Chapter 51

Matt

Erica not texting me the night before was a little odd, but I blew it off. I wasn't going to let anything small or silly come between us. She meant too damn much to me.

I got up to the sound of Damon moving around the kitchen. He'd decided after dinner to stay the night. He was wiped out, and the bastard laid down for a nap and never got up again.

"Finally," he grumbled as he gave me a look.

I moved toward the coffee pot, ignoring him for a few minutes until I got the coffee going. "So, what time did you get up?"

"Fucking four o'clock. Why didn't you wake me up last night?" He lifted his arms to the ceiling and stretched.

"Because you were exhausted, man." I grabbed two cups, but he stopped me.

"None for me. I've already had a pot to myself."

I chuckled. "What are your plans today?"

"I need to get ready for that meeting tomorrow morning, but I can do it later tonight. Why? You wanna go do something."

It was nice to have him there. The older we got, the more I appreciated the relationship we had between us.

"Yeah. I want to go look at places. You think any real estate agents work on the weekend?" I poured myself a cup of coffee and forced my thoughts away from Erica. I always seemed to return to that same place, wondering how she was, what she was doing, fuck, what she was wearing.

"All of them do, dill weed." He walked around the counter and sat down at the breakfast table. "My favorite place for Sunday brunch is a few miles from here. Let's go stuff ourselves with French toast and bacon and then go look for a house."

"You don't think I'm rushing into this, right?" I walked to the table and sat down across from him.

"You're asking the wrong guy, Matt. You know when I find something I want, I take it. I'm not real good with this bullshit concept called patience. It's a time waster in my opinion."

I nodded. "I hear that. Alright, then, let's grab some food and go find a beautiful place for me to surprise Erica with."

"I like it." He stood up and walked toward the living room. "I'm starting to like Zek here. What kind of dog is he?"

"He's my kind of dog. You can't have him." I walked down the hallway, ignoring his jabs. My heart hurt as I thought about Erica missing out on having a close family like I did. I'd just continue to pull her deeper and deeper into mine. With her mother and brother being the only living relatives she had, and both of them treating her like trash, she needed a new family.

And she could have mine. It warmed me to think about opening myself up and giving her anything she could wish for. Why in the world had I been so scared of love, of her, for the last few years? It seemed like such a stupid waste of time now that she was mine.

"Let's go, princess!" Damon banged on the door, jolting me.

"I'm coming. It takes a minute. Chill your nuts, man."

"I'm telling Erica that you're talking dirty to me." He chuckled.

I got dressed quickly and met him in the living room. We got Zek put up and made our way over to the restaurant with him driving his newest rental toy.

"So? What did you think?" He nodded toward the Mercedes as we got out and walked toward the overly fancy restaurant.

I was a Honda and McDonald's sort of guy, so anything I said would be a twisted truth. "Drives like a... car." I laughed as he popped me in the chest.

"I swear. You don't enjoy any of the beautiful things in life."

"Sure I do." I held the door and walked in behind him. "Erica has me thinking about houses and kids and all sorts of beautiful stuff."

He gave me a sideways look, obviously not talking about anything emotionally beautiful. "Right."

"I'm going to run to the john. I'll meet you at the table."

"Meet me at the buffet. I'm starving." He walked away, and I glanced around looking for the bathroom. After finding it, I walked in and stopped to text Erica. Not talking to her for the last twenty-four hours was driving me bonkers.

I wasn't usually so damn needy, but with all of the shit with Mitch and her being so sensitive to whatever she was hiding, I needed to know that she was okay.

Hey, baby. I'm at breakfast with Damon but wanted to see if you were free this evening. It'll be around four or so. I just miss you. I want to see you. To touch you. Hold you. Make love to you all afternoon. Tell me how the event went too when you get a chance.

I stood there in the bathroom, staring at my phone, wanting to see the little bubbles at the bottom of the screen start to move. Nothing.

"Where are you?" I asked softly as my heart ached in my chest. Maybe I was over thinking it. I had to be.

She wasn't going to answer. Maybe she was still sleeping. I dropped the phone in my pocket and walked out to find Damon sitting at a table for two with far too much food on his plate.

"Are you really going to eat all of that?" I stopped by the table and gave him a look.

"Yeah. Get your own trough." He smiled and pointed to the buffet. "They have anything a man could want. Go enjoy yourself."

I turned and walked toward the food as my stomach tightened. They didn't have what I wanted. I wanted my girl beside me. I needed to know she was alright. If she didn't text me back by the time breakfast was over, I was headed over to her place to check in.

Looking needy was a pet peeve of mine, but my pride could suck a toe. She knew I loved her more than anything else. It was my right to check on her, or so I told myself.