“Thanks.”
“She’ll soon realise that Danni is a lying bitch. Don’t sweat it, man.”
“Hmmm,” I mumble back while refilling my roller.
We get interrupted when my phone starts ringing. I leave it to ring off as I have no interest in talking to anyone, and I don’t need to look to know that it’s not Emma. After mine rings a few times, it stops, but Fin’s then starts.
“Con, what’s up, girl?”
He goes quiet while he listens, then hangs up after, saying that we’re going there now.
“Put your roller down. We need to go,” Fin says, putting everything down and pulling his shirt back on.
“Go where?”
“Emma’s. Connie just drove past and she saw Emma going in with Elliot. She doesn’t think that anything-”
I don’t let him continue what he was going to say, because I’m already halfway to my car shouting, “Come the fuck on, then,” behind me to Fin.
Luckily, the front door is unlocked when I get there, so I swing it open and storm in. Voices come from the living room, so I head straight there. Both of their heads swing around at the intrusion, and their eyes go wide as I head straight to Elliot and pull him from the sofa by the scruff of his shirt. I shove him against the wall and hold him there with my forearm against his throat.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl in his face.
“Ruben, let him go,” Emma says behind me, but I ignore her. I want to know what this arsehole is doing here with my girl.
“I swear to God if you’ve laid a finger on her, I’m gonna fucking end you. Connie is one thing, but my fucking girl? You’ve got to be an even bigger prick than I thought.”
“Ruben,” Emma shouts louder. “Let him go. He’s here to help you, you idiot.”
“What?” I question, loosening my hold on Elliot’s throat slightly when her words register in my anger filled brain.
“He came to explain what he heard Danni talking about on the phone. Elliot, tell him.”
“I…uh,” he coughs, so I let my arm drop, but I don’t leave his personal space or drop my guard. I don’t trust this guy as far as I could throw him. “I heard Danni talking on the phone.”
“And?”
“She was telling the person on the other end how she had told you that you’re the father because she has no idea who the guy was that she hooked up with in the club that night. She knew you were wasted, so thought she could pull it off. I wanted Emma to know. I couldn’t let my sister ruin what you two have.”
“Why? Why would you suddenly help me out?”
“I’m not a complete dick, Ruben. If someone were playing the same shit with Amy and me, then I’d want to know about it. If you’re half as serious about Emma as I am about Amy, then I couldn’t just ignore it.”
I step back from him in shock. “You heard her say that?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, um, thanks, I guess,” I say, in complete amazement.
I turn away from Elliot and face Emma, who is stood staring at me, but it’s like she is a million miles away.
“I’m gonna go,” Elliot says, before I hear his footsteps get quieter.
“Me too,” Fin adds, following him out.
It’s not until we hear the door shut that Emma speaks.
“I’m so sorry,” she says very quietly.
We both stand and stare at each other. As desperate as I am to pull her to me and never let go, it still hurts that she didn’t fight for me. Her first instinct wasn’t to talk to me, to find out my side of the story. She just kicked me out and ignored me. I don’t want to sound like a right girl about this, but it’s eating me.
She goes to step towards me, but I instinctively take a step back. The hurt look that enters her features breaks my heart, but I just can’t forgive her yet.
“So am I,” I whisper, before I turn and leave the house. Her cries almost make me change my mind, but I need to get out of there.
I go straight back to my house, put some loud music on, and continue where I left off with the painting. I don’t want to think. I just want to do, and the music blaring in my ears almost lets me do just that.
I have no idea how much time passes, but I’ve almost got the whole of downstairs done when the music suddenly goes off. I turn to see what’s going on to see my mum stood next to where the speaker is plugged into the wall.
She comes walking over to me, and looks like she’s about to hug me, until she registers that I’m covered in speckles of paint.
“Connie sent me,” she says, as an explanation for her sudden appearance. “This place is really coming on, baby. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, knowing she isn’t here to have a look around my new place. “Go on, say what you’re really here to say.”
“I’m not here to say anything. I’m here to listen. I can’t tell you what to do, that’s for you to figure out, but I think you already know what it is you’re going to do.”
“She just presumed the worst of me though, Mum,” I say, presuming she already knows the whole damn story if Connie’s been involved.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry to say it, but you have given her reason to doubt you in the past,” she says with a cringe.
“Thanks, Mum.”
“I’m sorry, but you know it’s the truth. You should have known your past behaviour was going to come back and bite you in the arse at some point. You’ve broken too many hearts over the years for that not to happen. She was in shock. The last thing any woman wants is to find another woman at their front door telling them their man has got her pregnant.”
“Don’t you think I was in shock? I knew it wasn’t true, though. I knew I didn’t do what she was accusing me of, but Emma didn’t give me a chance to explain. She just kicked me out.”
“I know, but I also know that she probably regrets it. There’s no telling what any of us would do in a situation like that. Emma’s coping mechanism is to shut things out, you told me that yourself not so long ago, so why should you expect her to do anything else?”
“I guess.”
