She was so busy walking in her newfound hope-bubble that she wasn’t paying attention and she ran smack dab into someone.
“Ugh,” she grunted as papers flew in the air and she stumbled backwards.
When she got her footing she saw that the person she’d collided with was CiCi.
“Hi!” Bailey bent to help her friend pick up the papers that had spilled to the ground. “What are you doing here?”
When CiCi had bailed on coffee, all she’d said was that something came up.
“I had to meet with Katie.” Her friend motioned to the door behind her.
It was a family law office. Katie Sloan was a respected lawyer in Harper’s Crossing and a good friend.
“Is everything okay?” Bailey asked at the same moment she saw that the papers she was picking up were part of a petition for divorce.
“I got served with papers this morning.”
“I’m so sorry.” Bailey wasn’t sure what to say as she handed the documents to her friend.
“It’s fine.” CiCi gathered the rest of the papers and both ladies stood. “Honestly, I’m just upset that he beat me to the punch. I mean, I knew we weren’t great, and that we weren’t happy. I’m not delusional, but I just thought…I don’t know…we have kids, we’d make it work.”
Bailey gave her friend a hug. “You know I’m here if you need anything.”
CiCi returned the hug as best she could with an armful of papers. “So you’ll help me bury the body?”
“Bury? Why would we do that when we have access to a perfectly good morgue?”
“Good point.” CiCi smiled.
“But, seriously, I know this sucks even if you guys weren’t great.” Bailey squeezed CiCi’s arm in a show of support. “And I’m here.”
“Thanks.” CiCi was trying to put the papers back in order when one fell to the ground. Bailey bent to pick it up and something caught her eye.
“Cinderella Elise Murray.” Bailey read the name of the defendant. She looked up at her friend as she handed the paper back to her. “Your legal name is Cinderella?”
“It was my mom’s favorite movie. She thought if she named her daughter Cinderella then I’d end up with a prince. Which obviously was a foolproof plan.” CiCi held her divorce papers up before clicking her fob and opening the driver’s side door to her minivan. “I know you and your mom don’t get along, but at least she didn’t name you Cinderella. See ya in a few.”
She waved goodbye to her friend who was headed back to the hospital as well. As Bailey climbed in her car, what CiCi had said nagged at her. Even though she knew her friend was joking around when she made the comment about her mom, it hit a nerve with Bailey.
She still hadn’t told her mom about Angie or Noah. As she began to back out, she told herself that she’d do it when she had more time. But the next thing she knew, she was pushing the phone icon on her steering wheel and saying, “Call Mom.”
“Calling Mom.” A computerized woman’s voice responded over the speakers.
“Bailey?” her mom answered, obviously surprised to be hearing from her.
“Hey Mom, I’m headed to work, so I only have a few minutes, but I have something I need to tell you.”
As she told her mom about Angie and Noah, she felt the last thread tethering herself to her past snap. She wasn’t telling her mom because she owed it to a woman that couldn’t even be bothered to wait at the emergency room when Bailey hurt her leg and ended up finding out she was pregnant. She was telling her mom so she could be free.
Free from her resentment.
Free from her secret.
Free from her past.
Chapter 24
Josh stood under one of the lampposts lighting the parking lot, admiring his mother’s ring when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Becca reading:
She’s coming down.
Anticipation curled in his chest as he slid both his phone and the ring back in his pocket and started his bike. He drove around to the back of the building where the ambulances parked, which also happened to be where the medical staff entered and exited. It was a no-parking zone, so he wouldn’t be able to stay there long, which was why he’d recruited Becca as a lookout.
He cut the engine and stood in front of it, trying to recreate the same pose that he’d had when he’d gone to pick her up the first night he’d gotten his bike. That had been such a special night and he hoped that this would be, too.
After he left his pop this afternoon, he’d been busy getting everything ready for what he hoped would be a momentous night. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d fantasized about what this night would be like. Even after Bailey had left town, he still found himself daydreaming about what was about to take place. But that’s exactly what it had been to him: a daydream. A fantasy. He’d lost hope long ago that this night would ever be a reality.
The door opened and his heart jumped, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be parked there, man.” A guy in scrubs commented as he stepped out.
“I know, man. I’m just waiting for someone.”
The guy gave him a strange look but continued on about his business.
Seconds ticked by. Then minutes. The door opened twice more and neither of the people exiting the building were Bailey. Both people informed him that he was in a no-parking zone.
In theory, this had seemed like a great idea but he was beginning to have his doubts. This might not be the best idea. Was he moving too fast even though it was twenty-plus years in the making? What if Bailey didn’t see it his way? Was he getting ahead of himself? Had she used everything that was going on as an excuse to avoid him?
