9. Ellie
9
ELLIE
What the hell just happened?
One minute I was laughing; the next Wade’s mouth was on mine, giving me the best kiss of my entire life. God , that man could kiss. I didn’t have much experience outside of Randall , since during my peak teenage years my parents died, I moved to a new state with my grandma and started a new school, then my brother left, and I helped pick up more of the workload around the house with Gran .
I wasn’t upset about my limited experience. It was just that I didn’t know whether Randall was just not that great of a kisser or if Wade was just that amazing.
All I knew was that I loved the feel of his beard – it both tickled and scratched my face, and oddly I loved it. When he stuck his tongue in my mouth, I felt something short-circuit in my brain. My insides warmed just at the memory of that kiss. I could have spent hours kissing Wade , but alas, that was part of the problem.
Getting involved with another man so soon after Randall was a bad idea, even if that man was nothing like him. I knew from my conversations with Tammy and the others at the pub as well as my brother that Wade was nothing like Randall . Sure , Randall had friends, but he didn’t treat them the same way that Wade did. If one of his friends or co-workers needed him, Wade would do everything in his power to help, and I knew from my brother that Wade had put Jack’s life before his while they were overseas.
Jack would never get specific about any of his missions or locations, but he’d mentioned multiple times that Wade had saved his life by tackling him to the ground right before a sniper would have hit and killed him. Randall would never risk his life to save another, not even his own family. One of many red flags I didn’t see until it was too late.
Wade was a good man through and through. That still didn’t mean it would be a good decision to get involved with him. But Wade was the kind of man who made that kind of decision really hard. He smelled so good too, and when he grabbed my face… Sigh . His kiss was rough, but his hands grabbed my face gently, as though he was caressing me and soaking it in, yet some part of him lost control and he couldn’t get enough. I totally understood that. I’d felt the same, and then he’d ended it. Abruptly . He’d even apologized. I wasn’t sure if that was because he regretted kissing me or he thought I did.
Maybe he’d thought it inappropriate since he was my boss, or maybe because of what happened earlier in the day. And , yes, admittedly, it was a rough day, which brought me back to my original thought of how dumb I was for falling for Randall and staying with him longer than I should have. Why couldn’t I have found a man like Wade , instead of a crazy person like Randall ?
God… Randall . How had he even found me? I’d told him I was coming to Georgia , but I’d never mentioned where Jack lived. I’d never mentioned the new security company he was setting up with his friends, since Jack never really told me much about that to begin with. Randall never seemed interested in wanting to visit my brother or even get to know him. I realized now that should have been yet another red flag. So many red flags.
My phone buzzed next to me, and I saw it was a text from Ruthie .
Hey Ellie , it’s Ruthie . I hope you don’t mind, but Archer told me what happened tonight at the pub. I’m so sorry.
Great. I sighed and leaned my head back to look at the ceiling. Wade must have alerted everyone at Ranger Shield about what had happened, including Ruthie . This was so embarrassing. Another message pinged on my phone, and I looked down.
Ruthie:
I take self-defense classes two nights a week. You can totally say no, but you’re welcome to come with me if you want.
While it was embarrassing that word of tonight’s incident was spreading, it was also really sweet of her to reach out—especially since, on the surface, she seemed like an introvert. Besides , I’d always thought about taking a self-defense class but never actually looked into it. Maybe this was a sign to finally do it.
Me:
Hey Ruthie , I would love to. Thanks for inviting me. Just let me know when the next class is, and I would love to come.
We made a plan to meet Tuesday morning to go before we both had to be at work.
I decided to just go to bed and start fresh the next day. I could pick Wade’s brain about Randall tomorrow on the way to his family’s house.
Oh God . There went the anxiety-meter again. I was going to meet his family. I didn’t know why I was suddenly so nervous about that. It wasn’t like we were together, and I was meeting my future family.
Oh, but that kiss. I put my fingers to my lips and could still feel his lips on mine. Would his family know we kissed? I shook my head. Don’t be ridiculous , I thought. Just be yourself, and go there to enjoy a home-cooked meal and meet Wade’s family. This is Jack’s best friend. You are meeting his best friend’s family. That’s how we approach this.
At least, that was how I convinced myself I would treat this lunch tomorrow. The sister of Wade’s best friend.
As I climbed into my bed, I tried to calm my brain from all that had happened today. No sense stressing about meeting Wade’s family or Randall finding me any more tonight when my brain was officially fried.
Remember what Gran used to say. Focus on the positives and things I can control.
I was finally starting to make friends.
I enjoyed my job.
I was going to start school soon and finally accomplish that goal on my list.
I was really excited for this new chapter of my life—my new beginning.