21 Days by Bethany Lopez
“No, go ahead.” I wondered if I should sit on the couch, but as I watched his retreating back, I realized that I wanted to be close to him while I could. “Late night?” I asked as I watched him put the grounds into the filter.
“Yeah, Brock was able to get me a couple jobs yesterday, and the last one ran pretty late.”
“That’s great,” I said lamely. I was torn between attacking him in the kitchen and pouring out my heart. I figured I should give him a moment to wake up before doing either.
TJ had one of the older coffee pots, the ones you had to wait for the entire pot to finish brewing before you could pour a cup, otherwise you’d make a mess everywhere. I smiled as I watched him frown at the pot while he waited. He was so damn cute.
When we finally each had a cup in hand, he led me to his sofa and we sat, leaving a space between us so we could turn to each other and talk.
TJ took a sip of the coffee, then set it down, reaching out and picking it up again. I realized that he was just as nervous as I was, and wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. That small gesture gave me the courage to open my mouth and say what needed to be said.
“TJ, I know I messed up the day you left my house to move here. I didn’t articulate what I wanted to say, and I ended up giving you the wrong idea, and pissing you off. I’ve had some time to think about what I want to say to you, and hopefully I can relay it without putting my foot in my mouth again.” I brought my eyes to TJ’s face, and when I saw he was listening intently, I took a deep breath and continued. “I love you.” TJ’s face slowly broke out into a wide grin, which made my heart jump as I kept talking. “I know that we have our differences, not just in the way we were raised, but in the way we live our lives now. But, I also know that we have a lot of similarities. Neither of us had parents who loved us, we grew up basically looking out for ourselves, and that has crossed over into our adult lives. We don’t depend on anyone other than our friends, and we expect people to disappoint us, but … when we do find someone worthy of our love and loyalty, we give it unconditionally. We both love movies and the ocean. We love dogs, and kids, although neither of us want to have children of our own.” I reached out, hopeful, and wanted to weep when he put the coffee cup on the table with a clatter and grasped my hand in his. “You make me laugh. Every second that I’m with you, I feel happy and fulfilled. You’re my best friend, and seeing the man that you’ve become fills me with pride. I have faith in you. I have faith in us … And I’m asking you to give us a chance.”
I paused, my heart in my throat as I waited for him to say something.
TJ pulled my hand to his lips and kissed it softly, so I scooted closer on the couch, eager to be near him.
“I love you too,” he said, causing my heart to soar and my lips to curl madly. I simultaneously pulled him closer and threw my body into his, hugging him tightly as tears of joy escaped and ran down my face. I laughed happily and squeezed him tightly, trying to match his hold on me.
“I said my share of stupid stuff, Sasha, and I have to apologize to you,” TJ said as he pulled back to look into my face. “I was jealous and out of line in the bar. And that morning at your house, I was being an ass because I was afraid. Afraid of losing what we had, and unsure how I was going to be able to go back to the friends we were before, when all I wanted was to move forward with the way our relationship was going. Plus, the money thing … I hope you understand that I don’t mean to insult you, and it may be foolish pride, but it’s important to me as a man … as a person … to be able to provide for myself and be financially stable.”
I looked at him. This beautiful, proud man who had endured so much and come out on top, and my heart swelled with love for him.
I leaned forward and placed my lips on his. Softly at first, but when I got the taste of him, I opened my mouth and reveled in the sweet passion that we’d found in each other. I pulled back, eager to assure him that I did understand, but went in for one more quick taste before saying, “I do understand, TJ, and I never want you to feel like we aren’t equals. I want you to be my partner, and I know that just because we decide to be together today, doesn’t mean that we’re going to get married, or move in with each other tomorrow, but I want you to know that I’m interested in a serious relationship. No more friends with benefits, I want full-time benefits.” I laughed when he chuckled at my words. “But, if we do decide to take the next step and move in together, I’ll move in here, or we can get an apartment or house and split the rent. I’ll sell my place. I know you think that I can’t go without the luxuries I was raised with, but I swear I’ll prove you wrong. I want you to be comfortable where we live, and I want to live where you are.”
TJ closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, and I knew he was trying to get control of his emotions.
“Thank you, Red, that really means a lot,” he said after a few seconds. “I want to be your partner too, in every sense of the word, and it means a lot that you’re willing to compromise with me. How the hell did I ever get lucky enough to deserve you?”
“I think we deserve each other,” I responded with a smile, then pulled his lips down to meet mine.
Epilogue – TJ
I sipped my coffee, looking around the kitchen with a grin as I waited for Sasha’s cup to finish brewing.
After a few weeks of Sasha’s things slowly appearing around the apartment, and not just toothpaste and tampons, but pieces of furniture, she’d asked how I felt about her putting her house on the market. It had been a no brainer, really. Sasha had been spending every night with me, and making it official was just a technicality. It hadn’t taken long for her house to sell, and we’d put the furniture that came with this apartment in storage with some of her things, and had moved the rest in here.
