Until You Believe Me

by Lindsey Woods

  "Have you been drinking." Connor asked without humor.

  "No! Why would I be?" I was taken aback by the bizarre question.

  "That is the most feeling I've gotten out of you ever. Despite my random non- macho emotional outbursts, you've always had a poker face. I'm shocked and loving it Madison." I could hear his smile and knew he was picking at me good naturedly, though he was correct.

  "Well that should just show you that you need to come home because I'm losing my mind, talking all crazy even." I laughed hearing his chuckle.

  "Tomorrow baby, so soon. I'm beyond overjoyed to think of coming home to you."

  That was a thought. Connor coming home to me. Not just coming home, not just seeing me. But me being there as a part of his home. That reached down and awakened my giddy 14 year old self.

  I just sat there feeling content and happy. Only a few seconds passed and I heard Connor's breaths becoming deeper.

  "Connor, go to sleep. You're falling asleep on me." I could tell I had startled him awake.

  "Yes ma'am. I'm about ready after talking to you. One more thing though Madison. You're amazingly something. Don't forget it. Goodnight sweetheart."

  "Goodnight Connor."

  I put my phone on the passenger seat and smiled. Not only did he continue with his daily affirmation, but the sweetheart's and baby's made my heart skip a beat.

  Chapter 12

  Friday couldn't have gone fast enough. I left around four after saying goodbye to Ben and that we would catch up next week. I wanted to go home, get some supplies for the weekend before heading out to Connor's.

  Grabbing clothes, my make up, shampoo and body wash, and a few other things I was ready.

  I stopped at the grocery store to get some things for the weekend and for dinner tonight.

  I didn't understand why I was nervous to be at Connor's alone, but when I was putting the key in the front door I felt extremely jumpy. Everything was as I remembered. I put my stuff in the main sitting room, not wanting to have anxiety over where I was sleeping.

  I brought the groceries in from the car and after awhile I got everything put away. I felt like I was snooping but in reality all I wanted to do was make it neat and ready for Connor to come home.

  Connor texted me around 5:30 saying he was on the road and would arrive around seven. I planned on making lasagna for dinner so I decided to get under way. Rarely did I make a big to-do over a meal. After all, it was only me eating so I usually settled on something easy and quick.

  I was cleaning up with the lasagna in the oven when I heard the front door open and close.

  I quickly walked into the sitting room and couldn't help myself, seeing Connor there in his suit. I may have squealed as I ran and jumped into his arms. He hugged me tight to him, I smelled his cologne and made a note to find out what kind it was. I hugged him tight and enjoyed how solid his body felt but how softly he held me.

  "You, waiting for me in my house is literally the most amazing thing I have experienced in this world thus far. No lie sweetheart."

  "I'm glad you're back." I said muffled against his shoulder.

  He set me back on the ground. "I need to get this monkey suit off and unpack. Give me ten minutes and I'll be right back." He took his bag down the hallway back to his room.

  After he was out of my view I realized I was still smiling. I smiled even harder at this. Whatever was happening here, with he and I, I was going to take it as it came. This feeling was so much greater than anything I could imagine.

  Connor found me in the kitchen, I poured us two glasses of wine and I took a seat at the big island in the center of the kitchen. He was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt.

  "So, tell me every moment of your days while I was gone. Not in a stalker way, but I am totally interested in everything that could have possibly happened."

  "Nothing interesting. Well except for these love notes that the students kept handing me on Wednesday. I went to dinner with my mom last night, and I talked to you on the way home and here I am, letting myself into your house and cooking you dinner in your kitchen." I took a sip of my wine and smiled at him.

  "I really enjoy the thought of you in my house, I enjoy you seeing your mother, the love notes from the students are kind of troubling. I'd be infatuated with my professor if she were you though. That reminds me, hang on, one second." He set his glass down and tip toed down the hall. He came back grinning from ear to ear, holding an envelope.

  "I can't imagine what's inside." I eagerly started opening it. Inside was a postcard of a beach scene, on the back in his handwriting read:

  Madison,

  You're amazing and I am completely infatuated with you. Until you believe me, you're something else in the best of ways.

  Connor

  "You're here, you could have just said it. But thank you, I have begun to quite enjoy these white envelopes." I laid the postcard on the dining table and went to check the lasagna. I bumped right into Connor as I turned around after closing the oven door. He was smiling his sweet boyish smile and he pulled me to him. Without saying a word he bent down and kissed me. It was like heaven to feel his warmth and his lips. It took only a few seconds for the kiss to move to the next level. He pulled me closer to him, resting his hands on my hips. I wanted even closer to him as I wrapped my arms around his neck. His lips were on mine, both pressing for more but in a gentle, not demanding way.

