15. Ellie
15
ELLIE
I woke up alone the next morning. I could hear the shower going and realized Wade must have already gotten up. I decided to get up too since I was waiting tables today for the lunch shift. I was in the kitchen getting some coffee going when Wade walked in. He was wearing Army green cargo pants and a tight black tee. His hair was still slightly damp, and he looked so hot. I just stood there and stared at him for a few awkward moments until he spoke and broke my brain of its thought process.
“What’s on tap for today?” he asked, looking at me.
“Umm,” I said as I tried to get my brain to focus. “ I’m working the lunch shift and then going with Ruthie to the self-defense class after she gets off work. I think we’re going to do dinner afterward.”
“Archer driving you to all that?”
“Definitely the first thing, but I’m not sure about dinner,” I told him realizing I should text Ruthie and ask.
“If he can’t, text me and I’ll take you,” he stated. “ Want you covered until we can get some more details on your ex, okay?”
I nodded.
“I’m heading out,” he said as he grabbed some stuff off his counter. “ I gotta meet Vince for some help with a skip, but text Archer or me when you need to head down to work, and one of us will walk you.”
I started to protest that I didn’t need protection for that short of a walk since I literally was living above the pub, but before I could tell him, his phone rang and he picked it up.
“Yeah,” he said quickly. “ Now ? Okay , I’m on my way down now.”
“Text one of us on your way down. I mean it, Ellie ,” he emphasized as he grabbed his keys and took one of them off. “ Use this to lock up. I’ll see you tonight.”
Then he was gone and out the door with me holding the key to his apartment. It all happened so fast, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. So I tried to just push it aside for now and get on with my day. I would think about it later when I had more time. I locked up and went back over to my apartment and got in the shower, did some laundry, and got ready for work.
Knowing Wade was likely busy because he was helping Vince with a skip, I decided to just text Archer about having him walk me to the pub. Plus , I could ask him about the driving situation for the self-defense class and dinner afterward.
He walked me over and told me he would drive us both to everything and just to meet them in the front office to Ranger Shield at 4:30. He also made me promise to text him if no one was around to walk me back to the building after I finished work.
Tammy was working behind the bar, and we had a rather mundane day at work, which I was happy about since I’d had had enough crazy in my life recently. I didn’t need work to make things more complicated.
Tammy also walked me back over to the apartment entrance after my shift since she said she needed to chat with Archer about something anyway. I went upstairs to get changed for the class. I’d never done a self-defense class before, but I imagined you moved around a lot. Thus , you would need to wear clothing that would allow you the freedom to move. I figured my tight spandex shorts and a semi-loose tank top over a sports bra would be best. Though I packed some jeans and a T -shirt for dinner afterward.
I walked into the front office, expecting to see Ruthie , but instead I saw Archer and Wade talking to each other in low tones. Both of them looked up as I walked in. I noticed Wade was eyeing my choice of workout clothes with an intensity that seemed to be a toss between approval and anger.
“Hey, Ellie ,” Archer said to me, and then he mumbled something to Wade as he started walking from the desk over to me.
“Um, hi,” I said awkwardly moving my gaze from Wade over to Archer . “ Where’s Ruthie ?”
“She’s already in my car out front. We’re ready when you are,” he said as he moved past me and out the door. I started to follow but felt Wade come up behind me.
“Have fun,” he said as he squeezed my shoulders. He didn’t kiss me or show any other signs of affection physically, and I wondered if he was worried someone would see, or if public displays of affection just were not Wade’s thing. Not that he needed to show affection, since I wasn’t really sure if we were a thing or not.
Once outside, I slid into the back seat of Archer’s SUV and said hi when I saw Ruthie sitting in the front passenger seat.
“Sorry about your car situation,” Ruthie expressed, and I looked over to the rearview mirror, hoping to see Archer’s face to let me know how much he’d told Ruthie about the situation.
“She knows about the tracker and your ex,” he explained, and I wasn’t sure if I was relieved I didn’t have to lie to her or embarrassed that she knew about it. “ I’m not in the habit of telling strangers your business, but I need her to know so she can keep an eye out if he calls or comes around the office.”
It made sense, but I also didn’t like the thought of Randall coming around. It frustrated me that he was doing this and wouldn’t just leave me alone.
