Chapter 24
24
Juliette
“ G uess what?” I shouted into the phone the moment Dylan answered.
“You’re playing hooky for my day off and you’re on your way over right now?”
I laughed, giddy with excitement. “Nope, sorry. I’m at work. But I am going to come over after so we can celebrate.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“You know how I declined the lead position? Well, I called my supervisor to ask if it was still available, and she said yes, and I accepted it!”
“You’ll be the best lead therapist they’ve ever had. I’m so proud of you, Juls.”
“Thank you! I have to get back to work now, but I couldn’t wait to tell you.”
“That’s amazing, baby. Thank you. I’m happy you called.”
“See you soon. I love you.”
“Can’t wait. Love you, Juls.”
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Katie was thrilled, and so many of my colleagues congratulated me and said they were happy I would be the lead. One person even said that out of the three of us who were in the running, one wasn’t very nice, and one wasn’t very organized, and I was nice and organized. I had to admit that was true. Even though I could be shyer than a lot of others, I’d never had any conflicts with anyone. And I was definitely organized. Was it possible that Audrey and Dylan were right, and I was the only one focusing on my speech? Could I be good at this after all?
I couldn’t wait to see the Station 7 girls again so I could tell them. I wasn’t sure if they’d be happy or not to be called an inspiration, but I couldn’t deny that they were.
I drove straight from work to Dylan’s place. I called Nicky and Jenna on the way to share the news, and they wanted to celebrate, too, so a few calls later, we had plans to go to Nolan’s with them and Liam and Ryan.
Dylan’s apartment door opened as I stepped out of the elevator. I ran into his open arms. “Strong as fuck,” he said as he lifted me off the ground.
“Thank you. I wouldn’t be doing it without your encouragement, but now that I am, I’m really excited and proud of myself.”
“You should be. I’m so proud of you too.”
Dylan carried me into the apartment and sat us on the couch. I leaned into his chest and breathed him in, feeling the stress of the day melt away.
“We have to leave for Nolan’s in an hour,” he pouted. “I had a different kind of celebration in mind.”
“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”
“It started with me kissing you here,” Dylan whispered, his lips brushing the sensitive skin of my neck. I tilted my head. He kissed and nibbled his way across my throat. “Then I was going to work my way down here.” He leaned me back, giving him access to kiss and lick his way down my chest. With that movement, he also pulled my hips in, his erection straining against his jeans right where I needed him. I whimpered with pleasure and need. He bit me hard through my shirt and bra.
“Take it off. Now,” I pleaded. “They can go without us.”
Dylan chuckled, a deep sexy sound I wanted to bottle up and keep forever. A second later, I was laying on my back on the couch with Dylan hovering over me. I felt his heat over every inch of my body.
“Shirt off. Please. More.” My words came out with the same frenzied need that was building in my body.
“I’ve got you, baby.” Dylan pulled my shirt over my head and unclasped my bra. My nipples hardened as the cool air and his gaze both washed over me. Then his mouth was on me, his fingers teasing the other breast, and I had no more coherent thoughts.
The rest of our clothes were quickly torn off and I sighed as his heat and weight returned to me. Strangled sounds and cries broke free as he entered me in one smooth push and immediately pounded into me with a punishing pace.
“So. Fucking. Proud. Of. You.” He ground out the words with each thrust.
“Dylan!” I cried out, digging my nails into his back and holding tight to him as my body shattered. He pushed himself even deeper inside me and held himself still as he followed me over the cliff.
Dylan shifted me on top of him as we tried to catch our breath.
I tilted my head up to see him better and caressed his firm jaw. “I love you, Dylan. Thank you for being so happy for me.”
“I really am, baby. I can’t wait to see you put into practice all the ideas you have, and I know it’s going to go so well. I can’t wait for you to see everything you accomplish.”
“I feel capable,” I whispered, unable to give too much voice or power to the words yet. Maybe I would one day soon?
“Strong as fuck.”
I sighed in contentment.
Dylan chuckled. “Come on, Juls, let’s go before we’re late.”
