It took everything in me not to laugh. I can’t believe I never heard him walk in. It’s not like he’s never seen me dance and sing in the kitchen but dammit I unleashed moves that I usually reserved for when I was alone.
He didn’t answer right away but when he did all he replied with was, “Hey Mickey you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey!” He was waving his arms in the air as if he were a cheerleader mocking me. Oh I was going to get him.
My laughter couldn’t be contained anymore. I took the broom and tried to hit him with it but his hand caught it and he pulled the broom, which pulled me closer for a kiss.
“I’m glad you think I’m entertaining.”
“Well didn’t you know? That’s why I love you.”
“Whatever, I’m going out for pizza.” I attempted to roll my eyes but failed miserably.
He started laughing again and kissed my nose. “You know, I like pizza too.”
His green eyes sparkled under the kitchen light and I pulled his lips to mine, “Sounds like a date.”
“Hey why don’t we see if Halley and Marcus want to come? I know you have her party tomorrow but I most likely won’t be able to make it to his. We haven’t done anything with them in a while.”
He was right. I don’t know the last time I’d seen Marcus and in a week I was going to be in his wedding signing my name on his wedding certificate. He didn’t hate me, I don’t think, but since Trevor left town he hadn’t exactly been as friendly to me as he used to be. He would barely smile at me when I was in his general vicinity. Not my fault.
“Let me call her.”
I grabbed my phone off the dock and turned the music off. Halley answered in a ring and a half. Geez someone must be bored.
“Hello?”
“Hey, you bored? You answered quickly.”
“No, just was talking to the caterer and all that last minute stuff. What’s going on?”
Her head really was starting to get close to spinning. I silently was thankful that I didn’t have to live with her while she was planning this wedding. Its bad enough she popped up at the apartment from time to time.
“Luke and I were going to go grab some pizza and wanted to see if you guys wanted to join us. Luke won’t be able to make it tomorrow either by the way.”
I could hear her hollering asking Marcus whether he wanted pizza or not. After some garbled talking she finally got back on the line. “Yeah we can meet ya’ll there in about ten minutes. You know it’s probably for the best he can’t make it. I know it’s already going to be tense with Trevor at the wedding, I don’t want Luke feeling super awkward.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Ok, well we will meet ya’ll there.”
I hung up the phone and mocked some of the cheerleading moves that Luke had showed off then ran to go change out of my cleaning clothes before he could chase me.
For a change we drove my Civic. It had been a while since it’d been driven and tomorrow night for sure I wasn’t driving. Luke had already told me he would drop me off and pick me up. I was pretty much planning on driving to her apartment and then having Luke just pick me up afterwards.
We pulled up at Dan’s Pizzeria just in time. They were getting pretty busy. Halley knocked on the glass window and waved. They already had a table inside and I was glad because people were beginning to have to wait.
Dan’s was locally owned and had been around for about three years. They bragged that they made their own dough every day. Oh and their own marinara sauce. I could care less, all I know is it was amazing. There wasn’t a single thing on their menu that wasn’t good. The calzones were to die for. We ordered our drinks and tried to decide what kind of pizza everyone wanted. It was cheaper for everyone if we all just shared a pizza which didn’t matter to any of us.
“I like supreme,” Marcus chimed in. Halley shot him a dirty look. She didn’t do supreme pizza and neither did I but I never said anything.
“I like supreme too,” Luke also replied. If Halley’s eyes could go in two different directions they would have both gotten the look at the same time. The two guys high fived each other trying to be all macho.
I needed to be the voice of reason or we were never going to eat. My stomach felt like it was telling a whole story, I was starving. “Ok, let’s get one of their extra-large pizzas and get half supreme and the other half pepperoni. That ok with everyone?”
Halley’s eyes lit up and she smiled, “I love that idea.”
Marcus looked at her laughing and kissed her cheek, “See we can compromise.”
They were so damn cute holding hands on the table and now they were staring into each other’s eyes.
