Until November (Until series) (17 page)

I'm in complete shock. He totally tricked me into moving in. Actually, come to think of it, he tricked my dad. He got his way without having to fight with me about it. I loved staying there, but I liked having a backup plan.

“Oh my God. You bossed me and got your way, and I didn’t even notice you were doing it.”

“I didn’t boss you, baby. I told you that you would want to live with me.” He was right, as mad as it made me. I wanted to be there as badly as he wanted me to.

“You don’t think this is too soon?” I mumbled, shaking my head.

“Fuck, no.”

Okay. He was sure about this. Me, on the other hand, I was not so sure. “I don’t want this to go bad because we’re so new. I feel like this is moving so fast. I'm worried that it’s just because it’s new to you and you don’t really know what you’re asking. Like you’re going to lose interest sooner or later and I’ll be heartbroken, and stuck moving out of a house that I love when I knew it was too soon to move into it in the first place.”

His hands moved to my neck, his thumbs were under my jaw, tilting my head back so he had full eye contact. “You’re pissing me off.”
Eeek! He
looked
pissed. Crap.
“I'm a grown man. I know what I want out of life. I know who I want in my life. You’re not in my head, you don’t know how I feel, so stop trying to make choices for me,” he says, shaking my head gently. “I'm trying to slow down for you. For me, going fast would be you wearing a ring instead of a necklace. Trust me, I'm taking it slow, as slow as I can.”

For some reason, I knew that he was telling the truth. The thing that he didn’t know was that, if he asked me to marry him, I would say yes, no questions asked. From the moment I saw him, I wanted him. Granted, I thought he was a big jerk after he spoke, but I still wanted him. When my apartment was broken into and he was there with me, taking care of me and making sure I was safe, I knew then he was really a good man. Then the way he talks to me and looks at me, well, that sealed the deal.

“I love you.  You’re it for me. I knew from the moment I met you that I was done for. I like having you here and I don’t see that changing, unless you don’t feel the same as I do? Then you need to tell me that so I can convince you that you do,” he says, smirking at me. I wondered if he felt the same about his ex. Did he love her?

“Did you love your ex-wife?” I blurted out, feeling his body stiffen under me. “Never mind, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that.” I tried to escape off his lap.

His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. “You can always ask me anything,” he says, pulling me deeper into him and pressing my head into his warm chest. “I never loved her. I thought I was doing the right thing. We had been sleeping together for about a year and I knew that I didn’t want anything serious with her. She always hinted at more, but I knew she wasn’t the one. I did care about her, but I wasn’t in love with her. I had been gone for a month and when I got back, she was waiting for me outside my apartment. She told me she was pregnant and that it was mine. I knew that I had to do the right thing. I never wanted my kid to grow up in a house where I didn’t have access to him or her twenty-four seven, so I did what I thought was right at the time. I told her that it would work out and we would get married. That way, she would have insurance for all the medical bills, and I would have full access to my child, and maybe I would grow to love her. She claimed to be around three months. When I was leaving to go out with my squad, I was gone for two weeks, give or take. We had been married for a month and she moved in right away. When I came back from an assignment, a friend of mine stopped me before I could go home. He told me that she had slept with him and that he was sorry. I went home and confronted her about what she had done. She didn’t deny it. She said she was trying to get me jealous to make me realize that I loved her. It didn’t work. I kicked her out and told her that my lawyer would be in touch. A couple days later, she came by and told me that she had lost the baby. I asked for proof and she never showed me any. To this day, she tries to contact me every once in a while. I don’t take her calls, but she has been known to show up out of the blue. Kenton knows about her after she claimed to have lost the baby, he did some digging for me.  He found out that she never went to the doctor for any kind of treatment during the time she claimed to be pregnant. I guess she thought I would knock her up after we got married and I would never be the wiser. She didn’t count on me staying wrapped up even after she claimed to be pregnant and I had a ring on her finger. Something in the back of my head didn’t feel right. I never fucked her without protection and I'm thankful to this day that I listened to my gut.”

I couldn’t believe that someone would do that. Claiming to be pregnant just to manipulate someone else was disgusting. “I'm sorry that she did that to you,” I whispered, running my fingers along the underside of his jaw.

“I am too.”

“So, what does she want when she tracks you down?”

