Chapter 31 – Andie
ANDIE
I was devastated. I’d finally agreed to give it a go, be fully with him and he ended it. I must be cursed—as soon as I find love the guy leaves. Maybe there was something wrong with me.
I took a walk around the library; the shelving was beautiful and I ran my fingers along the smooth wood.
My heart about stopped when I looked to the wall above the fireplace.
Morgan had hung a picture of us, not naked this time, but happy together at the club.
We were sat in the booth, with his arm around my shoulder and my hand on his leg, both smiling at the camera.
My throat tightened and I felt the walls closing in, I had to get out of there.
I wrapped up warm, grabbed a to-go coffee mug, and headed outside.
A walk in the fresh air was just what I needed.
I followed a path along the mountain road across from our house and took a seat on a quiet bench, watching people with their kids and walking dogs.
I thought about my life and how it may have looked if I could have had children.
Or what if I hadn’t gone to L.A. and never got married.
Would I still have met Morgan? Were we destined to meet?
Or would we have simply gone about our lives with other people?
Maybe that’s how it should have happened, then we both wouldn’t be hurting.
Would my relationship with Kate change now?
Would he still help with the kitchen extension, and I would have to see him, but not be able to touch him again? Both hearts broken and not healing.
“Are you okay, love?” I looked up at a kind woman who had been walking along with her friend.
I hadn’t realised I’d been crying until she had spoken to me. “Yes, thank you. Just thinking about things.” I wiped at my face.
“Would you like us to sit with you for a while?” They both smiled warmly at me.
“No, thank you. That’s very kind. I’m waiting for my brother. He’s going to meet me here shortly,” I lied.
I wanted to be left alone but had a feeling if they thought that, then they wouldn’t leave me. And I wasn’t up for company.
“Okay love. If he doesn’t come soon then come down the mountain, okay? There’s a lovely coffee van at the bottom.” She patted me on the arm.
“I will. Thank you.”
My phone buzzed with a text from Kate.
K: Where are you? We’re all looking for you?
A: I came for a walk up the mountain by the house. Sorry, lost track of time.
K: Stay there.
I did as she asked. I didn’t want to move anyway. I didn’t want to go home and be reminded of Morgan in every room of the house. I just wanted to forget for a while. Be someone else. Someone who was worthy of love. More tears flowed, and I wiped them away, but they wouldn’t stop.
“Fuck me, Andie. You’ve been gone three hours. You must be freezing.” Jonathan stood in front of me. He took off his coat and wrapped it around me.
Once he had wrapped me up, I realised just how cold I was. “Thanks.” I pulled the coat closer around me. “I lost track of time. I needed to clear my head.”
“Morgan, his mother, the girls, everyone has been looking for you.” He kept on, pulling me up and holding me on the way down the path.
“I said I’m sorry. He left me. He saw the texts from stupid fucking Max and broke up with me. I’m not destined to be happy. I don’t deserve to be happy.” I sobbed, stumbling over some loose rocks on the way down the mountain.
“Listen to me, you do deserve love.” Jonathan held onto my shoulders and stopped walking. “You are not broken or damaged or whatever else the fuck you think you are. Morgan did get upset, but I’ve talked to him and he’s sorry. If you had answered any of his calls, you would know that.”
“He knows that I would never get back with Max?” I whispered, my voice hitching in the aftermath of my sobs.
“He does, and that man loves you. He’s been out of his mind all day looking for you. He even called the police. Now, come on, we have to get you warm.” Jonathan half dragged me home, where he sent me to shower and get dressed.
With my hair wrapped in a shower cap, I stood under the shower for a lot longer than I normally did, allowing the hot water to seep into my cold bones.
Once I’d warmed up, I got out, towelled off, and dressed in jeans and a jumper.
I let my hair down to try to keep my neck warm as I was still shivering a little.
Sitting in front of my dressing table mirror I studied myself. I still looked the same, but inside I was completely different. I was in love again, and this time I wanted it to be different; Morgan was different, in many ways, to all the other men I had been with.
I put on a little makeup to try and cheer myself up as I thought about him.
He was a kind, sweet, good guy, and I had pushed him to the edge of that goodness.
Something I wasn’t proud of, but I would spend every day trying to make it up to him and never make him feel like that again.
He deserved more, and I would strive to be better for him.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Hey, you okay?” Jonathan poked his head in.
“Yeah, finally got warmed up. I’m just going to call Morgan, and then I’ll come out and maybe we can watch a movie?” I smiled, grateful to have a wonderful brother in my life.
“Can you come out with me first? I need to show you something before you call him, okay?” Jonathan grinned like a hyena.
“Oookay.” I got up and followed him out to the pool area. “What is this?” Twinkling fairy lights had been placed around the pool, and cream pillar candles were dotted around the whole area, giving off a soft, romantic, warm glow.
“Turn around, Andie,” Jonathan said, kissing the side of my head.
I spun to see Morgan down on one knee with a huge bunch of flowers at his feet.
“Jon, what the hell is this?” I said through gritted teeth. I had to leave. What were they thinking?
“Just listen to him. I promise you will like this,” Jon said.
I looked into his eyes and saw only honesty. I took a deep breath and focused back to Morgan. I heard the sliding doors close behind me, leaving me and Morgan alone.
“I’m glad we found you.” He smiled up at me.
“Sorry. I needed to think things over.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean any of it. I was a stupid idiot.”
“I would never, ever get back with Max. I told you there is nobody else for me but you, and I meant it.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I let my insecurities get the better of me and took it out on you. I can’t promise to get rid of them straight away, but I am working on it. I want us to forget everything in our past, okay?”
