Everything I Need (The Everything Series Book 1)
Page 34
“May I remind you that they have two other friends?”
“Yeah, both of whom don’t live here. Not planning on moving to California and definitely not into some long-distance relationship shit,” Luke replied.
“But if those girls moved here, you’d consider something?” Zane asked.
“Not me,” Stone said. “I’d have no problem showing Monroe a good time, especially with those fucking legs of hers, but that’s it for me.”
I decided not to push it. I remembered my conversation with Charley a couple weeks ago about Monroe. She never gave me specific details, but she was very serious in what she said when she told me that if Stone wasn’t into the idea of a long-term relationship then we shouldn’t push it. Even without details, I knew that Charley took her friendships very seriously and if or when she needed to share details she would.
A little while later, Luke and Stone were off. I assumed it was to find a woman for the night. I was thankful to be well past that stage in my life. The girls came back to the table and Charley, who was slightly tipsy, took a seat in my lap. She kissed me on the lips and then moved her mouth to my ear.
“I think I’m ready to go home, honey.”
“Yeah?”
She gave me a sexy smile and nodded.
“Hey Zane — you ready?” I asked.
Zane looked to Emme. She nodded.
“Ok, gorgeous. Let’s say good-bye and we can head out.”
Greg and Tony had reappeared. Everyone congratulated Charley and I once again and we all took off for the night.
The four of us got into Zane’s truck and he drove us back to the condo. The girls were in especially good spirits, having had a bit of alcohol in them. Charley’s head was in my lap and she was chatting about all the things she wanted to have at the wedding. I didn't know what half the shit was and, to be honest, I wasn’t sure she’d remember anything she was saying anyway. I let her talk. It was a bit comical to watch. Charley would say something she absolutely wanted or something she refused to have at her wedding and Emme would immediately agree with whatever Charley said.
We made it back to the condo and Zane and I had to all but carry the girls to the front door. I pulled the key out of Charley’s hand and opened the door. We said good night to Zane and Emme and after grabbing two bottles of water from the kitchen I took Charley down the hall to her bedroom.
I closed the door to her bedroom and set the water bottles down on the nightstand. I turned back to look at Charley. Sadness had washed over her face.
“What’s wrong, Charley?”
“Our engagement day is over,” she said, pouting.
I tried to suppress a laugh. “It’s ok. Tomorrow, you can start with all that planning you want to do for the wedding. Don’t be sad about this.”
“Ok, honey. I’ll be happy that it was, without a doubt, the best day of my entire life.”
“Well, I plan to top today at some point in the future so you better be prepared.”
“I love you, Wes Blackman,” she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“And I love you, Charlotte Meadows.”
Her eyes rounded and she said, “I’m going to be Mrs. Wes Blackman soon.”
Fuck. I couldn’t wait for that.
“That’s right, gorgeous. Can’t fucking wait, either.”
I crushed my lips to hers and took to making love to my future wife. The two of us hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before so after giving her three orgasms in final celebration of our engagement I wrapped an arm around my woman and knew I’d never sleep another night without her by my side.
Chapter 42
Charley
I heard mumbling.
“I CAN’T stay.”
More mumbling.
I opened my eyes, reached over to the phone closest to me on the nightstand, and saw that it was just before ten o’clock. I rolled to my back and looked over at Wes. I could tell he had just woken up as well.
“Did that wake you up?” I asked.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked in response.
“I don’t know, but…”
I was cut off by Emme yelling, “STOP, PLEASE. ZANE, YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO!”
Wes and I jumped out of the bed. He pulled up a pair of jeans in no time at all and tossed me a pair of shorts. Thankfully I already had a pair of panties and a camisole on. We ran out of the bedroom and down the hall to find a distraught Emme and a not-so-happy Zane within inches of each other.
She looked terrified.
“Zane, what the fuck is going on?” Wes roared.
“Fuck if I know. I was asleep and woke up to her zipping that shit up,” Zane answered as he pointed to the floor.
I looked to see one of Emme’s suitcases there. What. The. Fuck. I looked to Emme who wouldn’t make eye contact with me, or anyone for that matter.
Zane continued talking, “I’ve asked her what she is doing about ten times already. She won’t explain anything to me. Just keeps saying that she needs to go and she can’t stay. Says she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. You’ve got any fucking clue what that means?”
“Oh my God,” I said, my stomach clenching.
All eyes went to me, but I looked only at Emme. I walked to her.
With my hands framing her face I asked, “Did he contact you, Em?”
The tears spilled down her cheeks from her puffy eyes and she nodded.
“He call?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“How?”
She didn’t say anything. She didn’t move.
“Emme. How?”
She waited a moment and then reached into the pocket of her hoodie. She pulled out a piece of paper. I took it from her and opened it.
You think you can run away from me, you whore? You’re mine. You better get rid of your snowboarder before he gets a bullet, too. You’ll always be mine.
“Oh, Em,” I said as the tears poured down my cheeks.
“Charley?” Wes asked with concern.
I handed him the note. He read the note and looked to me.
“How did this get here, Em?” he asked.
“I found it this morning. Came out to put a pot of coffee on. Saw it on the floor in front of the door. I think he slipped it under the door.”
“He?” Zane asked taking the note out of Wes’ hand.
“My ex, Seth.”
Zane read the note and clenched his jaw.
Wes asked, “You mean he had someone do it for him?”
We both shook our heads. Wes looked to me, clearly confused.
“After Seth killed Taj he was never caught. He went into hiding and they never found him. Emme and I moved here not only to get away from the painful memories, but to make sure that he’d never find her.”
Zane walked out of the room with his phone to his ear.
Emme was still in the corner, distraught.
I was frightened. Not for me, but for my best friend. I needed to know she'd be safe.
Wes walked over to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and whispered in my ear, “We’ll find that bastard, Charley. And, we’ll make sure he never touches her again.”
With those words, I breathed a sigh of relief. In an instant, he soothed my panic because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Wes Blackman would always give me everything I needed.
####
About A.K. Evans
A.K. Evans is a married mother of two boys residing in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. After graduating from Lafayette College in 2004 with two degrees (one in English and one in Economics & Business), she pursued a career in the insurance and financial services industry. Not long after, Evans realized the career was not for her. She went on to manage her husband's performance automotive business and drive the shop race cars for the next thirteen years. While the business afforded her freedoms she wouldn't necessarily have had in a typical 9-5 job, after eleven years she was no longer receiving personal fulfillme
nt from her chosen career path. Following many discussions, lots of thought, and tons of encouragement, Andrea decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
Between her day job, writing, and homeschooling her two boys, Evans is left with very little free time left. When she finds scraps of spare time, Evans enjoys reading, doing buti yoga, watching NY Rangers hockey, dancing, and vacationing with her family. Andrea, her husband, and her children are currently working on taking road trips to visit all 50 states (though, Alaska and Hawaii might require flights).
Other Books by A.K. Evans
The Everything Series
Everything I Need
Everything I Have (Coming Summer 2017)
Everything I Want (Coming Winter 2017/2018)
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