Beautiful One (10 page)

Last night turned into an extremely long night. When Aidan and I walked in the door, Melissa and Mason were cuddling on the couch. We were able to tell them both at the same time that we were giving our relationship a chance. Easy or not, it was what I wanted.

Everything was out in the open. Aidan and I didn't want to start our relationship with lies, so with my hand in his, Aidan confessed to almost kissing Melissa. I was proud of him for wanting to own up to his mistake. Aidan did his best to try and explain his stupidity, and after a tense twenty minutes, the worst part of the conversation was over. There was nothing more to hide.

Aidan apologized to both Mason and Melissa and even said my brother could throw a punch at him.
Mason didn't, of course, but I thought he appreciated the opportunity just the same.

By the end of the evening, everyone had accepted our decision. The last words I heard my brother say were: “If you hurt her, I'll kill you.”

Our relationship was just beginning, so Mason and Melissa were going to need some time to trust Aidan and, if I was honest with myself, it was going to take time for me, too. But, I was happy. For the first time in a long, long time, I was happy.

****

Christmas was just a few days away. Aidan and I hadn't done any shopping yet, so we decided to make our first official date a shopping one. Not the most romantic, but strolling the mall hand in hand with Aidan didn't sound so bad either. He was going to pick me up at 1:00 p.m. Random Plan was playing later that night, so we had to be back reasonably early.

Surprisingly, my hair still looked pretty good, so I just pulled the sides back and camouflaged the stitches with a few strands of loose curls. My bruise was still prominent in color but, thankfully, the swelling had gone down. The bandage on my arm was bulky, so I decided to replace the large gauze strip with a latex one. Rifling through my drawers, I pulled out a cream-colored sweater, jeans, and grabbed my grey shoes.

I headed downstairs to check on Maggie and drink a protein shake before Aidan arrived. A beautiful arrangement of sunflowers sat on the kitchen island. Even though my parents had been married for twenty-two years, my dad still brought my mom flowers for no reason at all. So seeing the beautiful bouquet didn't faze me until my mother said the flowers were for me.

“What?” I gasped.

Mom was emptying the dishwasher. “They were delivered earlier this morning when you were sleeping.” My mom stopped what she was doing, gave me a huge grin, and handed me the card. I ripped it open and read the note.

Elizabeth,

I'm looking forward to officially meeting you.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

Spencer Hayes

I stared at my mom in surprise and handed her the card. She read the short message, smiled, and handed it back to me.

“How sweet. Your dad and I can't wait to meet him. Mason says he's great.”

I grabbed a protein shake from the fridge and my mom left to go back upstairs. I drank my shake and reread the card again.

I'm looking forward to officially meeting you.

I downed the rest of my shake, picked up my flowers, and carried them upstairs to the bedside table. Maggie barked as the doorbell rang. I walked downstairs, gave Maggie a few gentle rubs, and opened the door. The adorable smile of my boyfriend made my heart beat a little faster.

“Ready?” he said, reaching for my hand.

“Yep.” I gave Aidan's hand a squeeze, then he guided me to the truck.

When he opened the passenger door, he held my gaze as I leaned inside. He smiled before he softly brushed his lips to mine. I reached my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, allowing him to deepen the kiss. My insides trembled when Aidan's body was firmly pressed against mine. I felt the seat behind me, and, without breaking our kiss, he effortlessly lifted me so I was now sitting with my legs apart, and he was between them. His hand found its way to the small of my back beneath my sweater. I stilled at the contact, and then he kissed me again.

Aidan backed away then murmured, “We'd better stop, or we'll never get out of here.”

I nodded and exhaled a breathy “Okay.”

My heart was pounding, watching Aidan get into the truck. He turned his gaze to mine and winked before he put the key in the ignition. No doubt about it… I needed to talk to Aidan. My innocence was already hanging on by a thread, and it was only our first date.

****

“That was insane!” Aidan sounded exhausted. He carried all my packages up the stairs to my room, dropped them on the bed, and eyed the sunflowers on my bedside table.

“From your parents?” he asked while taking a sniff.

“Not exactly.” I give him a half-smile.

“Oh?” He sounded surprised. “May I?” He raised an eyebrow and picked up the card.

I shrugged. “Sure.”

Aidan studied the card. “Who's Spencer?”

“He's the new guy in charge of the band at church.”

“What's he like?” Aidan approached me while I sat on the edge of my bed.

“I haven't met him yet, but Mason likes him a lot.”

Aidan moved the bags aside then gently laid me down.
“Well, as long as
you
don't like him a lot, we're good.”

I giggled when Aidan crawled up beside me and covered my neck in kisses.

****

Aidan leaned against his truck as I drank in the sight of him.
“You're sure you don't want to drive together tonight? I can come back and pick you up.” He pulled me into his chest and planted a quick soft kiss on my lips.

