Not Ready To Fall (5 page)

"I know," he said seriously. "I wanted to ask you something else. It's actually why I wanted to bring you here to begin with. What just happened was not expected and I'm not complaining, but it did distract me. You're so fucking beautiful, Char. Perfect."

"Well duh, I'm a unicorn as far as girls are concerned. I'm not that crazy. I have a job, dreams and plans, and future. What it boils down to is that I want you, I don't need you."

"I know, you really are and that's what scares me. You're almost too good to be true."

"I'm here aren't I."

"With an asshole like me. So listen, Colt, one of my best buddies, is getting married next weekend and I'd love for you to come as my plus one. It would be a chance for you to get to meet some of my circle. Plus, it would be a chance for me to see you all dolled up. They're not sparing any expense and it should be a good time."

"I'd love to, but I'm so swamped at work right now. I've been working nights and weekends to try and get this project wrapped up." His face fell a little. Though, the thought of seeing Jack in a tux was super appealing. "Let me see what I can do."

He leaned in and kissed my nose before laying me on my back and going for round two. Sex with Jack was something spectacular.

One week later...

Jack

I sat in front of Charlotte's, feeling more nervous than I've even been on a first date. That's technically not what this was, but it sure as hell felt like it. I was all trimmed up, the beard was under control and the tux was looking sharp. I finally got the nerve to walk to her door and knock. I felt like a kid picking up his date for prom. She opened the door and my heart jumped out of my chest.

Charlotte was beautiful, no makeup, hair messy, rolled out of bed, but holy fuck all done up she was a twelve. Her hair was curled into big waves with one side pinned back, exposing her neck. She had on a knee-length coral colored dress. It made her hazel eyes greener. And, she had on falsies. I don't know what it was about them, but I loved when girls wore them. It made their eyes pop and had a little bit of a porn star vibe. If we had more time, I'd definitely be pushing her inside, slamming the door and having my way with her, but it would have to wait until after the wedding was over.

Fuck, I was hard.

"You look so ridiculously fucking sexy!"

She reached up and wiped the corner of my mouth. I looked at her perplexed. "You're drooling," she teased.

Taking her hand, I led her down the stairs and to my truck. I helped her climb up and closed the door behind her. The wedding was being held at an old farm about a half hour away. I put the truck in drive and tried my best to keep my eyes on the road, but she was so damn distracting.

The last week was crazy busy for the both of with work, so we didn't have a chance to see each other. There was one night that I begged her to come over. Relentlessly begged. She finally said yes, but by the time she got there, we both ended up falling asleep and were out early the next morning. I was starting to not only accept, but enjoy thoughts of her crossing my mind often. She'd send me funny little picture texts to pass the day. Occasionally, I'd get a cleavage or ass picture and have to try not to fuck up whatever I was doing at work. The one day I was driving down Main Street when I opened up to see a picture of her perfect ass and almost ran over an old lady. She got a big kick out of that one. 

Our hands were laced together and it felt normal. "You ready to meet a bunch of knuckleheads?"

"I can hardly wait," she laughed.

"It'll be great. You're going to love them. You already know Hunter." I teased.

I was still a little peeved about that whole thing, but there was nothing I could do about it and they didn't know. I ended up hiring the little shit back because he was one of my best guys. Though, I did threaten bodily harm if he even looked at her the wrong way.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, how could I forget Hunter."

"Did you get a good view of your brain with that one?"

"Shut up." She laughed.

We turned onto the dirt road and headed toward the farm. White tents had been set up behind the old wooden fences. Her eyes lit up at the sight of it. The old, red barn sat front and center at the end of the drive. Valet stood at the ready to park the cars in the dirt lot across from the tents. It was going to be a huge to do tonight. Drinking, fireworks, a band, a DJ and tons of food.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Let's do it." She beamed.

I escorted her over to where the aisle was and introduced her to a few people before finding her a seat since I'd be standing up front with the bridal party. She was mingling and I was proud of her. I loved that she could fit in and make friends wherever she went. She had that aura about her.

Josh was standing behind me. We'd been friends since high school. His eyes drifted to Charlotte. "I can't believe she agreed to come with you."

"What can I say, I'm charming. At least that's what your mom told me." I smirked.

"You're such a dick."

