Rundown (Curveball Book 2) (7 page)

When
I’ve finished the bedroom, bathroom and closet I stare at all the
insignificant things I’ve accumulated and bagged.
Why the hell
did I save all of this stuff?
  
Did I think that by
keeping momentums of him it would undo what had happened, make it
less real?
  My inability to let go has been so unhealthy for
far too long, and I’m both amazed and disappointed that I didn’t
realize it until now.  

No
wonder I felt guilty
.  

I
tie the last bag and toss it into the hallway and head back inside,
taking in all the space.  Purging Mark’s belongings was hard,
but it feels right. I can breathe.

As
if it’s second nature, my hand automatically reaches for the gem of
my necklace.  Instead of twirling it between my fingers, I undo
the clasp and walk into the closet.  I find the silver jewelry
box, place it inside next to my wedding ring and then set the box
snuggly in a drawer.  Now, this room is complete.  I almost
feel as if I’ve made room for the important memories to remain,
while creating a space for new ones to begin.

Satisfied
with my efforts, I link my hands together overhead and stretch.  Good
lord, I need a shower, or better yet, a bath.  

I
grab a fresh towel and walk towards the bathroom just as a song by
one of my favorite groups starts playing.  I listen to the words
and laugh at how perfect the gist of the song fits my situation with
Drew.  He may not know this song, and he may not listen to it if
he had a choice, but I decide it can’t hurt to give him the option.
 I quickly download the song, ‘Crazy’ by K-Ci and JoJo, and
type out a text with some of the lyrics.  It’s by no means as
romantic as the CD he made me, but at least he’ll know that I’m
thinking about him, and if I’m really lucky, even laugh.

I
fill the tub and overload it with bubble bath.  I check my phone
to see if Drew’s texted me back, and then I remember that he’s on
a flight across the country and likely won’t see it until later.  I
exit my texts and notice the time as I place my phone on the counter.
 It’s been two hours since Drew’s flight took off.  Two
hours would put him right over Ohio in approximately the same
location where our flight went down.  My heart rate spikes and I
quickly try to bring Google up on my phone.  When it doesn’t
load immediately, I remember that if anything had happened, I would
have heard about it by now due to the alerts I subscribe to.  

Be
strong and stop worrying.
 
Just let it go,
Breanne
.
  

Feeling
somewhat less anxious, I turn off the water, grab a gel eye masks and
sink into the bubbles.  I descend as far into the tub as
physically possible and close my eyes, letting myself imagine a world
in which Drew and I are together and blissfully happy.  Without
meaning to, I recall our brief kiss this morning and brush my
fingertips across my lips, swearing it left an imprint.  A lone
tear rolls down my face and all I can think is—
I really hope
that wasn’t our last kiss.

A
knock at the door pulls me from my silent prayer.  Realizing
Sarah is back and will be curious about what transpired at the
airport, I pull the shower curtain shut and tell her it’s ok to
come in. 

“
How
was your visit with the attorney?” I ask.

“
Probably
what you’d expect,” she groans. “Hopefully your morning was
better.”

“
Probably
not,” I mutter.  

“
I
see you’ve done some cleaning.”

“
It
was time,” I admit. “So do you want to talk about your day?”

“
I’d
rather hear about yours,” she laughs.  “We can wait until
you’re done in here if you’d like some privacy.  I just
wanted to let you know that Vivian dropped of a package for you right
after you left with the kids this morning, and something else came
for you a few minutes ago.”

“
Oh,
ok.  Thanks,” I reply.  “Actually, do you mind hanging
out for a few minutes?  I do want to talk.  I need to come
up with a plan for what I’m going to do about Drew.”

“
Oh?”
she asks.

“
Yeah,
this morning didn’t go so well.”

I
give Sarah a high-level overview of what transpired at the airport.
 When I’ve finished, I ask her what she’d do in my situation
and she seems as stumped as I am.  

“
No
bright ideas?  I could really use your wisdom.”

“
If
I were you, I would start thinking about what you’ll do the next
time you come face-to-face with him.”

“
If
that ever happens,” I drone.

“
Breanne,”
she says, her tone encouraging me to have some faith.

“
Okay,
okay.  You’re right.  The thing is, if I want to see him
again and prove to him that I’m serious about how I feel, I may
have to fly to California because he apparently won’t be coming
back.”

“
Is
that something you’re prepared to do?” she asks.

“
Without
a doubt.”

Sarah
starts to say something but pauses.

“
I
know you think I’m crazy, Sarah.  You probably think getting
on a plane in an attempt to win him back is stupid, but I have to do
something.” Sarah’s loudly exhales, followed by the sound of her
taking a seat on the edge of the tub, making me think she
does
think I’m being irrational. 

“
Alright
so maybe I am crazy.  If you have a better idea let me know…I’ve
got nothing.  I’ve texted, called, written, shown up
unannounced.  I’ve tried and failed.  I need him to
listen to me.  Although it doesn’t excuse the way I treated
him, I need him to understand why I reacted the way I did.  I
just want him to listen so I can tell him how sorry I am; I need a
chance to show him that I am ready to move on and that he’s the
only person I want to do that with.

