He places a finger on my lips, running it lightly across. The effect is like a lightning bolt of pleasure, “Shhhh…do not shame yourself like that, Elizabeth. You were lonely. All I know is that if you were mine, you would never have had to look elsewhere—you know, had I not gone back to Katya. I would’ve spent every day letting you know how much you meant to me, giving you the attention you deserved.”
In this moment, I can clearly see why I fell for him. His words awaken this longing within me, this desire to be cherished. His finger on my lip and arm around my waist have me ready to fall right back into him, even with his missing girl—fiancé…whatever she is. The thought of Katya is like a bucket of ice water being poured over me.
I talk around his finger, “Where do you think she is?”
He drops his arms, stepping away from me. “I don’t know. I’m going to find her or die trying though. Will you help me?”
I swallow the lump in my throat, “Help you? How?”
He composes himself, “I’ve organized a search party for tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to go door to door tomorrow morning, handing out flyers with her picture on them. We’re meeting at Founder’s Park at nine in the morning and then back there again around one. Please say you’ll come.”
I’m feeling a bit raw and my emotions are seriously all over the place right now. I want to say no, but the look in his eyes is so intense, that I find myself agreeing to meet him. His smile is so blinding when I agree, that I feel like I made the right choice.
I walk him out onto the front porch when he turns back, “Hey Elizabeth, it was really good to talk to you. I still owe you a cup of coff—”
The roar of an engine cuts off his words and I cringe. This is very bad. I’m so screwed right now. I close my eyes and let out a sigh as I hear a truck door slam.
“I swear to fuck, Landon. I thought I made myself pretty damn clear the last time you were on my property that it better be the last.”
I pop one eye open, cringe still firmly in place, as I survey the scene in front of me. Landon’s jaw is set and he’s clenching and unclenching his fists, every muscle stretched taut.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I look over at David and he’s in a similar stance. My eyes also catch our neighbor, Charles, standing stock-still in his front yard—no doubt debating whether or not to call the cops for this little exchange.
I wave exaggeratedly, “Hey Charles! How’s Nina?”
He reluctantly turns his attention over to where I’m standing, “Hey Elizabeth. Nina’s fine—everything okay over there?”
I fake laugh and put on my best southern drawl, “Oh, you know how it is. Landon here forgot to return some tools he borrowed from David,” I then stage whisper, “Not a good idea!”
It’s so over the top, I’m certain he won’t buy it. To my surprise, Charles nods wisely and looks over at David. “David, you’re learning a valuable lesson here. Never let someone borrow something you expect to get back!”
David gives me a look before focusing his glare back on Landon. He answers Charles through a clenched jaw, “Don’t worry, Chuck. Landon here won’t be borrowing anything of mine ever again!”
I clap my hands together, “Well, that settles that. No one is going to be borrowing anything in the future. Landon, lovely to see you. David—can I have a word?”
Landon looks utterly destroyed, “I thought you filed for divorce. He’s having a baby with your friend!”
David lets go of the front door handle and storms over to me. Before I can react, he’s dragging me inside the house. “Stay here. I’m done dealing with his shit!”
I march back outside and get between the two of them. “Not here. Landon—I’ll be there tomorrow. David—a word?”
Landon shakes his head and walks to the curb to get into his SUV. David pins me with a look that would wilt flowers. I turn away from him and go back inside before we draw another crowd. He follows, slamming the front door behind him—the glass rattles so hard, I’m afraid it’s going to break.
“You’ll see him tomorrow? What the fuck is that? I leave for a few hours and what—he’s back in our bed?”
I exhale and spin on my heel, “What did you just say to me, David Greene?” My voice has risen several octaves in the process.
“You heard me, Beth. Are you fucking him again?”
My hand connects with his face and the sound is so loud that it startles me. He draws back in surprise, his eyes blazing with rage.
“How dare you, David. How. Fucking. Dare. You!” My voice wavers and then I feel tears hitting my cheeks.
