"Impossible," he whispered back. He put his lips on mine one last time before saying, "I better be going."
I nodded and returned to my spot in the passengers seat. "I love my birthday present so much," I said touching my chest where it rested.
"It's not a diamond," he said.
"I don't want diamonds."
"One day I'll get you one," he said.
I didn't make him clarify what he meant by that. I chose to believe he was talking about an engagement ring and didn't care to have my assumption verified. I got out of the truck and waved to him one last time on my way into the house. He watched me open the door and go inside before taking off.
I was surprised to find that my parents were still awake. They were sitting on the couch watching the television, but my dad turned it off when I came in. "I didn't know you guys were gonna wait up," I said.
My mom and dad, who were both dressed in robes, stood up and regarded me with serious expressions that had me worried. "Robin came by here earlier," Dad said.
"What?" I asked, unable to believe it.
"He came by all upset," Mom said. "He had taken a hit, and he wanted to show us the evidence of it. He said he wanted us to see what Shane was capable of."
"Did Shane do that to his face?" Dad asked.
I coughed out an incredulous laugh. "He did, but only after Ted attacked him with a beer bottle and they double-teamed him."
My dad shrugged and looked at my mom with a regretful expression before focusing on me again. "Did they have a fight tonight?" he asked. I could tell he hadn't really believed Robin when he came over earlier and was sad to learn that it was true.
"Yes," I said. "In the parking lot of Velvet Meg's. Robin confronted us, and Ted came up from behind and hit him with a bottle. We had to go back to Shane's house and let Brock put some kind of special Band-Aid on it. He probably needed stitches."
My dad's jaw clinched and he shook his head. "I'm sorry to say this, Emily, but I think it'd be best for you to move back home—just until Robin moves on with his life. I know you like your apartment and everything, but—"
I stopped him before he could say anymore. "I'm fine with that," I said.
"You are?" he asked, seeming surprised.
I nodded. "I've been thinking about the last few days. I only have a year of school left and cutting down on the living expenses will make me feel better about you guys helping me with the car. Plus, I didn't realize how much I missed you guys and Thomas."
My mom reached out and wrapped her arms around my dad, smiling, first at him and then at me.
"Well, that was easier than we thought," Dad said, scratching his head.
I laughed.
Still holding on to each other, they began crossing the room, slowly making their way toward their bedroom. "I'm gonna end up as cute as you guys one day," I said.
"I hope you're not already making plans with another guy," my dad said.
"That's exactly what he said you'd say," I said.
My dad stopped walking and narrowed his eyes at me. "Who?"
"Shane."
"Well, he's smart," my dad said. "You don't need to jump into anything."
I leveled him with a heartfelt stare. "I'm jumping in with him, Dad."
"I hope you're not talking about jumping into bed," he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You should know better, Jesse," I said, smiling at him. "I like him, though, and God's involved. It's all good. You'd be proud of the way we're going about things. I just want you to know that he's gonna be around a lot, and I'm probably gonna be referring to him as my boyfriend. I need you to be nice to him and not try to run him off or anything. He likes me, and he's gonna be good to me."
"You don't think it's a little sudden?" my mom interjected, taking me off guard.
"No I don't. In fact, I don't see why I should have to wait some undisclosed amount of time just because I kept my face pressed up against a spiky sweater too long."
They both made matching baffled expressions that made me giggle. "Shane's gonna be my boyfriend, and if we have to prove everyone wrong who thought it was bad timing, then we'll just have to prove them wrong."
My mom smiled at me before squeezing my dad and looking at him. "Your father and I have proved a few people wrong over the years," she said.
"See?" I said as I started up the stairs.
They went down the hall to their bedroom.
"Night," I called quietly.
"Night, sweetheart," my mom said. "We'll figure out getting you moved this week."
"Okay," I said from halfway up the stairs.
I went to bed that night feeling like all was right with the world.
***
I spent the next two weeks making lots of changes. Carly and Micah had a party at their house for New Years, which was just a few days after my birthday. It was the first time Shane and I went somewhere as a couple, and I was as excited about it as I dreamed I'd be when I was fourteen. I wanted to show him off to the world.
The only problem was that Trish was there, so I had to curb my enthusiasm. Carly had apparently filled her in that Shane and I were dating because she didn't seem surprised to see us there together. She seemed unaffected by it, but I still did my best not to be overly affectionate while she was around. Seeing her made me feel weirder than I thought it would. Regardless of how close or not close they were while they were dating, I couldn’t help but think about the fact that they had kissed. I felt funny about that for a little while, but those feelings faded as the evening went on. She was with a roommate, and they were headed to another party, so they ended up leaving early. It had been slightly awkward for me, but I was glad she saw us together since it had to happen at some point.
Shane and I had seen each other nearly every day since my birthday. We both had a lot going on, but spending time together was a priority for both of us, and we made time for it. Shane worked full time and had begun helping his brother fix up a warehouse he was renting for a studio space. Micah had connected Brock with investors, and everyone was doing as much as they could to help him get his business off the ground.
