Seventeen Days

by D. B. James

  “Does a certain fisherman have to do with this change of heart?” Only everything.

  “Yes. He has something to do with it. But not everything. He’s going to be in my future no matter what. As a friend, a boyfriend, husband, lover, whatever. He’ll be there. He’s come to mean the world to me in only seventeen days. What seemed impossible has been proven possible to me. He’s shown me I can love and be loved. That the world isn’t out to get me. Not everyone is evil. But he’s also shown me how to stand on my own. I hope you’re okay with my decision and I can continue to stay with you while going to school.” Glancing at her while tossing a few dresses into a box, I add in, “On weekends only, of course.”

  “Harrison would be lucky to be in your life. He’s a good man. You’re a wonderful young lady. Of course you can live with me, Morgan. You can stay as long as you like. Have you decided on where you want to go to school?”

  “Yes, actually I have. I’ve researched everything I need to do in order to apply to the University of Alabama and what would’ve been needed in order for me to have transferred. Although, now, I won’t be needing to do that. Last night, I asked if Harrison would take me to their campus to check it all out. He doesn’t know I’ve been thinking about not coming back to New York. Speaking of which, I should call Julian before he goes to bed for the night. Will you excuse me for a moment?”

  Before she answers, I grab my cell and hurry out of my closet, hoping I can catch Julian. It’s nearly eleven at night in Paris, hopefully he’s not sleeping. Not wanting him to be out of the money he sent for my rent already, I’m praying he’ll only be out a cancellation fee.

  “Hello?” he answers gruffly with sleep dripping from his voice. Shit.

  “Hey, Julian. Sorry to call so late. But I called as soon as I could.” Not quite the truth but it was as soon as I mentioned it to someone else.

  “It’s okay. It was a long day at the office and I passed out early tonight. What’s can I do for you tonight, beautiful?”

  “Please don’t be mad, but could you call and cancel my lease on the apartment in New York?” Biting my lower lip, waiting for his answer, I start to pace my old bedroom.

  “May I ask why?” Shit, he sounds mad. Is he mad?

  “I’ve decided I’m not going to Columbia this fall. I’ve only recently changed my mind. New York is too toxic for me. I wish to stay in Alabama and attend a university there starting in January.”

  “Oh, well, okay. Don’t worry about it, Morgan. I’ll call the young lady and take care of the issue. For the record, I agree about that city and think you’re making the right decision. Is there anything else?”

  Phew, he isn’t mad. Bullet dodged there.

  “No. Not at the moment. Aunt Savannah and I are here packing up all my clothes and I told her my decision and remembered I needed to call you and inform you. I’ll call you tomorrow. At a more decent hour. Goodnight … Dad.”

  It’s the first time I’ve called him Dad. Surprisingly, it came out easier than I thought it would.

  “Good … Goodnight, beautiful girl,” he says while hanging up.

  Were those tears I heard in his voice?

  Walking back into my closet, I see my aunt has almost everything tossed into boxes. Good thing we rented an SUV instead of a car. Guess it’ll come in handy. This also appears like it’ll cost a mini fortune to ship back to Alabama. I didn’t think of that over when I was changing my mind about staying here. I sure am costing the loved ones in my life a lot of money lately.

  “Should we drop these off at a shipping place tonight or in the morning?” Aunt Savannah asks.

  “It doesn’t matter to me. If we do it tonight, we could order room service and go to sleep. That way we could shop and sightsee all day tomorrow. Maybe we could get a massage? Or see a Broadway show? I’m game for whatever you want to do.”

  “Yes to all of that.”

  Laughing, I walk over to her, hug her, and together, we finish packing up my clothes. Packing up my past life for my future.

  Aunt Savannah is going to kill me yet. Well, let me clarify. Her shopping habits are going to kill me. The woman can shop till she drops. Literally. I’m not saying I don’t love shopping, I do. But her type of shopping is insane. Mine? Not so much.

