The Love Series Complete Box Set (102 page)

After dinner, we settle the bill and Bella hugs us as we walk out into the blustery air. We hurry across the street back to my empty apartment. Cammie flew out to Chicago this morning to spend the week with Jack. They’ll both fly into Elmira for Maddy and Reid’s wedding next week. I’ve honestly never seen Cammie happier than when she knew she would be with Jack again. Lia is out with her current boy-toy, at least that’s what I’m assuming. She never does bring them around here. Peyton is actually staying in Ithaca through the break. She got a job at the local bookstore and coffee shop combo to make some more money on top of the meager salary she earns at the tutoring center. That’s where she is tonight, so we have the place to ourselves.

Barging through the door, I’m shaking from the frigid winter air. After brushing off the few snowflakes that landed on my shoulders, I take off my coat and hand it to Bryan. He hangs both of our coats up on the rack near the front door and reaches out for my hand. “Come with me.”

Dumfounded, I stare at him. “Where else would I go?” I waggle an eyebrow at him, but he just tugs me down the hallway to my room. The sight before me stops me in my tracks and forces my words to get stuck in my throat. There are candles everywhere and flower petals dot the floor.

“What’s this for?” I ask on a whisper. Bryan comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. With his front pressed to my back, he nuzzles into my neck and presses his lips there.

“Well, this was the plan I had in mind for the first time I told you ‘I love you,’ but that didn’t go as planned.” He gently nips at my earlobe but quickly soothes the bite with his tongue. “So this time,” those words cause my breath to hitch and force me to turn around in the circle of his arms.

“Yes, this time. This time when I tell you ‘I love you,’ I wanted it to be just right.” I stretch up on my toes and kiss him with the love I think he just professed to me.

Leaning his forehead against mine, he takes a deep breath. “I know we said we would take it day-by-day, but I need to tell you that I love you. I thought I loved you before, and I did, but it was different. The person you are now, I love her even more.”

“Bryan, I love you too. Thank you for tonight. It’s . . .”

He laughs as he mumbles the word “perfect” against my lips.

Pulling him further into the room by the waistband of his pants, I laugh and deepen the kiss. “Get in here so I can show you just how much I love you,” I say against his lips. His only response is a low groan of appreciation as he grips my ass tightly.

In a fevered rush of passion, we’re naked in a matter of seconds. Clothes fly to the floor and moans rumble through the air. We stumble toward the bed and I push him down on the mattress. His body is hot and hard beneath me. Settling in between his legs, I take his cock into my mouth. His breath hisses through his teeth as he pulls my hair into a loose knot in his hand. “Fuck . . . Melanie . . . ahhhh” He pushes up to my mouth and I lick, suck and taste every single inch of him. Looking up at him, I can tell he’s close. The veins in his neck, and elsewhere, are bulging and pulsing with barely contained desire.

I grab a condom from the nightstand and roll it over him. Straddling his hips, I sink down onto him, slowly. Before I take him all the way, I pull back until he’s almost completely out of me. Inch-by-agonizing-inch, I torture us both. Never sinking fully down onto him and never completely lifting off of him. “Melanie, you’re fucking killing me. Please . . .” His fingers dig into my hips as he pulls me down onto him. No longer able to maintain the torturously slow pace, I slam my hips down onto his as he pushes up into me.

He angles his hips to his that sweet spot deep inside of me. Heat flashes across my skin as I teeter on the edge of my control. A handful of long, hard and deep thrusts push me to and over the edge. “Bryan . . . I’m coming. Oh God, Bryan!”

He stills himself inside of me as he loses the battle with his own orgasm. My legs shake and I flop down on top of him, no longer able to hold myself up. Bryan wraps his arms around my back and lazily tickles my skin.

Our lovemaking has just washed away whatever worries I had earlier about spending a few weeks apart. I now realize how silly it is to be worried about it. His heart beating against my chest is all the reassurance I need that we’ll make it work somehow.

