Finding Our Course: Collision Course Duet

by Ahren Sanders

  “I’m going to help him. Be right back.” She disappears down a hallway and toward the sound of baby laughter.

  Bryce leads me to the kitchen and sits down on a stool, situating me between his legs.

  “Remember the plan?”

  “Yes, but I still don’t understand why we need an exit strategy. These are your friends.”

  “We need a strategy because there’s a bed back at the hotel calling our names,” he whispers and kisses along my jawline. “We have weeks of ‘sexual frustration’ to make up for.”

  I suck in a breath and try to step back, but his hands trap my hips. “I thought we did that last night and this morning.”

  “Weeks, Devon. The image of you in that uniform with your mouth wrapped around my dick has kept me hard.” The heat of his breath on my ear sends a tingle down my spine.

  “Bryce, stop,” I mutter breathlessly and squirm. “We—”

  “That is HOT!” Nicole’s voice cuts me off.

  I turn to see her and Tommy in the kitchen doorway with a baby on her hip. She uses her free hand to fan her face, and I cringe, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

  Bryce chuckles against my neck. I force myself to step away, and Nicole gives me a small smile, her eyes twinkling.

  “This must be TJ?”

  “This is him. We’d better act fast. This outfit won’t stay clean for long.”

  He understands we are talking about him and starts scrambling to get down. I’ve never taken photos with children, but I know we need to hurry. The patio is already set up for the party, but I spot a perfect area in the backyard with great lighting.

  “You guys okay with outdoor shots?” They nod in agreement and follow me.

  Other guests start arriving while we’re taking pictures, and TJ loses interest in the minimal amount of posing I could get out of him. Tommy takes him as Nicole and I look through my image viewer at the results.

  “Bryce brags about your photography talent to Tommy all the time. Thank you for doing this.” She puts an arm around my shoulders.

  “I love it.”

  “You want to make a career out of it?”

  “I’m going to try my best. There’s still a lot I have to learn.”

  “I’ve only been around Bryce a few times, but the way he tells it, you’re the shit. Nate says the same thing.”

  Pride surges through me. “Those two are biased.”

  She opens her mouth but snaps it shut. Her eyes grow wide, and I follow their path to the patio. TJ is squealing at the lady coming through the back door with a bundle of brightly colored balloons and her arms full.

  “That’s our neighbor, Mrs. Knicks. She loves spoiling TJ.”

  “Go greet her. I’ll take a few more snapshots of the cake and party. Then you’ll have more for your album.”

  She gives me a loud-smacking kiss on the cheek and yells to the crowd, “Bryce, your fiancée is a gem!”

  “I know!” he yells back, and heat creeps up my cheeks.

  She runs to the house, and I snap shots of the crowd, the cake, the presents, and TJ toddling clumsily toward the bright displays. I try to get a picture of everyone arriving. I freeze when I notice Bryce talking to a woman I don’t recognize. My heart starts to race as she throws her head back laughing and puts her hand against his chest. Another guy joins them, handing her a beer. When she turns and locks eyes with me, my chest tightens. Liza’s glare is full of disgust.

  Out of her uniform, Liza looks like a totally different person. Her outfit hugs her curves in all the right ways to highlight her body. The bun is gone, and now, her long dark hair falls in waves down her back. She’s wearing more make-up than yesterday, and her smoky eyes scream “night at a club” not “backyard bar-be-que”.

  We are opposites in every way. My light blond hair contrasts with her dark. My green eyes don’t seem a match for her shining hazels. We’re built similarly, but her hips and waist seem a lot sexier in the tight black leggings.

  Suddenly, I feel frumpy in my jeans and black sweater. Without words, she sends me a challenge.

  Fiancée or not, I’m interested in Bryce.

  “Dev.” Nate walks up, ending my silent confrontation.

  “Hey.” I give him a smile.

  “That’s pathetic.” He takes a tug of his beer and then focuses back on me. “You really need to perfect your fake smile.”

