Weightless (42 page)

“I love you,” he whispered against my lips. “I don’t want you to think I’m just saying it now because of what happened tonight. I’ve felt it for weeks, maybe longer. I should have said it when you did, or hell, before then. You said it hit you all at once, but I felt every single inch of the fall. I tried so hard to fight it, to not let myself be selfish enough to love you knowing who I am and what I’m capable of.”

“Stop,” I breathed, kissing him again. “I know. You never had to say it.”

He frowned, his eyes on mine. “Well now I’m never going to stop.”

I smiled against his mouth as he kissed me again, harder this time, with promise and purpose, greed and carefulness. His brows knitted together, and I wondered if he’d ever be able to kiss me without feeling like he didn’t deserve to.

“I love you too, William,” I said softly. He pulled back, his eyes questioning the name. He opened his mouth to argue, but after a pause, simply closed it once more. Because he knew then what I had known all along.

He was
my
resolute protector now.

Sliding his hand into mine, he pressed two fingers firmly against my inner wrist. I felt my heartbeat pound beneath his touch and I moved my own fingers to mirror his. My heart was racing, but his was slow and steady. Soon, they evened out, beating as one together. William pressed his forehead to mine and I inhaled the first breath of my new life.

That summer had changed me in more ways than I could even understand. I had challenged myself and found strength I didn’t know I had. I’d taken risks, risks that lead to a passion and love unlike anything I’d experienced before. And yes, I had lost an innocence that up until that point had played a huge role in who I was.

But in the end, I’d emerged on the other side of summer ready to shed my leaves along with the fall trees. The truth was William had brought a sleeping giant to life. I felt a new me — a better me — waiting just below the surface for her chance to shine in the spring. I didn’t shield my eyes as the morning light grew brighter and brighter on the beach around us. I simply held on tighter to the one person whose darkness offered the perfect balance.

The sun was rising.

And we were rising with it.

TWO YEARS LATER

I smoothed my hands down the thin black fabric of my dress, turning to inspect myself in the mirror once more. My new, shorter, brighter blonde hair was slightly curled and it framed my face at the chin. There were no lumps showing beneath the tight dress, still I stretched it and smoothed it over and over again.

“You look perfect.” William’s deep voice echoed through our bedroom as he slid up behind me, wrapping his arms around my middle.

“I think it’s too small.”

A smirk curved on his lips. “Just because it’s a single digit doesn’t mean it’s too small, Bug.” He kissed my temple and I turned in his arms, running my hands up his biceps currently covered by a blazer.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to a size eight. I guess I have you to thank for that.”

“Don’t thank me,” he said, kissing my nose. “Thank the squats.”

I giggled.

“Ready?”

Licking my lower lip, I slid my hands down his chest and hooked them into the band of his dress pants. He inhaled a stiff breath and I felt him grow hard through the fabric. “Are you
sure
we have to leave the house?”

He groaned, running his hands back through my hair and tugging it gently, forcing my face up to his. He pressed his lips against mine and bit the lower lip I’d just licked to tease him. “Go ahead. Tease me all you want tonight, Bug. Just remember that later when I pay you back.”

His words sent a jolt straight between my legs and my thighs tensed. William didn’t break the kiss, though — he deepened it, running his rough hands down the open back of my dress to firmly palm my ass. I moaned into his mouth and he finally pulled away, leaving me panting for more.

“Looking forward to it,” I said, breathless. I went to steal another kiss, but Zipper ran between our legs, tail wagging furiously, knocking both of us back a step.

“What do you say, Zip? You going to be good while we’re gone?”

Our rough-around-the-edges pit bull sat down quickly, planting his front feet and looking up at us with wide eyes and tongue flopped out. I rubbed the white spot on his head before leaning down to kiss his nose, to which he responded with a sneeze and another sprint through the house.

We rescued Zipper last Christmas and he’d been a part of our little dysfunctional family ever since. He was hyper, got into trouble more days than not, and I’d lost count of how many pairs of shoes had fallen victim to his chewing habit. Still, he reminded me a lot of Rhodes when we first met — people were scared of him, he seemed dangerous, but inside he was kind and caring and brave. One more week in the shelter and he would have been put down. Some say we saved him, but I think it might be the other way around. Where therapy failed over the last few months, Zipper succeeded.

He ran through the house full speed, using the front door as a backboard before bounding back toward us.

William chuckled, watching Zipper run another lap before smacking my ass playfully as he motioned toward the door. If it weren’t such an important dinner, I likely would have continued my teasing until he gave up and let me stay home with him. As it was, we were expected to meet with his sister and my mom — neither of who we saw much anymore.

The drive to the restaurant was short, but I stared out the window the entire time. Even though we’d lived in Savannah for over a year, I still marveled at how beautiful the town was. There was so much history, but more than that — life. Every square of the city buzzed with beauty and excitement.