“I need to go to church and pick up a few packages. I'll just meet you there.”

“Okay, gorgeous girl. I'll see you tonight.”

I smiled and watched him as he got in his truck and drove away.

****

It felt like I hadn't driven in forever. I cranked up the volume and sang along with the music then headed to church.

Lance had sent me a text earlier in the day. He'd wanted to let me know he had left Mason and me a Christmas gift. With all the chaos of his last night, he'd forgotten to give them to us. His text said to pick them up in the music room.

I pulled into the empty parking lot and entered through the back door. It seemed eerie to walk the halls of the church when no one other than the staff was there. I walked quickly toward the music room.

When I approached the door, the sound of an acoustic guitar and a man's soulful voice overwhelmed me. I reached up to knock but stopped. Not wanting to disturb whoever was behind the door, I took a step back to walk away. But the voice was drawing me in. Curiosity had my hand on the doorknob, and, with a click, it was open. The music became louder when I stepped inside the small room.

His voice was filled with such emotion. The pitch was smooth, yet when he hit the high notes, there was a roughness in his tone, making it sound seductive. His back was toward me, so I continued to watch him unnoticed.

The song was sexy, far too sexy to be played in the music room at church. Listening to his soulful voice and the provocative lyrics made me feel like I was invading his privacy, rather than casually observing. My gaze was still fixed on him while I backed away to walk out of the room. I reached behind me to grab the door handle, but my hand slipped, causing a thud. My head bumped against the door, and I heard myself cry out in pain.

Abruptly, the music stopped. He spun around, and our eyes met. Within seconds, he was up on his feet. The next thing I knew, he was at my side. Gradually, I sunk to the floor.

“Are you okay, Elizabeth?” Anxious grey eyes were locked on mine. I was tongue-tied for a minute, trying to process all the information spinning around in my head.

“I think so.” I reached up to touch the back of my head to make sure my stitches weren't bleeding.

“Here, let me.”

He kneeled down and carefully examined my wound. The proximity of his body next to mine, combined with his warm subtle scent, was making me nervous. From my peripheral vision, I could see his chiseled jaw was covered in light stubble and his full bottom lip was tense with concern. He sighed a breath of relief.

“No blood. I think you're good.” A dimpled smile crossed his face, then he sat down next to me. Both of us were leaning against the wall, my knees bent, his legs outstretched.

“Do you feel dizzy?”

I could still hear the concern in his voice. I was lost for a minute in the unusual color of his eyes.

A part of me wanted to laugh. Looking at this Adonis of a man?
I'd say I'm dizzy.
All I could squeak out was “A little bit.”

He nodded and scanned my face with those beautiful grey eyes.

“You're Spencer? You're my… neighbor?”

“Yes.” He chuckled. “Finally, I get to meet the mysterious Elizabeth Ryan.” Usually I preferred the name, Liz, but the way his sultry voice caressed my full name, I didn't mind.

“What? Mysterious?” I answered.

“Do you have any idea how many times I've tried to meet you?”

“Well, no, not exactly,” I shyly responded.

He twisted his body to look at me.
“
You were sick the first week I got here. After the Christmas concert, I came backstage to meet you. One minute you were singing on stage, and the next you were gone. And then, the dog attack.”

“Wait. You were there?”

“I was there.” He nodded. “I just wish I'd been able to get to you sooner. If I had, maybe all this,” he motioned to my injuries with his hand, “wouldn't have happened. I had to kick the mutt to get him away from your dog.”

I glanced down at Spencer's feet
.
He
was wearing heavy, black motorcycle boots. I shuddered at the thought of being kicked with them.

“Anyway, after the Christmas concert, I knew who you were, so when the ambulance came, I told them your name. I felt terrible I couldn't stay to make sure you were okay, but I had to leave town. I got back yesterday, sent you the flowers I'm assuming you got today, and well, here we are.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to barge in on you while you were singing.” I cocked my head to look at him. “By the way, what was the song you were singing?”

“Oh that.” Now he was embarrassed. “It's a song called ‘Unbroken Promises.' Like it?”

His dimpled smile made me blush. “Yes. Not sure the song is right for church.” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I thought I was alone.” He smiled while he held out his hand to help me up.

I glanced at his muscular arms, knowing his tattoos were hidden under the long-sleeved thermal he was wearing.

The wrapped Christmas presents were on the table. “This is actually what I came here for.” I checked the tags, picked up the packages, and gave him a small smile. Spencer grabbed a well-worn, brown leather jacket from the back of a chair, put it on, and reached out to take the packages from me.

“Let me hold those for ya, darlin'.”