I can’t believe I ever told her I wouldn’t be in her wedding. There was no way in hell I’d miss my best friend’s big day, we’d been through so much together and shared way too many good times. Luke squeezed my hand under the table and leaned into my ear. “We need to set a date so that can be us soon.”
I whispered back, “How about tomorrow?”
His whisper got even softer, so soft it tickled me down to my core. “I’d do it in a heartbeat if that’s what you really wanted, you know that.”
My insides began tingling at the thought of what he was insinuating. I knew good and well that he would up and marry me tomorrow. All we’d have to do is call his parents and tell Gary and it’d be done. He pulled me closer for a kiss and I let my lips part for a brief second.
The kiss was interrupted when Halley cleared her throat really loud. I scrunched my nose and stuck my tongue out at her pretty much hating her for ruining that moment.
“Oh hey Luke,” she piped up, “How much would you charge for a small tattoo?”
“Well what do you have in mind?”
“Well, after the wedding, I would like to get the date on the inside of my wrist, probably in white ink. So really it’s pretty small.”
“Consider it my wedding gift to you. Just let Macy know when you’re ready and we can either do it in our home or at the shop.”
She clapped her hands and squealed in delight. “Thank you so much!”
The waitress came up with our pizza. I forgot how big the extra-large really was. The cheese was so hot it was practically sliding off the slices. Marcus and Luke were attempting to eat the pizza and occasionally burning their mouths. They were jackasses. Halley and I just sat there talking waiting for ours to cool off a little. I was hungry not dying.
I glanced out the window and watched as the sky began to darken. A flash of lightening split across the sky followed by a rumble of thunder. I let out an exaggerated groan and took a sip of my soda.
I looked over to find Luke leaning towards me with greasy lips trying to kiss my cheek. He found it funny and I was ready to scream and cause a scene in the middle of Dan’s. “Lucas Nolan, get those greasy lips away from me!”
Halley laughed so hard soda almost came out of her nose and Luke wiped his mouth with his napkin.
“Geez Mace. You sound just like my mom.” He leaned into my ear and whispered, “That’s kinda hot.” He placed his hand on the inside of my thighs and I felt my insides tingle at his touch. He moved it closer and I let out a small gasp. I know he knew what he was doing and he was so good at it. Slowly he moved his hand back which teased me to the core. Ugh, how wrong is that? If we were at home, I’d drag his hot self into the bedroom and have my way with him.
I rolled my eyes and smacked his arm. “You are full of it.”
The pizza seemed a little cooler now than it was earlier so I reached over and grabbed a slice and provocatively took a bite praying I wouldn’t burn my mouth. That would be an epic fail. He watched me the whole time, his green eyes burning holes into mine.
Another crack of thunder went off in the distance and the rain started coming down harder. The sound of it pelting on the roof reminded me of someone playing the drums. I was glad for that noise or else Luke may have heard my heart practically beating out of my chest.
We
finished what we were eating and between the two guys, there was nothing to take home. As if half the pizza wasn’t enough for them, they dug into a few slices of the pepperoni.
We said our goodbyes and I told Halley I would see her tomorrow. Of course the minute we open the door to leave, the rain starts coming down harder. I heard Halley groan and I suddenly remembered the day at the zoo. As fast as I remembered it, I tossed it aside. Lucky for her, Marcus parked by the door so she only got wet for like a second. Us, on the other hand had a good almost ten second walk.
I groaned and then placed my hand in Luke’s and we ran. Lightning struck again and it made me scream. I wasn’t the biggest fan of rain storms, matter of fact I was a big chicken when it came to thunder and lightning. Luke hit the unlock button on the door but before I could open the door he stepped in front of me and leaned his rock hard chest against mine pressing my back against the car.
The rain continued to fall at the same pace. My clothes, hair and everything else was soaked but I didn’t care. I gasped for air as the cool rain continued to run down my face. Luke fixed his eyes on me and didn’t move them. I could clearly make out all his muscles through his wet shirt. I brought my hand up to his chest and clung to what fabric I could grab.
