Abby

 

I woke up that morning with a terrible start. I had a dream that I’d missed my flight back to Minnesota and I leapt to my feet. I threw the covers off my body and started rummaging around for my things, trying to find my clothes. Everything was hazy and my head was swimming with things that didn’t make sense. I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed water in my face, trying to wake myself up.

But it wasn’t until I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror that my memory came flooding back.

I saw the suction mark around my nipple and the bruises Colin had sucked onto my stomach. I saw the angry red skin against my neck where his scruff had worn down the top layer of my skin. I held up my hair and turned around, surveying the scratch marks I had running all the way down the length of my back.

The entire night came flooding back to me as a smile crossed my face.

“Red looks good on you.”

I jumped at Colin’s voice. He was leaning against the frame of the bathroom, a cheeky little grin on his cheeks. His eyes meandered down my naked body as he stood there in his boxers, and I let go of my hair before I tried to cover myself up.

“Never cover up your beauty,” he said, as he walked towards me. “Never convince yourself that you should be covered.”

He reached for my arms and slowly pulled them away from my body. I blushed at his words as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He slowly walked me into the bathroom counter as my head tilted back to see him, and I could see the love he had for me swimming around in his eyes.

And oh, how I loved him in return.

“I almost panicked about missing my flight,” I said.

“I think you were already panicking until you saw my work of art,” he said.

“Work of art, huh?” I asked.

His hand rose up and brushed my hair away from my shoulder. His eyes danced along the red skin he’d left behind because of his five o’clock shadow. I could tell he was admiring it, taking in his handiwork as our bodies pressed against each other.

I was becoming addicted to the feeling of his skin against mine.

“I have a surprise for you,” he said as his eyes found mine again.

“Oh?” I asked. “And these lovely little marks aren’t enough of a surprise?”

“Not even a little bit,” he said, grinning. “Come with me.”

He took my hand and led me out of the bathroom. He guided me around the bed and walked us over to the window. I tried covering myself again as he pulled the curtains back, his eyes shooting me a light tone of disapproval before I dropped my arms.

“The windows are tinted from the outside. No one can see you but me. Trust me, Abby. I would never allow someone to see you in such a vulnerable and personal state.”

My heart thundered in my chest at his words. Partially because of the tone of his voice and partially because I trusted every word that fell from his lips.

If there was anyone I felt safe with right now, it was him. And the thought both revived and terrified me.

“Take a look,” he said.

I looked down into the parking lot of the hotel and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Cars maneuvering to and from the hotel’s entrance. Cars pulling out of parking spaces and trying to get out onto the road. People running around with suitcases behind them trying to make their flights on time.

“I don’t get it,” I said.

“See that SUV down there?” he asked. “The deep red one with the silver accents?”

I looked straight down and saw the one he was talking about. It glistened in the sun and looked to be brand new.

“I do. What about it?” I asked.

“I bought it,” he said.

I looked over at him with a quizzical look before I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Are you still trying to impress me? Because you must understand that you’ve done that by now,” I said.

“No,” he said, chuckling. “I bought it for you.”

“What?” I asked flatly.

“Well, once my plans are over, it’ll be yours,” he said. “Right now, it’s technically ours.”

“What the hell are you going on about?” I asked.

“After you fell asleep last night, I had an idea. A crazy idea, but one I thought would be fun. But I knew it would require us having a vehicle. The problem was, all the rental cars in the town have been booked up because of the conference. They didn’t have anything I could use.”

“So you bought one,” I said.

“It was the only logical choice, yes.”

“Okay. So. You've bought an SUV that you’re apparently gifting to me after something. What’s this something?”

“A road trip.”

I threw my head back and laughed before I figured out he was serious.

“You’re serious,” I said.

“Completely. I’ve cleared both of our schedules for the next week.”

“Wait, you can’t just do that. You can’t just clear my schedule,” I said.

“I didn’t technically clear your schedule. I set your transfer in motion. It’ll take some time to get you moved, and your official start date on the paperwork is a week from tomorrow.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well—that’s a little better, I think. But I still don’t understand why we’re going on another road trip? Haven’t we had enough terrible luck with those already?”

“Well, this time—it’s planned. One week, you and I, from here to Minnesota to L.A. I’ve got us booked in a nice hotel halfway between here and your parents. We’ll spend some time packing things up in a moving van that’ll be waiting for us. Then, we’ll spend two nights on the road from Minnesota to L.A. It’ll give us time to get you moved, it’ll give us time together, it’ll give us time to unpack you, and then it’ll give you a vehicle for driving around the city.”