“Mmm.”
“If we get up now, we can shower before we go.” The words were innocent enough, but the look in his eyes was anything but.
That got me up and off the couch. We got each other off again in the shower, and only a few minutes behind schedule, we were on our way to meet our friends at Nolan’s.
In the car, Dylan asked what changed my mind about accepting the position.
“Kickball. You know how nervous I was for the game, but then I felt so proud after. It made me think. I struggled and muddled through life for so long that it felt like a relief for the past few years when everything was easier and better. I was happy I chose a job that was easy for me, where I felt comfortable, and a small apartment with less upkeep than a house would require. It felt like I was freeing myself from unnecessary difficulties so I could finally enjoy life. But after the kickball game, I started thinking that maybe I can do more. Maybe by keeping things so easy, I haven’t been trying anything new, or challenging myself enough. I don’t want to never do more or be more. I guess I’m trying to find the balance of accepting myself and making the best of things exactly where I am versus growing and striving for more.”
Dylan frowned at me before looking back at the road. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve been pushing past your comfort zone since you agreed to play pool with me that first day at Nolan’s. We wouldn’t be here today if you hadn’t been strong enough to keep coming back for more.”
“Don’t remind me of that day. I still don’t know why you didn’t run for the hills after that dinner.”
“Because I saw you then, and I see you now. And I like what I see a fuck of a lot.”
“I’d kiss you if you weren’t driving,” I said, not knowing how else to respond to that.
Dylan reached over to hold my hand and I squeezed his.
“I’m proud of you, Juls. I know this was a big step for you.”
“It’s like riding a bike. Sometimes the path you’re on is uphill, so after working hard to make it up that hill, it feels good to just coast along and enjoy the ride. But after a while, coasting along can get boring, and you want to push yourself to do more again. Choosing to play kickball, talking to those amazing women, and dating you, it all showed me the difference between working hard because I have to just to get by, and working hard because I choose to reach for more. This will be tough and I’m so nervous, but I’m excited to see what I can do.”
“Strong as fuck.”
I felt his words down to my soul.
When we walked in to the bar—after a thorough kiss up against the car—we found Jenna, Liam and Ryan sitting in the back near the dart boards.
Jenna jumped up to give me a huge hug. She squealed like we were back in college. “You go, girl! I’m so proud of you!”
Liam laughed. “If you’re done hugging her, can I get a turn?”
“Nope, she’s my best friend. I get unlimited Juliette time.”
A laugh bubbled out of me as Jenna passed me to Liam. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, then Ryan did the same. I appreciated their congratulations, but even as they were talking, I scanned the bar for Nicky. “Nicky isn’t here yet?” I sat down and pulled out my phone. No missed calls or messages.
“No.” Jenna sounded as concerned as I felt. “I haven’t heard from her yet.”
“What’s wrong?” Ryan growled.
“Nothing, I’m sure she’s fine. She was just supposed to text us when she left work, and she hasn’t yet,” Jenna said.
“How late is she?”
Jenna glanced at me before answering Ryan. “I should have heard from her about twenty minutes ago.”
I could see the gears turning in Ryan’s head.
“Does she always text you when she leaves work?”
“Sometimes. She always does after visiting the family she was with today. There’s issues with the dad.”
“You’re not fucking serious.”
I jumped a little at the vehemence in his voice.
“Easy, man,” Dylan warned.
“Sorry,” Ryan muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Where is she? I’ll go check on her.”
Jenna and I looked at each other. If Ryan knew that Nicky shared her schedule with us because she was that worried about it, he’d go through the roof. He also wouldn’t be happy to know where she was working. We’d begged Nicky to stop taking these dangerous jobs, especially this one, but she wouldn’t listen. A small part of me wondered what would happen if we let Ryan loose on her. Would it be worth her wrath to keep her safe? But knowing Nicky, she’d just do something even more dumb and dangerous, like hide it from us.
“I don’t know where she is,” I answered before Jenna could. Jenna looked at me with a question in her eyes. I held her gaze.