The fight immediately goes out of his eyes and he sinks down into a dining room chair. “Jesus, Beth. I just accused you of being a whore. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”
I sink down until I’m sitting on the hardwood floor, my head resting on my knees. “You c-can’t do that to me, David. It’s n-not fair. If you automatically assume the worst—how are we going to make a life together?”
By the time I leave the gym, I feel much more in control of the anger. I was going to have to stick to my word and take things slow. I just needed to pull back and refocus my efforts. We had a lot of hurt between the two of us and I couldn’t expect her to just move through all of that overnight.
It killed me to think that she was basing her future with me on the results of a paternity test though. If I could just get her to remember why we fell in love—why we’re good together—maybe she’d choose me all over again, regardless of what the test said. I’ve got an idea of where to start as I turn onto our street.
And then I see him in my front yard.
All the good work in the gym—gone. I’m practically growling with anger when I shove the gear shift into park. Beth closes her eyes, bracing herself for the storm I’m about to bring.
I’m out of the truck and slamming the door shut before approaching him. The son-of-a-bitch has a fucking grin on his face. I’m going to kill him. “I swear to fuck, Landon. I thought I made myself pretty damn clear the last time you were on my property that it better be the last.”
I’m pleased to see the grin disappear, but before I can settle things between us, Beth is yelling out to Chuck across the street. I quickly realize she’s trying to divert his attention from what’s about to go down, but I have a sudden urge to laugh.
She’s made up some godawful story about Landon borrowing my tools and not returning them—I don’t even know how she came up with it. There’s a muscle twitching near Landon’s jaw and I can’t decipher if he’s amused or ready to throw a punch. In the meantime, I keep a wary eye on him.
When Chuck calls out a warning about borrowing things, all humor ceases. It hits way too close to home for me.
My jaw clenches in frustration, “Don’t worry, Chuck. Landon here won’t be borrowing anything of mine ever again!”
Beth catches my eye and I can see worry etched all over her face. She claps her hands together and forces a smile. “Well, that settles that. No one is going to be borrowing anything in the future. Landon, lovely to see you. David—can I have a word?”
Landon decides now is the time to speak up. I’m pissed that she told him about filing for divorce. I feel as though my body is humming with rage as I pull Beth inside the house. I’m about three seconds away from decimating this fucker and I don’t want her to witness it.
I warn her, “Stay here. I’m done dealing with his shit!”
As usual, Beth does what Beth wants and she follows me right back outside. She gets in between us and sends Landon on his way. I can’t even think straight as I walk back inside—is she going to call him up to come over every time we fight? She’s cut deep with her actions and I’m ready to return the favor.
I snap at her, “You’ll see him tomorrow? What the fuck is that? I leave for a few hours and what—he’s back in our bed?”
She stops walking and turns on me, her voice getting higher after each word. “What did you just say to me, David Greene?”
The words come out in a snarl, “You heard me, Beth. Are you fucking him again?”
Her hand comes up out of seemingly nowhere before meeting my face. I’m shocked and for a second, the rage is deafening. Then, just as quickly as it came, it’s gone.
She responds, “How dare you, David. How. Fucking. Dare. You!” I’m certain she’s about to go on a tirade when I see the first couple of tears fall.
What the hell am I doing?
I sit down into a chair, the full weight of my words hitting me in the face just as she did. “Jesus, Beth. I just accused you of being a whore. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”
She slides down the wall until she’s sitting on the hardwood. “You c-can’t do that to me, David. It’s n-not fair. If you automatically assume the worst—how are we going to make a life together?”
The minutes seem to lengthen in the silence. I go over and sit down in the floor next to her, my sore muscles protesting. I take her hand in both of mine, my fingers make little circles over her soft skin.
“I left here earlier because I was pissed off that you’d still go through with the divorce if it turns out I’m the father. I went to the gym and tried to process everything you said. I still couldn’t imagine why you would deny yourself what you want because of one person,” She opens her mouth to speak and I lightly place my finger against her mouth.