By the time he was done talking I could feel my jaw scraping against the hotel floor. How in the world had he put this together in this short amount of time? The smile on his face was a triumphant one. He had succeeded in surprising me and he was loving every second of it.

“We’ll be staying in proper hotel rooms with comfortable beds and room service to bring us anything we could want to eat. We won’t be searching for bed bugs or cockroaches or wondering if the power’s going to go out.”

“Sounds like a fairy tale,” I said, grinning.

“With the road trips we’ve endured, it is. There’s just one catch.”

“What?” I asked.

“I stayed up all night piecing this together and I’m exhausted. You’ll have to drive the first leg of the trip from here to Minnesota.”

“You mean you’re actually going to let me take the wheel?” I asked. “Mr. Control Freak with a penchant for needing attention?”

“I’ve got it all mapped out so you won’t get lost. It’s all pre-programmed into the GPS that’s in the SUV.”

“Oh, a fancy SUV just for me?” I asked as I threaded my arms around him.

“Just for you,” he said, grinning.

“Can we go see Elvis?” I asked.

“Elvis is dead.”

“How dare you speak such blasphemy,” I said.

Colin chuckled as his bright smile encompassed his face. I was brimming with excitement. An entire road trip with Colin that was properly planned out that had nothing to do with business. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around him, hugging him close as we tumbled to the bed. I locked my lips with his as I giggled into his skin, the excitement pouring from my body like an overflowing cup of water.

This road trip was going to be so much fun.

The hotel we stayed in once we hit Iowa was wondering. We christened the very comfortable bed with our scents and ordered room service that we ate butt naked in bed. I curled into his body and fell asleep without fear of anyone catching us, and when the morning sun rose we took our time getting out of bed. Colin wasn’t rushing us to get somewhere and I wasn’t waking up before the crack of dawn. I was able to enjoy his body and the pleasures he could afford me in the early morning hours before the two of us fell back into a naptime slumber.

It was everything I could’ve hoped for and more.

I called my parents as he headed for Minnesota and told them everything that had happened. The entire time I was talking with them Colin was shooting me looks, and I figured it was because he was nervous. This was going to be a lot for my parents to absorb, especially since I was about to come home and move out within the span of forty eight hours.

But then, that cheeky fucking grin appeared on his face again and I sighed into the phone.

“The two of you know, don’t you?” I asked.

“Yeah, we do,” my father said.

“Why didn’t you say anything!?” I asked.

“Because you sound so happy,” my mother said. “And we wanted to hear your take on everything. You know, just in case you really didn’t want to do this. You know I can always hear stuff like that in your voice, honey.”

“So you know I’ve taken the job in L.A.”

“Yes,” they said.

“And you know I’m a few hours outside of Burnsville, ready to pack up my stuff and move.”

“Yes, sweetheart,” my father said.

“Is there anything else I should know about?”

That was when Colin shot me a nervous look and my parents fell silent over the phone.

“Well, honey,” my mother said. “You’re not coming right here to the house.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Your father and I are meeting you in Minneapolis.”

“Why are we going to Minneapolis?” I asked.

“You think I’m gonna let you go off to California with Colin without me giving him the rundown? You’re my little girl. We’re sitting down to a formal dinner and doing this the right way this time.”

I smiled into the phone as a look a relief washed over Colin’s face.

Why the hell was he so relieved over something like that? My father was going to chew him up and spit him back out again. My father looked sweet, but he was a ruthless papa bear lying in wait. People wanted to cuddle and get close to him, and they did. And then they would piss him off and he would unleash.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you two at dinner then,” I said. “I hope it’s not too fancy, because I’m not wearing anything over the top.”

“I’m sure whatever your wearing will be just fine,” my mother said. “We’ll see you two soon. Give Colin our love.”

“Your love? Mom, just out of curiosity, how late did he call you guys last night?”

“Just before midnight,” my father said.

I looked over at Colin and I could see his eyes trained hard onto the road in front of us.

“Uh huh. Okay. Well, I’ll see you guys tonight for dinner.”

“See you then,” my mother said.

I hung up the phone with my parents and settled in for the ride. The journey was leisurely and stress-free, and I found that it was nice. Colin’s hand was threaded with mine while we mindlessly talked about all sorts of topics. Our life in L.A. What kind of place I might want to find. The strolls on the beach we could take whenever we got too stressed with work. I thought about digging my toes in the sand with him at my side and watching the sun set over the water. I thought about the midnight walks we could take and how the moon would shine brightly down onto our bodies.