As for me, I moved back into my parents' house, school had started back full time, and I landed a part time job with the library. I was also volunteering two days a week at the Happy House, but somehow, Shane and I made time to see each other, even if it meant me helping out at Brock's new place.
That was exactly what we had planned for this evening. I had already taken two classes and worked a three-hour shift at the library, but I was off for the rest of the evening, and would go with Shane to help out at Brock's place.
Thomas had been asking me when he was going to get to come along, and I decided tonight was the night. It was a Friday evening, and the boys had plans to put in new flooring beginning the next morning. I knew my job for the evening would be to help them sweep and get the existing floors cleaned, and that was something I thought Thomas could help with.
He was ecstatic at the idea of helping with the project, and talked my ear off about it the whole way to meet Shane. The clinic where Shane gave physical therapy was located on the way to Brock's place, so Thomas and I decided to meet him there. I had been there before, but it was always after business hours, and I had never seen him working. Today, however, Thomas and I got there at 4:30 even though he didn't get off until 5.
We spoke with the receptionist who asked if we wanted her to go back and get Shane, but I assured her we were content to sit in the waiting room. There was a big wall of windows near the left side of the waiting room, and I made Thomas sit there with me, hoping we could catch a glimpse of Shane through the windows.
He worked in a huge room, full of all sorts of machines and contraptions, and I scanned it, trying to spot him. There were at least ten people in there, so it took me a second to find him. He was working with a client on a huge set of hanging weights on the far side of the room.
I peered around the weights to see that he was working with
a girl. He was talking to her, and explaining how she should do an exercise, then he stepped back and watched her perform it. She was young and pretty, and I couldn't believe I actually felt jealous of one of his clients. He nodded as he spoke to her again. He touched her shoulder, and then his own, mimicking the movement she should make. Then he stood back and watched her again. I was proud of him and jealous of her at the same time. I knew it was ridiculous of me, but for some reason it hadn't sunk in that he would be so cute at doing his job. I would totally fall for him if I were one of his clients.
I was mesmerized by watching them when Thomas said, "Where's Shane?"
I motioned into the huge room. "He's working," I said.
"Where?" Thomas said, peering into the room to try to see him.
"He's way in the back."
Thomas stared in there for a few more seconds. "I see him!" he said excitedly. He loved Shane, and had been so excited to come with me this afternoon that there was nothing I could do to stop him from standing up, turning around and waving his arms to get Shane's attention. I couldn’t bear to look. "He sees me!" Thomas said. "He's coming over here! Shaneee!" he said, lifting his arms in greeting.
I turned to find that Shane was indeed walking toward us. He was wearing a huge grin and had his arms lifted to match Thomas's." I shook my head and gave him an apologetic smile, but he seemed unfazed.
"Shaneee!" Thomas repeated when Shane opened the door.
"Thomasss!" Shane said. He waved his hand for us to come over. "I'm just finishing up in here. Why don't you guys come in?"
"Yessss!" Thomas said, pumping his fist.
I stood and we walked toward the doorway where Shane was standing. He high-fived Thomas as he walked by and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek as I did. "How's my girl?" he asked.
"I'm great," I said.
"I'm great too," Thomas added, making Shane smile.
He motioned to a few chairs lining the wall. "I'm almost done. You guys can wait right there."
Chapter 20
Shane hurried back to his client who had finished the set of exercises and was waiting for him, wearing a smile. He spoke with her for a second before gesturing to Thomas and me. She looked in our direction with a smile and a wave, which I returned.
"Who's that?" Thomas asked, looking at me.
"She's just Shane's client," I said. "She's here so he can help her."
"What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know," I whispered. "Maybe Shane will tell us when he's finished. But don't ask in front of her," I added.
"Because she might not want to talk about it," Thomas said.
"Exactly."
We sat there for a few more minutes before Shane passed the girl to one of his assistants who took her to a different area to finish up. He told us using hand gestures that he would be a minute longer, and we watched as he went to the a computer and made notes. He was done before his assistant was finished with his client, and he walked over and talked to them both before coming over to meet Thomas and me.
He was smiling brightly, and I wondered for about the hundredth time since we'd been together how in the world I ended up with him. I stood as he approached us, and Thomas followed suit.
"You guys ready?" he asked. He greeted me with another kiss on the cheek, which made Thomas look down, smiling.
"I get to see Brock's new shop today," Thomas informed him.
"I know," Shane said. "We've been working really hard on it, and Brock's wants you to come check it out. He thinks you'll like it."
Thomas smiled. "I'm gonna work today too."
"Yep," Shane said. "We need help getting those floors cleared off."
"That's what Emily said I was gonna do."
Shane reached out and put his hand around Thomas's arm. "Let me see if you're ready… oh yeah, I feel some big muscles in there."
Thomas beamed at him as he lifted his arm so he could better flex, and Shane let out an approving whistle that made Thomas smile even bigger.
Thomas rode with Shane, and I followed them to Brock's workspace. Brock spent every second of his free time working to improve the warehouse and get it ready. He had two investors, but couldn’t afford a showroom just yet, so his warehouse studio space would have to serve as a makeshift showroom for now. If a customer was looking to buy a piece from him, they would have to come directly to the studio. For this reason, he was working hard to make it as inviting as possible.
