Taking Shots (Assassins) (28 page)

Like always when things were bothering him, after showering and cleaning up some from the movie day they had had yesterday, he headed over to Grace’s. It was as if she knew he was coming because she was laying out a big breakfast when he walked in. Grace smiled when she saw him as she laid Amelia’s plate down.

“
Hey, how’s your collarbone? I saw that hit,” she said, kissing his cheek before going around him to lay Ryan’s plate down.

“
It's good, sorry I didn’t call this weekend.”

“
Ah, no big deal, I know how it is when someone new comes along and gets all your time.  I did it to you with James.”

“
You did,” Shea agreed sitting down next to Ryan. Ryan was shoveling food in his mouth, not even paying attention to Shea. “What’s up with him?”

“
He’s mad at me because I won’t let him play hockey with the big kids in the street.”

“
I am better than they are!” Ryan yelled, and Grace cut him a look that shut him up quickly. It even scared Shea a little.

“
I don’t care, now eat your food and return to your room.” Grace stomped off towards the kitchen, leaving Shea with the kids.

“
Why do you have to go back to your room?”

“
I said I wanted to come live with you.”

“
Man, Ryan! Don’t bring me in this!” Ryan gave Shea a goofy smile before finishing his food right as Grace came back to the table. He excused himself and ran off to his room.

“
Sorry I’m cooler than you,” Shea teased when he heard Ryan’s door shut.

“
Shut the hell up,” Grace basically growled as she fed Amelia some more eggs. Shea chuckled. “So what brings you by?”

“
Just wanted to see you before I head to the arena for practice. You guys coming to the game tomorrow?”

“
We are. Ryan doesn’t miss home games.”

“
So he’ll be off grounding tomorrow?”

“
Probably.”

“
Cool.”

“
So are you sure your shoulder is okay?”

“
Yeah, no big deal, just a deep cut.”

“
Good. I was worried when I saw it.”

“
I’m fine, sis.” Grace gave him a big smile and started eating herself. “James at work?”

“
Yup, he left early.”

“
Thought so.”

“
How’s Elli?”

“
Fine, she spent the weekend with me. I think she might come back tonight, I’m not sure.”

“
That’s good, so everything’s solid?”

“
Yeah,” he said with a shy grin, “I almost told her I loved her the other night.”

Grace dropped her fork and shook her head, “It blows my mind, Shea. I mean you guys together is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but first you drop the girlfriend bomb on me, and then I see you guys together and it’s so surreal, the sparks fly when your near each other.”

“
I love her.”

“
Good, I want you to Shea. I love her too, but it’s only been a month, she’s skittish, let it be for a little bit.”

Shea thought for a moment, “You don’t think she loves me?”

Grace shrugged her shoulder, moving around her eggs, “I don’t know, she likes you a lot that’s for damn sure, but I don’t share a connection with her the way I do with you, so I don’t know, bro.”

“
Sometimes I think she does, but I don’t know if its wishful thinking.”

“
Just wait, don’t tell her yet.”

“
Okay,” he said before he started eating. They ate in silence before he looked up at her and said “I’m meeting her family the week before the first road trip.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Good, will she meet mom and dad when they come in for the first home came in November?”

“
She said she will as long as we’re still together.”

Grace made a face, looking up at him, “Why wouldn’t you guys be together?”

“
She convinced that when I meet her family, I’ll dump her.”

“
Oh, no, are they scary?” Shea laughed, while she grinned.

“
She thinks so.”

Grace nodded before picking up their plates and Amelia’s to take them over to the sink, “Are you nervous about meeting them?”

“
No, not at all.”

“
Have you ever met parents?”

“
No.”

“
Oh, well good luck with that.”

What the hell did that mean?

“
And why did I have to come in to cover you this morning?” Harper said with a teasing grin when Elli came in two hours late, two weeks later. Elli had sent a text to Harper the night before asking her to cover for her since she had a morning of shoots and her OBGYN was only able to see her first thing in the morning or she would have to wait five weeks before she was able to be seen, so she did the logical thing which was call Harper. “Did you have to go get some Xanax since tonight is the night?”

Elli stood there for a moment. Hell, instead of getting birth control, she should have went and gotten Xanax instead. Her damn nerves were shot to hell. “Why didn’t I think of that?” she asked throwing her arms up in the air. Harper giggled as Elli came around the desk, looking at the appointment book. She was book until three then she would be closing shop since she needed to go home, get ready for when Shea would come get her at six for dinner at her family’s house at seven. Something she was not looking forward to.

“
So where were you?”

“
Doctors,” Elli answered simply as she turned from the desk and headed for her office. Of course, Harper followed. Elli threw her purse on the couch, and sat behind her desk turning on her computer.

“
Why did you go to the doctors? You okay?” Elli looked up at Harper; she was sitting in one of the teal chairs in front of the desk, her legs pulled up so she could rest her head on her knees. Her hair was still her natural color, brown, had been since her and Jakob had started dating for real. It was weird.

“
I’m fine, Harp,” Elli said to reassure her as she typed in her password, “I needed a check up, and I got…birth control.”

Harper was out of the chair, jumping up and down before Elli even had ”control” of out her mouth. “So y’all are gonna do it!”

“
I don’t know! Gosh! I just want to be prepared for when we do.”

“
I knew you wouldn’t be able to last much longer! He’s too damn hot!”

