Authors: Brooke St. James
I felt Jordan's hands under my armpits like a parent would hold a child. He effortlessly slid me up the bed to where my head was resting on a pillow. "There," he said. "We might as well get comfortable."
I was barely peeking out from under my arm, but I saw him walk to the other side of the bed, shrugging out of his life jacket as he walked. He crawled in next to me, stretching out on his back. "Come here," he said, nudging my arm.
I barely opened my eyes as I rolled over to let my head rest on his chest. I was holding my life jacket, so I clutched it to my chest like a big, orange teddy bear. He slid his arm underneath me and helped me settle into a comfortable position on my side.
"Laying on your left side helps nausea," he said.
I let out a moan to let him know I was onboard with whatever plan he had.
He held me to his chest, lightly smoothing my hair with one hand. "Want me to tell you a story?" he asked.
I nodded. He was quiet for several long seconds before speaking again.
"This is one my dad told me a long time ago. It's from when he was a kid—about 15 years old or so. He lived way on the outskirts of town, and he and his friends used to hang out at a service station. It was basically a gas station, but back then, it was different. It was a full-service type thing. The guys would come out and pump the gas for you and ask if you needed your windshield washed, tires filled with air, oil checked, or any of that stuff. Well, one of my dad's friends worked at a station like that, and just for fun, their group of friends would buy a dollar's worth of gas, and make their friend do all the extra stuff to their cars. Then they'd get in someone else's car, buy a dollar worth of gas just so they could do it all over again. The service station was basically a big hang out with 15-year-old hooligans."
He paused when I lifted my head to get adjusted. "You okay?" he asked.
I nodded.
"You want me to keep on?"
I nodded again.
"So, they were all hanging out at this service station when the town handyman, a guy named Lou, came by in his beat up truck. There had just been a big storm, way worse than this one, with hail and everything, and there had been some damage to people's roofs. Anyway, Lou asks the boys if any of them would be interested in helping him fix a few roofs in exchange for some cash under the table. Of course, my dad said yes. I'm not sure where his parents were during all of this. Obviously, they didn't mind him going off with a random handyman to fix roofs. So, Lou agrees to pick him up the next morning for work. Dad said Lou stopped at a grocery store on the way to the job and bought a 12-pack of beer. Apparently, he was a seasoned alcoholic, because he drank six of them on the way to the job."
"Seriously?" I mumbled.
I felt Jordan's chest vibrate with laughter. "Yes. Six beers before 8AM. That was my dad's first sign something was wrong, but being 15 and an independent man capable of working with someone who drinks, he decided not to worry about it. They drove out into the country, and Lou pulled up to a barn—a huge barn, like three stories high. My dad said he got out of the truck and stared up at it, wondering what in the world he'd gotten himself into. Lou had a ladder in his truck, and even after extending it as far as it would go, it just barely reached the edge of the roof. Lou seemed like it was something he did all the time, so my dad just assumed everything was good. Lou carried an armload of supplies up the ladder without hesitation. He told my dad to follow with an armload of supplies as well. My dad said it took him a good ten minutes to push and shimmy those shingles up that ladder. He said it was bowing under his weight like it might crack in half any second. He finally made it up there, and once he did, he gained a little more confidence. The roof was so huge that he felt secure. They worked all morning, and finally, Lou tells my dad to go back down to get supplies and their lunches. Dad thought he'd be okay, so he slid to the edge of the roof and climbed feet first onto that rickety old ladder. He got most of the way onto it, but became petrified with fear, and couldn't make himself move any further. He said he was shaking so violently that the ladder was going clack, clack, clack, on the edge of the barn. 'I cant!' my dad finally called to Lou. So Lou went to the edge and grabbed him by the hand pulling him up."
"So was your dad stuck up there forever?" I asked.
Jordan laughed again. "He stayed up there while Lou went down for supplies. Lou came up moments later with more shingles, their lunch, and the remaining six beers, which he proceeded to chug one after another. Lou asked my dad while they were finishing lunch why he couldn’t make it down the ladder, and my dad told him he was scared he was going to fall. Lou, at that point, with six fresh beers in his stomach, mind you, decided it would be a good idea to prove to my dad how safe it was up there."
"What'd he do?" I asked.
"He did a headstand on the edge of the roof."
"A headstand?"
Jordan laughed. "A headstand," he repeated. "My dad said he watched in horror, knowing he was about to witness the man fall to his death."
"Did he die?" I asked.
"No. He finished his death-defying stunt and sat back down next to my dad, smiling as if his point had been proved."
"What'd your dad do?"
