Finding Love

by Callie Stone

  “It took everything in me to stop. I had to force myself to do work in order to occupy myself. To try and take my mind off not only you but my dream, too. I was nervous having you there.” I slide my hands down and slip my thumb in my panties. Slowly I shimmy them down and slip them off. I begin to rub on my thighs as I continue. “When I came back up and cashed you and your friends out my nerves were all over the place. I can’t remember the last time I was so nervous over a guy. It was a very weird thing to experience. And then you stayed back as your friends left and gave me the paper with your number. I felt…” I slide my hands all the way up, taking my right hand, I place it on my clit. “I felt nervous yet excited and happier than I thought I should feel, after all, it was just a phone number. And I almost threw it away, I wanted to but something in me wouldn’t allow it.” I slide my hand up and down releasing a moan at my touch.

  Ryan is watching my hands like a hawk, afraid he might miss something. When I release my moan, he lets out another sexy growl.

  Switching to my middle finger I apply pressure over my clit and begin to make small circles slowly. “Mmm that feels good,” I say teasing him back. “Is there anything else you would like to know?” I ask breathlessly, my orgasm coming fast after all the teasing he’s done to me.

  Hearing it in my voice Ryan snatches my hand away and grunts, “No.” He slides back on the floor and begins to descend on where I need him most.

  “About damn time,” I say with a laugh before his tongue touches me and I gasp. He is one talented man that is for sure.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Oh, wow that was amazing. He made love to me and I’m not sure how I should feel about that. It was slow and sweet. Definitely not like the night before. “Thank you for another wonderful night even though it started out very badly.” I move my head up and kiss his chin.

  Ryan looks down and captures my lips for a quick kiss. “Any time Addy, you deserve stuff like this. You deserve so much.”

  I beam a smile at him and begin to disentangle myself from him. I needed some sleep or work tomorrow would be shit. As I sit up about to stand Ryan sits up quickly and comes face to face with me. I let out a gasp not expecting his sudden move.

  “By the way,” he says looking sheepishly.

  “Yes?” I hesitate unsure of what he is about to say. Please don’t let it be anything crazy.

  “Third room is knocked out now,” he says grinning from ear to ear. “And I got two of them done in one day.” He looks so proud of himself.

  I scoff. “Are you serious? After the amazing moment we just had, you want to ruin it with how many rooms we wiped someone’s memory from?” I shake my head at him but can’t help my smile. I smack his arm and stand. “What a way to ruin that moment Ryan, good job.” I laugh as I make my way to bed. There is no way I’m sleeping on that floor when I have a bed down the hall. I walk in and flop on my stomach fully naked and get comfortable. It takes Ryan a few minutes to enter, probably blowing out all the candles. I peek through my eyes as he enters the room.

  “Aw man, we’ve already done it in here.” He laughs and starts to crawl up the bed.

  “Well then, go back to your place,” I say sleepily.

  “My place doesn’t have you in it,” he says laying down next to me throwing an arm and leg across me and snuggles into my side, placing a sweet kiss on my arm. “Goodnight baby,” he says just as I slip off into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The past two months have been the same routine. We go to work and we spend time together at my place. Never his, though that doesn’t really bother me since I like being home. We have dinner and either watch TV or read for a few hours before we do what Ryan calls “knocking off rooms.” What I thought was him joking turned out to be something he was serious about. He wants the place to have memories of just him and it’s working. Everywhere I look, I think of him. We haven’t argued since the incident with the journal. I have since stopped writing in it and hid it in a box at the back of my closet. We’ve gotten to know each other a lot better which put me at ease a little with him practically moving into my life. I learned that he is an only child and his parents died in a car crash at the age of five. His grandparents raised him, and his grandfather loved to build things and passed his knowledge onto Ryan. That is where his love of woodwork came from. He had a relatively simple childhood and all except for the ex-wife, nothing major has happened.

  I told him more details about my marriage and about Jimmy, the one who asked me to marry him. I even showed him the ring and the note he left with it. I have completely opened up to this man that I’ve only known a short time. I have no secrets and we both agreed that honesty is a big thing for us.

  I did take Ryan to meet my mother which went over better than I thought it would. We had dinner and she asked him all sorts of questions which Ryan answered without hesitation or an inkling of frustration. She called me the next day while at work and gushed how much she enjoyed having us over and praised Ryan like he was a Greek God. I laughed at the way she acted the whole conversation. When I informed Ryan that my mother positively approves of him, his face lit up with his megawatt smile and he seemed genuinely happy about the information. I see those two becoming close in the near future.

  Today is like any other day, I’m stuck at work as always. I’m feeling exhausted from the late nights with Ryan, but I don’t regret a single one. I have sprayed so many shoes that I can’t get the smell out of my nose. I look around at the lanes watching as people bowl and making sure everything is running correctly. My phone dings in my back pocket and I pull it out to look.

  Can I come and get your house key? I left my wallet and I need it to buy some wood.

  I send back a quick response. That man forgets everything.

  Of course, come get it.

  He must have been right around the corner because he is here within minutes. “Well, that was fast.”

