“Come on, let’s go skinny dipping,” I said and took his hand.
Together we both jumped into the water. It felt like little knives stabbing me all over and I had to fight to breathe. But Shane’s hand was strong and he pulled me up above the water.
I took a deep breath and went to run back to the pier. But Shane yanked me back to him and gave me a kiss.
“All right,” he said in between shivers. “Let’s get back into the house.”
We scrambled to the pier and hauled ourselves out, grabbing our clothes. Shane pulled the keys out of his jeans pocket, and quickly let us into the house. He led me to the bathroom just inside and grabbed two towels from the linen closet inside of it. I wrapped him up tight and he pulled me into a hug with my own towel. We stood like that, absorbing each other’s body heat.
I turned my head and kissed him, begging for passion, but he pulled away suddenly.
“Not just yet. I’ll grab our clothes from the front door and meet you here.”
“Last night you couldn’t wait, and now you’re telling me to hold on?”
“There’s something I need to say to you first, and it doesn’t feel right for me to say it when you’re naked, and I might not be able to get it out because you naked is one of the most distracting things on the planet.” He quickly bolted from the bathroom and returned with our bags.
We quickly got dressed and Shane brought me to the living room couch. He knelt in front of me and gave me a little kiss.
“All right, so I’m not proposing marriage, but I am proposing something. Okay, um, here it goes.” He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and then looked up at me.
“You wrote it down?”
“Shut up. I was nervous, okay?”
“Sorry, I’m going to be quiet now.”
“That’s unlikely.” He raised his eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes at him. But when I returned my gaze to him, all the joking from Shane’s face was gone.
He took a deep breath and started. “I vow to make love to you often, but love you always. I vow to support you even when you’re being crazy, well, especially when you’re being crazy. I vow to never let you drive my car, but to always make sure you get where you need to go. I vow to hold you when you cry, when you laugh, and when you make sarcastic comments. I vow that if one day we do get married, I won’t ask until you’re ready, and after that, I vow to never let you give up on our adventures. As much as I’d like to see you barefoot and pregnant with my child, I want to see you take on the world first. Unless you want a baby sooner than later, and I’m down to practice. Basically, I vow to be, not just the man you need in your life, but the man you want in your life.”
I didn’t know what to say and the tears took over. That was the ultimate non-proposal I’d ever heard, and quite possibly the most amazing thing I’ll ever hear. He understood me down to my core and appreciated all of my ridiculous quirks. But it was more than that. The speech was so Shane. He didn’t try to be anyone else or to act all fancy. I know this came from the heart and I know he worked on it by himself.
“Shane, I want you to be the man in my life too. And as much as I hate your surprises, I hope they never stop.”
He sat down on the couch next to me and kissed me, pressing hard against me. He pulled away again and took my face in his hands. “Look, I know if things don’t work themselves out with your parents, it’s going to be hard for you, but I’m not going anywhere. You can move into the apartment with me. I make enough from racing and the internship to support us if you don’t get your own internship. Besides, I’d love to see you bare ass naked cooking me dinner every night.”
The smile on my face fell. I wanted to be happy. These were all the things I’d wanted, but now I was getting them because of the awful circumstances my parents put me in. It wasn’t fair to him. I stood up and paced a little.
“As much as I’d love to do that, you don’t have to do this. I mean, it’s not your fault that my parents cut me off. I don’t want to be a burden, and you helping to support me would definitely be—”
“My choice,” he said, cutting me off and standing up in front of me. “Christie, didn’t you hear what I said? I didn’t come up with that last night. I’ve been working on that for the last three weeks we’ve been apart. You needed me to ask you to be my girlfriend, so I decided to do this vow thing so you’d understand exactly how crazy I am about you. Yeah, this thing with your parents sucks, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t want these things.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Will you buy me a lacy apron?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’d love to.”
Shane kissed me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I melted into his arms as he picked me up and brought me to the bedroom around the corner. He placed me down on the bedspread and quickly started taking my shirt off.
“Didn’t you just insist I get dressed and now you’re undressing me again?”
“Yes, I never said this relationship wouldn’t be complicated.” He slid my shirt up over my shoulders and I reached to quickly strip his shirt off too, so I could feel those muscles I was drooling over earlier.
I purred as he kissed my breast through my lacy bra. He reached behind me, unclasping it, and tossed it to the ground. His strong hands quickly took a hold of me as he teased my nipples with his teeth. I arched my back, pushing my breasts deeper into his hands. Moaning, I dug my nails into his back and he let out a growl.
