"Are you gonna lock me in a room?" I asked.
He looked at me like I was crazy. "Of course not."
"Are you gonna prevent me from getting a job?"
"No."
"Are you gonna get mad at me if I hang out with friends or study too long for a final?"
He let out a laugh. "No."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "So basically you're just saying you want to be my boyfriend."
"Yes. But I don't want you to have other boyfriends." He paused. "Ever again."
I shifted my head to offer him a shy smile. "You like me, Shane Rollins?"
He scrunched up his face and massaged his eyebrows again before smiling and shaking his head at me. "That's an understatement, Emily."
"Do you have a crush on me?" I asked, teasing him.
His smile broadened. "A huge one."
We stared at each other for a few seconds.
"And you were just going to leave me alone because you thought I needed to date a bunch of guys?"
"I didn't think it was fair of me to try to scoop you up after all this crap you've been through."
"Did I not do a good enough job explaining to you that I literally spent years of my life wishing desperately that you would scoop me up?"
"Do you still wish that?"
"Just as desperately as I did when I was a kid." The hint of a smile touched the corner of my mouth. "You definitely don't have permission to leave me for my sake."
"Well, then I'm not leaving you at all," he said.
Just then, Meg White came to the table to wish me a happy birthday and make sure we enjoyed our meal. I introduced Shane as my boyfriend just for fun, and loved seeing the way he shook his head and shot me a knowing smile because of it. She'd met Robin in the past, but thankfully didn't skip a beat when I attached the title of boyfriend to someone new. We spoke to her for about five minutes, and finished up with our meals soon after she left our table.
Chapter 18
"Do you like chocolate?" he asked as we stood up to leave the restaurant.
I made a you must be kidding face. "I think it's a crime not to."
"I didn't make any big plans because I honestly thought I'd be bringing you home after spilling my guts at dinner, but now that the date's continuing, I thought I'd bring you to a chocolate shop, and then I was thinking you could come by my place since you haven't seen it."
I narrowed my eyes at him as we walked toward the door. "You thought you'd be bringing me home? I cant' believe you didn't have more faith than that."
He held the door open for me with a smile, and leaned in to kiss my cheek as I walked through it. "I did get you a birthday present," he said.
"See? You must have had a little faith."
He shrugged. "I was planning on giving it to you either way."
I laughed. "I can't believe you thought I wouldn't want to be with you after everything I told you about my crush."
He grabbed my hand as we walked toward his truck. "It's not that I thought you didn't like me; I just thought you needed some time and space to regroup, you know?"
It was cold out, and I huddled up next to him. He abandoned holding my hand in favor of wrapping his arm around my shoulder. He pulled me to him as we walked to the parking lot on the side of the building. I breathed in the crisp air, feeling like I had never been more content in my life. I could think of nothing I wanted to do more than to go get some chocolate and check out his house.
We were a few yards from Shane's truck when someone yelled. "I knew it!" A man's voice said angrily.
I didn't pay attention to it at first, but then he said it again and attached my name to the end of it.
"I knew it, Emily!"
I turned to find Robin standing there. He had come up from behind us from the restaurant, and I wondered if he had been in there. He stared disbelievingly at us for a few seconds turning around and pointing a finger in the direction of the restaurant.
"I went in there to ask you to marry me, Emily!" he yelled. He seemed extremely angry and I glanced around the small, dark parking lot wondering if he could be heard from inside the restaurant.
He took a couple of slow steps toward us, but he was still a good distance away. "I knew you'd be here tonight. I thought your family would be with you and it would be the perfect time for me to propose. I thought they would celebrate with us. He reached into his pocket and took out a ring box, which he flashed at me without opening it. "I have a diamond in here that cost more than this loser makes in a year."
Shane leaned toward me to speak into my ear. "I just want to warn you that I will take him out if it comes to it," he said so softly that Robin couldn’t hear.
I had to hold back a smile. "Robin I can't understand how you thought it was a good idea to come here with a ring," I said.
"I thought it was a good idea because you've been my girlfriend for three years!" he yelled. "In case you don't remember, we had plans to get married!" He paused and regarded Shane scornfully. "I knew you were cheating on me," he said. "I was right to put you in your place!"
Shane calmly put his palm out in Robin's direction. "That's the last time you'll say something like that to her," he said.
"I wasn't cheating on you," I said, staring at him with hurt in my expression.
What did I ever see in him? I couldn't believe I stayed with him so long.
Robin looked at Shane. "First of all, you're not gonna tell me what to do. And second…." Robin trailed off, looking wild-eyed and smiling a little.
"And second?" Shane asked, trying to make him get to the point.
"Second, is you're getting hit!" Robin's smile broadened as he bowed up to Shane.
"Let's go," Shane said with casual confidence. Robin was still several yards away, and was moving slowly, so Shane had time to glance at me and say, "Run over there. I'm sorry it came to this, but it'll be over in a second."
