She stops mid-twirl, pasta noodles falling off her fork. “It’s not my fault that I get caught up in doing something and then forget about whatever is I’m cooking until the smell of smoke fills my house.”
“If you put those stupid romance novels down for more than five seconds…” I barely get the entire sentence past my lips before I feel a limp noodle clinging to my cheek. She didn’t just fling a spaghetti noodle at me, did she? Plucking it off my face, I toss it onto the counter, my eyes narrow in on her heart-shaped face, that looks like it’s barely containing her laughter.
“You really shouldn’t have done that.” I circle around the island, stalking toward her.
“You really shouldn’t have called my books stupid.” She pushes away from the island and throws another noodle at me. I grab a handful of spaghetti myself and toss it at her. She gasps in shock, like she can’t believe what I’ve done. I’m almost worried I’ve taken things a little too far, but then a giant smile appears on her pink lips, and we both break out into laughter.
She scrapes some of the noodles off her body and throws them right back at me. This time I’m quicker and I manage to step to the side just in time to watch the food hit the floor instead of me.
“Oh, you are getting it now,” I warn, grinning my ass off. With a high pitch scream, she starts to run toward the bedroom, but I’m faster, and stronger and using both to my advantage I wrap a hand around her wrist and pull her back in my direction. Her tiny body collides with mine, the impact seeming to make her laugh harder since her whole body is shaking now.
Twisting around, I pick her up and place her ass on the counter. Her eyes widen, most likely at the touch of the cold marble against her ass cheeks. Those pretty lips of hers part as if she’s going to say something, but no sound comes out, because my lips are already descending on hers. Our lips touch briefly, and it feels like fireworks are going off inside my stomach.
Everything in the world fades away in that moment. There is just Bailey and me, kissing, holding onto each other as if we’re the last people on earth.
Moments ago, she was trying to get away from me, and now her tiny hands are clawing at my back like she is a wild animal afraid that someone will take her prey away. Her nails dig into the flesh. I’m sure she’ll leave scratches behind, but I don’t care. She can do to me whatever she wants, mark me, break me, touch me.
Anything she does, I will love, because I love her.
I love her.
Those three words run through my head, flashing red like a warning sign. I knew I loved her, that’s not the problem. I’ve loved her my whole life and I’ve even said it out loud before, but for some reason only right now do I realize the heaviness, the truthfulness of the words.
I don’t just love her, I love her. I love her in a way that is beyond friendship. I love her in a way that is heart crushing, it’s madness, it’s downright terrifying, but it’s also pure, and gentle. There is no other form of love stronger in my mind. I love her in a way I never thought I could love a woman, at least until now.
“I love you,” I whisper against her soft lips, pulling away just enough to say the words before kissing her again. I don’t need her to say them back to me… I already know she loves me. I’m pretty sure I’ve known all my life. I was just too blind to see what I see now.
13
Bailey
* * *
I fidget with the hem of my dress, needing something to do with my hands. “Is this really a good idea? Your father hasn’t exactly shown any type of interest in me or our friendship.” I can’t help but get a bad feeling in my belly about going to this dinner.
Elijah smiles warmly, but it doesn’t do anything to soothe the tightening in my stomach.
“To be fair, my father doesn’t like anyone. He barely likes Asher and I and we’re his kids, so if that doesn’t say something, then I don’t know what does.” I get what it says, that their father couldn’t care less about having me at dinner, that’s what it says.
“He’s not going to be happy,” I tell him, my gaze following the houses as we drive into the development that we grew up in. The houses are all cookie-cutter, the lawns cut to the same length. This place reminds me more and more of why I love the city. I drag my gaze back down to my hands. Elijah’s father never told me outright that he didn’t like me, and he’s always been somewhat kind to me. I really can’t pinpoint a specific thing he’s said or done to make me feel this way, it’s more like a gut feeling, a vibe he gives off toward me.
That same feeling tells me that as soon as he finds out that we are dating now, he will make not liking me common knowledge. He’ll probably accuse me of being a gold digger or something just as absurd.
“Ash is here too, so you don’t even have to pay my dad a lot of attention. Just talk to my brother and if dinner becomes too uncomfortable, we’ll leave. Honestly, if you don’t want to go, I’ll turn the car around, and we’ll go eat out somewhere. We don’t have to do this right now. We have all the time in the world, Sunflower.”
I know we don’t have to do this right now, but it’s been a week of dating and while we haven’t told everyone, my father already knows, so in my mind, Elijah’s should too.
“No, this is your family. I want to get along with your father,” I tell him, even though the idea sounds less than appealing.
“From the sound of it, it seems like you would rather eat glass.”
My face deadpans. “That’s not true. I just know your father’s thoughts on women. I would much rather not sit through a dinner of degrading, is all.”
Elijah sighs, knowing damn well that I’m right. Just then, we pull up to his childhood home, and the bile in my stomach starts to rise up my throat. He parks the car and twists around in his seat so he can see my face.
“Look, if he’s smart, he won’t say shit. It’s not his choice to make, it’s mine. Nothing he says will ever change how I feel about you, Sunflower… you believe that, don’t you?”
I shrug.
Do I believe that? Can I compete with a thought that’s been ingrained into someone’s mind their entire life? Elijah reaches for me, nearly dragging me across the center console and onto his lap.
“I love you, Bailey Marie, and nothing anyone says is ever going to change that. My father can eat shit if he thinks he’s going to make a choice for me like this one. I’m in charge of my heart, and my heart chooses you.”
Oh god, he’s using the L word again. Since that night in his kitchen, he hasn’t used it, and I haven’t said it back, being far too afraid to. But as I look up into his sea blue eyes, I’m met with nothing but honesty, with compassion, with love.
“I know, and I believe you, so let’s go have dinner before I get hangry. You know how I get when I’m hangry.” I jut my bottom lip out in a pout.
“Oh, I know.” He grins. “Let’s go fill up your belly, so we can go home, and I can fill up something else of yours.”
I’m still giggling, a permanent smile on my lips when we reach the porch, the door that used to always be open is closed now. I frown a bit at the thought. Then again, I guess Mr. Westbrook doesn’t have a need to have his door open anymore, with the boys no longer running in and out of it.