Ember was breathing heavily. Eva could feel both their hearts beating against each other as she pulled Ember even tighter to her. This was it. This was enough. Eva kissed Ember just under her earlobe and clung to her back. The job didn’t matter. She had this woman. She loved her like she had never loved anything and would ever love anything in her life.
CHAPTER 25
Ember woke in Eva’s bed. It took her a moment to register that her body was both relaxed and slightly sore. That hand action she’d received on the sofa under her jeans felt really good in that moment, but the roughness of the fabric as she’d rolled down into it had caused her to still feel it. Just the thought of Eva doing that to her made her want it again. As she replayed the memory of her gorgeous girlfriend completely splayed out in front of her, open to everything Ember had to offer, she felt her body begin to throb for more. She rolled over hoping to convince Eva that they should have a long round of morning sex before getting out of bed but found the bed empty. She ran her hand over the sheets where Eva slept and felt them cold. Her morning sex would have to wait.
“Babe?” Ember didn’t bother to dress as she climbed out of the bed and then moved out of the room calling for Eva.
“Hey,” Eva replied from the kitchen without looking up.
“What are you doing?” Ember asked as she closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head.
Eva looked up and dropped the whisk she’d been using into the bowl. “Holy shit,” she exclaimed.
Ember opened her eyes and saw the look on Eva’s face.
“Oh,” Ember smirked. “Yeah, I didn’t put anything on,” she said as if it was nothing. “I’d planned on waking you up with sex, but you weren’t next to me.”
She approached Eva at the counter island and turned her around, pressing her backside against the counter. Her lips were on Eva’s, and Eva’s hands were around Ember’s neck.
“Good morning,” Eva managed to say as Ember’s lips moved to her neck. “You seem like you’re in a good mood.” She laughed lightly as Ember’s teeth grazed her sensitive pulse point.
“I am. I figured out the next several years of my life, and I get you like this, so I’m feeling pretty good.” She reached behind Eva’s back and ran her hands under Eva’s shirt trying to remove it.
“No,” Eva said and pushed the naked Ember back a little.
“No?” Ember checked and then offered her the saddest puppy dog eyes.
Eva laughed loudly this time and pressed her hands against Ember’s chest to keep her at bay.
“I’m making you breakfast.”
“You’re making me breakfast?”
“Yes, I’m making scrambled eggs because I figured maybe I could handle that, and toast because I have a whole loaf of bread, so if I manage to burn it a few times, we might still have a few pieces left. I made you coffee. I was going to cook it all and bring it to you.”
Ember felt herself go from turned on to perfectly sated because she loved this woman and knew they’d now have many more mornings like this together.
“I should probably get dressed then,” Ember said and offered a gentle kiss to Eva’s lips.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Eva sexily wiggled her eyebrows at Ember.
“Okay, you can’t do that.” Ember wiggled a finger back at her and walked back to the bedroom. “That makes me not want this breakfast you’re working so hard for.”
◆◆◆
“Keep making these eggs for me in Indiana?” Ember’s eyes brightened, and she chomped into a piece of nearly burned toast.
Eva was again enamored with her girlfriend. Ember had been right that night in the hotel. Ember was more than just math. She was adorable, playful and downright sexy when she’d walked out of Eva’s bedroom stark naked, stretching those long arms over her head like she didn’t have a care in the world. She was the same woman who read all of Eva’s books in a day and kissed her in a tree house that Eva had always felt comfortable in and now found she missed specifically because of that kiss.
“I will keep making them for you in Indiana, but you have to teach me more too because you’ll get tired of scrambled eggs every day.”
Ember forked eggs onto her toast and took a huge bite, making Eva giggle as she forked eggs into her own mouth.
“Deal, Scout,” Ember replied and took a sip of her coffee.
“I like you in a good mood like this.”
“I like it too,” Ember told her. “I think I’ll call Dr. Phelps on Monday and tell him I’m accepting. I can tell my parents about it after that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, and we have Zack’s wedding coming up. I hope you remember our vacation is supposed to come after that.” She pointed a fork at Eva.
“I thought that was just because we were going to be doing the long-distance thing.”
“That wasn’t the only reason. You know that. Why are you resisting me and my desire to get you in a bathing suit on a beach?” Ember squinted playfully.
Eva laughed.
“I’m not. There’s a lot going on right now. I think we should get moved and settled and then plan something for a break in school. Maybe at the holidays or during spring break next year.”
“Oh, my God.” Ember put her fork down and clasped her hands over her plate. “I just realized I’m going to be one of those college students that goes on spring break. Daytona?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“Absolutely not,” Eva stated and lifted a playful eyebrow of her own.
“But I get what you’re saying,” Ember replied. “I like the idea of us getting settled somewhere and then planning something.”
“Because it means we’ll be together?” Eva guessed.
“It’s a nice thought.”
“It is.”