  My feet have never hurt so badly and I’ve danced the night away in six-inch stilettos before. And lived to do it again the next night. I’m not so sure I could walk one more block in flats at the moment. Pretty sure I have blisters on top of my blisters. My feet are aching in places I didn’t know they could ache.

  I’m about to pass out from exhaustion when she mentions taking a break in Starbucks. God bless you, Starbucks. Do you think they’d care if I took my Converse off and massaged my feet? Probably. Assholes.

  Making it two feet inside the door, I collapse into the first chair I see, not caring that there’s a man already occupying it. Oops. “Hey, watch it, lady! Find your own chair,” he all but shouts in my ear. Add my ear to parts that ache on my body now.

  “Shit. I’m sorry. My mistake.” Mostly. Scrambling to get out of his lap, I manage to make it into the chair next to him. My aunt is laughing the whole time. The bitch. It’s her fault I’m so tired.

  “What would you like, Morgan? I’ll go order while you sit here and relax.” Why thank you. Maybe you’re not such a bitch after all. Devil shopper is more like it.

  “Venti Mocha Frap, extra whip, chocolate sprinkles. Two cake pops as well, please. I don’t care what kind. And I’ll be here dead when you return.” Or as close to it as I can be. Don’t pay me any mind.

  “You’ll pipe back up after the treat and our massage,” she says while walking away.

  Massage? She booked one? Yes! That will work. She’s not a bitch or a devil shopper. She’s an angel.

  When she comes back over with our order, Mr. Uptight who I sat on has left, so she sits down next to me. He must’ve thought I was too rude to stay and work by. He’s currently occupying the table across the shop.

  Handing me my caffeinated bliss she asks, “So have you spoken to Harrison today?”

  “Yes, I called him a while ago. You were in dressing room twenty-nine or fifty, who's keeping count?” I reply sarcastically.

  “Morgan, we’ve only been to maybe ten stores. Your count is way off, my dear. Anyway, how is he doing today? Did you tell him your news?”

  “Um. No, I didn’t. I’ll tell him once I see him tomorrow. It’s more of a face to face conversation. We face the big things head on. He knows pretty much all of my secrets, and I’m okay with that.” Please don’t ask what they are. You know most of them already, but not the horrible ones. Maybe someday I’ll tell you. Today is not the day.

  She must see the pleading in my eyes and quickly changes the subject. “Our massages are booked for an hour from now, so finish up your treat and we’ll head back to the hotel. We have dinner plans to keep and a show to see.”

  How did I end up with the best aunt in the world? And how can she be so different from her own twin? It’s an answer I’m sure I’ll never know.

  I’ve never wanted to run through airport security as much as I do at the moment. Red is on the other side. Her plane is taxiing, and soon she’ll be in my arms. She cannot be in them fast enough. She sent me a text as soon as she was able to safely turn her phone on.

  Fuck, I’ve missed her.

  When she left, it was like the other half of my soul left. How could a person have changed me so much in only seventeen fucking days?

  No clue, but she has. At first, it was a challenge I threw out there. Should’ve known fate had other plans in mind for us. Challenging her to love me before she boarded that plane was kind of a joke, right? If you had asked me the day I said it, my answer would’ve been yes. The day after, it would’ve been no. My mind changed that quickly. Loving her was that easy.

  She has changed me for the better. She makes me want to be everything I can possibly be. She makes me want things again. Things I haven’t wanted
since before my parents died.

  She makes me believe in love.

  Before her, I was happy enjoying the uncomplicated relationships with women like the Jess’s of the world. If I was given that option again, I’d never settle for it. Not after knowing what love feels like. If Red chooses to leave me and not spend her life with me, I know that I’ll never settle for less than love.

  Having felt what it feels like to love and be loved, I know only hooking up will never be a thing I’ll settle for again. It’s all or nothing for me from here on out. No more feeling empty. Used.

  My phone dings with another text alert, and I see it’s from Red. She’s telling me which baggage claim to meet them at. Not giving a shit about airport rules, I run to meet her. No one knows how much I’ve missed my woman. As long as I don’t run into anyone, I don’t see why it matters. I’m not hurting anyone by running.

