“Olivia, I love you and I will never forget you. I will honor our memories and keep you in my heart forever,” I say out loud.
I place the photo back in the drawer, then text Willow:
7:45 AM How about I pick you up this morning on my way in, it seems a waste to take two cars when we’re going to the same place. A
7:50 AM OK, if it’s not too much trouble. W
7:51 AM It’s not. I’ll pick you up at 8:30. A
Stopping at the florist to pick up another mixed arrangement of flowers, I show up at her door promptly at eight-thirty. Just as I start to get out of the car, she makes her way down the sidewalk. Opening her car door, she sees the flowers on the seat. With a smile she picks them up, takes a seat and places them on her lap.
“Thank you, they are beautiful. I’m going to put them on my desk at work,” she says.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
The drive to the office is short. Helping her out of the car with my hand, we walk to the elevator hand in hand. We ignore anyone that may be looking. Stopping at her floor, I give her a kiss.
“See you at noon for lunch, sweetheart.”
Back in my office, it’s back to meetings and long conference calls. There’s something that’s shifted, though. I can feel it all around me. It’s almost like there’s something missing, the air is different. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s almost like my dreams were real and Olivia is gone. There’s a hint of sadness, but there’s a peace about it too. She must have been with me everywhere. Like she was holding my hand, guiding me until I was ready to let her go. Now that she’s gone, I know she’s in a better place. She’s at peace. Life really does move on. That’s just the type of woman Olivia was, to stay here for me, to help me move on. She must have known I could have never moved on if she didn’t help me. She was truly a selfless woman. Now that I know she’s at peace, I know I’m ready to fall in love again. I’m falling in love with Willow. She isn’t Olivia; there’s no replacing Olivia. But what I’m feeling is definitely love.
Chapter 12
Willow
Placing the flowers in a vase from the break room, I proudly display them on my desk. I make Amelia her espresso and walk into her office. I set it on her desk while biting my lip. I know I need to explain myself about what happened yesterday.
“Amelia, I need to tell you what happened yesterday,” I start.
“You don’t need to tell me; it’s between you and Asher.”
“No, I want to,” I insist.
“Good, because I’m just dying to know!”
I tell her the whole story, from the woman in the elevator, to accusing Asher of having an affair. Amelia hangs on every word I say.
“I’m sorry for telling Asher. I want you to know I’d never betray your trust. He’s my brother, and I love him, he’s been through a lot these past few years. It was his story to tell you. But I will say, you probably could have avoided a few hours of heartache if you told me the real reason yesterday why you were leaving. I know I’m your boss, but you’re more than that to me. You’re dating my brother; we’re going to be spending more time together outside the office. I want you to know you can tell me anything. I only told Asher because I figured there had to have been a misunderstanding.”
“You’re right, it was a misunderstanding, and thank you for knowing enough not to listen to me and my idiotic thoughts. I understand you were in a tough spot between being loyal to your brother and honoring my wishes. I would never want to put you in a place where you had to make a choice between the two of us. You did the right thing. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with you and your family. I don’t really have any family, so this is all new to me. Thank you for being there for me. I better get to work, if I want to have my lunch date.”
“Ah yes, I e-mailed you a list of what I need done today. There’s no rush on anything. Have a good lunch with Asher.”
Closing the door behind me, I check my e-mail and get to work. Getting a smell from the flowers every once and a while brings a smile to my face. They’re really beautiful. He’s always so thoughtful and kind. Pulling together almost everything from Amelia’s list, I reach in my flowers and pull out two yellow roses to take up to Asher. He’ll get a kick out of it, I think.
Making my way over to Asher’s office, Charlotte waves me through with a smile. I walk into his office and he’s sitting in his chair on the phone, with his back to me. He’s looking out the windows at the beautiful skyline. I put the two yellow roses on his desk and have a seat. I can tell he’s finishing up his call, when he swivels around in his chair and his eyes lock on the two yellow roses. He drops the phone and stands up pushing his chair out so hard it crashes into the credenza, causing me to stand and gasp. His face is contorted into a look of shock and pain.
“Where did those come from?” he asks, looking at them shocked.
“Asher, what’s wrong? I put those there, I’m sorry. I was trying to be cute. I took them from the flowers you gave me this morning.”
He places his hands on his desk, hangs his head, and takes a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell and scare you,” he says, looking up, and then he fixes his chair and takes a seat.
“It’s just that yellow roses were the only flowers I ever gave to Olivia. They were her favorite. It just caught me off guard.”
“I’m sorry, Asher. I didn’t know; I’ll take them away.”
“No, you don’t have to do that, it’s fine, really. Thank you, it was very sweet of you. I know you had no way of knowing that. I’m sorry I overreacted.”
Charlotte enters with lunch and the tension in the room evaporates. He picks up the roses and places them to the side. Standing, he walks around to my side of the desk, places his hand on my cheek, and gives me a kiss. We eat our lunch as if nothing ever happened.
