Someone to Love (19 page)

Nathan was still admiring the beauty as he waited for the stop light to change. When he looked up he saw the light was still red, so he turned his attention back to the garden. He noticed a large rose garden full of beautiful roses of various colors and his eyes settled on the yellow patch, those were his mother’s favorite. He remembered how she used them as decoration in their home and on his favorite big white gazebo, and the memory brought a smile to his face. It was memories like these that made him miss her even more.

He was enjoying the good memories of his mother when he notice a pair of gorgeous brown legs appear in front of the yellow roses directly in his line of sight. His eyes began to journey upward to see the owner of those beautiful legs only to find a woman with her back toward him. She bent forward and picked up a rose that wasn’t rotted in the ground, giving Nathan a mouthwatering view of her incredible ass in the pair of khaki shorts she wore. Damn, he thought biting down on his bottom lip. She had the perfect ass, round, plump, and it looked soft as hell. Nathan was sure it would fit so perfectly in his hand.

When she stood up, she flicked her beautiful long hair over her shoulder. Nathan didn’t know if he had ever seen hair that beautiful before. It looked so soft, like a thick black cloud that ended in the middle of her back. Nathan yearned to feel it against his skin. His eyes traveled to her beautiful legs again and he admired her gorgeous skin tone. God, her skin looked as smooth as silk, and as sweet as a rich Hershey’s chocolate bar. He really wished she would turn around so he could see her face.

And he got his wish.

When she turned around, for the second time in minutes, something in Hope Beach had taken Nathan’s breath away.

He was stuck, gazing at the stunning woman standing in the rose garden. She looked to be far away in thought as small smile appeared on her beautiful face. She brought the rose up to the most beautiful full lips Nathan had ever seen, and placed a soft kiss on it. Nathan’s breath caught as a rush of memories flashed through his mind of him and his mother in their garden. His mother would pick up one of her roses and kiss it then recite something she made up that Nathan just couldn’t remember at the moment.

Shaking his head of the memory, his attention went back to the beauty in the garden. Her hair blew in the wind, and the sun kissed her smooth milk chocolate skin perfectly. She looked like an angel. Nathan was fighting to stay in the car, but it was like an invisible force was pushing him to jump out of the car, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to know her name. No, he
needed
to know her name. He needed to know the memory that put that beautiful smile on her face. He needed to know w-

“Nathan! Hello, earth to Nathan!”

Nathan blinked rapidly and shook his head. What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he actually considering jumping from his car to run across to the street and confess his love to a complete stranger? Holy shit…

He looked at Mickey, who was giving him a striking What-the-Fuck look, Nathan frowned. “What?”

Mickey pointed to the traffic light, “Its green. It’s been green. Where the hell were you man?”

He could hear the horns blare from the drivers behind him but he wanted to steal one more peek at the beautiful stranger. When he looked her way once more, his breath caught in his chest. She was looking at him! She had a confused expression on her face, most likely wondering why the idiot in the black BMW was holding up traffic. Their eyes met, and damn it, Nathan was stuck again!

Her eyes were most beautiful hazel with a hint of green and they held him captive, he was powerless against them. A slow smile appeared on her beautiful face and Nathan couldn’t help but mirror her smile. She raised her hand and waved at him which made him smile wider. She let out a shy giggle and shook her head, and Nathan could have sworn he swooned like a little bitch.

Nathan was completely captivated by her. Her smile was warm and her eyes were expressive, it was like they were having a conversation without even speaking to one another. He was going to run to her, he needed to run to her. Why the hell did he need to run to her?

 
***

Read Carter and Nathan’s story in
Dangerous Beauty, Part One: Destiny
available on Amazon Kindle May 2014.

A few months ago

Ryan Clark dialed the number again. She had to pick up. She had to answer the phone soon. After four rings her voice came on the line, but it wasn’t her, it was the voicemail again. He ended the call and dialed again getting the same result. He knew she was probably no where near her phone. Today was the day she was moving. Right now she was probably hanging her clothes in the closet next to his or adding feminine touches to his former bachelor pad. Either way, she wouldn’t have her phone at the ready to answer his call.

“Ryan, you’re going live in five,” his producer said as she passed by.

He tried calling again. Hoping against hope that she would pick up this time and he’d be able to tell her something in those few minutes that would keep her clothes in the drawers next to his. The plan had been to show his prowess in the kitchen, followed by a display of his prowess in a more intimate room to lull her into a love induced state that would make the news more palatable and her more understanding. He was well prepared to plead his case, but there was no chance for that now.

The news story that would make his career and cause his marriage to crash and burn before take off, had to air today. It was planned for tomorrow, but the national higher-ups had gotten wind of it and wouldn’t — and didn’t want to — sit on it until then. This wasn’t just Chicago politics as normal, this was national news.

