by Ava Walsh
Once he was out of the shower he threw on some clothes and powered up his laptop. The entire time he was in the shower all he could think of was what he was going to do to surprise Melissa. He had a perfect idea, but he was going to have to make sure it was possible first. He was going to have to pull every string he knew of to make this happen. But it was going to happen.
He had everything set up. He was amazed at how smoothly everything went over. He didn’t care that he had paid a fortune, all he cared about was whether or not Melissa was going to like it. He grabbed his phone and keys and made his way to his car. It was a Saturday so he figured Melissa would be at home and not at the office.
He dismissed all the fears that she had moved on while he was out of commission. He knew deep down that she had waited for him, so every time that tiny voice popped into his head he would beat it down as hard as he could.
He arrived outside Melissa’s house. He was relieved to see her Mustang sitting in the driveway.
He walked up to the door and knocked, waiting for her to answer. When the door opened it was all he had not to take the love of his life into his arms and never let her go. But she had beat him to it. The moment the door opened and she saw it was him, she threw her arms around him and burst into tears.
“I was starting to think that you were never coming back,” she whimpered into his chest. Clayton laughed and gently stroked her hair.
“I told you I would come back for you.” He pulled away from her and wiped the tears from her smiling face.
“I take it you missed me.”
Melissa answered by jumping back into his arms and slamming her lips into his before dropping to the ground, grabbing his hand and leading him into the house. Clayton looked around. Everything looked the same as it did the last time he saw her, except for one small detail. Sitting on the couch was the stuffed bear he had bought her and there was a pile of information books about bears sitting on the coffee table. He started laughed uncontrollably as he fingered through one of the books. Melissa came around the corner with two cups of coffee and a sandwich. Her cheeks turned red when she realized he had noticed her new collection of books.
“I wanted to do a little bit of research, but I wasn’t sure if any of it really pertained to your situation.” She set the coffee and the sandwich down in front of him and sat down on the couch. Clayton sat down next to her and grabbed the sandwich.
“It only applies to half of me,” he laughed as he took a gigantic bite of the sandwich. “Is this salmon?” Melissa smiled sheepishly and hid her face with the stuffed bear.
“What kind of book would I have to buy to learn about the other half of you?” Melissa sipped on her coffee. Clayton smiled sweetly at her.
“You don’t need a book. You’re it.” He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
“Which reminds me. I have a surprise for you. I’ve been working on it all morning.” He finished off his sandwich, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.“You’re going to have to go pack.”
Melissa jumped up with excitement, clapping her hands and dancing around. “Where are we going?” Melissa pounced onto his lap. Clayton showered her face with kisses and then stood up from the couch, setting her on the floor.
“I’m not telling, just go pack.” He gave Melissa a light pat on the backside to get her moving. Clayton shook his head and sat back down on the couch. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life surprising her like this.
Chapter Nine
Melissa waited patiently at the baggage claim. She searched the crowd for Clayton. He had gone to grab a cart to carry their bags. She had almost given up the search when she saw his angelic face weaving in and out of the crowd.
“I’m pretty sure we could have just carried our own bags out.” Melissa shook her head. Clayton shrugged and started loading their luggage.
“It’s all part of the pamper-the-girl package.” He gave Melissa a wink. Once he had finished with the bags he turned back to Melissa.
“Your chariot awaits.” He held out his hand to help her onto the cart. She rolled her eyes and took his hand, sliding into the seat. He still hadn’t told her where they were going or what he had planned. She stared at him as they drove through the airport. She had never seen anyone look so happy. Well, no one outside of the mirror anyway.
There was a limo waiting for them outside, accompanied by an overeager driver waiting to unload their luggage into the limo. He then opened the door for them to enter the car. Melissa curled up against Clayton as the driver took off from the airport.
“Can you tell me what is going on yet?” Melissa looked up at him with pleading eyes. Clayton sighed and turned toward her.
“I suppose I can tell you a few things.” Melissa clapped her hands eagerly.
“Well, I will tell you the last part of the trip. The first part has to remain a surprise.” Melissa pouted and crossed her arms.
“Fine.” She waited with anticipation for him to continue.
“So I remember you telling me that you had never been outside the city. So I rented us a small country cottage out in the middle of nowhere. We are going to rough it.” He used quotations around the last couple of words which made her chuckle.
“I have a lot of fun stuff planned for you. Stuff you can’t do in the city.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“What are we going to do now? I don’t know why you booked us such a late flight.” She stared at the window at the passing lights. Clayton gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“It’s all part of the plan.” He smiled mischievously before kissing her on the tip of the nose and pulled a blindfold out of his jacket pocket.
