Life in a Rut, Love not Included (Love Not Included series Book 1)

by J. D. Hollyfield

  “Oh baby, you’ll be OK. You are a strong woman. He will understand. Have faith,” she says. She comes up to me and embraces me in a big warm hug.

  “I hope so, Aunt Raines,” I say. “I hope so.”

  I DROP AUNT RAINES off at the airport and cry out my good-byes. She makes me promise that I will come visit her soon, and then I’m on my way.

  As I drive to Jack’s I deeply regret not bringing a plastic bag, because I am pretty close to barfing in my lap. My nerves are so out of control I’m starting to get scared. This has to go OK. He has to listen to me. He just has to.

  I pull into his long driveway and see that his truck is not here. I’m thankful for that. It gives me some time to gather my emotions and get my thoughts in order.

  I get out of the car and walk up to his front porch step and take a seat. I’m trying to figure out what I say first . . . Do I beg? Do I just start spitting out ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘please take me back or I’ll die’? What if he doesn’t even want me anymore? Then I take a look at myself and what I’m wearing. I haven’t showered in god-knows-how-long and my hair is in a sloppy makeshift ponytail. To the average person I may even look homeless.

  Oh god.

  Why didn’t I shower?! I’m about to get up and take off because this is a bad idea and maybe once I’ve cleaned myself up and made a list, or a speech, then I should come back.

  Just then I hear the sounds of Jack’s truck pulling up to the house.

  I sit back down. “Calm down . . . Calm down,” I repeat to myself over and over. I don’t think that is possible but if I don’t, I’m not going to even have to talk to Jack because I will have keeled over of a heart attack right on his front step.

  Imagine having to dump your ex-lover’s body somewhere after already thinking you told them to get lost . . . uggghhhh . . .

  I notice that Jack sees my presence and hesitates to get out. That can’t be a good sign.

  In time he jumps out, with determination, and walks by me. “What are you doing here?” he says, so harsh and cold.

  He doesn’t even stop. He takes his steps two at a time, and walks past me.

  “I want to talk,” I say in a rushed voice. “I need to talk to you.” He doesn’t seem to be giving me any stage time, and I’m pretty sure in about two seconds his door is going to slam in my face.

  “I’m not sure there is anything to talk about, Sarah. You shouldn’t have come here.”

  Oh god, this is so not going well. Jack opens the front door and walks into his house. I frantically follow.

  “Jack, I need you to listen. I need you to understand. I love you!”

  Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. He turns so quickly and ends up in my face. I almost trip backwards.

  “Don’t you say that to me!” he yells straight into my face.

  “Jack, but I do, I need you to just—”

  “Just what, Sarah? Listen to you explain how while you and I were in bed together, you were making up with your ex-boyfriend?!” he hisses in my face.

  I try to grab for him, but he throws my arms off him and turns around to walk towards his kitchen.

  “Jack, it wasn’t like that. It’s not like that. I wasn’t making up with him. He grabbed me and kissed me. It caught me off guard. I pulled away. He took it the wrong way. I told him to leave immediately after!”

  Now I was spitting out my story. He wasn’t giving me any room for explanation before, and the way he started spinning it, it sounded horrible!

  “And you just failed to mention him too? You failed to mention that while I was pouring my heart out to you, that you had Mr. Rich and Perfect at your front door trying to make things better? Kissing you?!”

  “Jack, it wasn’t like that!” I say in a desperate cry.

  He isn’t even listening to me. I start to cry, no shocker there. He won’t even turn around to face me. He is leaning into the kitchen island bar with his arm tightly set on the counter and his head dipped down.

  “I’m not doing this with you, Sarah,” he says almost like a resolve. Like he’s already made up his mind.

  And it completely breaks me.

  I let out a desperate cry and drop to my knees.

  “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Jack! I love you.” I begin to cry harder with nothing else left.

  “I love you,” I continue, pulling myself together and speaking more calmly. He won’t look at me yet, but my eyes bore into him. “It’s all I have ever been sure of. I knew the second Steve put his lips on mine that it was never him. I didn’t feel anything but closure. I wasn’t mad anymore about what had happened because it had turned out to be the best thing someone had ever done to me. Because it brought me to you. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want Steve to affect me anymore, let alone to affect you, or us. I had made the decision that day that I was moving forward. With you. Then you showed up and just seeing you confirmed it. I knew I was so in love with you that everything was going to be OK. I couldn’t have him spoil a single second more of my life. You have to believe me.”

  And just like that, my emotions come loose again. My sobs are thick and I’m not sure he is even hearing me over them, but I go on.

  “It’s all that I can hear. The sound of my heart falling deeper and deeper for you. I’m sorry I messed up but I don’t know how to fix it.”

  I feel so defeated. I just don’t want to hurt anymore. I put my face in my hands and allow myself to sob uncontrollably.

  I hear Jack’s footsteps come closer to me, then his whole presence as he kneels in front of me. He takes my hands in his and pulls them away from my face.

  “Shhhhh . . .” he says, taking my chin in his hand. He lifts my head to make eye contact with him. “Sarah, look at me.”

  I pick up my head and focus on his beautiful features. He lifts his hand to my face to wipe the tears away from my eyes.

  “Sarah, calm down. It’s OK. I’m sorry. Calm down.”

  He presses his lips to mine and softly kisses me. Then he pulls away.

