Fight Me

by Lacey Black

  I stare at my mom and throw a kiss down on her cheek. “You are the smartest person I know,” I say with a smile.

  Mom laughs and glances over my shoulder. When she makes eye contact with me again, she leans in and says, “Remember. It’s what you fight for that matters, Jake.” Then, Mom leans way up on her tip toes and kisses me on my cheek and turns and walks away.

  I glance over my shoulder and see the most beautiful, breathtaking sight. Erin is standing in the hallway behind me wearing the most stunning navy blue dress I’ve ever seen. The sight of her takes my breath away, and I’m rendered speechless. The look on her face shows her nerves, her fears. I want nothing more than to run to her and sweep her up into my arms. But, I need to wait. I have a few things I need to say first.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Erin

  I am scared to death as I walk up behind Mrs. Stevens and Jake. My heart feels like it might actually jump out of my chest and start running around on the ground at my feet. He hasn’t seen me yet, but Mrs. Stevens knows I’m there. She sort of had a hand at making sure Jake was in the hallway at this exact moment so we could talk before the wedding. I see her give Jake a kiss on the cheek and turn and walk away. It’s just me and Jake in the hallway now.

  When he turns around, my heart stops. Literally. He’s so devastatingly handsome in his suit. I’m so excited to see him standing in front of me, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s at all happy to see me. Will he tell me to get lost? I have no clue, and I’m afraid of what comes next.

  I slowly walk towards Jake, my eyes locked on his the whole time. His face gives nothing away to how he’s feeling. “Hey,” I finally say as I bite down on my bottom lip.

  “Hey.”

  “Listen, Jake, I need to apologize -” I start, but Jake cuts me off.

  “No. You don’t need to apologize. I need to apologize and explain the conversation you overheard. Travis was asked to join the men’s softball league this summer. I did it last year and loved it, but with working every other weekend, it made it difficult and I had to have my own replacement every time I worked. I was telling him to enjoy it for a while and then move on to another hobby if this wasn’t his thing. That’s all. I wasn’t talking about you or any other woman, I swear to you, Erin.”

  “I know,” I whisper as I take another step forward. I could reach out and touch Jake if I wanted, and man, do I really want to.

  His brows wrinkle and his face takes on a confused look. “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “How?”

  I give him a small smile as I answer. “Because I don’t believe that’s who you really are. I don’t believe that you would have intentionally said those things to hurt me. Even though I said it, I don’t believe that you’re using me until something better comes along.”

  “I’m not, Erin. At all. And what I said last night on the sidewalk,” Jake pauses and closes his eyes as if pained by the thought of what he said last night, “that was the farthest from the truth. You have the kindest, purest heart I’ve ever known. You make me want to be a better man.”

  “You are a better man, Jake. To me, you are the best man, and I’m not referring to the wedding. A very wise woman once told me that fighting meant passion and that you were alive. Fighting represents desire and love. You are the man I want to be with. You’re the man I’ve fallen in love with,” I say, my voice dropping to just above a whisper as I say the words I’ve wanted to say for almost two weeks now.

  I wait for what feels like forever for Jake to reply, smile, nod, acknowledge what I said - something!

  “Did you just say that you love me?” he asks with that ‘I’m a cop and give nothing away’ look on his face.

  “Yes,” I whisper so quietly I almost don’t hear it. I’m silent as I wait for him to say something, anything. I start to brace myself for the pain that is about to grip a hold of my heart. Fear that my love is not reciprocated grips me tightly in my chest and makes it nearly impossible to breathe.

  “That actually works out really well for me, because I am so fucking in love with you, too. I love you so much I can’t imagine fighting with anyone else. It’s you, Erin. You’re the one,” Jake says as he closes the gap between us and pulls me into his arms. He latches on so tightly, picking me up, hanging on to me like he’s afraid to ever let go.

  Jake’s lips are on mine before I even have time to properly process what he just said to me. It has only been twenty-four hours since I felt his lush lips on mine, but it was the longest twenty-four hours of my life. I need Jake like I need air. And now that I’m back in his arms, I feel like I can finally breathe again.

  The kiss is intense and passionate as we both try to convey our feelings in that one, simple gesture. If I could kiss this man for the rest of my life, I would die happy and know that I was loved. I’m loved. I feel it in his kiss. The thought wraps around me like a warm blanket, enveloping me in its heat and tenderness.

  “Excuse me, you two. I’m supposed to be getting married in a few minutes. Would you mind holding off on the dry humping until after the ceremony?” Maddox asks through the now open doorway with a smug smirk on his face.

  “I was not dry humping her. I was just telling her how much I love her,” Jake says with a smile as he gazes down into my eyes.

  “Well, it’s about damn time, man. And speaking of time, it’s almost time! Where are those flower thingies that we’re supposed to put on?”

  “Oh! The boutonnieres! I’ve got to get those pinned on you guys before you go out. Come here,” I say as I tug Jake back in the room.

  When the boutonnieres are in place and I’ve made sure that everyone is lined up in the foyer and ready to walk down the aisle of the church, I turn to head inside the quaint little church to find a seat. Before I can get inside though, Jake grabs my hand and brings it up to his mouth.

