Authors: Molly McLain
“I really like the sound of that, but I don’t think my dad would take kindly to the idea unless you make an honest woman out of me,” she teased, pushing up her tip toes to kiss him.
“Oh, I will.” She felt him smile. “Believe me, babe, there’s nothing I want more.”
Her heart swelled a little more, making it hard to breathe. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”
“Good, because I plan on saying it every chance I get. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
He nodded. “That we do. In fact, I think you should move in with me until we can build this place. There are few things better in this life than waking up beside you, and time is too damn precious. As you well know.”
Tears began to pool in her eyes. “I talked to my dad, you know. I saw him.”
“You did?”
“He’s sober!” The words escaped her mouth in a sob.
“Aw, baby, don’t cry.” Smoothing the moisture from her cheeks, he kissed her forehead and gathered her even closer.
“No, you don’t understand.” Much as she loved being his arms, she pushed him away and grinned through the emotion. “Everything has come full circle. Because of you.”
“Me?” God, he was so adorable when he frowned like that.
“You backed me even when I resisted, when I didn’t realize...” She broke off, shaking her head, so in awe of it all. Despite what happened with Reed, he’d never given up on her. He was there the entire time, waiting. Caring. Maybe even loving her.
“My God, Josh, there were so many times these past few years when I thought I was alone, but I never was, was I?” She held his face in her hands, loving him more than she ever thought possible. “It took me realizing I’d had you, unconditionally, to know I also had the strength to face my dad. Even if I reached out and got hurt again, I knew you’d be there to pick me up. To love me through it all.” She smiled up at him, seeing everything so clearly now. “All this time, all I needed was you.”
One corner of Josh’s mouth lifted. “I think you mean ‘all this time, all we needed was us’.” He lifted her off the ground and her legs went naturally around his waist. “Because it took me almost losing you to realize the one relationship I cared about most in this world is ours. You’re my everything, Carissa. I love you more than I can ever say.”
“Aw, baby, you just did.”
F
ive weeks later...
“Oh my God, yes. Just like that. Oh...oh, oo—”
Barely holding back his amusement, Josh clamped his free hand over Carissa’s mouth while the other held her steady on the hotel room sink. Granted, the room gave them plenty of privacy and the countertop was far from a headboard banging against the wall, but the last thing they needed was someone overhearing her moans from the hallway. If word got back to Maddie and Dan that they’d abandoned their hosting duties for a quickie, there’d be hell to pay.
Nonetheless, feeling empowered by her responsiveness, he focused on her eyes as they went hazy with lust. She came a few moments later, instigating his own release.
With a grunt, he collapsed against her, feeling sweat slide down the back of his neck and beneath the collar of his white rental shirt. Monkey suits were always hotter than fuck, but thankfully the dark vest would cover up the dampened cotton and disguise the fact he’d just gotten laid.
“You’re messing my dress, hot shot,” Carissa muttered, sounding breathless and completely sated beneath him. He chuckled and, though he would just as soon stay connected to her for the rest of the night, he pulled out and handed her a tissue.
On second thought, he didn’t mind one bit if everyone at the reception knew they’d just made love, because very soon, they’d have a lot more to talk about.
“We should get back before someone comes looking for us.” Tucking himself back into place, he handed Carissa her panties from the floor and lifted her off the counter so she didn’t break an ankle in those sexy silver stilettos she had on.
“Ppfftt. Maddie and Dan are long gone and, as long as the booze is still flowing, no one’s gonna care that we’re MIA.”
She had a point there, but... “We should still get going. I think I’m supposed to be cracking jokes or some shit. Poking fun of Dan now that he’s not here.”
Carissa snorted as she slipped into the bathroom and returned a minute later to fuss with her hair and makeup in front of the mirror. She looked so damn beautiful in that flowing black dress, with her hair pinned up loosely at the back of her neck. It had been hard to hold back when he’d first seen her in the church. Harder yet when he’d walked her down the aisle, and then later when they’d arrived at the hotel and they’d had a few moments alone.
But today had been about his brother and his new wife, so he’d waited. Of course, now the bride and groom were off to their honeymoon...
Five minutes later, they snuck back into the reception. His parents, as well as Maddie’s, mingled amongst the guests, which included Carissa’s father Clay, her brother Cade and his girlfriend. Clay winked at Josh as he met the older man’s gaze across the dance floor, and Josh was glad for his presence tonight. After everything he and Carissa had been through, it seemed appropriate her father witness the culmination of it all.
“Babe, I’m gonna go check on the bar and make sure we’re not running low on anything. Why don’t you go see if the DJ can play that song you were talking about earlier?”
“Only if you promise to dance with me.” She gave him a sweet, eye-batting smile and he grinned too. He’d do her one better.
“Okay. I’ll keep my ears open and find you when it starts.”
She gave him a thumbs up and disappeared in the crowd before he took a deep, anxious breath and glanced back to her father. When the man lifted a questioning hand, he smiled.
Yes. It was finally time.
