You Are My Air: Breathless Book 1 (8 page)

"Just imagine what she'll be like when one of us has kids?" he said with a wry smile as he opened his eyes and looked over at me.

"Oh, God," I breathed out in horror. "I never thought of that."

"Believe me, I have." His face looked just as horrified as mine now.

"I didn't think you wanted kids," I said in surprise. The man had been a bachelor his entire adult life. I just assumed he wasn't interested in having a family.

"If I met the right woman, I'd be open to it."

"I thought you liked being single."

"I used to, Natie," he confessed with a wan smile. "But you know; I'm getting older, and I'm starting to rethink my life plan. My life has gotten kind of lonely."

"I know the feeling," I said, my voice getting a little sad.

"So you're done with that Lucas guy?" he asked me curiously.

"Yeah, I didn't ever really love him," I confessed. "I think I was just trying to force myself into a relationship, so I didn't have to be alone. Isn't that stupid?"

"Not stupid, Natalie." He gave me a warm smile. "Just human."

"Thanks, Ford."

"I didn't like him anyway," he added as his smile turned wry again.

"You've never liked anyone I've dated."

"True, but Lucas is a tool," he said with disdain. "You deserve a real man, not a pussy like that."

"Ford!" I blurted out in disbelief, eying him with shock. "Just because a guy is really nice, doesn't make him a pussy."

"It does if he has no backbone," he disagreed. "That guy is a total doormat. I threatened him once to see what he would do."

"You what?" I asked in sudden anger.

"I tried to piss him off to see how he'd react," he continued ignoring my growing anger. "I told him he wasn't good enough for you, and that you could do better. You know what he did?"

"What?" I asked in disbelief as my curiosity eclipsed my ire.

"He fucking apologized and said he'd try harder to be good enough for you, when he should have gotten pissed and told me to fuck off," he growled out with a sneer.

I stared at him incredulously, thinking I should still be angry with Ford for sticking his nose into my love life. However, now that things were over with Lucas; I could see the truth in his words. I did not want a man who couldn't stick up for himself. How could you trust someone like that to fight for you? I didn't know what to say as silence stretched out between us.

"Are you mad at me, Natie?" Ford asked after several minutes, his voice apologetic. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it, but I want you to be with someone who'll fight for you, not roll over like a beaten dog."

"I'm not mad, Ford." I sighed. "I'm glad someone is looking out for me. You should have told me sooner."

"Oh, no," he said with a vehement shake of his head. "If I had told you while you were still with him, you would have been livid and kicked my ass. I knew you'd figure it out for yourself. You're no dummy."

"I feel like a dummy for staying with him for six months."

"I said you weren't a dummy, I never said you were a genius," he said with a laugh.

"Ha, ha." I glared at him, which only earned me a bigger smile from him. Ford was always there for me and always would be. We fell into comfortable silent again.

I stopped at the pharmacy the hospital had called his pain medication into, and picked up his pills in the drive-thru. Then I drove him home. Ford lived in an apartment above his tattoo shop,
Apex Ink
. It was convenient for him to get to work, but today I had to get my brother up the stairs to his apartment without him falling down them.

"How the hell am I supposed to get you up the stairs?" I asked him with trepidation as I parked behind the two-story red building next to the door that led up to his apartment upstairs.

"You aren't doing anything of the sort," he told me with a stern expression. "I'll get myself up the stairs. All you have to do is open the doors for me."

"Alright," I said unconvincingly.

"Don't worry, Natie," he reassured me. "I'm tougher than I look."

"Nobody is that tough." I laughed as I gave his rough exterior a once over.

He snorted out a laugh. "I'll be fine."

He was fine, just like he said. It took a few minutes, but he managed the stairs without too much trouble. He was exhausted and breathing heavily afterwords though, and I could tell his pain was back by the hard set of his mouth and eyes. I got him settled on the couch, and got him a glass of water for his pills. I watched him swallow them down gratefully then I went to his room and grabbed a few pillows off his bed. I helped him elevate his foot with the pillows then handed him his TV remote.

