Authors: Anna Kristell
“Now that
I can do. You know I love to shop.”
“Yes, I
do. That’s why you’re the perfect person to come with me. Amy just doesn’t get
the whole shopping thing.”
“She
doesn’t like to shop? How can that be?” Carrie asked in a shocked tone.
“She shops
for the essentials but she doesn’t get the joy out of it that you and I do.”
Ashley giggled.
“That
woman just isn’t right in the head,” Carrie said, shaking her head in
disbelief.
“I’ve been
telling her that for years, believe me.”
“I’d be
happy to help you pick something out for your date with that hunk of a husband
of yours.”
“I’ll meet
you out in the lobby at one. Will that work for you?”
“I’ll see
you then.”
At one
o’clock on the dot, Ashley was in the lobby waiting for Carrie as she finished
a phone call with a client. Once she’d finished, they headed for the Circle
Centre Mall down the street from the office.
After
trying on several outfits, Ashley decided on a short black dress with a low cut
neckline. A little royal blue sequined jacket finished it off perfectly.
“Black
heels and you’re all set. Do you have a little black purse? If you don’t, I
have one you can borrow,” Carrie said, nodding in approval.
“I do have
one, but thanks for the offer. Now we’d better grab some salads and head back
to the office.”
The rest
of the week flew by as Ashley tried to concentrate on work instead of her date
with her husband. Thoughts of his hands caressing her body invaded her mind at
the most inopportune moments. She shook her head to clear her mind but found it
nearly impossible as she pictured his reddish-brown hair, his muscular frame,
and his sexy voice. And when thoughts of his piercing, midnight blue eyes crept
into her thoughts, she just about lost it completely.
On Friday
evening, she was just settling down to watch a movie when the doorbell rang.
Thinking it might be Adam, she jumped up and sprinted to the door. But when she
opened the door, her smile faded quickly. “Ross…what are you doing here? How
did you know where I live?”
“I told
you I have my ways, babe. Aren’t you going to ask me to come in?”
“What do
you want? I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Is he
here?”
“No, not
at the moment, but you shouldn’t be here, Ross.”
“I’d like
to talk to you before I leave town, Ashley. Please, let me in. I promise I’ll
only stay long enough to say what I came to say.”
She sighed
and stepped aside to let him enter. Leading him into the living room, she
offered him a chair. Sitting on the sofa, she said, “Say what you came to say.”
“I’ve been
thinking a lot since I came back to town. I came back to see if you were happy,
to see if there was a chance I could persuade you to leave what’s his name.
You’ve made it pretty clear you want no part of me. I can’t say as I blame you.
I did treat you pretty badly all those years ago. I saw you leave the bar with
him that night, a few weeks ago, so I’m assuming you’re not getting a divorce,
now.”
“No, we’re
not getting a divorce,” she replied softly.
Ross hung
his head. When he looked up, he said, “I’m leaving town in the morning. This
visit is my last ditch effort to get you to leave with me.”
Ashley
shook her head. “I would have given my eye teeth for you to say that all those
years ago, Ross. I’ll admit that. But I can’t…I won’t go with you.”
“And if I
told you I was willing to settle down, do the whole nine-to-five, marriage,
kids, white picket fence gig, would it make a difference?”
“Are you
ready, Ross?” Ashley asked in surprise.
“For you,
yes, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I wasn’t ready back then, but after seeing you
again, I realize what I gave up.”
Ashley
shook her head again. “I’m sorry, Ross. I love my husband. I guess you and I
just weren’t meant to be. You need to find someone else. I wish you the best
and I hope someday you’ll find someone special.”
“I figured
that would be your answer but I had to know. I couldn’t leave town without
asking. Good luck, Ashley. I hope you and the lucky bastard you married have
many years of happiness. I really do mean that.”
“Thank
you, Ross, we’re working on that.”
“If he
ever does you wrong, call me. You have my number. I won’t change it, just in
case.”
She
smiled. “I wish you the best of luck. I hope you find your true love.”
He stood
up and so did she. As she started to walk him out, he stopped her. Leaning
over, he kissed the top of her head. “Take care, Ashley.”
“Goodbye,
Ross.”
“Goodbye,
sweet thing.” And he was gone. Closure, after all these years, finally.
Ashley sat
on the couch and took a deep breath. Years ago she would have been dancing around
the room had Ross said those words to her. Now it didn’t matter at all. She
knew what she wanted. And tomorrow night she would have Adam back come hell or
high water.
She got
ready for bed. Once she was settled under the blankets, she picked up her cell
and typed out a text message to Adam.
“Tomorrow
night…”
When she
heard the ping on her phone signifying a reply, she smiled as she read his
words. “I love you, Mrs. Brant. Sleep tight.”
Chapter
Eleven
Ashley
slept late the next morning, allowing herself the luxury of lounging in bed.
When she finally got up, she had a leisurely breakfast of toast, juice, and
coffee, before cleaning the house. Wanting everything to be perfect for Adam’s
return, she took care of duties she’d neglected in his absence. She was certain
that after tonight her husband would be back home where he belonged, in her
life, and in her bed. At least she hoped he would be.
As the
afternoon wore on, she began to get more nervous about what lay ahead. Going
over in her mind the things she wanted to say to Adam, she felt a knot forming
in the pit of her stomach. By the time she stepped into the bathtub of lavender
bubbles she’d prepared in an effort to calm her nerves, her hands were shaking.
Ashley, for heaven’s sake, calm down. This is Adam,
your husband, the man who loves you. It’s going to be okay.
