Running Towards Love

CONTENTS

Chapter One
             

Chapter Two
             

Chapter Three
             

Chapter Four

Chapter Five
             

ABOUT THE AUTHO
R
             

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There is no way I could ever dream of completing my novels without the help of my pre-readers and editors. To my Mom, Dawn, Nina, and Mechelle – you ladies rock!

Nikki Camarelli ignored the incoming call on her cell phone for the tenth time as she stood on the expansive front porch. She wasn’t sure why she was so hesitant to knock. Jason and Rebekah
Taylor were her best friends, practically family, and they would welcome her in an instant. But she knew once they opened that door, she would have to admit her fears and reality would smack her in the face.
‘Here goes nothing,’
she thought as she quietly knocked.

Moments passed and Nikki felt her clothing stick to her even more as she waited. She loved visiting her family here outside Houston, but she had never once been able to get used to the heat or the humidity. It was mid January for crying out loud and she would have been fine in shorts and a short sleeved shirt! Finally, the porch light flickered to life as the door knob rattled and light spilled onto the porch. “Surprise,” she called, fake humor lacing her voice.

Jason stood in the door way as a look of shock spread across his face. “Nikki!” he sputtered. “What are you doing here?”

She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at his tone. “That’s the best welcome you have, Jason?”

He returned her look with a stare of his own, their years of banter back and forth clearly not missing a beat even though they had not seen each other in months. “Come in, Nikki,” he smiled as he reached for her bag, looking over her shoulder at the same time. “Is Danny here?”

At the sound of his name, her smile tightened and she knew Jason immediately noticed the change but before she could answer, Rebekah swept into the room. “Nikki!” she practically squealed with glee as she rushed forward to warmly embrace her friend. “What a surprise!  How long are you staying?”

With a tired sigh, she returned her friend’s hug. “I don’t know yet.” Keeping one arm around Rebekah, she turned back towards Jason. “Now, that’s what a welcome is supposed to be like, Jason.” She scolded.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, biting back his own laughter. “You know I think it’s always good to see you, Nik.”

“We just put the girls down. Emily is going to be so excited when she wakes up in the morning,” Rebekah said as she led Nikki into the kitchen. The warm, spicy scents filled Nikki’s nose as they walked reminding her of her own cozy home that she and Danny had together. Shaking her head, she worked to quickly rid her mind of any images or thoughts of him.

“I can’t wait to see my girls,” Nikki gushed. “The most recent pictures you sent of them were absolutely adorable! I can’t believe how big Elizabeth is.”

Rebekah sighed almost wistfully. “I know. It seems like just yesterday that we were in New York having her. Now, Emily is almost five and Elizabeth just turned two.” Turning back towards the cabinet, she pulled down two mugs, asking Nikki, “I made cider earlier. Would you like some?”

Nikki inhaled deeply, letting the scent fill her senses. “That’s what I smell that is so wonderful. You know I love your cider, Beck. I can’t wait to have some.”

Rebekah flashed a smile as she pulled down a third mug. “If I’m going to heat us some, I might as well heat some for Jason, too. He loves the stuff almost as much as you do.” Soft music filled the kitchen, drifting from somewhere else in the house; the quiet melodies usually bringing her such peace. But even with the friendly banter, the music did nothing to relieve her stress.

“Mmmm,” Jason practically moaned from behind her as he walked into the kitchen. “That has to be one of the best smells in the world.” He walked behind Rebekah, smiling as he snaked his arms around her waist and pressed his lips against her neck before turning to Nikki. “Do I have the best wife, or what?”

“No,” she replied with a laugh. “I have the best friend. You just lucked out when she let you hang around.”

He glared pointedly at her with a smirk of his own as he joined her at the kitchen table. “Need I remind you that I was the one who met her first? You are the one who is lucky that she tolerates you.”

