The Infamous Ellen James (Infamous Series) (32 page)

"Please say something. Say anything. Wait, no, not anything. Don't say goodbye. Anything but—"

I place my fingers on his lips and his mouth immediately stops moving.

"You're a terrible singer."

I feel Trent's lips quirk up into a smile against my fingertips as he nods his head in agreement.

"But you have fantastic taste in music." I smirk at him and his eyes shine with amusement. "And you have fantastic taste in women." My fingers slide down his chin and lie gently over his heart. "No goodbyes, Trent.
Never
goodbye. You and me, we're forever, and as much as that used to scare the shit out of me to think about, I'm not scared now. You own me, all of me, even the part of me that sports twelve-inch strap-ons at Halloween parties." His chest vibrates against my palm with quiet laughter. "You are all I could have ever hoped for and a million things I never knew I even wanted. You are mine, Casanova. This right here…" My fingers gently tap his chest. "This is mine and I will never let it go."

Trent drops the microphone to the ground, a loud bang echoing through the speakers. He places his hands on my cheeks and pulls my face closer to his; we're nose to nose, staring into each other's eyes. "Fuck, you made me nervous." Wrapping his arms around my back, he takes a shuddering breath and pulls me closer, pressing his lips to mine.

I giggle against his mouth. "I'm sorry…" I kiss him deeper, showing him how much he means to me. "I love you."

"I know you do, but you still have a lot of making up to do tonight." I lean back and he waggles his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"You're incorrigible."

"You love it."

"That I do, pervy. That I do." I tenderly kiss his cheek and snuggle into his chest.

And then our little romantic moment is ended with a certain obnoxious dickhead yelling out from the crowd.

"Are you two going to fuck on that stage or let the rest of these asshole give us their best Tina Turner impressions?!” Amy yells from the table her and Lizzy are still sitting at.

I flip Amy off and proceed to kiss Trent with everything I am, everything I have, everything I can give to him, because he is
everything
to me and…
we are
forever
.

Epilogue

“Every happy ending starts with a bumpy ride, a rough journey. That beginning will most likely throw some unexpected surprises your way, but in the end, it'll all be worth it.”

Cutting the engine, I slowly get out of my truck, tired and ready to crash for hours.

I've been in surgery for the past eight hours, and it's now past two in the morning. I'm starving and exhausted, and I see some much needed sleep in my future.

Making my way into my apartment in Uptown Charlotte, I throw my keys on the foyer table and head for the bedroom. The lights are off, and the apartment is silent,
peaceful
. I haven't seen Ellie in the past forty-eight hours. The combination of her work schedule and the numerous surgeries I've scrubbed into has only made it possible for a few text messages and short phone conversations here and there. I miss my girl.
My girl
. My soon-to-be wife. I beam inwardly like a pining idiot. I know I sound like a lovesick fool right now, but I don't give a shit. Ellie is my world, the most important person in my life. And now she's going to be Mrs. Hamilton. Mrs. Ellie Hamilton. She's got me by the balls and I love every minute of it.

Grinning like the pussy-whipped asshole I proudly I am, I stride into the bedroom and see Ellie sound asleep on our bed. She's serene and devastatingly beautiful. Her auburn hair is spread all over her pillow while the blankets are strewn all around her body, most likely from the constant tossing and turning that is Ellie's sleep cycle. She's a kicker. An occasional snoring, tossing, turning, kicking, cover-hog whom I'm desperately in love with. Countless nights I can recall of her waking me up with hard blows to the shins. I instantly grab my nuts, remembering the last time she woke me up with her insistent movements at night. I may not be able to have children anytime soon, but I still love her all the same.

Ellie lets out a soft snore and abruptly turns over in the bed, her arm hastily thrown to the side and now currently hanging off the bed. I hear a quiet whine from the ball of fur that is curled up near her legs, obviously upset with the interruption in her sleep. Georgia's big brown eyes open and she glances my way, her tail instantly starting to wag.