He barely had time to finish what he was saying before a figure came out of nowhere from between two cars. I saw him come up from behind us in a blur, and I tried to warn Shane, but my scream was too late. Before I knew what had happened, Robin's friend Ted had advanced on Shane from behind and hit him over the head with something. I saw him swing it and heard the horrific sound as whatever it was hit its target.
I was so frightened and out of it that I stumbled backward, but I saw the whole thing. The next few seconds passed in such a haze that it was hard for me to make sense of what was going on. Robin and Ted were both laughing as they closed in on Shane. I could tell by their posture of relief that they assumed the one blow would be enough to take care of Shane. I could now see that the object used to hit Shane was a beer bottle, because it fell to the ground with a loud crashing noise. Shane bent over for a second, grabbing the back of his head where the impact had happened. They advanced on him, and I yelled out.
"Stop! What are you doing?" I took a step toward them, but Shane put a hand out to stop me.
At this point, it was plain to see that Shane was not knocked unconscious, so Robin swung his fist right at Shane's face. Shane ducked, dodging it easily as Robin stumbled forward with momentum. Ted, not knowing what else to do, gave Shane's back a hard shove, causing him to step forward. Shane took that step, but then quickly turned around to face them. He now had them both in his sights and he stood still as if inviting one of them to make the next move.
Ted ran toward him first, and Shane stepped to the side at the perfect moment. He stuck out his foot, and swiped his hand roughly on Ted's back, causing him to tumble to the ground. Shane had done nothing but step out if his way and trip him, but I watched as Ted's face connected with the pavement. Robin advanced on Shane during the middle of all this, and punched Shane in the back of the neck when he swiveled to watch Ted fall. I covered my eyes and yelled, thinking he had hurt Shane, but I peered through my fingers to see that Shane regained his balance easily. He shook his head at Robin before rearing back with a closed fist. He thrust forward in a smooth motion, connecti
ng his fist with the left side of Robin's face. Robin's knees wobbled as he backed up several paces with his hand outstretched in Shane's direction. Ted's nose was bloody, but he had gotten up and was headed toward Shane again.
Shane extended his hands as if to ask what in the world are you thinking. "I'm gonna mess you up if you come any closer," he warned. He stepped to the side where he could keep an eye on both of his assailants. "I'm telling you now. I'm not responsible for what's gonna happen if either of you come at me again." He kept both guys in sight, but pointed at Robin. "And you don't even want to know what I would do to you if you come anywhere near Emily again."
Robin huffed a laugh and looked at me. "He has no right to tell me not to come near you. He's the one who has no business being with you."
We all stood there for a few seconds. Someone pulled into the parking lot, but they drove right past us. "Emily, tell him to get lost," Robin said. I could tell by his facial expression that he actually thought I would say the words.
"Robin, it's over," I said calmly shaking my head.
"Don't tell me you're with him," he said.
"I'm certainly not with you," I said. I glanced at Shane. He wasn't looking at me but I could tell by the look on his face that he was not surprised but still frustrated that I hadn't owned up to it. "Yes. I'm with him," I quickly amended. "We're together now, but you were wrong about me cheating on you."
I spoke softly because the people who had driven up were walking towards the restaurant, doing their best to ignore us. Ted walked off in the direction of his Hummer, which unfortunately, I hadn't noticed before.
"You better hope it's not too late when you come crawling back to me," Robin said, pointing at me angrily. A small drip of blood was running down his chin near the side of his mouth. I saw a bruise already forming, and I tried not to take pleasure in the fact that he looked much the same as I did that night.
"Robin, I need you to understand that it's over with us. I've moved on and you should too." I took a few steps, closing the distance between Shane and me. I snuggled up next to him and he wrapped his arm around me. "You need to go," I said.
Robin just stood there staring at us with a disbelieving look on his face.
"You heard the lady," Shane said.
Ted pulled up in his Hummer, and Robin walked backward to the passenger's side. He got in, and Ted peeled out as they left the parking lot.
I put my arms around Shane and buried my face in his chest. "I'm sorry that happened on your birthday," he said.
I let out a laugh and then pulled back to stare up at him. "I'm the one who should be sorry," I said. "I can't believe they came at you like that." I reached out to touch the back of his head and he flinched, which made me pull my hand back. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm alright." He reached up to touch his own head, and we both looked at his hand when he brought it back around. There was blood on it, and I gasped, covering my mouth with my hand. "I think the bottle might have been broken when he hit me with it," he said. He bent his head and touched it again. "Either that, or it broke when he hit me."
I felt a wave of nausea hit me at the thought of him being hurt. "Shane we need to get help," I said.
He smiled calmly. "It's not that big of a deal. I have a flashlight in the truck. I'll have you look at it. If you think I need stitches, will go to a clinic, but if it's small, we can just butterfly it."
"I don't even know what butterflying it is!" I said, feeling helpless. "Let's just go to the doctor."
He smiled again. "I promise I'm fine," he said. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Heads bleed a lot. I'll have you take a picture of what it looks like with your phone, and if I think we need to, I'll go somewhere and get stitches, but if it's not bad, we'll just go to my house and let Brock butterfly it for me."