With one minute to air time, and still no answer from his wife, he sent a text. He had a mere one hundred and forty characters to explain. “Amara, you are more than my wife, you are my life. I need you to breathe. My world was incomplete without you. Please remember that I love you. I forever love you, Mrs. Clark,” he wrote. He prayed that would be enough until he was able to beg and plead.

***

Amara walked into her new home. Boxes in various stages of being unpacked were scattered throughout the space. It was still early afternoon, but she was exhausted after a day of moving most of her belongings into a storage unit then coming to the apartment and finding a proper place for the rest of her stuff among her new husband’s things. Manual labor was hard. Directing those doing the manual labor was harder.

She kicked her socked feet up on the over-sized ottoman and noticed the remote and the notification light blinking on her phone. She clicked on the television and began to scroll through her phone. There were several missed calls from her husband, Ryan (she so loved the way those two words together), and her boss, a Senator of Illinois. It was her day off, so she opted to call her husband first.

Before she could dial the number, the “breaking news” graphic flared across the screen followed by her husband’s face. She sat up to pay attention to his story. His voice filled the room with words that prompted her to stand, then left her immobilized. The phone vibrated in her hand. She raised the phone to eye level, unable to take her eyes away from the TV. It was her boss, the Senator. She tapped accept and raised the phone to her ear.

There was no time for  her to greet her boss because his agitated voice on the other end of the line was already barking out questions. “Isn’t that your boyfriend on Channel 7 telling the world something you promised wouldn’t go pass you? How could you do this?”

“I didn’t do it. I didn’t tell him.”

“Are you seriously trying to act like you’re not the source ‘close to the campaign’? Did a little pillow talk lead to this breaking news?  Is that why you’re off today? You said it would be a slow news day, that nothing would be happening. Was that for maximum impact? You said there would be a lull in the campaign today and you needed a personal day. You just didn’t want to be here to deal with the fallout from screwing me over, face-to-face.”

“I didn’t do this. I didn’t…”

“Well it’s done and so are you.”

With that, the phone went dead. She opened her hand and the phone fell to the floor. It landed with a soft thud on the thick carpet. Amara’s knees gave out and she sank to the floor. Her heart plummeted, landing with a crash that shattered it into a million pieces. The question “how could you do this” repeated in her head, but she was asking it of Ryan instead of it being asked of her.

She couldn’t bear one more moment of his handsome face. She turned the TV off and began stacking boxes on the dolly. What had taken three men half a morning to unload into the apartment took her an hour to load in her SUV. She gave the apartment a cursory glance to be sure she’d gotten everything. Her phone vibrated on the granite countertop. She flipped it over without looking at the display, took the back off and removed the battery so she wouldn’t be tempted to answer if it was Ryan. As she disassembled her phone, the ring on her finger glistened in the glow from the pendant light hanging over head.

The ring slid off her finger with ease. She took that as a sign that leaving was the right decision. For a moment she thought about leaving a note, but decided there was no need. There were more important things to think about, like where she was going to go. She no longer had an apartment. Even if she did, she no longer had a job and may not for a while, and she didn’t want to deplete her savings on rent. There was one place to go. Her real home. Her parents’ house. To home, with her parents that actually loved her.

***

Ryan had returned to the apartment first. He hadn’t expected her to be there, but he was going to look everywhere until he found her. He had looked everywhere for her, including her apartment and the campaign office. He’d even driven the brief distance to Gary, Indiana, to see if she’d gone to her parents’ house. After inviting him in, her mom smiled and said she wasn’t home. There was nothing in her manner or cadence that hinted to the lie she was telling so he returned to the apartment he’d given up hope of sharing with Amara. He checked all the rooms again, looking for any trace of her.

A throw pillow rested next to the stuffed chair in the bedroom. It was hers. It had the soft scent of flowers, spice, and vanilla that her apartment had always smelled like. He carried it with him as he checked the rest of the house. Had it been there before? Or had she come in the hours he’d been out looking for her? There was no way of telling. As he walked back into the kitchen he knew it didn’t make a difference.

He sank to the floor and leaned against the base of the island. He hugged the pillow to him and breathed in the scent that reminded him of Amara. The engagement ring and wedding band laying on the counter above his head told him if she had been there, she wasn’t coming back.

Present day

Amara tossed her keys on the entry table and kicked her shoes off. She liked the four inch heels much more than they liked her feet. She shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the coat rack. She flipped through the mail as she walked to the kitchen. Most of it wasn’t for her and the few that were for her weren’t important, so she tossed it on the island for later. She pulled the stemless bistro style wine glass off the drying mat and pulled a bottle of Riesling from the refrigerator. She lifted the lever on the wine stopper and paused. It just struck her that the mail had landed on top of something. But it couldn’t be.

She sat the wine down and slowly approached the mail on the counter. As cautious as someone facing a bear, she lifted the edge of the stack of mail with one finger. There was only one way her wedding band set could be there. Her hands flew to her mouth with a gasp. She jumped back afraid of the circle of metal and stones on the counter. The sudden movement was halted causing her to lose her balance.