  Every nerve in my body was in the on position. He broke the kiss and I slowly opened my eyes to see his face close to mine. He rested his forehead against mine and smiled. "I spent the past two days wishing I had done that before I left. I swear, you never left my mind Madison. I am utterly intoxicated by you."

  I ran my hands through his hair. "Connor, I really missed you. I've been content, beyond happy these past few days."

  "That's speaking volumes coming from you. I just want you to know, and this is just an FYI, no pressure to respond. But I'm not seeing anyone else. Even before I met you I wasn't, but now I'm definitely not. I just want you to know that."

  "Thank you. I always appreciate your honesty Connor. I like that you are willing to put it all out there. I hope you understand I'm not accustomed to doing the same thing. That being said I wasn't nor am I now seeing anyone else." I blushed a little at the admission. He made me want to bare parts of myself to him that I had held under lock and key for so long.

  "I don't need you to wear it on your sleeve, just promise you'll be honest. I can take waiting for information until you're ready but I can't bear to have you lie. I'd be more hurt from a lie than the truth."

  "I don't plan on hurting you Connor. Ever." I truly felt that I'd be willing to do anything to keep from hurting him.

  "Good, now when do we eat?" He smiled that grin and immediately all my cares and worries disappeared.

  After dinner, I finally convinced Connor to let me clean up, and I joined him on the sectional. He turned on the fireplace and was sprawled out on the couch when I came in. I lifted his head and laid it back down on my lap. I smiled and stroked his hair softly.

  "Tell me about the business," I said.

  "Well, I keep minions in line, isn't that what you say?"

  I laughed and playfully tugged his hair. "Really, how did you end up with it, why didn't your brother?"

  "Well I was working for my dad when he got sick. I was mostly doing the on site stuff while my dad was out bidding and doing the paperwork. Once he got sick, someone needed to run the day to day stuff so I started there. We thought he'd be back to work in a few months, and he was. He quickly got sicker, you know that part so I moved in and took over. My brother is a bit of a, drifter, to put it nicely. He's still not sure what he wants. So here I am holding down the business."

  "And is it, you know, umm, do you do ok at it?"

  He chuckled. "Do we make money? Yes, we make money. Good money. My dad was a phenomenal business man. He didn't play on being a mom and pop company for long. When he left the company was actually worth a
couple million. He's had some contracts with some big hotel chains. He's done some jobs for Disney. The university is the biggest project we've had. We stand to make about 5 million if they hire us on again in the fall. And more if they sign us for the whole contract."

  I was shocked that there was that much money in construction. "Was this house your Dad's?" The question had been in the back of my mind since I learned about his father.

  "Yes, it belonged to him. I moved here to stay with him when he first got sick. I never went back. I kind of put a lot of stuff on hold when it happened, I don't regret it, but looking back I realize I did a lot to be here."

  "You love him, I can tell."

  "I worry about him. He's only sixty. I want him to be around to see the business grow, to see me get married, to have grandkids. He is not lovey dovey kind of guy. I realized that. He shows he loves you by ordering you around. I accept that but it's not who I want to be. I've made it a conscious choice to be better at showing how I feel. I guess you can see how that's turning out." He gave a weak smile and I patted his cheek. He yawned a big yawn.

  "I think you need some sleep. You were exhausted last night. You need to catch up on sleep." He turned in my lap and nuzzled his head against my stomach.

  "I'm not willing to leave you just to sleep. I just got home." Even as he spoke his eyes were clearly heavy and closing.

  "Up, come on. You have to go to bed. I'll come with you."

  At this he lifted his head looking kind of shocked. "You will?"

  I nodded.

  "Madison, you don't have to. I told you, no pressure."

  "Stop arguing or I might get the wrong idea that you don't want to sleep with me. Er..I mean sleep with me there too."

  He smiled at me while I blushed. "Either will do for me sweetheart, believe me." He smiled as he got up off the couch. He went and grabbed my bags and carried them down the hallway to his bedroom.

  I followed behind and watched him set down my bags. "I'll give you a few minutes while I got turn off the lights and et the alarm." He closed the bedroom door behind him.