The rest of the Rollins family, including Shane, were doing their part to pitch in, and they had succeeded in making quite the transformation since they started. I could see when we pulled up that Brock and Shane's parents were there.
"This doesn't look like a store," Thomas stated as we walked toward the metal building.
"It's not really meant to be a store," I said. "It's Brock's workspace, and he's gonna have an area where people can come to look at and buy finished pieces."
Thomas looked confused, but he didn't say anything. Shane held the door for us, and Thomas and I walked in together. There was music playing loudly, but Brock walked to the stereo when he caught sight of us and turned it down.
"It looks amazing in here!" I said.
"Brockkk!" Thomas yelled with his arms held high.
"Thomasss!" Brock returned, walking over to greet us. He shook Thomas's hand, and turned to shake mine as well, but I made him give me a hug instead.
"I stink," he said, reluctantly reaching out to hug me.
"I don't smell you," Thomas said, leaning toward him and breathing in through his nose.
"We all stink," Mrs. Rollins yelled as she made her way toward us.
"I especially stink," Mr. Rollins added.
They'd been in the far corner of the gigantic room working on a built-in workbench. It was taking them a while to get over to where we were standing, so in the meantime, I looked at Brock. "I can't believe how much you have gotten done since the last time I came here," I said.
He smiled, looking around. "It's coming together." He paused and sighed. "It's scary how fast, actually. I think my family and your brother have more faith in me than I have in myself."
"Just wait till the world gets a glimpse of Brock's stuff," Mrs. Rollins said, extending her hands to hug me as she approached.
"I know, I’m excited for him," I said.
I shifted to face my brother. "This is my brother, Thomas. Thomas, this is Deb and Rick Rollins, Shane and Brock's mom and dad."
She hugged Thomas before Rick offered Thomas his hand to shake. "I hear you two are gonna help us get these floors cleared," she said.
Thomas smiled. "Yep, I have big muscles Shane said." He flexed for them, which made everyone smile.
Deb reached out to grab Thomas's arm in much the same way Shane had done and let out an impressed sound, at whatever she felt. Thomas blinked and smiled shyly at her.
"Thank you guys for coming," she said. "I've been here since 8:00 this morning, so now that Brock has you guys here to help, I figured I'd go pick up some dinner for us all. Is everyone okay with burgers?"
"I don’t mind picking something up if you aren't up to it," Shane said.
"Oh no, baby. Like I said, I got here early and I'm more than ready for a change of scenery.
"You must be exhausted," I said. "But it's great that you can be up here so much to help Brock. I was noticing how good it looked when I came in."
"I'm officially on his payroll," she said, smiling and winking at Brock.
"She'll do most of her work from home," Brock explained, "but the timing is good. I don't know anything about bookkeeping or running a business, so she'll take care of the hard stuff for me."
"Don't forget your website," she said.
"I want to forget the website," Brock said. "That's why I have you, isn't it?"
I turned to face Deb. "Are you really gonna work for Brock?"
I heard her say, "Mostly from home."
But Brock accidently spoke over her saying, "Their loss is my gain."
<
br /> "Okay, that's good," Shane interjected. "Let's get the menu together for burgers." He nudged his mom. "Where are you going?"
"I was thinking Nicco's."
"What'd you mean about their loss?" I asked, knowing Shane well enough to know that he was trying to hide something from me.
Shane looked at me with a regretful expression. "Mom got laid off," he said, "but it works out for everyone."
I was confused until I remembered that she worked for the Buller's ranch. I closed my eyes, unable to believe what I was hearing. "I am so sorry," I said, opening my eyes slowly and cringing as the realization of what they were saying sunk in. I shook my head and stared at her with an expression full of sorrow. "Did you seriously lose your job?" I asked, unable to believe it.
She smiled sweetly and reached out to touch my shoulder. "Yes baby, but you really don't need to worry about it. We were all lucky that it happened when it did. Brock doesn't know anything about running a business, and the timing is absolutely perfect."
I glanced at Shane to see that he was wearing an I'm sorry you found out like this expression.
"There's no such thing as luck," Thomas said. "The Bible says every good and perfect gift is from God. He never makes mistakes."
Deb smiled at him, but I flinched at the fact that he corrected her just after I learned about her getting fired. "She was just saying the timing was good, Thomas," I said.
"It's okay," she said. "It should probably make me feel good that someone's looking after me rather than chalking it up to chance."
"I don't know what you mean about chalking," Thomas said, "but someone is looking out for you. His name's God."
She smiled.
"We should probably get to work," I said, hoping to spare the Rollins of an uncomfortable conversation.
Shane nudged me, and when I glanced at him, he shook his head imperceptibly, telling me to be quiet and let his mom and Thomas speak.
"Our boys have been telling us about God lately. Haven't they, Rick?"
Mr. Rollins smiled and nodded once.
"Yeah, Brock and Shane accepted Christ," Thomas said. "That's why they want to tell you about it." He glanced at Deb and Rick. "Do you want to accept Christ too?"
Finaly My Heart's Desire (Meant for Me Book 2) Page 14