20. Ellie
20
ELLIE
I woke earlier this morning with a huge smile on my face. Cocooned in Wade’s arms while he peppered my shoulder and neck with kisses that eventually led to other glorious things was a perfect way to start my day. I thought back to the talk we’d had last night where he told me I was it for him and we were going to give this a shot.
I didn’t think I was a good-enough man capable of a relationship, but you make me want to be that man, Ellie . I’m not saying I won’t screw up, but I promise I will never hurt you on purpose.
Wade was so complex but also kind, protective, encouraging, supportive, and it didn’t hurt that he was too handsome for his own good. I was ready. Ready to move on from Randall and take these next steps with Wade .
The other great part was that my brother was back in the States and finally coming back to Georgia tonight. Which reminded me of my conversation with Wade this morning.
“This morning, move your stuff in here,” Wade told me.
“Like move into your apartment?” I asked him, kind of shocked because this seemed fast.
“Babe,” he said calmly as he stroked my hair while lying next to me in bed. “ I want you in my bed. Plus , your brother comes home today, and he’s gonna want his bed back. You think it’s too fast or you want something closer to school, then I’ll help you look for your own apartment, but you’re either gonna be sleepin’ here in my bed, or I’ll be in yours every night, so short-term, just move your stuff in here.”
What he said made sense, but it still seemed fast to me. At the same time, the thought of sharing a space with him didn’t scare me like it had with Randall . Plus , I didn’t really want to share a space with my brother. That had only been my temporary solution when I originally moved here.
Jack and I had been texting back and forth the last few days, and I knew he’d talked with Wade and Vince yesterday about the plan with my car. Apparently , Jack wasn’t happy about the timing of the plan, nor was he happy about me staying in Wade’s apartment. I agreed with the guys and had told my brother as much via text.
I hadn’t had a chance to really talk to Jack about where Wade and I stood yet, because I wanted that to be in person where he wasn’t distracted. Hopefully I could explain to him tonight at dinner so he understood, and we would stick with the original plan of me staying with Wade tonight.
After Wade worshipped my body this morning, we went for a walk together down by the river on one of the trails—something we had done several times now and I really enjoyed. Especially when Mr . Alpha Macho Man held my hand the entire time we walked.
When we returned, he went to the gym, and I stayed behind to clean up before my shift so I could get Jack’s place back in order before he arrived.
Wade came back into the apartment as I was filling out some forms online for school registration.
“You excited about school?” he asked as he walked up behind me, moved my hair off my shoulder, and leaned down to kiss my neck.
Heat moved through my body instantly, and I breathed out a sound of contentment.
“Yeah, it feels like a long time coming, so I’m happy I finally get to do it,” I told him, sighing as I thought of how proud Gran would be of me. I wish she were here. Not only would she be happy about school, but she would really like Wade for me.
“Let me shower, and then I need to grab a few things at the office before we head to the pub, okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be done with these forms in just a few minutes, and then I’ll get ready,” I told him.
I watched as he walked toward the bedroom, and I thought how lucky I was that he was mine.
* * *
Wade and I walked into the pub together with him holding my hand. We got to the bar area where Sam and Tammy were working. Beth was also by the bar, closing out her tabs because she was coming off shift soon. When I said hi to her, she looked at us and her eyes moved directly to my hand entwined with Wade’s . Her eyes went wide, but then she looked at me with a weird smile on her face.
“Good to see you. Have a fun shift,” she said before walking away. I knew she’d suspected there was something going on between us, and I’d told her there couldn’t be, so maybe she realized things had changed.
I let go of Wade’s hand and went to the back-office space to put my purse down and say hi to Chuck before walking back out to the front. Wade was talking to Tammy when I came out, and I assumed it was to discuss the plan for the next day and to keep an eye out. He turned to me when I walked out and gave me a small smile. He took the few small steps toward me, put his hand around the side of my neck, and gave me a quick kiss on my forehead right in front of Tammy and everyone at the bar, and then left, saying he would be back soon. I stood there silently with my fingers barely touching my lips, looking at nowhere in particular.
“Looks like one of you isn’t afraid to rush things,” Tammy said with a small chuckle and knowing smile.
She knew my hesitation with moving too quickly with Wade , but I hadn’t filled her in since Wade and I talked yesterday. Once we slowed down a bit, I would give her the latest details because I could certainly use her sage advice to help me work through my nerves.
My mind kept going back to the conversation with Wade last night. I could sense he was still holding back a little, unsure of his own worth, but that made me more determined to also put myself out there. I was ready to move forward, to take that leap. I wanted to break those walls down to show him that he deserved a good partner by his side, just like I did. He was worth it, and so was I . With that thought, I tried to get my focus back to work, knowing I would tell him tonight how I felt.
It wasn’t too busy yet, but the dinner rush would be coming soon so Tammy and I spent the next thirty minutes trying to get everything prepped for when we filled up.
“Hey, Ellie ,” I heard Beth call to me. “ The boss wants to see you back in his office.” She leaned into me and spoke in a quieter tone. “ You might want to go quick, cause he seems upset.”
I wondered if something with Randall had come up. I nodded to Tammy , who’d heard and told me she would take care of the guys at the end of the bar for me. As I set my drying towel down to head to the back office, Beth added one more thing.
“He went to take the trash out really quick, but you can either wait in his office or meet him by the back door when he comes in if that’s easier. I’m done for the day, so I’ll follow you out. Bye Tammy !” she said as she waved bye to Tammy and followed me through the door to the kitchen and toward the back of the building.
I glanced in his office, but he wasn’t there, which meant he must still be outside.
After the mystery letter the other night, Wade and the guys had told me not to go outside alone, and I wasn’t stupid. I would go out with Beth and just stand by the back door as he walked back from the dumpster. Plus , technically if he was already out there, I wouldn’t be alone, and if he really was in a bad mood because of Randall , I wanted to know what was going on.
Beth opened the back door for me, and I followed her out. Our dumpster wasn’t far from the back door, maybe forty to fifty feet at most, so I could see it as soon as I opened the door. There was a light above the back door, and it was very bright—for security reasons—but even with the extra light, I didn’t see Wade . Just as I was about to call out to him, something flashed on my left side just around the door, and something hard hit my head. It hurt so bad, and I felt myself lurch forward, and then everything went black.