My Forever Valentine

by Melody Heck Gatto

  She placed a kiss on the side of his mouth, then on his jawline. When she moved her lips to his neck, her actions sent chills up his spine.

  The scent of her shampoo drove his senses crazy, in addition to the heat of her lips on his neck.

  Harley stood, taking his hand, and attempted to pull him up off the couch.

  “Where are we going?” he asked playfully, as he stood up to meet her.

  Her eyes sparkled, and a devilish grin slid across her lips. “The bedroom.”

  “Oh? Are we going to start packing?” he teased, as he let her lead him to his room. He’d let this girl lead him anywhere.

  His heart skipped a beat when she giggled at his lame excuse for a joke.

  “No.” She pulled her sweater off and dropped it to the floor while leading the way down the hallway in her bra. “Are you coming, roomie?” she cooed.

  “You know that doesn’t go there, right?” he teased, acting like he was going to pick up the sweater off the floor.

  Harley put her finger to his lips. “We can clean up when we’re done, Mr. Funny-guy.”

  A smirk pulled at the side of his mouth and he physically couldn’t take any more of her teasing.

  “I think I’m going to like this roommate thing,” he said with a growl.

  Grabbing Harley, he pulled her into his bedroom. Spencer slid his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. Running his hands through her curly hair, he pressed his lips to hers, and kicked the bedroom door shut, just in case.

  Chapter Five

  HARLEY

  Harley awoke to her favorite aroma—coffee. It was finally Saturday, her favorite day of the week. No classes and no work. Feeling relaxed, she yawned and said to herself, Hello weekend! Slipping on one of Spencer’s t-shirts, she rifled through her “drawer” in his room until she found a pair of her shorts to wear, then she emerged from the bedroom to a quiet apartment.

  She found Spencer in the kitchen, pouring batter onto the griddle. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Good morning.” She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of yesterday’s cologne that still lingered on his skin. If this was what living together was going to be like, why had she waited so long?

  Her handsome boyfriend half turned, and greeted her with a smile. “Good morning, roomie.”

  Sleeping in Spencer’s bed always left her feeling happy and refreshed. The thought of going home to her cold, empty bed sent a wave of sadness through her. She had to remind herself that soon she wouldn’t have to go home, because she would already be home, with Spencer.

  “I was trying to be quiet. I hope I didn’t wake you,” he apologized.

  “No.” She shook her head. “It was the delicious aroma of my favorite beverage that woke me.”

  She looked around the very bachelor-like kitchen. An old pizza box sat on top of the garbage can. The recycle can was filled with crushed beer cans and water bottles. No fancy curtains graced the window, simply horizontal blinds.

  Their place wasn’t dirty, it was just, well... plain.

  Sunshine streamed in through that window as Spencer made waffles. The smell of breakfast sizzling on the griddle made her mouth water and her stomach grumble.

  “So, we’re really moving in together,” she said with a wide grin that she couldn’t contain, as she pushed her hair out of her eyes. She almost felt like she had to keep checking to make sure Spencer was real, after the mess her life had been with Isaac.

  It took her too long to realize that she had never really loved Isaac. She wasted so much of her college years trying to act grown and responsible—because that’s what Isaac was all about. And she missed out on living her life.

  In a way, she felt as though she didn’t deserve Spencer. Maybe that was why she kept pinching herself to make sure things were really progressing the way they were in their relationship.

  “We are.” He placed a kiss on her lips.

  Everything about this moment was perfect. A lazy morning with her love, making breakfast, just the two of them. His lips were soft and warm, and a hint of coffee lingered. Her stomach did a little flip when he pulled away, and she stared at the man that she adored.

  Harley pointed at the waffle iron. “Should I expect breakfast all the time?”

  “No. Sorry to disappoint, but I only cook an actual breakfast on special occasions, or when I’m really hungry. As you can see”—he opened the cereal cupboard—“we have a pretty impressive selection of cold cereal. It’s my favorite meal, almost impossible to screw up. And it works for dinner, too, in a pinch.”

  “Of course it does.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at his comment. If one person could mess up cereal, it was Spencer. “Anything sounds good to me, even cold cereal, as long as it’s with you.” Harley said, before giving him a kiss on the cheek. She had a few recipes under her belt, thinks to Lily and now Mrs. Wilson. With her limited kitchen knowledge and his cereal cupboard, they could more than survive.

  “I think we’ll manage just fine. And if not, I’m sure my mom would be more than happy to have us over for dinner any time.” Spencer handed her a coffee mug from the cupboard.

  Harley nodded in agreement. “I’m sure you’re right. And any excuse to go spend a day with your family is okay by me.”

  She had spent enough mornings here for Spencer to know to set the cinnamon out, because she liked to sprinkle just a dash on her coffee. And she made sure to give him an extra kiss, thanking him for the sweet gesture.

  Pouring herself a cup, she took a moment to inhale the enticing scent. She grabbed the vanilla creamer from the refrigerator and fixed her coffee, sprinkling the cinnamon last of all. Taking a sip, it was like she could feel the caffeine entering her veins and giving her life.

  “Ready for breakfast?” Spencer asked, as he set two plates on the table.