“Let me finish. It wasn’t until I pulled up and saw Landon that it clicked. I love you, Beth. Hell, I’d kill for you if needed, but I won’t share you with him. I get it—you won’t share me with her either. So, we’re at an impasse here. What do we do?”
Beth pulls her hand from mine and my heart is fucking free-falling through the floor beneath me. I’m surprised when she grabs onto my shirt and pulls me into her, resting her wet cheek on my chest. “Landon came by—”
I cut in, “Hey, you don’t owe me an explanation—”
She haphazardly brings her hand up to my mouth and holds it there. “Shhhh…let me finish. Landon came by because of the alibi witness statement I gave. Apparently, he and Katya broke up for a while, but when he knew I was getting back with you—he went back to her. I gave a statement that contradicted that…I don’t know, I guess I’m still forgetting things from before the wreck. He said he was going to propose and then he asked me to help him find her. He’s organized a search party. That’s why he said he’d see me tomorrow.”
I sit in silence, her fingers still pressed to my lips. She wasn’t running back to him. It’s the only answer I need. I nip at one of her fingers and she seems surprised to find that they’re still pressed to my mouth. She’s been crying so hard that her eyes appear to be glowing blue.
I use my hand to tilt her splotchy face up toward mine. I don’t know what we’re going to do or how we’re going to make it through this—all I know is that she’s never looked more beautiful than she does in this moment.
“I love you too.” Her voice is quiet, but her words are weighted. Am I okay with loving her for as long as I have her? Could I love her enough to overcome the obstacles?
She brings her hands up and cups my face in hers, “I’m gonna love you for as long as I have you, David. I just want to enjoy every moment we’ve got—no more fighting.”
Her words echo my thoughts. That’s got to mean something. I don’t have time to dwell on it any longer because she presses her lips against mine and all rational thought ceases.
It takes a lot of effort to not lose myself in her mouth. I need to stay in control. I’m not getting her into bed until we reach some sort of resolution here. The problem is, when she kisses me like this, there’s nothing I want more. I reluctantly pull away when her hands find the hem of my shirt and start inching their way up.
“Can I take you to dinner?”
She sputters with laughter, “You really think that food is what you want right now?”
I groan, “No—I want you,” Her eyes light with desire before I continue, “but I meant what I said earlier. I want it to be right between us. So, dinner it is.”
He’s trying to kill me. I mean, what else could he be trying to do? My hormones are all over the place and just when I think he’s going to give in, he pulls back.
I’m breathless and he’s got a cocky grin on his face. Yeah, David knows exactly what he’s doing to me. He gives me another quick kiss before he goes to shower. Once he leaves, I have a sudden desire to cry again. I need to get these emotions in check.
I freshen up my makeup and pull my hair up as he moves effortlessly around me, grabbing a shirt from his closet. He comes back out, the towel slung low around his hips, and my mouth goes dry. The water beads down his body and traces over every muscle.
“You almost ready?” His words snap me out of my trance and I realize I’m staring blankly into the mirror watching his every move.
“Y-y-yeah…I’m good.” I put the cap back on the lipstick before realizing I never put it on. I take the cap off again and focus my attention on applying it carefully. I can see him watching me as I line my lips, his gaze is almost as intense as mine was. I snap the cap on and he blinks rapidly. Two can play this game.
David is still standing in his closet, a shirt wadded up in his hand. I look at him innocently, “You going to wear clothes to dinner or just the towel?”
He glances down and shakes his head as if to clear his mind. Elizabeth-1, David-0.
“Yeah, I’m uh…gonna change in the bedroom.”
I wink at my reflection when he closes the bathroom door and go into the closet to find something to wear.
I come out a few minutes later in a black one shoulder kimono dress and strappy heels. It was the only dress that was loose enough to disguise the fact that I’m carrying a tiny human inside me.
He’s watching Sportscenter when I walk into the living room so he doesn’t notice me right away.
