by Kristy Love
“Stop apologizing. I promise everything will be okay. Gia will eventually wake up and we can form a new normal.”
“I hope so.” She took a shaky breath. “It’ll be strange not having you here.”
“It’s not for long.”
“I’ll keep you updated on Gia’s condition.”
“Definitely.”
“I’ll talk to you soon.” She said her good-bye and we hung up. I shifted in my chair, sighed, and wondered if I was making the right decision. I had to keep my life moving forward, regardless of everything that kept pulling me back.
Roxie
MY PHONE RANG as I drove through town. My radio blared, so I had to turn it down.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey, Roxie. It’s Mia. I wanted to know if you’d stop by the shop today.”
I glanced down at the clock and saw that it was just after lunch. “I’m not sure, Mia. I have some stuff I need to do.” Since David and I had reconciled, I’d hardly had time to myself, much less at my house. My house probably had grown dust bunnies so large that they were walking around and eating the spoiled food in the fridge. Since David was at his office, working late, I figured I’d go home to try and get some work done there. I sighed, knowing that I would go see Mia. She’d been struggling in the last few weeks, though she put on a brave face.
Wasn’t she always, though? She always acted as though her heart wasn’t being shredded apart by Gia’s condition. The doctors had started using the word coma in the last few days. Mia cried for almost a full twenty-four hours. David brooded. And I continued to feel powerless. She was the elephant that hung out in the room and made the air thick and heavy. It’d been months now since the accident and Gia showed no signs of waking up. David and Mia went about life, acting as though this fact wasn’t weighing on their minds and hearts. It made it hard for me to cope with. I felt like my presence was in the way of their grief, though they both held me close as though I was their savior.
Maybe in some ways I was.
“Sure. I can stop by for a little bit. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she chirped. “Everything is fine. I went to the hospital earlier today before coming into work. I’m going to be here for a couple more hours before I head back to see her.”
Even though David told her that she didn’t need to come into work, that he’d pay her bills and keep her job open, she refused. She said David was doing enough for her, that she needed to pull some of her own weight. She wanted to work so she had some money, though she couldn’t be there full-time. She couldn’t be away from Gia for that long, so they struck a deal. She’d work part-time to pay for some of her expenses. What she couldn’t pay, David would cover. Somehow, it worked for them.
“I’m glad things are fine. Any news?”
“No. Everything is the same. Her vitals are good. She seems fine. She’s just . . . not waking up.”
“It’ll happen, Mia. I feel it.”
“I know. It will.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”
“Of course.”
We hung up and I made my way to David’s shop. I wondered what Mia wanted.
I’d know soon enough.
I PARKED IN the lot, far from the building, and strode across the pavement. As I neared I snuck glimpses into the garage bays; maybe I’d catch a glimpse of David.
Halfway across the lot I spotted him bent over the open hood of a car engine, and it stopped me in my tracks. His coveralls were folded down to his waist and his chest was bare. His skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat, and his muscles bunched and moved in the most seductive of ways.
What I wouldn’t give to wipe him down.
In a split second decision, I turned toward him. The click of my heels drew his attention. He straightened and smiled when his eyes fell on me. He had a bit of grease smeared across his torso, though it only added to his sexiness.
“Love, I wasn’t expecting you,” he said. He picked up a nearby cloth and wiped his hands. Something about the way his eyes sparkled made me think he was full of shit, but I let it go.
“Mia just called and asked if I’d stop by the shop.”
He nodded and threw the cloth over his shoulder, then stalked toward me. His eyes travelled the length of my body before coming to rest on my face with a lopsided grin. “I’m glad you’re here.” He grabbed my hips and pulled me flush against him. The movement erased any space between us. He leaned down and kissed my neck, then my chin, then traveled up to my lips.
“David,” I breathed. The sounds of the shop came back into focus. The guys working on the car next to us were gawking, which made me a little uncomfortable. “They’re looking at us.”
“Then let’s give them something to stare at.” He slid his hand up from my hips until it was tangled in my hair while the other gripped my ass. I gasped at how forceful he was. He turned and pressed me against the side of the car before crushing our lips together, his tongue buried deep in my mouth. The sounds of the shop, the tools, and the guys all faded again as I got lost in his kiss, in his touch, in him. Our lips moved at a fevered pitch, as though we hadn’t just been together mere hours before.
He lifted me until I was practically sitting on the trunk of the car, my legs wrapped around his waist. If the catcalls and the hollering hadn’t broken our trance, we surely would have given David’s employees something to really look at.
By the time David pulled away from me, both of our chests were heaving. I wiped some stray lipstick off David’s lip as he smirked at me. He leaned close until his lips brushed against my ear. “Are they still looking, love?”
“You know they are,” I whispered back.
“Good. Let them look. Let them look at you and wish they were in my place.”
He kissed me again, just as passionately as before, then he pulled away. He held my hand as I hopped off the car and smoothed my skirt down. He dabbed at a smudge on my shirt. His smirk grew into a smile that reached his eyes. “I may have ruined your shirt.”