Elli flashed a playful glare at Harper and just shook her head, Harper was right. Getting into bed with Shea and not doing the deed was getting harder and harder every time, and since Elli stayed the night with Shea five nights out of the week when he was in town, there was a whole bunch of sexual tension between them. Elli was so ready to tear off her clothes that her insecurities were the last thing on her mind. But then knowing that she had that dinner tonight with her family would stop her, and she would remember that more than likely tonight would be her last night with Shea since she still hadn’t talked to him about Justin or her past.

“
Yeah, well I might have wasted my time with the appointment,” Elli said with a huff as she got out of the chair, and went to her shelf for her camera, her ten thirty would be arriving any minute.

“
Everything will be fine tonight, Elli. I tell you what, I feel that Shea is real, that he will see right through them, you have nothing to worry about. I mean it’s not like you’ve lied to him.”

Elli cringed, had she been lying to him? Was not telling him something, lying? Shit. Elli gave Harper a weak smile as the bell chimed in the front office, her appointment was right on time. As Elli walked to the front, all she kept thinking was that she hoped Harper was right.

Elli bit her lip as she stood in front of her mirror in the bathroom, looking herself over. The high waist black skirt she chose to go with her white blouse that had black polka dots on it with her red belt and heels looked great, but were they good enough so that her mother would leave her alone about the extra six pounds she had put on since dating Shea.

“
Shit on a shingle,” she said with a huff as she checked the time again, Shea would be there in fifteen minutes, so she hurried to the bathroom checking on her hair. Elli had pulled it up in a cute little up do with a red blossom on the side. She looked like something straight out of a 50s pin up girl calendar. She had loved the outfit when she set eyes on it, and even though it set her back a pretty penny, she had to have it. She smiled at herself, knowing Shea would love it, but then the smile fell because she knew her mom would see the extra weight instantly.

Damn Shea and his metabolism. The man could eat a whole cheesecake and not gain a pound. Elli looks at it and even though she runs the next day, she still gains a pound! It was so damn frustrating, even more so when Shea would push her to eat with him and when she would make a comment about her weight, he would tell her she is perfect and stuff the ice cream down her throat. He just didn’t understand! Bless his heart, but still!

Adler trotted behind Elli as she moved around the house, transferring all her crap from her big pink purse to her small black one. Adler whined and Elli bent down to kiss his furry head. She had felt so bad since she hadn’t been home lately, so when she was home, she loved on him a lot more to make up for it.

“
Wanna go out boy? Before I leave?” Adler took off at the word “out.” Elli laughed as she followed him to the door, letting him out and walking out onto the porch just as Shea pulled up. He grinned at her as he got out, and she smiled back, checking him out. He came dressed to impress. He was wearing a nice tailored black suit, with a black shirt and light blue tie and, of course, those damn chucks.

“
I swear, Shea, your chucks kill me every time.” Shea chuckled as he looked down at his shoes then back up, he wasn’t wearing his glasses, so his eyes were extra bright and blue, it might have been the tie that made them shine or maybe it was her?

“
Lord no, even though I would pay to see that,” she said as he came up the stairs, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the lips.

“
You look fantastic baby.” She smiled shyly, kissing him again.

“
So do you.”

Adler decided that it was his turn for Shea’s attention and started barking as he scratched at Shea’s leg. Shea laughed, bending down to love on Adler.

“
Hey bud, how you doing?” Adler basked in the love, drooling all over the place as he basically laid out on the porch for Shea to pet his tummy.

“
Shea, you’re getting hair all over your suit.”

“
It’ll brush off,” he said with a grin for her, and then he looked back down at Adler “Right boy, it’s just some hair.”

Elli just grinned as Shea loved all over her puppy. He was such an amazing man. Shea smiled up at her again, before saying “We should come back and get him, since you’re staying the weekend with me.”

Elli had agreed to stay with Shea for the weekend since he was leaving Sunday night for the Assassin’s road trip. Eleven away games, two home games, he would be home a total of four days, and Elli’s heart hurt just thinking about it. She had done fine when he was gone for two nights and she even did fine when he was gone for that week but him being gone for basically a month, she was having a hard time hiding the fact that she was borderline depressed.

Shea was looking up at her waiting for her to answer, “Well, I mean if you don’t mind that would be great cause, then I don’t have to shell out hundred dollars to a boarding house in Nashville.”

“
I have already told you to bring him when you want. I would love to have a dog around,” he looked back down at Adler; damn dog had nothing but love in his eyes for Shea, “Wanna come stay when me, bud?” Adler popped up, basically jumping into Shea’s arms.

“
Adler!” Elli yelled, pulling him down, “No sir, that’s a nice suit, come on, say bye to your lover boy and get on in the house.” Shea laughed as Elli pulled Adler into the house, then shut the door, locking it.

“
You are so cute,” Shea cooed as he pulled her to him, dipping her before smiling down at her, “You look so classic; I figured you needed to be kissed like this,” Shea said before he planted a sweet kiss on her lips. Elli thought she felt like a 50s pin up girl before, she really felt like one now in the arms of her strapping hot boyfriend.

Could life get any better?

Yeah, but it was probably gonna get worse, Elli thought as she got into Shea’s truck. Shea got in and started the truck before grabbing her hand, holding it in his lap as they drove off in the direction that Elli said. Her knee bounced as they drove through the country side to Clarksville, her home town. She felt like she was going to pass out and wish that she had gotten Xanax like Harper had said instead of the damn birth control because she might be dead before she is even able to use it.