Real Challenge (Atlanta #2) (26 page)

After nearly fifteen minutes, Erin got up to get everyone something to eat. Even at nearly seven o’clock none of them was hungry, but Erin figured they should at least have a snack. She rummaged through Scott’s cupboards and fridge until she put together a plate of cheese and crackers. She poured everyone a glass of water and put the simple spread on the coffee table.

No one ate.

Suddenly, Cassie sat up and clapped her hands together once as if to snap herself out of her funk. “I’m not doing this,” she said sounding frustrated. “He’s not controlling even another minute of my life. This is me we’re talking about, right? Scott, let me up. I want to do
something
. I’ll do your dishes.”

“What? No. Something else. You wouldn’t be here doing dishes on a normal night. You would, however, challenge me to some ridiculous competition,” he said with a hint of a smile for her. “Keep it real. So what’ll it be?”

Cassie gave him a genuine smile through her tears and pulled him up for a loving hug. She knew then just how well Scott understood and how much he loved her, even if he hadn’t spoken the words yet. Cassie felt the love from him every time they were together. He rubbed her back while he held her. A competition he wanted, a competition he would get. She got three spoons out of the kitchen and attempted to hang one from her nose.

“Come on, you two,” Cassie said, passing out spoons while she tried to keep hers on her nose. “Belly-up over here and see who can last the longest. Scott, no funny business. I know how you cheat.”

“I don’t cheat. I don’t have to,” he said with a cocky grin. He flashed his dimple and raised his eyebrows in smug show of attitude.

“Tell yourself what you need to, blondie,” Cassie tossed back with equal attitude, starting to ease her way into the fun of the game.

Erin laughed at the two of them and lined up for the competition. When Cassie called the start, the three of them tried to get their spoons hanging from their noses. Scott kept elbowing Erin and tickling Cassie, but only succeeded in losing his own balance and dropping his spoon.
 

Cassie giggled. “Cheaters never win,” she smiled with her spoon still hanging.

“Yep, you’re out, Scott,” Erin called. Cassie and Erin were both holding steady with no signs of giving in.
 

“Alright, you two, time for the tie breaker. One lap around the bar and we’ll see if anyone still has a spoon for a nose,” Scott said with a smile.

 
Both girls got up off the bar stools and started to walk slowly around the bar. They were laughing at each other for looking so ridiculous, but no one was laughing as hard as Scott. He pulled out his phone and snapped a shot of the two of them. “That’s my new wallpaper,” he said with a chuckle. “Now I can show everyone at work how crazy Erin is and how hot my girlfriend is, even with a spoon on her nose.”

Both spoons clattered to the floor at the same time when they heard Marcus call from the other side of the door as he knocked. All the laughter and smiles were erased as they waited to see the look on Marcus’s face. Scott gathered the spoons while Erin ran over to the door. Scott put his arm around Cassie when Erin let him in. Based on Marcus’s face, there hadn’t been a physical fight, but Scott was still wary. He wasn’t sure how all of this would play out.

Erin held Marcus tight after he came in. Marcus buried his face in Erin’s hair and seemed to be shaking again. Whatever was going through Marcus’s mind, he certainly wouldn’t want an audience. Scott leaned his head down on Cassie’s and closed his eyes. He knew Erin would take care of Marcus either way, so he spent his moment taking care of Cassie. He held her just as tight and rubbed her back as they waited for Marcus to let them know how things had gone.

“Hey,” Marcus finally called over.
 

Scott and Cassie walked over to the living room area and all four found seats.

“What happened?” Cassie asked quietly.

“First, you don’t have to worry. He’s not going to bother you again. Second, he was calling to say sorry.”

“What?” Cassie looked completely confused. Scott squeezed her hand and pulled her closer.

“Cass, he said he’s been three years sober. He’s trying to make amends, but I told him words didn’t mean much. He agreed not to bother either of us again.”

“God…” Cassie shook her head and looked at the floor. “Three years?”

“It doesn’t matter, Cass. He doesn’t have the right to even say sorry, as far as I’m concerned. I told him that if he wants to talk to you again, he’ll have to go through me.”

Erin leaned in to Marcus’s embrace even stronger. The four of them were silent for a while when Erin finally stood up, pulling Marcus up with her. “Marcus, come on. Let’s go home. Scott will take good care of Cassie.”