  “Yeah, I was already on my way here,” he says smiling.

  “What if I would have said no?” I ask curiously.

  “I guess I would have turned around and gone back to the shop.” He shrugs his shoulders.

  Shaking my head at him I grab my keys from under the counter, slipping my house key off I say, “You don’t have to bring this back before I get off as long as you promise to be there, so I can get in.”

  Ryan smiles at me. “You know I’ll be there, baby.” He leans in and gives me two quick pecks on the lips. “I’ll see you when you get home.” He’s grinning as he walks out the doors.

  What in the world has gotten into him? Must be having a good day. Wish I could say the same. Checking the clock, I still have two hours to go before I get off. Thank god, I’m not closing today. It’s a nice welcome change to be able to go home before eleven every night.

  I stand behind the counter and check the lanes, calling back ball returns or pin stuck when necessary. I cash out customers, hand out shoes and take the shoes being returned. I wipe the tables down at least three times trying to keep myself busy. Time can’t seem to go fast enough.

  Finally, my replacement, Sue comes in and I can’t get out of here any faster. Walking out the door I take a deep breath of fresh air and look forward to going home and spending time with Ryan. I slide into my car and make my way there and when I pull up Ryan is standing outside waiting for me as always.

  Getting out of the car I walk up to him and ask, “Why are you standing out here when you have my key?” I look from him to the door then back to him. “Please tell me you did not lock my keys in the house,” I say worried about being locked out.

  “Of course, not babe. The door is unlocked but I want to do something. Will you trust me?” he asks seriously before giving me a quick kiss.

  I look at him more closely and realize he seems a little antsy. What the hell is going on? “That doesn’t sound good. What do you need to do that is followed by asking me to trust you?” I start to think the worst. Something bad is about to happen. It se
ems to be my luck. Every time I start to fall in love with someone it always gets fucked up. I feel tears well in my eyes refusing to let them fall before finding out what has happened.

  “Nothing crazy Addy, calm down. You have got to stop thinking the worst about everything. I’m not going anywhere,” he says leaning down and capturing my lips for a sweet kiss. “I’ve already told you that you are stuck with me. I just have a surprise for you and I want you to close your eyes as we enter the house. I promise I will lead you and won’t let you run into anything.”

  “Um.” I look back at my door. “Okay, I guess.” I look up into Ryan’s eyes and give a small shrug.

  Ryan smiles big as he says, “Come on, then.”

  We get in front of the door and he looks down at me. “Please keep your eyes closed until I ask you to open them. That’s all I ask.” He reaches down and grabs my hand.

  “Okay, I can do that.” I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I feel Ryan as he kisses my forehead before I hear the door open. I walk inside with the guidance of Ryan, though I know how my place is laid out, I have no idea where the surprise is, so letting him lead me is probably best.

  We take only a few steps in, so I assume we are in the living room. I can smell something. A mixture of candles and something else. I just can’t seem to place it.

  Ryan stops me and lets go of my hand. “Okay, don’t move and don’t open your eyes yet.”

  I give a slight nod, my heart rate picking up speed. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of surprises though every one that Ryan has given me has always been a really good thing. I stand waiting a little impatiently for him to tell me to open my eyes. I start shifting my weight from foot to foot.

  “Open your eyes, Addy,” he whispers.

  I open my eyes and gasp. Oh my god. My mouth drops open as I stare at what is across from me. There is a bookshelf that I can only assume Ryan made. It is four levels high and has a different number of boxes across. The top row has four squares, second has three, third has five and the last one has four again. The whole shelf is lined with white lights lighting up each box brightly showing a wood letter in each one. There are rose petals scattered on the very top of the shelf and all over the floor in front of it with two bouquets on each end of the third shelf. I am amazed as I look at everything and it takes me a minute to actually read what the letters spell out. The top says will, then there is you, then marry and finally me with a wood heart on each side of me. My hands fly to my mouth and I gasp again as tears start to fall down my face. I don’t want to take my eyes off it, but I look around for Ryan. He is kneeling next to me waiting for me to look at him. As I turn slightly to face him he holds up a box and opens the lid. My heart stops. Inside is a huge diamond ring. Princess cut that has to be at least two carets. I start to shake as more tears fall down my cheeks.

  “Oh my god, Ryan.”

  Smiling up at me Ryan says, “Addy you are the love of my life, the sunshine to my day, the moon that brightens my night. I knew from the moment I looked into your eyes after you ran into me that you and only you are my true soulmate. I vowed then that I would keep you and make you mine. I know you’ve had a hard time the first time and I know the thought of marriage scares you now, but I promise to love you with all my heart and treat you like the princess you are. I also know it’s only been two months, but I can’t live without you and I need to know if you will marry me, please?”

  I stare into his eyes as he says all of this and watch as even he lets a few tears slip out. He’s right, the thought of marriage is daunting to me now after Troy. The fear is almost crippling, always worrying the same thing will happen again. But after my short time with Ryan and looking into his eyes I know he’s telling the truth.

