Lovely (27 page)

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth”

She’s about to continue when I hear a familiar voice, but not a welcome one.

“Hey, Ash,” Shelby says in that slow drawl which I wasn’t bothered by before, but now makes me sick.

“Hey, Shelby, what’s up?” I turn my body to face her, continuing to hold onto Cara’s hand, working my jaw back and forth while waiting for whatever damage she has in mind and attempting to shield Cara from her.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Shelby makes a tsking sound as she eyes Cara and scowls at our hands interlaced on the grass.

“Shelby this is Cara. Cara, Shelby,” I say quickly, biting my lip and trying to figure out Shelby’s next move.

She flirts, pushing her bottle blonde hair over her shoulder and sticking her tits out in my direction. “Oh, I know who she is, Ash, what I can’t figure out is why
you’re
,” she points a finger at me, “
with
,” she cranes her head to eye Cara, “
her
.”

I let go of Cara’s hand and rise up to my feet, anger heating my face. “That’s enough, Shelby. What the fuck do you want?”

She puts her hand on her hips and inches forward. “I just wanted to say hello is all.”

I immediately take two steps back, scanning the area over her shoulder. “Where’s Jake?”

She flicks her fingernails and rolls her eyes as if she couldn’t care less. “Oh, we’re not together anymore.”

I’m not surprised. I’m sure she managed to annoy the shit out of him, too. I scowl, my brain plotting ways to make her leave. “I see. So you decided to come around and bother
me
now.”

She licks her lips and moves her hands down slowly from the curve of her breasts to her hips. “Well, you certainly never looked at me as a bother before,” she bites out.

“I think you should go,” I bark, my voice turning to ice and matching my eyes.

“Whatever you say, Ash.” She spins around to leave, her heels digging in the grass causing her to stumble. “See you around. Oh, and Cara, he’s a lot of man to satisfy.” She flips me a wink. “I hope you have what it takes.”

“Goodbye, Shelby,” I say with finality.

After she’s out of sight I drop down and kneel in front of Cara, pushing a tendril of hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry about that.”

“That’s alright, it’s not your fault.” She looks away, but I clasp her chin and bring her back to me, kissing the corner of her mouth.

“So, where were we?” I smile, trying to rid us both of that annoying distraction.

After Cara finishes reading the poem, she lays the book down on the grass and leans her head back against my stomach. My fingers make circles around her temples, pushing wisps of hair away from her face.

“So are you looking forward to the party tomorrow night?”

“Yup,” she emphasizes the P and I see a smile turning up the corners of her pretty mouth. She tilts her head back to look at me. “What are you wearing?” she asks.

“Hmph. I don’t think I’m going to tell you. What are you wearing?”

She motions with her fingers to lock her lips together. “Oh no, I’m not telling either. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

I lift my head and steal a soft kiss from her lips. “As far as I’m concerned, you could wear a brown paper bag and you’d look beautiful.”

I pull on my black jeans and a crisp white button down shirt. I’m not one for dressing up, but this way I can look nice with a bit of swagger. I can’t wait to see what Cara’s wearing tonight. My mouth’s watering and my mind is wandering just thinking about it. Whatever it is, I know she’ll be stunning.

When I walk down the stairs, Mom flashes me a proud smile. At times like this, living at home feels strange … almost like I’m going to the prom all over again. Not that I’d want to relive that experience. Lila and I got wicked drunk that night and her mom walked in on her giving me a blow job. Needless to say, there was no love lost between me and her mom when we broke up. I don’t blame her, though. If I had a daughter and I caught her giving head to some guy, even if it was her boyfriend, first I’d wring her neck and then I’d wash her mouth out with soap for about a year so that’s the only taste she remembered having on her tongue.

Mom strolls over to me and pats my chest. “Very handsome, sweetie.” She sighs. “I see so much of your dad in you … and I don’t just mean in the way you look, but in your spirit.” Her green eyes shine with a hint of tears. “He would’ve been very proud of you … I know I am.”

I lay an affectionate hand on hers. “Thanks, Mom.”

She rubs her eyes and grins. “So … tell me how things are going between you and Cara?”

They’re fucking amazing is what I want to say, but I know Mom wouldn’t appreciate my passion. I don’t need words anyway. The sparkle in my eyes and the smile on my face is a dead giveaway to my heart. “I love her, Mom.”

“I know, honey.”

“You do?” I ask, surprised.

“Honey, I was in love once, too, remember? I know the signs, and you, my sweet boy, have them written all over your face, and your heart.”

“She loves me, too,” I confess happily.

Mom grabs my arms on both sides, smirking. “Well, of course she does. What’s not to love?”

“Mom, this is weird,” Colt complains, “I’m having flashbacks of high school and it’s not pretty. We’re in college, remember?”

She puts her hands on her hips and glares at Colt. “Yes, honey, I know, but you all look so terrific and I just want to take a picture, okay? So let’s just humor good old Mom.”

