CHAPTER 12

The Good Times And The Bad

Colton

GETTING OUT OF THE shower, I wrap a towel around my waist and open the door. As soon as I step into the bedroom, I hear Gia and Nat downstairs giggling like two mad women who were served way too much alcohol. And they were served too much alcohol by my mom, who kept their glasses full all afternoon, which meant when it was time for me to get off work at five, they were both wasted. So wasted I ended up carrying Gia to my Suburban, with Carson following behind me carrying Nat. Thank fuck both of them could obviously hold their alcohol, because neither of them got sick on the way home.

Going to the closet, I find a pair of jeans and a tee and put both on. Then I grab my socks and boots and tug them on before heading downstairs. As soon as I reach the bottom landing, I lock eyes with Gia and stride right to her. “You still drunk?” I ask, taking the kiss she offers up. She grins, which gives me her answer. “Since none of us have eaten, and all you’ve had all day is alcohol I’m going to head into town to pick up a pizza. Are you two good with that?”

“That sound good,” Gia agrees, keeping her head tipped back, so I kiss her once more, smiling when I do it.

“Can you also pick up your brother?” Nat asks, and I look at her while Gia laughs.

“Don’t laugh. It was so romantic the way he carried me out of the bar,” she says with a faraway look in her eyes.

“He carried you out of the bar because you couldn’t walk,” Gia reminds her, and Nat’s eyes focus on Gia’s and narrow.

“Don’t be a dream crusher. Maybe he’s my Prince Charming. My very own Prince Harry,” she sighs, falling back onto the couch dramatically with her hands over her heart.

Fighting back laughter, I look at Gia and find her studying her friend thoughtfully. “Don’t even think about it, Dimples.”

“What?” she asks, looking at me, and I shake my head. “Well,” she starts quietly, “if they got together, Nat would move here to be with him, and then I would really have it all. I would have you and my best friend.”

As much as I want her to have everything she wants, I can’t imagine Carson with Nat. They would constantly be at each other’s throat. Nat’s too easygoing, and Carson might come across as easygoing, but he’s uptight and stubborn as fuck, which is the exact reason he hasn’t gotten married. Not a lot of women want to deal with him—at least, not long term anyways.

“If it happens, it happens. You are not going to play matchmaker,” I tell her, and her eyes slide away. Shit, she is going to play matchmaker. “Gia.”

“I thought you were going to pick us up pizza.”

“Gia,” I warn, and her gaze comes back to me.

“Colton.”

“Gia.”

“Is this some weird mating ritual?” Nat asks, and I sigh. I like Nat, but fuck me, I can’t wait for her to leave, even if she does make my woman happy and did just get here yesterday.

“I’ll be back,” I tell them, going to the kitchen and grabbing my keys off the counter. Stopping at Gia, I drop a kiss to the top of her head, giving her a look before I take off.

I call Bob’s on the way to town, so when I get to the restaurant, the pizza is ready to go, meaning I don’t have to wait around or answer any questions. News tends to spread quickly in small towns like Ruby Falls, but bad news always spreads faster, which means everyone knows what Lisa did. As for me, I don’t want to think about that bitch. I don’t want to listen to people talk about her, and I sure as fuck don’t want Gia to have to deal with that shit either. I still cannot believe Lisa took things as far as she did. I don’t know what she was thinking, or if she was thinking at all. I do know I’m glad she’s going to be locked up for a while. I just hope she uses that time wisely and reflects on the shit show she turned her life into and turns that shit around for the better. And if she doesn’t do that, I hope she leaves town and doesn’t come back once she gets out of jail. If I never see her again, it will be too soon.

Pulling back up in front of the house with the pizza thirty minutes later, I park and get out then head inside. The minute I open the door, I shake my head when I find both Gia and Nat passed out, each with their head resting on the arms of the couch on either side, and Loki in the middle of them. Once I shut the door, I move toward the kitchen, where I drop the box on the counter. Grabbing a Coke from the fridge, I open it then take a slice from the box and lift it to my mouth. Before I can even take a bite, two sets of eyes come to me over the back of the couch.