Scott nodded and walked them to the door. He shook Marcus’s hand and kissed Erin on the cheek. “Thanks for coming over, Marcus. I could tell she needed you.”

“I’m glad you called,” he said. Then his voice dropped to barely a whisper. “I saw that look on her face just now. She’s more forgiving than I am and I already know she’s thinking about talking to him. Call me if this comes up again.”

Scott nodded. “I got it. You’re my first call.”
 

Marcus discretely keyed his number into Scott’s phone and nodded a simple goodbye.

Scott turned back toward Cassie once Marcus and Erin left. She was sitting on his couch, a silent tear streaming slowly down her face. Even when she was sad, Cassie was so beautiful. He couldn’t help but notice.
 

“Cassie, come here,” Scott said, pulling her up into his arms. He held her solidly in his embrace. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, this is just a lot,” she said into his chest. “Thank you. For being here.”

“Where else would I want to be?” Scott said in a loving voice. “Stay here with me tonight. I’ll hold you tight, and you’ll know you’re ok.”

Cassie nodded and stayed in his arms. After a minute they settled on the couch together. The tension eased and in its place was a calm, sweet moment between two people in love. Scott played with her fingers and kissed her hair as she got herself snuggled deeper into his embrace.
 

“Hey Cass…”

“Yeah?”

“Did Marcus call you ‘Bug’?” he asked with an ornery smile in his voice.

Cassie let out the tiniest hint of a laugh. “He always called me that when we were kids. Cause I was such a pest.”

Scott smiled. “And now?”

Cassie’s smile faded a degree or two. “The name kind of stuck. By the time we were teenagers he only called me that when things were really bad with our dad. It reminded us both of when we were smaller and mom was still around. Things were ok then.”

Scott’s hands dragged slowly up and down her arms while he listened. He placed more kisses on her head and then pulled her face to his for one very gentle, sweet kiss. “I’m sorry this happened.”

“I’m ok now,” she said. “You took good care of me, but I hate that you had to.”

“Didn’t bother me a bit. I like taking care of you. You know that, right? I know how strong you are, Cassie, but you can rely on me for anything. That doesn’t make you any less strong.”

“I know. Same goes.”

Scott nodded and kissed her sweetly again. “Come on, let me tuck you in. Wait, do you want dinner?”

“No, I’m whooped. Let’s just crash.”

Scott got her a tee and boxers to wear and they got ready for bed like an old married couple. Scott surprised her with a new toothbrush in her favorite color he had been saving for their next sleepover. That got a big grin from Cassie. They got under the covers together and Scott pulled her over to rest on him with his arms around her. She kissed his bare chest right over his heart.

“Scott, it meant a lot that I knew I could come over here. Thanks.”

“Means a lot that you did. Anytime. And I mean that.”

Cassie shifted and rested her chin on Scott’s chest to look him in the eye. She saw him smile at her. She scooted herself up and leaned in to kiss him. She started with just a soft peck on his lips, but then opened her mouth to him. Scott returned the kiss hesitantly, but stopped her after a moment.
 

“Cassie, we don’t have to do this tonight. We probably shouldn’t. I don’t want you confusing this with the way things were before.”

“I’m not confused, Scott. This isn’t me out looking for anything that will make me feel loved. This is me knowing I
am
loved. Nothing else.”

He looked in her eyes and saw that she already knew the truth. “Then come here,” he said lovingly, pulling her close and kissing her gently. There was no need for more words.

They moved slowly together and sincerely made love. Gentle kisses and caresses were laced through the slow, grinding passion between them. Scott whispered beautiful words to her over and over. More than once he promised she was safe. A single happy tear escaped Cassie’s eye, and Scott wiped the drop away with his thumb. He kissed the soft lashes at the corner of her eye and whispered sweetly to her again. When they finally separated, they snuggled in tighter and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter Fourteen

The next Saturday Cassie went to lunch with Jenna and Erin. Life roared along and she was more joyful than ever, in spite of the interruption from her dad. Scott’s presence in her life added an exciting dimension to her days, and her brother’s engagement had her more blissful than ever. Marcus and Erin would be so happy together.
 

“Ok, you have to give us the whole story,” Cassie said to Erin. “I knew he was going to propose, but I had no idea how. He wouldn’t tell me.”

