I Choose You (7 page)

             
Nicole figured it was best to tell him everything at once, but felt the nerves bouncing in her belly in anticipation of his reaction. She really liked him.

             
“What kind of expectations,” he prodded.

             
“They wanted me to go to SAGU, study Youth Ministries, get married, and start a congregation with my husband as the minister.” She spit it out quickly, in one breath, then took a sip of wine and looked at him over her glass.

             
Kent brushed her hair back in assurance, then asked, “Did they have the husband picked out?”

             
“Yeah, Jake,” She felt a small pang in her heart when she said his name. He’d meant so much to her for so long, she found that she missed the friendship they’d shared.

             
“We started dating in high school, and he fit the mold perfectly. We were engaged for three years and everything was going according to plan until I got to school.”

             
“What happened at school?”

             
“It was my first time being out on my own, away from my parents, and I began to realize how controlling they were and that their dreams weren’t necessarily my dreams. I changed my major to English without telling them, and I fell in love with my creative writing courses. As I got closer to graduation, I began to understand that Jake’s dreams mirrored my parents, not my own, and that I didn’t love him in the way a woman should love her future husband.”

             
“Wow,” Kent said, taking her hand in his. “How did they take the news?”

             
“Well, I haven’t spoken to my parents or Jake since the day I told them that I no longer wanted to get married or work in the church, so I guess they didn’t take it very well,” Nicole said with a dry laugh.

             
“I think it’s admirable that you were strong enough to give up everything you knew to start fresh and do what you want,” Kent said, his finger caressing the top of her hand.

             
“There’s something else you need to know,” Nicole began, a little more confident after his easy acceptance of what she’d shared so far.

             
“What is it?” He asked, curious at what else she could tell him about her past.             

             
“Well, I said my family is religious, and they raised me with strong Christian values, which I still live by.” Nicole stopped, suddenly overcome by nerves at the thought of his rejection.

             
“Go on,” Kent prodded.

             
“I was raised to believe that sex should be shared between a husband and a wife. I’m a virgin… and I’ll remain a virgin until my wedding night.” Nicole spit it out as quickly as she could, then watched Kent’s face for his reaction.

             
His finger stilled on her hand, and his facial expression remained frozen as he processed what she had just told him.

             
A virgin.

             
Kent looked at her stunning face, surrounded by her beautiful long blonde hair, which currently covered the most stunning pair of breasts he’d ever seen.

             
He felt suddenly bereft at the realization that no matter what kind of relationship he strove to have with Nicole, he would probably never get to have sex with her.

             
He’d seen what an unhappy marriage looked like, he’d grown up in the middle of one, and he’d always told himself that marriage was probably not in his future. He didn’t want to take the chance of ending up like his parents, and he knew that he had to keep Roni as his number one priority. No woman he knew would ever accept coming in number two to his twin.

             
Kent cleared his throat awkwardly, as he thought about what to say.

             
Did he want to get to know Nicole better?

             
Yes.

             
Did he think she was funny, beautiful and fascinating?

             
Yes.

             
Did he think they had the potential to have a good relationship?

             
Yes.

             
Could he spend the unforeseen future with Nicole, and not have sex with her?

             
Not have sex with anyone?

             
“I know it’s a lot to take in in one night,” Nicole started. Her stomach dropped at his silence. She needed to let him off the hook and get some space before he could tell she was upset. “You don’t have to say anything. I get it. You’re a very good-looking, single man, and you didn’t realize that sex was off the table when you asked me out. Don’t worry about it; let’s get back to the party.”

             
In that moment he realized that, yes, he could handle it. She was worth the nights of torment that he was sure to have.

             
He put his hand out to stop her from leaving when she rose.

             
“I hope you don’t think so little of me, to believe that I’d run off because you’re a virgin. I think it’s great that you have such strong beliefs, not many people do nowadays.”

             
A smile broke out across her face, leaving Kent momentarily breathless at her beauty.