  “I’ll see you in just a little bit, darlin’.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Good. I have a dance saved later just for you.”

  “You better have all of them saved for me,” I reply with a coy smile.

  “Every last one of them from here on out are yours.”

  I smile at Jake and place a gentle kiss on his sweet lips before heading inside the church to find a seat. Nate escorts me to the front, a row behind where Mr. and Mrs. Stevens will be sitting. “Oh, I don’t have to sit up here. It’s for family,” I whisper in Nate’s ear.

  “Mom gave me very specific instructions that you are to sit right here,” he says with a small smile and a wink.

  I take my seat just as the slow, instrumental music starts up. All eyes turn to the back of the church as Maddox’s parents are escorted to their seats in the front row, followed by a beaming Mrs. Stevens. Moments later Maddox, Jake, and Aiden make their way up to the front of the church. Jake throws me that cocky half-smile that I love so much and a wink. I can’t help but smile ear to ear as I stare back at him. Jake Stevens. The man I love.

  As the music changes to Canon in D, I turn back to watch Jessica and Holly make their entrance into the church and towards the front altar. Brooklyn comes in next in the most beautiful little white dress carrying a basket of rose petals. Her hair is pulled up on top of her head with little white flowers pinned in it. She looks every bit of the little princess she is.

  Brooklyn takes one look at the audience in the church and starts to get a little shy under the scrutiny of the audience. She stops halfway down the aisle and looks as if she’s about to turn around and head back down the way she came. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maddox walk down the steps in front of the altar and start to approach Brooklyn.

  “Brooklyn,” Maddox whispers, squatting as he gets to the first pew.

  Brooklyn turns back towards the front and sees Maddox standing there. Her entire face lights up with delight. “Daddy!” she exclaims and then takes off running towards him.

  Maddox scoops her up in his arms and places a kiss on the top of her head. W
hen they make it back up to the altar, the music changes again and everyone rises to stand. Maddox points down the aisle towards the back indicating for Brooklyn to watch the back door.

  When Avery and her father walk inside the church, I can’t help but turn and watch for Maddox’s reaction. His face lights up like a toddler who just discovered a room full of presents on Christmas morning. He holds his new daughter in his arms as his future wife walks towards him.

  I look up at Jake next and see him looking at me with those piercing blue eyes. He’s staring at me, his face carrying a sexy smile, eyes filled with desire, and I can see the love radiating from him. Tears fill my eyes again as I stare into Jake’s blue eyes and return his smile. I don’t question it or fight it. I just go with it because there is no one else in this world that I would rather be with. Love. Fight with.

  And besides, a wise woman once told me that the fighting is only the first, small step. The making up afterwards is the best part.

  Epilogue

  Jake

  I sit back and watch Avery and Maddox spin around the warmly lit dance floor. Tonight turned out to be one hell of a night. It doesn’t even bother me that I smiled for what felt like a thousand photos. The wedding was perfect, the dinner delicious, and now my girl is sitting next to me, snuggled under my arm, as we watch my sister and my best friend share their first dance as husband and wife.

  Husband and wife. Tonight is the first night that the thought of it doesn’t scare the living shit out of me. I see the way that Avery and Maddox look at each other, and I realize that I want that too. I want that with Erin. Only Erin. She is my sunlight on a dark day. She is my heaven on earth. She is my everything. Forever.

  I look over at my brothers sitting at the table with my parents and notice Travis looking off in the opposite direction of the dance floor for like the twelfth time. When I follow his gaze, I see that same pretty server that he’s been staring at half the night. She has long brown hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, a white fitted long-sleeved shirt, and black dress pants just like the rest of the servers. I’m guessing she’s somewhere between Avery and Travis’ age but has a very tired, worn out look to her. Even when she smiles, you can tell she’s exhausted. Appearance wise, she looks exactly like all the other servers walking around tonight. But for some reason, my brother hasn’t taken his eyes off of her. I watch as Travis continues to observe the pretty girl while she works. I can’t help my cocky little smile as he practically falls out of his chair when she approaches their table to collect glasses and empty beer cans.

  Nate gets up and comes over to our table to sit in the seat Maddox just vacated a few moments ago when he was summoned to the dance floor to dance with his new wife. “What’s up, dickweed?” he asks.

  “Nice. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” I reply with a smile.

  “Every time I see her. So, what’s this I hear about Travis taking your spot in the softball league?”

  “Yeah, well he has the free time on the weekends and I don’t. With working every other weekend, he was practically on that team anyway when he filled in for me. I’ll still go and watch, maybe fill in when I can, but it was time to step back.”

  “I hear ya.”

  “Speaking of Travis, what the hell is up with him and that server?”

  “No clue. He thinks he’s being all sly and shit about watching her, but it’s obvious that he’s into her. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her all night.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Good for him. Maybe he’ll actually do something other than work all the damn time.”

  “You have no room to talk, brother,” Nate says as he takes a pull from his beer bottle. “You work and play all the damn time, too.”