“Do you care if I drive? I’m a little wary of going out to dinner with you behind the wheel, if you know what I mean.” I laugh as I say it, but I’m only slightly kidding.
“You let me drive you to lunch! You don’t trust my driving now, Beth?” He reluctantly peels his eyes from the television to answer me and I get the privilege of watching him open and close his mouth like a fish out of water.
I grin wickedly at him, “That was lunch, not dinner. I think it’s better if I drive. You coming?”
“You don’t even know where we’re going!” He calls after me as I open up the garage and climb into the driver’s seat of my SUV.
I gesture to the passenger seat and he gives me a resigned look before getting in. I turn and smile at him, “Where to, boss?”
He rolls his eyes at me, but I can tell he’s amused. “Nick’s. I wanted it to be a surprise, but someone here in this car is a control freak.”
Nick’s…where it all began. No ulterior motives there, David. Nope.
I give him a fixed grin, “Great!”
I’ve just turned off our residential street when his hand reaches across and rests on my knee. “This is nice, Beth. Just you and me.”
I smile and agree as beads of sweat trail down my spine. How can his touch affect me like this?
We reach the restaurant and find a parking spot in the crowded lot. David comes around and opens my door before grabbing my hand as we make our way across the gravel. This simple act is stirring up a lot of memories—the only problem is that I’m still unsure of when the memories occurred.
The air-conditioning is going full blast once we step inside, but with my husband’s hand on the small of my back, I’m burning up inside. Once we reach the bar he leans into me so I can hear him over the crowd, “I’m David, by the way.” He extends his hand for me to shake. I grin up at him (that’s all I seemed capable of doing since I met him- grinning like a fool) and lean back into him, “David, I’m Elizabeth. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I sigh at the memory and David looks at me questioningly. “You okay, babe? Want to grab a table while I grab us some drinks?�
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I nod before realizing that he’ll expect me to drink. Shit! “Why don’t you get the table and I’ll get the drinks—maybe find something on the patio.” I wink at him, rivulets of sweat on my back are making my dress stick to me.
“Yeah? Okay, but I’m not wearing an undershirt tonight so try not to spill!” I turn back to the bar when I feel his arms wrap around my waist. He nuzzles my neck and whispers in my ear, “Do you even know what I want?”
Me? Is it me? Please let it be me.
My heart is hammering in my chest when he gestures to the bar and I realize he’s referring to his drink order.
My words become jumbled up in my mouth and it takes me a second to compose them into an actual sentence. “Y-yeah, a Shiner like usual. R-r-right?” C’mon tongue, work!
He steps closer to me as someone squeezes through the crowd, his eyes never breaking contact with mine. There’s such an intensity when he looks at me like this, it makes it harder to think clearly.
He smiles at me as though he’s amused, “Yeah, babe. I didn’t know if you’d remember.”
I did remember. I’m mentally giving myself a pat on the back when I realize I still have to figure out my drink situation. He squeezes my arm before pushing through the crowd and out onto the patio.
The bartender finally notices me and I shout out David’s order. As he brings it over, I lean in closer, “Hi. I’m pregnant. Is there any way you could get me a Malibu and pineapple, but make it virgin?”
He looks perplexed, “So, you want pineapple juice and a lime wedge?”
I force out a laugh, “Yeah. That.” Seriously?
He brings it back over and I give him my card to start a tab, “Thanks—and if a sexy man in a gray shirt comes up…he looks kind of like Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead—well, can you continue to make mine virgins and not tell him. Like a secret?”
He agrees, but walks away shaking his head. He must think I’m insane. Hell, I’m starting to think I’m insane.
I use my back to push open the patio door, carefully holding both drinks in my hand. I’m almost halfway across the patio when I see him. He’s sitting at the same table as when we first met and I’m once again hyperaware of my heart beating out a steady rhythm in my chest. I am about three steps away from him when I realize that I was focused on him and not the deck slats. My heel slips in perfectly, but this time I remain upright.
Forsaking All Others (From This Day Forward Book 2) Page 9