“Go and sort it out with her, baby. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”
Mum left me to my painting not long after. I hate to say it, but she’s right, as always. I intend to go back and talk to Emma. Just not quite yet.
It’s almost two am by the time I decide I can’t wait any more. I got home sometime after eleven, and after showering, I got in bed and tossed and turned for hours, fighting the need to go to her. Eventually, I jump out of bed, throw some clothes on and head out.
When I left earlier, it wasn’t before I nabbed the spare key Emma keeps in a bowl by the front door. So when I get there, I let myself in quietly and sneak up the stairs. Kia spots me instantly and starts purring at me from what I class as my side of the bed. I silently strip down and shoo her off. I slide under the covers and right up behind Emma, who is fast asleep. She won’t be for long, if I have anything to do with it mind you.
I lift her hair gently off her neck before I start planting kisses along her exposed skin. When she starts humming in her sleep, I know she is starting to come to.
I skim my hands down her sides to discover she is wearing a little nightie, which is unlike her. I’m not going to complain, though, because it gives me easier access. When my hands reach her hips, I discover that not only has her nightie ridden up around her waist, but she also isn’t wearing any knickers. My already hard dick twitches in excitement. I reach behind me into the bedside table to grab a condom and suit up ready for her.
I move back and slide my hand around to her stomach then down to her pussy. Even in her sleep, she’s ready for me. I slide my fingers in and out of her a few times to make sure she’s ready. She moans my name and I feel her start to rock her hips back into me, giving me the access I need. I don’t waste any time in sliding into her, and I begin a gentle rhythm while I hold her tightly to me.
I know the moment she wakes
fully, because she stills slightly, before beginning to turn her head back towards me. I sit up on my elbow and look down to her so we can meet halfway.
“I’m sorry. I love you,” I whisper, before dropping my lips to hers.
“I love you, too,” she mumbles against my lips.
She begins to turn, forcing me to pull out of her and lift up so she can lay on her back. I settle myself between her legs and make love to her just like she deserves.
I think we eventually fall asleep about an hour before her alarm usually goes off in the end.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Emma
As soon as Elliot explained what he had heard, I instantly felt awful for the way I’d treated Ruben since Danni’s appearance. He didn’t deserve to just be kicked out. I should have heard him out, but it hurt too much and I wanted to get away from it all.
I thought the moment I heard her say she was pregnant with his child ripped my heart in two, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when he stepped away from me earlier after Elliot left and I apologised. Never in a million years did I expect him to just walk away from me. The pain that ripped through me when I heard the door slam shut was like nothing I’d felt before, and it was my fault. All this time, I’d been telling myself that he’d be the one to do something to hurt me, when it was my actions that ultimately led to this. If I’d just listened to him, believed him from the beginning, then this wouldn’t have happened.
Once my sobbing decreased to a bearable level, I phoned Connie to make sure he was all right. She still sounded rough on the phone, but promised to find him and make sure he was okay.
I went to bed not long after and cried myself to sleep.
I would have thought that waking up to find someone else in my bed would have scared me, but I instantly knew it was him.
My body knew it was him.
I feel his cock stoke inside me, and I can’t help the little noise I make.
He came back.
Ruben made love to me for hours, our bodies moving in sync as we showed our love for each other, and put our apologies for the last few days into our actions instead of words.
I have no idea what time I eventually drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man I love, but when my alarm clock started the radio playing, I knew I wasn’t ready to wake up. I pulled my arm from under the covers and went to hit the off button, when a new song started to play. My first reaction was to panic, but I looked over my shoulder to Ruben and that feeling instantly transformed.
After everything I’ve been through, this is exactly where I’m meant to be, and I feel her looking down at me and smiling.
Everything happens for a reason.
Epilogue
Emma
I’ve been awake since five am.
I’m excited.
I’m scared.
I think I’m going to be sick.
My book went live on all platforms at midnight, and I’m sat at the breakfast bar with my trillionth coffee and my phone, which I keep refreshing like it’s my lifeline. I’ve had a couple of reviews posted already by people the host company Molly found sent it out to. They’re both 5* and I’m completely blown away by their comments and love for my story and characters, but I’m now greedy for more. I know that realistically I’ve got hours to wait, because most bloggers and readers are American, and they are mostly still fast asleep.
“How long have you been up?” Ruben asks when he appears looking a sleepy, sexy mess a few hours later.
“Hours. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Aw, happy release day, babe,” he says as he walks over to the coffee machine, giving me an awesome view of his arse.
It still amazes me that the God like man currently wandering around my house in just his boxer briefs is all mine.
Things have been beyond perfect since the night he appeared in my bed in the middle of the night. Danni has thankfully gone back into hiding, and we have picked up where we left off. Well, almost. I have a new-found trust in Ruben since finding out the truth. Although him being with me still astounds me, I know that he loves me and that he doesn’t want to be anywhere else. He makes sure to prove it to me as often as possible as well, which doesn’t hurt.