“Don’t know. I don’t give a fuck and I don’t take her calls. I want nothing to do with her I have Kenton keep track of her and what she’s up to. Some people are unstable she’s one of them. Plus a few years ago she showed up in town and started taking shit I lost a good friend because of her.” Well, I was no longer worried about how he felt about his ex. I hated her and what she did to him, and if I ever saw her, I might beat the crap out of her.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”

“Even shit like that can teach you the best lessons.”

“What lesson did you learn?”

“Let’s just say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

I smiled at him. “Good lesson?” My head came up when my phone started ringing from the bedroom. “I should get that. It might be Tia.” I kissed him and climbed off his lap to answer it. Being Christmas, I knew that I could expect a few phone calls from my friends in New York. When I finally got to my phone, it had stopped ringing so I flipped it open to see who the call was from. It was a New York number that I didn’t recognize, but the person left a voice mail. I put my phone to my ear to listen and had to fight the urge to throw it across the room when I heard my ex-fiancé’s voice.

“Hey, I…um, just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas. I know it’s been awhile, but I wanted to tell you that I love you and miss you, November. I know I messed up.” There was a long pause and I thought he hung up then I heard a deep breath. “I hope you can forgive me. I miss you. Please call me back.” My face must have said it all. Next thing I knew, my phone was out of my hand and Asher had it to his ear.  He took it away and looked at it, and then pressed a button and put it back to his ear. I knew he was listening to the voice mail I just heard. I watched in fascination as his jaw clenched and I could hear my phone cracking in his hand.

“Easy with my phone, Hulk.” He looked down at me and I smiled. He ignored my grin, took the phone away from his ear then threw it onto the bed. He used his other hand to pull out my hair tie and threw that behind him, and then wrapped my hair around his fist.

“You are not calling that piece of shit back.”

“I'm not calling him back,” I repeated. I never planned on it.  Actually, I wanted to know how he got my number and why he was calling me at all. The only thing I could think was that he called my mom and asked her for my number.

“Why the fuck is he calling you?”

“That’s a good question,” I said, looking over his shoulder and wondering the exact same thing. He tugged my hair and I looked back at him. “I have no idea. I haven’t even talked to him in two years. After I found out what he did, I changed my number and avoided him like the Ebola virus.” I watched his eyes go soft and his lips twitch.

“Why didn’t you avoid your mom?” I took a breath and told the truth.

“I wanted to forgive her. I wanted a mom who loved me. I felt like if I forgave her for what she had done, maybe she could forgive me for whatever it was that I had done to make her hate me so much.”

“You didn’t do anything to her. She was selfish and doesn’t deserve to have a daughter that is as kind and forgiving as you.”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “She has always hated me. I was never good enough. I don’t know why she is the way she is but it doesn’t mean that I don’t crave her attention or love. It’s not easy growing up having your only comfort provided by people who are paid to take care of you. All I wanted my whole life was to feel wanted. Until I met my dad when I turned eighteen, I never felt like I belonged to anyone.”

“You belong now. Not only do you belong to your dad and his family, you belong to me and mine. And one day, you will belong to our kids.”

“Kids?” I asked, shocked.

“Kids. I told you, I'm going slow for you. But you’re going to be my wife, and as soon as we sign the marriage license, I'm working on getting you knocked up.”

I roll my eyes at him. “You have this all planned, huh?”

“Fuck, yeah.” He smiles. I smile back. His happiness is contagious. “I can’t wait to see you waddling around, knowing that I got you that way.” My eyes narrow. He smiles. “That you are my life, and that you’re carrying a life that we created inside of you.” I felt faint. Even though he said I would waddle, and no woman wants to ever hear that they waddle or are going to waddle, it was still the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to me.

“How many kids do you have in mind?” I asked softly, wrapping my arms around his neck. His hands slid to my waist and under my shirt. His thumbs running along my sides, causing goose bumps to break out.

“Two boys and three girls. The boys need to come first so they can protect their sisters, especially if they look like you.”

“What happens if we have a girl first?”

“Then I'm going to buy a few more guns.”

I started giggling. “You do know how hot you are, right? I mean, if we have boys, I'm going to have to buy stock in Trojan just to make sure that they are always protected. Either that, or invest my money into a medical company so that they can invent men’s birth control.” He started shaking his head, chuckling.

“I like that you keep saying
we
,” he said softly, his eyes warm. “Now I know you see a future with me.” He smiled his cocky smile and I laughed.