Keeping his eyes on me, he moved in closer to my lips and as the rain continued to fall, I began breathing more uneven. I wanted his lips on mine. Forget it’s raining, he’s teasing me. His lips were so close I could feel his breath on mine; his breathing had started to get just as ragged. For a minute, I almost forgot that we were still outside Dan’s.
As I looked into his eyes, I think for the first time I noticed the little gold flecks in them. I’ve always known he had gorgeous eyes, but something about this moment made me notice things I never paid attention to before. Like the fact that when he smiles, his nose scrunches up a little in the sexiest way possible. Or how when he raises an eyebrow he does that sexy half smile that lights up my world. Nothing mattered but him anymore.
My left hand reached up to his jaw and I traced a line from his jaw to his lips. He grabbed my hand and kissed it, around where you typically wear a ring. My heart skipped about a thousand beats.
As exciting as it was getting ready to plan this wedding with Luke, I was still terrified of the idea in general because of the way things ended the first time with Trevor. Neither one of us spoke; we just stood there letting the rain hit us. I smiled at him and leaned into his lips. The kiss felt so powerful as our lips crushed, like the whole world just crashed around us. My heart continued to beat against my chest and when we pulled away, I was still wearing the exact same grin.
As soon as we got home, we got out of our clothes that looked like took them out of the washer without using the spin cycle. I could have probably rung out a gallon or two of water from them.
The rain continued to fall. Once we were changed into drier clothes and my hair wasn’t sopping wet, we lay on the couch and flipped through the channels. Reruns of Will and Grace were playing and Luke was getting ready to turn the channel when I put on my best pouty face. I always wished I had a friend like Will so we could be roommates and be like them. They were hilarious.
“I’ll watch it because you want to.” Luke told me. He was the best, I was sure he was going to get all macho and throw a fit over this. Karen said something on the show and suddenly he was laughing. We were both laughing actually and he sat through about five episodes before he started yawning.
I was tired too, exhausted was more like it. Probably because I knew tomorrow I would be swimming in liquor and partaking in activities that God himself probably wouldn’t approve of. Lazily, I got up and drug my feet to the room. Luke followed me as I changed into a t-shirt and lay under the covers. He rubbed my back until I fell asleep. I hoped there would be no dreams that night, only peaceful sleep. It’s just what I needed.
Chapter 8
“Come on Macy you know you want it. I see how you stare at me when your Mom isn’t looking.”
Ohmigod is he serious?
“Ray, get the hell out of my room.”
I was on the phone with Halley, we were supposed to be dorm mates in college and we wanted to start getting to know each other to bypass the awkwardness.
“Mace, you ok?” She asked her voice full of concern.
Ray was drunk…again. I could smell it coming out of his pores from a mile away. Please God don’t let him touch me again. I don’t want him touching my arm, my leg, or rubbing my face.
Tears sprung to my eyes as I continued to pray he would walk out the room.
“I’m fine Halley. Can I call you back?”
“Don’t hang up Macy, please. Talk to me are you ok?”
Ray turned to shut the door and locked it behind him. Shit. I swallowed loudly wanting to scream and cry. No, please, no.
Without saying another word I set the phone down but never ended the call. Halley kept calling my name and trying to get me to pick up the phone, but I didn’t.
He began walking towards me and when he got close enough I tried to kick him in the balls but he caught my leg and pushed me on the bed. NO. Please make him stop.
Even drunk he was stronger than me, I tried with everything in me to push him off but I couldn’t. All I could do was cry.
My brand new jeans were ripped off and everything innocent to me was taken away in the blink of an eye. He just got up and walked out like it was nothing.
Halley still sat on the phone but I was too horrified to speak so I just put the phone to my ear sat in my closet and cried.