  “I was so upset. I shouldn’t have just left you like that. You deserved to explain. I was so angry at the thought of him touching you and tasting those lips that were mine. I couldn’t take it.”

  I dip my head down again. He wipes more of the tears spilling down my face.

  “Sarah, baby, calm down and look at me.”

  I try to focus on his face but my tears just blur my vision.

  “I love you,” he says. “I’ve never been so damn in love with anybody in my entire life. Being without you has been hell for me. To be honest the second I finished some business with Bill, I was going to come and get you. I didn’t care anymore about what happened. I just needed you. I’ve missed your touch.”

  He lets my hands fall to my lap and then he takes his hands and puts them back on each side of my face.

  “I missed your sweet taste,” he continues while brushing his lips to mine. He pulls away and looks back into my eyes. “I want every part of you here, with me. And since you’re here, you saved me the trip of coming after you and kidnapping you.”

  He then, with power, puts his mouth on mine. I accept him with force and crush my lips to his. I hook my arms around his neck. I think I am crushing his breathing passage but he doesn’t seem to care

  He quickly stands up, wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up.

  “God I’ve missed you,” he says, his voice hoarse. He maneuvers my legs so they wrap around his waist.

  I am finally able to speak again. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” I repeat over and over as I kiss his lips.

  “I love you too, baby,” he whispers into my mouth.

  Then he walks back towards his bedroom because I’m certain he has makeup sex on his mind. Or maybe that’s just me. He enters the bedroom and moves past the bed, into the bathroom.

  Puzzled at his intentions, I pull my head away and look at him in confusion.

  “Sarah, who bathes you while I’m not around?” he asks.

/>   “Um . . . I’m not sure anyone does,” I state quite truthfully.

  “You smell like vermouth and dirty socks,” he says while turning on the shower.

  “Showers haven’t been the same alone since I’ve met you.”

  “I completely agree. So we are going to shower and I’m going to clean you up,” he says. “And then I’m going to get you all dirty again.”

  God I love this man.

  He sets me down and starts to pull my shirt over my head. I let him.

  He removes my pants. I let him.

  Then begins taking his clothes off. Oh, do I let him.

  As we enter the shower, he kisses my shoulders. He takes both of my hands and places them on the shower’s smooth tile wall. I can feel him pressing into me from behind and I am definitely realizing that we might just get a little bit dirtier before we get clean.

  HAVE YOU EVER WOKEN up one day and realized that life was exactly where it’s supposed to be? It didn’t have to consist of fancy things or big job titles. Life is truly what you make of it. And that’s what makes life perfect. That’s what makes it the full package.

  It’s been five months since our first and only fight. Not that fighting ends up being a bad thing if makeup sex like we had follows it. Since then, Jack so kindly hired me on full-time at Calloway Construction. I spend half my days in Jack’s office so he can take private breaks during his meetings and better direct me on my work. And I spend the other half of my days at home, because Jack gives me the time off, along with himself. We don’t leave the bedroom much.

  I have moved most of my stuff into his place. He asked me to move in shortly after our fight. He reminded me that he had officially kidnapped me and spending any more time apart was not healthy for us. He was right. We spend some of our nights lying in bed giggling with each other while making up bucket lists for ourselves.

  Since my permanent job placement at Calloway Construction, word got out that I was now an employee and business was overflowing with small companies and projects that not only insist on Jack’s expertise but in my marketing expertise as well. Every time I complete a project, Jack gives me a raise.

  We attended the opening of the city communal park and it turned out even more amazing than on paper. There were kids everywhere with happy parents. There are no words to describe the joy I saw on so many faces. It truly made me feel complete with my work.

  The restaurant is well on its way to being done with the revamp. Local news did a story on it and once the community got a hold of the news that Calloway Construction was heading the revamp, the curiosity spread like wildfire. Antonio has been booked solid with reservations for months.

  I never heard from Steve again. Or Stacey, for that matter. I did get to run into Becky one day at the Starbucks, again, and was notified that they broke it off shortly after I found out, and that Stacey was no longer even in town. I think Becky slipped when she told me about Steve’s continuous promiscuous mishaps on company time and how his father and the board members were trying to quietly remove him from the board. I wasn’t fazed though. It wasn’t in me to care. I wished Becky well, hoping I seriously did not make a habit of running into her again and again.

  I was happy. I was able to climb out of my rut, with the help of a wonderful man. And he took care of me. He loved me for who I was and didn’t hesitate to show me every chance he got.

  Which brings me to now. I would love to sit here and continue bragging about how good I have it, but I am running late to meet Jack for a sizing at the jeweler. See, he put a ring on my finger two days ago and I said yes. My name is Sarah Sullivan and this happily ever after is called my life.

  The End

  Thanks to my husband for being my biggest supporter. For all those times you played mommy and daddy which allowed me the time to spread my creative wings. To Michelle, my editor, for holding my hand through this entire journey. Lastly, to all my romance book buddies. Life is just a little bit juicier when you add a pinch of smut to it. This one’s for you!

  J.D. Hollyfield is a creative designer and first-time author. When she’s not cooking, event planning, or playing around with her husband, son and three doxies, she’s relaxing with her nose in a book. With her love for romance, and her head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own story to life. Life in a Rut, Love not Included is her first novel. Hollyfield lives in the Midwest, and is currently at work on her second book.

  You can learn more about J.D. Hollyfield on her website, authorjdhollyfield.com.