"Brock knows how to butterfly?" I asked, wide-eyed with relief.
He laughed. "Yes."
"Let's just go straight there now," I said. "It'll make me feel better for him to look at it."
The corner of his mouth turned upward in a sideways smile. "You're cute when you're all worried about me."
I shook my head. "Well, then, I should be super, super cute right now because I'm really worried about you, and I want to go get it taken care of. Let's go. Do you need me to drive?" He smiled and shook his head as he pulled me toward the truck.
We drove to his house, which was an older two-bedroom craftsman style home in a cool, eclectic neighborhood where young people were buying homes and remodeling them. Shane had already done a lot of work to his place, and it felt clean and inviting.
I watched the whole process as Brock shaved a small patch of hair on the back of Shane's head and applied two butterfly Band-Aids in an effort to close the wound. Brock said it could probably use a few stitches, but Shane didn't want me to spend my birthday in a clinic or emergency room, so they settled for patching it up it at home. I insisted multiple times that I didn't mind going to get it taken care of, but they both acted like they had seen this type of injury a thousand times and it was no big deal. To me, it looked like a huge goose egg and a big, scary, gaping wound, but they didn't seem concerned at all.
Shane's hair was long enough on top that there was no evidence of an injury once he smoothed it back. Some blood had dripped onto his shirt, though, and I waited in the living room while he went to change. Brock had been watching a movie in his bedroom when we came in, and he excused himself to go back in there, leaving me in the living room alone. Shane came out wearing a clean button up shirt and a huge smile that took my breath away. I stood up instantly and began walking toward him.
"You hungry for some chocolate?" he asked.
"Are you sure you're up for that? We don't have to go anywhere."
He shrugged. "I took an aspirin. I'm fine if you want to go."
"Do you have any chocolate here?" I asked. "Because I'd just as soon snuggle up next to my man and watch a movie or something."
He reached out and grabbed me by the arm, tugging me toward him. I stepped forward and was standing so close that I could feel his body heat. "Don't stay on account of me," he said, looking down at me. "I don't want you to be bored on your birthday."
Since I was 11 years old, my ultimate dream was to curl up on a couch with Shane Rollins and watch a movie. The prospect of it was in no way, shape, or form boring to me.
"I already took my shoes off," I said, shrugging.
Chapter 19
Shane and I watched a movie we'd both seen before, but it was mostly just background noise since we wound up talking through most of it. We talked about his job, my classes at school, his brother's art, and the prospective new business he was starting, our families, movies, books, music, and, most importantly, we had a conversation about God.
Robin and I had never had a single conversation about God, and it wasn't until I talked with Shane about Him that I realized what a shame that was. I had an innate understanding that the wonderful chain of events in my life lately were only a result of me seeking God first. I had been scared to leave a future of wealth—the future that I thought was best for me. But God's plan was better than mine. He was giving me the desires of my heart in the form of Shane Rollins.
I thought about the timing. I thought about how Shane accepted Christ right before we got together. There were no coincidences with God, and I was overwhelmed by his faithfulness and goodness to me even though I didn't deserve it.
It was almost midnight when Shane brought me to my parents' house. He had to work early the next morning, and I felt bad for keeping him up so late, but time got away from us.
He gave me my birthday present on the way home, which was a beautiful necklace. It was a small, gold circle pendent with a hand stamped picture and phrase. It had a sun in the middle with the words, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine," in a circular pattern around the edge. It was officially my new favorite piece of jewelry, and I put it on the instant I opened it.
"I'm gonna head home," he said
as we pulled into my parents' driveway.
"I figured you would," I said. "I'm sorry I kept you up so late on a work night."
"Don't be sorry," he said.
I smiled at him. "I'm not sorry, then." I glanced at the top of his head, and even though I couldn't see anything, I remembered everything that had happened. "I am sorry you got hurt," I said.
"You could make that up to me," he said.
The statement surprised me and my eyes widened as I smiled at him. "Oh yeah?"
"You know what I'm gonna ask you for, right?" My gut clenched, hoping desperately that he'd say a kiss.
"I hope it's a kiss," I said, since I wasn't shy at all.
He shrugged confidently, confirming my suspicion.
"You better watch yourself," I said. "If that's the outcome of you getting a bottle over the head, you might be in danger."
He laughed and motioned with a flick of his head for me to come to his side of the truck. I leaned over the console without hesitation.
"I like you, Emily Bennett," he said. Our faces were only inches apart, and I stared at him in the darkness.
"I like you more," I said.
He cracked a smile before leaning forward to touch my lips with his. He kissed me two times gently before pressing his mouth to mine more firmly. He sucked my lip into his mouth and I felt his tongue run along it. I took his lip into my mouth and did the same thing to him, causing him to take a sharp intake of breath. He broke the kiss, but held the position—our mouths only separated by millimeters of space.
"I like you more," I whispered again, staring into his eyes.
Finaly My Heart's Desire (Meant for Me Book 2) Page 13