He was second, third, and fourth-guessing himself when he heard the sound of the door opening once more. He looked up, ready to explain that he was waiting for someone, but this time he didn’t have to. Bailey walked out. She was looking down at her phone. Josh watched as she lifted her head and saw him. Her eyes sparked with excitement as her rosy lips lifted at the corners. Every doubt he’d had evaporated when he saw her.
“Hi,” she breathed as she took a step toward him.
“Hi.” He watched as her cheeks flushed and it was all he could do to keep his hands to himself. He actively had to stop himself from reaching out, cupping her face, and pressing his lips to hers. They’d seen one another more in the past week than they had in the past twenty years, but all that had done was make him miss her more.
There’d been so many charged moments between them. Their eyes would lock or their bodies would brush against one another’s, and each and every time it happened, his world stopped spinning and everything else just faded away. It was always just for a moment, but those moments added up to a cluster of memories that built on the intimacy they’d already shared.
“What are you doing here? Whose motorcycle is that?” Her smile spread from ear to ear as she repeated the same thing she’d said to him twenty years ago.
“I’m here to pick you up and it’s mine.” he played his part, responding in the same way he had back then.
She walked toward him and they fell into the routine that they’d perfected years ago. He placed the helmet on her head and snapped it on. Then he lifted the lid of the storage compartment and she dropped her bag inside. He took off his jacket and she threaded her arms through the sleeves as he climbed onto the bike. He closed his fingers around the brake, lifted the kickstand with his heel, firmly planted both feet on the ground, and tilted the bike slightly to the right before giving her a nod. She placed her left hand on his shoulder, her left foot on the peg, and then her leg went up and over.
When she was on, he took a moment to appreciate how damn lucky he was. After all these years, all this time, Bailey was on his bike and it wasn’t because she was stranded. Her face had lit up when she saw him. Her body was pressed tightly against his and just like when he was younger, everything in his world was right. If nothing else
came of tonight, he had that.
He turned his head and spoke loud enough so that she could hear him over the roar of the engine. “Hold on tight.”
The wind whipped on the exposed skin of his arms as they rode. Bailey clutched him tightly, her embrace anchoring her to him as their bodies tilted together when they took the turns along the windy roads. The country club whizzed by and the memory of the night that he began living again popped into his mind. It truly felt like his life had been stalled out, but that night jumpstarted it.
They rode along the Riverwalk where his auto shop sat closed up tight. Memories of her showing up and telling him that she hadn’t meant any of the things she’d said to him and that she still cared about him reminded him of how confused and conflicted he’d been. But now all of the dots had been connected and he could see the entire picture. There was no more confusion, no more conflict, he knew exactly what he wanted.
He took the scenic route to their destination and when he pulled up to their spot, every cell in his body was tingling with awareness from the combination of the vibrations from the bike and Bailey’s body pressed tightly against him.
They dismounted and Josh noticed that Bailey was fumbling with the latch of the helmet. He reached up and held it as he pressed in and then pulled out. When it released, she lifted onto her tiptoes and brushed a chaste kiss against his mouth. It was the first kiss they’d shared since they’d been in the on-call room. His eyes closed at the contact and he was melting into the pillowy softness of her full lips when they suddenly pulled away.
His lids opened and he found her smiling up at him.
“What was that for?” He heard the gravelly quality in his tone, it was always there when he touched Bailey.
“No reason. Just because I can.” There was a sassy playfulness in her response that caused his heart to swell with emotion.
He loved that she reveled in being able to kiss him. He felt the same way about her.
She removed the helmet and shook out her hair before looking back up at him. The moonlight illuminated her creamy skin, giving her an angelic glow. Her face might be glowing like an angel, but the look in her eyes was all kinds of sinful. “Well, you got me here. What do you plan on doing with me?”
As much as he was tempted to follow up on her flirtatious inquiry, he had a plan and he had to follow through.
“You’ll see. But first, you won’t.”
“What?” Her brow furrowed at his riddle.
He took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and lifted his hands to blindfold her.
The smile that rose on her mouth had him wanting to forego his plan and just kiss her until they had to come up for air, and then kiss her some more.
But he refrained. She deserved to be romanced, and that’s exactly what he was going to do. Even if his balls ended up looking like they were members of the Blue Man Group. After he’d secured the material in place over her eyes, he told her, “No peeking.”
She nodded in agreement, her pearly white teeth glistening in the moonlight as she smiled widely.
He gently turned her and then guided her down the trail. When they arrived at their destination, he removed the blindfold.
“Josh,” she gasped when she saw the picnic that he’d set up for them.