“I can’t believe you’re married!” I squeal at the top of my lungs as Maddy and Reid walk into the private room at the quaint reception hall.

Hugging me with all of her might, she says, “I know. It’s crazy, right?”

“Yeah, kinda. But Reid is your forever,” I reassure her as we exchange a sisterly smile.

She stayed at my house last night and we shared the same bed like we did when she first moved in. It feels like a lifetime ago and in many ways it is. She shared her fears with me, but no matter how cold her feet got, she knew that the feeling was fleeting. Her and Reid were meant to be and today is a celebration of their hard-won happily ever after.

I’ve only been home for a few days and in all the wedding craziness, I haven’t had much of a chance to update Maddy on all things Bryan related. We talked about it and she’s elated that we’re back together, but it just hasn’t been the main topic of conversation.

After our little pep-talk upstairs in the suite, we line up outside of the ballroom, ready to make out entrance. Hooking my arm through Dylan’s, the best man, he pats the top of my hand. “Ready, Melanie.”

I bounce on my toes to the beat of the music playing loudly inside. “You betcha, Dylan. Let’s do this.” The DJ calls our names and we join the crowd waiting for Maddy and Reid to be announced.

The DJ’s voice booms through the music. “Now, let’s hear it for the new Mr. and Mrs. Reid Connely!” Everyone claps, cheers and whistles as my eyes fill with happy tears. I glance over at Mom standing next to me. She has tears in her eyes, too. Evan notices them and hands her a tissue. He wraps a strong arm around her shoulder and peeks at me over her head. Winking at me with a smirk on his face, I know that after Christmas another wedding will be in our near future.

Of course, Mom doesn’t know yet. That would ruin the surprise.

Later in the night, I catch a quiet moment alone at my table. Mom waves at me from the dance floor as Evan twirls her around to the lyrics of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” Wistfully, I think about dancing with Bryan. I can’t wait to get back to school and to continue on our day-by-day journey.

Lost in happy thoughts, Maddy sits down next to me. “Hey, sweetie.” Maddy smiles cheerfully at me.

“Are you okay, Mel?” she asks when I don’t answer her right away. Honestly, she just caught me off guard as I was recalling images of the last time Bryan and I made love before I came home. That was a good night, indeed.

I sigh softly, wishing Bryan were here with me. “Of course I am. But let’s not talk about me. You look beautiful today, you know?” I don’t want to bring her down. So even though I know she thinks that I’m just trying to change the subject, I sway the attention back to her.

“Thanks, girl. You look pretty good yourself, Ms. Maid of Honor slash Godmother.” Maddy elbows me in the side, and I finally find the genuine smile she’s been looking for since she pulled her chair up next to mine.

“Thanks, Maddy. Why don’t you go out there and dance. I don’t want to bring you down. I just miss Bryan, that’s all.” Averting eye contact, I start picking at the corners of a napkin on the table. I don’t want to get into all of this on her night. She should be enjoying herself.

Smiling at me as she stands, Maddy says, “I know, Mel. I wish he could be here too. It’ll all work out.” I think it’ll work out too. I’m actually certain of it, but tonight I just feel off. Being surrounded by all of these couples and all of this love makes me long to be in his arms.

As if on cue, one of the only other single people here comes up behind Maddy. “Would you care to dance with me?” Dylan asks as he stretches out his hand.

Dylan used to date Reid’s brother, Shane, before he died. He hasn’t found the courage to love again. I can’t say that I understand his pain; it’s a totally different breed than mine. I just hope he can find the other half to his heart.

Standing from my chair, I place my hand in his. “I would love to, Best Man slash Godfather.” I wink at Maddy as Dylan escorts me out to the dance floor.

As Clapton’s words mix into the next slow song, Dylan and I move in circles on the floor next to Cammie and Jack who are staring dreamily into each other’s eyes. A deep male voice sings out about finding love again and Dylan laughs flippantly. “What? You don’t think you’ll find love again?” My prodding is laced with concern. Dylan deserves love, but apparently he doesn’t think so.