  Entering baggage claim, I see her before she sees me. The sun from the nearby windows hits her hair just right, making it appear like liquid fire. She’s so damn beautiful. When she sees me, it’s like time stops.

  The people are moving but we both stop and simply stare at each other.

  And I can finally breathe again after sixty-two hours and twenty-four minutes. She breaks first and takes the first step toward me, the grin on her face mischievous. Shaking my head, I all but run toward her. If she only knew how much I’ve missed her.

  We don’t say a word once we reach each other, only grasp each other tightly and kiss like we can’t function without the other. PDAs have never been my thing, but for Morgan, I’d do anything. I’ve missed her smell, her smile, her kiss. Everything.

  Yesterday, Steve brought in cinnamon rolls and the smell of them reminded me of her. She always smells of cinnamon. If I didn’t know what her body wash and shampoo smells like, I’d swear that she bathes in the stuff.

  “Don’t mind me, or the few hundred people around, either. We don’t mind. And sure, I’ll grab all the bags. Nice to see you too, Harrison. Why yes, New York was fun.”

  Is it any wonder where Morgan gets her sarcasm from? Savannah is full of it. Breaking our kiss, I turn and greet Savannah.

  “I’ll grab the bags; you ladies stay right here. We can catch up, over dinner. All of us. How does that sound, ladies?”

  Morgan can stay the night with me afterward. We have so much to catch up on. A lot of has happened while she was away. Besides my firing every temp the agency has sent over, Thad is out sick. To say I’ve been busy as fuck is putting it mildly. I’ve barely had time to shower but I’ve missed her every single second. We’ve had to reschedule a couple of regular clients and send a party of three over to a competitor but we’ve managed. Hopefully I can hire on another new guy to help run tours while Thad is out. That, at least, will be a load off my shoulders.

  “The turquoise one is yours correct, Savannah?” I ask as it goes by. I grabbed the designer one that went by already, knowing it was Red’s without her having to tell me.

  “Yes, it is. I can carry it to the truck, you don’t have to carry it for me. It’s much heavier now than it was when we left.”

  “Yeah, did I mention she almost killed me yesterday? Because she did. You should be thankful I’m still alive. My aunt can shop, Harrison.”

  Laughing, I grab Savannah’s bag when it passes by again. Holy shit, she wasn’t kidding. Did she buy designer bricks while in New York?

  “Yes, babe, you did. When you called me from nearly every single store. You left detailed voicemails. Not that I didn’t enjoy every one of them. I’m glad to see you survived. If you start resting up now hopefully you’ll be ready for your shopping day with her come December, in Paris.”

  “Oh, shit, I forgot about Paris. Save me, Harrison. You go with her. The clothes I may acquire aren’t worth it. All the coffee and baked goods in the world won’t be enough to make up for the blisters I’m sure to get in Paris.”

  By this time, Savannah has stopped walking and is shaking from her laughter. It seems she likes to torture her niece with her shopping habits. It isn’t long before Morgan joins her in laughter and soon, we’ve all stopped and are laughing like the loons we are.

  These ladies are in a much better mood than either of them left in. It appears New York was good for their relationship. Not as toxic as they both feared it would be. The somber mood has lifted. It’s been replaced by one of lightheartedness.

  “Follow me, ladies. We’ll stop for dinner on the way home. My treat.”

  If I can make it back to my truck hauling their suitcases. Holy shit, these weigh a ton. Good thing I’m used to lifting heavy things every day. Even so, I’ll probably find myself short of breath by the time I climb behind the wheel. Morgan wasn’t kidding, Savannah can shop.

  “That sounds great, Captain. I’m starving. But then again, I’m always hungry.”

  “If you two would like to be alone, you can drop me off first and I can put together a sandwich. It’s no problem at all.”

  Hell no.

  “Savannah, it’s not a problem. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you there. You’re like family to me. I’d like to treat you to dinner.” She’s the only family I have left, besides my uncle who I rarely see. Aside from the rare holiday, my Uncle Garrett isn’t a part of my life.

