Chapter 18
Gwen
I wake up to lips brushing against my back. Soft, tender kisses reminding me of all the ways Rex has pleasured me this night. Smiling, I roll onto my back and keep my eyes closed as he gently kisses my lips.
“Mmm, don’t tell me you want more, Roberts? What, three or four times is not enough for you?”
He smiles, then whispers, “I could never get enough of you, Gwen.” My heart stills. Hope fills me as he once again tells me things I have longed to hear. “But first, I want to show you something.”
My eyes open as I take in his face in the moonlight. “What do you have in mind?” I tease him.
He smiles and grabs my hand, hoisting me out of bed. Naked, I stand before him wondering what the hell he is up to. He grabs the throw blanket off a nearby chair and wraps it around my body. Pulling me close, he kisses the tip of my nose and then urges me to follow as he grabs my hand back in his.
“Where are you taking me?” I giggle as I stumble over my feet walking down the hallway.
Coming to the living room, I stop suddenly and gawk as I admire the view before me.
A strobe light show of the Northern Lights plays on my living room ceiling.
Scattered throughout the apartment are little white candles.
Pillows and blankets have been set up as a bed on the floor in the middle of the room.
Rex pulls me forward and sits on the makeshift bed.
He tugs on my hand, urging me to do the same.
When I comply, he wraps his arms around my waist and we lay back and admire the light show happening on my ceiling.
I don’t dare ask how he managed this one.
There is no telling how he could pull this off, but if he can break into my apartment at dawn, he can definitely make this happen.
“Number three on your list, see the Northern Lights,” Rex kisses the top of my head.
I smile as I remember one of the bucket list items I whispered to him when I thought he was sleeping in the bed of his truck all those years ago.
“But all of these things, Rex, they are all my bucket list items,” I say, as I realize what he has done. “What about what you wanted to do?”
“Gwen,” he says, leaning forward and making me sit up with him. He grabs my face, and looks me in the eye. “Sweetheart, you are the only thing I could ever want. Ever need. You’re all the bucket list I will ever check off in life. To be with you, that’s enough for me.”
A tear rolls down my cheek. Rex tenderly brushes it away with his thumb.
Speechless, I stare back into his eyes as his face lowers.
He kisses me tenderly. The blanket falls around us, and I climb into his lap.
I may not have the words to say right now, but nothing is holding me back from expressing how his confession just made me feel.
Whole. Complete. His.
Finally, after all this time, he’s showing me how much I mean to him. Lord help me, because I’ve died and gone to heaven at the hands of Rex Roberts, and worry there is no turning back.
* * *
Three Weeks Later
“Aaliyah, where are those reports, damn it. I needed them yesterday,” I yell down the office hallway, not surprised when no one answers back.
I haven’t exactly been the best person to be around with this deadline quickly approaching and many loose ends crumbling before us. Aaliyah comes around the corner and dumps a stack of papers on my desk before rolling her eyes and walking off.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Chill, girl,” she says, turning to me with a smile. “I know you don’t. But hell, breathe, lady. It’s not all that bad. Besides, who cares if we miss the deadline by one or two days? It’s happened before.”
As she walks out of the office, I can’t help but think, yeah, no big deal for you. But I have a huge deal riding on this, and I have to come through if I want to get this new position.
My phone dings on the desk, alerting a text message. I look down to see it’s Rex. It has been three weeks since that night at my apartment, and I would be lying if I said I only thought of him every other second. Since then he fills my daydreams and, at night, my bed.
Although, work took him away this last week, and he’s just now getting back into town. I’m excited to see him, although with the shit show I have going on here, I might have to work late instead of being wrapped around him later like I want.
My desk phone rings and snaps me away from the text. Recognizing the number, I pick it up quickly and hope it’s the answer I need to turn this big disaster around.
An hour later, I’ve completely forgotten about Rex’s text. I find myself engulfed in work and too stressed over my deadline to think straight when someone knocks on my door. I look up, but they don’t enter, so I go back to typing an email and ignore it. A second later, the knock sounds again.
“Come in,” I yell.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Eva says as she strolls into my office.
I smile as I stand and quickly stride toward her. “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, having not seen her since her wedding four months earlier.
She smiles at me, and I can’t help but notice how she’s glowing. Marriage looks good on her.
“Got a visit from an old friend stopping through town,” she says as she hugs me back. “Asked me if I was too busy to take a trip with him down south. I figured I’ve never seen New Orleans, and it’s been too long since I’ve seen your beautiful face, so why not.”
She backs away, and I grin. She’s a much-needed distraction from everything happening in my life these last few weeks.
“It’s good to see you,” she smiles.
“Damn it, woman. It’s good to see you, too.” I motion to the chair in front of my desk. “How was Europe? How was Italy? Shit, how is it being married?”
She laughs, “Oh, it has its ups and downs. But luckily, after the downs comes delicious makeup sex, so I can’t complain.”
I smile, my heart warms seeing her so happy.
There was a time she fought too hard against things she couldn’t control, and always needed to call the shots.
It’s good she found someone like Noah to balance her out and bring her back to reality.