Still, any time I was quiet, the noise in my head would creep in. I’d come a long way in the two years since everything happened, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly move on and forget. Therapy had helped, in the beginning at least, but I realized after a while that the only person I wanted to talk to about everything was William. He knew me better than I even knew myself. And so we leaned on each other, in the good times and the bad, and our foundation that had once been cracked and breaking was rebuilt slowly and steadily. It was stronger than ever now.

William’s hand gently squeezing my knee brought my attention back inside the car. He knew when I drifted, but just feeling his skin on mine would bring me back to the moment — back to him. “I have some exciting news.”

I arched a brow. “Yeah?”

He nodded, the cutest smirk quirking at the corner of his lips. “I applied for a summer job a while back. I didn’t want to say anything to you because I figured with all the competition at school, I probably wouldn’t get it. But… well… I did.”

I smiled, wrinkling my nose. “And… what are you doing?”

William chewed his lip. “You know how Bradley Schumaker from Food Network is the guest chef at that little Italian restaurant downtown?”

“Oh my God… are you?”

He nodded again, this time a huge smile lighting up his face. It was the kind that still had the power to knock the breath from my chest. “I’m going to be one of his cooks.”

“William!” I wrapped my hand around the one he had on my knee and squeezed. “That’s amazing!” I shook my head, overwhelmed with pride. The man I’d met that summer two years ago had absolutely zero confidence in his cooking. The man beside me now was almost finished with his culinary degree and was going to be cooking all summer with one of the hottest chefs in the industry.

He shrugged. “Just trying to keep up with my all-star girlfriend.”

“I hardly think working at the art museum qualifies as all-star. Or compares to what you’ll be doing in any way.”

“They’re asking you to curate and you’re still in school, Bug. And your photos are the first to sell any time you let them display them. Stop selling yourself short.”

I blushed. “Confidence is still a work in progress for me.”

“I know. That’s why I’m always here to remind you.” He threw me a wink just as we pulled into the quaint seafood restaurant where Mom had asked us to meet her and Lana. William parked our small Camry and ran around to open my door, extending one hand to help me out. It wasn’t the Rover or a Corvette, but it was ours — we had both worked hard for it. And for that reason alone, I was proud every time I rode inside it.

I couldn’t help but stare at William as we walked toward the front door. His chestnut hair was carefully styled, his suit crisp, and the slight stubble on his chin made it look like he didn’t even try too hard to look that way. His bright green eyes were happy — the happiest I’d ever seen them. He hardly ever scowled anymore, the expression so rare that I almost forgot what it looked like at all. Nowadays, he always wore the most comfortable smile.

It completed his outfit.

Before we’d even reached the table, Mom was up and out of her seat, wrapping me in a crushing hug. I embraced her, laughing a little when she pulled back swiping at the wetness on her cheeks.

“Oh heavens, I’ve missed you so much, sweetie.”

“I’ve missed you, too, Mom.” She looked good — incredible, actually. Her long blonde hair was tied up into an elegant updo and her eyes were free from the dark circles they’d worn for so long after the incident with Dale. She seemed to be happy. I hoped she truly was.

“No but really, she’s missed you. I think I know your whole life now. She talks about you every night,” Lana said with a smile, wrapping me in a light hug. “Good to see you, Natalie. You look amazing.”

“Thank you, so do you.” We shared a smile before taking our seats at the table. A waiter placed our napkins in our laps and left us with menus after we placed our drink order.

“So, how was today’s tour stop?” I asked, eying Lana as she texted away on her phone. A smile was plastered on her face and I didn’t need more than one guess as to who she was texting. She and Officer Martino had been shy about their relationship at first, unsure of it just like Rhodes and I in the beginning. But there was no denying it now.

“So good,” Mom answered. “I feel like we’re really making a difference in some of these young ladies’ lives. It’s like while we’re speaking, I look out at them, and I can tell which ones have gone through something. I can’t explain it, but you can see it in their eyes. They’re listening — they want to know their options.”

“It’s terrifying, in a way,” Lana added, tucking her phone back in her clutch.

Mom nodded. “It is. But that’s what reminds me why we do this.” They shared a knowing smile and William found my hand under the table, giving it a soft squeeze.

After the trial, Lana and Mom became really close. It was interesting, since they were on two very opposite sides of what happened with Dale, but they really seemed to help each other cope. They decided to write a book together and, mostly because of the popularity of Dale’s case nation-wide, it sold tremendously. Now, they were booked through December with tour stops all over the country speaking to high schools, colleges, women’s groups and more. They were signing and selling books and telling their story, giving other women hope and strength to fight through their own situations. It was actually quite incredible.

“How have you two been? How’s school?”

William told them about his new summer job and I filled them in on the latest projects at the museum. It was finals week at school and I was going to take the summer off to focus on curating and honing in on my own skills. I was looking forward to the months off, especially since it meant more time with William.