Clearly he wasn't Southern, and hearing the term of endearment coming out of this tatted-up guy made it sound all the sweeter. Spencer juggled the gifts in one arm so he could open the door for me. We walked down the hallway toward the parking lot together. He was Aidan's height, and their body types were almost identical, but that's where the similarities ended. Aidan was a blond, pretty boy with delicate features. Spencer, with his dark brown hair and strong facial features, was more masculine. Although, when he flashed his dimples, there was a boyish quality about him. They were both ridiculously attractive…
seriously
.

Spencer walked me to my car and put the packages in the back seat. He took a step toward me and gave me the once-over.

“Are you sure you aren't dizzy anymore? You'll be okay to drive?”

“I'm fine and thank you for the beautiful flowers.” I smiled.

“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl,” he said, and I felt myself blush. Then he took a step toward me as he whispered,
“Merry Christmas.”

I inhaled his delicious scent one more time and murmured, “Merry Christmas, Spencer.”

I sat in my car for a minute and watched him until he fired up his bike and rode away.

****

The restaurant was packed. Since winter break was still in full force, most of the kids from school were there. I noticed the cute brunette Aidan had flirted with a few weeks ago. She'd become quite a fixture. I tried to push the image from my mind while Melissa and I scanned the crowded venue, looking for a place to sit.

From the back of the stage, Mason's head popped up. He pointed to a small table he'd saved for us. The regulars, primarily college-age girls, were coming up to greet the guys. Mason never seemed to let the attention go to his head, while Derek ate it up, and Kyle seemed uncomfortable.

The
minute
Kyle saw Melissa and me, he stepped off the stage and maneuvered his way to our table. Kyle was more like me. He enjoyed being in the band, but the attention overwhelmed him. I guess that's part of the reason he'd always been a favorite of mine.

Kyle asked me about the dogfight and how I was feeling. I went into autopilot, retelling my story, breaking eye contact now and then to glance over the room. Aidan was here. I had seen his truck in the parking lot. But with each passing minute, I became uneasy, my imagination was getting the best of me. The onslaught of mental images of Aidan consumed my brain: behind the building, in his truck, the bathroom, anywhere, with some girl. Suddenly, from behind me, warm hands clasped my shoulders and startled me. Smooth, clean-shaven skin was against my cheek.

“How's my girl?” His voice was a whisper.

My fears diminished as Aidan nuzzled my ear, sending chills down my spine.

“What's going on?” Kyle gasped. His eyes darted from me to Aidan. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Melissa smirking in that you-made-your-bed-now-lie-in-it kind of way.

“Well…” I stammered out, but Mason cut in and interrupted me.

“C'mon, guys, it's time for the set to start.”

Aidan gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and they headed toward the stage.

For the first time since I'd made the decision to become Aidan's girlfriend, I was embarrassed. The look in Kyle's eyes made me feel like a fool. I knew what he was thinking. It's what everyone was thinking. I had just been thinking the same thing a few minutes ago.

Aidan picked up his bass, and I watched as the adoring fans drooled over my boyfriend. Then reality hit me. If Aidan and I were going to have a chance at our relationship working, I was going to have to put his past behind us and, as hard as it was going to be… trust him. If I didn't, being a couple would never work. When the thought crossed my mind, our eyes met, and a slow sexy smile spread across his face. It made my heart melt.

The guys were singing the usual fan favorites and throwing in a few holiday songs here and there. Earsplitting cries came from a few of the college girls while Mason sang a romantic ballad.

“How do you handle that, Melissa?” I motioned to the girls panting over my brother.

Melissa shrugged. “I trust him.” She smiled and continued to watch Mason finish the song.

Trust… such a small word but it meant everything in a relationship.

I mulled over what Melissa had said, Mason finished his song, and Aidan approached him. Aidan covered the mic with his hand, and they talked for a minute. Mason said something to Derek and Kyle, then he stepped away from the mic, smiled at Aidan, and left him front and center. The college girls who were squealing for Mason now focused their attention on Aidan with just as much enthusiasm. Aidan cleared his throat and adjusted the mic.

“This song is called ‘If the Moon Fell Down Tonight.' I'd like to dedicate it to my girlfriend, Liz.”

A few of the girls from school gasped. There was a murmuring of disbelief echoing through the bar. I was acutely aware all eyes were on me. The cute brunette was wide-eyed and fuming. Melissa was in shock, but I think in a good way.

When Aidan began to sing, I was overcome with emotion. I blocked out everyone around me and focused on nothing but his beautiful blue eyes. His gaze never left mine as he sang this sweet love song to me. My eyes welled up, and a few tears rolled down my cheeks.

When the song ended, Aidan stepped off the stage. The silence in the bar was deafening. Aidan shuffled through the crowd and headed my way. When he reached me, he leaned down and kissed me on the lips. He pulled back so we were nose to nose and whispered, “Merry Christmas, Liz.”

The last thing I remembered hearing was Derek yelling out, “Oh yeah!” A few people laughed as the restaurant erupted with cheers.