I thought about his place on the ocean and how he could press my naked body against the glass, showing me off to the sea as his name fell from my lips.

Just like my parents had said, we drove past Burnsville and all the way into Minneapolis. We rode through the city as the sun started to set below the buildings, and I could feel Colin’s grip tightening on my hand. His eyes were focused on the road but they had this hazy stare to them.

Almost like he wasn’t even paying attention to the road at all.

We pulled into a darkened restaurant and I looked down at my clothes. All the women I saw walking in were wearing little black dresses and sensuous high heels, and here I was in skinny jeans and a bright pink blouse. I looked over at Colin as he smiled at me, then he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine before I could speak.

“You look wonderful,” he said. “Don’t worry about how you’re dressed.”

“At least you’re not in a suit. I’d be changing if you were in a suit,” I said.

Then, I heard a tap at my window.

“Mom!”

I threw my door open and jumped out before I wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her close and closed my eyes, breathing in her familiar scent. My father was shaking Colin’s hand and patting him on the back, which wasn’t near the reaction I expected from him. But I shrugged it off just as my mother held me at arm’s length.

“How was the cruise? What all did you guys do? What was your favorite night?”

“We’ll answer all those questions later,” my mom said. “Right now, we need to go get a table. It’s cold out here.”

We all walked into the restaurant and the hostess recognized us instantly. She waved us back to a table in the corner, one that was covered in a decadent white cloth with flickering candles. Colin pulled my seat out for me and I smiled at him, then he went and did the same for my mother.

“Oh, thank you, dear,” my mother said.

“No thanks necessary,” Colin said. “You look lovely tonight.”

“She looks lovely every night,” my father said.

But instead of sitting down, my parents looked over at Colin as his eyes trained themselves onto me.

“Aren’t you going to sit down?” I asked.

“In a minute,” he said. “There’s something I want to ask you first.”

Furrowing my brow at him, I watched as he slowly lowered himself to the floor. The blood drained from my face as the entire restaurant turned towards us. Colin pulled a box from his pocket and popped it open, revealing a sparkling ring with a canary diamond sitting right in the middle of it.

I felt my entire body go numb with shock as my mother put her hand over her mouth.

“Abigail Thompson, I said everything I needed to say about you during that farewell speech. Every single heartfelt word I left on that stage was geared towards you, and I hope that if there’s any other doubt left in your mind that this will banish it forever.”

My mouth gaped open as tears gathered in my eyes.

“But there was something I left out in that speech. Something that I didn’t even realize I wanted until I was lying next to you in that hotel room a couple of nights ago. So when I called your parents and told them about my plan, it was also me asking them for permission.”

“Oh my gosh,” I said breathlessly.

“I love you, Abby. I don’t know how it happened and I don’t know when it happened, but it just did. And now, I can’t picture anyone else at my side but you. I can’t picture anyone else in my life but you. I can’t even close my eyes at night and dream without you being right there in the thick of it. So, here’s what I’m asking. Will you go on one more road trip with me? One that will last a lifetime?”

I wiped the tears from my eyes as a breathless giggle left my lips.

“Will you marry me, Abby?”

“Yes,” I said as I nodded my head with vigor. “Holy hell, yes.”

Colin took my hand in his and pushed the ring onto my finger as the entire restaurant erupted in applause. He stood to his feet and I threw my arms around him, tears of joy streaming down my face. I could feel his body buzzing with excitement, shaking against me as he buried himself into my curves.

I felt my mother’s hand descend onto my back as my father clapped Colin’s.

“Congratulations,” my mother said. “I’m so happy for you two.”

“You protect her with your life,” my father said. “Otherwise you’ll be running for yours.”

I looked over at Colin as my father embraced him with a hug and my heart soared with joy. My mother was gawking at the ring as our waiter brought over complimentary glasses of champagne. I watched as Colin raised his glass and caught the attention of the entire restaurant, and everyone slowly raised their glasses with him as he commanded the room.

“To a new life with a new purpose and a reinvigorated sense of family. I love you, Abby. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know it.”

The restaurant drank to his toast as I gazed into his eyes. I was looking into the eyes of the man I’d come to love. A man who had both infuriated and mesmerized me from the very beginning. For the first time in months, I felt hopeful. For the first time in months, I felt happy.

And for the first time in years, I understood what it meant to have a partner.

“To the rest of our lives,” I said.

“To the rest of our lives,” Colin said.

 

THE END

 

… but Abby & Colin’s Story isn’t over yet!