"How long have we been friends?" I joked. "It's baby steps, dude. It's written in the stars that we're going to end up together. What V and I had was only a fraction of what Char and I do. We share a deeper level of everything. I'm scared shitless, but she's it for me. I spent all this time fighting it because I've never felt anything remotely close to what I feel for her."

"I'm glad, buddy. You deserve to be happy. Who knows maybe the next altar we're standing at will be yours."

"If I have it my way, it will be."

Just then the music started playing, I looked at Charlotte. A smile on her lips, she gave a small wave. Colt looked nervous as he stood there waiting for his bride to come down. The bridesmaids came down one by one, followed by the flower girl and ring bearer. Seeing them made me daydream about having one of my own. I couldn't help but feel that I was put here to be a dad. I couldn't see any other purpose other than finding a woman that I could love more than anything and bringing new life into this world.

Finally, Danielle made her way into view holding on to her dad's arm. She looked beautiful. Colt's face changed. He was full of emotion and I felt it again. I was sure I wanted this. I was done waiting. Life was too short and Charlotte was it for me. All the cracks that were in my heart sealed together and I looked at the other half of my whole.

Charlotte

The ceremony was beautiful. You could see how much they loved one another just by how they looked at each other. It was unspoken but magical. I couldn't wait for one day when I could be the one in white surrounded by my family and friends. It made me happy to see Jack coming around to the idea of moving to the next level too. He was moving along a lot faster than I could have ever hoped, and it was on his terms. Seeing him in his element with all of his friends was a great feeling. Tonight was going to be amazing! 

After the wedding had ended, we had our fill of food, alcohol and even stayed to watch the fireworks. We had rented a room at the hotel down the road and they had buses bringing us back and forth. I was looking forward to getting out of my heels and taking this dress off. Jack had retrieved the overnight bag out of the truck and helped me onto the bus. Seating was limited due to the amount of people, so he sat and pulled me onto his lap. His hand reached the side of my face and pulled my lips to his. It was a short kiss, full of promise.

After we had checked in, we took the elevator to the fourth floor and started walking down the hallway toward our room. Jack whisked me off my feet and started carrying me. In my defense, my feet were killing me and I was walking slow. It had also been a long, grueling week since we'd been intimate. As soon as the key card was in the door, we were inside and the Do Not Disturb sign was hanging. He placed me on the bed and took a step back.

"You're so fucking beautiful." He tossed his jacket onto the chair and made his way back to me. I kicked my shoes off and climbed to the center of the bed. He situated himself between my legs and hiked my dress up revealing my matching lace panties. "My favorite color."

"I know," I winked. And just like that he ripped them off in a swift motion, vowing to replace them. His tongue found my entrance and he went to town like I was his favorite meal. My hands roamed his shaved head in appreciation. I moved my foot down to his erection and slowly stroked. I wanted to get in on the action too. I moved to get out of my dress and get him naked. Once the clothes were strewn across the room, we situated into a sixty-nine position, a first for us. I was so proud when I was able to get all of him in my mouth and down my throat. He let out his signature growl as I did it again. Sliding two fingers inside me, he began his mission to make me cum.

His hands did things to me that I could only have dreamed of. I never realized what a shitty lover Owen was until I met Jack. Jack's goal was to make me feel good. To make me feel loved. He didn't need to say the words, I felt it with his actions. He brought me over the edge as I rode the glorious high. He moved so that his mouth was on mine.

"You taste so fucking amazing, baby!" His hand was on the side of my face. He looked adoringly at me. "Now, I need your sweet pussy all over my cock."

He turned me so my ass was in the air. Hands roamed as he admired. I felt him start teasing my entrance, just barely sliding in before pulling out. I needed him. I tried backing onto him, but his large hands were holding me firmly in place. "Patience."  He was staring down at our connection. "You look so perfect. So wet. I love how you glaze me up. Seeing your honey cover my cock is one of my favorite things." Using some of the wetness, his thumb grazed across my ass, he pushed in the same time he slammed into me. My face fell into the bed. I wasn't expecting it, but holy sensory overload. I let him work his magic while I enjoyed the ride. Every thrust sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout my body. His free hand found my nipple and I was done. I let go with a loud moan as he picked up his pace. He stilled, trying to catch his breath.

