“Wait, are you mad?” he asks, surprised.
I shake my head fast as I start to bite on my thumbnail.
“Yes, you are,” Slade says. “Why are you mad?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were moving my stuff in today? We haven’t even discussed where we are going to put it!”
“I know you don’t like all the browns. So I figured I would leave your things in the living room and move my stuff down to the basement.”
I release a sigh, not going to argue with that, because that is actually really nice of him.
I hear a knock on the door and go to open it.
“Slade.” Josh stands there with his phone in his hand. “It’s Kip.” He holds the phone out to Slade.
Slade takes it and starts talking to this Kip guy. “Who’s Kip?” I ask Josh.
“The guy that’s buying your car.” He beams proudly.
“What?” I bark, causing him to jump. He already has someone to buy my car? It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I agreed with him that I would sell it.
“Yeah. I can have it ready by tomorrow.” I turn to face Slade. He is watching me closely as he talks to Kip on the phone.
I pull my cell out of my back pocket and text Holly.
Me: Do you need any help at work today?
She texts back immediately.
Holly: Always
I walk over and shut myself in the closet. I pull my shirt up over my head then grab my work shirt off its hanger. I put it on and slip on a pair of tennis shoes. I have an hour before the shift starts, but I don’t mind going in early. I just want to be busy working, and not have to deal with what is going on in this house.
I walk out of the closet and all three of them are standing in the bedroom talking.
Slade frowns, looking at me. “You’re going into work today?”
“Yes, Holly needs help.”
“Can you give us a minute?” he asks Josh and Micah.
“Angel.” He walks up to me, placing his hands on either side of my face. “You know you can quit your job if you want.”
I just stare at him. Why does he keep throwing these curve balls at me? “Why would I quit my job?”
“Take some time off.” He rubs his thumb lightly on my cheek. “Let yourself grieve.”
If I have to hear that word one more time, I am going to scream. “I’m going to work.” I walk toward the bedroom door to leave but then pause. “Thank you for moving my stuff,” I say, as nicely as I can manage. That really was nice of him to want to help me out. I shouldn’t be mean to him. It’s not his fault that any of this has happened. I turn into him and wrap my arms around his waist. I feel his lips on my hair before he speaks.
“I love you.”
I pull away and look up into those beautiful blue eyes. “I love you too.” I reach up and give him a soft kiss.
“You should leave the bed and the dressers for Courtney. I think she is going to move into my house.” I know she stayed with Josh last night, but I also know she won’t move in with him. Courtney likes her space.
He nods, giving me one last kiss before I pull away.
I walk out of the house, thanking the guys as I watch them unload stuff from Nadia.
I slowly get up into the Tahoe, hating the fact that Slade has used Nadia to move my furniture. I do not want to drive the Tahoe. I sit there looking out of the windshield at the garage wall in front of me for a few minutes before I start it up. I’m going to have to get over it though, that’s life. I put it in reverse and back out of the garage.
CHAPTER NINE
SLADE
I stand there watching Angel stare at the wall in front of her for a few seconds before she backs out and drives off.
I turn around to lift a side of her black leather love seat.
“Why didn’t you tell her?” Micah asks as he stands on the other end with his hand on the sofa.
“Pick up your end of the sofa.” I ignore his question.
“No.” He shakes his head, placing his other hand on the couch. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
I stand up and let the couch fall to the floor. “Because she would have tried to help.”
“You shouldn’t keep things from her,” Josh says, grabbing her nightstand out of the back of the truck.
Oh, isn’t this great, everyone wants to give me advice. “You know nothing.” I turn to face him. “You didn’t see….” I stop myself before I explain what state I had found her in last night. They have no clue what’s going on in her mind. Fuck, half the time I don’t even know what she’s thinking. “She tries to do everything herself. I’m just trying to lessen the load. She may be a little pissed about it, but in the long run she will be happy that she doesn’t have to worry about moving her stuff.”
They are both silent for a few seconds, then both nod their heads.
“Where are we going to put all of this stuff?” Josh asks, looking around.
“I don’t know.” I think we are going to need a bigger house.
“We could put it downstairs in the basement office,” Micah offers.
“No.” I do not want any of her things in the room that Jax cheated on her in. Although she has never asked which room he was in, and I have not offered the information, I still know what happened in that room and that is not where her things belong. “We can split it between the living room and media room. We will move my stuff downstairs.”
They both nod as Micah picks up his end. “Oh, and Josh, we don’t need to make another trip to her house. This is all I’m going to move.”
“Why? Her bed, dressers and other couch are still over there,” he says moving my couch back so we can set Angel’s sofa down.
“Angel said that Courtney was going to move into her rental house and knew Courtney didn’t bring anything besides her clothes.”
Josh slumps down onto the couch. “I’m trying to get her to move in with me.” He lays back looking up at us. “When I found out she was coming back here I told her how I felt about her. I like her. A lot. But I don’t want her to feel like I’m rushing her. I just want her to know that I’m serious about us and willing to move forward with our relationship.”