We were becoming pros at compromising, I realized with a chuckle. The linoleum may be dingy, and the countertops old, but the appliances in the kitchen were top of the line. The same could be said for the furniture throughout the house. We’d only brought the items that would fit comfortably, without cluttering the apartment, but Sasha had managed to make this small apartment look like a home.
When her coffee was finished, I placed it on the tray with mine, and took it back toward the bedroom. Sasha was splayed out over the bed. Her red hair was vibrant against the cream sheets, with a sheet barely covering her naked hips. My heart kicked into overdrive as my eyes took in every inch of her. She was perfect. And she was mine. I could hardly believe I’d gotten so lucky.
I placed the tray on the nightstand and my hands on the bed, leaning over to nuzzle Sasha’s neck. When she moaned appreciatively, stretching her long limbs and turning her head slightly to give me better access, I grinned against her skin, then began to nibble my way toward her ear.
“Morning, Red,” I murmured when I reached my destination.
“Mmmmm, no,” Sasha responded, her voice rough. “More sleep.”
She reached her arm up, grabbing for me, and trying to pull me onto the bed. I shifted so I could comply and crawled in next to her, then pulled her against me.
“I made breakfast,” I said as her head settled on my chest.
“Mmmmm,” she replied, snuggling deeper into me. I doubted she’d even opened her eyes yet.
“And coffee,” I added, my arms wrapping around her warm skin.
“I love you,” she mumbled, and I could feel her lips widen against my chest.
I leaned in, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair before kissing her on the head and replying, “I love you too.”
I closed my eyes and let myself appreciate the moment. I’d been doing that a lot more lately … Appreciating the good moments in my life. Maybe because I knew what it was like to be miserable, and to feel like I had no one to count on but myself, I was truly able to appreciate how great my life was now. Not just my relationship with Sasha, which was better than I ever could have hoped it would be, but opening the shop with Cal. All of the
Sasha propped her head up on her hand and finally allowed her eyes to flutter open.
“What kind of breakfast?” she asked sleepily.
“French toast with bacon and fresh strawberries,” I replied, bringing my thumb up to run it over her full bottom lip.
She parted her lips slightly and kissed the tip of my thumb, “Bacon,” she said on a moan, causing me to chuckle.
I reached over to pick a piece of bacon up off the table. When she reached for it, I pulled it back and shook my head. “I want to feed you.” Sasha arched her brow, dropping her hand and grinning naughtily. She licked her lips slowly and waited patiently for me to bring the bacon to her lips. She nibbled it slowly, then licked my fingers when the bacon was gone.
“Yum,” she said throatily. She laid back against the pillows, her body exposed for my perusal, and looked up at me through her lashes as she asked, “What’s next?”
Seriously … my life couldn’t get any better.
Please keep reading for an excerpt of book 3 in the Time for Love Series, 42 Hours.
This is Scott and Gaby’s story.
Chapter 1 – Scott
“Maria, have you heard anything back from Mr. Brandt on tomorrow’s meeting?” I asked my secretary through the speaker phone.
“No, Sir,” she responded sharply. “Just the initial correspondence that said to expect one.”
“Alright,” I said as I logged off my computer. “Just shoot me a text if anything changes, I’m going to head out for the night.”
“Yes, Sir,” she replied before disconnecting.
I stood up and grasped my suit coat off the back of the chair, taking one last look at my calendar as I put it on and buttoned the front. I should be staying at work and making sure I was ready for my impromptu meeting with the boss tomorrow, but Gaby said we were having an emergency gathering of our friends at Cal and Shelly’s, and I’d promised her I’d be there.
I didn’t know what it was about, but if my friends needed me, nothing would stop me from being there for them, not even my job. I could only hope everything was okay with Shelly and the baby.
As I rode the elevator down the sixteen story office building in the center of town, I assured myself that Gaby would have told me if it was something truly serious, she was too kind hearted to make me walk into something devastating without a warning.
I slid behind the wheel of my new BMW 7 Series, it was black on black, my lips stretched wide in a grin as that new car smell hit me. I’d wanted a new car for years, and had saved diligently, but hadn’t had enough to get the kind of car I really wanted. Then, just a few weeks ago, I’d been promoted and given a raise that made my dream become a reality.
I thought back to the day that Mr. Brandt had called me into his office and told me that he wanted me to be the Director of Operations, because the last guy had failed to meet his expectations. I’d been floored. It was everything I’d been working for since I’d begun interning during college; I’d just never imagined I’d get the opportunity so soon. Brandt Industries was the leading supplier of medical equipment and supplies in the region.
I locked up the beamer and jogged up the stairs as I looked at my watch, I was about fifteen minutes late, and I hoped I hadn’t kept everyone waiting.
I opened the door and called out. I knew everyone was supposed to be there, so Cal and Shelly shouldn’t be off getting busy, but you never could be too careful.
“In the living room,” Cal yelled out.
I barely registered the fact that his voice sounded off, before I turned the corner and found everyone sitting in the living room. All eyes were on me as I rounded the corner. I stopped abruptly as a feeling of unease came over me at the expression on their faces.
