Eli
(Two years later.)
Since the age of thirteen, I’ve been helping Dad with his handyman business. I’ve been saving every dollar so that I could build my own house.
I walk through the empty rooms, making a mental note of things I have to get for the next phase. Just this past week, I finished laying the tiles and installing cupboards. Upstairs is all done and the inspection went well. They turned on the power and gas today. All that’s left to do is to paint the living room and kitchen. Then I can take my time with the finishing touches.
I grab my keys and go to get Quinn from work. It’s been two years since she barged her way into my life and demanded that I be her friend. That was the best day of my life. The day Quinn took one look at my sorry ass and decided I needed her. She was right. I can’t live a day without her smile. She’s my heart and soul. I’ve become her shadow, always threatening any guy that dares to even look at her.
There’s a piece of her in every corner of my house. She’s been working just as hard as me. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth as I think about the house we’ve built together. I’d like for her to move in, but I know she’s not ready to leave her Dad alone yet.
One of these days I’m going to have to grow a pair and tell Quinn how I really feel about her. Yeah, she’s my best friend, but what I feel for her is so much more than just friends. She’s the reason my heart keeps beating. She’s my first thought when I wake up and it’s her face I see as I drift off to sleep.
I just don’t want to ruin our friendship. Fuck, I don’t know what I would do if I lost Quinn.
After picking her up from work, I drive to her house so she can pack a bag. We finished the bedrooms last week and she’s spending the weekend at my place.
I’m a little nervous. This will be the first time she spends the night. I know it’s only as friends, but damn, the man in me wants so much more.
When we get back to my place, Quinn says, “We should make a bed in front of the TV and binge watch Game of Thrones. I’ll make us some popcorn if you want to get things ready in the living room?”
“That’s a great idea.”
I smile as I realize that I’ll have her next to me the whole night.
“I’m just going to shower quickly.”
The image of her naked in my shower is enough to get me hard. I walk to the living room so I can get rid of the hard-on before I embarrass both of us.
I spread a few blankets on the floor with some pillows. When I’m done, I pop a bag of popcorn into the microwave while Quinn finishes up.
As I’m emptying the bag into a bowl, Quinn comes in dressed in a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt. The woman has legs that are begging to be touched.
“Have you already added the salt?” she asks as she unwraps a bar of chocolate.
“Yeah, just check if it’s enough for you.”
I watch as she breaks the chocolate over the popcorn and frown.
“What are you doing?”
She grins at me. “This, my friend, is going to blow your mind.”
“Did you plan this?” I ask.
She shoves a handful of popcorn and chocolate in her mouth and groans as she chews on it. The groan has a direct link to my cock. I get a feeling that I’m going to be hard for most of the night.
“I hoped for it,” she says with an excited smile. “Come on, we have a lot to catch up on.”
We settle under the covers and a few minutes into the episode Quinn takes some popcorn and chocolate from the bowl. She brings it to my mouth and smiles sweetly.
“Come on, you know you want to,” she says teasingly. “Try it for me.”
I give her a look before I open my mouth. Her fingers brush against my lips and it sends electric sparks racing over my skin. Her eyes are glued to my mouth as I chew and for an insane moment, I think about kissing her.
“So? What do you think?” she asks excitedly.
The salty sweet mixture is actually not bad. “It’s okay.”
She lets out a burst of laughter as I take some more from the bowl. “Okay my ass. You love it, Eli Jackson.”
When the bowl is empty, I set it to the side. I lie back down and Quinn surprises me by snuggling up against my side and resting her head on my shoulder. I don’t hesitate and place my arm around her.
I turn my head and place a kiss on her hair. I love this woman so fucking much.
We’re almost done with the season when Quinn darts up. She covers her mouth and there’s a look of horror on her face as a scene plays out.
“I swear if he dies I’m not watching another episode.”
She bites nervously at her bottom lip while her eyes are glued to the screen.
I sit up and watch as tears well in her eyes. Watching her get lost in the moment is an amazing experience. She’s right there with the characters.
“No,” she whispers as a tear slips over her cheek.
She sits frozen as the credits start to roll, still caught up with what just happened.
I tuck some hair behind her ear. “Hey,” I whisper.
She blinks a couple of times and then she turns around and wraps her arms around my neck. She holds me tight as she whispers, “You’re my shadow, Eli. I’d die if I were to lose you.”
I close my eyes as I hug her to me. I lie back down and she buries her face in my neck.