After spending all morning attached to my phone, Ruben eventually manages to get me into the shower and makes me get dressed so he can take me out to lunch to celebrate. I want to go, I really do, but I’m so anxious about missing a review come in or for someone to comment or download my book. I don’t think I’ve ever been this dizzy about something in my entire life. I think I could get addicted to this feeling.
“Babe, you need to relax. Your book is amazing, trust me. And the reviews will still be there when we finish,” Ruben says, trying to reassure me when he sees my knee bouncing on the journey to the restaurant.
I couldn’t believe it when he said he’d read it the night I kicked him out after Danni’s announcement. He said he loved the idea that I was thinking about us when writing the sex scenes. I didn’t want to burst his bubble by telling him that I wrote the whole thing long before I even met him, so I just nodded along. Plus, it’s not completely untrue, because I do use him as inspiration in my current manuscript.
Ruben booked us a table at this fancy restaurant. The food was insane. Well, I wouldn’t expect any less when the prices are so extortionate.
“Where are we going?” I ask, when Ruben misses the turning to my house and continues.
“It’s a surprise,” he says, looking over at me and winking.
“Okay.”
After a few more minutes, he pulls over by a gravel track. I’ve never been this side of the village. I think I’ve run through the fields, but that’s about it.
I watch as he hops out and comes around to my side before opening the door and helping me out.
“What are we doing?”
“Stop asking questions and do as you’re told.”
I shut my mouth and watch as he pulls one of my scarves out from the glove box. “Wh-” I start to ask, but stop when I see the look on his face.
He ties the scarf around my eyes and, after checking to see if I can see anything, he begins tugging me along with him somewhere.
We seem to be walking for ages, but it could just feel that way because I’m in darkness. I know we are walking up a gravel track, because I can feel the stones under my feet. It’s not very easy to walk on in heels - he could have warned me.
Eventually, he brings me to a stop.
“You ready?”
“Uh, I guess,” I say, but I have no idea what I’m about to be facing.
He pulls the scarf away and, after blinking against the bright sunlight, I see that I’m stood in front of the barn conversion I’ve been admiring for months on my daily runs.
“Why are we here?”
“Come on.” He grabs my hand and begins pulling me towards the front door.
I watch in horror as he opens the door and goes to walk inside.
“Ruben, you can’t just walk…oh,” I say, when the sight inside takes my breath away.
It’s as I imagined it would be. The downstairs is a massive open plan room, but it’s completely empty, apart from a huge bookcase next to the vast floor to ceiling windows. What really takes my breath away, though, is the number of roses of all colours filling the bare space.
“I don’t understand. Why have you brought me here?” I say, walking into the room behind him.
“I wanted to show you our house,” he says with a massive smile.
“Our house?” I repeat in disbelief.
“Yeah.”
“But…but is it even for sale?” I ask, completely bemused by this situation.
“No, it’s never been for sale. I’m the only one that’s ever owned it. Well, other than my parents.”
He must see the utter confusion on my face, because he goes on to explain.
“This field and barn was on their land. I bought it off them years ago, and I’ve been converting it ever
since. I was planning on moving in when it was all done. But then I met you and discovered you loved it as much as me, so I got it to this point,” he says, gesturing around, “And stopped, because I thought you might want some input on it as well.”
“This is…yours? All of it?” I’m completely gobsmacked.
“Yeah,” he says with a laugh, “All of it. Well, actually, it can be ours. I have a key here for you.”
I watch as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key. He holds it out to me and when I hold my palm out, he gently places it down. I briefly look down at it, but something about Ruben makes me look up at him.
“What do you think?” he asks, nodding towards the key and making me look at it a little more closely this time.
My eyes go wide when I see what he’s really asking, and when he sees that I see it, he drops down to the floor.
On one knee.
Oh my God!
“Emma. I never thought that a serious girlfriend, let alone marriage, was in my future, but that was only because I hadn’t met you. Since the moment I looked into your eyes when I was in Australia, you captivated me, and I knew you were mine. You amaze me every day with your intelligence, creativity, kindness, strength and love. I never want to experience a time without you or those things in my life. Will you marry me?”
Tears are streaming down my face and my whole body is shaking at this very unexpected turn of events. Never in a million years did I see this coming. It’s so soon. We haven’t been together very long. But even knowing that, there is only ever going to be one answer.
Ruben can obviously see the thoughts running wild around my head, because he tries to reassure me, “I know it’s soon but I know that you are the one for me. We don’t have to get married anytime soon; we can have a long engagement. I just wanted you wearing my ring, and knowing that one day soon you will have my name as well.”
“It is soon,” I sob out, “But that doesn’t matter to me. I love you, Ruben, of course I’ll marry you.” I just about finish what I have to say before he is up off the floor and I’m in his arms as he spins me around the room. When he puts me back on my feet, he takes the key he gave me earlier from my hand, unclips the engagement ring that was hanging from it, and slides it on to my finger. I look down through my tear-filled eyes at the simple but perfect solitaire diamond on a platinum band. It’s perfect.
Angel Series Books #1-2.5 Page 93