"I probably should have pulled the trigger before, but I needed you so bad. I missed that." I rolled over as he lay on top of me. I leaned up as kissed him softly. He looked at me and started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I totally just fucked one of your falsies off."

Reaching up to feel my face, sure enough he was right. Turning my head, I saw it on the bed with a long mascara smear leading up to it. "So you did. I need to go take my makeup off anyway." He rested his head on my chest and I began stroking his head. "Thank you for bringing me with you. Thank you for coming back to me." I felt tears start to come to the surface. I tried to push them back.

He moved so that he was laying on his side, still close to me. He took my hand in his and looked intently at me. "Char, I love you. No one has ever made me feel what you have. You've given me you and that's more than I ever thought I could have. We've pushed each other away, but somehow we always end up back where we belong. You've become like my gravity. I spent so long trying to fight it, afraid to get hurt. But, each time I felt like I was losing a part of me. I'm whole when I'm with you."

The tears I was trying to hold back burst through. He pulled me to his chest and wiped them away. "That's what scared me so much. It's like I loved you before I even knew you. I know it's impossible, but it feels like we're soulmates. Once I started falling for you, I knew I was doomed. There was no going back, which is why I pushed you away. I didn't want to fall further than I already did. I love you, Jack. Honestly, I have for a long time. I thought love was black or white, but you've brought so much color into my life. I feel safe and complete when you're by my side. I feel unstoppable."

"You are unstoppable, baby."

CHAPTER SEVEN
YOU ARE THE BEST THING

Jack

Six months later...

We stood in my kitchen on a Sunday morning. Ray LaMontagne's
You Are The Best Thing
played on the Bose as we made pancakes and bacon. It had been almost six months since Charlotte moved in with me. It had been the best six months of my life. We were both busy at work again, but winter was slow for both of us and we made the best of it. We took a few mini road trips. She got a really bad sinus infection and ended up on antibiotics, which landed us where we are right now. She had on my t-shirt and I could see the beginning of a bump starting to form. My heart swelled seeing her, the future mother of my son or daughter. It was an unexpected surprise. We thought it was a case of food poisoning until we realized the antibiotics canceled out her birth control. To me, she always had a glow about her, but now it was undeniable. It brought me back to the night at the beach. The same beach where I started winning her back. The same beach I proposed to her at.

"Jack, you know I don't feel good. It's fall and I don't feel like being cold and sandy at the same time. It's just weird."

"C'mon baby, it's a beautiful day out."

I put the truck into four-wheel drive and made it onto the beach. The same lifeguard stand where we had amazing sex still sat there turned on its side. I got out of the truck and stood it up before helping her out of the truck. She hadn't been feeling very well for a few days, and I thought a change of scenery might do both of us some good."

She stole my Ray-Bans and made a run for it down to the water. As she stopped and turned around, I made my move. I grabbed her and tossed her over my shoulder and ran back to the chair. She laughed as she swatted at my back. "Put me down, Jack! I'm going to throw up."

I helped her climb up onto the chair, as she slid my sunglasses on.

"Okay, maybe you were right. It's a perfect fall beach day."

The breeze was cool but refreshing. The ring in the pocket of my pearl button Wrangler shirt felt like it weighed as much as a mountain. She was my lifetime. I was tired of waiting to make it happen. Go figure, the guy that didn't want to commit is chomping at the bit to get tied down hook, line, and sinker.

Taking her small hands into mine, I looked her in her beautiful, hazel eyes.

"Charlotte, we haven't always had it easy. There was a point in time that I never imagined we'd be sitting back here again. There were times I thought you were gone forever, but all of that is what brought us to where we are right now." I pulled the ring from my pocket. "I knew the moment I met you, I could never lose you. It's been the hardest fall, but you make it so worth it. Will you marry me?"

She started sobbing so hard and nodding yes that she had to lean over the side and toss her cookies. I felt bad and thought that maybe I should have postponed, but I didn't want to wait another day waiting. If she wasn't better in a few days, a trip to the doctor was going to happen.

"Yes. Yes, Jack, I will marry you."

I didn't care that she just threw up, I kissed her lips. "I love you, Char."

"I love you too, Jack."

There's a long path that leads your straight to your destiny. People are placed in your life at different times for different reasons. Some are blessings, others are lessons. Sometimes, it's all about the trust in the fall.