Gaby and Shelly looked sad, Sasha looked nervous, and Cal and TJ just looked uncomfortable.
“What’s up?” I asked nervously as their eyes bore into me.
Gaby stood up and walked slowly towards me, her long grey skirt swishing around her legs, and the bracelets on her arms clinking together as she moved. Her long blonde hair was loose, and flowed around her shoulders. She wasn’t wearing any make-up, and her expression was somber, but she looked as beautiful as ever.
She held her hand out to me, and when I took it, she led me towards an overstuffed chair and indicated that I should sit, before going back to her place next to Sasha on the couch, and facing me once more. “Scott,” she began in her soft, sweet voice, “we’re all here today because we love you.”
My head swiveled as I took them all in, curious, but unsure of what Gaby was doing.
“Scott,” She took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly before she said, “This is an intervention. We’ve tried talking to you individually, letting you know our concerns, and although it looked like you were on the right path for a while, for some reason, you took a U-turn and headed right back down the wrong road.”
My eyes scrunched up and my head began to pound as I tried to decipher what she was saying, “What the hell are you talking about Gaby? U-turns and wrong paths… just say what you mean.”
“Victoria, Scott,” Cal piped in. “She’s talking about your relationship with Victoria.”
I closed my eyes briefly as blood rushed to my head.
“You can’t marry her, Scott,” I heard Gaby say quietly from my right.
I opened my eyes again and looked Cal in the eye.
“We’ve already discussed this,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Yeah,” Cal ran his hands through his hair, indicating his frustration. “We did talk about it, and you said that you were going to break it off with her… Then, out of nowhere, the wedding was back on. What the hell, Scott?”
“You know she’s wrong for you, brother,” TJ said, his hand clasping Sasha’s in his, as if he was her anchor.
“We want you to be happy, Scott, and you know as well as we do, that she will only make you miserable,” Sasha added, twisting the knife that my friends had metaphorically placed in my gut.
“Look,” I began, trying to keep control of my anger. “I know there is no love lost between you guys and Victoria, but you don’t know her the way I do.”
“Are you saying behind closed doors she’s a sweet, caring, and giving woman?” Shelly asked, her eyes sad as she rested her head on Cal’s shoulder. “Because that’s what you deserve.”
I didn’t respond to that. No, they knew as well as I did that Victoria didn’t care for anything as much as she cared for herself, but I was so deep into this relationship, I didn’t know how to get out of it without hurting her, and my mother, in the process.
“I get what you guys are saying,” I admitted. “And, yes, I did try to call off the wedding at one point, but Victoria was devastated you guys. She cried and begged me to take her back. She promised to be a wonderful wife, and to try harder to get along with you guys.”
“I’m sure she was upset, Scott, and I’m sorry for that,” Gaby said, pulling my attention back to her. “But Victoria, isn’t our concern… you are. If you stay with her, you will end up in a cold and loveless marriage, just like your parents had. Is that the way you want to live? Is that how you want to raise children?”
“You told TJ and I, at your house the night we were playing cards, that you were having second thoughts about marrying her… You asked us to “tell you the truth before you ruined your fucking life”… Well, we’re telling you now, Scott,” Cal pleaded. He stood up and walked toward me, laying his hand on my shoulder and looking me dead in the eyes, “We’re begging you … Don’t do it.”
I closed my eyes and stood, unable to look into the faces of the most important people in my life. “I have to g
“Scott …” Gaby pleaded coming towards me.
“Gaby,” I looked down into her worried eyes. “I hear you… Okay? I hear you all,” I looked each of them in the eye before turning on my heel. “I have to think,” I said over my shoulder as I hurried back out the way that I’d come. I tried to avoid their gazes, but the look on Gaby’s face was imprinted on my mind, and as I started up my car and pulled away, I couldn’t shake the image.
“Fuck!” I screamed out in my empty car.
I meant what I said, I heard them. Loud and clear … And I knew they were right, but I was a coward. A total fucking coward. I hated the thought of dealing with the confrontation that I would face if I told Victoria the wedding was off … Again. She’d flipped on me last time, and deep down, I knew that she knew exactly what she was doing. Victoria was just like my mother, a master manipulator, and she knew how to push my buttons. She’d known that I would cave at the sight of her tears.
I’d been trying to convince myself the marriage would be fine, that she would be the perfect wife for me, and the position that I held, and maybe we’d even be happy… but I knew my friends were right. I was just fooling myself. Victoria was exactly like my mother, and my mother was one of my least favorite people in the world.
I was going to have to man-up.
It would be better to end it now, before we were legally bound together, than to live miserably.
What Gaby said about raising kids cemented it for me. I didn’t want my kids to be raised in an environment similar to the one I’d been raised in. I wanted my family home to be like Cal’s parents. I’d always loved going there as a kid, and I still did. It was obvious that his parents loved each other, and their children. That’s the life I wanted.
I turned the corner towards Victoria’s and pressed the accelerator.
Acknowledgements