I glanced down at the spot he touched and shrugged. “I can always get a new skirt.”
“Or you could not wear any skirt.”
I laughed as he linked our fingers together and led me through the shop. Guys made random comments and a few called out to us, but I ignored them. I felt untouchable as long as David was around. When he opened the door to the main showroom, Mia stood from her desk with a folder and walked over to us, a huge smile on her face.
“Roxie, I’m glad you could make it,” she said. She handed the folder to David before going back to her desk with a wink.
David held my hand and led me up the stairs to his office. He shut the door behind us and locked it, then stripped out of his coveralls. Underneath he wore loose jeans that hung low on his hips and showed off all the delicious muscles that covered his torso and disappeared into his waistband. He strode to his desk, tossed the folder onto it, and grabbed a clean rag. With his hip propped against the front of his desk, he wiped the grease and sweat from his torso. That job done, he grabbed a fresh rag and wiped at his hands more thoroughly.
“As much as I love watching you wipe yourself down, what’s going on?” I sat in a comfortable chair facing his desk.
“Why do you think something is going on?” He continued to wipe himself down, though I knew it was for my benefit because he watched me as I watched him.
“Because Mia called me and asked me to stop here. Now that I’m here, she hands you this folder,” I picked up the folder and tapped it against my palm, “and then you sequester me away. Are you going to tell me what’s up or am I going to find out on my own?”
“I love that nothing gets past you,” he said. He tossed the other rag over his shoulder and leaned back against his desk, arms crossed over his naked chest. “Open it.” He nodded toward the folder in front of me.
I opened the folder, my eyes taking in everything at once. There were lots of papers inside and my eyes tried to
take in everything at once. Finally, I pulled out two documents and read them over. “These are plane tickets to London,” I said, my voice flat. I wasn’t happy that he was going. There were two weeks between departure and his return. It felt like an eternity, especially since we’d just gotten back to us.
“They are.”
I shifted through the papers and saw a hotel reservation. “And a hotel reservation. And your passport. You’re leaving tomorrow.” Pain sliced through me.
“I am.”
I fought through my emotions, and finally raised my eyes to meet his. “Are you doing business?”
“I’m buying my father’s garage. He’s run it into the ground.”
“I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the way he’s been treating Mia,” I retorted, sarcasm dripping from my words.
“That’s part of it, yes. I don’t want anything to do with them, especially after what happened with Mia. My father and stepmother have been purposefully trying to ruin the business.”
“What makes you think he’ll sell it?”
“My lawyers have been working on it. They closed the deal, I just need to go and sign the paperwork.”
“And you need two weeks to do that?”
“I need to make sure everything is okay, but that should only take a few days.”
I lowered my eyes to the papers that would take him away from me when I felt I’d just gotten him back. My heart hurt. I didn’t want him to go. Before I could stop it, a tear fell from my eyes and onto the papers in my hands. “I don’t want you to go,” I whispered as I fought against my emotions. I didn’t want him to know it hurt. I didn’t want him to know this felt as though I was being crushed. It shouldn’t, but it did.
He walked over to me and tucked his fingers under my chin my gaze lifted to meet his. “I don’t want to go.”
“I feel like you’re leaving me.”
“I’m not leaving you, love. Ever.” His words should have reassured me; instead, they hurt. He wiped a tear with his thumb. “Move the rest of the papers.”
I shuffled the papers to discover there was another set of tickets and passport underneath. My name was on them. Roxana Brennan. My eyes widened and shot up to meet his. “What?”
“I didn’t want to leave you, so I thought you could come with me. We could get away and spend some time together.”
“But last time we went away together, everything went bad,” I said.
“Nothing will go bad.” He cradled my face in his hands, our eyes locked. “I’ve already talked to Mia. I’ll call her every day to check on Gia. She’ll call you every day to check in. She said you help keep her sane.”
My heart swelled. I loved that these two broken people relied on me. I laid my hands atop his and squeezed. Emotion filled my eyes and spilled onto my cheeks, though this time from happiness. “I guess I should go pack.”
“I guess you should.”
“You’re kind of an asshole for making me think you were leaving without me.”
He grinned, clearly loving his trick. “I am, though I love that I got it past you.”
“I’m surprised you did. I must be off my game today.”
“You must be.” He kissed me. “I’m glad you are. I love surprising you.”
I got lost in his kiss, then moved away. “I need to go decide which shoes I can fit in my suitcase. I’m so excited!”
David chuckled and walked me out of his office and to my car. Mia was no longer at her desk, but I’d catch up with her later.
DAVID AND I sat in a small pub in London, where we enjoyed fish and chips accompanied by Guinness. I loved it in London. David had taken me to see all the tourist attractions, like Buckingham Palace, and a few local favorites, as well. It’d been a long time since he’d been home and he seemed to be enjoying himself. The entire time we were back, his accent was a little thicker and he used more slang. Though sometimes it was hard for me to keep up, I loved it.