  “A lazy Saturday with my man, good coffee, and a delicious looking breakfast? Lead the way.” This was something she could get used to.

  MOST OF THE AFTERNOON was spent cuddling up on the couch and looking at apartments online. They already had a list of places they wanted to look at, and her stomach fluttered with excitement at the thought of getting a place with Spencer. Harley couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday. Looking around at the quiet apartment, she snuggled into Spencer’s strong, warm arms.

  A movie played on the television, and one of the candles she’d brought over burned in the kitchen, creating a baked apple pie scent throughout the apartment that almost smelled as good as the real thing.

  Selfishly content with the obvious fact that Zane was still at her apartment with Lily, every second she had with Spencer alone meant the world to her. It was like they were playing house, but soon enough it would be reality.

  This moment was so perfect. They were about to enter the next phase of their lives. Every weekend morning could be like this.

  She could picture it now, her fixing dinner after a long day of school and work, and Spencer returning home from work. They’d sit down to dinner at an actual dining room table. Discuss their day. Once they were done eating, he’d help her clean the dishes, then they’d retire to the couch for an evening of relaxing, television show binging, and quality together time.

  Her phone buzzed from the end table, ending their serenity and her perfect daydream.

  Not wanting to leave Spencer’s warm embrace, she took her time getting to her phone, considering letting it go to voicemail. If it were Lily, she’d send a text, so it couldn’t be that important.

  Finally reaching her phone, immediately she saw the notification was a couple messages from Isaac. Quickly she cleared her screen, hoping Spencer didn’t see the notification.

  She wasn’t purposely keeping things from him, she didn’t want to keep secrets. It was more that she didn’t feel that Isaac’s intrusion was really that important. She had no interest in Isaac; he was her past and she wanted him to stay there, which was why she was ignoring him. So it wasn’t like Spencer had somethi
ng to be jealous of. Plus, she didn’t need the added stress of Spencer butting heads with Isaac, when there was nothing to butt heads over. She was not a prize to be won. Spencer knew she was with him and only him. There was no reason for him to be jealous, and therefore there really wasn’t any reason to worry him.

  She silenced her phone and put it back on the table. Knowing Isaac the way she did, if she ignored him long enough, he would go away.

  Her fitness tracker was set to notify her of text messages in case Lily needed something; and if it were an emergency, Lily or Zane would surely call Spencer.

  Feeling more confident now that her phone wasn’t going to interrupt them again, she turned to face her sweet man. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek and snuggled into his neck, inhaling his manly scent that always calmed her.

  But his body went rigid, and he took a deep breath before he tipped her chin up so her eyes met his. “Harley,” he started. His eyes were dark and serious. His usual sexy brown eyes now were heavy with concern.

  “Yes?” She turned toward him with a flirty attitude, and flipped her long wavy hair over her shoulder.

  “Babe...” He took her hand and pulled her close to him. “I want you to be able to tell me anything.”

  This conversation already felt weird. Spencer was acting unusually serious.

  “I know. I trust you completely,” she answered. “And I think you know everything there is to know about me. You know that I rarely hold back.”

  “Yeah, I think I know almost everything about you.” Spencer’s words were tainted with a curiosity that she didn’t like. “But there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

  “No.” She shrugged her shoulders innocently. But she knew what he was referring to.

  “Har, you’re hiding phone calls from me. And if I had to guess, texts too?”

  She didn’t like the jealousy in his voice; this was what she was trying to avoid. And this was not something she felt like discussing and ruining their relaxing Sunday. “I don’t know wha—”

  “Harley, what are you hiding from me?” His face was stone serious. Now there was less jealousy and more of an accusatory tone to his words.

  She had never meant to worry him. But the look in his eyes told her she was doing just that.

  “Look, obviously whoever is calling you is not someone that you want to talk to, or you’d be answering the calls. Unless you just don’t want to talk to him... I mean them around me. I’ve been trying to be a good boyfriend and give you space with this, because I don’t want to be that kind of guy. But I’ve been noticing this for a few days, and I just figured you’d come to me with it sooner rather than later. I’m here for you about anything, and I hope you know that.”

  “Babe, I do.” Her voice was higher than she anticipated as she tried to appease him—with no luck.

  She had never seen this look on his face before. He was worried, and she had never meant for that to happen. It was time to come clean. He was right; they were a couple and were supposed to be able to tell each other everything.

  Spencer continued. “And maybe I’m overstepping by asking. But I can’t keep quiet any longer.”

  Harley was tired of hiding it and hated keeping things from him. It was best for both of them if she just said it, so she just blurted it out. “It’s Isaac. He’s been texting and calling me for the last few weeks.”

  “It’s Isaac?” Spencer’s face went white and unmistakable jealousy marred his expression. Not the cute jealousy that some boys get that make them hotter, but the angry jealousy that is aimed at the other guy, the guy who should be keeping his distance and isn’t.

  She continued, hoping to ease his worry at least a little. After all, it was just Isaac. As far as she was concerned, he was no threat to their relationship. “I didn’t initiate any of it. One day he started texting me, and when I wouldn’t respond, he started calling, too.”

  “What does he want?” Spencer’s words were short.