“Put this on, we’re almost there.” She gave him a speculative look before doing as she was told. She felt the limo come to a stop a few minutes after she had put on the blindfold. Clayton helped her out of the car and led her to where they were going. She could hear that she was surrounded by a lot of people but there weren’t any distinguishable noises to offer clues to where he was taking her. They finally entered a building and there was more chatter. By the sounds of it, she was surrounded by thousands of people. They continued walking until everything went quiet. They were alone. They walked in the quiet part of the building for a few minutes before Clayton stopped her and removed her blindfold. She found herself standing outside of what looked like an office door. Clayton reached out and tapped on the door several times. When the door opened Melissa nearly passed out from excitement.
“James Hetfield!” She screeched in an almost inaudible frequency. “We are at a Metallica concert!” Melissa jumped up and down, fanning her eyes.
“You got us backstage to meet the band, I can’t believe it!” James Hetfield pulled her into a hug and led the two of them into the room to meet the rest of the band. They stayed and chatted with the band for about half an hour and then it was show time.
“So should we be getting to our seats?” Melissa was glowing. She had never been so happy. She got to meet the members of her favorite band and she was going to the concert, and she didn’t even have to sell her soul to the devil.
“Not exactly.” Clayton held out his hand to her.
“Come on.” She took his hand and followed behind him as he followed the band.
“Alright, wait here.” Lars held out his hand as they headed out onto the stage to start the show. She waited patiently with Clayton at the edge of the stage. The lights lit up the stage and the crowd roared. They started to play, but it was really quiet. It was the intro to EnterSandman.
Melissa bit her lip, she was totally elated. Then James walked slowly up to the center microphone. But instead of starting the song, he just spoke.
“So today is a very special day.” The crowd roared again.
“Today is a day that you all will remember for the rest of your lives. But, although you will all remember it, there is someone who will remember this night for a completely different reason. I would like to welcome onto the stage my ne
w friends, Clayton and his girlfriend, Melissa.” He waved for them to come join them on the stage. As they approached the center of the stage, James backed away. The intro to Enter Sandman was being played on repeat.
Melissa stood, looking out over the crowd. There were so many people. She smiled brightly and waved at a few people who at been waving at her.
Is that Taesha? She squinted her eyes and looked past the bright stage lights. Sure enough, front and center stood her best friend, jumping and waving hysterically. When she turned back to Clayton to ask what was happening she found him before her, on one knee, holding the microphone.
“Melissa Dawn Cleary. Since the moment I met you, I knew that you were different from every other woman in the world. I knew that I wanted and needed to spend the rest of my life with you.” He switched the mic to his other hand and pulled a small black box from his pocket. He flipped open the lid, revealing the most astounding diamond ring Melissa had ever seen. She threw her hands over her mouth. She could feel tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Will you make me the happiest man on earth and be my wife?” He smiled a brilliant smile and held up the mic. Melissa wrapped her hands around it and screamed,
“Yes!” Melissa shouted at the top of her lungs. At that, the music hit full volume and the entire crowd erupted with hoots and cheers.
Clayton slipped the ring onto her finger and just as the first chorus of Enter Sandman started, Clayton pulled her into a kiss. Melissa had gotten a happily ever after that even she couldn’t have dreamed possible.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 30: The Football Star's Secret Baby
By: Ava Walsh
Description
I’d rather die than tell him...
Olivia Snyder is making do. Her daughter, Maya, is turning two in a few months and Olivia believes she has it all under control.
She never really achieved her dreams because she got pregnant early… but what more could she ask for except that her daughter grows up happy?
But then problems start to brew. Sophie, her childhood best friend, returns to their sleepy town for a family event. Sophie and Olivia meet up for their usual girl-time. But what Sophie hasn’t told Olivia is that her older brother Rufus is coming home too...
Rufus has made it big in NFL. He had always been the town’s sweetheart but he has now quickly become the national heartthrob as well.
This wouldn’t be an issue if Olivia wasn’t still hung up on him, his classic good looks, that dimpled smile and the way he has about him which makes all women fall at his feet...
Olivia has secrets to hide: not only her feelings for Rufus, but also that they once slept together in college. She can never let Sophie find out that she slept with her older brother.
Especially not now that Rufus is back in town... How will Olivia keep her secret, now that her life seems to be unravelling?
Chapter One
Olivia’s phone beeped beside her and she turned it over so she wouldn’t be troubled by the flashing light. She needed to get through this last hour without any more distractions. A woman was holding a stack of three books in her hand and waiting at the till when Olivia returned to take up her post. Three books was good, but not enough to hit her target for the day. A few people would have to miraculously appear in this last hour and purchase at least ten more books between them. The trouble was that nobody was buying physical books anymore, so independent bookstores such as the one Olivia was working at made very little money now.
She smiled at the woman anyway as she zapped the barcodes on the books and then put them in a small paper bag for her. The woman handed Olivia the exact change and walked away. Olivia sighed. She looked at her watch again, fifty-five more minutes to go.
The bookstore was empty again. Stacks of freshly printed books were piled on the front table, trying to attract passersby into the store to flip through them and, hopefully, make a purchase. Olivia stood behind the till desk, looking hopefully at the people on the street. She needed to make her target for the day, or it could mean risking her job. The management was cracking down on employees now, and getting strict with their sales targets.
