Forever You (11 page)

cocky way.

I tried not to smile, but it was inevitable, because even first thing in the morning, she was a smart

ass. She stared at me as I was typing. I looked up and over my laptop at her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

This was my opportunity to tell her about our road trip to Michigan. I was a little nervous about

how she was going to react.

“Just sending some emails and rearranging some meetings.”

“Did you over-schedule or something?” she asked in cute way.

I looked up at her as she took a sip of her coffee. “You question everything, don’t you?” I asked.

She looked up at the ceiling and smiled, “I guess I do.”

I asked her what her plans were for the day, and she told me that she was going to volunteer at the

soup kitchen. She said that no matter what their problems were, they were homeless and needed help.

Her kindness and charitable nature really had an effect on me. I’ve never met anyone like her. I

finished up what I was doing and closed my laptop.

“I rearranged my meetings because I’m taking you to Michigan,” I said as I sat and waited for her

reaction.

“What?” she asked.

I know she likes to argue, but she wasn’t winning this one. I got up from the table and set my cup on

the counter. “It’s not up for discussion, Elle; we’re leaving tomorrow morning, and we’re driving.”

“Driving? That’s a 10 hour drive, Connor!” she exclaimed.

I looked at her from across the kitchen as she stared at me with a shocked expression on her face.

“Do you have a problem being in a car with me for 10 hours?” I casually asked her and was afraid

that she was going to yes.

“No, but…”

I walked over to the table and stood over her. She looked so beautiful, sitting there drinking coffee

and giving me an attitude about driving. It took everything I had not to reach out and run my finger

along her jaw line or kiss her as she lifted her head and looked at me. It was getting harder to resist

her. I didn’t even know if she wanted me. I need to call Dr. Peters and see him before we leave

tomorrow.

“No buts; we’re going by car, and I’m driving,” I said as I smiled at her and left for the office.

As I stepped off the elevator and into the parking garage, Denny was walking towards me. “Denny,

I’m glad you’re here early. I wanted to tell you that I’m giving you the next few days off.”

“Ok, Connor, but may I ask why?”

“I’m driving Miss Lane to Michigan for her aunt and uncle’s funeral, and we’re leaving tomorrow

morning.”

Denny looked at me and smiled. “Was it her idea that you take her?”

“No, and I didn’t give her any other choice. I told her I was taking her and that it wasn’t up for

discussion.”

Denny continued looking at me. “She was ok with that?”

I rolled my eyes as I walked to the Range Rover. “She didn’t really argue too much. I’m driving

myself to the office today. Take Miss Lane home or wherever she wants to go, but I do have a meeting

at 1:00 pm across town, so I’ll need you to pick me up.”

Instead of heading straight to the office, I called Dr. Peters and asked him if he was available to see

me. I needed to talk to him about this upcoming road trip. He told me to come right in since his first

appointment wasn’t scheduled for another hour. I walked into his office and sat down in my usual

chair.

“Good morning, Connor. Is everything alright? You said it was urgent.”

I took in a deep breath as I ran my hand through my hair. “Remember that girl I told you about at our

last session?”

“Yes, I believe her name is Ellery; correct?” he asked as he looked at me intently.

“Yes, that’s her. Well, her aunt and uncle were recently killed in a car accident, and I’m taking her

to Michigan for the funeral.”

“That’s good, Connor. So, why don’t you explain to me where your relationship with Ellery

stands?”

I shifted in my chair. “Ellery and I are friends and nothing more. I’m doing this for her because I

don’t want her going alone, and she should have someone there for her.”

Dr. Peters got up from his chair and walked over to the coffee pot. “Would you care for some

coffee, Connor?” he asked.

“No, I’m good.”

“It sounds to me like you’re beginning to have more feelings that extend beyond friendship for her.

So, your flight leaves tomorrow?”

“We aren’t flying; I’m driving her there. I told her it was a road trip.”

He looked at me and sat down while he sipped his coffee. “That’s a 10 hour drive. You and Ellery

will be alone in a car for a substantial amount of time. Are you ready for what might happen along the

way?”

I brought my foot to my opposite knee and leaned on the arm of the chair. “Why are you making a

big deal out of this, Doc? It’s a simple road trip with a friend who just lost her aunt and uncle. That’s

it, nothing more.”

“Connor, you can keep convincing yourself of that all you want, because if you truly believed that,

you wouldn’t be sitting in my office, talking to me about it,” Dr. Peters sighed.

“I got up from the chair and stood in front of the window. “I can’t stop thinking about her, and it

scares me. She confessed her deepest secret to me the other night. She told me about her past.”

“She isn’t keeping secrets from you. She wants you to know about her past, and she trusted you

enough to tell you. I think you’re fighting your true feelings. Have you discussed anything about you or

your past?”

I walked over to the large bookcase and stared at the hundreds of books he had sitting on the shelf.

“I told her about my sister and my nephew.”

“That’s it? Connor, you have to open up to her if you want any kind of relationship. Take it one day

at a time. I think the two of you being friends is a very good start, and from the sound of it, you’re

very good friends already.”

I walked over to the chair and grabbed my coat. “Thank you, Dr. Peters, but my time is up.”

“I want to see you again when you come back from your road trip!” he yelled as I walked out the

door.

Chapter 9

Shit, look at the time, and where is Denny? I paced back and forth in my office looking at my watch.

Just as I was about to head out of the building, my phone rang, and it was Denny.

“Denny, where the hell are you, man?!” I yelled.

“Connor, I apologize, but I had to drive Ellery to the hospital,” he said calmly.

“What, what do you mean?!” I asked in a panic.