I awoke in a panic, kicking and screaming. I can’t remember ever doing that, but then I don’t remember ever having had a nightmare that recalled everything as if it were happening again. From time to time, I did have a nightmare or two but they were never so vivid and it scared the hell out of me. Frantically, I began looking all over the room, watching to see if Ray were in there. I knew he wasn’t but I couldn’t help but look.
Luke grabbed me from behind and held me close. “Shhh. What happened Mace? Are you ok?”
When reality sunk in and I remembered I was home, my breathing eased up and I began to cry. I turned and cried into his chest, glad he didn’t have a shirt on because it would have been soaked.
“I had a nightmare about….I’m so sorry. What time is it? I’m so sorry I woke you.”
He wiped the tears from my face and replied, “It’s four in the morning and don’t be sorry. I just want to know you’re ok.”
“I’m ok now. I had a nightmare about my stepdad, it seemed so real. He was there….and…and he…” My hands began trembling and Luke grabbed them.
“Lay back down baby. I got you.”
I nodded my head and lay on his chest. His breathing was comforting to me and within a few minutes I was asleep again.
The smell of coffee was what woke me up and I could hear voices coming from the living room. Ouch, my head was killing me. All that crying I had done was wreaking havoc on my head.
Luke opened the door and popped his head in the room. “Hey babe, you up?”
“Yeah, my head is killing me.” I held my head in my hands and tried to rub my temples.
“Let me go get you some medicine. Mom and Dad are here. They stopped by on their way out of town. They said they need a getaway so they’re heading to Texas for the weekend.”
“Ok, I’m getting up. I don’t want to be rude.” I slowly got up and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I threw on my bra and a shirt along with my favorite dark gray sweatpants. There, this should be acceptable for now. It is only eight thirty in the morning. No sense in trying to be a beauty queen just yet.
Luke came in the room with an aspirin and a glass of water. After I took the medicine, I decided to grace Randy and Sherry with my presence.
Sherry immediately came and threw her arms around my neck. I hugged her back and smiled. “I love what you two have done with this place Macy. It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
“Oh, thank you
but Luke did most of this himself. I only added a few things.”
Randy and Luke were in the living room flipping through the channels and talking about who knows what.
I turned to Sherry who sat beside me at the table once I fixed my coffee and decided to hold a conversation with her. “Luke said you guys are going to Texas for the weekend. That sounds fun.”
“Yes, we need a getaway. We love the restaurant but we spend literally all our time there, it’s nice to go somewhere else once in a while and have someone wait on us for a change.”
“Where in Texas are ya’ll headed?”
“We’re just going to Houston. Probably do a little shopping, but don’t tell Randy that. He’ll change his mind.”
I began laughing and replied, “That sounds like Luke too.” I took a sip of my coffee and blew a kiss at Luke. He turned our way when he heard his name.
“What are you ladies talking about anyway? I heard my name.”
“Geez, Luke do you have supersonic hearing? We were just talking about shopping.”
Just mentioning the word shopping, Luke immediately covered his ears and went back to the conversation with his dad.
Sherry began laughing and gently touched my arm. “Macy, sweetie, I really am so glad he found you. You have no idea how happy it makes us to see him smile again. He was so devastated and hurt. He wouldn’t talk to anyone. He didn’t answer phone calls and even when we drove here, he wouldn’t answer the door. We really were scared for him.”
Her smile was contagious and I smiled too. I looked over to Luke who was still talking with his dad and whatever they were talking about had him grinning like a little kid.
“The night Luke and I met was the first time I had been out since I had my miscarriage,” I took a deep breath as I began to open up to her. Sherry’s eyes got wide and she held onto my hand. It was so comforting and I continued, “I was engaged to this guy and when I was five months pregnant, I lost the baby and I didn’t want to leave my room or talk to anyone. He ended up cheating on me and that was it. I refused to believe his apologies and I just moped around. Going out that night was the best thing that happened to me. I believe it saved me from doing something terrible.”
More Than Enough Page 9