  She shrugged. “I don’t even know. The first few messages I read, he wanted to talk. But there was no reason for him to be messaging me, as I had no interest in talking to him. There is nothing for us to talk about. I stopped reading the texts before I deleted them. I went as far as to block his number. I’m not interested in anything he has to say.”

  “If you blocked him, why are you still getting messages from him?” His tone stayed the same through his questioning.

  She shrugged, not enjoying his tone, and making sure her tone reflected that. “It’s the way my phone is. Yes, it’s super annoying. I can block a number, but it instead just sends the caller straight to voicemail. And I obviously delete those without listening, too. Again, I don’t have any need or want to talk to him.” She stared at Spencer.

  She knew this had been coming, sooner than later. Spencer had no reason not to trust her, but then again, she had been keeping this from him. Only now did she see why that was a mistake.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice cracked as he asked.

  “Why would I? I know you, Spence. You’d want to run off and defend my honor or something macho like that, but there’s nothing to defend. Isaac just wants to talk, and I don’t. We have nothing left to say. So I’m ignoring him until he gets bored and goes away.”

  She was confident that Isaac would eventually stop bothering her. But Spencer didn’t look so sure.

  “You’re not worried about him, are you?” She wrapped her arms around him, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, and a sweet smile.

  He didn’t answer, and she hated his silence.

  “Babe?”

  After a long pause, he finally croaked out, “No.”

  Harley tilted her head and smiled cutely. “Spence, there is nothing to worry about. I have no interest in Isaac or anything that he has to say. He has no place in my life anymore. So, wipe that concern off your face. I am exactly where I want to be.”

  She never dreamt that she would be the one needing to convince her hunky boyfriend that he was the only one for her. He could have any girl he wanted, and he’d chosen her.

  She ran her finger over his bottom lip. “I only want you.”

  “Oh yeah?” He arched an eyebrow and finally a half grin appeared on his face.

  “Yeah.” She nodded dramatically. “In case you can’t tell, I’m actually head over heels for you.” She straddled his thighs and sat in his lap.

  “Huh.” His words full of fake sarcasm, he teased, “I really hadn’t noticed.”

  “Well,”—she dropped a kiss on his neck, then his jaw, then to the side of his mouth—“I guess I’ll just have to show you.”

  When she moved her hands to the waist of his sweatpants, he pulled a blanket over them. Holding her close, he kissed her neck, his unshaven face tickling her.

  “I think I might need some convincing,” he again teased. “And that could take all night.”

  Laughing, she grinned and kissed him. “I think that can be arranged.

  Chapter Six

  SPENCER

  Spencer usually loved Mondays. They were a fresh start, a do-over for the week before. But this morning he was still reveling in the amazing weekend with Harley. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, and he was looking forward to them getting their own apartment.

  Not being able to wait, they had met up at lunch to check out the top two apartments on their list. They were unanimous that the one in Arlington was their favorite, and didn’t hesitate when asked to set up an appointment to sign the lease. That gave Spencer time to notify his landlord that he wouldn’t be renewing his lease for another year.

  Hurrying back to work, Spencer needed a caffeine boost before his next meeting. He headed to his favorite part of their office. His employer, Robert and Sons, always kept the company coffee cart stocked full of a variety of coffees, teas, and hot cocoas, not to mention the state-of-the-art cappuccino maker. No vending machine coffee for their employees.

  Robert and Sons was a small, family run company.
The pay wasn’t fantastic, but they treated their employees well. Spencer believed in what the company did, and there was so much potential for growth. He’d already been made project manager of certain projects, and would have a good shot at becoming a partner in the company in the future.

  As he poured his third cup of coffee and hoped it would help him find his motivation for the rest of the day ahead, he thought about Harley and the one downside of their great weekend. The news that Isaac was trying to find his way back into Harley’s world.

  He tried not to let it bother him, and he didn’t bring it up again to Harley. Nothing he wanted to say sounded like a good idea. Sure, he worried that Isaac would push back into Harley’s life and convince her that he was the better choice. At first, when he saw the notifications on Harley’s phone, he was jealous, because he thought there was another guy. But now knowing who the other guy was, he was a different kind of jealous. More like angry that Isaac was sniffing around. Mr. Lame had already had his chance and he’d blown it.

  Spencer wished he could just ignore Isaac, but he’d learned many years ago that ignoring something didn’t make it disappear. And he was convinced that Isaac would follow suit.

  Spencer was with Harley now, and although she’d said he was the only one for her, he was having a tough time convincing himself that the thought of going back to Isaac wouldn’t be tempting to her. Isaac was older and could offer her life securities that Spencer was just attempting to attain.

  But he needed to have his head in the right place. Today was a new work week, and it was time to make it a good one. Taking a deep breath, he strutted into the meeting room.

  His department was starting a new project this week, and it was time to review the specifics with his crew. Bringing his coffee to the meeting room, he stood at the head of the room, welcoming his crew, and giving them a bit of Monday motivation advice.

  New projects were always exciting. His team took each of them on as a challenge. Their round table project meetings were his favorite thing to do. All eyes were on him, talking about something he loved. He was in his element.