“She said she fainted at home and hit her head. I saw her on the street, trying to hail a cab with her

hand over her eye, and I stopped. Connor, the cut is pretty bad.”

I can’t even explain what I was feeling at that moment. I was worried sick about her. I felt this

overwhelming need to rush to her side and comfort her. I flew out of my office and told Valerie to

reschedule my meeting. Ellery was more important.

I climbed in the back of the limo and told Denny to hurry up and drive me to the hospital. I saw the

blood soaked towel on the front seat, and I instantly felt sick.

“Please tell me she’s ok, Denny.” I said with a worried tone.

“She’s going to be fine, Connor, just relax. She needs a few stitches, and she’ll be alright.”

I sat there in silence as the trip to the hospital seemed to take forever. When Denny finally pulled

up, I got out and ran to the reception desk, asking where Ellery was. The receptionist directed me

down the hall and to the last room on the right. I took in a deep breath, and as I opened the curtain,

Ellery looked at me. Her eyes lit up when she saw me. I walked over to her and asked her what

happened as I gently stroked the area above her cut. My heart ached, seeing her sitting there and

bleeding. She put her hand on my arm and told me that she was fine. Maybe I was making a bigger

deal out of it than it was, but it upset me to see her hurt and in pain. I met Ellery’s friend, Peyton, and

she told me that she had heard a lot about me. I was surprised to hear that Ellery had talked about me.

Dr. Beckett came in, and I immediately grabbed Ellery’s hand and rubbed it softly with my thumb

as he put four stitches above her eye. Her skin was soft, and it felt good to touch it. I wondered if the

rest of her skin was as soft, and I wanted to find out. When Dr. Beckett was finished, he told Ellery

that someone needed to stay with her tonight and monitor her for a concussion. Peyton tried to say she

was staying with her, but I already made the decision that Ellery was staying with me. There was no

way I was leaving her side tonight. Peyton didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. She mentioned

something about a girl’s night, and when Ellery turned her down, she looked disappointed. I was

surprised by Ellery’s decision, but we were leaving in the morning, and she probably figured it

would be easier if she stayed with me.

As soon as Peyton left, I helped Ellery from the bed. I couldn’t help but still be worried about her.

“Why would you pass out like that? Is there something wrong?” I asked.

“I just took too hot of a bath,” she said as she grabbed her purse.

“You need to be more careful,” I told her as I lightly took her arm, and we walked out of the room.

She lightly smiled at me and briefly put her head on my shoulder. We were walking down the hall

when a doctor, who Ellery seemed to know, stopped us. A worried look took over her face, and she

seemed nervous. He asked her what happened and then ask how she was feeling. She told him she

tripped over something in the hallway and that she was feeling well. She seemed like she was in a

hurry to end their conversation. I asked her who he was, and she said she saw him a couple of months

ago for a bad cold. She seemed agitated that I was asking questions, and I felt something wasn’t right.

***

I took her back to her apartment so she can pack what she needed for our trip to Michigan. I

couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something that she wasn’t telling me. I kept thinking about

how she told that doctor that she’d tripped over something in the hallway instead of just telling him

the truth. I walked to her bedroom and stood in the doorway with my arm up on the door frame. She

didn’t see me at first as I stood there and watched her pack. I could stare at that beautiful woman all

day. She looked up and smiled at me.

“Why did you lie to that doctor and told him you tripped over something in the hallway?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t going to tell him I fainted. He would make a big deal about it and want me

to get a bunch of tests done. That’s what doctors do,” she replied.

“You said you took too hot of a bath,” I said, still standing in the doorway.

She stopped packing her bag and looked at me. I could see the anger in her eyes. “I did, Connor,

now let it go for fuck's sake. You talk about me asking a billion questions, but it’s different when it’s

you, right?”

I could see that I had upset her, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do. I walked over to her and put

my hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” I said as I looked into her pained

eyes. She took her hands and cupped my face. They were so soft against my skin and it made me

weak. I wanted to take her hands and softly kiss them. I wanted to taste her and feel her.

“I’m sorry that I raised my voice; I’m just tired,” she said.

She let go of my face and turned around to zip up her suitcase. I wanted more of her, and I couldn’t

stand it anymore. I grabbed her arm and turned her around, pulling her into me and holding her tight.

She needed to know that I was sorry. This was our first real hug, and it felt so good. To completely

hold her and feel her entire body against mine was something I’d wanted to do since I first saw her. I

didn’t say a word and neither did she. She kept her arms wrapped around me and her head on my

shoulder. I took in the scent of her hair as it was arousing me. What was I doing? If I didn’t stop this,

something was going to happen. So, I broke our embrace and told her we better get going.

I picked up her suitcase and walked into the main living space of the apartment. Ellery excitedly

told me about the sale of her paintings and how she was on her way to quit her job when she fainted.

She was so excited about the sale of her paintings. Her eyes were dancing all around as she told me. I

just hope she doesn’t get mad when she finds out that I’m the one who purchased them. As we were

about to leave, Ellery’s phone rang. She asked me to grab a piece of paper out of her desk drawer so

she could write down the address of the funeral home. I opened the drawer, found a blank piece of

paper, and handed her a pen. I noticed a piece of paper sitting on top of some magazines that looked

like a list. She had some things crossed off. I took notice that she wanted to go to Paris. I would have

to take her there someday. It’s a beautiful city, and I want to be the one to show her. She hung up the

phone and looked at me as I held the list in my hand.

“What’s this?” I casually asked her.

She walked over to me and took it from my hands. “Just a list of things I would like to do in my