Once Upon a Present
“It’s going to be a sad day when you leave this place,” Melissa said with a grin.
I laughed and shook my head as I pulled my bag over my shoulder. “I’m not leaving, Mel, not yet.”
She continued to fold each of the thick white towels spread out in front of her on the laundry table. The scent of Borax and bleach heavy in the air. “I’m just saying, once you get your new place settled, don’t forget where you came from.”
Mel’s Hispanic accent always shined through when she was giving me attitude. I smirked as I tugged the towel from her hand, her smart-ass smile now flat and ready to murder, as I said, “You could volunteer there, too. I know this is crazy…but we could hang out… you know… outside… in the real world. I haven’t had a girl’s night in… shit, I can’t remember.”
Mel shifted her eyes to the towel and began to refold it as her humor faded. “Yeah, maybe.”
I’d been working with Melissa for a little over a month, and after Liam’s mother’s funeral, she was the only one, besides Liam, who I had to really talk to. She volunteered at the shelter at least twice a week, and we’d become good friends, well, I thought we had. “Why not? You work too much.”
Mel’s eyes, coffee with no cream, blinked once and then again before her smile curled into two dimples on both of her tanned cheeks. “I work way too fucking much. Just text me, I’ll be around.” She finished folding her last towel. “Are you excited to show him?”
The butterflies in my stomach were at war with the beat of my heart. Both were fast and fleeting as they each took my breath away. “I’m nervous he’ll focus on the fact I didn’t tell him, and not on the bigger picture. Liam tends to bite first and ask questions later.” My lips spread into a grin. “It’s annoying, but I love it. Weird, right?”
She chuckled. “Whatever gets your rocks off.” She pulled her fingers through her thick, wavy, black hair and twisted it into a messy bun with the elastic she always had on her wrist. “You bought a building… you want to make a place for women to go when they need help… I think… if he doesn’t immediately put a ring on it… well…”
It was my turn to laugh. Liam and I… we were trying to find our way with each other. Learning and loving every minute, but he was still Liam and I was still Kelly. We fought and then made up and then repeated the cycle. He was gasoline and I was dynamite, and as always, when we struck, it was the spark needed to set an entire city block into bright red flames. But over the past few weeks the cycles had become few and far between. I did love the makeup sex though. I could feel color paint my cheeks at the thought.
“I don’t think he’s ready to put a ring on it. We’ve only been living together for a month, and it’s been really…” I huffed out a laugh. “Really good.” Waking up next to him every day was better than I remembered and more than I could’ve ever hoped for again.
“I thought you said you’ve been on again and off again for eleven years. That’s marriage without the paperwork, sweetheart.” She shrugged her shoulders. “He’s crazy if he doesn’t make it official, I’m just saying… it’s only my opinion—”
“I know all about your opinion.” She raised a brow and cocked her hip. “The longer I know you, the more opinions you seem to have.”
Mel narrowed her eyes, a smile twitching her lips as she said, “I’ve never met the guy. I only know what you’ve told me. But a girl who spends her savings on a dump, just so she can remodel it into a safe haven for battered women… I don’t give a shit how you feel about yourself, Kelly. You’re a catch, and he needs to shit or get off the pot.”
“Maybe I should leave him and date you?” I bit my cheek suppressing my laugh as she rolled her eyes.
“Girl, if I was into that I’d be all over your tall ass.”
I couldn’t hold in my laugh any longer than she could, and we both fell into giggles like we were twenty instead of twenty-nine.
“What’s so funny?” Liam’s husky voice filled my veins.
Melissa’s eyes widened, and I watched as she admired my boyfriend without any regard for manners. “Damn, you said he has brothers?”
“Two,” he answered with a cocky grin.
“Lucky me.” Mel matched his smile and I shook my head.
She was a lot of talk and no action. Most of the time when any of the guys who worked here even gave her the slightest bit of attention she’d turn into a quiet church mouse. At first, I thought she was shy, or maybe she was actually into chicks. She was such a force, but the minute a male showed interest she’d clam up. I really did need a girl’s night out, I wanted to know her better like she knew me, poke around in that brain of hers.
Liam wove his fingers through mine as I introduced him to Mel. He lifted his chin and gave her a brusque hello, and she smiled as her eyes fell to our interlocked fingers. “You almost ready to go?” Liam asked softly as he brought his lips to my cheek with a quick kiss.
I turned my head and whispered into his ear. “Happy birthday, baby.”
He squeezed my hand as I kissed his cheek.
“You guys have fun,” Mel said with a tone infused with innuendo. She knew how terrified I was about tonight, and whether or not Liam would love or hate my idea, or just plain kill me for spending so much money.
“See you Tuesday?” I asked and she nodded.
I gave her a small wave as Liam said, “Nice to meet you.”