She sank
into the warm, bubbly water. Forcing herself to relax, she lay back and closed
her eyes. By the time her bath was finished, her nerves had calmed enough for
her to get ready for her night with Adam.
After
dressing with care, she brushed her long, dark hair, deciding to wear it up. As
she put her diamond studs in her ears, she nodded in approval as her reflection
smiled back at her in the mirror. When the doorbell rang, she glanced at the
dainty watch on her wrist.
Right on time,
she thought as she grabbed her jacket and purse and headed for the door.
“You could
have used your key. This is
your
house, you know,” she teased as she breathlessly answered the door.
“And miss
seeing you out of breath, panting for me?” he replied with a wickedly sexy
grin.
“Devil,”
she said as he helped her into her jacket.
He took
her hand as they walked to his car. She was grateful he’d driven his Camry
instead of Dillon’s truck. She wasn’t sure she’d have been able to climb into
the truck in her dress.
“You
look…hot…” he said as he buckled his seat belt.
“Thank you.
You don’t look too shabby yourself,” she replied with a smile. She allowed her
gaze to scan his body. In khakis and a forest green shirt, she had to admit he
looked good. Green had always been a good color for him. The soft brown leather
jacket was the perfect addition.
He drove
downtown and parked in one of the numerous parking garages.
“The steak house okay with you?”
“Perfect,”
she replied, not really caring where they ate as long as they were together.
He’d made
reservations so they didn’t have to wait long before being shown to a corner
table. Adam ordered a bottle of wine and after the waiter had poured it, he
took a sip before holding his glass up in a toast. “To our new beginning,” he
said with a twinkle in his eye.
“To us,”
she agreed.
The dinner
was delicious, the wine perfect, and the conversation stimulating. As they
waited for dessert, Adam grew serious. “We need to talk.”
“Yes, we
do.”
“I want
you to make a list of all the things you’d change about me if you could. I’ll
do the same for you.”
She looked
at him in surprise. “Okay, I think I have some paper and a pen in my bag.”
They worked
for several minutes. “Do you want to read what I wrote now?”
“You go
first. Hand me the paper.” He took it from her and carefully opened it. He
looked at it for a minute and didn’t say anything. When he looked up, he
grinned. “Ashley, did you understand your task?”
“I
understood it perfectly, Adam. The things I’d change about you are on the
paper.”
“Did you
use invisible ink?” he teased.
The waiter
brought their dessert so the conversation ended until the man walked away.
Ashley took a bite of cheesecake. “This is heavenly. Try it, Adam.”
He looked at
her with a grin and took a bite. “Explain, please.”
She looked
at him for a long moment before replying. “There’s not one thing I’d change
about you. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“But all
the arguments, baby. There was plenty you were annoyed at me about.”
She shook
her head. “I decided the night we had that last terrible argument that I was
wrong. I had every intention of telling you that and making it up to you the
next morning. When I got up and found your note, I was devastated. And when you
were so cold to me and wouldn’t talk to me…”
“Oh, baby,
I was so sure you weren’t happy with me. I just knew you were harboring leftover
feelings for you-know-who. I thought it was time for me to go. Time to let you
make a decision, once and for all. I was so sure you weren’t going to choose
me.”
“That’s
probably my fault. I didn’t give you much reason to think otherwise. It was
never about Ross, please believe me. I let the everyday world get in the way. I
was too stressed out about minor things that, in the grand scheme of things,
don’t really matter. I know that now.”
“And I did
the same. I wasn’t the best husband. I had a lot going on at work and when I
was at home, I let the pressures of work get in the way of our happiness. I’m
so sorry, baby. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Whether
or not you pick up your clothes or your socks isn’t important. I was putting
too much pressure on both of us for everything in our lives to be organized and
perfect.”
“And I was
so wrung out by the weekend, I didn’t want to go anywhere. We both let the
outside world get in the way of our private time together.”
“I’ve
missed you so much these past few months, Adam. I’ve even missed your dirty
socks lying on the bedroom floor,” she said with a giggle.
“I can
throw my socks on the bedroom floor for you when we get home if it’ll help,” he
said, chuckling.
“When we
get home. That has a nice ring to it,” she said.
“Do you
want to see what I wrote down?”
Abruptly
coming back to reality, she said hesitantly, “Sure…I guess so…fair is fair.
What would you change about me, Adam?”
He grinned
as he handed her the folded piece of paper in his hand.
She took
it from him and slowly unfolded it, the knot in the pit of her stomach growing
larger. As she looked at the paper in front of her, she laughed. “So this is
what you’d change about me?”
“You got
it, baby, absolutely nothing. I love you just the way you are.”
Throwing
the blank piece of paper on the table, she took his hand. “Finish your
cheesecake, or better yet, let’s get to-go boxes. I want to go home, Adam.”
“No
dancing?”
“We can
dance but I want to do it in the privacy of our bedroom.”
Adam
signaled the waiter.
As they
walked outside, Ashley shivered.
“Cold?” he
asked as he put his arm around her.
“No,” she
replied with a devilish grin.
“Oh, baby,
I know that look. I remember it well. I’ll admit I didn’t see it often those
last few months we were together but I’m seeing it now. And I know just what to
do about it.”
“Oh, look
at the moon. It’s beautiful tonight.”
“Yes, it
is, but not half a beautiful as you. Let’s go home.”
“I like
the sound of that,” she replied with a smile.
When they
arrived at the house, he hung his jacket in the closet. She went into the
bedroom to change and he followed.