“Were you going to eat without waking us?” Gia asks, blinking at me, and I smile at her then take a large bite. Bob’s Pizza is the best around. Even though it’s not bad cold, it’s still better hot. Watching my woman get up, I keep my eyes on her as she heads my way then smile at her as she kisses my jaw then hops up on the counter. Opening the pizza box, she pulls out her own slice, and takes a huge bite. Two seconds later, Nat joins her on the counter, grabbing her own piece.

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” I ask after handing Gia my Coke that she reached for.

“No, but yes. I’m ready to put her to rest. It’s going to suck having to do it, but knowing she will be where she wanted to be, with Grandpa, makes it a little easier.”

“I’ll be there. All of us will. You won’t be alone.”

“I know,” she mumbles solemnly, and I sigh. I can’t wait until this is all done and behind us. I hate the sadness I see in her eyes, and it kills me there is nothing I can do to make it better for her. Nothing will take the pain she’s feeling away but time.

Dropping my slice of pizza to the top of the box, I wrap my hand around her neck and tip her head back using my thumb, until I get her eyes. “I love you.”

“I know,” she whispers.

“I promise it will get better.”

“I know,” she repeats.

Dropping my mouth to hers, I kiss her quickly, even though I don’t want to. I do it, because her friend’s watching us. Letting her go, I lean against the counter next to her hip and pick my slice of pizza back up. Tomorrow is going to suck, but once it’s over, I know my family and her friend will find a way to help her heal.

~**~

Wrapping my arm around Gia’s shoulders the next morning, we listen to the pastor from one of the local churches as he gives a short sermon. There are a lot of people here to say goodbye. A lot more people than I thought would be here. Mom put an announcement in the paper, since she said people would want to know about the funeral. She was right. It’s obvious, looking around, that Genevria was well known in town, since she had lived here almost all of her life. She was also well liked by the people in town, judging by the look of sadness etched on everyone’s faces. Gathering Gia closer to my side, I watch Nat reach out and wrap her hand around Gia’s and squeeze. Then I feel my parents and family get closer to us. Yes, today sucks, but I know without a doubt that Gia having all of us will help.

As soon as the service is done and the pastor has finished with his sermon, people make their way over to us to offer up condolences to Gia. And my woman, being who she is, stands tall and proud in the face of her pain, shaking hands and accepting words of kindness about her grandmother, when I know it’s the last thing she wants to do. When all that’s left is Tide, Nat, my family, Nina, Ned, Gia, and me, I lead her out of the cemetery with my arm around her shoulders so she doesn’t have to watch them lower her grandmother’s casket into the ground next to her grandfather’s grave.

Stopping at my Suburban, I watch her hug my parents and brothers then do the same with Ned and Nina before they all take off and get in their cars.

“I’m sorry, Gia,” Tide says, giving her a hug she quickly accepts.

“Thanks, Tide.”

Bumping his fist to mine once he’s let her go, he mutters, “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” I agree, watching him head toward his pickup that’s parked a few feet away and get in.

“I’m going to go with Carson and hang with Kirk and Rose at their place for a bit to give you two some time alone,” Nat says, and I lift my chin to her in a silent thank you.

“Are you sure?” Gia asks, and Nat nods then wraps her arm around her shoulders, rocking her from side-to-side as they hug.

“I’ll see you later.”

“See you later,” Gia says, watching Nat walk away and get into Carson’s car.

Helping Gia into the passenger side, I buckle her in then wrap my hand around her jaw. “You doing okay?”

Taking off her sunglasses, she looks at me and shakes her head, whispering, “I didn’t cry.”

“Baby.” I rest my forehead to hers.

“I didn’t cry. I should have cried.”

“You’ve cried a lot since she passed, baby.” And she has cried a lot. Countless times I’ve woken up to find her curled into a ball crying in the middle of the night, or out in one of the rocking chairs, looking at the lake with tears streaming down her cheeks. Each of those times, I’ve either gathered her close to me and held her while she cried, or picked her up and carried her back to bed where I did the same.