“Friday is my last chemo appointment, were you still coming with me?” I ask.
“I wouldn’t miss it. You know I’ll be there. In fact, we should go out to dinner after to celebrate, as long as you feel up to it.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Well, I should let you get back to work. Thank you for lunch,” I say, standing to leave, and I glance at the two yellow roses.
“Are you sure you’re fine with those? I don’t mind taking them with me.”
“No, they’re fine. I’m good with them. I’ll come down and get you around five. Now that there’s food in your house, we can go back to your place, I’ll cook dinner.”
“I’ll be ready at five, but I’m cooking dinner. No arguing,” I say.
With that, I kiss him on the lips and start to walk out the door. He softly grabs my arm and turns me back around. He passionately kisses me and it takes my breath away. He hugs me close to his warm, hard body, and then releases me.
“I’ll see you at five.”
Asher
Seeing those two yellow roses on my desk sent me into a panic. How could such a coincidence like that happen? Now that I think about it though, it almost seems like Olivia is giving me one last confirmation. I’m falling in love with Willow and I couldn’t be happier.
I can’t wait to introduce her to my parents on Sunday. I already told them about her. It’s not like I don’t think my brothers and sisters already didn’t, or that they could keep their mouths shut. I just wanted to make sure they know about her cancer. I want to make her meeting them as comfortable as possible. My parents would never intentionally make anyone uncomfortable, but just to be safe I told them. They’re both excited to meet her.
With that thought in mind, I grab the phone and call Aiden.
“I want you to do something for me, not company related. And I shouldn’t have to remind you to keep it confidential. I want you to locate Willow’s mother.”
“Asher, are you sure about this? I don’t know the story involved here, but this could turn around and bite you in the ass,” Aiden says concerned.
“I’m well aware of that, bu
t I’m hoping that’s not what’s going to happen.”
“I’ll see what I can find out for you,” he says and hangs up.
Feeling pretty good about finding her mother for her, I wrap up my work for the day. Things have been going great. Willow’s last treatment is Friday. I have a nice evening planned for Saturday at the benefit and Sunday, I get to introduce the woman I’m quickly falling in love with to my parents. Saying goodbye to Charlotte, I make my way down to Willow’s floor to pick her up and have a nice evening in.
“Are you ready to go, sweetheart?” I ask her.
“Yes, I just need to log out and shut down my computer. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“I’ll be in with Amelia, come on in when you’re finished.”
When I walk into Amelia’s office, I can tell there’s something wrong.
“What’s up little sis, what’s with the face?”
“I just hung up the phone with Aiden and I have to tell you, I think this is a really bad idea,” she says.
“Man, can any of you keep your mouths shut? I want to do something nice for Willow. I want to find her mother, not put her on a plane to meet her. I want to give Willow the option of knowing exactly where she is, if and when she’s ready to talk to her. Nothing more. Wait, do you think this is a really bad idea?” I ask second guessing myself.
“Well, now that you put it like that, I don’t think it’s such a bad idea. But, let me go on record as saying keep me out of it. If you’re in the doghouse, you’re going to be there on your own.”
“Thanks for your vote of confidence. Hey, Ava and Willow are going shopping for a dress, did you want to tag along with them? It’d mean a lot to me if you got to know Willow better outside of the office.”
“Yeah, I would be happy to, it’s not like I have any other plans.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Aren’t you and Roger still dating?”
“Roger! Are you kidding me, we broke up six months ago.”
“Sorry, I guess I’ve been a little out of it lately.”
Willow makes her way into the office and plops down in the chair next to me. “Ready to go when you are,” she says.
“You two have a hot date tonight?” Amelia asks.
“Asher is going to let me cook him dinner tonight. You want to come?”
“No, you two go on, get out of here. Have a good night.”
Making our way to the parking garage, I open Willow’s door for her, then make my way to the driver’s seat.
“So what do you have planned for dinner?” I ask.
“I thought I would make you my famous chili. I should have thought about it and started it this morning in the crock pot, but it’ll still be good.”
Chapter 13
Willow
While I’m getting everything out of the fridge and cupboards to make my chili, Asher hauls himself up on the counter. He’s sitting on the island watching me move around the kitchen, looking as relaxed as I’ve ever seen him. Browning the beef and the onions, I pour him a glass of lemonade and place it next to his thigh.
“Hey, come back over here,” he says, grabbing my hand.
He gently pulls me between his legs. He’s even taller than normal sitting on the counter. He jumps down and in one swift movement he lifts me up to where he was just sitting. Straddled between my legs, he pulls me into a close hug. He wraps his arms around my back, kisses my neck, then trails up and over to my lips. The beef on the stove starts to sizzle loudly in the pan.
“Crap, the chili!” I say and move to jump down.
“You sit, I’ve got it,” he says, moving over to the stove.
“I thought I was supposed to be cooking for you. How about we both do it?” I offer.