“I also have a car, Ellie , so if you need to borrow it, just let me know and I can just steal Archer’s car for the day, or I can pick you up and drive you myself,” Ruthie offered, which was very sweet.
“First of all, she’s not borrowing your car because she isn’t allowed to drive anywhere by herself. Wade , Vince , or I will drive her. Oh , and Ellie ,” Archer paused. “ Word of advice. Do not let Ruthie drive you anywhere,” he said, his warning laced with a bit of humor.
“Oh my God , Grandma . You act like you’re a better driver than me,” Ruthie bit back.
“I am a better driver. Unlike you, I don’t drive like I’m auditioning for Fast & Furious ,” he said snidely but while also grinning.
I realized two things at that moment. One , Ruthie was not the quiet little mouse I’d thought she was. Two , these two were ribbing each other— not in a mean, cynical way, but rather how siblings would tease each other. How Jack and I used to before he left for the Army .
“My driving is just...peppy and efficient,” Ruthie defended. “ I get us places quickly, unlike your turtle driving.”
“Speed racing is more like it, with a mild heart attack included,” Archer added. “ Ellie , I will get you there in one piece, unlike this one, who curbs sidewalks like it’s her second job.”
“That doesn’t count,” Ruthie defended. “ That construction worker put that cone too far out into the other lane. I had no choice but to drive a few inches over the curb. Admit it, it was a little thrilling.”
“If by thrilling you mean terrifying, then yes, very thrilling.” He laughed.
“If I drive Ellie , she won’t have to grip the door handle for dear life and will actually make it to the gym in one piece,” he stated and looked at me through the rearview mirror with a smirk on his face.
Ruthie huffed, and I laughed. This reminded me so much of how Jack and I used to quibble when we were kids, and I missed it. I missed him.
Archer must have sensed my mood turning.
“Ellie, we’re just kidding, by the way. No need to be worried,” he said in a softer tone.
“Oh no, I’m okay,” I explained to them both. “ This just reminded me of the spats my brother and I used to have as kids, and I realized how much I missed him and being able to razz him. You guys fight like siblings. I take it you’ve known each other for a long time. How did you meet?”
For what seemed like a simple question, the mood in the car definitely shifted. They both went quiet and looked at each other. Archer spoke up first.
“We met in Vegas , and when I was packing up to move here to start the business with the guys, Ruthie was also looking for a change and decided to move here too,” he said while glancing over at Ruthie a few times. “ She had the skills necessary to work with us, and we needed a receptionist so the timing all worked out.”
“Plus, my grandpa lives in Georgia ,” Ruthie divulged.
I sensed that wasn’t the whole story, but I didn’t want to press. Maybe I could ask Ruthie about it later when we were alone and see if she would open up.
The rest of the car ride was filled with more generic conversation about how Archer was going to be on the other side of the gym and for us to let him know when we were done.
We walked into the gym, and Ruthie helped me get signed up for the class. Then , we headed to the locker room to drop our bags off.
Ruthie took off her ring and earrings and shared that sometimes the jewelry gets in the way, so she doesn’t like to wear her rings or earrings to class.
“Right,” she said, clapping her hands together once and putting on a determined face. “ Now let’s go kick some ass to make ourselves feel better.”
I laughed and followed her into class.
An hour later, I was sufficiently worn out, sweating from head to toe—but I also felt more empowered. The class combined kickboxing, taekwondo, and other self-defense tactics designed to teach basic self-defense while also providing an intense workout.
Ruthie and I showered and changed in the locker room then met Archer out front. We all decided to eat dinner at the Mexican restaurant across the street.
“We just burned all those calories. Might as well put them all right back on again with chips and queso,” Ruthie remarked.
“I’m not sure you understand the concept of a workout,” Archer informed her with a grin as she rolled her eyes at him.
We got a booth and sat down, but Archer went to the bar instead, mentioning that Wade was going to meet him there. Honestly , this was better because I wanted to talk to Ruthie , and it would be ideal if Archer wasn’t sitting right next to us.
“Thanks for inviting me. I needed that,” I told Ruthie .
“You’re welcome,” she replied. “ I hope I wasn’t too forward by texting you the other night and inviting you. Archer said sometimes I can be a little blunt.”
I chuckled a little at the look on her face that clearly conveyed that she didn’t want to admit that she agreed with him.
“I have to admit, when I first met you, I thought you were a quiet little introvert,” I shared.