Jordan laughed. "Well after he started breathing again, he looked at Lou and said, 'I'm out. I'm done. I need to go home.' He said all his teenage toughness wasn't enough to withstand watching Lou the handyman do a headstand on the roof of a barn. He climbed down by himself, which took the better part of an hour, and waited for Lou on the ground. He never picked up odd jobs at the service station after that."
I smiled at the thought of a man doing a headstand on the roof of a barn and his dad's petrified expression as he watched. "Poor thing," I said. "Is that true?"
Jordan chuckled. "I can't make that stuff up. Neither can my dad. It was part of his
dangers of alcohol
schpeil when I was a teenager. He turned pale when he told me the story. I think it scarred him for life."
"I can't believe the ladder was going clack, clack, clack against the roof. Poor baby."
Jordan rubbed my back and held me closer. The boat was still rocking, but not quite as violently as it had been.
"Thank you," I whispered.
"I'm glad the legacy of Lou the handyman could come through for us when I needed a good story."
I giggled. "I can't believe I threw up everywhere."
"I can't believe Hank got us stuck in this. It's the last time I go sailing with him."
"I heard that," Hank said.
I picked my head up to find that Hank was standing at our door.
"I meant for you to, you crazy bum," Jordan said. I could hear the smile in his voice.
Hank smiled regretfully as he looked at me. "How you doing?"
"I'm okay. Jordan just told me about the handyman doing a headstand on the roof of a barn."
Hank's brows furrowed in confusion. "Is she okay?" he asked Jordan.
Jordan's chest shook with laughter. "She's fine. I told her a story from when my dad was a kid."
Hank smiled. It was a timid, sorrowful smile that didn't reach his eyes, but it was a smile nonetheless. "I'm really sorry about this. April's probably never gonna talk to me again. She feels terrible that you got sick. I think the worst of it's over, if that helps at all."
"I'm fine," I said.
Hank walked away, and I snuggled into Jordan's arms. We stayed quiet as the remainder of the storm passed. I had no idea how long it had been (maybe a half-hour or so) when Hank came to the door again.
"I think we're good to head back," he said.
I picked my head up and stared out the window. Jordan was doing the same. It was overcast, and the sun was almost setting, but it was obvious that the worst of the storm was over.
"We're going home," April said, peeking into our room tentatively.
"We made it," I said, smiling at her.
"I'm sorry you got sick," she said.
"No worries. I had a doctor here to help me."
"I'm gonna help Hank out on the deck," she said, smiling.
"I'll be up in a minute," Jordan said.
"Don't worry about it—unless you just want to," she said from over her shoulder. "He's good at doing it by himself."
I sat up and stared down at him. He sat up on his elbows, but otherwise stayed stretched out on the bed. I couldn’t believe he'd just watched me lose my lunch and was still smiling at me like he liked me.
"Would you tell me if I had something really embarrassing on my face right now?" I asked wiping my cheeks and under my eyes.
"You don't," he said. "You're beautiful."
I breathed a laugh. "I'm sure I'm far from beautiful. I just want to make sure I don't have a chunk of puke on my face or anything."
He smiled. "Your face is completely clear of chunks of puke."
"Okay good."
"That might be sort of a weird segue into what I wanted to say, but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway."
"What is it?"
"We're gonna get married."
I stared at him, wondering if he'd hit his head during the storm. "That was definitely a weird segue for a statement like that."
He laughed. "Well, I was already going to say it before you brought up the whole pukey-face thing."
My expression reflected my confusion. "You were?"
He continued to smile as he nodded.
"Why?"
"Because something like this just made me realize how quickly things can change."
"I think you just got really scared," I said. "You should probably give yourself a little time to come to your senses before you go making bold statements like that."
He sat up next to me and regarded me with a confident smile. "I wasn't scared at all," he said casually. "I'm a great swimmer. I could have pulled us both to shore, no problem."
"Even in a storm?"
"Yep."
"What about Hank and April?"
"They had life jackets. They could figure it out."
I giggled.
"Seriously, I wasn't scared. I'm just saying this because the whole situation made me think. Things can change in the blink of an eye, and I just think it's important that you know what my intentions are. I'm not trying to just date you or play games. I know you're the one, Bailey. I dream about you, and I want you in my life. I can't think of another suitable option than having you in my life."
I smiled, feeling so overjoyed that I might burst at the seams.
"Is it okay for me to assume you want me too?" he asked.
"Of course it is, but I just want to make sure that we're clear that I had a different life before I met you. I feel like I need to make sure you know I was with a gir—"
"You were?" he asked, with a shocked expression, cutting me off before I could finish.
I narrowed my eyes at him. "I just want to make sure we're clear. I don't want my past to be more than you bargained for. I would hate it if people like Hank made comments and it made you uncomfortable."
He stared at me with an unreadable expression. I searched his eyes, and he searched mine right back. "All I want is you, Bailey. I'm not concerned with your past. I'm after your future."