“You know, you’re very bossy and completely cocky.” His lips twitched, but what he didn’t do was disagree with me. I had to admit, it was a total turn on that he was so sure about us. It put my mind at ease. I didn’t worry that I was thinking things were more serious than he thought they were. He kissed my nose then my lips softly.

“I'm going to see if Ma needs help. I’ll make sure that everyone is going to be ready to go to your dad’s soon.”

“Thanks.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him quickly then walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I listened to Asher leave the bedroom. Once I knew the coast was clear, I pulled a towel down from the shelf, shoved my face into it, and screamed at the top of my lungs while jumping up and down. I couldn’t believe that I was getting everything that I had ever wanted. I had a man that loved me, a great job, and a giant family. I knew that I was lucky.

I remember spending Christmas in New York, watching the Macy’s parade then going to Tia’s family’s house for the day. If they weren’t around, I would make dinner for myself and camp out in bed with a good book while my mom was with her friends or whatever guy she was seeing at the time. Now I had friends and family who would always be around to spend holidays with. 

Chapter 8

The doorbell is ringing and Beast’s barking woke me suddenly. I roll to the clock and see that it’s just after ten in the morning. I can’t think of anyone who would be here this early, unless it’s the postman and he’s dropping off a package.

I crawl out of bed and find Asher’s shirt that he took off last night. I slip it over my head and find my sleep shorts lying on the floor. I pull them up quickly, noticing that they’re getting a lot tighter. I'm still half asleep because I got home late yesterday.

I had been out on another all day shopping adventure with Susan. This trip was much better than the last, only because I needed to get stuff for an Easter egg hunt that I was going to be putting on at the nursing home. Hearing kids laughing and having a good time makes me happy, so I want parents to bring their kids and let them go into the patients’ rooms and get an egg and some candy.

With Asher gone on job sites more often, I am starting to feel bored. I work for my dad and Liz, plus I took on a few other small clients in town. But even with the extra work I am doing, I still have plenty of free time.

First, I started going to the gym. I was working out so much that I had definition where I never thought I would and I was losing tons of weight. Then, one day Asher looked at me and actually complained.

“Babe, I loved your body. I loved having something to grab onto. I loved how soft you were. I know that you want to be healthy, but I miss the softness.”

His voice was soft and the look in his eyes said that he loved me no matter what, but that he missed the way I looked.  And I don’t know any woman who would not want their man to tell him that they shouldn’t lose weight. I really didn’t care. I wasn’t working out to lose weight. I was doing it out of boredom, but I was happy to hear that he liked my body the way it was.

That night, I may have gone a wee bit overboard. I hadn’t been on a diet, but I had been watching what I was eating. So, that night, I made homemade chicken Alfredo with garlic bread and asparagus. For dessert, I made apple cobbler with vanilla ice-cream. There were more than three days’ worth of calories in that meal, but it was so worth it. In the middle of eating, Asher started laughing at me.

“What?”

“You sound like you’re really enjoying your food,” he said, watching me take a bite of apple cobbler.

“It’s yummy.”

“Yeah,” he said, leaning over to give me a very sweet vanilla apple kiss.

After dinner, I was sprawled out on top of Asher, him still inside of me his hands running along my back. Our breathing returned to normal and I broached the subject of money. “Since I'm living here now, we should talk about how we’re going to divide the bills for the house.”

“You’re mine. I take care of you. You use your money to buy clothes or groceries for the house, unless I'm with you. Then, I’ll pay. Also, you’re going to need a new ride soon. That thing you call a car is not safe. There are too many deer around here. If one runs in front of you, your car will be totaled. If I'm lucky, I will just be visiting you in the hospital. If I'm not, I’ll be visiting you at the cemetery. I don’t want that shit, so we need to go to the dealer that I got my jeep from and we can pick you out something.”

I lifted my head from his chest, looking down at him. There were a few things that pissed me off, so I was deciding what pissed me off the most before I opened my mouth. I was sated, I had three orgasms and I was in a chill mood, so I was trying really hard not to flip out.

I watched his eyes roam over my face. “This is non-negotiable.”

My eyes narrowed at his words and my temper flared. “Really? So how I spend money and what car I drive is non-negotiable?” I asked, just to make sure that we were on the same page.