When her breathing evens out and she’s fast asleep, I whisper, “You’re my sunshine. I love you, Quinn.”
Just as I turn onto the main road that leads into town, I check the time. I’m running a little late today. I’m usually ten minutes early when I have to pick up Quinn from work. I have a thing about being on time.
As I pull up to the flower shop, I see Quinn standing outside and talking to a guy. She says something to him, and then comes running to my side of the truck. She leans through the open window and kisses me on the cheek.
“I tried to phone you but you didn’t answer,” she says, smiling the smile that has a way of reaching right inside of my heart.
“Must’ve left it at home. You ready?” I ask when it looks like the guy is waiting for her.
“I’ll meet you at your place. Roy just came to pick up the flowers for the church and asked me to go to lunch with him.”
My eyes find hers and I hate the excitement I see in them. “Sure,” I growl, doing my best to not let her see my disappointment.
“Stop scowling. He’s a nice guy.” She presses another kiss to my cheek. “I’ll come over later.”
I watch her walk back to Roy and my eyes catch his. I give him a look that promises a serious amount of pain should he hurt my girl in any way. He looks in my direction and smiles. I get out of the truck and his eyes never leave mine as I fall into step next to Quinn.
When we get to him, he reaches a hand out to me. I take hold of it and when he tries to impress me with his firm grip, I tighten my fingers around his until I see him wince.
“This is Roy Douglas. He’s Mrs. Douglas’ son,” Quinn introduces us. She places her hand on my bicep and I let go of Roy’s hand. “This is Eli Jackson.”
“Jackson?” Roy asks.
Usually, I don’t care what people think of me, but I fucking love seeing the look of shock on Roy’s face. My family might keep to ourselves, but the name Jackson is well known. It’s funny how when someone needs a problem solved, they always come to us. Handyman took on a whole new meaning. As long as we don’t hospitalize anyone, the sheriff lets us get away with things, seeing as we’re helping out with keeping the trash out of town.
“Yeah, he’s a friend,” Quinn says, smiling at Roy.
The word friend shoves me back into the corner where I’ve been watching Quinn from. Just a fucking friend.
I don’t bother saying anything else. I walk back to my truck and drive home. Normally, I would growl at the guy until he got lost, but this time it was different. Quinn was actually excited to go out with him.
Pissed at myself and the stupid love I feel for my best friend, I get back to work. The place feels empty without Quinn’s laughter, so I put the music on loud.
I keep watching the time and waiting for Quinn to walk through the door. She’ll complain about what an asshole Roy was and things will be back to normal.
But the minutes keep ticking over. As darkness starts to fall, I push myself to work harder. I try to work the image of Quinn with another man right out of my mind.
Quinn
I’ve been dating Roy for four months now. At first I struggled with the guilty feeling of not spending as much time with Eli as I used to. Knowing that I was doing the right thing made me push through with dating Roy. Eli sees me as a little sister and I just had to make peace with that fact.
I tried a couple of times to find out where his mind is at, but none of them worked. I asked him if the six year age gap between us bothered him, and he answered no. I asked him why he didn’t date, and he just said it’s because none of the girls in town interested him. I never had the guts to ask him if he could see more with me. I’m too scared the answer will be no and that it will be the end of us.
Once I accepted that I would only ever be a friend for Eli, I fell in love with Roy. He’s the opposite of Eli. He’s loud and an extrovert, where Eli is quiet and deep. Roy is beautiful with his light, brown hair and warm, brown eyes, where Eli is tall, dark and dangerously handsome. In his own way, Roy makes me happy. I can see a future with him and that’s all that matters.
Last week, Roy asked me to move in with him. I only said no because of Dad. I can’t leave him alone in this house. I’m going to have to make that decision one day, but I’d like to talk to Dad first.
I pack an overnight bag while I wait for Eli. I always spend Sunday nights at his place.
I throw my bag over my shoulder and as I open the gate, Roy pulls up. I love spending time with him, but he knows that Sunday nights belong to Eli.
Roy gets out of his Chrysler and smiles as he walks to me. There’s just something about the way he looks at me, that makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world that matters.
“Hi, gorgeous,” he says, kissing me long and hard. I love the way he kisses me, always stealing my breath. It’s easy to love him. It’s comfortable and safe.
I hear Eli’s truck and break the kiss.
“What are you doing here?” I ask Roy as Eli stops behind the Chrysler.
“My mother hurt herself. I was hoping you could come and help me with her?”