"And you can just love me for exactly who I am?"
"Yep. As long as you can love me for exactly who I am."
"You're perfect," I said.
"Hardly." He smiled. "But I'm perfect for you."
It had been a month since our ill-fated boating trip, and I was still dreaming about being stuck in a storm or shipwrecked. I had a couple of dreams about doing headstands on tall, unstable places, but mostly I had water dreams. It was okay, though. They weren't what I'd consider nightmares, and they were getting fewer and further between as weeks passed. Most of the time, I'd just wake up once it started getting weird or scary, and I'd have no trouble going back to sleep. Last night, however, I woke up at 4AM and couldn’t go back to sleep before it was time for me to get up for work. I just couldn’t turn off my brain.
It was now 5PM. I'd just gotten off work and was in serious need of some caffeine. Lexie sent me a text while I was at work asking if I wanted to meet at The Big Heavy for a cup of coffee, and I agreed without hesitation.
"Where's Jordan?" she asked, hugging me when we met at the door. "I thought he was coming."
"He's meeting us," I said. "He had some stuff to take care of at the hospital."
"Like patients?" she asked sarcastically.
I giggled. "He's off today, actually, so no—more like paperwork."
"Doctors have to do paperwork?" she asked.
"Yes, you big goofball. They have to make notes in their patient's charts and he's still got a few case studies to do for his residency."
"Sounds boring," she said as we walked toward the counter to order our drinks.
"Compared to putting bones back together it probably is," I said.
I noticed as we approached that there was a man standing at the counter that looked suspiciously like Jordan. Reid Mitchell was standing behind the counter, and I pinched Lexie as we walked. The closer we came, the more certain I was that it was indeed Jordan standing there with his back to us. It looked just like him, and Reid was smiling and making conversation in a way that he wouldn't do with just any customer.
I was positive enough that I put a finger to my lips telling Lexie to be quiet as I snuck up behind him and stealthily wrapped my arms around his waist. I could tell by the way he touched my arms that he knew it was me. His arms came over mine, holding me in place on his solid abs. I rested my face on his back, looking at Lexie, who was now smiling at us.
She glanced at Reid. "This would have been really embarrassing if she had the wrong guy, huh?"
"I probably would have had a customer for life if I provided random affection like that with every cup of coffee."
"This one's not providing random affection to anyone but me," Jordan said still holding me in place. I rested my face on his broad back, enjoying the smell and feel him.
"Jordan was just telling me about your trip," Reid said. "That's exciting."
I peered around Jordan with a confused expression aimed at Reid. This made Reid glance at Jordan with a deer in the headlights look.
"She didn't know about it yet," I heard Jordan say.
"Aww, man. I'm so sorry," Reid said.
"No worries," Jordan said.
I kept my arms around Jordan, but shifted to his side, so I could see his profile. He turned to me with a smile. "I'm pretty much gonna kidnap you and some of our friends and family to come with me to Vegas."
"What's in Vegas?" I asked.
"Elvis weddings."
"You're kidnapping me for an Elvis wedding?" I asked with wide eyes.
"No, but for a regular one."
I was stunned. I stared at him for a second before glancing at Lexie.
She smiled. "I already have my bags packed," she said.
Again, I looked at Jordan. I was unable to hold back a smile. "Are you kidding me?"
"No."
"I am
so
sorry," Reid repeated.
I couldn't stop smiling. My face felt like it might break in half.
"No worries," Jordan said. "I was thinking I'd probably tell her anyway. You know how women like to plan what they're gonna wear to their wedding and everything."
"Are you for real taking me to Vegas?" I asked.
"Yes!" he said, grinning at me.
"When?"
"Next month. Three weeks, actually. I'll be done with my residency. I already worked it out with Ben. You've got two weeks vacation."
"We're staying two weeks?" I asked with wide eyes.
"Not in Vegas," he said. "We'll be there three days. The guests will fly back home, and you and I will go to Greece."
"
Greece?
"
He chuckled at my shock. "Greece."
"After an Elvis wedding?"
"Not an Elvis one. It'll be nice. Your mom and friends picked everything. You'll love it."
"You'll love it," Lexie echoed.
"I feel terrible," Reid said.
"I think you could make it up to them," Lexie said, smiling at him.
"How?"
"By providing coffee to the wedding party."
"Done," he said. "It's the least I could do. I'm so sorry." He glanced at Jordan. "I probably owe you coffee for life."
"You have to be in Vegas to serve it, though," Lexie added.
Reid glanced back and forth from Lexie to Jordan with a confused expression.
"Bridesmaids have a plus one, and I need a date," she explained.
"Are you asking me to be your date to their wedding?"
She nodded. "Plane fare and hotel are included."