“And she doesn’t feel the same?” Micah asks.
“She said she did, she just thinks she should have her own place for now. Although I don’t like it, I told her I would respect her decision.”
“That sucks,” Micah agrees, causing Josh to let out a little laugh.
“Speaking of the girlfriends,” I say, rubbing my hands together. “I need a favor from you.” I point to Josh.
“Sure. What is it?” he asks, sitting up straight.
“Hang on.” I turn and head to my office. Angel never goes in there, so I hid her parents’ rings in my office safe last night as soon as we got home.
I return to find both of the guys sitting on the couch now. They stare up at me as I smile. I have never been more excited about anything in my life. I know I want to take this step with her, I just hope that she feels the same way. I mean, we have only been together for a short time, but it already feels like a lifetime. Nothing before her matters, or even exists.
“Why are you smiling like an idiot?” Micah asks seriously.
I hold my hand out to them, revealing the wedding rings.
“What the fuck?” Josh exclaims as he stands up.
Micah jumps up also but has a harder time speaking. “What, uh. Slade, those are wedding rings.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes they are, genius. Marie gave them to me. She wanted Angel to have them. I want to propose to Angel, but first, I want you to make something special out of her mother’s for me.”
“Whatever you want to do,” Josh says, smiling wide.
“I can’t fucking believe it.” Micah shakes his head. “My big brother is going to get married.” Then he elbows Josh in the side.
Josh chuckles, shaking his head a bit, before mumbling, “I know.”
I ignore them and look do
wn at the rings. “Yeah. Well, she has to say yes first and then not kill me when she sees what I did to her mother’s wedding ring.” That is the part that terrifies me the most. I thought about just proposing with her mother’s ring, but I can’t. I have an idea in my head and it just screams Angel.
“Do you know what you want?” Josh urges, looking to me.
“Yes.” It didn’t take me long to figure out what I wanted for her. It was all I could think about on our drive back from Tulsa.
“When do you want it by?”
“I’m thinking Thanksgiving.” That gives us some more time for her to get used to living with me and for her to learn how to be herself again.
“Done,” Josh says, taking it from me and placing it in his pocket.
“We need a beer,” Micah proclaims as he smiles brightly over at Josh.
“We do?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Of course, you’re getting married.” He reaches over and pulls me into a hug.
“She has to say yes first,” I remind them again, laughing, and then we head to the kitchen to get a beer.
*****
SAMANTHA
I walk into work and smile when I see Holly. “Hey girl. I’m surprised you wanted to work today,” she says.
“Well, the guys are at the house, so I figured I needed to get away.”
She frowns. “Did Slade not tell you he was moving your stuff?”
“No. At first I was mad, but I understand why he wanted to do it today.”
I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket. I pull it out, figuring it will be Slade, but instead it’s a blocked number. I frown looking down at it.
“Something wrong?” Holly asks.
“Someone is calling me from a blocked number.”
Who could it be? I’ve never had anyone call me from a blocked number before.
Holly places one hand on her hip and points at my phone with the other. “I bet it’s that Tate guy. He didn’t seem like he was going to leave you alone.”
“You are probably right.” I press ignore and stick my phone behind the bar, not wanting to be bothered by it. I take a deep breath and put a big smile on my face. Tonight is going to be a great night.
“What’s the story with him anyway?”
“His mom was my mother’s best friend,” is all I supply.
“And?” She tries to dig for more.
I don’t know how much I should tell Holly. I love her to death, but Tate’s story is not mine to tell. “My mom watched him a lot when we were younger. Then he and his mother moved to Alaska when he was thirteen.”
“That’s cool. I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska.” She sighs as she gets a dreamy expression on her face. “I would love to go on an Alaskan cruise.”
“Why don’t you tell Micah that’s what you want to do for your honeymoon?”
She shakes her head as she laughs a little. “Yeah right. Micah, on a cruise?”
“Will he not go on a cruise?”
“No. He’s terrified of cruises.” She rolls her eyes making me giggle.
My laughter dies down as I see the bartender from the bar of the hotel the night before we went to the Rams’ game walk in the front door of Larry’s.
“Hello, ladies,” he says nicely as he walks up to the bar with a smile on his face.
“Hello. What can I do for you?” Holly asks him sweetly.
“I would like an application, please.” He looks at me with that smile still plastered on his face.
Great! I already didn’t like this guy the first time I met him, now I may have to work with him. Good thing I don’t work often.
Holly reaches behind the cash register and hands him one. He takes a seat at the bar and starts to fill it out.
“Why do you act like you hate him already?” Holly asks quietly, pulling me to the side.
“He was our waiter at the bar the night we went out before the Rams game and he…he just rubbed me wrong.” From what I can recall anyway. I remember snapping at him for calling me Angel. Everything else after that is pretty blurry.
“Hmm,” she says in thought, “maybe you were just in a bad mood?”
