Page 70 of Take Two

“Okay then,” Vickie says with a sly grin.

Colt raises both eyebrows. “What about a purple bikini?” he asks. “I don’t let my wife wear bikinis.” He raises both hands to block the fake punch she throws his way.

“Your wife wears whatever the hell she wants,” Vickie says.

“I just suggested a trip for me and Charlie to take after Christmas,” I announce. “We can leave the day after and come back right after the New Year. I like the idea of going somewhere warm in the middle of winter.”

“Oh, man. We can’t go,” Colt says. “I have three games between Christmas and New Year’s.”

I take a quiet breath of relief before I let out a sarcastic, “Bummer.” Luckily no one hears me, and the lunch continues without any tension. What I want to do is ask him who the hell invited him to join us on our vacation.

Chapter 38

Violet

“Finally!” I say when the plane lands at the Birmingham airport. It’s been an incredibly long ten days. Charlie had to leave New York early to deal with an emergency in the restaurant. Instead of spending two more weeks together, we only had a few days before he had to leave. Not only did I lose out on the time with him, but I also had to postpone cooking with his mom.

The only one of our plans we got to do was have dinner with my dad at his brownstone. With Charlie gone, loneliness hit me like a snowball in the face. I had to go back to the life I had before him. The life where I get up, go to work, and come home to eat alone. Rinse and repeat. There was no big man in my kitchen cooking. There was no one to talk to or go to bed with.

I crane my neck to the front of the plane, ready to push my way through the throng of people so I can get the hell off this aircraft. After taking my carry-on luggage, I’m eager to go, but it takes a few minutes for the doors to open and for people to start filing out.

I practically sprint when I leave the gate and follow the signs to baggage claim. Luckily, I won’t have to wait for a suitcase since I didn’t check one. I see him standing there holding a bouquet of violets from the top of the escalator and will my heart to calm down. The instant I get to the ground floor, I sprint across the room. He notices me when I’m a few feet away and opens his arms. I drop my carry-on and practically leap into his arms. He catches me as if I’m weightless. Uncaring about where we are, I wrap my legs around him and give him a kiss that’s so indecent that we could probably get arrested for it.

“Darlin’,” he says against my mouth. Unable to say another word back, I kiss him again. “I missed you so much.”

“I love you,” I say when I get back my ability to speak. He puts me down, takes my bag, and hands me the flowers. With our fingers intertwined, he leads me to his car, which is an old beat-up red pickup truck. After helping me get in, he gets into the driver’s seat. He intertwines our fingers and kisses the back of my hand.

We don’t talk for the entire fifteen minutes it takes us to pull down a quiet street. It’s after nine at night, so I can’t see much, but it looks like a typical quiet suburbanneighborhood.

He pulls into the driveway at the last house on the right. It’s a two-story house made of red brick.

“Nice,” I say as he pulls into the two-car driveway.

“The outside is the nicest part. The previous owner was a hoarder,” he says. “That’s why I got such a good deal. It took me a month to clear it out.” He sounds nervous, but he grabs my bag and gets out of the car.

He takes me to the kitchen, which has basic white counters and old cabinets. Everything looks old, but I’m already excited to help him turn this into a livable home. Yet the idea of him living here when I’m a thousand miles away makes my stomach sink to my feet.

My stomach growls loudly, and Charlie looks at me.

“I made dinner. The kitchen’s working. I put a new oven in this week.” He pulls me into his arms, and I bury my face in his chest. I take deep breaths and reacquaint myself with his scent. “God, I missed you so much,” I mumble against his chest. “We only have two days, and I want to keep you inside this house and not let you out of my sight.” His arms tighten around me, and tears suddenly pool into my eyes. I don’t remember the last time I cried. I try to stop and can’t.

“I missed you too, baby,” he says softly. One of his hands cradles the back of my neck.

“You’ve never called me baby before.” And that makes me cry harder. I give in and weep in his arms. He cradles me and whispers words of love. “It’s been so hard the past ten days,” I admit. “I’m reminded every minute of how lonely I was before you. It got so bad, I almost accepted Terri’s lunch invitation.” I laugh and cry into his chest until he grasps my chin and forces me to look at him.

He wipes my tears with his bare hands and gently kisses my lips. “That bad, huh?” he jokes. “I know how you feel.It’s been the same for me. Let’s eat some dinner and we’ll go to bed. The master bedroom is livable now.”

We enjoy teriyaki glazed salmon over a bed of white rice in the dimly lit kitchen. Once we’re done eating, he carries me upstairs bridal style. It’s a bit of a mess up there with painting supplies and a ladder leaning against the wall, but like he said, the master bedroom is spacious with new carpeting and furniture.

He puts me on the bed, undresses me, and makes slow, sweet love to me until we fall asleep exhausted in each other’s arms.

I’d much rather spend every minute with Charlie while I’m here, but with his brother and Vickie in town, his mother is insisting on a family dinner. I almost cried again when she included me as a member of her family, but I managed to get myself under control. Charlie still noticed though.

“Are you sure your mom will like this?” I hold up the pink orchid I have sitting on my lap. It took me forever to pick it out, and now I’m having second thoughts.

“She’ll love it. Pink’s her favorite color,” he reassures me. “Violet is mine.” I blush at his words and look down. On my wrist is a platinum bracelet he put on it while I was sleeping this morning. I run my hand along it while I look out the car window.

We spent the morning together and the afternoon at his restaurant. He gave me a tour of the kitchen and planned a tasting menu just for me, which I ate in his office because the place was full. He says it’s always crazy the day after his brother eats there, which was yesterday.

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