He had the same blanket, the same basket, the same sandwiches, and even the same cheap bottle of wine that he’d had the night they’d shared their first time. The only modifications he’d made was some battery powered twinkle lights that he’d added for ambiance.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as she shook her head and lowered to the blanket, examining the spread that he’d put out. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes. I did.” He sat down beside her. “I did this because I want to start over, Bay. I want to be with you. I used to say that we had forever but I didn’t know at the time just how true that statement was. But the years we’ve spent apart proved that we do because I’m yours. Forever. And I know that a lot has happened between us and you said that this was complicated, but it’s not complicated to me. It’s the simplest thing in the world. I love you. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
He saw that tears were beginning to fall down her face. He lifted his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek. When he did, she threw herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. “I love you, Josh. I’ve always loved you.”
Chapter 25
Bailey was overcome with emotions as she clung to Josh, her head resting against his shoulder. She forced herself to open her eyes, wanting to memorize every second of this encounter as she snuggled into his arms. She gazed up at the stars sparkling against the velvet night sky. She breathed in, filling her lungs with the mineral scent of the river and the earthy smell of the dirt their blanket was lying on.
Everything about this felt familiar. It was, after all, their spot. And she was there with Josh. So, it was familiar, on a deep and visceral level. But this was different. More than just nostalgic. This was…right. That was the only word she could come up with to describe it. Right.
This was everything she’d always wanted.
She felt safe in the circle of Josh’s embrace and she snuggled in closer to him, nuzzling her nose against his neck. She pressed in closer. Her heart was thumping in time to his, like even their most basic biology knew that they were bonded and so it timed the rhythm of their heartbeats to keep in step with each other.
She breathed in again, the smell of rushing water and earth now replaced with the smell of him, and damn, it was wonderful. Musky and warm and spicy. She inhaled again. She could never get enough.
His arm tightened around her, slowly but surely. He chuckled. “You keep breathing me in like that and you’re gonna give me a big head. And I’m talking about the one on my shoulders.”
She laughed softly. This was what she’d missed the most with him. The easy comfort of joking around even in an emotionally charged moment. That was Josh. Easy. Comfortable. Real.
As they continued to hold one another, her heart thumped more rapidly in her chest, and her breathing became shallow. That double entendre of his had been funny enough, but it had also sent her brain spinning off into dirty thought territory, and her body apparently really liked it.
She tilted her head to the side just a little, just enough so that she could press her lips against his neck and start pressing soft kisses against the warm, solid skin there. She could feel his pulse jump under his skin, feel how the breaths he took were growing shakier and shakier with each movement of her lips, and it only inspired her to keep going. To get even bolder.
She moved her hand up from around his shoulder and placed her palm flat on his chest. His heartbeat was strong, steady, and growing more rapid by the second, just like hers was.
Her fingers curled and the tips brushed over the plane of his strong muscles. She could only feel the broadest outline of his pecs underneath his shirt, and she was seized by the urge to get rid of that interference; to strip it off and toss it aside.
She wanted to touch him, and she didn’t want anything to be in between her exploring fingers and his sexy skin.
Her hand slid even lower, over his abs, feeling the ripples of his six-pack jump beneath her touch as her fingers traveled down toward his belt line.
His hands shot down then, and his fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. He groaned as he did it, so she knew that he had mixed feelings about putting a stop to what she was clearly about to do.
She extended her tongue and traced little circles on the sensitive skin of his neck. She knew that was one of his weaknesses, and if anything could get him to change his mind, that would likely be it.
Even though his strong fingers remained firmly wrapped around her wrist, he didn’t take her hand away from his body, so she used her fingers to stroke and caress every bit of skin that was within her reach.
Another moan escaped from him, and the desperation in this one w
as like a mountain compared to the molehill of the first.
“I know we have forever,” she whispered, hearing the natural sultry quality that had crept into her voice along with all of the hormones currently flooding her system, “but I’d like to start living our forever now.”
“Bailey,” his voice was tight. “I wanted to…there’s more I have…”
She shifted so that her breasts were pressing into his chest, and continued in her low and husky whisper, “I love you, Josh, and you love me. I think we’ve wasted enough time. I want you. What do you want?”
His hands slipped away from her wrist and fisted in the blanket lying underneath them. “You, Bailey. Always you,” he groaned.
Needing no further encouragement, she slipped her hand down over his pants and wrapped her fingers around the prominent outline of his dick, which even through the thick material, she could already tell was rock-hard and ready for action.
The same urge that had grabbed her before took hold of her again. She had to feel his skin directly under her fingers, with no pesky material getting in the way.
She sat up just enough so that she could maneuver her other hand around to his jeans and work with both of them. She quickly unfastened his fly and slid his jeans and boxer briefs down just enough so that she could free his erection, which turned out to be just as impressive as she’d judged it to be through the fabric.
She wrapped her hands around it and moved them slowly up and down, fascinated somehow, as if it were the first time she’d touched him.
Just One Night - Josh & Bailey (Crossroads Book 13) Page 20