Chapter 17
Seventeen
Ellison
The rain thrashes against the windows, and I curl deeper under the blanket I’m cocooned in on the couch.
Courtlynn and Leighton both left for the day.
They’re going to Nashville for the night with their best friends.
It’s only about an hour’s drive, and it’s a good time.
Lucky for them, they have concert tickets to see Luke Combs, so they’ll be inside most of the night.
It’s supposed to rain like this for the next several hours.
Kinzie’s out of town until Monday. She’s at a vet clinic conference in Cincinnati. So, I’m here all alone. Not that I mind. I’ve been exhausted this week, so a night in, curled up on the couch resting, is exactly what I need.
My phone rings, and I have to wrestle with the covers to free my arms so I can reach it. I catch Copeland’s name before I answer. “Hello.”
“I miss you.”
I smile. Copeland never misses an opportunity to tell me what he’s feeling.
His open communication has helped me limp past my fear that this won't work out. It’s been six weeks since the night we hashed out our past and slept together.
Six weeks since he told me that he was going to fight for us, and he’s lived by those words.
We’ve been on countless dates, and he’s constantly dropping by my office with flowers or snacks, even just for a quick kiss because he was thinking of me.
It’s been six weeks of bliss, and with each day that passes, my worry fades a little more.
Copeland has backed up his words with actions, and while six weeks isn’t very long, I know with absolute certainty that this time, we’re going to work.
We’ve both learned from the mistakes of our past, and we both want the same thing.
A life with each other.
That’s all I’ve ever wanted, and in my soul, I know that Copeland James is my future, just like I’d always hoped he would be.
“I miss you, too,” I tell him, smiling like a lovesick fool.
“I’m on my way over. Mom is having a sleepover with Colter and Maeve at Chandler’s tonight.”
“I love that. How is she feeling today?”
“Good. Stronger than the last few days. She has chemo again next week, and she wants to spend some time with the kids while she has energy stored up.”
“That makes sense.”
“Do you need anything? I can run to town before I come over.”
“Just you.”
“Ells,” he says, his voice cracking. “You have me, babe. All of me.”
“I know. I’m curled up on the couch, under the blanket, but something is missing.”
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll bring it with me.”
I chuckle. He’s so focused on taking care of me that he missed what I was saying. “You, Copeland. All that’s missing is you.”
“Six minutes, tops,” he says.
“Drive safe.”
“Babe, you’re literally right next door.”
“Most accidents happen within six miles of the home,” I tell him. My parents were right at six miles when they were in their accident.
“I’ll be safe,” he promises.
“Good. The door’s unlocked.”
“Ellison,” he growls, and heat pools between my thighs. Who knew that was so hot? “Don’t leave the damn door unlocked.”
“Magnolia Ridge is safe. Besides, there are all kinds of people milling around the estate.”
“Exactly. Lock the door.”
“You’d better come protect me,” I tease.
“Always, baby. I’ll see you soon.”
I open my mouth to tell him that I love him, but I quickly close it. “I’ll be here,” I tell him before we quickly say our goodbyes and end the call.
Not three minutes later, there’s a knock at the door. “Come in!” I call out.
“Ells.”
Another growl, and it makes me giddy. “Cope,” I say cheerily.
He walks into the living room, his feet bare.
He doesn’t stop until he’s got his arms braced on the couch, and he’s leaning over me.
I’m ready for him to scold me about the door, but instead, he grins.
“Hi,” he says, before leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.
I slide my hands behind his neck and hold him to me, pushing my tongue past his lips, and we both groan.
Finally, he’s going to take things further—at least, I hope he does—but instead, he eases out of the kiss and stands to his full height.
I jut out my bottom lip like a toddler, and I don’t care how it looks.
“What?” He smirks.
“Why don’t you want me?” I blurt before I can think better of it. Oh, well, we’re all about communication, right? I want to know what’s holding him back.
Copeland’s mouth falls open. “You think I don’t want you?”
“You kiss me like you do. You hold me like I’m precious, but that’s all you’ve given me.”
He sits next to me on the couch and pulls my legs onto his lap, making sure to keep them covered with the blanket. He runs his calloused hands over my bare calf. “Wanting you isn’t the problem, Ellison.”