“I can be,” she remarked. “ I’m protective of Archer and the guys because they gave me this awesome job, and I know the security business deals a lot with privacy, so I tend to seem that way when I’m in office mode . I’m sorry if I came off as rude when I first met you. I didn’t know you were Jack’s sister. Wade just mentioned you were some new hire from the pub. I didn’t make the connection until later.”
Her explanation made sense. I told her not to worry about it. My move here to Georgia was kind of last minute, so I doubted Archer and Vince had been given much notice either.
“You seem in a good mood today, given everything that has happened the last few days,” Ruthie noted, then paused and leaned in closer. “ You hangin’ in there?”
I sighed thinking back to what a pain Randall had been in my life the past year and how I hated that I couldn’t just move on.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” She held up her hands as if to tell me there was no pressure.
“I don’t mind. Honestly , it would be kind of nice talking to someone about it,” I explained to her. “ My friend Katie from back in Tennessee is great to talk to, but she doesn’t know the guys like you do, so you may have more insight, which would be helpful. Though , if we talk about this, I might need something a little stronger than a Dr . Pepper .”
As if she’d heard us, our waitress walked up right at that moment to take our order.
“Let’s get some stronger drinks, then. Archer can drop us both off so neither of us has to drive,” she declared, and we both ordered a margarita and our meals.
I started at the beginning, telling her all the details about Randall . Her facial expressions changed from anger to sadness to sympathy and then to a murderous glare, but she never interrupted or pressed me for extra information. She just accepted what I was willing to give, and for that I was so grateful.
“I just feel like an idiot sometimes for not seeing him for the monster he is,” I told her. “ Especially since my brother and gran clearly saw something I didn’t.”
“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it,” Ruthie said to me and then paused. “ That’s my favorite quote from Maya Angelou . I find it’s a good reminder to not be so hard on yourself for past mistakes in life.”
That quote really hit home for me. I realized she was right. I needed to do that. Forgive myself for the mistake of being with Randall when I didn’t know the kind of monster he was. The quote made me wonder about Ruthie’s past. Did she too have a rough past? She must have seen the question and concern on my face, because she spoke up again.
“I promise to tell you my story too, but let me talk to Archer first,” she said quietly. “ It involves a police case he worked on, and I’m not sure I’m allowed to share all of the details.”
I’d like for her to share and be able to help her like she was helping me, but I also understood what she was saying. Hopefully we could become good friends and she would confide in me when she was ready.
Just then, she looked up and to my side and produced a small smile.
“How did self-defense class go?”
I heard Wade’s smooth voice before I saw him appear to my side of the booth.
“Are you two considered ninjas now? If I steal one of your tortilla chips, are you going to make me regret it?”
He had a big smirk on his face as he joked with us. He’d changed from earlier and was now wearing jeans, an Atlanta Falcons T -shirt, and a baseball cap on backwards. He looked so good, and he clearly wasn’t even trying. I felt my face heating as Ruthie replied back to him.
“Touch my chips and you’ll have to sleep with one eye open.” She glared at him, but then smiled to let him know she was messing with him.
He chuckled then put his hand on my shoulder and gave a small squeeze.
“You ladies enjoy your dinner,” he uttered then walked over to the bar to meet Archer .
I looked back at Ruthie , and her eyes were wide, staring at me. While she said nothing, the look on her face spoke volumes, telling me she didn’t miss the soft touch to my shoulder.
Her eyebrows rose as she smirked. I knew my face was likely turning pink. She chuckled a little at my clear embarrassment.
Maybe it was because my brain was fried from everything the last few days of dealing with Randall , or maybe I was just tired from the intense workout at self-defense class, or maybe both, but instead of opening my mouth to tell her it was no big deal, I ended up blurting out the truth instead.
“We had sex!” I said quickly then gasped in disbelief that I’d just told her that.
Her eyes widened at first in shock, but then she gave me a small smile. I knew my face must have been bright red by now, so I took my hands and covered it, leaning down into them on the table.
“Don’t leave me hanging!” she replied.
I sighed and realized in for a penny, in for a pound.
“It happened the night after we went to his family’s house for lunch,” I told her about the building sexual tension with him the last few weeks.
I explained that I had woken up hearing Wade talk in his sleep, though I don’t disclose any details about the night terrors or his PTSD . I told her all the other details though.