“Yep, we might as well get all this shit out of the way,” he said, rolling so I was under him. I felt him slide out of me and I couldn’t help the mewl sound that I made at the loss of him. He kissed my nose and bit my bottom lip. The kiss started to get good when I pulled away.

“What shit?” I asked before he had a chance to put me in an Asher fog, where I unknowingly agree to everything he says.

“You don’t need the money that your grandparents left you. When we have kids, you can put it in a college account for them, but I make enough money to take care of you, me, and any kids we have.”

I took a deep breath, calming myself before I started to yell at the top of my lungs. “I love you, but you are not paying my way. I have taken care of myself for a long time. We need to come to an agreement that we can both live with,” I said in a tone that was a lot calmer than I felt.

“We're starting a life together. If you never got that money, we would still be living the same way we do now. I'm not selling my land or building a new house somewhere else. This was my dream. I knew when I built this house that the woman who I fell in love with would live here with me, and my kids would grow up here on this property. I don’t need more. I have a good car, toys in my garage, and money in the bank. I was planning for you before I even knew who you were. I never wanted to be millionaire. Money does shit to people’s heads. I like your head the way it is. We don’t need it.” Well, he had a good point. Money did mess with people. We were happy and I had never even touched the money from my inheritance. But I knew the money could do some good. I wanted a swimming pool badly. I also wouldn’t mind getting a new car with the money, and maybe a boat. I have always loved the water and have wanted to try skiing. The only thing with that was if I sucked at water skiing, we would be stuck with a boat we didn’t use.

“I have few requests before I put the money away for our future children,” I said, shaking my head.

He gave me a crooked smile and kissed my nose again. “Go for it.”

“First, I'm paying for my own car, if I decide to get a new one.” He started to talk, but I covered his mouth with my hand. He narrowed his eyes, but I carried on like I didn’t notice.

“Second, I would like a swimming pool, and third,” I said loudly before he could cut me off or talk over me. “I would like a boat, but only if it can be returned if I end up not liking it.”

“First, you’re getting a new car whether you want one or not.”

“If—” I started, but he cut me off with a quick kiss.

“Second, we can have a pool put in, as long as it’s childproof. And when we have kids, they have to take swimming lessons. And third, I have a boat so you don’t need to think about borrowing someone’s boat to test it out.”

I squeal, doing a happy dance. ”Wow, that was easier than I thought,” I said, smiling. “But I want to confirm that I'm paying for my new car when I decide to get one, and the swimming pool when it’s put in.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

“Hell no!” I said, rolling him to his back. I was looking down on him, making sure I had his full attention. “I will pay for that stuff, Asher, or I’ll buy you a gift every week, and I will make sure they are extravagant and expensive. Trust me, you don’t want to test me. I'm thinking along the lines of a unicorn.”

“You don’t get it. This is my land, my house. I pay for the pool. And I hope to God that you know that unicorns aren’t real.”

Okay, that hurt. “So, I'm just a guest. I'm not living here with you? I'm not the woman that you plan on having a family with? If that’s the case, let me know so I can pack my stuff. I don’t want to be in the way when the one you plan on sharing your life with shows up. And who knows? Money is power. I'm sure I can convince someone somewhere that unicorns exist, and that they should locate one for me.”

I watched as his face became hard and his jaw started to tic. “You know I don’t mean it that way. You’re my woman. I take care of you.”

“If I'm your woman, as you put it, then you’re my man. Relationships work both ways. They give and take. It’s called compromise. I need to feel like I'm doing something for you. I won’t be happy thinking that I live here with you for free. You take care of me, make me feel safe, give me a home and unconditional love, and I don’t do anything for you? I won’t live here feeling like I'm not bringing anything to the table. That’s not me. I need to feel like I'm pulling my weight.”

“Baby, don’t you see it’s the other way around?” he asks with both his hands holding my face. “All I have to offer you is stability and love. I have nothing else. If you left me tomorrow, some other guy would be there giving you the same thing I do. You’re beautiful, funny, smart, kind. And the sex, fuck me, sex with you is off the charts. If you left me—Christ!” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “If you left me, I would never be able to find another you. Someone who fills my life with the beauty that only you give me.”

Okay, I couldn’t help it. I started bawling like a giant baby. I laid my head on his chest, wrapping myself around him. Trying to get as close as I could without crawling inside of him. I no longer cared about the pool or the car or anything else to do with money.