You can’t always control life. Sometimes, you have to enjoy the ride.
If only I could make myself believe that when it comes to Rex.
“It’s good to see you so happy, Eva.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” she says. “A lot of this smile belongs to Noah.”
I grin knowingly.
“So,” she starts. “Rex said I just had to get down here and see what you were up to.” My heart rate spikes. “What are you up to, Gwen?”
My face blushes, and I know I’m caught. “I don’t know what you mean,” I stutter, swiveling in my chair and trying to dodge the question by going back to my email.
“Bullshit,” Eva laughs. “Come on. Please save me from having Rex tell me all the juicy details. You know how he likes to tell stories.”
Rolling my eyes, I glance back at her and smile. “Well, what has he said?”
“I knew it,” she shouts. “I told Noah, and he was like, ‘There is no way.’ But I called this one!”
I laugh at her but still try and fake innocence. “Called what?”
“Oh shut it, Gwen,” Eva demands, pointing a finger at me. “Rex had this silly ass smirk on his face, and now you look like you’re on cloud nine and have been fucked thoroughly and often. Neither of you will pick up the damn phone, and when you do, you are vague. What is going on?”
I laugh. With a shrug, I say, “To be honest, I don’t know. But whatever it is, words can’t describe it.”
A more factual statement has never been spoken.
I don’t know how to describe what is happening between Rex and me. Is it just a quick flame off an old spark that would eventually die out? Or has it been simmering on low all this time and will only grow bigger the more we explore its heat?
Eva cocks her head to one side. “Are you okay? Because I will willingly kick his ass. I don’t care how far back our family goes.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I’m fully capable of kicking Rex’s ass if I need to.”
“Are either of you ever going to tell me your secret?” she asks, shocking me a little.
I swallow hard and look at the wall to my left.
Now is not the time. Only after Rex and I have cleared the air between us first. And maybe not even then.
I still haven’t told Rex I was pregnant with his baby ten years ago, or the events that followed me finding out.
If anyone is going to hear about it first, it’s going to be him.
“One day,” I say, looking back with a sad smile. She smiles a weary one at me as a head pokes around the corner into my office.
“Excuse me, I’m looking for my wife,” Noah grins. “Tall, gorgeous, curves for days. Golden blonde hair and breathtaking blue eyes. Have you seen her?”
Eva turns around and smirks at him, rising quickly from her seat, he quickly makes his way towards her.
“Well, if that isn’t the way to steal a woman’s heart,” she says, but he grabs her and dips her in his arms. I watch as she smiles up at him, and Noah lays the most tender of kisses against her lips. Breathless, she looks up at him at a loss for words.
“Don’t tell me I still take your breath away after a couple months of marriage,” Noah jokes, bringing her back up to standing. She goes to swat at his arm, but he pulls her close and kisses the top of her head.
Looking back at me, Eva asks, “What time do you get off?’
I glance back at my computer screen. My boss would kill me if she knew I was taking time off when I was this far behind. I wouldn’t need to screw up this major deal. She’d fire me on the spot. But when old friends beckon, you answer the call.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I switch off my computer and look back at the two of them. “Now.”
“Fantastic,” Eva squeals, bouncing towards me.
Noah gives her a swat on her butt, which puts a little extra bounce in her step and earns him a glare over her shoulder. Grabbing my purse, I link arms with her and exit the office.
“I was hoping you’d quit early,” she says, as we make our way towards the front doors. “I could use some Gwen time, not that hanging out with my husband 24/7 isn’t a blast.”
“Heard that,” Noah yells after us as we walk down the hall, giggling like little school girls.
We round the corner to the front office, and I relax for the first time in a while knowing I have nothing else to do this evening but hang out with my best friend.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask as we exit the building and start walking to our cars.
Noah catches up to us. I watch as Eva’s back is turned, and he gives his wife a look that would melt any woman’s heart. It’s one that says he’s damn proud to call her his, and that fact will never change. It’s a look I recently saw in Rex’s eyes as he stared at me while we made love.
Holy fuck, Rex!
I fumble with my purse, trying to get to my phone, only now remembering his text from earlier.
“I dunno, let’s go out,” Eva shrugs. “You have to know a lot of the spots here by now. I mean, come on, we are in New Orleans. Let’s have some fun. But first, I want to see this club you are working on. Let’s stop there and then hit Bourbon Street.”
Before I can protest, or finish pulling my phone from my purse, Eva saunters off after Noah to their car parked a few spots over. She looks at me over the hood as she climbs in the passenger seat.
“We’ll follow you,” she winks, and I know I have just been royally set up by the one and only Eva Monroe.
I hadn’t planned on telling her about Rex and me until I was sure of whatever was happening between us.
I glance down at the phone in my hands, at the text I still haven’t responded to, and tap my finger against the screen a few times.
It’s pointless to respond now, seeing as I will see him in a few minutes, and so I climb behind the wheel of my car and slowly put it in drive.
Maybe having Eva and Noah here will be good for us. Maybe it’ll force both our hands and make us finally take a stand. That is, if it doesn’t force us back into hiding first.