  I hesitate for a minute, not because I don’t love Ryan with every fiber in me, but the length of our relationship worries me a little, too. Two months is not long. How can you be sure about someone in such a short time? Are we moving too fast? The more I think about it the more I know it all doesn’t matter. I know I love him and I know he loves me. I don’t want to go a day without him either.

  “Yes Ryan, of course, I’ll marry you,” I say as he stands up wrapping me in his arms and capturing my lips.

  “Now let me see that ring,” I say with a little laugh. He steps back and pulls it out of the box, taking my left hand, he slowly slips it on my finger. Perfect fit, should have known he would make sure it was right. Looking down at the way it sparkles in the light my smile is so big it hurts my face. I can’t believe all of this. I look up and scan the room again, he made everything so beautiful.

  “When did you come up with all of this?” I ask curiously when he had the time to plan this.

  “I got it all done in the past week. I wouldn’t take any more clients until it was done. And your mom helped me plan out how to do some of it.”

  “My mom? Really?” I ask in shock. I knew they would become close friends and fast.

  Smiling at me Ryan says, “Yep, she was over the moon with this idea.”

  He is clearly proud of himself. I look at the ring again and just can’t believe that all this has happened. Turning to Ryan I look up into his eyes and whisper, “Take me to bed and make love to me.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he says as he scoops me up in his arms causing me to giggle.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Laying my head on Ryan’s chest I stare at my ring. I can’t believe he proposed to me. It is a complete shock and a little scary yet also exciting at the same time. I look at my ring probably more than a normal person, it’s so much bigger than the one Troy or Jimmy gave me. It sparkles with every move of my hand. I smile remembering how he proposed. It was magical. “So, since you have planned all this do you also have a date in mind?” I ask curious how far he has thought this through.

  “Well I was thinking I’d give you about three months to plan everything if you’re lucky six,” he says with a chuckle.

  My head pops up off his chest and I gaze up at him. “Do you honestly, in your man brain think that’s enough time to plan a wedding?” I ask in shock.

  “Okay, then when do you want it to be?”

  “I really don’t know yet. I have to think about it, make a few calls and see what’s available. You know I had a courthouse wedding with Troy, and I really don’t want that again nor do I want some last minute thrown together wedding. I want the perfect wedding dress and the perfect location with the prettiest flowers.”

  “If that is what you want then that is what you’ll get, sweetheart. I’m not trying to rush you I just don’t want to go a year waiting for you to become my wife. You make the calls and start looking around and you let me know when.”

  “Okay. That sounds like a plan. We don’t know that many people, so it shouldn’t be that expensive to plan a small intimate wedding.”

  Grabbing my chin, he forces me to look at him. “Addy, the cost is not a factor here, I don’t care how much you spend.”

  “Well I do Ryan, I work at a bowling alley for heaven’s sake, I don’t have that much in savings.”

  “You, my dear, are not paying for a single thing. I have been saving for years, I have more in my savings account than I know what to do with.” He gives me a grin. “You will have the wedding of your dreams because it will be the last wedding you have, baby. I promise you that.” He smiles big and plants a soft kiss on my lips.

  I can do nothing but sigh and agree. I do love this man and he spoils me to no end. How did I get so lucky? Did I really have to go through all the bad to finally get to the good? Shaking my head, I stretch my stiff limbs and crawl out of bed. “I’m gonna get a shower and then go start breakfast before calling my mom to chew her out for conspiring with you,” I say with a grin.

  I saunter off to the bathroom and take a quick shower. It’s funny to think about how quick a shower can be when you take one alone. After I’m done I throw on my usual yoga pants and a tank top. Leaving the bathroom, I notice that Ryan has gotten out of be
d. I wonder what he’s doing. Walking out into the living room I see him standing in only his boxer briefs staring at his handiwork.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as I walk up behind him wrapping my arms around his waist.

  “I’m trying to picture where I’m going to put that in my house.”

  “Wait, what?” I ask.

  “I have a house Addy, a big beautiful house, do you really want to live here instead?”

  I think about it for a moment and he’s right, why would we stay here? But I have the sudden feeling that everything is moving a little too fast. Can I move in with him already? “And when were you planning us moving in together?”

  “As soon as fucking possible. Why wait? Why put off the inevitable?”

  That’s a good point but am I honestly ready for that? “Good point I suppose. It’s just all moving so fast and you’re throwing things at me left and right and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”

  Ryan turns and faces me wrapping his arms around my waist and bringing me tight against his body. “Addy, I’ve been sleeping here every day since we started seeing each other. We practically live together already. We will just be moving from staying here to staying at the house.” He leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’m not trying to overwhelm you, I’m just over the moon that you agreed to be my wife and don’t want to wait longer than I have to. I would love to move you into my place starting today, but I will understand if you want to hold off. It is all a lot in twenty-four hours.” He looks down at me expectantly, waiting for an answer from me on what I want to do.

  I stare into his beautiful green eyes and I think about what he’s said. Ryan is right as always, we do practically live together now, what would be the difference between here and there, except here is a comfort to me, but then anywhere with him is a comfort to me. Releasing a small smile, I say, “Today sounds like a good day to do that.”