by Laney Powell
Kane: I’d like to see.
I didn’t reply right away. That’s not what I wanted to hear. This is the same guy who let me leave, let the doors close between us. It was understandable, yes. We’d just met. Hooked up. But there was something there. I wasn’t being clingy, or some kind of crazy. I’d felt it. And I’d given him a chance to acknowledge it. It wasn’t like I was asking for a wedding, or something. Only that something was there. And there was a chance to explore it.
Wasn’t that what he was doing now? I shook my head, even though no one could see me. Maybe. I didn’t get warm and fuzzies, even lukewarm and fuzzies from this conversation.
And frankly, I wanted more. I deserved more.
Me: I need to say no, thank you. It’s a kind offer, but I don’t want to see. I’m either a priority or I’m not.
Kane: That’s a lot to ask right away.
Me: You came to me. I’m telling you where I am. I’m a priority, or I’m not.
There is a long silence from his end after that. I thought that would be the case, and I was right.
Kane: There’s only one thing that is the priority, Elspeth.
Good grief, what is his one thing? I don’t even want to ask. That’s a minefield waiting to explode in my face.
Me: I didn’t say ‘the’ priority. I said ‘a’ priority.
I felt like I might be begging, but I wanted to be clear. After Will had dumped me, and told me what a stage five clinger I was, in excruciating detail, I wasn’t going to be that person ever again. Anyone who wanted to be with me would make me a priority, like I did for those I dated, or I’d die an old maid, surrounded by my fifty-three cats.
I liked cats anyway.
Kane
I stared at the phone, not sure what to say.
I didn’t do relationships. Obligations. Anything where I might have to expose myself. I’d done that before, and to this day, it remained the biggest shame of my life.
I’d liked—loved—one girl all through school. She dated other guys, was single, dated again, and finally, senior year, she was single. I wasn’t a small, short geek anymore. I’d grown into the lanky frame that my mother kept promising meant I was going to be tall and handsome. But inside, I was still the same shy, uncomfortable kid.
Susie lived on my street and had ridden the bus with me the first two years of school. She was always in at least one class with me every semester. We said hi in the halls. So when I could look in the mirror and see that I wasn’t that scrawny kid, and I knew I looked like the guys she dated—I approached her during lunch.
I got out my request—I asked her to Prom.
Susie and her friends, because of course she had tons of friends around—all looked at me.
Then Susie spoke. “Who are you?”
The entire table of girls burst into giggles. I fled and didn’t look at her for the remainder of the year. Thankfully, it wasn’t long.
But I’d never forgotten that. I’d worked my ass off so that no one would ever ask me who I was again. Ever.
I never gave anyone the chance to brush me off, push me to the side, shame me. I’d never even wanted to. Business, working, making myself what I wanted to be—that had all been enough.
Until now.
Was this worth it? Was Elspeth worth it?
The phone sat in my hand, her text waiting for a response.
Was Elspeth worth the risk of everything I’d protected myself from my entire adult life?
Elspeth
I stopped and stood, stretching from a long session of sitting in my chair. I’d just finished a report for one of the restaurants that Kane had referred me to. I looked up at the stencil on my wall.
Always a Priority
That was what Kane had texted back to me, finally, after making me wait for an hour after I told him he could make me a priority if he wanted to.
We’d started by dating. He was impatient with me because dating didn’t always mean sex. It also didn’t mean I was always available. Particularly after he’d talked me into starting my own company, based in my love of efficiency. I’d stayed at the bank for another five months while Kane threw client after client at me. I might still be there, but he’d said, “Why are you staying at the bank? You’re making that a priority rather than your business, which is replacing your income.”
“I’m worried about falling on my ass. Or worse, my face.”
“You’re not going to. Everyone I’ve sent your way has come back to me and told me that you kick ass,” he leaned down and kissed me. “I’m not just telling you that, either. You know that.”
“I know,” I said.
“I love you, but if you sucked, I wouldn’t tell anyone what you do,” Kane said. “You are amazing at what you do. You even helped me.”
“What did you say?” I asked, stunned.
He stopped, thinking. “I don’t know. What?”
“You love me?” I whispered.
“Of course I love you. You’re the only person I let drive my Aston Martin. The only person that ever will. You let me drive your Hellcat. And you’re smart as hell. I don’t take help from many people, but I don’t mind taking it from you,” he finished.
Well, as a declaration of love, it was... interesting. But it was also all Kane. I understood what was behind everything he’d said, and I loved it.
I laughed. “You don’t need to sound so surprised. Even you could use some help from time to time. Oh, and I love you, too.”
His face lit up. He kissed me properly then, and we took it to the bedroom. I believe the words, “Suck it up, buttercup,” had been uttered. Which was fine. More than fine, actually. I’d happily complied. I loved it when he called me buttercup.
But now, it had been a year. I didn’t feel the need to put such strong boundaries in place. I knew he loved me. I knew he didn’t think I was a stage five clinger of any sort. When I told him about that, he said that one, he would go and kick Will’s teeth in if I wanted (I declined), and two, he would really appreciate if I would cling a bit more often.