“People probably think I’m crazy for not crying at my own grandmother’s funeral, when they were all crying.”

“No one thinks you’re crazy. You handled yourself beautifully. Your grandma would be proud of you. I’m so proud of you,” I tell her, and her face crumples right before she covers it with both her hands and sobs. Resting my cheek to hers, I whisper, “See? You’re crying. Are you happy now?” I know it’s a lame joke, but when I hear her laugh and sob at the same time, I smile then kiss the side of her head. “Let’s go home.”

“Okay.” She wipes at her face as she looks at me then her eyes go over my shoulder. I turn to watch my brother and Nat drive by, with Nat waving at us out her window. “Do you think Nat will be okay?”

“She’ll be fine.”

“Maybe Carson can bring her home,” she says hopefully, and I look into her eyes and see the same look there that she had just last night.

“Christ,” I mutter, listening to her laugh. Sliding my thumbs across her wet cheeks, I wipe away the tears that are there, then press a soft kiss to her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Let’s get you home.” I step back and slam her door closed. Heading around to the driver’s side door, I loosen my tie then unhook the top button of my dress shirt to make it more comfortable. Pulling my keys out of my pocket, I get in behind the wheel then drive us home, where we spend a few hours alone in bed doing nothing more than just holding onto each other and talking quietly.

And when Nat gets back, she tells Gia that Carson drove her home, which means Gia spends the rest of the night smiling.

~**~

“Call as soon as you land!” Gia shouts, and Nat looks back over her shoulder and waves before heading for security. “I already miss her,” she says, and I wrap my arm around her waist and turn us toward the exit.

“She’ll be back. And you’ll see her in a few weeks when we go to Chicago.”

“I know,” she sighs, sliding her arm behind my back and grabbing hold of my tee. “Did I tell you that Carson got her number?”

“Yeah, baby. You told me ‘bout a hundred and fifty-two times,” I mutter, and she laughs, pressing her face into the side of my chest.

“It’s exciting.”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I warn, opening the door for her to get in her Jeep, which we drove to the airport since my dad is using my Suburban to haul stuff around today.

“I’m not,” she lies, and I let out a bark of laughter.

She’s been plotting for the last few days; she even got my mom in on it. I know this, because just last night, Mom invited her Nat and I over to dinner. She also invited Carson. Mom and Gia both arranged us at the table so that Carson and Nat sat next to each other. And then after dinner, they suggested we play a game called Know It or Blow It, where they partnered us up into teams of couples, which meant Nat and Carson were once again paired up. I could tell my brother was onto Mom and Gia, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“He kept looking at her all night. I think he likes her,” Gia keeps up as I get in behind the wheel.

“She’s pretty and sweet, babe, but she lives hundreds of miles away, so I doubt he’s going to go there with her.”

“You never know.”

“You’re right. I don’t know,” I agree, leaving the parking garage and stopping at the exit to pay. Hearing Gia’s phone ring, I watch her dig it out of her bag then see her look at the number before sliding her finger across the screen.

“Hello,” she answers, putting the phone to her ear. “Yes, this is Gia Caro. Yes, Tuesday at four works for me. Okay, great. Thank you so much, I look forward to seeing you too.”

She hangs up and I glance over at her. “What’s up?”

“That was the school Nat and I dropped my resume off to yesterday. They want me to come in on Tuesday next week to interview for a teaching position,” she says.

I reach over, picking up her hand. Bringing it to my mouth, I press a kiss to her fingers. “That’s great news, baby.”

“I want to cry,” she whispers.

“Please don’t.”

“They would be happy tears,” she adds, and I squeeze her hand.

“I don’t like any of your tears, happy or not,” I tell her honestly, then ask, “What grade will you be teaching when you get the job?”

“If I get the job, I’ll be teaching preschoolers.”

“When you get the job.”