Pausing by his parents just long enough to get his own father’s attention, he tipped his head toward the dance floor and, with a nod of understanding, Jack took Nancy’s hand and silently led her closer for a better view. Clay and Cade followed suit and, with Carissa busy talking to the DJ, she was none the wiser of the plan he’d conspired.
After a quick check on the bar, the slow acoustic sound of a country remake filled the room and, if he’d had any doubt about this being the right moment, Josh had his confirmation. The song was the one they’d danced to on the Fourth of July. The one that had unofficially become theirs and the one that reminded him of just how far they’d come every time he heard it.
With steady steps, he made his way across the room, faces in the crowd catching his eye. After keeping their feelings under wraps for so long, taking their relationship public—in the way he hoped—seemed righteous. He wanted everyone to know how he felt about her, but even more, he wanted Carissa to know just how important she was to him. The lengths he’d go to prove it to her.
Tony flashed a shit-eating grin that needed no acknowledgement. He knew what was coming too. So did Reed, though the guy was probably more interested in the color of the cocktail waitress’s panties than the grand gesture Josh was about to make.
“Gotta dance to our song, babe,” he said when he finally moved up beside Carissa, taking her hand in his and, without resistance, leading her to the center of the dance floor.
“This is nice, but it doesn’t mean you’re getting out of the other one, mister. You promised.” Her pout contrasted the easy way she moved into his arms, their bodies melding together like they had so many times over the past couple months. He’d never met anyone like her and, though he’d both shown and told her just how crazy he was about her countless times, she deserved more.
“I did promise and I’ll make good on it, don’t you worry. But we can’t
not
dance to our song. It’d be...sacrilege.”
She gave a soft laugh and he bent to press his lips to her forehead.
“Today was beautiful, don’t you think?” he asked. “Dan and Maddie finally tying the knot. Everyone there to witness it. Everyone here now.”
“Everything was perfect. I’m so happy for them.”
“Is this how you see our wedding?” he asked and she shot him a curious smile. “What, you haven’t thought about it?”
“I’ve thought about it plenty. Have you?”
“Yes.”
“And?” she said on a laugh.
“Why are you laughing?” He brought her hand to his mouth, grazed his lips over her knuckles. “You think the idea of marrying me is funny?”
“No, I think it’s amusing we keep having these conversations about longevity, but...”
“But what?” Smoothing his thumb over her bare ring finger, he arched an eyebrow, baited her.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was being sweet. She didn’t want to point out the obvious lack of commitment on her hand for fear it might hurt his feelings, even though he was pretty sure she wanted more a commitment than his roof over her head.
“You know I love you, right?” he asked, slowing their dance to a standstill in the center of the floor.
“Yes.” She looked around them, her brow pinched, when she noticed people were looking at them. She tried to nudge him into dancing again, but he didn’t move. “The song’s not done yet,” she urged.
“I know.” Taking a step back, he held both of her hands, his eyes locked on hers. “That’s why I’ve gotta get this show on the road. Before the next song comes on.”
She blinked at him and he grinned.
“Remember that day at the bluff? When I told you I wanted you to be the mother of my children?”
She bit her lip, confusion tightening her expression as the other couples stopped dancing too. “Y-yes.”
“What did you say to me?”
“I said a lot of things that day.”
That she had. He chuckled and lent her a hand. “You said I’d need to make an honest woman out of you first. Remember?”
“Oh. Yes, I guess I did say that.”
“I want babies, Carissa.”
“You mean, you want to keep practicing,” she whispered and, even in the dim lighting, he saw her face flush.
Throwing his head back, he let out a bark of laughter. Yeah, he liked practicing with her a whole helluva lot. He wouldn’t deny that. But surely she had to know she meant more to him than good sex.
“You think I only love you because you keep me coming?” He paused, but instead of giving her time to answer, he dropped down to one knee in front of her. “You should know better than that by now, baby girl.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped and her face contorted with emotion as she realized his intent.
He let go of her hand just long enough to pull the ring he’d been carrying in his pocket. “I’ve wanted to marry you since the night we met. I know I’ve never told you this, but the thing I love most about you? It’s not your body, though that’s pretty fucking amazing too.” A rumble of laughter spread through the crowd and, even though the color in her cheeks deepened, she laughed too. “That. That smile right there on your gorgeous face. And your laughter too. Your vibrancy. The fact that just being in the same room with you makes me so goddamn happy, half the time I don’t know what to do with myself. You just...you make me feel
so much
and I love that. I love the man I am when I’m with you and I wanna spend the rest of my life thanking you for that.” He held the glittery diamond up at her and, to his surprise, his hand didn’t shake. “I figure the best way to accomplish that is to become your husband. What do you think about becoming my wife?”
She nodded through the tears and launched herself into his arms, smacking kisses all over his face. “I think you better put that ring on my finger.”
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
CAN'T SHAKE YOU
First edition. March 2, 2014.
Copyright © 2014 Molly McLain.
Written by Molly McLain.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Grandma, for never giving up on love
Can't Shake You
River Bend, Volume 1
by Molly McLain
Published by Molly McLain, 2014.