Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set

by Annalisa Nicole

  She pulls away and rips my shirt off, tossing it to the floor. My pants follow soon after that. Making love in a room that we shouldn’t be in has all my senses on high alert. I feel like a teenager that could get caught by my parents at any moment. As I enter Shay, I can’t help but moan. The feeling is intensified by our clandestine act. She feels so damn good. I pull her off the bed, turn her around, and she kneels on the floor with her chest down on the bed. Bending down on one knee, I enter her from behind. At every inward thrust, the metal bed frame bangs into the wall and I couldn’t fucking care less. She plants her face in the mattress to hide her moans as she comes. I bury my face in the hollow of her back and follow right along with her.

  We get dressed and both laugh at the two of us sneaking around making love. I crack the door open and look down the hall, no one is the wiser. As we exit the room, Kyle is standing on the other side of the door with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smirk on his face. Shay stifles a giggle, Kyle gives her a wink and continues on his way to a patient’s room.

  “Oh my God, I can’t believe we got caught,” she says.

  Just as we push the down button on the elevator, the doors open with Willow and Asher in it. Willow is hunched over gripping the rail with one hand and a fist full of Asher’s shirt in the other. By the look of pain on Willow’s face, I would assume that this is the real thing.

  Willow takes one look at Shay and asks, “What happened to your hair?”

  Just then she must start to have another contraction, because she grabs my hand and damn near breaks every one of my fingers.

  Shay

  After only a few hours of labor, Aaron Samuel Wellington is born on a beautiful, sunny day in July. I’m not going to lie. As the family gathers around Willow’s bed and she gazes so lovingly into her newborn son's eyes, I feel sheer guilt. I’m completely ashamed to admit that I’m jealous. I wish I didn’t feel this way, but seeing something that I can’t help but think should have been mine all those years ago, brings all sorts of mean and uncalled for emotions to the surface. I hate myself for even thinking these things, but I just can’t help it.

  I’m so extremely happy for them, really I am, and Aaron is absolutely beautiful. But my heart is breaking for something that I fear, deep down in my heart, I may never have. I want nothing more than to get pregnant and give Adrian a child. I can’t stop the one lone tear that escapes my eye. I quickly wipe it away and hope no one saw. Adrian squeezes my hand and smiles sympathetically at me.

  “Congratulations, Willow and Asher! Your son is absolutely adorable. I hate to have to run, but Shay and I need to get back to the job site. We’ll check back in on you later, if that’s alright,” Adrian says.

  “Yes, you all go, you’ve been here since three o’clock this morning. I think I’m ready for a nap myself,” Willow says with a yawn.

  The entire family leaves and lets them have their bonding time as a family. Adrian’s parents leave to go pick up Abbey from the nanny at Willow and Asher’s house, then they’ll be bringing her back to their house until Willow and the baby go home. Asher insists on staying by Willow’s side until they can all go home as a family. He’s such a sweet, devoted husband and father.

  Adrian leads me back to his truck and opens the door for me.

  I turn around and ask, “Why do we need to go to the job site?”

  “You’ll see. Buckle up,” he replies.

  He exits the hospital parking lot in the opposite direction of the job site. I start to get a little worried at what he might have up his sleeve.

  “The job site is in the other direction, where are we going?” I ask.

  He peers at me out of the corner of his eye with a sexy half grin and doesn’t answer. I’m still feeling angry at myself for being jealous of Willow and Aaron. I know I shouldn’t be jealous because they deserve all the happiness in the world, but it still doesn’t help the little green monster brewing in my head.

  As we leave the city and head out into open country, I get an idea of where we’re going, and it puts a smile on my face. If I’m right, which I hope I am, we’re in for a fun day.

  Sure enough, we pull up to a farm that has stables for public horseback riding. Adrian and I used to spend a whole day, with a picnic on horseback and just ride for hours when we were young. I never felt so free when I was on the back of a majestic horse. When you’re out in open nature surrounded by open green fields and beautiful mountains as a backdrop, you can’t help but let all your stress and worries go. There’s just something magical being in control of something so big and powerful, with the wind blowing in your hair and the sun warming your face.

  We get suited up and I mount a beautiful chestnut mare Sorrel Quarter horse, named Patsy. She’s all brown except for the white streak on her head that runs between her eyes and down to her nose. Just her left rear hoof is white as well. Adrian gets on his golden Palomino with a jet white mane and tail, named Dusty. We put on our helmets and start a slow trot. We ride side by side for an hour, not saying a word to each other. It’s so peaceful out here. There’s no noise pollution from cars or the hustle and bustle of busy people on sidewalks. All you hear is birds singing in the trees and the wind blowing the tall grass lazily from side to side. I let go of the reins and hold my arms out, I let my head fall back, then I close my eyes and let all the angry, ugly thoughts leave my body.

  “Feel better now?” Adrian asks.

  I look to Adrian and take the reins back with a smile.

  “You always did know just the right thing to do to make me feel better. Thank you for this, I really needed it,” I say to him.

  “It’s my pleasure, Doll. How about if we let the horses rest for a little bit and sit for a while, I want to talk to you about something.”