“Do I need to be here for this conversation?” Rebekah called out as she carried the steaming mugs to the table. “Cause, I don’t have to tolerate either one of you.” Her eyes twinkled with merriment despite the stern look she tried to plaster on her face.

Rebekah mock glared at both of them and before she could control it, laughter bubbled from Nikki. For several minutes the combined hum of their laughter filled the kitchen sounding like happiness and home. But Nikki’s heart could barely contain the extra emotion and before she knew it, she found her eyes filling with tears. “Oh honey,” she heard Rebekah whisper as her friend reached across the table and pulled Nikki’s hand into her own. She saw the concerned glance between her friends and knew the question was coming before it was even asked. “You know we love you, Nikki. And,” she continued, “you know you are welcome here anytime. But this is different. What’s going on, Nik?”

She closed her eyes and fell back against the chair afraid to say the words out loud but knew she had no choice. “Danny’s having an affair. He’s planning to leave me at the end of the month.”

Silence filled the kitchen as she looked imploringly at her friends. She had known Jason for half of her life; he was her brother in every sense of the word and more than anything, she needed him, needed both of them, now more than ever before.

“Oh, Nikki,” Rebekah practically cried out and Nikki could hear the emotion and pain in her friend’s voice. “Are you sure?”

But it was Jason’s voice that rang louder. “Have you lost your mind Nicole Johnson Camarelli?”

“Jason,” Rebekah admonished but he continued anyway.

“No, it’s a legitimate question. That man worships the very ground you walk on and you know it, Nikki. He always has. There is no way he is planning to leave you after fifteen years together and nearly ten years of marriage.”

Almost immediately, the dam that had been holding back Nikki’s emotions for the past twenty-four hours burst and white-hot anger spewed forth. “How would you know, Jason? You don’t live near us anymore; you hardly see him, or us. There is no way you can know what it has been like for either one of us.”

Jason sobered slightly at the combined reprimand of his wife and Nikki. “Maybe not. But I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he loves you more than life. I may not see you all the time anymore, but I talk to him on a regular basis, and I’m telling you you’re wrong.”

Dropping her face into the palms of her hands, Nikki worked to calm her breathing and her emotions. “Maybe this was a mistake,” she began.

“Of course it was,” Jason broke in to the middle of her sentence.

She lifted her head catching Rebekah’s eye as her friend silently watched the exchange. “I meant maybe it was a mistake to come here. I don’t have to stay.”

“Stop right there, Nikki.” Rebekah glared at her husband, her eyes promising a conversation later between the two of them. “It was not a mistake for you to come here. You are more than welcome to be here for as long as you need. And you,” she turned her attention to Jason. “Whether or not you think your friend is wrong is beside the point. She needs our help and we’re going to give it to her.”

Between the raised eyebrow and the pointed stare, Jason simply nodded his head in agreement. “I’m going to go check on the girls,” he muttered as he stood and left the kitchen.

Silence reined in the small space. “Well, aren’t I just the life of the party?” Nikki sarcastically laughed.

“Sometimes I wonder how in the world the two of you ever dated!” exclaimed Rebekah.

The sheer exasperation in Rebekah’s voice forced Nikki to actually laugh despite her current state of emotions. “Haven’t I ever told you about our first date?”

Rebekah’s eyes softened. “We don’t have to talk about this now.”

“I know. But, I’m not ready to talk about Danny yet. I promise I will explain everything I know, but right now, I just want to get lost in happier times.”

“Well then,” Rebekah’s amusement filled her voice. “Carry on.”

The air crackled with excitement. After two long years of flirting, longing glances, and soft touches, Nikki was finally, finally going to have the chance to sample Jason Taylor’s lips. She could practically taste the soon-to-be kiss and knew it would be phenomenal. The fact that the kiss was going to be witnessed by at least fifty people was of no consequence to her. Of course, neither was the fact that the kiss was scripted and that she wasn’t really going to be kissing Jason; his character Brad was supposed to be kissing her character Ellen because the soap opera executives finally decided they should be an official couple.