  “What?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Fine. I think Liza just threw down regarding Bryce.”

  “Probably.” He surprises me by agreeing.

  “You knew?”

  “Had a feeling. She’s got that look on her face when he’s around.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  He turns to me with a horrified expression. “Worried? The guy is so fucking gone, he’d die before he hurt you. Do I need to remind you of his proposal? She can throw herself at him all she wants, but he’ll never catch her. He’s oblivious to her advances.”

  “How is she involved with this crew?”

  “She’s a newly appointed officer on the ship.”

  “That’s why she was at the graduation.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m pretty sure I don’t like her.”

  “Who?” Bryce slides his arms around my waist from behind.

  “Liza’s interested in you.”

  He tenses and turns me into him. “She’s just a co-worker. Nothing else.”

  “Someone needs to tell her that. She had her hands on you.”

  His lips curl up in a playful grin, and he bends, lifting me at the knees. My arms and legs wrap around him to hang on. One arm holds me up, and the other hand threads through my hair. He runs his lips lightly across mine, licking until I open slightly to allow his tongue to touch mine.

  Nate curses beside us as Bryce kisses me hard, putting on a show. Catcalls ring out behind us, but he doesn’t stop, tilting my neck and going deeper. I grow dizzy from lack of oxygen and finally break away, resting my forehead against his.

  “What was that for?”

  “A little reminder that you have nothing to worry about. Ever.”

  “Let’s hope man-eater gets the hint.”

  He throws his head into my neck, laughing loudly. “Everyone in this zip code knows how madly in love I am.”

  I lean down and give him a quick kiss. “Maybe once you have a wedding ring on your finger, the women will finally get the hint.”

  “Are we ready to discuss the wedding?” His smile widens.

  “Tomorrow, all day. We’ve got a wedding to plan.”

  His already glowing face shines brighter. He lets out a loud whoop and spins us in a circle. I’m pretty sure my smile is as big as his.

  Chapter 18

  “Nate and I will be at your apartment before you have to leave on Saturday, maybe even before you wake up,” Bryce kisses across my forehead.

  I cling harder to his chest and nod. As always, I’m in denial about leaving. This is the first time that I have to get in my car and drive away from him alone.

  “Devon, baby, maybe you should go back upstairs and sleep some more. I’d feel better about you driving if it was at least daylight.”

  “The bed’s too empty without you. I promise I’ll be fine.”

  “You’re going to call Quinn the second you hit the interstate, aren’t you?”

  “Yep. If I’m up at five a.m, she needs to be, too. Besides, she’s itching to hear about the weekend. The ten text messages she sent said so.”

  He chuckles lightly and holds me close. “Going to call your mom tonight?”

  I nod again.

  His hands slide to my cheeks and force me to look at him. “You know how much I love you, right?”

  My vision becomes blurry, and I bury my head in his neck. “I’m going to miss you.”

  We hold each other for a minute before he forces me into my car and straps me in. His lips brush along mine, then he closes the door and steps away. I back out and watc
h him in the rearview mirror until he’s no longer visible.

  My phone vibrates against my thigh, and I smile at the message.

  Bryce- You are my world. Don’t forget that. Drive safe, call me after class, and give me a date!

  I plug in my Bluetooth and dial Quinn’s number. She answers the phone surprisingly chipper.

  “Are you actually awake?” I question in disbelief.

  “Yes, set the alarm for five minutes ago. Actually had time to set up my iPad for notes.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that ridiculously pussy-whipped guy of yours sent me a message last night. He was worried about you driving this early in the dark by yourself. He also said you had wedding information.”

  “Sneaky. He didn’t mention it to me.”

  “Probably because he’s Bryce and his weird magic mojo knew you’d call to wake me up. So he warned me.”

  “You’re right. So where should I start?”

  “Tell me about the weekend first.”