“Christie,” he snarled, before covering my mouth with his, passionately kissing me as he slid his hands around my back, pulling me tightly against him.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and he slammed me down against the bed, tearing my leggings off.
“What, no underwear?” Shane asked, smiling at me.
“I don’t like to wear it. Are you disappointed?”
“Right now, nothing could disappoint me. I have you back and you love me.”
“And you love me.”
“I do.”
“Then kiss me.”
Epilogue
I got the internship, but lost my parents. Since moving in with Shane, they refused to talk to me. Though, I guess I should consider myself lucky that they gave me a half hour to come back in the house and pack some of my stuff. I wrote my parents a letter every week, updating them on my life. Every letter got sent back to me, ‘return to sender.’
At first, it devastated me. How could they write me off when I was trying to be true to myself? But they were determined I’d made the wrong decision. It was hard, but Mrs. Choi was an amazing surrogate mother for now. She worried that I wasn’t eating healthy enough, she asked about my grades, and gave me a job filing in her medical office on the weekends. It was liberating to be more independent. Well, as independent as a woman who cooked wearing only a lacy apron for her boyfriend could be.
I thought it would be difficult to live with a guy permanently. But things with Shane were better than ever. We went to the track on Saturdays, spent Sundays completing our new couple bucket list, and focused on school during the week. However, the best part, Shane and I fell asleep together every night. Most nights, he fulfilled my every desire, and I worked hard to remind him how he was my king of the night.
Life wasn’t perfect, but I was happy, and it was my choice.
***
Three Years Later
We all stood at Violet’s graduation party, watching her give a speech about how grateful she was that we all took the time to celebrate with her. But she didn’t get to finish her speech because Berneli interrupted her. He stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Listen, everyone, I have known this woman for the past four years and, as her favorite character likes to say, “you have captivated me, body and soul.” Looking at all of the people who love her and me, I cannot contain this anymore.” Berneli dropped to his knees and took her hand.
“Love, we have a lot to look forwa
rd to in the next year. Things are going beautifully with my university position, and you have that journalist position. Our apartment is beautifully decorated thanks to Christie and Annabelle, and Mom’s restaurant is a hit. But to make life perfect, I would like to ask you something. Do me the honor of being my wife.”
I watched tears fill Violet’s eyes as she nodded to him, extending her hand so he could put the ring on her finger. I smiled at her, and tried to keep from crying myself. I know I didn’t want to get married early, but it suited Violet and Berneli. The hopeless romantics would make a beautiful couple.
Annabelle and I let their families hug them before we freaked out. I turned to look at Annabelle when I heard her sniffle. Jason quickly offered her a tissue and pulled her into a tight hug. They’d be moving in together as she started graduate school and he began a position with a prominent cyber security company. They talked about marriage, but Annabelle said she wanted to establish her own career before she became a Mrs.
“So, when I propose, I’m gonna give you a ring pop. You don’t need the big ring, right?” Shane asked me.
“Listen, to me, you spazzy man. If you think you’re getting off without buying me a beautiful ring, you’ve got another think coming. I have needs and those needs involve diamonds.”
He smiled at me and wrapped an arm around my waist.
“Huh, it’s a good thing I won the race last week. I guess I could spend maybe two or three hundred dollars.”
I turned to look at Shane and saw the goofy look in his eyes. “I will call your mother if you even think about that.”
“I’m not afraid of her.” He kissed the tip of my nose and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “But if it makes you happy, I might consider a simple two carat solitaire. I wouldn’t want to take away from the beauty of your face. Then, when we got married, I’d present you with an elaborate wedding ring. The kind that stops people in their tracks. This way, you can be the princess you always wanted to be, but only when you want to. The rest of the time, you can be whoever you want to be.”
I leaned into him, knowing that in a few hours, I’d be going back to our apartment, and starting my job at the marketing firm. Trent moved out of the area and we never heard from him again, and Finn was just a ghost from the past. Funny what can happen in just eight semesters.
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the readers of the Elton Hall Chronicles. Remember to follow your heart and if you doubt it, ask your best friend. She'll tell you what you need to hear even if you don't want to.
About the Author
Always the avid reader, Sarah Fischer found it frustrating that there were so few books following the struggles and joys that a typical college student faces. While recovering from surgery, she decided to write one. Elton Hall Chronicles: First Semester is based on real events that happened to Sarah and her friends over the years. When she isn’t unveiling long held secrets or working as a government drove, Sarah likes to go to the movies with her husband and spend time with her three furbabies.
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https://www.facebook.com/sarah.elizabeth.129
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Third Wheel (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 3) Page 22