I heard the door to my office open. Kane had had a key for the past four or five months—I couldn’t remember. After a while, it just didn’t make sense. I had a key to his place, but I was here a lot so I could get my work done.
I laughed to myself. It was more efficient.
“Hey,” Kane said, coming in. He swooped me into his arms. “How was your day?”
“Productive,” I said. “You?”
“Well, it’s been kind of a strange day.” His face had a weird expression.
“Strange how?”
“I have something I need to talk to you about,” he said.
“I’m all done for the day. You want to go out and get a drink?”
“No,” Kane said. “I don’t know how to do this, so I’m just going to do it. Will you marry me?”
“What?” I asked, not sure I’d heard him right.
“Will you marry me?” He ground out, his voice rising.
I didn’t understand why he was nearly yelling. Then I remembered. This was like prom. He’d told me the story of prom one night after we’d sexed each other silly, and I’d almost cried for him. I didn’t, of course, because he might have gotten up and walked away. He didn’t want pity.
But I knew how those words felt. They had been his stage five clinger moment.
That was all behind us now. I understood why he was clenching his teeth, almost glaring. Even though it was me he was asking, me that he knew and loved. Me that he knew loved him in return.
“Yes. You got a ring to seal the deal?” I teased.
He stared for a moment, and then his face broke into a smile. “Do I have a—of course I have a ring. Jesus, that was the easiest part of this whole thing.” He pulled a box from his pocket and opened it as he gave it to me.
It was beautiful. Classic, simple—just like Kane.
“Put it on me,” I said softly.
“You’re always my priority,” he said.
> I pulled him to me to kiss him. That was what I’d always wanted. Just like he was mine.
Always.
Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
The Flirt Club has another sexy collaboration
Just for you!
All the May Flowers
His Azalea by Kelli Callahan
His Baby’s Breath by Olivia Hawthorne
His Bird of Paradise by Angel Devlin
His Buttercup by Laney Powell
His Cactus Flower by Rebecca Gallo
His Cherry Blossom by Tracy Lorraine
His Dahlia by Alexx Andria
His Magnolia by Dori Lavelle
His Sun Drop by Dee Ellis
His Sweet Pea by Vivian Ward
His Violet by Fiona Starr
His Voodoo Lily by Alexis Adaire
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The Spar Island Girls
This story, along with the others that I’ve done with this amazing group of authors, is part of a series of my own called the Spar Island Girls. This is a group of girls that grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island. Off of the city, there’s a little set of islands that are always shifting—there’s more of them exposed at low tide. They’re more land spits in Mt. Bay than islands. But people like to go out there and hang out for the day, and that’s what my Spar Island girls do.
Their parents were all friends growing up, and they would take their boats out and go hang out for the day. Even though most of the girls have moved away, they have never forgotten those friendships.
And there you have it—the Spar Island Girls. Look for them as me and my author besties keep bringing you our delicious collaborations!
Meet Casey in His Naughty Nurse. Part of The Halloween Honeys stories. (Spar Island #1)
Head to a holiday dinner with Nadia in Hot Apple Pie. Part of the Second Helpings Short Stories. (Spar Island #2)
Follow Cate in Naughty or Nice. Part of the Santa’s Coming Short Stories. (Spar Island #3)
Find the start of something new with Annalise in Snow Job. Part of the Resolution Pact Short Stories. (Spar Island #4)
Look for Nat’s grand scheme in Dear Shy Guy. Part of the Matchmaker Series(Spar Island #5)
Follow Jyn as she finds what she never knew she wanted in Forever Mine. Part of the Ireland Forever Short Stories. (Spar Island #6)
Meet Harper, who is going to find all that she dreams of in Mr. Black. Part of the Mr. Billionaire
Go on a wild adventure with Lyssa in Spring Break Delish. Part of the Spring Breakers Short Stories (Spar Island #8)
Meet Elspeth as she takes charge of her destiny in His Buttercup. Part of the May Flowers Series. (Spar Island #9)
Follow Mallory as she learns all is not what she thinks in Spar Island #10…
There are more coming! Look for them each month!
Xoxo
Laney
The Spar Island Girls
His Naughty Nurse (The Halloween Honeys)
Hot Apple Pie (Second Helpings Short Story)
Naughty or Nice (Santa’s Coming Short Story)
Snow Job (Resolution Pact Short Story)
Dear Shy Guy (The Matchmaker Series)
Forever Mine (Ireland Forever Short Story)
Mr. Black (A Mr. Billionaire Short Story)
Spring Break Delight (A Spring Break Short Story)
His Buttercup (The May Flower Series)
Blue Swan Cove
(written with Tessa Blake)
Big Mistake
Affair With The Billionaire
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Episode Five
I'm a Midwestern lady, living life in the Rocky Mountains. I adore strong men with hearts of gold (even if that gold may be a bit imperfect) and that's what drives me to write the stories about them. The longer I do the romance gig, the more firefighter calendar pics I seems to collect. That's normal, right?
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