"Are you good now?" I asked. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No, I'm good." He smiled. "I wouldn't want to keep you from a hot date or anything," he added sarcastically. I ended up blushing though, since I really did have a date tonight, and I was pretty sure it was going to be red hot.

He gasped as his eyes lit up in realization. "Oh my God. You really do have a date tonight."

I nodded wordlessly in admission.

"Please tell me this guy isn't a complete douche."

"I hope not," I said with a grin.

"Ah, withholding judgment until you know him better," he said with an easy smile. "Good plan. I told you that you weren't a dummy. Let me know if you need me to find out for you." His smile widened, his dark-blue eyes glittering with amusement.

"
You
are not going anywhere near this guy until I figure him out for myself," I said with a glare.

"Alright," he agreed with reluctance. "But I've got your back if you need me."

"I know, Ford," I said with affection. "And I appreciate that." I leaned down and gave him a fierce hug. "I love you," I told him as he hugged me back.

"I love you too, Natie."

I stood and headed toward the door. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," he said as he settled down into the couch and flipped on the television.

I nodded and walked out, happy that I still had Ford in my life. If he hadn't made it yesterday, my whole life would have never been the same. It put everything in perspective and made me want to enjoy every precious moment that life would bring me, especially a particular gorgeous guy whom I was going to see tonight. I grinned all the way home, thinking about David and that spectacular smile of his. Seven o'clock wouldn't come fast enough.

**********

I was standing in my closet trying to figure out what to wear around five when I realized I hadn't texted David my address yet. Maybe if I knew where we were going, I could decide what to put on. I left my bedroom and crossed the room to get my phone out of my purse from where it was sitting the dining table. I added David's number to my contact list and texted him my address. He replied immediately.

I'm glad you texted me. I was starting to think you changed your mind.

I can't decide what to wear. Where are you taking me?
I sent back.

Dress casual or wear nothing at all, either way it's a surprise.
I rolled my eyes with a smile. Men.

I can't think of any restaurant that would let me in like that.

If you wear nothing, we're not going to a restaurant.

Then what would we eat?

Each other.
I rolled my eyes again. Next thing we'd be sexting, and I wasn't ready for that just yet.

Ha, ha. I guess you'll have to wait and see for yourself.

Can't wait. See you at seven.

I took my phone back to my bedroom and tossed it on the bed next to a half-asleep George, who blinked in annoyance as it landed. I went into my walk-in closet to stare at my wardrobe with irritation again. I finally decided on an outfit and was walking out toward the bathroom to take a quick shower when my phone rang. I grabbed it off the bed and saw Maggie was calling. Great, now I had to tell her about my date, and I wanted to wait until afterwords to talk to her about it. I was thinking about not telling her about it at all as I answered with a sigh.

"Hi, Maggie."

"Hey, girl," she said in a cheery voice. "How is Ford doing?"

"Stubborn, as usual," I told her. "He refused to stay anywhere but his apartment. I'm trying not to imagine him lying on the floor unconscious somewhere because he fell."

"I'm sure he's fine, Nat," she reassured me. "I take it the surgery went okay."

"Oh, yeah," I said. "But Mom was in rare form. You should have seen Ford's face when she suggested he needed her help showering and going to the bathroom."

"Oh my God." She laughed. "I miss all the good stuff."

"I managed to get him out of there before she started bawling. You know how she is."

"Do you ever feel like your family's public relations person?" she asked jokingly, but she had a point.

"That's exactly how it feels," I admitted wearily.

"Do you want to hang out tonight?" Maggie asked. I was glad she hadn't continued discussing my crazy family dynamics.

"I'm going to have to take a rain check on that," I said vaguely. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Rain check?" she asked in disbelief. "Why? Do you have a hot date or something?"

I lapsed into silence when I didn't really want to admit to her that I did. She'd have a million questions, and I wouldn't have the answers.

"Nat?" she finally asked. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here?"

"Then why did you stop talking?" There was a moment of silence on her end, and I could almost hear the gears turning in her head. "O.M.G. You have a date tonight, don't you?"