“Shhhhhhhh, Georgie. Don't wake Ellie.” I head over to the bed and attempt to calm our six-month-old Boxer puppy's excitement with soft pats to her silky coat. I rub her soft, brown puppy ears and she closes her eyes in contentment, instantly laying her sweet little face back on Ellie's leg. Ellie mumbles something in her sleep and I snicker a little at another one of her many nocturnal habits.

Heading into the walk-in closet that's conveniently attached to the bathroom, I start to strip off my scrubs, more than ready to call it a night. I see the black fuck-me heel that Georgia chewed on the first day I brought her home sitting in a box, a box with evidential proof that our dog has a predilection for Ellie's shoes. Thoughts of the first day Ellie met Georgia flood my mind…

“I can't believe you're going to propose to Ellie by bringing home that mutt and wrapping the engagement ring around its fucking collar,” my brother Josh said through the screen.

I was Skyping with him with Georgia impatiently sitting in my lap. On a whim, I'd come up with a plan
—
a proposal plan. Ellie had fallen in love with this Boxer puppy at a local pet store and I couldn't help myself. I'd never thought of myself as a sappy, romantic kind of man, but she just brought it out of me. Doing a terrible rendition of
You Are The Best Thing
by Ray LaMontagne is proof of this
—
incriminating proof at that. If anyone had caught that on video, I would have offered my left nut to get it deleted. It was worth it though. The stunned look on Ellie's face when she saw me belting out the lyrics in front of an entire bar was one hundred percent worth it. She'd attempted to get me to re-enact that night, that moment. The instant in time when I'd poured my heart out to her.

When I'd laid eyes on her for the first time in Charlotte, I'd been interested. Well, my cock had been interested. She was beautiful and sexy, and her quick wit had me begging to be with her in every way physically possible. I'd been besotted to say the least. I'd wanted her and I'd had my sights on being with her, even it was just for one night. Then I actually got to know her. I guess I'd always felt like there was someone out there for everyone. You know, that one perfect person to make your life complete and all that other happy horseshit.

I'd honestly never put much thought into it. It just hadn't been a priority. Being a surgeon had been at the forefront of my mind for a very long time. I'd worked my dick off in med school and then nearly killed myself slaving away during my surgical residency. I'd had my sights set on my final goal of becoming a trauma surgeon, and thank god Ellen James did not come into my life until after this goal had been accomplished because she would have made it difficult to stay focused. Extremely difficult.

This woman, this beautiful, hilarious, highly intelligent woman, owned me. Within a few days of spending time with her, she'd had all kinds of strange, foreign thoughts crossing my normally testosterone-filled brain. A brain that generally focused on work and then sex. No-strings, one-night stand sex for the most part. I hadn't had time for intimacy, for a relationship. My job was my life. Then lucky for me, Ellen James walked into my life in all of her fuck-me heels and twelve-inch strap-on-wearing glory. She changed me almost instantly. Her mere presence had my brain processing terrifying thoughts of forever. Thoughts of her being a permanent fixture. This had scared the shit out of me at first, but the more time I got to spend with her, to be with her, these thoughts became comforting. I found myself savoring the idea of being with her
—
forever. She was scared, downright terrified, and she didn't do the best job of hiding this. My girl wore her heart on her sleeve, and whatever emotion was running through her mind was plastered on her face like a giant neon billboard. I was patient. Very patient.

Just like I'd set my sights on accomplishing my ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon, I'd set my sights on Ellen. I was convinced that I would do anything to make her mine, even if that included an endless amount of patience, an impromptu karaoke session, and a giant romantic gesture that belonged in a John Hughes film. Yes, I realized I'd looked like a complete and total pussy. My brother would most likely never let me live this down, but this just proved how much Ellie had changed me. She'd come into my life in a whirlwind of auburn hair and adorable awkwardness, altering my life forever. I thanked my pussy-whipped stars every day for this woman.

So here I was, conversing with my brother on how shit was going to go down in relation to the subject of “The Proposal.” He called me a dickless idiot more times than I could count and seemed to find this entire production hilarious. I was glad I could be his comedic relief today. Asshole.

