated him most of it. I couldn't see myself beside anyone in life but him, and yet he felt differently. Not having the balls to tell me that he was sleeping with half the student body at NYU, I happened to find out the hard way – by accidentally witnessing him in action.
"Right." I pulled from her and got up, walking to the short window that sat at the far end of our dorm room. "I just wish it would hurry up."
"It's only been a month." Casey wrapped me in a hug from behind and I sunk down into it. My spunky roommate had been my best friend since kindergarten; her commitment to living life with me being one of the only things that was sure to help me through the break-up with Jackson.
"I know, but this was supposed to be our trip, Case. We'd been dating for ten years on Valentine’s. That was the reason for the trip, remember?" I pressed my hands to my face and took a shaky breath. "I just don't know if I want to go hang out in Miami for a week, even with you. I'll do nothing but drag you down and be a complete killjoy. The last thing I want to do is have you upset with me because I can't be anything but depressed right now. I'm trying to pull myself out of it, but I just can't seem to. You're going to be disappointed and the trip's going to suck because of me."
"That's not true. Not one damn word you just uttered is true." She moved back and tugged on my hair. "Get packed up. We got the tickets from Valentine’s moved to now, and we're going. You're going to meet some fantastic hottie and have loads of great, unattached sex."
She gasped dramatically as I turned to pin her with a 'get real' stare. "Me?"
"Yes. You. Just think – it will almost feel like you're a normal college girl. Having fun and living in the moment. What? What will the media think?" She wagged her eyebrows as I wiped the last of my tears away.
"You're dumb." And she was, but she was right. I needed to figure out how to start living a little. My life had revolved around Jackson and my grades for so long that having fun didn't seem attainable.
"Right, and you're dumber. Get that cute, little, black string bikini that you hate. It looks killer on you." She nodded to my bed. "Grab your pillow, too. You know how much you hate sleeping on anything but Hilda."
"It's too cold to wear a bikini. I'm going to need a full length coat and sweats just to be able to walk outside." I moved toward the bed and picked up my pillow, which we'd lovingly named Hilda years ago. I was on Hilda number six by then, but our traditions stuck – even the odd ones.
"Florida is vastly different than New York, Viv. Check t
he weather on your phone, and while you're at it, check the flight times, too. I want to run by the store on the way to the airport. I need some gum and want to grab a couple of beach towels before we go."
"The hotel doesn't give them to you?" I picked up my phone, forever minding my bossy-ass friend. She was president of every club she could get her hands on, energetic and an extrovert to the nth degree. I wasn't her polar opposite, but pretty damn close.
"No clue, but I don't want to chance it, and the gum is for your ears. You know they pop like crazy on takeoff." She picked up a nightie from her open suitcase on her bed and wagged her eyebrows again. "Whatcha think? Hot enough to catch some guys attention?"
Her blonde pixie cut and vibrant blue eyes drew everyone in quickly, and even after all the years of us being close, I was no different. She had a warmth to her that made you want to get close enough to warm your hands by her fire.
"It's rather naughty. You sure you want to take that with us? You're going to be mighty disappointed when I don't ask you to put it on." I gave her a silly look, which melted into a smile. She wouldn't wear the nightie even if there were a good-looking guy she wanted to impress. She was too self-conscious about her curves, though I didn't think she had any reason to be.
"Now who's being dumb?" She chuckled and tossed it back into her bag. "I'm going to find us some handsome boys to have a little bit of fun with."
"Right. You do that." I finished packing a few t-shirts and shoved the last of my jeans in before sitting on the top and motioning for her to come help me close the thing.
"Why am I suddenly concerned that you didn't bring anything dressy or skimpy?" Casey bent down and zipped up my suitcase as I wobbled on top of it.
"Because I didn't. The weather says that Miami is in the low seventies right now. That sounds warm, but we're right on the beach in Miami. It's going to be cold. You're going to freeze your ass off, and when you do, don't say I didn't tell you so." I shrugged and slid off the side of the suitcase. "Let's get going. The flight is in three hours. That gives us just enough time to grab the stuff you want and get there."