“I’m good with that.” I nodded eyeing up the little blue box he held in his hands. I was so nervous and so not ready for another marriage.
“Andie, I have loved you from the start. We haven’t had it easy, but that’s only made me love you more. When I thought I was going to lose you in Spain…” He choked up.
I felt a lump form in my throat as tears sprang to my eyes. I placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed as he looked down to the tiles at my feet and tried to gather himself.
“It nearly broke me. I swore then that I would get you to love me, that we would never be apart again.” He held my hand; my eyes hadn’t left his.
“What I’m saying is, you’re it for me, we are endgame.
So, I’m asking you Andie, will you be with me?
To walk down the street hand in hand, to dance with me, and let me kiss you whenever I want? ”
He held up a beautiful, sparkling tennis bracelet. “Fuck,” I whispered under my breath, Jonathan was wrong, I didn’t like it… I loved it. “Morgan, get up.” I grinned.
He looked worried and his face fell. “Answer the question,” he said, not moving.
“Just get up, please.” I tugged on his arm.
Morgan got up and stood in front of me, looking down at the floor.
“Look at me, please,” I asked, taking his hand in mine.
He did, and his eyes shone brightly. He looked so sure I was about to say no. I held out my left arm.
“I would love to be with you.” I giggled at the choice of wording. “I love you so much, Morgan. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to—”
I didn’t get to finish the sentence as his face broke into a huge smile. He threw the little blue box behind him, picked me up and twirled me around, kissing me as we stopped moving. He pulled away but didn’t let my hand go.
“I can’t believe you said yes. It seems too good to be true.” He ran off to pick up the bracelet before returning and pulling me into him. “I love you, Andie.” He wrapped the bracelet around my wrist, and I held it up to watch it sparkle in the lights.
“I love you too, Morgan, and I will spend each and every day proving that to you, and every night showing you.” I bit my lip, knowing it drove him wild.
“You can start tonight. I think a night of naked cuddling is needed.” He kissed me, pulling my body as close to his as possible as his tongue danced with mine.
“Now that I can do.”
“Come with me.” He led me back through the living room and into the dining room which had also been decorated with candles. Platters filled with our favourite foods were placed along the table. “I figured we could grab food and cuddle up with a movie,” he said handing me a plate.
“That sounds perfect.” I grinned. My cheeks ached from smiling so much.
After the movie, Morgan took my hand and led me into my bedroom. I gasped as I looked to the wall at the side of my bed. He’d blown up another photo of us, the one I had done originally that he had cracked with his fist and had hung it on the wall.
“Oh,” was all I could manage. First the one of us in the library, now this one. He was showing me how much he loved me.
“Do you like it?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I love it. The one in the library, too.” I turned, tilted my head, and kissed him, his soft lips meeting mine with a sense of urgency. “Morgan, I still can’t...” I pulled back.
“That’s okay, baby. I can wait. You are worth the wait. Buuuttt…” He trailed off smiling.
“But what?”
His smile was addictive. “You will owe me, because I’ll be missing all the benefits of being your boyfriend this next couple of weeks.”
I laughed, remembering when I had used a line like that on him. “Oh, really?”
“Yep.” He ran his hand up and down my arms.
I pulled his top up and over his head, planting kisses on his chest. “I think I may be able to show you one of those benefits right now.” I yanked on his belt, practically ripping the buttons open in his jeans.
“Baby, you don’t need to do anything.”
“I know, but I want to. Now, shut the fuck up and strip.”
I needed to feel the connection with him, the intimacy I didn’t share with anyone but him. He laughed but did as I asked.
My heart raced as I looked him up and down. His perfectly sculpted body and tight arse made me hot all over. The bruising from the car accident, still showing up and down his body, did not detract from his hotness.
“You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?” I told him, running my fingers up from his thigh to his chest and back down to his arse, giving it a squeeze.
“You’re beautiful. Do I get to see you?” He pulled my jumper off, and began working on my jeans, leaving me in just my underwear. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Come here.”
I held his hand and tugged him to the bed, getting him to lie down in the middle. I crawled up between his legs, planting kisses up his thigh, then licking from his shaft up to his tip, cleaning up the salty pre-cum.
“Oh, fuck, Andie.”
I moved upwards, kissing and nipping at his stomach, chest, and neck. “This neck is too clean.”
“Maybe you should do something about that.” He gasped and raised his hips as I sucked at his skin hard. Morgan wrapped his hands in my hair and pulled me down, our lips crashing together, tongues dancing. I dropped my hand, gripped his cock hard and pumped. “Fuck baby.” He gasped into my mouth.
I slid slowly back down his perfect body, and took his cock into my mouth, slowly moving up and down at first, then deep throating him, my gag reflex in good working order.
“Andie yes, more baby, more. I’m nearly there!
” Morgan moaned, gripping my hair and guiding my head up and down.
I moaned as he fucked my mouth. “Baby, I’m about to come, stop now. ” He let go of my hair.
I gripped the bottom of his shaft, looked up at him and sucked hard and fast, my gaze not leaving his until he threw his head back.
“Oh fuck, baby, yes, yes, fuck!” he yelled as streams of cum filled my mouth, hitting the back of my throat.
I swallowed and licked him clean. “Hey, come here.” He gently pulled me up and into his side.
“You’re amazing, I’m so lucky to have you. ” He kissed the side of my head.
“I’m lucky to have you, Morgan. I’ve put you through so much—”
“Hey, look at me.” He gently pulled on my chin, so my face was tilted up to his.
His blue eyes were so beautiful I got lost in them.
“We are not going to think about the past, okay? That was just a trial phase. We got through it, and proved we are meant to be together. Let’s just go from here. Brand new us.”
“Brand new us.” I kissed him lightly.