“You see that bloke over there?” David nodded in the corner.
“Yeah?” I looked over my shoulder and spotted a guy in a soccer shirt and jeans. He looked like a ton of other patrons in the pub.
“I went to school with him. He’s an arsehole.”
“How do you know he’s still an asshole?” I fought a smile. Something about David in London warmed my heart and made me smile.
“See the girl with him?” I nodded. “They were together in high school. No doubt they’re married by now.” Then he pointed to a woman at the bar in a short red dress. “That woman? I’d bet he kisses his wife on the cheek, and as soon as she leaves, he goes over to her.”
I looked at David with a raised eyebrow. “How in the hell do you think you know all this.”
David leaned closer across the small table. “He’s been cheating on her forever.”
Sure enough, the guy kissed his wife, then waited for her to leave. In no time, he descended on the girl in the red dress. David sat back in his chair, arms folded over his chest, a victorious smile on his face. “There’s no way you knew that,” I remarked.
“My friend Fanny still lives in town. She keeps me updated on shit like this.” He laughed.
“Your friends name is Fanny?”
David shrugged. “She didn’t pick the name.”
I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks. Now that David had purchased the garage in London, a sense of calm surrounded him. It was as if he was happier now that he didn’t have to worry about it. All ties were officially cut from his father and stepmother and he could move on.
After the deal for the purchase was struck and all the documents were signed, David spent two days going through the shop, He wanted to make sure everything was in working order. He promoted a guy who’d worked there since his mother was alive. That way David could be kept in the loop, but this new manager could run the operation for him. David planned to visit a few times a year, but he wasn’t worried about the shop. He said this guy was trustworthy.
I loved seeing him this way.
There was an ease between us, and we were comfortable, though there was still a fiery passion that erupted any time we touched.
I couldn’t get enough of it.
“You ready to get out of here?” He threw his napkin on his plate. We paid the bill and left, our hands entwined. The weather was gorgeous, though a little overcast. Somehow, we’d lucked into truly beautiful skies during our visit so far with only a few days of rain.
Today was our last day in London and I dreaded returning home. After sleeping next to David every night and waking up to him every morning, I didn’t want to go back to living separately. I felt kind of crazy. After our rollercoaster ride in the beginning, it felt as if we hadn’t been together long enough to move in.
Other than that one time, David hadn’t said he loved me. I’d never told him I loved him, though I did. My heart completely belonged to him. I loved him even when I wanted to smack him. That was true love, in my opinion.
We strolled through the streets and I took in the sights, as I had for the last two weeks. I was ready to get home to what I was familiar with, though I’d miss the beauty of London. I’d miss this new relationship David and I had forged.
David pulled me to a stop on a bridge. The sun was sinking in the sky. Beautiful shades of purple, blue, and pink added a romantic element to the moment as a breeze wrapped around us. David put his arms around me and kissed me, softly at first, then with more passion. When my knees were weak and I was ready to rip his clothes off, he smiled down at me.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said.
“What about?” Even though it had to be something good—we were in an amazing place—nerves still swirled in my stomach.
“I know things seem kind of new for us, but I think it’s the right time.” I nodded, my eyes flicking between his as I tried to discern what he was saying. “I’d like you to move into my place when we get back to the States. I’ve loved spending so much time with you. I
love the long showers you take and the way you always leave your wet towels on the floor.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to be an asshole? Because that isn’t exactly convincing.”
He laughed and tightened his arms around me. “I’m saying that I love everything about you, even the things that should drive me crazy.” He brushed a piece of hair off my cheek. “I love you, Roxie.”
My heart warmed and swelled, and I let a smile spread across my face. “I love you, David. I’d love to move in with you.”
He smiled so big the corners of his eyes crinkled as he crashed our lips together. He kissed me a long time, long enough to steal my breath and my thoughts, and erase the world outside of our embrace.
“I’ve been waiting forever for you to say that,” he said, his forehead pressed against mine.
“It feels right. I was so closed off before you, David. I was convinced that love wasn’t worth the fall, but you are worth the fall.” I smiled and we kissed again, lost in our newfound happiness. I felt as though my life was officially beginning.
Mia
One Year Later
DAVID AND ROXIE strolled through the shop hand in hand. They laughed and talked, exactly as it had been for the last year.
Within a week of coming back from London, Roxie moved into David’s house. She was able to get out of her lease a few months early, and since the house was furnished, she left everything behind except her clothes, shoes, and purses. We went together to shop for things that David didn’t have at his place.
And I was painfully alone.
I was completely happy that David found Roxie. They were perfect together. They enjoyed going out together, they enjoyed the same movies, and they liked staying in.
They were still completely here for me, coming to the hospital frequently. Roxie and I still had girl’s night out. I loved Roxie. She was like the sister I never had.
“Mia, I’m surprised to see you here,” David said. He shared a look with Roxie, though I wasn’t sure what they silently communicated. It made me feel as though I was on the outside looking in. “I thought you’d be with Gia.”