“Alright, come show me your magical chili recipe.”
“It’s not magical, just famous.”
Working together, we finish the chili in no time. While the chili simmers, I grab a pot and fill it with water.
“What are you making now?” he asks.
“I need to boil water for the noodles.”
“Noodles. For what?”
“The chili, silly.”
“You eat noodles with your chili? Who does that?”
“Me. I’ve always eaten my chili over noodles. Doesn’t everyone?”
“Um, no, sweetheart. I’ve never heard of chili with noodles.”
“Huh, I thought that’s how chili was supposed to be served.”
“Well, I’ll try it your way, just for you.”
“Thanks, I promise you’ll love it this way and you’ll never want to go back to eating it plain.”
Soon everything is pulled together. I dish out noodles, then put chili on top, with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. As we get comfortable on the couch, I eye Asher to see his reaction to my chili.
“Well, it’s definitely different, I’ll give you that. The chili is great, but I don’t think I’m sold on the noodles.”
“Really, well you won’t find me eating it any other way. To each his own, I guess,” I say, shoving more chili with noodles in my mouth.
After finishing dinner, Asher takes all the dishes into the kitchen and loads the dishwasher. Then he comes back and sits next to me on the couch.
“Well, it’s getting late, I should go,” he says.
“Alright,” I say, feeling sad that he’s leaving.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He tilts my chin, so I’m looking in the eyes. “You feel alright?”
“Yes, it’s nothing like that. I’m just feeling sad that you’re leaving. This may be forward of me and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. You know I’m not ready to move our relationship to the next level just yet, but do you think you could stay here with me tonight?” I ask nervously.
“Sure, I can sleep on the couch if you need me to stay with you.”
“I was kind of hoping you would sleep with me in my bed and just hold me. I really don’t want to be alone tonight. If you don’t want to, I totally understand, and I’m completely fine with whatever decision you make.”
“I would love that. I promise to be the perfect gentleman and keep my hands to myself.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?
“I’m sure. I don’t want to be anyplace else.”
I take his hand and lead him upstairs. Lucy runs ahead of us and jumps on the bed. She does a few twirls, then plants herself in the center of the bed.
“I’m just going to get my pajamas and change in the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
After brushing my teeth, I take a deep breath and head back into the bedroom. Asher is laying in my bed with the sheets just over his waist; his work clothes are draped nicely over the chair in the corner of the room.
He’s still wearing his t-shirt. God, he has to be the nicest man on the planet. Climbing under the covers, I get a quick glimpse of his black boxer briefs.
“Good night, Asher,” I say nervously.
He rolls over to me, and Lucy gives a disgruntled sigh. She gets up and lays next my feet. Asher kisses my neck, sending shivers down my body.
“Good night, Willow,” he whispers in my ear.
He presses the front of his body to my back, intertwines our fingers, and then rests them on my hip.
“Asher?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?” he whispers.
“Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Falling asleep with Asher’s warm heat pressed against my back and our fingers laced together, fills my heart. It’s filled with love and peace. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before.
Asher
Falling asleep with Willow felt like one more piece of my heart was put back together. I didn’t feel like I was cheating on Olivia at all. All of my previous doubts and feelings of betrayal went away the last time I talked to Olivia.
Waking up the next morning, we have at some point switched positions. Willow is pressed up against my side with her arm draped over my
stomach, her head rests on my chest, and her leg is tossed over my thigh. I’m holding her tight with my arm around her shoulder. She’s still asleep; I kiss the top of her head not wanting to move. I’m just so comfortable and it feels so right. She sighs softly and squeezes my stomach.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” I ask.
“No, I was already awake. I don’t want to move; I’m so comfortable.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, but I need to get going. I need to go home first and change before going to the office.”
“Mmmm right, just five more minutes,” she says, tightening her hold on my body with a sigh.
“Sure, sweetheart. Anything you need,” I say, returning the squeeze.
After she gets ready for work, we head back to my house. I shower and dress. Coming into the kitchen, I find that Willow has made breakfast and coffee, she has two place settings set at the bar.
“You didn’t have to do all this.”
“It’s no trouble at all. Go ahead, dig in while it’s still hot.”
After breakfast, Simon drives us to work, and I can’t help but think this is something I can quickly get used to.
As per our usual routine, we walk to the elevator together, stopping at her floor with a kiss and a promise to meet me for lunch at noon. I head to my office picking up my messages from Charlotte on the way. There’s a message from Aiden, so I return his call first.
“Hey, big brother, what’s up?” I ask.
“I got a lead on Willow’s mother,” he says.
“That fast? What did you find out?”
“She still lives in Illinois. She’s married and has a good credit score. That’s about all I can tell you. I have an address and a phone number for her. I put all the info together, it should be sitting in a file on your desk. I gave it to Charlotte last night for you.”
“Yep, I see it sitting right here. Thanks, Aiden. There wasn’t anything else we could find out about her?”
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 8