The battle began again between my heart and stomach as we headed toward the shelter exit. I swallowed down my stupid anxiety. Liam would support this, I knew he would. I was letting my fear turn this into crazy, and I had to put a lid on it.
Liam hadn’t parked very far. His bike was sitting at the curb, only a few spaces down, both our helmets strapped to the back. As Liam unhooked the first one and handed it to me, he asked, “Still up for Pat’s?”
My breathing became a little uneven as I nodded and pulled on my helmet. I licked my lips, my nerves starting to show. “Before we head to dinner, there’s… I mean I have a birthday surprise for you.”
Liam’s smile reached his eyes as he fit his hands at my waist. “Oh, yeah? Is it clothing optional?”
I shoved his chest. “No… but…” I exhaled and his brown eyes, light under the late afternoon sun, fell to my mouth. “But you’ll have to just trust me, can you do that?”
“Of course.”
“You know that old department store over by The Gateway?”
He nodded and his brows knit together. “That old abandoned building?”
“Yeah. Take me there. I want to show you something.”
He lowered his hands from my waist as a spark of excitement brightened his eyes. “Let’s go,” he said without any hesitation and unhooked his own helmet from the back of his Harley.
Once we were both on the bike and it roared to life, my plan sank like a lead weight into my gut. I’d lived my whole life on other people’s schedules, other’s dreams, and the one dream I’d always wanted turned out to be a poorly planned escape. But this… this idea was all I wanted, and I hoped this time, he’d take this journey with me.
Liam pulled in front of the building I now owned. I didn’t buy it out right, but my savings were enough for a hefty down payment. The thought of failure made my legs feel weak as I dismounted the bike. This was an investment, brick and three stories of steel formed hope in my heart, and as I removed my helmet and stared at the front door, a watery smile broke across my face.
Liam’s strong hands gripped my hips as he brought my back to his chest. His lips brushed my neck and then my ear as he asked, “Why are we here?”
I opened my bag without explaining and searched through it. The cool feel of metal sent a shiver down my spine as my fingertips grazed the set of building keys I’d gotten yesterday from the Realtor.
“What if I told you I wanted to buy this place, what would you say?” I asked without turning around.
Liam’s chest rumbled and vibrated against me as he laughed. It was full and my smile pulled impossibly wide. “I’d say you were nuts… why the hell would you need a building this big?”
A few people walked by. Their curious eyes peering toward us. Liam and I looked like an odd pair, and I was used to the staring, but even though I’d gotten used to it, there was still a small part of me that blamed the huge scar on my face for the attention. I sighed and my smile darkened, and, as if he could feel my tension, he turned me around. We were chest to chest when he asked me again, “Why are we here?” This time his voice was unusually gentle as he moved a stray piece of hair from my forehead.
He searched my face as I drew the dry air into my lungs. The deep breath gave me the confidence I needed to speak. “I bought it.” Liam didn’t flinch, but his eyes pierced through me as I continued, “I-I took a chance, and I should have talked to you about my idea, my plans, but I wanted to surprise you… just listen, okay?”
The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m listening.”
“I love working at the shelter. It’s the first time in my whole stupid little life that I’ve felt purpose in what I was doing. I never wanted to be my mom, working every day of her life away in some shitty grocery store. It’s hard to see her, even now, because she’s just a shell of who she could’ve been. When I’d set those goals for myself, California, modeling—it was selfish, Liam. Working at Lifeline, seeing women, women who have gone through what I have, I want to help.”
He rested his palm on my cheek. The width of it covered my scar completely, and I secretly loved how it seemed, at least to him, like it no longer existed. “You are helping.” The crease between his brows deepened as questions surfaced in his eyes. “How’s buying a building going to change anything?” he asked, his tone curious and not at all angry.
The swarm of butterflies in my stomach settled. “I want to create a safe haven, a place where there’s more than just a bed and a few nights of relief. I want to provide shelter and services, get these women back on their feet, offer resources me and my mother never had.”
Liam lowered his hand, his face unreadable. “Can you afford this?”
“I used up most of my savings for a down payment, but the loan was for more than just the building. It’ll be a tight budget, but I figured you and your brothers could help with the remodel. It’s an old building, but it’s really nice inside considering.” I exhaled and let my mind race through all of the possibilities. “My boss said she’d help me connect with a few state-funded programs. There are so many community resources that are never even used. Everything will be volunteer based until we get up and running, but I’ve met some amazing people at Lifeline who are willing to help, and I really think over time this place could be everything I’m hoping for.”
Liam’s mouth tipped up into a lopsided grin. “You do?”
“I do. We could offer counseling, and job opportunities, and even if they only need a night off the street, we could provide that, too.” I shrugged. “I have no idea where to even begin, or how everything will come together, but like I said, there are a lot of people at Lifeline willing to help, willing to get this place started.”