  “Yeah, I did.” I look down at Erin who is wrapped securely in my arm. “But, I’m done playing. Time to grow up, you know?”

  “No. I don’t know,” Nate says with a shake of his head and a laugh. “I’ll keep on playing if you don’t mind.”

  “Suit yourself, man.”

  A new slow song starts and the DJ encourages everyone to come join the new Mister and Misses on the dance floor. I grab a hold of Erin’s hand and gently tug her upward onto her feet. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s go dance.”

  “Is that a question or a demand?” she asks with a smile as she follows me out onto the dance floor.

  “It’s a demand. I’m not giving you a chance to get away from me or tell me no,” I say with a smug smile.

  “Well, then you have nothing to worry about. I’m not going anywhere, cowboy,” she says as she reach up – way up – and wraps her arms around my neck.

  I pull her tightly against my body and just revel in the feel of her against me. I can tell instantly the moment she feels the effect she has on me – on my lower body. The desire filling her eyes makes me pull her even closer which really isn’t the best way to try to alleviate a raging hard-on. Especially since I’m in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by family and friends.

  “So, I was thinking about later tonight,” I begin.

  “What about it?” she asks with her head resting on my chest.

  “After the party is over and we leave. Where would you like to go?”

  Erin looks up at me as she answers with a knowing smile, “Well, as long as there’s a bed and you are in it with me, I don’t really care much.”

  “See, that’s kind of what I was thinking about. I thought maybe we could go back to your place tonight, and then maybe pick a place that we both go back to - every night. Together.”

  The surprise is evident on her face, but it doesn’t take long for her smile to spread and light up her entire face. I know the question was a good surprise. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

  “Sure am. You can move into my place if you want, but honestly, it’s pretty small. Your place is big and would give us plenty of room, but I don’t want to just invite myself to move in with you. We could also find a new place, the perfect size for both of us.”

  “Does Miss Whiskers get to come, too?” she asks.

  “I wouldn’t think of not taking your cat with us. But, I think we need to rename her. I don’t think me calling her Miss Whiskers is very manly, and I don’t want to lose my man card.”

  Erin laughs and it’s the most beautiful sound in the whole world. “Well, we wouldn’t want that! But, I’m afraid her name is Miss Whiskers. So, you’re just gonna have to suck it up, big boy.”

  I smile down at her. “Fine. I’ll compromise on the cat’s name. Just as long as I get my other requests.”

  “And what are they?” she asks.

  I lean down so that my lips are against her ear. “Sex. Every night. And you also have to wear nothing but those damn glasses and sexy high heels at least once a week.”

  Erin throws her head back and laughs hard. “Deal,” she says with a wink.

  I pull her back against my chest and hold on tight. I’ve never really been a big dancer, but with her in my arms, I would gladly do it for the rest of my life as long as she was my partner. Erin in my arms, by my side, completes the puzzle inside of me. She is that piece that has been missing from my life; my heart. My heart belongs to her and probably always has since the moment I walked into the front office and saw her standing there in seventh grade. And now I get to spend the rest of my life loving and fighting with the only woman I’ve ever loved; ever loved to fight with and fight for.

  I can’t fucking wait.

  ~ The End ~

  Want more Rivers Edge?

  Check out the excerpt from

  Expect Me

  Rivers Edge Book 3

  Coming March 2015!

  Prologue

  Travis

  I can’t seem to fight the desire to find her, watch her. I know this is going to sound semi-stalkerish, but I’m drawn to her. The way she moves, the way she smiles, the way she studies the room. I continue to watch her from a distance, taking everything in. It doesn’t matter where I’m at - sit
ting at the table, standing up at the bar, talking to one of my brothers in the back of the small reception hall - my eyes are seeking her out as if they have a mind of their own.

  “Earth to Travis! Where the hell did you just go there?” Will asks as he takes another drink of his beer.

  “Nowhere. Sorry. What were you saying?”

  Will sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes under his wire rimmed glasses. “I’ve said the exact same thing three times now.”

  My brother, Will, is the middle child. I am the second to youngest of the five Stevens kids born to Michael and Elizabeth. Jake is the oldest and hasn’t left the dance floor in the past half hour. I heard my mom telling my dad that Jake is moving in with his girlfriend, Erin. They haven’t been dating very long, but that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Jake is a cop here in Rivers Edge and is best friends with the groom, Maddox. Both guys swore off relationships years ago, but today was a day of epic proportions. Today, we saw confirmed Bachelor number two, Maddox, marry my little sister, Avery, and confirmed Bachelor number one, Jake, ask his girlfriend to move in with him.

  After Jake is Nate who is just a year younger. At thirty-one, he’s fighting relationships just as hard as Jake always has. Nate is a volunteer fire fighter in our small hometown of Rivers Edge, Missouri, nestled along the Missouri River, where everyone knows everything about everyone – even if it’s not true. His full time job is a fireman in St. Charles, about thirty minutes away.

  Will comes next - middle child like I mentioned. He’s two years older than me and is a paramedic at Rivers Edge Health Center, our local small town hospital.