“If I get it.”

“Dimples, you’ll get the job.”

“We’ll see,” she murmurs.

~**~

The following week, I watch Gia walk through the door of the bar with an expression on her face I can’t read. I didn’t see her this morning when she left for her interview, since I was already at work. Seeing her now, I know it’s probably a good thing I didn’t, because I would have made her late for her interview, since all I can think about is pulling her hair out of the bun on top of her head, ripping open the yellow, long-sleeved, form-fitting top she has on, yanking up the black fitted skirt she’s wearing, and feeling her black heels dig into my back. She looks like a hot schoolteacher.

Scanning the bar, I notice I’m not the only one thinking about all the dirty things I want to do to her. Except unlike the men watching my woman walk toward me, I’m the only one who will get to experience those fantasies firsthand.

“Well?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest when she’s a few feet away.

“I got the job!” she shouts, rushing around the bar toward me and throwing herself into my arms.

Claiming her immediately, I wrap my arms around her waist, kiss her hard and wet, and thrust my tongue into her mouth, not giving a fuck who’s watching. When I pull back, I only do it an inch so I can look into her eyes. “I’m happy for you.”

“I’m happy for me too,” she says, and I smile, touching my lips to hers once more before standing her upright but keeping her close. “I start in a week. One of their current teachers is having a baby and she isn’t planning on coming back.”

“That’s good news for you.”

“It’s great news for me,” she agrees, wrapping her hand around the side of my neck. “Sucks though.”

“What sucks?” I ask, studying her, and she pulls in a breath, looking away.

“We’ll have to put off going to see Nat and getting my stuff for a while.”

“We’ll find time to go.” I drag her closer and her eyes meet mine. “First long weekend you get, we’ll fly up there. And if there is anything you need now, you know she’ll mail it to you.”

“You’re right.”

“I’m normally right, just like I was right about you getting this job.”

“Don’t be smug about it.” She rolls her eyes and I grin. “What time are you getting off work?”

“About an hour. Do you want to wait for me?”

“I kinda want to get out of these clothes,” she murmurs, and my hold on her tightens as I imagine in detail the ways I’m going to help her out of her outfit.

“Do me a favor,” I say, knowing my voice sounds hoarse.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t change when you get home.”

“Why?” She frowns, studying me, and then her eyes darken and her lips part. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” I run my hand down her back to the top of her ass.

“I won’t change,” she says breathlessly.

“Good.” I lean in and kiss her again, and when I do, her lips part, giving me access to her mouth. “You should go,” I tell her regretfully when I pull my mouth from hers. “You don’t, and I’ll end up taking you in the office.” Feeling her shiver, I fight back a groan as my cock twitches behind my zipper.

“I should go,” she says quietly, putting pressure on my chest, and I loosen my hold.

“I’ll see you at home.”

“See you at home.”

I let her go and she walks away, stopping at the door to give me a look of promise over her shoulder before leaving, letting the door close behind her.

“Lucky bastard.”

Looking at Jonas, one of our regulars, I see his big body twisted on the barstool, his eyes on the door. I know he just saw Gia and me. I also know that in seeing Gia, he knows exactly what I will be going home to in an hour. If I weren’t the man going home to her, I’d be thinking the same thing he is right now.

“I know.”

He turns on his stool to look at me then grins. “Happy for you. You deserve to have that woman in your bed after the shit that happened to you.”

I don’t know if anyone is deserving of Gia, but I will tie myself into knots and do everything within my power to be worthy enough to call her mine for the rest of my life.

“Happy for you,” he repeats, before picking up his beer and finishing it off.

“You want another?” I ask, nodding at his empty glass, and he shakes his head.

“Nope gotta get home.” He drops a couple of bucks to the top of the bar and disappears. I finish up the stuff I need to get done between customers and wait for Mom to come in and take over for me. Luckily, she shows up twenty minutes early, so I leave the bar and head home, where I take Gia first against the wall next to the door, and then again on the bed upstairs after we finally make it there.