I swallowed as he framed my face. “This is fucking nuts, Princess.” He chuckled when my smile fell. “But, if it’s what you want then I’ll do what I can to make it happen. I know a few guys who would volunteer to get this place in shape. I’ve met a few contractors through Avenues, and one of them is a frequent flyer.”
My pulse quickened and fed off of his growing smile. “You’re not mad?”
“I’m furious.” His bright eyes belied the statement. “Why would I be mad? My girl is taking life by the balls. I’m proud of you.”
The word proud poured over my skin like warm honey. Liam leaned down letting his lips envelop mine. My hands skated up the firm expanse of his chest to his shoulders as his own slipped around my waist and pressed into the small of my back. I tried uselessly to hold back my moan as his tongue swept across my mouth. His breath tickled my lips as he pulled back with a smirk.
“Should we go inside?” he asked, dragging his thumb along the curve of my lower lip.
I was still a little breathless so I just nodded. He released his hold on me, and even with the heat of the concrete beneath my feet, I felt the chill of his absence as we headed toward the building. Two tall glass doors served as an entryway. The brass door handles were vertical and tarnished from time. My key slid in easy, and the sound of the lock unlatching sent goose bumps across my skin. This place was mine. The weight of the massive door seemed to pull me in as I tried to open it.
Liam’s hand held the glass just above my head. “I got it.”
“Thanks,” I said as I walked inside.
The building really wasn’t that rundown. From the outside it looked like shit, sure, but the inside? It was dusty and in need of some serious paint. Some of the display cases of the old department store had been left behind. The sound of the door closing behind me echoed in the open space along with Liam’s footsteps.
“This place is huge.” Liam’s voice bounced off the walls.
I turned and caught him eyeing the display cases, his gaze assessing, calculating. Most likely planning what he could do with all this space. If Liam hadn’t made it as a tattoo artist, he sure as hell could’ve been a contractor. He had an eye for this stuff.
“What do you think?” I asked, awaiting his appraisal.
He took a moment longer, running his finger along the counter of the display case. His eyes shifted to the stairs in the middle of the large room and then to me. “Are all three floors open like this?”
“No, the top floor is mostly offices. I was thinking that would be a great place for the counseling services.”
He was quiet as he moved toward me. His stare still casing the place. Finally, he stopped and faced the back wall. He lifted his hand and pointed toward the restrooms. “This floor should be the shelter. Lots of space for beds, and that back wall, over by the bathrooms, we’d gut it, make it bigger, a locker room like Lifeline, for staff on one side and the residents on the other.” He continued, his face more animated, “There’s a lot to be done and it’s going to take time… and money.”
“I know.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Do you?”
“It’s going to take a miracle to make this happen, but I have to try. I have to.” The stinging in my eyes wasn’t from the dust, and, as my throat closed, Liam’s arms circled my hips. “Sink or Swim?”
“Swim, always fucking swim.”
A few tears pooled and spilled, and my lips quivered as I fought for the words I had to say next. Liam brought his hands to my jaw, cradling the back of my head with his fingers as his thumbs moved in slow strokes across my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “Liam, I…I want to name this place after your mom.”
I watched his Adam’s apple move up and then down as if he was struggling for words. “What would you call it?”
I curled my fingers in the soft fabric of Liam’s t-shirt to stop them from shaking as I held his waist. “I was thinking The Irene O’Connell House. It’s simple, and your mom’s house was always a shelter for me.”
His brown eyes glittered and his breathing became shallow. Liam lowered his chin, and he wet his lips. His stare digging deeply into mine. “I think she would’ve really liked that.”
A long sigh of relief turned into a huge smile. “We can start out small, open a floor a year if we have to, but Liam, I can do this.”
“We can do this,” he said it with conviction, and when he kissed me again, it tasted sweeter somehow. A hint of honor and pride mixed with love and dreams. He pulled away and my cheeks heated at his hungry stare. “Since it’s my birthday and all…”
He took a step and my ass hit the glass display. His hands moved down my arms, his fingers pressing into the flesh along my ribcage and then hooking through the belt loops of my jeans. He never finished his sentence. Instead, his mouth consumed mine with a low growl. I ran my fingernails up his back, along the hard muscles and into his hair as he bit my lip. Liam raised his left hand and cradled it around the back of my neck, his thumb stroking my pulse. The stubble on his chin blistered a fiery path along my skin as he placed open mouth kisses against my jaw. My head fell to the side, giving way to his persuasive lips.
“We’ll be late to Pat’s,” I whispered. “Everybody’s probably already there.”
My eyes closed as he pulled my ear lobe through his teeth. His skillful fingers unclasped the button of my jeans and pulled down the zipper. Liam leaned back and his hooded eyes captured me, promising to relieve the hollow feeling between my thighs. His hand slid into my hair as he inched closer, his gritty voice at odds with his soft lips as he spoke against my mouth, “Everybody can fucking wait.”