Love Under Construction (The Love Under Series Book 1) (22 page)

After a week-long stay in the hospital, the doctors finally released me when they were confident I wouldn't have any ill effects on my breathing from my cracked ribs and concussion. Since then, Max had not left my side. No one had left me alone for a minute. He stayed in the guest house with me every night since my discharge warding off the nightmares of Bill. 

When my vacation time had expired, I formally resigned. When I called, Marie asked when Bill would be coming back. 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Marie."

"I figured when he took his vacation, he would be joining you," she said.

"No, ma'am. Bill and I haven't been together for some time now. I have decided I will be staying here in Oklahoma with my family. Where do I send my official letter of resignation?"

"You can just email it to me here at Human Resources. I wish you all the best, Suzie. We are sorry to see you go."

My life in Dallas was over. I never heard from Bill again. He had multiple warrants out for his arrest, and when they found him he would be going away for a long time, but he vanished without a trace. 

I was sitting in the kitchen with Kelli having coffee after giving her the cross stitch I finally finished of the horse when Max came bounding into the house. 

"Come on, let's go!"

"Go where? I'm not even dressed!" I looked down at my yoga pants and baggy shirt and wrinkled my nose at the thought of being seen in public. 

"I don't care what you look like. Come on. No one is going to see you but me."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Come on. Please?"

"You better go, Suzie. The man said please. You don't hear that too often. You better take advantage of it." Kelli giggled before taking another sip of her coffee. 

Max held his hand out for me, and I placed mine is his and followed him out the door. He held the door to his truck open for me and I climbed in. 

"Okay, put this on." He held out a black sleeping mask that blocked out the light. 

"Max will you please tell me what's going on? You're acting like a crazy person."

"Just humor me, woman."

"Fine." I put on the satin mask over my eyes and he clicked my seatbelt over me before pulling out of the driveway. 

We drove for a few minutes, and I could hear the crunch of the gravel change to pavement and then bump back to rural dirt road with the occasional rock clinking against the side of the truck. 

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"You are no good at surprises, you know that? We are almost there."

A few moments later, he came to a stop and put the truck in reverse, backing up to wherever before putting it in park.

"Keep your mask on, and I just want you to listen. Can you hear me out?"

"Yes." 

"I know we hadn't gotten off on exactly the right foot. I can't change what I have done. I can only change what I do in the future and I know that is going to require trust."

I gently held her hand and tied a string to her middle finger in the crease of her knuckle. I lifted the mask from her eyes resting it on her forehead. She looked down at her hand in bewilderment. 

"What is this about, Max?"

"Trust is a delicate thing, like this string, that is easily broken. I don’t ever want to break that trust with you." Slowly, I let go of what I was holding. Suzie watched as the key slowly slid down the string into the palm of her hand.

"I can't always promise life with me is going to be easy but you have the key to my heart."

She sat in the passenger seat and tears bubbled up in her eyes, and that was my cue to get out and show her my surprise. 

I opened the passenger door and scooped her out of the seat, cradling her in my arms. She protested, flailing her legs. "Put me down! I can walk. Max, I'm heavy. You're gonna drop me!"

"If you would keep thrashing about I might. You're not heavy at all. Now just stop."

I had pulled up as close to the front porch as I could so we wouldn't have that far to go. I climbed the three steps to the door. 

"Oh, my goodness, Max, it's beautiful. You finished it."

"Open the door." She looked up at me with furrowed brows, confused. "The key."

"Oh!" She sighed with comprehension. Suzie held out her arm from my grasp and turned the key in the lock before pressing down on the button to open the door. 

"You not only have the key to my heart, you have the key to my home. I hope you will call it your home and live with me."

"Max, I don't know what to say."

"Say yes." I nudged my nose against her cheek. "We have practically been living together already since you got out of the hospital, but this will be ours. You can decorate it however you want."

"Yes," she said excitedly. "Yes, I will move in with you."

I leaned down and gave her a kiss. She held me cheek in her hand, and I felt the cold key against my face. 

"Now let me down I want to see!" she said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Nope, we have to do this right. I have to take you across the threshold."

"That's when you get married, silly." 

I crossed the threshold and set her down on her feet and wrapped my arms around her waist. 

"Well, then I guess I will just have to do it again when that day happens."

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I will marry you, Max Brewer."

"I didn't even ask you yet." I laughed.

"Well, you better hurry up then," she said, before taking off running through the house room to room. I would make her my wife soon. I already had the ring. One step at a time. I planned on enjoying my engagement for a little while and christening every room and surface of our new house.

THE END

I hope you have enjoyed Love Under Construction, Max and Suzie's story. Look for the next installment in the Love Under series, Love Under Fire, coming soon.

Love Under Fire will focus on Rob and Nicole's story. 

If you’re beginning to feel as if your partner or a loved one’s partner is becoming abusive, there are people who can help, call or chat online with an advocate to talk about what’s going on and get help. 

Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or coercive, reproductive coercion, financial abuse or digital abuse by limiting someone's access to communications. 

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll-free at: 1-800-799-7233

Click here for more information or live online chat:  http://www.thehotline.org/about-us/contact/

Get a sneak peek at the next book in the Love Under series:

Love Under Fire

I was all packed and Nicole was in tears for hours as I put each item into my duffel bag. I knew not to bring much because the Army would give me everything I needed. I waited until the last roundup and the beginning of harvest to leave. Time was running out. If I didn't leave, I might not make it back in time. 

"Don't go. I will clip coupons. I will pick up more shifts at the Taps. I will get a better job. Please don't do this."

"Nicole, we already talked about this. By the time I am done with Basic Training and AIT, I will be home in time for the baby. If I don't leave now, it will never happen."

She grabbed my bag and held it behind her. "Fine, then it won't happen."

I gently wrapped my arms around her, planting kisses on each of her cheeks tasting the salty tears that fell on her freckles. I took my bag from her hands, and she sagged in defeat. She knew I was right. 

"Why do you have to go all the way to Georgia? They have basic training right here at Fort Sill."

"That's where the infantry is. All I know is beef. Not a real useful skill in the military."

"So do something else. Hand out toilet paper or something. I don't want you to go to war."

"Nicole, will you calm down? You are putting the cart in front of the horse. Let me get through basic training before you start worrying about wars."

The doorbell startled us both, and I threw my sweatshirt in my bag and zipped it up. 

"Time to go."

Nicole followed me to the door where my recruiter, Sergeant Diaz, waited on the porch. 

"Good morning, ma'am. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Don't worry, ma'am. We will take good care of Rob. Are you ready?"

I held Nicole tight and whispered repeatedly not to worry that everything would be fine as she continued to gently sob into my chest. I kissed her forehead and nearly every freckle I could before kneeling down and kissing her growing belly. 

"You take care and keep cooking. Daddy will be back soon. I love you, Heeley."

"Heeley?" Nicole asked confused.

"Yeah, Heeley because you are carrying all this baby in the backside." I smacked her ass and ran off the porch before she could smack me. 

"You're an ass!"

"But you love this ass!" I yelled back to her as I got in the recruiter's car. She stayed on the porch wiping the tears from her face and trying to keep herself together by crossing her arms in front of her. 

It was going to be a long couple of months. 

This book was a long time coming and Max was a stubborn character. Authors often speak of character's voices in their heads; Max required my undivided attention and only spoke to me on the subway in New York City. When I relocated to Oklahoma I thought I would never finish this book. Four books released while Love Under Construction took a back seat and other characters took the forefront. My beta readers had the first few chapters and screamed for more but Max was a stubborn one. Nine months later, Max was ready to greet the world and be heard. To my betas, thank you for being patiently impatient. 

To my friend, my photographer, my confidant, Shelton Cole thank you once again for bringing my vision to life. You never cease to amaze me with your talent, perspective and whole-hearted honesty and advice. 

To my cover model, Max O'Brien, who grew his hair for weeks and months until it was a full Mohawk just for our shoot to fully embody his character. It may not have been the first cover of yours to be released but I hope you are proud of the work you represent. 

To my best friend, Theresa Clarke, we have been through it all and we are still here. I don't know what I would do without you. You know too much and I don't look good in orange so I guess I am stuck with you. Or are you stuck with me? Either way, I am blessed every day you are in my life. I love you. You are "that one friend".

To Wendi Temporado, my editor and formatter, you have been with me from the very beginning and I could always count on you for your honesty. I believe you said in one of our first non-business conversations "I can't let you publish this". Everyone needs a friend, a colleague, a person they can trust, to tell them the truth.  Since then, we have evolved to more colorful language that never ceases to make me smile.

To Katheryn Kiden, my cover artist, you are amazeballs. Thank you for being patient with me. I know I'm a pain in the butt but you love me anyways. 

To my #familybychoice, my Dirty Birds, my #PICs, my #besties: Adrienne, Traci, Amanda, Jessica, Amber, my one and only Munchkin, Christina, Alicia, Sandra, Erin, Annette, Carla, Cassandra, Cathi, Jenna and Karen. You ladies rock!

To my awesome PA and Admin: Traci and Alicia, you ladies keep me in line, on track, and organized. You will never know what a blessing you both are to me. Traci, you have been with me since before I was published and we were both just readers and pimpers. It's amazing how far we have come together. 

My beautiful daughter, Ariel Elizabeth, pay attention, write it down and absorb every bit of knowledge. I'm so proud of the young lady you are becoming. I am a blessed mother. You are my miracle. Everything I do is for you. 

To each and every reader and blogger who took a chance on me as a new author, I can't thank you enough because you inspire me to keep writing. Anyone who has ever written a review, read my books, shared and pimped my books or teasers...Thank you. I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I sharing them with you.