  I tell her everything, filling her in on the entire trip. Her silence makes me uncomfortable when I finish the story about Liza.

  “I don’t trust the bitch.” She sounds worried.

  “I don’t either. But what can I say? They work together, and she’s a Naval Officer.”

  “I’m not concerned about Bryce at all. The guy probably left his dick in your vagina.”

  “QUINN!!!”

  “Sorry, but it’s true. He’s one-hundred percent eaten alive by you.”

  “You know it’s mutual, right? You may tease him mercilessly, but I’m over the top in love with him, too.”

  “Oh, yeah, but he’s also fucking whacked out of his mind. This weekend he’ll probably shadow your every move.”

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “Whatever, back to this Liza chick. When I say I don’t trust her, it’s because she obviously doesn’t know who she’s dealing with. Next time you head over to Norfolk, either I’m going with you or we’re going in with a plan of attack. She sounds like a poora cadela.”

  “She may be a fucking bitch, but seriously, she’s stunning.”

  “She’s also a dumbass… better yet, a blind dumbass.”

  The jealousy starts to disappear. Quinn and Nate are right. I can’t let her get to me.

  “Okay, now, we have a wedding to talk about.”

  “We want to get married next summer.”

  “Finally! We have a season!”

  “You knew it was probably next summer.”

  “Yes, but you wouldn’t commit. I was beginning to think you wanted to be a winter bride.”

  I let out a loud breath and swallow the lump forming in my throat. My hands clutch the steering wheel tightly, trying to ignore the squeezing in my heart.

  “I didn’t have a choice. Well, that’s not true; I had a choice but not one I wanted to take.” My voice quivers, and she immediately picks up on it.

  “Dev, what’s wrong?”

  Bryce’s face flashes in my mind. The look of pain when I told him what I was dreaming about for our wedding.

  “I’m thinking about a winter destination wedding in Aspen. It seems appropriate, don’t you think?” I lift up and brace my elbow, drawing a random pattern on his chest with my other hand. My legs tangle with his. “Next Christmas break would be the best time since I’ll have so much time off. I know you won’t have your schedule, but even if you only get four days, we’ll get married and go on a honeymoon later.”

  My voice trails off when I notice the twist of agony on his face. His eyes are glued to the ceiling but slowly drop down to meet mine. Devastation and pain own his expression.

  “Baby, I’d give anything to give you a dream wedding in Aspen. But it can’t be next Christmas.”

  The look on his face tells me what he’s saying. He’ll be deployed.

  I give a half hiccup- half cry. “W-w-when?”

  “We don’t know yet.”

  “H-h-how long?” The stutter turns into a sob, and I fall into his chest.

  “We don’t know that either.”

  “Bryce, it’s only October. How the hell can you know you’ll be gone next Christmas? That’s fourteen months from now!”

  “We don’t know anything yet, but there are talks of us going out late next July. Possibly for five months, maybe six. We can’t plan a wedding not knowing if I’ll be here.”

  His arms tighten, and I sob harder. After a few minutes, I force myself to calm down and move out of his arms. I rub my eyes and sit up; he braces against the headboard and positions me between his legs.

  “Jesus, please stop.”

  Guilt floods me. He is crushed when I cry. I may be upset, but it physically hurts him. “I’m sorry.”

  “If you have your heart set on a winter wedding, we can wait until the next year.”

  “No! Hell no! We’re getting married next summer. After I graduate. Can we do that?”

  His face softens, and his eyes start to sparkle. “Yes, we can do that. Is that really what you want?”

  “Do YOU want to wait another twenty six months?”

  “Fuck no, but I want you to have everything perfect.”

  “Would you want to do a destination?”

  “Maybe, where are you thinking?”

  I think for a second and then snap my head up, disregarding the idea. “Never mind!”

  His eyebrows scrunch in confusion.

  “Can you imagine? If we invited our friends and family to a tropical destination for the wedding, they’d never leave. So, essentially, we’d be spending our honeymoon with them, too!”