“
I
want to go to every single one of his home games and cheer him on. 
I want to spend holidays with him because he’s already a part of
this family.  I want to wake up next to him and fall asleep in
his arms…I want to be his future.  I want to make him as happy
as he’s made me, and to take care of him.”  I start getting
choked up and groan in frustration.  “Ugh!  I promised
myself I wouldn’t cry anymore because I have no one to blame but
myself.  I just…I need to figure out the best way to prove to
him that trusting me with his heart won’t result in me breaking
him.  And it would be helpful if he wasn’t so freaking
stubborn!  I apologized as much as I could, but I doubt anything
I said sunk in.  What the hell am I going to, Sarah?  I
love him so much.”

A
metallic dragging noise overhead, followed by a rush of cool air,
catches me off guard. “Sarah?” I gasp, pulling my knees up
and folding my arms across my chest, as it registers that the shower
curtain has been pulled open. “What the—”.

While
one hand attempts to cover my exposed breasts, the other hand flies
to lift the mask from my eyes, but is caught mid-air. I feel my body
being pulled slightly forward and then my hijacked hand is pressed
against strong pectoral muscles that can’t possibly belong to
Sarah.  My breath catches as I make sense of what’s going on.
 With my free hand I tentatively uncover my eyes and choke out a
weird sound that is a combination of a cry and a squeal.

“
You’re
here,” I say quietly, to which Drew nods.

“
And
I heard everything.”

“
You
were listening,” I say in disbelief.

“
Every
word,” he winks.  He brings my hand to his lips and gently
kisses it before placing it over his heart. “All yours.”

Though
my entire body is shaking, I can’t fight the need to touch him.  I
fist his shirt for leverage to pull myself out of the tub.  
He’s
here.  He really here.
I’m so insanely excited.  My
balance is off causing me to slip and Drew to fall into the tub with
me.  We’re facing each other on our sides.  Half of his
body is soaked and covered with bubbles, while the other half
awkwardly hangs partway out of the tub.  I throw my head back
and erupt with laughter, feeling happy for the first time in days.  

“
You
think this is funny?” Drew asks, failing to downplay his own humor.

Resting
my forehead against his when I’m able to contain myself, I tighten
my hold around his neck and shake my head no.  “No, this isn’t
funny.  It’s amazing.”

“
My
clothes are soaked.”

“
I
have a dryer.”

“
I’ll
have to walk around naked in the meantime,” he says as if I’d
find the idea appalling.

Smirking,
I toss my leg over his hip and shift my weight so that I’m
straddling him.  Drew runs his lip across his lower lip, the
intensity behind his hooded gaze turning my stomach in knots.  He
shifts his body so that he’s fully submerged and grabs my hips.
 His eyes slowly run down my body, and I swear I can feel the
heat of his stare igniting every inch of my flesh.  

“
I
can think of worse things.”

I
quickly find the hemline of his drenched shirt and inch it up his
body, lift it over his head and toss it on the floor. I giggle at the
‘thwack’ sound it makes upon hitting the ground, but don’t
allow it to distract me from the magnificent specimen below me.
 Drew’s hands purposefully push up from my hips, slowly
traveling up my torso until they land at their destination.  He
cups my breasts, massaging them more aggressively.  Leaning
forward, I press my palms into his chiseled abs, giving him better
access, and thank my lucky stars that this man came back.  

My
head instinctively falls back on a moan, followed by a gasp, as Drew
repositions himself and takes one of my nipples in his mouth.  The
sensation is electrifying, increasing my need to feel every inch of
him.  I lift my hips, breaking Drew’s suction, and yank down
the top of his warm-up pants, freeing his erection in the process.  I
take a moment to appreciate him in his entirety before slamming my
mouth against his.  

Grasping
both sides of his face with my hands I lower myself back onto him,
dragging my sex up and down his length.

“
I
don’t have a condom.  Please tell me you’re on the pill,”
he pants, breaking our kiss.  We’ve had sex a handful of
times, though all in one night, but we probably should have covered
this topic before now.

“
I
have an IUD.”

“
A
what?” he pulls back, and I can’t tell if he’s confused or
concerned.

“
It’s
a form of birth control.”  Drew smirks as if he’s just won
the lottery.  

Knowing
it’s what we both want, I tilt my hips back so that he’s
positioned at my entrance and without warning, I slowly sink onto
him.  
Holy shit my imagination did not do him justice.
 He
forcefully grips my hips, and I nearly climax from the sexy sound he
makes when he growls, literally growls, into my mouth.  

Drew
pulls and pushes against my hips, setting a leisurely pace as my body
tries to accommodate his size.  When he’s filled me
completely, our mutual need takes over, and we frantically pick up
speed.  Water sloshes against the walls of the tub, spilling
over the edge and I couldn’t care less.  I love this man and
no one else could ever make me feel this good.  I continue to
thrust against him as his hand travels between my legs, rubbing my
clit.  It’s not long before I’m being pushed over the edge,
my orgasm crashing through me like a tidal wave.   As the
sweet sensation of my release subsides, Drew climaxes, triggering an
aftershock so strong that it can only be described as torturous
pleasure.

Depleted
of all of my energy, I collapse on Drew’s chest, panting like a
wild animal.  He gives me a weak squeeze, his breathing just as
erratic as mine.  I raise my head marginally until our eyes
lock.

“
I
love you so much.  I promise I’ll do everything in my power to
make sure you never doubt that again.”