Pulling up to my older three bedroom two bath ranch at the end of a cul de sac in a sleepy community, I take a moment before getting out. I bought the house a few years ago, and little by little, I’ve been fixing it up. It’s got great bones. I used to wonder what I’d do with so much space on my own and one day hoped to raise a family. Now the picture is getting clearer, and the person I want beside me makes the most sense in the world. I’m going to take care of this asshole and get him out of her life then work on making her a permanent part of my world.
Walking inside, I grab a shower then change into my favorite pair of jeans and my faded Harper Falls High Football t-shirt. I make a large black coffee and a few sandwiches to bring with me for the night.
It’s already dark when I pull up to her house at around nine o’clock. I get out to take a quick look around the property when the lights come on, and Monroe’s dad comes out of the dark, pointing a shotgun in my direction.
“Jesus, it’s me, Mr. Drake,” I say, raising my hands in front of my chest.
“I know. What the hell are you doing walking around out here?” He says, still aiming the gun at my chest.
“Monroe tell you about the package she got today?” I ask.
“She did.”
“Good. The Captain gave me the go ahead to have a man on her at night. I’m taking the first shift.”
“Is that right?” He asks.
“That’s right. You mind putting the gun down now?”
“You’re the reason she left home and found that prick. I should pull the trigger for that alone.”
“Me? What the hell did I do?” I ask. I mean, I know I was an ass, but I never thought it was bad enough to make her leave.
“As if picking on her throughout high school wasn’t enough. That night she came home from the party crying her eyes out, begging her mom and I to let her move in with her aunt down in Atlanta. What did you do?”
“She didn’t even go to parties, except for that last… oh fuck,” I say, hanging my head in shame. If it’s what I’m thinking, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to make it up to her.
“Is it all coming back to you now, asshole?” He growls, lowering his gun.
“Did she tell you what happened that night?” I ask, scrubbing the back of my neck.
He shakes his head and sighs. “She never said. Look, we both know you were a shit to her back then. Jaime and I figured it was because you had a thing for her and could never figure out how to tell her. Whatever happened, I need you to buck up and be a man. Do you think you can handle that? Will you do whatever needs to be done to protect her?”
“Yes, sir,” I tell him with complete conviction.
“Good.”
“I’m going to finish making my way around the house, checking things out, Then I’ll keep a lookout until morning.” I pull my card out of my wallet and hand it to him. “If anything comes up, I’ll be out here, or you can give me a call.”
“I’ll do that.” He says, shoving past me walking towards the front of the house.
After checking out the property, I go back to my truck and settle in to keep watch. I can’t get what he said out of my head. “She came home from the party, crying her eyes out, begging her mom and I to let her move.” I’ve been haunted by flashes of that night for over ten years, never remembering exactly what happened.
There were only a few weeks left before graduation, and Justin’s parents were out of town. He decided to throw a party and invite half of the senior class. I started drinking early in the night, and by the time Monroe showed up with one of her friends, I was halfway gone. I remember pulling her out onto the dance floor and begging her to dance with me. I wasn’t sure why she gave in, but I remember twirling her around the room, bumping into everyone around us, and laughing like two fools with no care in the world. It was like we were the old Monroe and Cam again before everything got so screwed up for those few minutes.
A few minutes later, I ended up getting sick, throwing up all over her and the people near us. I walked away to get something to clean her up, but by the time I found something and made it back out there, Monroe was running out of the house crying. I felt like a complete ass for what happened and ruining her night. Even worse, I hated that she was gone. The truth is I spent those four years being a petty fool because the one girl I wanted at my side wanted nothing to do with me. At fourteen, I didn’t know how to deal with that. At eighteen, I wasn’t much better.
After sobering up the next day, I went over to apologize, but she had already left town. Mr. Drake looked ready to kill me, and Mrs. Drake looked heartbroken. They wouldn’t tell me where she had gone or when she’d be back. That’s when everything finally clicked inside my head. I realized how badly I’d messed up. I searched for her a few times over the years, mostly on Facebook, but I could never find her.
When I became a police officer, I considered searching for her with the new resources I had at my disposal, but immediately shut it down. If she wanted to be found, I wouldn’t need to stoop to this level. I moved on, but Monroe has always been in the back of my mind. What I did to her was the biggest mistake of my life. I promised myself if I ever got the chance, I’d make things right with her and try my damndest to win her heart. If I couldn’t, at the very least, I hoped we could be friends again. After all, a woman like her isn’t one you simply forget about.
Shaking my head back to the present, I look up to the second floor. Her room is illuminated, but I don’t see any movement behind her curtains. I can’t help thinking about what she might be doing right now and wondering if she’s thought about me as much as I’ve thought of her in the last ten years. Has this connection between us just been in my head? No, It can’t be.
I spend the rest of the night keeping watch outside her house. I never see any movement near the shadows of the property or the home itself. Eventually, her light goes out, and I imagine her getting into bed and snuggling up to her pillow. My thoughts stray to what it would be like to hold her in my arms as she falls asleep. Does she move a lot? Does she talk in her sleep? What does she wear at night, if anything at all?
The thought of her curvy body pressed against mine makes my dick hard, harder than it’s been in a long time. I rub my hand over my erection but quickly remove it. Getting caught with my hand in my pants won’t lead anywhere good. Plus, I’d rather have her hand doing the touching.
Fuck being friends, I know I’ve always told myself I’d settle for that if I got the chance, but damn. After seeing her, more beautiful than she’s ever been, I can’t get over the woman she’s turned into. I know she’s been hurt, so I’ll go slow, but this thing between us is something. No, it’s everything. The years leading up to this point weren’t good, but we were good once. This time I’m not going to let my pride ruin things with the one woman I’ve secretly been in love with since I was fourteen years old.
Chapter Five
Monroe
It’s hard for me to fall asleep with everything going on in my head. I should be worrying about Brent, and I am, but he’s not at the forefront of my mind. What’s really keeping me awake is what Cam said to me before leaving my house earlier today. I finally fall asleep only to wake from a nightmare where Brent was in my house standing over me, watching me sleep. Freaked out, I sit up in bed and look around my room, praying to God I don’t find him there. When he isn’t anywhere in sight, I get out of bed and go to the window to see if he’s outside. I pull my curtains over and see an older model truck parked in front of my house. My heart stops in my chest, worrying it’s Brent. Maybe it wasn’t a nightmare at all.