Colt, Delilah, and I stand in front of the fireplace as Mom takes our picture. Colt reaches up with his two fingers to put a peace sign behind Delilah’s head and she smacks him just like she did in high school.

Mom lifts the camera, pointing it in our direction. “Okay, give me a big smile, and say goofball.”

“Goofball,” we all say at once, and crack up, remembering Dad always saying that in hopes he could get us all to smile together.

I give Colt a playful shove and he lands a fake punch in return. “Alright, I’m going to head out to pick up Cara.”

“Wait until you see your girl, Ash,” Delilah says with a wide grin as she smoothes the front of her green satin dress.

I quirk an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Just wait.” A mischievous smile spreads across her face.

“I knew you two were in cahoots.” I give Mom and Delilah a kiss, and fist bump Colt. “I’ll see you guys there.”

“Have a great time, sweetie!” Mom sings as I head out the door.

When Cara opens the door my heart slams against my chest. She looks absolutely gorgeous. My eyes roam the length of her body and soak her in, and then I make an
attempt
at breathing. She’s wearing a tight, satin, knee-length dress the color as deep as the bluest ocean, cut low in the front to highlight her cleavage, her long legs smooth and silky. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun with soft wisps dangling around her face.

“Wow, Cara, you look stunning.”

She bats her lashes with a hint of seduction. “That’s it, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

She sidles up to me, pushing her breasts flush against my chest. “I was hoping for a different reaction.”

My dick’s already figured it out, but it takes my brain a second longer before it becomes crystal clear. I grab her ass, which is extraordinarily perfect by the way, and lean in close to her face, our cheeks touching. “You look fucking hot.” I feel her smile against me and I take advantage of our proximity by planting a sweet kiss on her incredible lips.

“Thank you,” she says softly. “You look hot, too.”

I’m already hard and if she keeps this up, we won’t make it out of here.

“Come in.” She takes my hand and I willingly follow.

I’d follow her anywhere in that dress. Hell, I’d follow her anywhere, period. Walking over to the coffee table, she grabs her purse and that’s when I remember something very important. “Wait.”

“What?” she asks, looking down at herself as if something needs fixing. Nothing does. She’s absolute perfection.

I walk over to the couch and sit down, crooking my finger at her. “Come here, beauty.”

She joins me, our knees flush against one another.

“I have something for you.” I reach my now shaky hands into the pocket of my jacket and pull out a blue velvet box.

Her eyes are alight with excitement. “Something else? What is that?”

My hands are quivering as I pass the box to her. “Open it.”

My heart’s racing wildly as she takes the small, square box in one hand, her fingers rolling over the smooth fabric. She lifts the lid and I hold my breath, awaiting her reaction. Her mouth falls open, her eyes gazing at the shiny gold bracelet covered in delicate gold linked hearts, before she takes it out of the box. “It’s beautiful.”

“Turn it over,” I whisper.

I watch as she flips the bracelet over and reads the inscription aloud. “
I took the road not taken, and I’m thankful that it led me to you. I love you. Ash
”

The sound of my heartbeat invades the air. It took me forever to find the right bracelet for her and I want her to love it.

She holds it up, admiring the way the hearts sparkle. “It’s so beautiful.” Her eyes flick to mine and they’re filled with tears.

“Just like you.” I cup her face in my palms. “I love you, Cara Hayward. I think I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you. That moment you looked up at me in the library was like a ray of light in my dark little world … and I just knew …” I pause, a thick layer of emotion clogging my throat. “You gave me back a piece of my soul that I thought was lost. It’s
you
that I was missing, Cara. That day I saw you …
that
was the day my life changed. That was the day
I
changed. You made me feel my heart. I mean, I knew it was there before, but now I feel it, and I feel you inside of it.”

Tears cascade down her cheeks. “I love you so much, Ash.” She leans her forehead against mine. “Thank you,” she breathes against my skin. “I absolutely love it.” Her salty lips feather mine in a tender kiss.

I take the bracelet from her, open the clasp and fold it around her wrist, placing a gentle kiss to her pulse point. “Come on.” I hold my hand out to hers and lift her off the couch, the satin of her dress falling around her, surrounding her in a pool of blue. “You really do look stunning,” I say again. Her beauty overwhelms me. Everything about this girl overwhelms me.

“Well, if you must know, I had a little help picking this dress out,” she gleams with a hint of mystery.

“Yeah? From who?”

A giggle floats up from her chest. “Your sister.”

“Aha! I knew it. I couldn’t put my finger on what the two of you were planning, but I knew it was something.”

“I’ve grown very fond of Delilah, Ash. She’s really cool.”

I smile, feeling a huge sense of pride. I love my sister. “Yeah, she is.”

We head out the door with our fingers laced together. It feels nothing short of perfect.

Cara stops on the driveway and turns to me. “You know, for someone who sucks at poetry, what you said to me was pretty darn poetic.”

Tugging her close, I guide her lips to mine. “Well, you bring it out in me.”