“Yeah, maybe,” I admit, biting on my bottom lip. I’m pretty sure that was not the issue though.
I look over at the guy as he finishes up his application. He hands it to Holly and reaches out his hand to introduce himself. “Jeremy,” he says giving her a smile. I can’t help but think it’s a sneaky smile. One that says I’m a snake and going to strike out at you as soon as you turn your back.
His eyes then move to me as he reaches out his hand in my direction. “Jeremy,” he repeats, as if he has never seen me before.
Maybe Holly is right. I could have just been in a bad mood because of how much I had to drink. “Sam,” I say as I slowly reach out my hand.
“It was nice to meet you lovely ladies. I hope to hear from one of you soon.” Then he turns around and walks out. Maybe I was just overreacting that night at the bar.
“See, he was nice,” Holly says, placing his application in the drawer.
“Yeah, guess I was wrong,” I agree with her, pulling out my tray and getting ready for my shift.
*****
I groan as I lean over and grab Slade’s pillow, placing it over my head, trying to drown out the talking. Instead, I hear the voices getting louder. I lean up and grab my phone from the nightstand. It reads ten in the morning. Why is he not at work? I listen and hear another male besides Slade.
I get out of bed, throwing on some clothes, and walk out of the bedroom in search of the voices. I find Slade in the kitchen as he laughs with a man who looks younger than me. He has bleach blond hair that is so tall, spiked with enough gel it could be deadly if he decided to ram you. And I could probably fit my thumb through the holes in his ears.
“Hey, Angel, sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you,” Slade says, turning his attention to me.
“It’s okay. What’s going on?” I look from Slade to the kid that looks like he should be playing the drums in a hard rock band.
“This is Kip. He is buying your car,” Slade answers excitedly.
Oh, right, I almost forgot about that. He is giving my car away. I put a big smile on my face and look over at him.
“I love it. I’ve been looking for one for a while now,” he says happily.
“Well it’s perfect timing then,” Slade says, reaching into his pocket for the keys.
“I need to clean it out,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.
“I did that last night, Angel.”
Of course he did. The man thinks of everything and for some reason it’s starting to drive me fucking nuts. I take in a deep breath to calm myself. All Slade has done is help me out and he has tried to stay one step ahead of me so I don’t have to do as much. I peer up at him. “Thanks, babe.”
“No problem.” He turns to Kip. “Come on, it’s in the garage.”
I duck my head and walk myself back to the bedroom. I don’t want to see him drive off in it. I don’t want to have to say goodbye to one more thing. I know it’s just a car, but it is no longer mine. Which means the only vehicles I have now are my mom’s Tahoe and my dad’s cars. I don’t want to drive them. Maybe I will buy myself a new car.
I sit on the edge of the bed and my thoughts drift to my mom again. She crosses my mind every second of the day. Getting away from Tulsa did not help at all. Work did help though, and I kept myself busy last night. I cleaned more than usual and spent more time talking to customers. I found myself laughing at their stupid jokes, some I didn’t even understand, and I told Holly I would work every night this week. It bothers me that for some reason that place feels more like home than Slade’s house.
“What are you doing?”
I look up to see Slade standing in front of me in a pair of black dress slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a black tie. It makes my mouth water and my heart stop. He cracks a little smile as I sit there staring at him.
I clear my throat
. “I was wondering why you’re not at work.”
“I took an early lunch.” He bends down and kisses me on the forehead. “I have to go back now.”
“Okay,” I say, folding my hands in my lap.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I reply before he walks out to head back to work. Once he leaves, I lie back down and close my eyes. I need more sleep.
CHAPTER TEN
SLADE
I walk out into the garage and slide into my car. I smile brightly knowing her car is gone. I didn’t ask Josh how he knew Kip. He had the money and that was all that mattered to me. That and the fact that Angel is now driving safer vehicles.
I make my way back to my office. I’m really surprised by how slow work is right now, especially since I spent a week in Oklahoma. I think my dad is taking it easy on me so I can focus my time on Angel, and although that’s great, I have always lived for work.
I pass Rose on the way to my father’s office. I approach his open door and knock on it lightly. He looks up from his desk as he holds his phone over one ear. Lifting one hand, he signals for me to step inside.
I walk in and sit down in one of his seats as I look out his windows. I can see the Arch and it makes me grin. It reminds me of last month when I took Angel there. I would give anything to see the same big smile on her face that she had when we stood out in the pouring rain, to hear that giggle as I spun her around. She just seems to have a black cloud over her, and no matter how I try to break her free from it she won’t allow me.
My father gets my attention as he hangs up his phone. “What are you up to?” he asks, tilting his head to the side as he stares at me.
“Work,” I respond. “Although I don’t seem to have much to do. Why is that?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t even think you were going to come in today.”
Should I have stayed home with her? In actuality, I think she wanted to be alone. All she has been doing is pushing me away every chance she gets. I know I told her I would push back, but I think right now the best thing to do is step back.
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