“Okay, enough with this sappy stuff.” Ember picked up her fork again and dove back into her eggs. “Let’s talk about practical stuff.”
“Practical stuff? This coming from the woman that exited my bedroom fully naked and then returned to this table barely clothed. You want to talk about practical things?”
Ember had put on a white, ribbed tank top she’d pulled from one of Eva’s drawers and a simple pair of pink bikini briefs before entering the kitchen again.
“I think we should move in together when we make the move there,” Ember stated.
“You do?”
“I do. We’ve basically been together since we met, yeah?”
“Yes,” Eva agreed.
“And by the time we leave here, we’ll have been together for six months. We can both find places for a year and then move in together, but I know I’ll probably just stay with you most nights or vice versa anyway, so what’s the point? I want us to have as much time together as possible.”
“Babe, I hate to break it to you, but that was more sappy than practical,” Eva mocked her.
“Fine. It just makes financial sense. Should I run the numbers for you?” she retorted.
“No,” Eva laughed out. “Let’s finish breakfast, and I can show you the places I liked while I was there. If you also happen to like them, we can talk further.”
“And if not?” Ember lifted an eyebrow.
Eva considered that question for a moment before answering.
“We’ll go back to find something we both like.”
Ember’s smile was wider than before. Eva couldn’t believe this woman had ever been a player because the way she’d taken to this relationship so smoothly and wanted to take these major steps together made no sense based on her past. Of course, if Eva thought about it further, she could just chalk that up to the fact that maybe Ember was like this because they belonged together and that was what was necessary to make her change her ways.
“What about a house?” Ember put out there. “We could get a house.”
“You want to rent a house? I didn’t look into-”
“No. I want to buy a house, Eva,” Ember replied. “We know we’re going to be there for at least the n
ext several years and as my mother recently pointed out, when I rent, I just throw away my money every month.”
“Then you should buy a house, babe.”
Ember looked at her quizzically.
“I meant for us,” she told Eva. “I meant we should buy a house together.”
“Em, I can’t afford that. I’m still paying off student loans and being without a job-”
“I didn’t mean you’d have to pay for it. It would be our house. We’d buy it together, but I have no problem footing the bill.”
“No, Em. I don’t want you buying a house if I can’t contribute.”
“We’ll buy it and you contribute. We can deal with all that later.”
“Let’s look at the apartments first, okay.”
“But why?”
“Em, that’s a lot. Us buying a house together is a lot, don’t you think?”
“You don’t want to buy a house with me?” Ember’s brightness began to disappear.
“Signing a yearlong lease with someone is already a big step. Why don’t we just do that on an apartment. While we’re doing that, we can look at houses to consider when I’m in a better financial situation and we’re more settled? We can get to know the area better first and make sure that’s where we want to stay. A house isn’t something you usually buy for the next few years. It’s a thirty-year loan for a reason.”
“We won’t need a loan, Eva. I’m going to apply for the scholarships and grants that Dr. Phelps sent over. It will cover most of my school stuff, so we’ll have enough for our down payment, and basically the rest, since I don’t think you’re the kind of woman that needs a giant mansion.” She stopped herself and settled back in her chair. “But it’s not about the money for you, is it? It’s about the purchase itself and what it represents. I get it.” She was disappointed, but not angry as far as Eva could tell. “I’m sorry, this is a lot. I just got excited.”
“Babe, I like that you’re excited. I love the idea of us buying a house together someday.”
“Okay.” Ember stood up. “I’m going to change and then head home. I have a lot of stuff to look over.”
“I’ll clean up and look with you,” Eva offered and stood to carry their plates to the sink. “I want to show you the apartments, remember? He emailed you the stuff, right? You can use my computer.”
“Oh, sure,” Ember nodded. “Maybe just a shower first.”
“Care for some company?”
“No, I’ll be right out.”
Eva felt horrible again. Why was it so hard to just celebrate their happy moments? Ember had to keep leaving conversations upset. It was somehow Eva’s fault each time. Eva knew she had to find a way to stop thinking about the job that she loved and wanted back and focus on St. Mary’s. She’d gotten Ember in the same place and they were going to look at apartments together. Everything would be fine.
◆◆◆
“You didn’t tell her about the call from Doug?” Alyssa asked as they walked down the crowded street.
It was the end of May and the weather still held a spring chill, but a light sweater or a jacket worked fine.
“No, I was going to once I did some thinking about it, but as soon as I figured out that I wanted to accept his offer, she showed up at my door. She was so excited, Al. She wants Notre Dame. I’ll just keep the job I’ve already agreed to, and we’ll be together.”
“Can’t you still do the long-distance thing? You’ll be here. She’ll be there this time, but it would work the same way,” Alyssa suggested. “And we’re here.” She pointed at the dress shop. “I need you to try this one on. Hannah’s been on my case about finalizing the dresses.”
“It’s fine.” Eva opened the door to the shop and headed inside. “And yes, technically, it’s the same concept only in reverse, but she hated that idea last time. She’s done the math.”