  “OK, sure.”

  The horses graze on grass, as Adrian and I take a seat under a shady oak tree. He picks a piece of brown grass and starts gnawing on the end of it.

  “I saw your reaction to Willow and Aaron and I wanted to talk to you about us…” he starts to say.

  “I am so sorry about that. I didn’t mean to behave that way. It just hit me so fast and I didn’t have time to get it under control. I’m really happy for them, I really am. They deserve all the happiness in the world. I feel terrible for even thinking the thoughts I did,” I blurt out honestly.

  “It’s alright. I understand. I was having those same thoughts at your birthday party, seeing my parent’s play with my niece and nephew, I couldn’t help but be a little jealous. But, that’s not what I wanted to say to you though. I want to ask you to move in with me. Make it official, you stay with me most nights anyway, I’d like to make it permanent. I also want to talk to you about the possibility of us trying to get pregnant. I know we just got back together, but, Doll, I’ve loved you since the tenth grade and there’s never been anyone other than you. I love you and I’d like to start a family with you. Neither one of us are getting any younger. I don’t think we should wait. What do you say?”

  I can’t help it, the tears start to fall the second he said move in with me. I leap up from a sitting position like a ninja and tackle him to the ground, kissing him all over his face.

  “Yes….yes…yes, I will move in with you and most importantly yes, a million times yes, I want to start a family with you.”

  We lay there on the ground underneath that oak tree for a while just kissing. We get back on our horses and take the hour ride back to the stables with one hand on the reins and the other laced together dangling between the horses.

  We both check in at the job site, then go back to Adrian’s and make our first official attempt at starting that family.

  I listed my condo on the market, and it sold within the first few weeks of being listed, and for more than the asking price. I’m sad to see my little condo go, and mostly, I’m sad to let go of my mother’s room and the smell of her perfume that still lingers in the air. I donated most of her things, although I kept a few that remind me of her an
d bring a smile to my face whenever I see them.

  As I stand in her empty room for the last time, I say out loud with a huge lump in my throat, “This isn’t goodbye, Mom. You are forever a gift in my heart that I carry with me always, I love you.”

  With that, I say goodbye to my little condo and hello to the next chapter in my life and to the new relationship with Adrian.

  On the way back to Adrian’s, I have one stop to make. I saw a while ago that people are able to have the ashes of their loved ones turned into masterpieces of hand blown glass. I thought that was the perfect idea for my mother’s ashes. I had two hearts made, one for me and one for my brother, Drew. I had them add in her favorite colors, seafoam green and light blue. I thought having something tangible that I could touch that represented her, was way better than having her sitting in an ugly urn on display on a fireplace mantle collecting dust. Touching those two glass hearts swirled with her favorite colors and knowing that she is now a physical property of it brings a smile to my face.

  Chapter 12

  Adrian

  During the next few weeks, we finally have Shay all moved in and settled. Progress on the construction site has moved along smoothly as well. The entire structure is now framed and all the trades are in working on plumbing and electrical. Shay is no longer required to stay at the job site full time, since all the major architectural work is done. I was sad not to see her at work every day, but I couldn’t be happier that I get to come home to her every night.

  Today Shay is meeting Chloe and Max for lunch, then she’s bringing them to the job site for a tour. Chloe is now a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist and works at the same hospital with her twin brother, Kyle. She’s been working so hard, after the kidnapping to get her life back on track, and she seems to have done just that. Max now has his own private investigation firm set up and, from the sound of it, he’s made a very good name for himself. I don’t know the whole story how he knows Asher, but I’m glad he does. Max has played an important part in my family’s lives. We owe him so much for bringing Amelia and Chloe back safe to us.

  I’m out on scaffolding hooked to a safety harness inspecting a potential problem with one of my workers, Carl, when I see Shay driving up to the site. She steps out of the car and my whole face lights up. I give them a little wave and hold out my finger indicating that I’ll be down in a second.

  Just as I’m about to step off the scaffolding my foot slips, I bump into Carl, which sends him off balance. I grab him and position myself to take the brunt of the fall against the metal bars, but the scaffolding gives way and we both tumble off the side. I’m a trained construction worker and I’ve always had complete faith in my safety equipment. At the moment, I’m more afraid of how Shay will react to seeing us fall three stories, then see us dangling from our harnesses. In a split second, I realize that Carl has long since stopped falling. I see him dangling from his harness and realize that mine has failed. I desperately try to grab at anything I can get a hold of to break my fall, but it’s no use. As the harness tears and gives way, it slows my fall, but the inevitable happens. I hit the ground with a loud, painful thud that sends dirt flying everywhere. I hear in slow motion as Shay screams.

  They say your life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die. My life doesn’t flash before my eyes. The life that I’m meant to have with Shay is what flashes before my eyes. I see us in a big house with large trees and flowers planted all over the landscape. I see a little girl with curly blonde hair and blue eyes just like Shay’s, playing on a swingset, and a little boy who looks like he was plucked from photos of me when I was little. He has light, brown hair and blue eyes and he’s playing with a bright red fire engine in the sandbox with Shay. I see her smiling face and love written deep in her eyes. I don’t want the picture to leave my thoughts. All I see after that is darkness.