  I quickly sorted through my bag pulling out my pajamas and throwing them on. I opened the bedroom door, signaling to Connor that I was done. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth quickly. As I walked out of the bathroom Connor was taking off his shirt and replacing it with a tshirt. His back to me, showed every defined muscle. I watch them flex under his smooth skin as the T-Shirt slipped down his back. I noticed that he was already wearing a pair of basketball shorts. I said a silent prayer that I didn't have to watch that because at that point I don't know how I would have kept it together.

  He smiled as he climbed into bed. "C'mon sweetheart. Let's get to sleep." He opened up the covers for me and I crawled in next to him. He reached for a remote and the suddenly the lights went out.

  I laughed and snugged close to him. "That's awesome." I heard his laugh from beside me as I felt his arms circle around my waist and his cheek was pressed to my back.

  "I made plans for us tomorrow afternoon, so please don't try to escape in the night. On that note I set the alarm so please don't try to open the doors or windows until you've turned it off. Thank you for staying baby. Sweet dreams."

  "Sweet dreams Connor." And within minutes I feel into the deepest most peaceful sleep I could remember.

  Chapter 13

  When I woke up the sun was bright outside. It took m a moment to realize I wasn't in bed. After I realized where I was my next realization was that I was alone. I turned to the bedside table and picked up my phone. The clock read 8:07 A.M. I slowly got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to make myself presentable.

  As I walked down the hallway toward the sitting room I smelled coffee and suddenly could think of nothing else. I walked into the kitchen and Connor was sitting at the island counter in his T-Shirt and basketball shorts. He was thumbing through the newspaper and sipping his coffee.

  He looked up and smiled at me, getting up and pulling down a coffee mug and filling it with coffee. "Come sit." I took the stool next to him and put some sugar and milk in my coffee.

  "Did you sleep well?" Connor asked as he closed the paper and put it to the side.

  "Very. What about you?"

  "Absolutely."

  "You're up early."

  "I slept until seven which is about an hour later than normal."

  "I spend five days a week getting up too early. Saturday and Sunday are so worth wasting an hour or two in bed."

  "That's why I left you alone, you looked much too precious to wake." Connor got up and gave me a soft kiss on the cheek on his way to the coffee pot. "What would you like for breakfast?"

  I shook my head. "Nothing, coffee is good."

  Connor frowned. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day Madison and I have an exciting day planned for you."

  "I think I"ll survive."

  "Well excuse me then because I won't be. I get cranky when I'm hungry." He started pulling things out of the fridge.

  I couldn't imagine Connor cranky. He has always been happy-go-lucky, except for that one night. Otherwise he always had a smile on his face.

  While he cooked and ate I hopped in the shower and got ready. As I put on make-up and brushed my hair Connor showered.

  I nearly passed out when he steppe out of the steaming bathroom in perfectly fitting jeans and no shirt. His bare chest was slightly damp from the shower and steam and every muscle rippled as he walked and bent to grab a shirt from a drawer.

  I had to literally shake my head to break out of my trance. He was an amazing specimen, that was for sure.

  **

  We had just left the house in Connor's truck and were driving down the freeway. It was only twenty minutes before we pulled into a long driveway. In front of us was a two story house with an amazing wrap around front porch. The house was clearly large but it was understated. It wasn't pompous big, it was old southern money big.

  Connor opened my car door and helped me out. We walked up to the porch and was very surprised when he stuck a key in the lock rather than knocked. We walked into the house and it was not what I expected. The front hallway floor was missing and I noticed various tarps and tools all over.

  "What is this?" The outside was beautiful, however the inside was clearly in need of repair.

  "This is an 1890's plantation house. It sits on four acres of land. I'm currently restoring it." Connor led me from the front hallway to the huge front room. There were beautiful bay windows that looked onto the land on the side of the house. They filled the huge room with an unbelievable amount of sunlight.

  "It's gorgeous. When will it be done? Who needs this much land?"

  "It's mine. I'm restoring it myself and I hope to live here within the next few years." He gave a small smile, but I could tell he was waiting for me.

  "Yours, like you bought this to live in? I love it Connor."

  "I'm so glad." He squeezed my hand as we moved around the house some more.

  After seeing five bedrooms and three and a half baths we went out back to the porch. It was land as far as you could see. Way back behind the house was another building. It almost looked like a barn.

  We stood there and talked about the house and how Connor had come about finding it. Originally he was asked to renovate a house down the street but saw this and had to have it.