  “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something since Sienna was here. Is my uncle the Garret she used to date? She called me Garrett during our brief meeting so I’ve been wondering.”

  There’s no other explanation for why she’d call me Garrett. We do have the same build and the Montgomery gray eyes. My hair isn’t as dark as his is, though. Mine is a tad lighter due to all the time spent in the sun.

  “Oh! I thought I’d mentioned it when I was telling you both who Julian was. I’m sorry, kids. Yes. It is. She was dating Garrett at the time when she became pregnant with Morgan. She tried to pass her off as his at first, but Garrett always knew. Shortly after they broke things off, he married your aunt.”

  This situation keeps getting more and more fucked up as the days go by. Twisted doesn’t begin to cover it.

  “No, ma’am. You didn’t mention it. You said the name Garrett but not that it was my uncle. Holy shit. No wonder she called me by his name.”

  Is it majorly screwed up my uncle and Sienna dated and now I’m in love with Morgan?

  Fate is weird as shit.

  “Do you think he loved her, if he married my aunt so quickly afterward?”

  “That’s a question better suited for him, don’t you think?” is her reply. Yes, I agree.

  Shaking my head, I unlock the truck, toss their luggage inside, hold open the door and help them both inside, dropping the subject for now.

  After dinner, I drop Savannah off and haul her luggage into the house for her. Earlier before picking them up, I dropped Mac off at the house so he’d be here once she returned home.

  “Thank you for dinner, Harrison. I’m sorry again for not mentioning that about your uncle. I honestly thought I had a couple of weeks ago.”

  “It’s okay, Savannah. Don’t worry about it. It was an honest mistake. Sleep well.”

  Placing a quick kiss on her cheek, I run back out to the truck.

  “Ready to go home, babe?”

  “More than ready. It’s late, and I plan on going into work in the morning, if my boss needs me, that is.”

  Wait, what? It’s probably a good thing I didn’t put the truck in drive yet. Her words have shocked me senseless.

  “You want to work tomorrow? I thought you were taking the next couple of weeks to prepare for classes?” Unless something major happened over the last few days and she’s yet to tell me.

  “Well, you see, I sort of still need a job. At least until after the new year.” She says this so quietly I’m almost positive she didn’t say what I think she said.

  “Could you repeat that? Louder this time?”

  Is she staying here and not going back to New York? Please tell me I heard her correctl
y. For all I know, I could be still dreaming and having a very detailed dream. That’s got to be it; I never woke up this morning.

  “I’m staying here in Alabama, Harrison. I’ve decided not to attend classes at Columbia after all. I gave up my apartment in New York and am going to stay with my aunt until I can start classes here. And then I’ll still live with her on the weekends or whenever I can make it home. My mind was pretty much made up the night before I left when you told me you were my safe harbor. That sealed it for me. You’re it for me. You’re my future. I don’t need to go away to find myself, when I’ve already found myself in you. School is still important to me so I’m going to go to a school here. I’m taking the semester off, and if you’ll still have me, I’d like to continue working for you.”

  I’m the luckiest bastard alive. This beautiful stubborn woman has chosen me. Me, a fishing cowboy.

  “Of course I want you. At work and in my life. I want you everywhere, in every possible way. You shouldn’t ever question that. I can’t promise you perfection because I’m far from it, but I can promise you I’ll never intentionally hurt you.”

  Pulling her over into my lap, I kiss her with all the love in my heart. I never knew love could be this all-consuming. To think today is only the nineteenth day since she came into my life. Imagine what the nine-hundredth day will be like. The nine-thousandth.

  Breaking the kiss, she climbs off my lap. “Take me home.”

  Home, I like the sound of it falling from her lips.

  “Dog missed you. He didn’t have anyone to throw his ball in the morning. His owner has been too busy running around with his head cut off to play with him. He’ll probably beg for you to play before bed tonight. Don’t be too surprised if he does.”

  He moped around the house like I did, the times I was there. Mac looked at us both like we were insane. He was the only one in the house who didn’t act like he was in mourning. It made me jealous to see him.