Erin beamed and held out her ring to show them. Jenna’s jaw dropped. “That’s beautiful,” she said. “Where did he find something like that?”

“He actually went to a jeweler and had it custom made from his design idea,” Erin smiled. “I still can’t believe he did that.”

All three girls gazed at the ring, taking in all the exquisite detail. The ring, designed by Marcus, included a small-but-perfect diamond and two butterflies. The tips of the butterfly wings served as the prongs on either side of the brilliant stone. The design held such significance for Erin and she couldn’t help but smile every time she looked at her new life depicted in gold.

“So how did he propose?” Jenna asked. “Was it totally romantic or completely cheesy?”

Erin laughed and toyed with the ring on her finger. “Somewhere in between, I guess.”

“So don’t leave us hanging! What did he say?” Cassie smiled.

“Well, you know the butterfly thing is important to me, so he put together a whole butterfly-themed evening for us at home. He had a temporary tattoo butterfly over his heart, and had a flower arrangement on the table, complete with gossamer butterflies mixed in. He gave me a butterfly clip for my hair, and even bought me a butterfly satin nightie. I couldn’t believe how sweet it all was. And then, during dinner, he got down on his knee.”

Jenna gazed with an awed smile and Cassie beamed.
 

Erin’s smile was wider than either of theirs. “He was so sweet when he proposed. Nothing flashy. Just ‘I love you’ and ‘Will you marry me’. It was beautiful.”

“Classic,” Cassie said. “I love it.”

“Awww! My God. That is so awesome. I’m so happy for you two! Did you set a date yet?” Jenna asked.

“Not yet. But we are going to have the wedding back in Indiana. My parents want to throw me a big, traditional ceremony. It will probably be sometime next summer.”

“Road Trip!” Cassie beamed.
 

“I’m so in,” Jenna said, still unable to stop smiling.

After lunch the girls were ready for their first self-defense class. In total, eleven women agreed to participate, mostly from the clinic and Erin’s office, but Cassie also got one of her neighbors to come along. Erin, Jenna, and Cassie all rode together early to help Marcus set up, but there wasn’t anything to do. Marcus was well prepared.

“Hey, Cass, Jenna,” Marcus smiled when they came in. “…
Erin
.”

Marcus pulled Erin for a strong hug and whispered, “Thanks for your help, baby,” in her ear. Erin smiled back and squeezed his ribs for as long as he would let her. Cassie smiled so widely at her brother and future sister-in-law. They were so cute together, and disgustingly in love.
 

“So who’s our bad-guy?” Cassie asked.
 

“Trip. He’s in the locker room getting some protective gear on. You ladies can beat on him as hard as you want,” Marcus smiled. “And please, take advantage.”

Cassie laughed. She knew from her many conversations with Marcus that Trip was the class-clown of the gym. He was the practical joker and the constant pain in everyone’s ass. Still, everyone loved him because he went hard in training anyway. That’s all that mattered around the gym.
 

At that moment, Trip came out of the locker room in a full-body padded suit. Marcus grinned at him and Cassie applauded.
 

“It’s hard to see you as scary when you’re all puffy like that,” Cassie laughed as she went over to introduce herself. “I’m Cassie, Marcus’s sister. And this is my friend and coworker, Jenna Roche.”

“Nice to meet you,” Trip smiled, tucking his goggles and padded head gear under his arm so he could shake hands. “And don’t worry, I’ll try to balance my scary-attacker face with my puffy cuteness.”

Cassie laughed. “Marcus was right about you, goofball.”

Trip flashed her a wide grin and went over to talk quietly with Erin. Cassie couldn’t tell what he said to her, but Erin’s face got a little serious. Her eyes rested on the floor for a few moments and then she looked up again with a deep breath. Trip ruffled her hair playfully, and Marcus knocked him to the floor with a smile for doing it.
 

All of them were laughing again, and Cassie even offered to test out Trip’s padding. They all chatted and laughed together as more women filtered in for the class. Melanie and Caty from the clinic came in, along with Paige, a receptionist from Erin’s office. Both Paige and Erin had dealt with some unwanted advances from the same jerk at their office. Each was intimidated to be in a class getting “attacked”, even in a safe learning environment.