Chapter Twelve
He wasn’t coming back.
Almost a week later, the realization still hurt Ella’s heart as she stood inside of the beautiful new store that Kyle had not only built for her but had selflessly given to her. All because he wanted her to be happy. To have something that was her very own.
She couldn’t have been more miserable and devastated. The constant heartache was so bad she couldn’t even bring herself to go forward with her plans to call all the artisans in the area to bring in their merchandise to fill up the displays and shelves, because none of this meant anything to Ella if she didn’t have that one certain person to share the joys and successes with.
No, she’d royally screwed up any chance of a future she could have had with Kyle. She’d let her father influence her choices once again, and she’d lost the one man who knew her so well. The only man who’d cared deeply for her, protected her, loved her unconditionally, and had given her so much without getting anything in return. Or at least not what he deserved—her love.
And she did love Kyle. So much it was painful to breathe knowing she might not ever see him again. That she’d have to live the rest of her life knowing that he’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t worth the hassle, because for the second time in ten years, she’d pushed him away when things had gotten rough, instead of leaning on him and trusting him with her heart.
And now, she was alone. Again.
“You know, Kyle would want you to put this store to good use instead of leaving it empty.”
Ella jumped at the sound of Patricia Coleman’s voice behind her, and she turned around, not all that surprised to see Kyle’s mother standing there in a frilly pink baking apron, her gaze both kind and sympathetic. The other woman had been crazy busy getting ready for her big grand opening, and the fact that she’d taken the time to come and check on Ella spoke to the kind of thoughtful woman she was—a trait that her younger son had emulated.
“How could something I’ve always wanted and dreamed of be such a painful reminder of everything I’ve lost?” Her voice was tight and scratchy from all her late-night crying jags, when the impact of what she’d done hit her hard.
Patricia moved into the store and closer to Ella. “Honey, it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Ella gave the other woman a sad smile. “Well, I’m not sure that Kyle can forgive me for what I did and what I said.” The devastation on his face when she’d told him to leave her house after her father’s anxiety attack was something she’d never be able to erase from her mind.
“Oh, I think you’d be surprised,” Patricia said, absently smoothing her hand over the apron she was wearing. “That boy of mine has a heart as big as this state, and I know he’s crazy about you. He always has been. And still is.”
A lump rose in Ella’s throat, because she felt the same way about Kyle. Without a doubt, that man was her soul mate. The one person who knew her inside and out and loved her anyway. He was her other half that had been missing for ten long years, and the thought of going through the rest of her life without him was pure agony.
“Last Saturday night, before he left to go back to the city, he told me to look after you,” Patricia said, gently placing her hand on Ella’s arm. “He wanted to make sure that you were okay after everything that had happened. But I know you’re not. You look as heartbroken as he sounds when I talk to him on the phone. You two belong together. You always have and you always will. Some things are just meant to be.”
Ella laughed derisively. “Trying tell that to my father.”
“I would if you’d let me,” Patricia said, her eyes sparkling mischievously before she turned serious once again. “I think some people find it easier to hold on to anger and resentments instead of letting them go, and a lot of people suffer for that, including you and Kyle. I also think that maybe your father just needs someone to blame for Gwen’s . . . behavior,” she said, being polite about the reputation Ella’s sister had around town, “and what happened with her pregnancy and miscarriage.”
Gwen certainly hadn’t been an angel in that situation, but the one thing Ella had learned over the years was that her father refused to think of Gwen as, well, the slut she’d been—and still was. It was a painful pill for any father to swallow or accept, and even now, he still wanted to believe that Gwen was just misunderstood.
Ella glanced around the store once again, worrying on her bottom lip. There were other doubts and worries she had when it came to her and Kyle, and because Patricia was the closest thing to a mother that she’d had in a long time, and also because she knew Kyle so well, she expressed one of her concerns.
“I’m not sure how a long-distance relationship is going to work between us,” she said honestly as she looked back at the other woman. “I live and work here, and now I’m starting a new store. He lives and works in Chicago. It’s not an easy fix. Did he tell you that I went to visit him in the city to talk to him about the building and had a full-blown panic attack because of how closed-in and loud everything was?”
“He did,” she said with a little laugh. “But there is one thing I know that is true. Kyle has never had a reason not to live in the city. He works in Chicago so it’s convenient, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to compromise for someone he loves. You’re his reason, Ella. He would do anything to have a life with you.”
The word compromise was like a huge light bulb moment for Ella. Give and take. Meeting him halfway, someway, somehow. He’d given her three months of being patient and understanding, and when push came to shove, she’d shoved him right out of her life without giving them a chance to figure it out. That’s all he’d asked for . . . time to figure out a solution to make things work between them. Because he loved her and because she would always be the one.
She placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart as his words came back to her, so raw and honest and true. It was everything she felt for him in return, and she had to tell him, because he would always be the man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And in order to do that, she had to be willing to make sacrifices on her end to be with him, even if that meant somehow splitting time between Woodmont and Chicago, or somewhere in between.
A small frisson of hope swelled through her. She could do this. For Kyle. For them. It was a Friday evening, the very worst time for her to drive into the city, but she couldn’t go another day without him in her life. Or without him knowing just how much she loved him.
“I have to go,” she said to Patricia in a rush of breath.
The other woman just smiled knowingly, and while she went back to finish setting up the bakery next door for the grand opening in a week, Ella locked up the shop that Kyle had given her and went home to change.
When she walked through the front door, her father was sitting in his leather recliner watching the news, while Betsy was on the couch quietly knitting. Her dad had been giving her the silent treatment all week long, and today was no different. It was as if he was punishing her for being with Kyle, and as she headed into her bedroom to strip out of her grocery attire to take a quick shower, she realized that her father’s attitude was his issue, not hers. Not anymore.
Twenty minutes later, wearing a pretty dress and a pair of heels, with her hair down and a hint of makeup on, she made her way back to the front door without a word.
“Where are you going?” her father asked gruffly.
Taking a deep breath, Ella stopped and turned to face him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Betsy’s knitting needles come to a stop as the other woman no doubt wanted to witness what was about to happen. At least Ella knew she had an ally in Betsy, that she’d be there to calm Charles down after the conversation Ella knew they were going to have. Because it was a long time coming, and her father needed to understand that there was absolutely nothing he could say or do that would stop her from being with Kyle this time around.
She lifted her chin fearlessly, because that’s exactly how she felt—confident and self-assured in who she was and what she wanted. “I’m going into the city to see Kyle,” she said.
Her father’s dark brows pinched together in disapproval. “Ella—”
“Stop,” she said, cutting off her father because it didn’t matter what he had to say to her. It was more important that he heard what she needed to say to him. “I’m not asking for your permission, and I don’t need your approval. I’m almost twenty-eight years old, and this is my decision, not yours. I’ve given up the past ten years taking care of you and running the market, and it’s my turn to live my life and be happy. And I’m the happiest when I’m with Kyle.”
Her father’s face had turned red in anger, and while she knew this might induce another anxiety attack, he had his pills and he had Betsy and she trusted the other woman to take care of him. “I’m not sure why Gwen has gotten a free pass all these years for her behavior, because she’s far from perfect. No one forced her to sleep with Todd back then, and while I agree that Todd should have stepped up and been a man about the situation, Gwen is not faultless. If she cared about you, about us, she’d be here right now, instead of with some random guy she met one weekend. She’s always been selfish and self-centered, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
She could see her father’s chest rising and falling quickly, and it wasn’t easy for Ella not to rush to his side like she normally would have. In fact, it was damn hard to stay where she was, but a quick glance at Betsy, who gave her an encouraging nod, told her that the other woman knew Charles wasn’t in danger of having a stroke. Ella recalled the conversation she’d had with Betsy a short while ago—for a long time now I’ve suspected that he acts frail and incapable because you’ve always catered to him. He won’t wither away if you go out and live your life.
Ella hadn’t been in the frame of mind three months ago to take Betsy’s words to heart or to act on them, but she realized that, yes, she’d catered to her father’s behavior—enabled him, even—for way too long.
“So, yes, I’m going to the city to be with Kyle,” she reiterated. “And if everything goes the way I’m hoping, I won’t be back tonight. Hell, I might not be back all weekend, and William is more than capable of taking care of the store while I’m gone. Have a good night, Dad.”
Her father gaped at her as she finished walking to the door, opened it, and stepped out onto the porch. She closed the door behind her and stopped for a moment to just breathe.
“I need my goddamn pills!” Ella heard her father yell from inside the house.
“Charles, you need to calm down and stop being so ornery,” Betsy replied in that no-nonsense voice of hers. “Let that girl go live her life and stop meddling in it.”
The two of them continued to bicker, and Ella laughed softly and shook her head as she made her way to her car, knowing she was leaving her dad in good hands. There was no doubt in her mind that her relationship with her father might be strained for a while, but she also knew he’d never disown her. And maybe, hopefully, given time, he’d come to realize and accept that Kyle was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
Feeling as though a hundred-pound weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she got into her car and started the two hour-long drive into the city to get her man.
* * *
Freshly showered and wearing an old, comfortable pair of sweat pants, Kyle sat in an armchair facing the windows overlooking the twinkling lights on Lake Michigan as he took a drink of the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey he’d poured himself. He wasn’t a big drinker. A beer here and there with friends, but knowing he was heading into his first long weekend without Ella, he’d opted for something more fortifying.