I placed Georgia on the bed and attempted to tie the engagement ring I'd bought for Ellie on her collar. With Amy and Lizzy's help, she'd unknowingly picked this one out. This was a two-carat princess-cut diamond ring solitaire set in a gold band and adorned with tiny diamonds throughout. It was beautiful and had cost a shitload of money. Good thing I loved her so much. Georgia was an eight-week-old brindle Boxer puppy, cutest fucking puppy you'd ever meet. She'd already been named by a lady at the pet store, and honestly, I thought it was perfect for her. Her insistent curiosity and overall loving demeanor made the name fit.

I'd brought her home last night while Ellie was at work. Amy and Lizzy had been kind enough to keep the puppy at their apartment so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. I was pretty sure the girls had had a rough night with Georgia. I'd received several angry text messages from Amy indicating that she wasn't really a dog person.

Amy:
You're fucking dog is an asshole. She just shit on my carpet.

Amy:
This god damn dog just pissed on my bed!

Amy:
I thought surgeons were supposed to be smart. This plan of proposing marriage to my best friend with a pissing, shitting, shoe-eating mutt seems like the worst idea you've ever had.

Yeah.
Note to self: never let Amy watch my dog in the future.

I heard Ellie walk in the door, and her footsteps headed into the kitchen, lightly padding on the hardwood floor. “Trent! I'm starving! Feed me now!” She yelled as she walked past the hallway.

“Babe, I'm in the bedroom. Come in here for a minute,” I shouted back as I was furiously attempting to hold the squirming puppy in my lap, keeping her from running out of the bedroom and into an unsuspecting Ellie.

“No! You come out here and cook dinner for your exhausted girlfriend!” The fridge door opened and then slammed shut. Maybe this wasn't the best time for this proposal? I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, freeing Georgia to jump off the bed and run down the hallway, her little paws pounding loudly on the floor. Son of a bitch!

I attempted to grab the puppy before she ran down the hallway, but she wiggled out of my reach, and I was left looking like an idiot. “Shit! Georgia! Come here, girl!” I whisper-yelled behind the puppy. This dog was eight weeks old, so there was no way she should have been able to outrun a grown man. A small bark escaped from her snout and echoed off of the walls of the apartment. I was rethinking this brilliant idea at this point.

“Bark! Bark!” Georgia raced towards Ellie, whose back was turned toward the pantry, furiously looking for something to eat. Ellie turned around at the unfamiliar sound and her eyes widened in surprise when she spotted Georgia.

“Oh my god! Is this the dog?! Is this the puppy from the other day?! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” She squealed in excitement as she wrapped Georgia in her arms and pulled her close to her face. The puppy licked her nose and cheeks as her tail wagged excitedly. Ellie was grinning and laughing, and a few small tears filled her eyes.

Did she spot the ring?

“Trent! I can't believe you bought me the puppy!” She stepped toward me and wrapped her free arm around my back, pulling me in for an awkward hug with a squirming puppy squished between our chests. “You're going to get so many blow jobs for this!” I couldn't help but smile at this statement. I mean, I might have been a fucking sap, but my cock still loved blow jobs.

Ellie continued to kiss and croon to the puppy, and I was left to stand there…waiting. Waiting for her to spot the ring so I could start my proposal speech. And I waited and waited and waited…

Still waiting.

Still waiting.

What the hell? How could my soon-to-be fiancée not notice the giant rock of a ring hanging from Georgia's neck? This dog was so cute that she was ruining my proposal plan. Ellie was so wrapped up in rubbing her soft ears and hugging her tightly to her chest that she wasn't even looking at the ring hanging from her collar.

“What do you think of her collar?” I was grasping at straws here, shamelessly hinting for her to look for the ring.

“It's great. I love pink! Great choice, baby! Awww I love you so much, Trent!”

She places a soft kiss on my cheek and doesn't even glance down at Georgia's collar.

“Who's my girl? Who's my pretty girl? Let's go to Mommy's bedroom so she can get changed and then we'll go for a walk!” Ellie kissed Georgia's head and began padding down the hallway to our bedroom. I swear, that fucking dog just looked at me, her eyes laughing at my expense. Ellie headed into the hallway, completely clueless. I was generally a patient man, but I only had about a thread of patience left.