“I feel the same,” I said through a sob. “You are an amazing man, Asher James Mayson, and you better not ever forget it.”

“I love you, baby,” he whispered and I felt his lips at the top of my head. His arms were around me, holding me tightly against him. I was so comfortable that I knew I could easily fall asleep that way. “I only want you to be happy.”

“I am.” My heart was full. There was no room in it for sadness or anger. I felt happy and loved. Even when I was arguing with him, I felt unconditional love.

It was in that moment that I decided to do something with the money my grandparents left me. I love the place that I now called home. And I wanted to do something that would benefit others. Something to share the love that I felt. And hopefully give someone else a piece of that love and happiness. I knew that there were people who lived in the area that were struggling. I also knew that they took donations each year for community projects and child outreach programs. I needed to find things to fill my time with. The spring and summer months were his busy seasons. The days were longer, the weather was nicer, and I knew Asher would be working longer hours. He and his team just won the bid on a new development, so they were all excited about that and the amount of money it would bring in. But I knew that come June, he would be a lot busier, so I needed to keep myself occupied.

The pounding started to get louder, taking me out of my head and bringing me back to reality.

“I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold your horses!” I shout while I running to the front door. I push Beast out of the way so I could get to the peep hole. When I look out, I see a young guy holding flowers. ”What the heck?” I mutter to myself. I open the door and the man standing there smiles and holds out a bouquet of roses.

“Hi,” I say, my eyebrows coming together in question. Asher has given me flowers in the past, but he has never given me roses. He has always brought them home to me. I’ve never received a delivery.

“This is a delivery for November,” the guy says, looking up at me from where his head was bent, reading over the paper in his hand.

“That’s me,” I say, and before I can get anything else out, he shoves a clipboard into my hand.

“You need to sign where the Xs are.”

I signed by the two Xs. When I look up, he smiles and takes the clipboard, putting it under his arm. He handed me the flowers then walked off. I set the flowers on the island and look for a card but can’t find one. I know the flowers are from Asher because he is the only person who would send me flowers. I walk back to the bedroom to find my phone.

Once I have my cell phone, I send Asher a quick text.

Me:
Thanks for the flowers.

There is no reply right away, so I set the phone down and jump in the shower. I am blow drying my hair and drinking coffee with I hear my phone signal a message.

Asher:
Didn’t send anything

Me:
Oh? Maybe my dad sent them.

“Hey, baby girl.” He answered on the first ring.

“Hi, Dad. Um, I was wondering if you sent me flowers?”

“No? Why?”

“I got a delivery this morning of roses and Asher didn’t send them.”

“I didn’t send anything.”

My breathing started to pick up and I knew my dad heard it through the phone. “I'm sure they are from someone you know,” he says quietly. I'm not as sure as he is. I feel paranoid, but after the roses that someone left me at my dad’s house, there is always a nagging in the back of my head telling me that something bad is going to happen to me again.

“I can tell you’re worried. Don’t worry so much. Nothing has happened since the break-in.”

“You’re right. I'm acting crazy,” I tell him. Flowers are not a big deal.

“If you feel unsafe, just tell me and I will be over there.”

“No, Dad. You’re right. I'm fine.”

“Okay, baby girl. I'm going to go to sleep. My phone is on if you need me.”

“Thanks, Dad. Love you,” I whisper, feeling like an idiot.

“Love you too, baby girl.” He hung up and I called everyone else I knew who might send me flowers. No one did.

Asher:
Was it your dad???

Me:
He said no. I called around and no one else sent them.

Less than a second later, I get a response.

Asher:
I'm calling Dad now.

Me:
I don’t think that’s necessary.

Asher:
Dad will be there in 5. I'm on my way. Stay inside and lock the door.

Me:
I'm fine. Stop worrying. Its making me freak.

Asher:
Rather you be paranoid.

I hear the car pull up and I jump off the couch from where me and Beast are cuddling, and run to the front door. I look out the peep hole just as Asher’s dad is getting out of the police cruiser. I open the front door and step out onto the porch, and heard the crinkle of paper under my bare foot. I bend and pick it up. It is a plain card-size envelope. I can feel the weight of the card inside. I start to open it when it is snatched out of my hand.

I jump and let out a startled yelp. I had been so caught up in the envelope, I forgot about Asher’s dad. “Crap, you scared me,” I say, looking up at Mr. James.