~**~

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I look at the clock to see it’s 7:15 a.m., then turn with my cup in my hand and lean back against the counter. The last week has been good despite news from Chad that two more fires have been set in town since Lisa has been locked up and that the police are now looking for an arsonist. Everyone in town is worried especially since the police have no suspects.

I take a sip coming out of my thoughts, watching Gia flutter around the house in a hurry to get all of her stuff together, with Loki following behind her, probably wondering what’s going on. Today is the first day of her new job, and she’s been a mess since she woke up at six to get ready to leave by eight.

“I have a question for you,” I tell her, as she brings her bag to the edge of the island and starts to search through it.

“What’s that?” she asks, stopping her search long enough to look up at me. I set down my coffee and lean forward, grabbing her hand. I pull her toward me to stand between my legs then I lift her left hand to rest over my heart, and covering it with my own before reaching into my pocket. “What are you doing?” she whispers, studying me.

“First, you are going to do great today, so stop worrying. You love kids. That will shine through with them, and you’re you, so they’re going to love you,” I tell her, and then I lift her left hand away from my chest. “Second, do you mind wearing this for me?” I slide the simple four-carat diamond solitaire Tiffany ring I bought for her onto her ring finger. A ring I started looking for after our first kiss. A ring I didn’t find until a week ago, after searching every jewelry store from here to Georgia. I wanted the ring to be perfect, and looking at it on her hand, I know it is. Now I just hope she says yes.

I didn’t know I would propose to her this morning, but seeing her get ready for work and feeling her excitement about starting a new job, I knew the time was right. This moment is right. I want her to go to work with a ring on her finger that lets everyone know she belongs to someone, that she has a family who loves her.

Hearing her breath catch, I come out of my head and watch her study the diamond now sitting at the base of her ring finger on her left hand. “I… you… I….” She looks from me to the ring then back again.

“I want you to start your new job as my fiancée. I want today to be the start of our life together.” I lift her hand and kiss her finger over her ring. “Will you marry me, Gia?”

“Yes,” she answers immediately, and I rest my forehead to hers. I knew it’d feel good if she said yes, but I had no idea just how relieved I’d be.

“Best thing that ever happened to me is you. You’re the best part of my day, the best part of my life, and I’m really looking forward to spending my life with you.”

“You’re going to make me cry,” she whispers, and I see tears pooling in her green eyes.

“You can’t cry. You need to get to work,” I tell her, and she laughs, closing her eyes.

“I can’t even show you properly how happy I am.” She opens her eyes as she slides her hand up my chest to wrap around the back of my neck, which means I feel all of her pressed against me, and all of that is good.

“Tonight.” I slide my hands down her back then over her ass, pulling her tightly against me.

“Tonight,” she agrees against my mouth.

“Something to look forward to.” I slant my head, and when her lips part, I slip my tongue into her mouth, tasting her and the coffee she was drinking earlier. Knowing if I don’t stop this now I won’t stop and she’ll be late to her first day at work, I slow the kiss and pull back. “I love you, Gia.” I open my eyes, finding hers still closed.

“I love you, Colton.” She runs her fingers down my jaw then her eyes meet mine. “Best thing that ever happened to me in my life is you, and I’m really looking forward to being your wife. I promise I will try to make you as happy as you make me.” She whispers as one single tear slides down her cheek.

“You just breathing my air makes me happy, baby,” I promise, and her face softens. “I hate that you gotta go, but you need to get to work.”

She glances to the side where the clock is before she looks at me once more. “You so owe me tonight,” she grumbles, seeing the time, and I grin.

“I’ll gladly pay up.” I kiss her once more then let her go, and I watch her gather her stuff up. Once she’s ready, I walk her out to her Jeep, help her in, and kiss her once more before slamming her door and watching her back out and drive away.

Heading back to the house with Loki following behind me, I do it smiling. I had big dreams my whole life, but the life I’m living is better than any dream I ever had, and I know with Gia by my side through the good times and bad that will always be the case.