“I don’t know, either,” she said.
Ryan pulled out his phone, jabbed at the screen and stared at it while it went straight to her voicemail. He left a stern message to call him. We looked around the table, unsure what to do. Guilt ate at me for not telling the whole truth. It wasn’t my place to tell, though, especially to Ryan. I prayed I wasn’t making a huge mistake.
“She’s here,” Liam said, nodding toward the entrance.
Nicky looked around from near the door and then rushed over when she saw us. “Sorry,” she said, appearing frazzled.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Ryan grasped her arm and pulled her towards the door without giving her a chance to respond.
“I’m almost as curious about what’s happening with her and Ryan as I am worried about her,” Jenna said, breaking some of the tension.
A few minutes later, they returned, holding hands. Very interesting. Ryan still looked angry, but then again, he often did. Nicky looked more relaxed, although I could still see the tightness around her eyes.
“What are we drinking tonight?” Nicky asked before she even sat down. I knew this version of Nicky well, but it had been a while since I’d seen her.
The waitress came over, and Nicky ordered a round of lemon drop shots and a margarita on the rocks. Jenna and I each got a frozen margarita too, while the guys ordered beers.
“To the best lead therapist!” Jenna said as we clinked our shot glasses together.
Nicky finished off Jenna’s shot after her own.
Ryan waved down the waitress and ordered a ton of appetizers. I think he was catching on to what Jenna and I already knew.
After a lot of talking and laughing, too many fried apps, and a couple of drinks, Dylan suggested darts.
“You guys go ahead,” Jenna said. “We’ll be there in a few, okay?”
“Gladly. We’ll take a few practice rounds so we’re extra ready to whoop your asses,” Ryan jeered at Nicky.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Don’t tempt me, darling.”
Dylan kissed me, and we watched the men walk away, shamelessly ogling those gorgeous backsides.
“What’s going on?” I asked Nicky as soon as they were out of earshot. “And no bullshit now. It’s just us.”
“Nothing new. It was just a rough session. I feel so useless about Luca and his mom. I don’t know how else I can help them. I stayed for a little extra, and then while I was driving here, I was distracted thinking about them, so that’s why I didn’t call. Sorry to worry you.”
“Anything we can help with?” I asked.
“No, it’s okay. I’m taking care of it.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. More importantly, congrats, Juliette! I’m so proud of you!”
“Thank you! I’m excited. And nervous.”
“You’re going to be amazing! And I’ll help you with ideas for whatever you need.”
“Thank you!”
Nicky glanced over at the guys. “Dylan looks so proud too.”
“Yeah, he’s been really sweet.”
“Ugh, I bet he has. He looks at you the same way Thor looks at Jenna.”
Jenna’s dog was obsessed with her and followed her around the house with hearts in his puppy dog eyes. “Wow, that’s true love.” I said it sarcastically, but my chest squeezed. Dylan did look at me with love, and it was the best feeling in the world.
“Sure is. For Thor and me, and for Dylan and you,” Jenna agreed. “And now I’m excited to go snuggle with him. Let’s go beat them at darts, so we can go home soon.”
We linked arms and joined the guys by the darts.
“The new, best-ever lead therapist goes first, so clear the area,” Nicky ordered. “Nope. Further back.” She tried to shoo them away from the darts area. “I trust her wholeheartedly to lead the department, but not to throw sharp objects.”
“Nicky!” Dylan admonished, but everyone laughed, me included.
“She’s not wrong. I like you in one piece, no holes. Move back.”
“I trust you.”
“See, just like Thor,” Nicky said.
We only had that first round of drinks, but anyone watching us play could reasonably think we were wasted, we were having such a good time, laughing so hard. I’d always been able to laugh at myself with Jenna and Nicky, and I loved that it extended to the guys too.
I wanted to soak it all in, to forever remember this moment with my best friends and my boyfriend, and his friends who were now also our friends, laughing and talking, sharing our hopes, excited for new opportunities, making plans to all go out again, feeling so open and free and happy. How did I get so lucky?