Olivia caught a reflection of herself in the shop window as she remained standing, looking out. Her usual brown curls looked frizzy, given that she hadn’t had the time to properly condition them in a while. Her large gray eyes looked wide and sleep deprived, especially without any makeup. Even her lips looked chapped and tired. She quickly reached for the lip gloss she usually stored in one of the drawers and ran the tube over her lips once, knowing full well that just some lip gloss wasn’t going to cut it.
Her phone beeped again and, this time, she reached for it. The store was empty so there was no point denying herself the distraction from her boredom.
She’d received a couple of messages from Sophie again. She was in town now and wanted to meet up. Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes. They had been friends since kindergarten and had grown up together. Now Sophie lived in New York and had a fancy job at a publishing house, while Olivia was still stuck in their hometown.
She quickly sent a response back to Sophie, letting her know that she would only have a few hours on Saturday afternoon to meet. The rest of the time, she’d be busy at the bookstore or with Maya. Olivia loved Sophie, just as much as she knew Sophie loved her. But it was getting increasingly difficult to keep up with Sophie’s lifestyle now. She didn’t have the fancy lifestyle that Sophie enjoyed, didn’t live a high-flying corporate life, didn’t own the designer shoes or handbags that Sophie now flaunted. A rift was slowly developing between them, and Olivia was recognizing that they had less in common and fewer things to talk about. But she couldn’t let Sophie go, despite everything that had happened. She was still her best friend.
Sophie replied with an excited text and an invite to come over to her parents’ home, and Olivia put her phone away. It was back to praying that she got a few more customers in before closing time.
The boredom of not having anything to do resulted in her mind drifting to thoughts of Sophie again…and this time, Rufus as well, Sophie’s older brother. Rufus Frost. He was the guy who Olivia had grown up around, her teenage fantasy. She had spent her whole life drooling over and pining for him.
Rufus was destined for stardom, he always had been. In school, Rufus was one of the popular kids, while Olivia and his sister were the nerds. However, Rufus always looked out for them and made sure that nobody ever picked on Sophie or her best friend. Not on his watch.
College was the same. Rufus was the town hero, the rising football star who was going to take the town and the college to national prominence. Girls threw themselves at him, boys wanted to be him and parents wished he was their son. Nobody was left out of Rufus Frost’s charm spectrum, least of all Olivia.
She grew up in his shadow, admiring him for his looks, his good nature and of course his superstardom. But Rufus had always been out of Olivia’s league. She knew that. Which was why, when he joined the NFL and his charisma and success carried on to the national level, nobody was happier to see him go than Olivia. She didn’t want to be in his presence anymore, she didn’t want to suffer all her life, pining away for a man she could never have. Even though it had seemed for some time, to her at least, that they might actually have a chance, Olivia knew the truth was that they never did. Rufus didn’t feel the same way. To him, Olivia Snyder was nothing more than his sister’s best friend.
The bell hanging over the bookstore door tinkled, snapping Olivia out of her thoughts. A customer had walked in! The middle-aged man looked around the shop for a minute, his hands flying over the bookshelves, dragging out titles he thought he wanted. Olivia watched from the till with a smile on her face, ready to recommend books or spark up a conversation that might eventually lead to a sale.
The man walked out of the store empty-handed. It was almost like the universe was teasing her. She was going to have to go home without having met her target today, bringing h
er one day closer to losing her job.
***
Olivia parked outside her mother’s house and remained sitting in the car for a few minutes longer. She needed to compose herself before she went it. The door was left open as usual, as her mother was never in a habit to lock the house. Olivia walked in, adding a forced spring to her step and pasting a smile onto her face.
Her mom was in the living room, in front of the television, with Maya on her lap.
“Hello, kids,” Olivia greeted them chirpily. Her mom and Maya both turned, both equally happy to see her.
“Hi, honey. How was your day with Nana?” Olivia reached for her daughter, who grabbed her by the neck and hung from it while they cuddled. Maya had not started talking properly yet, but could say a few words, which always made Olivia proud. She was certain that her daughter was going to be a genius.
“How was your day?” Jen, Olivia’s mother, asked.
“Good, good. We had a busy day at the store,” Olivia replied, still hugging her daughter and trying to avoid her mother’s inquisitive stare.
“Really? I heard from Lucy that they’re planning on closing the store down. Not enough customers.” Jen had folded her arms across her chest and was glaring at Olivia while she spoke.
“I don’t know why Lucy would say that. The store is doing really well now.” Olivia was still not looking at her mother, instead busying herself with smoothing the delicate blonde curls around Maya’s angelic face.
“So you’re meeting your targets?” Jen still urged, and Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Yes, mom. Will you leave it be? I have to go now.” She whipped around quickly, with Maya still in her arms, and rummaged around to pick up the bags that she’d brought over in the morning. Jen was awfully quiet as she watched Olivia clearing up the mess of toys that Maya had made.