“Math about what?” Alyssa asked and then walked them toward a counter. “Alyssa Masters. Here for a fitting,” she told the woman behind the counter who then ushered them toward the same small sofa they’d sat on before.
“Traffic patterns during the seasons and the time it would take for us to get to one another on weekdays versus weekends. She even created what she called a long-distance relationship trajectory, which showed that we would start off strong with a FaceTime session each night, three weekly trips, and seeing each other every weekend, and by month three, when I started getting busy because of mid-terms and she had mid-terms herself, we’d slow to something like one weekly trip and phone calls every other night with only one or two FaceTime sessions each week. We’d have two weekend trips by month four with an uptake in seeing one another over the holiday season, because we’d both be on break and take trips to visit our families, but then we’d decline again.”
“Your girlfriend is intense,” Alyssa said.
The woman handed Eva a dress, which she hung over her arm.
“That’s the thing. She’s not,” Eva smiled. “She is, yeah. She’s a genius. I think all geniuses are a little like that, but she’s also not. There are moments when I forget how smart she is because she’s just being funny or incredibly sweet. Sometimes, she’s like a little kid and it’s adorable. I love that about her so much.” She paused. “I love all of her.”
“Enough to take a job you found because you didn’t want to leave the one you had and loved?”
“Yes,” Eva stated. “I’ll be fine. It’s a good school. They’ve been very nice to me during the whole process. Who knows? Maybe I’ll like it even better. Maybe the reason I loved it here so much was because I didn’t know anything else and this is my chance to branch out.”
“Talking yourself into it?”
“Yes, because I have to.” She plopped back down next to Alyssa. “I can’t keep seeing her so excited, and then I do something to make her feel like I’m not as excited as she is. Because I am. I love her. Two hours away isn’t great for a relationship, but I will still be close enough to hang out with you and Han, visit Ember’s family and friends and it’s only two more hours to get to my family.” She smiled. “She wants to buy a house together.” Eva stood up again and walked toward the dressing room.
“I’m sorry. What?” Alyssa followed her toward the room and stood outside as Eva changed.
“She asked me to buy a house with her. We’d just decided to consider getting an apartment together and then she drops that bomb. She wants us to buy a place when I am barely scraping by right now and will need a little time to get back on my feet.” Eva dressed and opened the door, so she could allow Alyssa to take her in.
“Well, I can’t really talk about moving in too fast. Han and I basically always lived together.” Alyssa referred to the fact that they’d been neighbors and started dating right when they met and very soon after they moved in together. They hadn’t been together that long before they made their home in Chicago together. “But even Han and I don’t own property yet and we’re getting married.”
“Have you guys talked about it?” Eva asked while a second woman approached and began tugging at the dress while Eva stood on a podium.
“Sure. We’re thinking about finding a place outside the city, actually, but we haven’t started looking.”
“Outside? How far outside?” Eva asked while the woman continued to examine the dress she was wearing to make sure it fit properly.
“Not too far. Close enough so Han can still get into her office easily, and I obviously work out of that office most of the time too, but we want a property. We don’t just want a condo in the city. We want grass and…” Her words trailed off, and Eva watched her best friend lower her head.
“And?”
“And maybe somewhere the kids can play.”
“Kids? Al, really?” Eva was surprised.
“We’ve been talking about it a lot recently.” She paused and looked back up at Eva. “That dress looks good on you. Ember’s going to love it.”
“Don’t change the subject. Kids?”
&n
bsp; “Yes, we’re thinking we’ll get married, look into a house, buy something and once we’re settled in, we’ll start trying.”
“How many?”
“Lord, I don’t know. Hannah said two is her magic number, but we’ll see. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We may have one and find that it’s enough for us.”
“Who’s going to have it or them?”
“Me.”
“You?”
“Yeah, if we have two Hannah might have the second. With Hannah, I want everything. I would love to raise a child with that woman. She’s going to be an amazing mom, and I can’t wait to watch her do it.”
“Hannah will make an amazing mom and so will you. I’m so happy for you two.”
“Don’t tell her I told you yet, okay? We’re not exactly sure when we’ll start, and we’re keeping it between us right now.”
“I won’t say a word,” Eva told her.
The woman finished up and there was only one slight alteration to be made on the hem. Alyssa and Hannah had both actually found their dresses and would have final fittings closer to the date of the wedding.
“So, you’re really not going to tell her?” Alyssa asked as they walked back down the street.
“No. I’m going to move to Indiana, sign a lease for a year and then probably buy a house with her because I do want all of that. Maybe in a few years when we’re happy and things are going well, I’ll tell her. We’ll laugh about all this.”
“Huh,” Alyssa said.
“What?” Eva turned to her friend wondering what that sound meant.
“I was just thinking about how you guys began. I mean, there was the napkin thing, yeah, but you may not have ever seen her again. Then you got fired, ended up at that bar and there she was.”
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