Friday (Timeless Series #5) (23 page)

The Next Step

Axel

I was grateful Marie forgave me and my little tantrum. I got upset quicker than I meant to, and then everything came pouring out. Before I knew it, I was waist deep in shit. She could have broken it off with me and had every right to.

But she didn’t.

Like every Sunday night, Marie packed all of her dirty clothes and shoes into her duffel bag. It was a ritual we practiced every single week. She prepared to return to the apartment she shared with Francesca and I’d be sleeping alone most of the week until the weekend returned.

I hated it.

“Baby, don’t go.” I grabbed her by the hips and dragged her back to bed. “I hate it when you leave.”

“I hate it too.” She lay underneath me on the bed.

“Then stay.” Every time I said goodbye it was actually painful. I wanted to share everything with her—share my life. My hand fisted her hair and I kissed her, doing my best to seduce her.

“Axel, I need to do laundry and get ready for work.”

“I have a washer and dryer.”

“But I have other stuff to wash—like my bed.”

“You don’t even sleep in it.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then let me come over.” If I had to get up an hour early to make sure I made it to work on time, then so be it. It was worth it.

“Francesca is still there.”

“Kick her out. She has a job now.”

“She’s welcome to stay as long as she wants.”

I growled under my breath.

“Babe, I know this sucks. But it’s not the end of the world.”

To me it was.
“The best part of this relationship is having you by my side every second of the day. How am I supposed to sleep if you aren’t with me? It’s just not the same.”

“I know but we have other responsibilities.”

“Who cares?”

“And I can’t get much writing done when I’m here.”

“Then we’ll turn the spare bedroom into an office. You can work here whenever you want.”

“Like you’d let me. You’d be kissing my neck and feeling me up the whole time.”

I smiled. “Like you wouldn’t like that.”

“I would like it. That’s the problem.”

I was tired of begging her at the end of every week. When she said I was clingy she was dead on. I was clingy—with her. She made me happy and I didn’t want her to be anywhere else but here. Was it that strange?

She moved from under me then returned to her feet. “I’m sorry, Axel.”

I didn’t like it when I didn’t get my way. “Let me walk you.” I didn’t like it when she walked home alone in the city after dark. Even if she took a cab or stuck to well-lit areas it made me uneasy.

She didn’t object to that—which was smart.

***

I walked her to her door and prepared for the dreadful goodbye. “I had a great time this weekend.”

“Me too.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested them on the small of her back. We went out to dinner and for some drinks on Friday night, and then we went to the movies on Saturday. Today, we just lay around the house and made love nonstop. But now the weekend was over. “I want every day to be the weekend.”

“I think everyone does.”

I cupped her face and gave her a soft kiss. Whenever our mouths touched I felt alive, like I could do anything. It invigorated me with life and passion. I’d never kissed another woman and felt that way before.

She pulled away and rubbed her nose against mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She got the door unlocked then walked inside. She gave me a quick wave before she shut the door.

I stood there, staring at the peephole. My hands moved into my pockets and I felt the ache in my chest the second she was gone. Now I would return to my empty apartment, the one I shared with no one, and I would tried to get some sleep despite how futile it was.

And then I realized how much I didn’t want to do that.

I’d rather sleep outside her door than go home alone.

I didn’t have a problem being on my own. But once I felt that connection with Marie I never wanted to let go. I wanted to be near her always. When I came home from work I wanted her to be there.

I always wanted to be there.

I opened the door and walked inside, not thinking about my actions before I did them.

Marie and Francesca were talking in the living room. Marie was standing at the back of the couch, and she turned to me when she realized I walked inside without knocking. “Axel, is everything okay?”

“Knock, asshole,” Francesca snapped.

I came closer to her, ignoring both of the things they just said. “Move in with me.”

Francesca covered her mouth and gasped.

Marie stood there in shock, her eyes wide.

“I know it’s a little fast but I don’t care. When I come home every day I want you to be there. I’m tired of seeing you pack up your things just to return to this apartment with Francesca. I’m tired of sharing you. Please move in with me.” This was the perfect solution to all my problems. It was too soon for me to propose but this was doable. A lot of couples moved in together before they got married. Marie and I never talked about it, but I knew she was the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with. “Francesca can have this apartment and you can just move your stuff to my place. You’re there all the time anyway.” It made perfect sense.

Francesca stared at Marie and waited for her to give an answer.

Her silence unnerved me. Was this something she wasn’t ready for? Did she have doubts? Was it because of the fight we had a few weeks ago? “Baby?” If she said no I’d be hurt. But I’d do my best to mask the pain on my features.

“Yes.”

All the anxiety left my body when I heard that one single word. A grin stretched my face and I felt lighter than air. She actually said yes. I closed the gap between us and hugged her tightly.

“Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

“Awe…” Francesca watched us from the couch. “My brother…the hopeless romantic.”

“Shut up.” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Marie leaned back and looked into my face.

“Absolutely. Completely. Undeniably.”

“I’ll be there every day…”

‘That’s what I’m hoping for.”

She finally smiled, her happiness matching mine. “Then let’s do it.”