"Yes," I replied succinctly, wondering why everyone was so shocked that I had a date.

"Who is it?" she demanded. "And why didn't you tell me about it yesterday?"

"I didn't have a date until today," I answered in annoyance.

"Did you pick up a hot doctor at the hospital?" That was close enough to the truth that I didn't answer right away.

"Sort of," I said reluctantly.

"What does that mean?" Now she sounded annoyed. I figured I had better tell her everything before she got pissed.

"You know that guy from the race on Saturday?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he works at the hospital, and I ran into him in the cafeteria," I confessed. "He asked me out tonight, and I accepted."

"I am so jealous right now," she blurted out in excitement. "That guy was smoking hot. Is he a doctor? Where is he taking you?"

"He's not a doctor. He's a psych nurse," I replied. "As for where, he said it was a surprise."

"A psych nurse?" she asked. "Hey, maybe he can tell you what's wrong with your crazy family."

"It's only one date, Maggie," I said with irritation. "Let's not scare him away just yet."

"Right," she agreed. "Are you going to sleep with him tonight?"

"Maybe," I answered slowly.

"Natalie, are you turning into a ho?" she asked in amusement.

"Maybe."

"That's my girl." Her amusement grew. "Make sure he wraps that shit."

"Maggie," I pleaded. "Please stop."

"Hey, if you're going to be a ho, at least be a responsible ho."

"For God's sake, Maggie, stop already."

She just laughed at me. "I'll let you go. Don't forget to shave your junk and wear your good underwear."

"Bye, Maggie," I said in exasperation.

"I will expect a full play by play at work tomorrow."

"Fine. I have to go." I ended the call before she could suggest anything else I didn't want to hear. I dropped my phone back on the bed and stripped out of my clothes. I took a quick shower, remembering to "shave my junk" as Maggie so bluntly put it and shaved my legs too. I spent a good chunk of time fixing my hair and makeup, then dressed in a plum sweater and skinny jeans paired with my gray Uggs. I wrapped a gray frilly scarf around my neck and was pleased with my choices as I checked myself in the mirror. I looked casual yet stylish and nothing like a ho. I nodded at my reflection with approval then went out to my living room to wait.

I plopped down on my dark-red leather sofa and looked up at the clock on the wall. I still had a half-hour to kill before David showed up. I turned on my television and flipped through the channels until I found a movie I liked. Thank God I had seen it before, since I missed most of it either worrying obsessively or freaking out with excitement. By the time the intercom by the door beeped, I was a jumpy hot mess of nerves, and the noise made me jump. I cursed as I hurried over and hit a button on the intercom.

"Hello?" I asked.

"It's David," his smooth voice announced, and it gave me the shivers. "Can I come up?"

"Sure." I hit the button to let him in. "See you in a few." I sighed as I started pacing across the hard wood floor in anticipation. Within minutes, there was a gentle knock on the door. I took a moment to catch my breath, not wanting to seem too eager and answered the door. My breath nearly caught when I set eyes on David. He looked gorgeous in jeans and a dark-green crew neck sweater that highlighted his broad shoulders and perfectly muscled arms. His dark curls were a tussle of perfection on his head. I hoped it was as soft as it looked.

"Hi" was all I managed to get out as I stared at him. His beautiful blue eyes lit up, and he smiled as he looked up and down my body appreciatively.

"You look gorgeous, Natalie," he complimented me as I stood aside to let him into my apartment. He brushed past me with barely an inch separating us, and I breathed in his intoxicating scent.

"Thanks," I said with a smile. "You look pretty good yourself."

"Are you ready to go?"

I nodded. "Let me get my purse." I turned and grabbed it off the table, and turned to see George walking in to see what was going on. He stopped and gave David a baleful look of disdain.

"Who's this?" David asked as he smiled down at the cat fearlessly.

"That's George," I answered him as I watched my cat for any sudden movements. "He's a Maine Coon Cat."

"Hi, George," David addressed the huge cat. He bent over and reached out to pet George's big head.