Two familiar hands steadied her. “Honey, you’re home.”

She went rigid. Her body was torn between pulling away, leaning into the feel of the man behind her, and using every self defense move she’d ever learn. Not knowing what to do, she just stood there. “Ryan? What…what…why are you in my home?”

“As of this afternoon, this is officially my house, but I’m hoping to make it into a home with you.”

She turned in his arms, glared at him for a moment then pushed away from him. Amara walked back to the front door, stuffed her aching feet back into her heels, grabbed her keys. Not bothering to put her coat back on she slammed the door on her way out. This called for more wine than she had in the house. Perhaps a martini or twelve.

Amara drove out of the subdivision where’s she been renting from her friend Magnolia, Noli for short. The word “renting” was being generous. Her friend hadn’t asked for any money and hadn’t cashed a single check Amara had sent. Selling the house to Ryan could explain that. Ryan and Noli were cousins and blood’s thicker than water. Also, Noli knew nothing of the shamble that perpetuated itself as her marriage with Ryan. Amara was still grateful to because when she first relocated to Indianapolis, she was sleeping on her cousin Serenity’s couch.

She sat in the parking lot of the liquor store with the two bottles of riesling they had chilled. It was cheap, and she’d have a headache in the morning, but that would be fine. A migraine would distract from the resurfaced pain in her heart. She pulled out her phone and dialed Noli.

“Hey, Amara what’s up?”

She didn’t bother with greetings. She needed to get to the bottom of this. “Ryan’s bought the house.”

“I told you about that.”

“No. You didn’t.” She was fighting to keep the hostility out of her tone.

“Well I meant to tell you. Being a new mother killed whatever brain cells being pregnant didn’t take. I’m so sorry it slipped my mind. It’s not a problem is it?”

Amara mumbled a string of profanity before saying more speaking. “No, it’s not a problem. I didn’t know you were selling.”

“Ryan really liked the house when he was there to help Jack get the baby furniture for me and asked if I’d planned to keep it. When I told him I didn’t really need it, he said he was moving to Indy and offered to buy it.”

“Didn’t you tell him I was already living in it?”

“Yes, but he said you’re like family.”

“I’m sure he did,” Amara bit out.

“You don’t sound too happy. Did I do something wrong in letting him buy it?”

“Sorry Noli, it’s not you. It’s Ryan. He’s a …” Amara’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t think of anything decent to say so she said nothing and just took a deep breath.

“Is there something wrong?” Noli asked concerned.

Was it considered wrong that the only man you ever loved continued to turn the knife he’d put in your back.

“Everything’s just peachy. I’m sorry if I got upset. Him moving in just caught me off guard at the end of a long week.”

“I apologize for forgetting to tell you.”

“Forget it. I can deal with Ryan. I was also calling to see about renting the space at Cooper’s bar for a fundraiser. Can you have him give me a call?”

“Actually, I’m the one to talk to about that. We’re business partners now.”

“Business partners and co-parents, interesting.” At least someone was pulling their love life together.

“Amara don’t you start too.”

“Start what? I just said it was interesting. Cooper must be special, this is the longest you’ve stayed put for a while.” After the death of Noli’s parents, she started traveling the world to run from the pain. But an unexpected pregnancy, followed by an early delivery, and a father that refused to be absentee had Noli planting her roots. “I’ll contact you about the fundraiser when I have more details. I thought it would be a good idea to have it at The Smithery because it would show support for an Indiana small business while running for State Senate.”

“Who are you working for again?”

“Ethan Bedlow.”

“The Governor’s son?”

“That sums up my problem, trying to get people to see Ethan as his own person, while still benefiting from the name recognition.”

“I’m so glad you got this job after what happened on that last campaign.” Noli gasped. “Amara, I’m such a horrible friend. I’m sorry. I totally forgot that Ryan was part of what ruined that campaign. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry. With all that’s going on in your life, I totally understand you forgetting how messed up mine is and that Ryan shoulders the bulk of the responsibility.”

“Your life’s not a mess. You’ve picked up the pieces.”

Amara had picked up the pieces and it seemed that Ryan was trying to knock them down again. “It is a mess and it’s about time I actually clean it up and not just push everything under the bed.”

“Tell me about it. I’ll talk to you later.”

It had taken a few months of outright rejections and many unanswered phone calls for her to land another job managing a campaign. It meant moving from the nation’s third largest city, the city she loved, to Indianapolis. At first she understood why it was sometime purposefully mispronounced Indiana-no-place. It had begun to grow on her.

The quiet neighborhood she ran through in the morning helped her clear her head. It was usually just her and the chirps of the birds. There was no such solitude in Chicago.  She’d gotten accustomed to the slower pace and loved the lack of traffic jams. She’d even found favorite local spots to eat and drink, and shop. The best thing about the city was that she could turn on the TV without seeing Ryan.