Page 15 of Eternally Yours
“Oh shush, you know I’m right. Now stop changing the topic! Answer me,” she demands with force.
My phone beeps in my ear, indicating another call is coming in. “Mom, I gotta go. There’s someone on the other line.”
“NO! No, wait, Silas, don’t you dare hang up on me! Tell me who she is!” She rushes out the words as I end her call and accept the new one, this time with more precautions.
“Hello?”
There’s a moment of silence before her sultry voice filters through the speaker. “Hi.”
That’s all it takes, a simple‘hi’,and I’m done for. My heart hammers violently against my rib cage. The married couple looks my way, Clay inclining his chin in my direction and mouthing, “Is it her?”
I nod my head in response and swallow. Morgan leans back against the kitchen counter with both hands held over her heart, gazing at me like a mother watching her child achieve greatness.
Wanting some privacy, I stand from the stool and head for the patio door and step outside, shutting it behind me.
“Hey,” I say again like I’m incompetent.Damn, does she make me nervous.
Her giggle resonates through the phone, making a smile spread along my face. She then proceeds to repeat herself as well. “Hi.”
“How are you? Did you get my gift?” I ask, clearing my throat beforehand.
“Well, yes. Or else I wouldn’t be calling you.” There goes that seductive laugh again.
“Right, sorry.” I chuckle nervously while shaking my head at myself.Freaking idiot.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry for taking so long to call, I just...” Her voice breaks off at the end, holding back from what she wants to say. But the thing is, everything she has to say, I want to hear.
“You just what?” I ask, hoping it will entice her to go on.
“I just needed a moment to collect myself. The gift, it was very thoughtful. You have no idea how much I needed that, thank you,” she says with a soft voice, a bit of hesitation in her words.
A sigh filled with relief exits my lungs, and my body relaxes. I hadn’t realized how tense I was. The sun is just setting, giving off splashes of pink and orange throughout the sky. It’s a bit chilly this late into the evening, but my long sleeve is doing the job just fine. Besides, I’m used to the cold thanks to all our time on the ice.
I walk over to one of the many lounge chairs by the covered inground pool and settle in. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m curious though, how did you know when I’d be home? They were still warm when I found them.”
I can’t help but laugh at her question. I push the lounge chair into a resting position, going from seated to lying down, and place my free hand behind my head, smiling up at the sky as I decide to go with the truth.
“I may have called your work and asked the lovely receptionist what time you usually finish. Then I found out from Stanley that you usually walk home in theevenings, so I made sure to have them ready and dropped off five minutes before you arrived.”
Once the words leave my mouth, I realize how intense that might seem for someone you just met. But hey, I warned her when I said I always get what I want.
She’s silent for a while, and I fear I may have overstepped, but then she eases my worries with a heartfelt laugh. “Well, if that isn’t dedication right there.”
“Anything for you, Minnie.”
My jaw is sore from how wide my grin has been since I heard her voice through the phone. She affects me in a way no one ever has before, where my stomach is constantly in knots and my chest feels tight with the simple sound of her voice.
“Still rolling with the short jokes, are we, Big Guy?” she says, tittering. I can picture her with a fist against her hip, one eyebrow raised, exasperation written all over her soft feminine features.
“Nah, I just think it suits you.”
“And how is that?” she asks suspiciously.
I remove my hand from behind my head and scratch at my temple, wondering how she’ll truly feel about the reason behind the nickname I’ve given her.Only one way to find out.
“Well, you kind of remind me ofMinnie Mouse, short and cute and feminine. Dark hair with pale skin. And the way you scrunch up your nose and wiggle it when something bothers you makes me think of a mouse twitching its nose. It’s adorable.”