  I hear Shay crying and begging for me to please wake up. My head hurts and I try so hard to open my eyes to comfort her.

  “An ambulance is on the way, don’t move, they’ll be here any minute,” I hear her say. “I love you, babe. I’ve always loved you, it’s only ever been you, I never stopped, please come back to me, open your eyes,” I hear her say.

  I want nothing more than to open my eyes and tell her the same thing.

  I can hear the ambulance in the distance, and I try to fight the sleep that is begging to consume me. I need to tell her I love her. I need to tell her she’s my soulmate. If I die, she has to know just how much I love her. I need to tell her one last time.

  With all the willpower I have, I whisper, “Doll.”

  I feel her hand in mine as she says, “Babe, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I saw it,” I tell her.

  “What did you see, babe?” she asks softly crying, as she gently brushes my hair away from my forehead with her shaking hand.

  “I saw our future. I saw you and our house and our two kids, playing in the backyard.”

  “That’s right, babe and it was amazing, wasn’t it? You hold on to those thoughts. You’re going to be just fine.”

  I dig deep and with the energy I have left I say, “I love you, Doll.”

  “I love you more,” she replies.

  I don’t remember much after that, but what I did do was hold on to those thoughts just as she told me to. But then fear takes over as I start to panic. What if that was Shay’s future, but it wasn’t hers and mine, but hers with another man? What if that was God’s way of showing me that she would be alright after I die. That she’ll go on to have babies and lead a happy life. To not worry that she’ll be taken care of and loved, that it’s alright for me to let go.

  Shay

  Seeing Adrian fall off of that scaffolding was the second worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. The first was when I realized that his harness had failed and my heart sank when I saw the force of the impact as he hit the ground. He’s resting comfortably now in his hospital bed. He’s still unconscious, but miraculously he didn’t break a single bone. He does have one hell of a concussion, though. I haven’t left his side and whoever tries to make me leave will get one hell of a beating, and have a bat shit crazy woman on their hands. I am not, I repeat, not, leaving his side for anything.

  Max enters the darkened room and whispers, “Shay, can I talk to you out in the hall?”

  Uh, no, it will be over my dead body that I leave this room.

  “I’m not leaving, whatever you have to say you can say in here,” I tell him.

  “Alright, have it your way. I just want to tell you that I looked at Adrian’s harness and I have reason to believe that it was tampered with. I don’t think this was just an unfortunate accident. Someone did this on purpose.”

  My blood instantly runs cold. Who would want to hurt Adrian? Why would someone do this to him? None of this makes any sense.

  “Why would someone do that?” I whisper.

  “I don’t know. But I want you to know I intend to find out. I’m making this a priority and I’ll get to the bottom of it, I promise you that.”

  Although it brings me a huge comfort to have Max investigating, it still doesn’t answer the question of why someone would want to hurt Adrian. Max leaves with his sincere promise to get me answers, which I greatly appreciate.

  Adrian’s family has all been in to check on him and not one of them insisted that I go home and take a break. I fall into a restless sleep holding his hand with my head resting on his hospital bed.

  The next morning I’m woken up by my hand being squeezed. I lift my head and look into Adrian’s amazing blue eyes and instantly hot tears sear down my cheeks. He’s awake and he’s going to be just fine!

  “Don’t cry. I’m alright. It will take a lot more than a bump on the head and a little fall to keep me down,” he says with a smile.

  “A little fall!” I say a little too loudly. Adrian squints his eyes in pain. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ll be quieter. That was no little fall. You’re damn lucky
you didn’t break your neck,” I tell him in a harsh whisper.

  “I’ll be fine. When can I get out of here?” he asks.

  “I’ll go find the doctor and tell him that you’re awake.”

  He holds my hand tight, not letting me go. I turn back around to look at him and he says, “I don’t understand, I’m a little foggy on what happened. How did I manage to fall? Why didn’t my harness work? I saw Carl dangling from his safety line and I remember that I just kept falling.”

  I have a quick little debate in my brain whether or not to tell him what Max said.

  “Out with it,” he says, reading the look on my face.

  I sigh.

  “Max stopped by last night. He said he looked at your harness and he thinks there’s something suspicious about it. He said he’s going to look into it further,” I decide to tell him honestly.

  “He thinks someone messed with my safety equipment?” he questions, and looks like he’s ready to jump out of bed.

  “Please, just try to stay calm. He said he’ll get to the bottom of it. Can we just relax and let Max do his job? You need to recover from your fall.”

  “I’m fine. I just have a little headache. I need to get back to the job. I need to see this through, it’s an important contract. I can’t take time off.”

  “I’m not asking you to take time off. I’m asking you to relax for just a little bit, let me go get the doctor and see what he says, alright?”

  He let’s go of my hand and just as I’m about to walk out the door he says, “I remember what I saw.”

  I remember every word he said to me, too. Ever since he said those words, I’ve been willing them to be true. What a life that would be too. If only him seeing that could make it true and we could have ourselves our own little family. I smile at him and leave to find his doctor.