Epilogue

Axel

“I’m fucking nervous as fucking hell.” I kept pacing the apartment, checking the front pocket of my jacket over and over.

Hawke eyed me, a grin on his face. “Just calm down.”

“You calm down.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If I were any calmer I’d be asleep.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my heart slam into my chest. “She’s going to be home any minute and we’re heading to the airport.”

“Just do it exactly as we rehearsed it.”

“What if I blow it?” I was going to scuff up my floor if I kept walking like this.

“You won’t.”

“You don’t know me very well…”

“Think of it this way. No matter what you say or how badly you do it, she’s going to say yes.”

“You think?” That was the only good thing he said to me.

“Yes.”

Footsteps were heard on the other side of the door. “Shit, she’s here. Fuck, act natural.” I walked up to Hawke and put my arm around his shoulders.

“You think this is natural?” he whispered. He pushed my arm down.

Marie walked inside. “I’m so glad I’m done with work and we’re going on vacation.” She threw her arms up and did a little dance.

I just stared at her, too nervous to do anything else.

Hawke elbowed me in the side.

“Yeah…so excited.” I was so excited my heart was about to give out.

“I’m just about to grab my stuff and we’ll go.” She walked up to me and gave me a big kiss. “Thanks so much for taking me on a trip.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” I gave her ass a playful slap, trying to be normal.

She walked down the hallway and entered the bedroom.

I started to freak out all over again. “Fuck, I can’t do this. I’m going to mess it up.”

“You aren’t going to mess it up.” He gripped both of my shoulders to calm me. “Look, she loves you. She’s been living with you for two years. If she hasn’t left by now she never will. All right?”

I nodded in agreement.

“The ring is gorgeous and you’re a great man. She’s not going to say no.”

I needed any confidence boost I could get. “Thanks. Shit, asking someone to marry you is tough.”

“It is,” he said. “But you’ve got this.”

***

Marie and I just finished dinner at the restaurant. It overlooked the beach and the water. The sun was about to set over the horizon, making the sky glow with hues of purple and pink.

The adrenaline kicked in.

“Want to take a walk on the beach?”

“Sure.”

No one was there so it was perfect. I took her hand and guided her to the sand, walking slowly alongside her. The waves crashed on the beach and the wind blew through her hair. Her eyes were glued to the horizon, watching the sun slowly fade away.

I’d never been so terrified in my whole life. I wasn’t scared she would say no. But I was scared I wouldn’t do it right. What if I dropped the ring and we never found it again? What if I put the ring on the wrong hand? What if she didn’t cry? So many things could go wrong.

We walked in silence, taking in the scenery. I knew I needed to do it soon before all the daylight was gone. Then she wouldn’t be able to see the ring and I’d miss my chance. I’d procrastinated long enough.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” she said with a chuckle. “Spending a week in paradise with the love of my life? Sounds like the best week of my life.”

When she said things like that all the fear left my body. “You’re the greatest thing that ever happened to me, you know that?”

She gave me a dazzling smile, the kind that made my heart melt. “Yeah, I think so.”

I stopped walking and faced her, going with the moment. “When I picture my life without you I don’t have a life at all, just a meaningless existence. I never knew how happy I could be until I gave love a chance. All those voids I used to feel are now gone. You fixed me—put me back together.”

She stared at me with soft eyes, touched by my words.

“You’ve given me a life I never thought I could have. Now I have the most beautiful woman in the world who loves me, who takes care of me and puts up with me. And you allow me to do the same for you. I consider myself to be the luckiest man in the world.”

“Axel…”

I could do this.

I lowered myself to one knee and pulled out the box at the same time, just as I practiced for nearly a week straight.

She gasped the second she realized what was happening. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” She clutched her chest.

“Marie Prescott, will you marry me?” I opened the lid to reveal the solitary diamond I custom designed just for her. My hands didn’t shake as I held it out to her, knowing exactly what her answer would be.

And just as I hoped, she began to cry. “Axel…yes. Of course. Yes.”

I slipped the ring onto her left ring finger and felt it glide on smoothly. It was a perfect fit.

“It’s beautiful.” She felt the band with her free hand and sniffed as the diamond caught the light.

I rose to my feet and towered over her again, realizing my own eyes were wet. I was hoping she would cry but I didn’t expect to feel the same emotion. “Thank you for saying yes to me.”

She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, crying quietly. “I love you, Axel.”

I rested my chin on her head as I held her close to me. The waves crashed on the shore and the seagulls cried overhead. Despite the fact there were other people on the island it seemed like it was just the two of us. I asked Marie to spend the rest of her life with me and she actually said yes. “I love you too.”

I hope you enjoyed reading Friday as much as I loved writing it. It would mean the world to me if you could leave a short review. It’s the greatest kind of support you can give an author.

Francesca and Hawke found their happily ever after, and Axel and Marie followed in their footsteps. The universe seems to be complete. However, we’re missing someone very special.

Will Kyle find his soul mate? Will Kyle find the timeless love he’s been looking for? Found out in the next installment of the Timeless Series, SATURDAY.

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