  “Good point. Quinn would probably get adjoining rooms to piss me off.”

  “No doubt.”

  “But, you know, we could do a destination closer to home and then take off on a tropical honeymoon.”

  “You have anywhere in mind?”

  His eyes search mine as his lips curl into a cocky grin. He cups my face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs across my cheekbones. “Destin.”

  The idea bounces around in my mind. “Yes,” I breathe out. “It’ll be perfect.

  “Next summer, you’ll be my wife.” His lips and tongue run lightly across my own.

  “Yes, I will.”

  “Hello! Earth to Devon. Are you still there?” Quinn’s annoyed voice interrupts my thoughts.

  “Yes, sorry.” I fill her in on the conversation with Bryce.

  “I’m sorry, Devon. Aspen would have been magical.”

  This is her best friend way of saying she’s sorry about Aspen, but she’s so, so sorry about Bryce’s deployment.

  “I know, but we’ll make Destin magical, too. It holds really good memories.”

  “We have a destination and a month. What’s next?”

  “I’ll talk to Mom tonight, and then, we’ll get started with the location and set a date.”

  She agrees and tells me about a few places she finds online. Our conversation turns to fashion and the wedding attire when she screams so loud my eardrum starts ringing.

  “What the hell?!?” I scream back, “Quinn, you’re scaring me. What’s happening? Should I hang up and call the police?”

  “Oh my God, Devon, we did it! We all did it! We’re going National!”

  “What are you talking about? You have to calm down.”

  “Professor Grant sent an email. Each of the teams from Brazil was picked up by their Journalism advisor’s stations for an exclusive spot.”

  My head swims with this information, not sure I’m understanding. “It’s really early, the sun hasn’t even risen, and I’m an hour and a half from home. Think you can dumb that down for me?”

  “It means you and the rest of the blue team will be doing an exclusive on Shana’s network station. My team will be on Bill’s. Same for the green and yellow teams.”

  “You’re kidding!” I yell.

  “No, hold on. There’s more.”

  She reads the entire email to me, which includes a notic
e that the University will be doing an exposé on the Summer Expo in late January. There will be a formal opening of the exhibit, which will be featured through March.

  The line goes quiet, but I hear the faint sound of her shallow breathing. I know immediately she’s holding something back. “Quinn?”

  “My paper on the boxer from Canada is going to be the spotlighted exhibit. The whole red team will be noted, but it’s MY PAPER!” she screams.

  “Oh, Quinn! No one deserves it more.”

  She continues to rant for a few minutes, but her tone changes. I know what she’s thinking. “Go ahead and call Dean. He’s going to be thrilled…”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’ll be home soon. And let’s plan a celebration Thursday night.”

  I drive the rest of the way home in silence, thinking of the changes coming.

  By Thursday night, word has spread, and every student that went to Brazil meets up to celebrate. To top it off, the article was printed today, and the whole campus seems interested. The online comments have been complimentary, and the Alumni association has requested more information about the program. Professor Grant thinks this will bring in more funds and allow for more students to be accepted next year. He’s also going to present a proposal to allow for Graduate students to participate.

  Most of us don’t have class tomorrow, since it was canceled, so the party is getting wild. Quinn hands me a shot of tequila, we toast with Crystal and then slam it back.

  “Tell me why the hell I let you girls talk me into that nasty shit.” Crystal scowls and does a full body shiver.

  “Suck it up, babe! If you’re gonna hang with the big girls, you gotta grow some balls.” Quinn throws an arm around her shoulders. “A few more shots and you’ll love it.”

  I smile widely at Crystal. It’s been weeks since she came over and we spent the night reminiscing about her relationship with Morgan. She was shocked to hear my background with Bryce, unbelieving that I cut him out of my life. The one time she met him at brunch, she said it looked like we had been together forever. Quinn and I agreed, after she passed out, that she was our next matchmaking project.