Every day this past week, he’d held out hope that he’d hear from her. A phone call. A text. Anything at all to give him some kind of indication that maybe she’d come to the realization that he was worth fighting for. That they were worth fighting for.
That he hadn’t royally fucked everything up by walking away from her.
No, as much as he hated the way things had ended between them, he knew he’d done the right thing by leaving, because he couldn’t go another three months, or longer, hiding a relationship with Ella. And it didn’t even matter that he’d come up with a possible solution to their distance issue. If she didn’t stand up to her father and resolve those issues, they had no chance at a future together. End of story. And apparently, end of them.
He downed another gulp of whiskey, welcoming the burn that slid down his throat and settled in his belly. Then he went ahead and finished off the last of the shot. Drowning his sorrows was beginning to sound like a damn fine idea.
He pushed out of his chair to go and refill his glass just as one of the intercoms on the wall buzzed from the doorman downstairs. Kyle couldn’t imagine what the guy could want, and he was interrupting Kyle’s pity party, but he went ahead and pressed the button and answered with a curt, “Yes?”
“There’s an Ella Fisher here to see you,” the older gentleman said. “Would you like for me to let her up?”
Kyle frowned. For a moment, he thought he was hearing things. Ella was here, in the city, on a Friday night? Considering her aversion to Chicago, that didn’t seem likely . . .
“Sir?” the doorman prompted. “Ms. Fisher said it was important that she speak with you. What would you like me to do?”
Cautious optimism surged though Kyle, and he replied before Ella took his silence for a no. “Yes, let her up, please.”
The line disconnected, and it seemed like it took forever to hear a knock on his door while he paced the entryway. He opened the door, and there she was, looking like the bright ray of sunshine that he called her. A frazzled-looking ray of sunshine, but his nonetheless. He hoped.
“Umm, can I come in?” she asked tentatively.
“Of course.” He stepped back and she brushed past him as she walked inside his place and into the living room. He followed behind, and the sweet scent of lemons filled his senses, instinctively stirring his desire for her. Then again, everything about this woman made him feel like a lovesick fool around her.
She turned around to face him. From the dress she had on to her gorgeous hair falling around her shoulders to the blatant fortitude in her eyes as she met his gaze, she looked absolutely stunning wearing all that confidence. It stole his breath and made his heart pound wildly in his chest because of what it could mean.
He still found it hard to believe that she’d braved the city to come to him. “What are you doing here?”
She lifted her chin a notch, and the sudden fire in her eyes told him that she was prepared to fight for what she wanted. “I’m here to tell you that I love you, which is something I should have said a week ago. Because it’s true. I never stopped loving you,” she said, a vulnerable tremor in her voice. “And I can’t imagine my life or my future without you in it.”
His relief was so overwhelming he nearly dropped to his knees in gratitude. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her forever, but there was just enough wariness still left in him to address the biggest conflict that stood between them. “What about your father?”
“Well . . . I don’t care what my father thinks, because this is my life and my choice, and I told him so. Is he happy that I’m here? Absolutely not,” she said with a soft, derisive laugh. “But I’m the happiest I’ve ever been when I’m with you, wherever that may be. And if that means we need to compromise and split our time between Chicago and Woodmont”—she exhaled a deep breath—“I’ll somehow learn to deal with getting around in the city. I’ll do anything to be with you, Kyle, because what we have is worth it, and I’m not giving you up a second time.”
The fact that she was willing to make that sacrifice for him, for them, told him everything he needed to know. That she was committed to making this work, that she was willing to face the obstacles, that in the end, it was about the choices they made together.
He moved toward her, finally closing the distance between them because he needed to touch her so badly. When they were standing toe-to-toe, he picked up her hands and held them in his. She lifted her gaze to his, and the emotion there and the love for him shining in the depths nearly slayed his heart.
He raised his palms to her face, and, unable to stop himself from taking what he absolutely needed more than his next breath, he lowered his head to hers and kissed her—slow and sweet and infinitely tender. Telling her without words what she meant to him, that she alone made his world complete. She was his shining light, his north star that would always guide him home.
He finally ended the kiss, a soft, dreamy look in her eyes. “God, I love you, Ella Fisher.”
She smiled, her expression radiant. “I love you, too. So much.”
He skimmed his thumbs along her smooth cheeks. “But I’m not letting you move to the city.”
The happiness and exhilaration in her gaze dimmed, and he realized she’d mistaken his words for a rejection. Ahhh, far from it.