Shaking his head, he says in a cool, unaffected voice, “Nah, I don’t think love is in the cards for me.”

“I don’t know, Dylan. Don’t cut yourself short. You’re young, hot and pretty sweet. I know there’s someone out there for you.” I pat him on the shoulder as the song comes to an end.

He kisses my cheek sweetly. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, Melanie.”

As I watch him stalk off the dance floor, my heart breaks for him. I know what it feels like to think you don’t deserve love. I know that black and gnawing void of emptiness that is capable of chewing you up and spitting you out.

I just hope that Dylan can avoid it.

Just as the night is about to wrap up, I make my way over to the bar and get a diet Coke. When an arm snakes around my waist from behind, I jump out of shock.

“Hey, babe.”

Turning quickly, I’m stunned to see Bryan standing behind me. “What the hell! I thought you couldn’t make it!” I jump into his arms, squeeze him tightly and kiss him through my huge smile.

“I couldn’t, at first. But when I got home and talked to Mom about it, she insisted that I come up for at least the wedding.” He places a chaste kiss to my cheek and smiles at me proudly. He may have just won the coveted “Boyfriend of the Year” award. “She’s doing really well, better than I thought.”

“Bryan, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for her. But what about Emmie, how is she?” I’m bouncing on the tips of my toes with excitement to hear about his sister.

“Are you kidding? Once she heard I was missing a wedding, with ‘pretty princess dresses,’” he air quotes those words to make sure that I know they’re Emmie’s words and not his, “she practically shoved me out the door.”

“But all the traveling and it’s almost the holidays, and it’s just . . . it seems like more trouble than it’s worth. What about Christmas and then New Years? You wanted to be with your family.” The pace at which my words race out of my mouth is dizzying and I can barely catch my breath.

Bryan pulls me close to him and presses his lips up to my ear. “Yes, but I wanted to be with you, too.” Rubbing his nose up the length of mine and popping a soft kiss to my forehead, he adds, “You are never trouble and you are always worth it.” Those words cause me to melt into him and exhale a sigh of relief that he’s here with me.

“Dance with me?” he asks as the DJ announces the final song of the night.

“Always.” Lacing our fingers together, we slowly sway and move together on the dance floor.

He steps on my toes a few times and me on his. We share more than a few laughs as we both sing the wrong lyrics to each other, horribly off-key, I should add. It’s fitting, though.

Ours has always been a clumsy dance to a sweet tune. With lots of bumps and mishaps along the way, we’ve arrived at where we are not because we did everything perfectly, but because we learned to love each other despite our imperfections.

We’ve decided to love each other through the mistakes that we’ve made, and in the end, we’ve become stronger for it.

Who knows what tomorrow brings, but promising each other honesty and love, I have a feeling that Bryan and I will be together for many tomorrows to come.

Epilogue

June 2014

“I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last day here.” There’s a nostalgic quality to Lia’s words as she carefully folds up the soft, navy-colored throw blanket that has decorated our small, beat up couch for the last year.

Flopping down onto the couch next to her, I rest my head on her shoulder. “I know. This was the best first apartment ever. I’m going to miss it.” Blinking back the tears that are threatening to stream down my cheeks, I add, “I’m going to miss you guys more, though.”

So much for blinking them back. Cue the waterworks.

Cammie sits next to me and hugs both Lia and I as tightly as she can. Through her quiet sobs, she manages to croak out, “Hey, I thought we promised no tears today.”

“I know, Cam. It’s just crazy to think I won’t be seeing you girls every day.” We’ve promised to email, call and visit whenever possible, but the honest reality is that we’re all going in our own directions now.

Remembering that we should all be celebrating our new beginnings helps to shake me from my little pity party. “You’re right. No tears.” I wipe at my cheeks. “So what time is your flight to Chicago?”