My lips part with shock at hearing that Mrs. Douglas got hurt. “Is she okay? Did you take her to the emergency room?”
“She wouldn’t have any of that. She asked me to come get you,” he says, smiling the beautiful smile I fell in love with.
Eli doesn’t get out of the truck. He just sits and looks at us. I know he doesn’t like Roy, but then, there aren’t many people that he likes to begin with. Roy is really a decent guy and with time, Eli will learn to accept him. At least, I hope he will.
“Let me just tell Eli,” I say, pressing a quick kiss to Roy’s lips.
I walk to the drivers’ side and Eli rolls down the window. I suppress the urge to lean in and kiss his cheek. I stopped doing it, because I didn’t want to upset Roy.
“Hi,” I try to smile as my stomach sinks. Every time I have to cancel with Eli, it feels like I lose a piece of him and we’re drifting further apart. “I’m going to have to cancel,” I force the words out. “Mrs. Douglas got hurt. I need to go help her.”
Eli’s stormy eyes capture mine and I see a thousand words swirl in them. I wonder what those words are and if I’ll ever hear them.
“Sure,” he says, starting the truck up. “I’ll see you around, Quinn.”
I nod and step away from the truck as he starts to drive off. My heart feels heavy as I watch him go. I don’t think our friendship is going to survive my relationship with Roy, but I’m not ready to let Eli go.
“Let’s go, gorgeous,” Roy says as he climbs into the drivers’ side.
I hurry, not wanting to keep him waiting.
When I get into the car, I ask, “How did she hurt herself?”
He reaches over for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Coming down the stairs, she missed a step and fell.”
“Oh no, are you sure she shouldn’t go to the emergency room?”
“I’m sure,” he says, smiling at me. “Mom’s clumsy. She says she just sprained her ankle.”
They live in the wealthy part of town. Roy and Mrs. Douglas are well taken care of, thanks to the insurance payout they received when Mr. Douglas was killed in a burglary at their previous residence.
“When you’re done taking care of Mom, I have a surprise for you,” he says lovingly, which makes me smile wide.
“You do? Tell me now,” I say, knowing how much he loves it when I’m excited over something.
He brings my hand to his lips and presses a kiss to it. “Good things come to those who wait.”
I place the glass of water within reach of Mrs. Douglas and make sure that her foot is resting comfortably on a pillow.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” I ask.
“Thank you, dear, but I think that’s everything. You’re such a good woman,” she says as she sinks back against the pillows. “I couldn’t have asked for a better choice for Roy. You make us so happy.”
I smile warmly, happy to hear that she thinks that. Roy and his mother are very close so it’s important to me that she likes me.
I lean over her and press a kiss to her cheek before I leave the room. I close the door with a soft click and walk to the kitchen where I last saw Roy.
When I enter the kitchen it’s empty. I take a glass from the cupboard and pour myself some water. As I swallow the last of it down, Roy comes in from the dining room entrance.
“Are you ready for your surprise?” he asks, his eyes warm with love.
“I sure am, Mr. Douglas.”
He takes my hand and leads me to the dining room. I’m starting to think that he prepared a nice dinner, but when we walk into the room the table is empty. We walk out the side door that leads to the garden.
“Close your eyes,” he whispers intimately.
I grin and do as he asks.
His arm comes around my waist and he carefully helps me to where the surprise is.
“You can open them.”
A huge smile forms around my lips as excitement bubbles up in me. I open my eyes and my lips part on a gasp.
There’s a picnic blanket under the old oak tree with pillows scattered on it. Lanterns hang from the branches, each filled with a glowing candle. Photos are attached to each lantern and I walk closer to get a better look. It’s really so pretty and it only makes me love Roy more that he went through so much trouble to do something special for me.
Taking hold of the first photo I see that it’s one of me as a baby. The next one is of Roy as a toddler. All the photos are of us at different ages until I reach the last one. It’s a recent photo of Roy and me. Mrs. Douglas must’ve taken it. Roy is staring down at me with so much love it makes me choke up.
“Will you marry me?” he asks from behind me.
I turn around as an emotional smile wavers around my lips.
“Since I’ve met you my life has changed. You make me feel like I can do anything, be anyone. Marry me, Quinn. I want to spend every day with you. I promise to love you with all my heart. I want the rest of the photos to be of us and our life together.”
I walk to where he’s standing and nod as I wrap my arms around him. “Yes, I will marry you. I love you so much, Roy.”
He kisses me tenderly and then whispers against my lips, “I love you more.”