He quickly corrected her wrong assumption. “I appreciate all the concessions you’re willing to make for us, but this past week has given me a lot of time to think about logistics. Yes, my job and company are in the city, but my hours are completely flexible. We can live near or in Woodmont and you’d be close to the market, and I can make that one-hour commute. People do it all the time.”
She leaned into him, her hands pressing flat against his bare chest. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Positively sure. We’ll make it work. I promise, because there is no way in hell I want to go through another week like I just had without you.” He gently brushed back a strand of hair from her face, letting his touch linger. “I’ll keep my condo, and we can use it if we ever need to stay in the city—” She grimaced at that and he laughed. “Or if I’m working a late night and need a place to crash. But I really don’t think that will be likely, because the only place I want to be every single night is in bed, right next to you, so I can wake up every morning to the most beautiful woman on the planet. So, maybe I’ll just sell the condo.”
She skimmed her hands up to his shoulders and around his neck. “We’ll figure it out, together,” she said, pulling his head down to hers for another kiss.
“Yeah, together,” he reiterated against her soft, parted lips before losing himself in the delicious taste of her. Until he was absolutely insane with the need to get inside of her again.
He lifted her in his arms, and she squealed at being literally swept off her feet as he carried her to his bedroom.
After a moment, she relaxed and sighed as she trailed one of her hands along his shoulder and down his arm to squeeze his bicep. “It’s a good thing you’re well built, City Boy.”
“I’m also built to last, baby,” he said, meaningfully. He was a forever kind of guy.
“Yeah, you are,” she agreed appreciatively as he set her down on her heels at the foot of his bed.
She turned around so he could unzip her dress, and he placed hot, damp kisses along the skin he exposed, making her shiver. “You know what all this means, don’t you?”
“That I’m about to get laid by the sexiest guy in Chicago?” she mused seductively.
“Yeah, that, too.” He chuckled as he pushed the dress off her shoulders and it fell to the floor at her feet, leaving her in a lacy pair of panties, a matching bra, and those hot-as-fuck heels.
His dick strained against the front of his sweat pants, begging to be let out, but he ignored the demand. He wanted to strip Ella bare before he got naked himself. He unclipped the back of her bra, let it join her dress on the ground, then walked around her until they were face-to-face and he could fill both of his hands with her soft, full breasts before dipping his head to take a tight nipple into his mouth.
“It means all this compromise we’re both going to be making . . .” He kissed his way down her stomach and pushed his fingers into the waistband of her panties to drag them down her hips. “We’re going to have to get married.”
Her breath hitched noticeably. “Yeah?” she asked softly, hopefully.
“Yep.” With her underwear gone, he straightened again so he was looking into her beautiful eyes as he guided her back toward the bed, still wearing the fuck-me shoes—he thoroughly intended to do just that. Numerous times and a dozen different positions. “No living in sin for us.”
She laughed out loud at that as she scooted up the mattress, until she was lying against the pillows on her back, looking like a temptress, while he quickly stripped off his sweat pants.
“We’ve been sinning for the past three months,” she said in amusement as she deliberately spread her legs, showing him how wet she already was for him. How needy. “We’re about to sin right now,” she teased him.
“Fuck yeah, we are,” he said huskily as he dove between her legs to eat her up, the hungry, greedy slide of his lips and tongue adding to their plethora of dirty, filthy sins.
She gasped in shock, then moaned in pleasure, and eventually, she twisted her fingers in his hair, shamelessly rode his mouth, and cried out his name as she came gloriously, furiously hard against the flick and glide of his tongue.
Before she had a chance to recover, and while her pussy was still fluttering from the remnants of her blissful orgasm, he moved up and completely over her body, then buried himself balls deep inside her with one long, fluid stroke. She arched up against him, wrapped those long legs around his waist, and he felt the erotic dig of those heels scraping across his skin and wreaking havoc with his self-control.
He tried not to move, not until they cleared up one more thing. Shoving his hands into her hair, he tipped her head back so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. Her eyes were dilated, dark with desire, and he smiled down at her, because she was so perfect, and everything he’d ever wanted and needed in his life.
“You distracted me with all that sinning,” he murmured deeply, wickedly. “And I forgot to ask you something very important, because I don’t want to make any assumptions.”
She licked her bottom lip and tried to squirm beneath him to make him move, and ended up making a frustrated sound when he held still. “Yeah, and what’s that?” she asked impatiently.
“A formal proposal,” he said, and instantly felt her go soft beneath him, her eyes wide with awe and love and a hundred other emotions he completely understood, because he felt the same. “Ella Fisher, will you marry me?”
She didn’t even hesitate with her answer. “I will, City Boy,” she said, happy tears of pure delight shimmering in her eyes. “I can’t wait to finally be Mrs. Kyle Coleman.”
And he couldn’t wait to make her completely and utterly his.