She listened intently without saying much except to laugh a little when I explained to her that we’d been sleeping at his place because he felt it broke some weird bro-code to sleep with me in Jack’s bed.
After detailing everything, I exhaled, then grabbed my margarita and took a very long swig—or three.
Her face changed from smiling and clearly entertained to one of concern.
“You don’t seem happy about this,” she said before leaning in close and speaking quietly. “ Was the sex not good?”
“Oh gosh, no, the sex was great,” I clarified but also talking low so the other tables didn’t hear us. “ I’m pretty sure I had an out-of-body experience that night.”
She chuckled, smiling.
“Then why the long face?” she asked.
“I just don’t want to rush into anything, you know?” I tried to point out. I explained how with everything with Randall , moving to a new state, and trying to enroll in school, I didn’t need to get caught up in anything complicated right now.
“I get that, trust me. I just moved here and am trying to do the same in terms of getting the new version of me started,” she told me. “ But you also can’t help when the timing is right. Why don’t you just take it slow and see where things go? If it works out, then great, it works out.”
She made it seem so simple, but there were layers of complication with Wade compared to other guys.
“But if it doesn’t work out, I don’t want it to be awkward with Jack and the security business,” I rationalized.
“I get that, but you also shouldn’t hold back from something you want just in the off chance something might go bad,” she said, and I knew what she was saying was right, but it was hard to get my brain to understand. “ And in the short term, at least you get to have some amazing sex.”
We both smiled and chuckled, looking up just in time to see our food had arrived.
The rest of the conversation was easygoing, and I decided I really liked Ruthie and wanted to make a point to hang out with her more.
After dinner, both Archer and Wade made their way over to our booth, informing us that they paid the bill and it was time to get us home before we “drank ourselves into a stupor.” I just chuckled at the comment, but Ruthie took personal offense and had no problem lighting into Archer as we left the building, which just made me chuckle more.
It made no sense for me to ride back with Archer since he and Ruthie lived in the same building going one way, and Wade and I lived in the same building in the opposite direction. In a brief reprieve from arguing with Archer , Ruthie turned to me, wished me a good night, and winked at me, holding her thumbs up— okay, maybe she was a little drunker than I’d thought.
Wade met me at the passenger door to his SUV and opened it for me. He walked around and got into his side before speaking. “ How’d your evening go? Did you enjoy the class with Ruthie ?”
I smiled, nodding. “ The class was fun, even though some of the moves were intense and thoroughly kicked my butt. The dinner and drinks helped me recover though.” I smiled even bigger. “ I think Ruthie and I are becoming really good friends.”
“That’s good, babe. She seems nice,” he said, and my heart fluttered a little bit at the sound of him calling me babe.
He’d only said that once before, but I thought it was a fluke. I didn’t quite know what to make of it now that he had said it a second time.
“Umm…yeah, she is, and it’s fun watching her and Archer together because they bicker like siblings,” I told him. “ It reminds me of Jack and me when we were younger.”
“Yeah, I don’t know the whole story there, but I do know they knew each other back in Vegas ,” he divulged.
The rest of the car ride was filled with us explaining about our days, and it felt like a conversation you would have with a partner or a really good friend, not just someone you were sleeping with. As much as I would have liked to ask him about that topic, I didn’t exactly know how to do it without it being awkward, so I just let it go for now and enjoyed the comfortable talk.
We got back to the building and headed up to his apartment. After cleaning up and changing, I found him in bed watching a game on TV . I got into the bed next to him and pulled out my phone to text Katie and email my brother to check in on him. Feeling tired after class, I set my phone down and decided I would just watch whatever Wade had on the TV and let it put me to sleep, since sports usually did that for me. I settled in, and Wade reached over and pulled me into his side. He wasn’t really looking at me, but his left arm was on my thigh, which he had now draped over his leg. His right hand was in my hair, just slowly fingering through the ends, and it felt so good.
“That feels nice,” I told him.
“Yeah?” he asked, and I nodded in return.
His eyes were now on me, and the hand on my thigh started sliding up.
His mouth came down to kiss me softly on my lips.
“That feels nice too.” I gave him a smile, and hoped he would take the hint.
He grinned at me lasciviously, then kissed me again. That kiss quickly turned heated, which led to other things that felt nice.
Two orgasms later, I was even more tired than I was before, but also very happy. I realized I could get used to this. And that thought scared me.