“Then what is?”
“Six weeks ago today, you told me to leave. I’d just made love to you; my heart felt complete for the first time in years.
You screamed and told me to go, and that you were trying not to love me.
” He pauses, his hand gently tracing my calf beneath the blanket, and I give him time to collect his thoughts.
Meanwhile, I struggle to stay still, sitting in this spot. All I want to do is curl up in his lap and tell him how much I love him, but I can hear it in his tone of voice and see it in his expression that he needs to say more, and I’m going to let him.
“I told you I was going to fight for you. Fight for us. Not for the sex, Ellison, for the love. I’m fighting for my future, the future I don’t want unless you’re in it.
The one where you change your last name and call me your husband.
The future that has me laying my head to rest every night beside yours and waking up the same way.
The life that we build together. I’m holding back because the last time you told me you didn’t want to love me, and baby, that’s all I want you to do.
I promised myself I’d go slow. That I’d show you that this is more than just sex; it’s everything.
You are everything,” he says. His brown eyes, so full of love and devotion, stare me down as they will me to understand where he’s coming from.
I do understand.
I sit up straighter, and my hands find his beneath the blanket.
I lace our fingers together and stare into those chocolate-brown eyes I love so much.
I part my lips to speak, but no words come out.
I don’t know what to say. This incredible man, he’s all I’ve ever wanted.
My mind swims trying to find the words, but they won’t come.
There are only three that I can think of, and they’re the exact three words that have been fighting to break free for weeks.
Letting go of his hands, I pull the cover back and move to straddle his lap.
A chill races over me as the air conditioning hits my skin, and Copeland notices, because the man misses nothing when it comes to me.
Reaching for the blanket, he wraps it around me, making sure I’m warm before wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
“Better?”
I nod. One of my hands slides around the back of his neck, while the other rests against his cheek. He holds my gaze as if he can sense whatever I’m about to say is going to change both of our lives, and well, I hope it does.
His chest rises and falls at a steady pace, his gaze doesn’t waver, and his hold on me is secure, just like the man.
“You’re steady,” I say, my voice strong.
“You were always a solid presence in my life, and when you left, I was drowning.” The light in his eyes dims, and I don’t want that, so I rush to keep going.
“All my life, you’re all I’ve ever wanted.
I used to think I was a little off my rocker, or maybe a lot”—I grin—“because no matter how hard I tried, Cope, I couldn’t let you go.
I wondered so many times if it was just the thought of you that I loved so much, but that wasn’t it.
It was you. The man, the lover, the protector, my best friend,” I say, my voice betraying me with a crack of emotion.
“Copeland James, you are the love of my life. I love you so damn much. I want the life we planned all those years ago. I want everything you described. I know I said that I was trying not to love you, but I failed. I’ve never stopped loving you, Copeland.”
“Ells,” he rasps as his lips connect with mine.
He kisses me like I’m the air he needs to breathe. It’s not rushed, but it is full of meaning. I nip at his lip, and he opens for me, offering me more, and I take it. My tongue slides against his in an erotic dance. The air around us is charged, lit from desire, want, and need.
His fingers grip my waist, curling a little tighter, as if he’s grounding himself in the moment. My hands move to his chest, fisting his shirt, because I want nothing more than to be tethered to this man in every way imaginable for the rest of my life.
Our mouths work together. Our kiss grows warmer, more insistent with each stroke of our tongues. It’s the kind of kiss that makes you forget where you are and clears your mind of every coherent thought outside of the connection between us.
It’s an intimacy between us built not only on touch but also on emotion and proximity, amplifying everything we’re both feeling without using words.
I don’t know who moves first, but we’re tearing at each other’s clothes. I’m desperate to feel his skin against mine.
“Sisters?” he murmurs against my lips, as he reaches behind me and deftly handles the clasp of my bra.
“Out for the night,” I say, running my hands over his now-bare chest. I roam until I come to the waistband of his shorts. I pop the button and slowly lower the zipper.
I’m wearing a pair of athletic shorts today, which gives him immediate access, as he slides his hand beneath the fabric and gently traces his index finger over the crotch of my panties.