He looked at Jordan who nodded. "She has a plus one," he said. "And I'd certainly rather you than some other guy she meets between now and then."
"Heyyy," Lexie said defensively. "I'm not that desperate. I just happen to have a big crush on him and I thought it was good timing while he was feeling guilty."
Reid let out a laugh and then regarded Lexie with an intrigued smile on his face. "I mean, as long as they aren't mad at me for ruining the surprise…" he said.
Lexie looked at Jordan. "Are you mad at him?"
Jordan smiled. "I'm not mad at him, are you?"
I shook my head. I could not wipe the grin off my face. "Am I marrying you?" I asked squeezing his waist.
"Uh-huh. Are you okay with that?"
I squealed. "I can't wait!"
Just then, some people came in the door and began heading to the counter to order. "Can I make you guys a drink?" Reid asked, knowing he'd need to wait on the next customers once they made their way to the counter.
"I'll have a small coffee with room for cream," I said.
"Can I at least make you a latte?" he asked. "It's on the house."
"That'll be nice," I said.
He shifted his attention to Lexie. "And you?" he asked with a smile.
"Surprise me," she said.
"Let me help this next group and get someone up here to take over, and I'll bring your drinks out to you." He looked at Jordan. "Bottled water?"
Jordan nodded, and we took off toward a table.
"I can't believe the cat's out of the bag," Lexie said on our way over there.
"I'm so glad it is," I said. "I love this cat! I want to pet it, and love on it, and talk about it all night."
Jordan laughed. "I know what else you're gonna want to pet and love and talk about all night."
"What?" I asked.
I sat down at the table, but peered up at him with an expectant expression. He dug in the front pocket of his jeans and held his fist in front of me.
"What's in there?" I asked staring at it.
"Put your hand out and I'll show you."
I placed my hand under his, waiting excitedly for him to drop what he was holding. He opened his hand and two dimes and a penny dropped out. I held it close, inspecting it with a confused expression as if I was missing something.
"Twenty-one cents?" I asked. "What's that mean?"
"Wrong pocket," he said as he dug in the other pocket with a smile.
His hand came out holding a beautiful solitaire ring between his thumb and forefinger. I dropped the money onto the table without caring where or how it landed, and I plucked the ring from his fingers.
He settled in his chair as I sat there and fixated on it.
"Is this seriously mine?" I asked, staring at him after checking it out.
"If you want it," he said.
"Of course I want it!" I said, breathlessly. I lunged toward him with the intention of hugging him, but I decided to just sit on his lap while I was at it. He put his hands around my waist letting me know he didn't mind me there. I put the beautiful ring on the fourth finger of my left hand and smiled at it before turning to focus on him.
"I love it," I said.
"Good."
"I love you," I added.
He smiled. "I love you too."
I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. He hadn't shaved that day, and his stubble felt good against my lips.
"You guys are ridiculously cute," Lexie said. "I'm going to the restroom while you work out this love fest."
I giggled, but didn't even glance at her as she walked away. "It's not every day a girl gets proposed to," I said, not taking my eyes off him.
He was smiling which caused his eyes to squint, but I could still appreciate their intensity. "It's not every day I propose to a girl," he said.
"Are you really taking me to Vegas and Greece, or did I just dream that?"
"I'm taking you," he said.
"And then after that I'm Mrs. Crawford?"
"It sounds good doesn't it?"
I smiled and put my hands on his face, holding each of his cheeks. My fingertips came to rest near his smiling eyes, and the base of my hands touched his jaw. He was warm, and soft, and utterly masculine under my hands. My eyes roamed over his face from his glowing eyes down to his dimpled chin. I bit my lip. He smiled, and I felt the muscles in his jaw flex with it.
"What?" I asked, wondering what had him amused.
"The lip-biting," he said.
"What about it?" I asked.
"It means you're gonna kiss me."
"You think?"
Still smiling, he nodded. I brought my face extremely close—about an inch or two away.
"We're in public," I whispered.
"So?"
"I can't kiss you here."
"You already promised," he said.
"How? The lip-biting?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, but now I'm shy."
"That's too bad. You're gonna have to get over it."
"Why, cause you already got your hopes up?"
He nodded again.
I kept my hands on his face and leaned down just enough to make our lips almost touch. He licked his lips just before he stretched up to close the gap between us. His warm, full lips touched mine ever so gently. I wanted to melt. He pulled back and then stretched up again, letting them touch mine more firmly. I had never in my life ached so badly. I could not wait until we were married so he could ravish me. I was his, mind body and soul, and I couldn’t be happier that our wedding day was fast approaching. He nipped at my lip, and I made a sound deep in my chest, which caused him to pull back with a smile.
"I'm glad we're getting married," I said.
"Good. Me too."