             
“Really?” She asked slowly, to allow him the chance to change his mind if he wanted to.

             
Kent stood up and pulled her into a hug.

             
“Yes, really. You’re an amazing woman, Nic, and I want to continue to spend time with you.”

             
Nicole pulled back and smiled.

             
“I’m so happy to hear you say that,” She admitted.

             
“We’d better get back to the party.” Kent said, picking up their glasses.

             
“Okay,” Nicole replied, and took the hand he offered to escort her back out into the living room.

Chapter Eight

             
A couple days after their housewarming party, Nicole got up early to meet Kent for a hike on the outskirts of town.

             
She had worked the last few nights, and he had deadlines to meet, so they hadn’t been able to find any time together.

             
She was excited to see him again, but couldn’t help but be a little worried. The last time she’d seen him was when she’d told him she was a virgin. They’d talked and texted a couple times over the past few days, but he’d seemed a little distant.

             
When the knock came, she was in the living room ready to go. She let him wait a few seconds, so she didn’t seem too eager, but her heart leapt when she opened the door.

             
Kent’s work-out clothes accentuated his well-defined muscles, and showed plenty of tanned skin.

             
When Nicole’s eyes finally made it Kent’s face, she smiled brightly at him.

             
“Hi.”

             
“Hey, Nic,” Kent returned her smile. “You ready?”

             
She turned to grab her water bottle, and he groaned at the site of her perfectly rounded ass in her spandex shorts. He felt his body tighten in response, and wondered how he was going to make it through the day.

             
Nicole walked out, leaving him to shut the door and follow her down the stairs.

             
Her hair was swept up in a high pony tail that swung back and forth. Kent tried to focus on her hair, rather than the sway of her other body parts as she bounded down the stairs.

             
The drive to the trail was a short one, but it gave them enough time to catch up on their days apart.

             
“Kara asked me if I want to go with her to Austin this weekend to see Bree and Colin. We have the same days off this week, so we thought it would be fun to go and see their new place,” Nicole said.

             
Kent was silent for a moment, then replied, “That’s cool. I’m sure you’ll have fun. Austin’s a great city.”

             
“I’ve never been there, and I’ve always wanted to go, so I’m excited. Plus, I really want to see Bree again.”

             
Kent just nodded. Nicole figured she’d better change the subject. “How’s your week been?”

             
“My boss has actually been talking about retiring. I don’t know what his plans are for the paper, but I’m going to approach him about taking over the paper myself. I know I don’t have a lot of experience, but I think I can bring a lot to the table, and I have a vision of where I want the paper to go.”             

             
“That’s wonderful, Kent,” Nicole hoped that meant that there was a chance he would stop looking for jobs in other places, but she didn’t feel confident enough to ask him. She didn’t want it to look like she was pressuring him.

             
He parked his Mustang and they got out and began to stretch. Kent tried to focus on something other than Nicole as she bent and flexed her limber body, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from taking in the sight of her. He closed his eyes as he finished warming up.

             
“Ready?” He asked once they’d stretched for a few minutes.

             
Nicole smiled and nodded.

             
Kent motioned to the left, to indicate what direction the trail began, and they took off at a brisk pace to begin their hike.

             
Kent cleared his throat and tried to will the fog in his brain to fade away.

             
“So, Nic,” He began, “You said that you’re a writer, what do you write?”

             
Nicole stumbled a bit and felt the heat begin to rise up her neck. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d never told anyone that she wanted to write. She knew she could trust Kent, but she was worried that she was falling too hard, too fast.

             
“I write fiction, Horror actually.”

             
Kent stopped walking, causing her to stop and turn to look at him.

             
“Horror?” He asked, looking slightly amazed. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

             
He started walking again and she fell into step behind him, her face flush with uncertainty.

             
“Is that a good thing?” She asked.

             
Kent grinned down at her, “With you… Yeah, it’s.”

             
Nicole couldn’t help but return his grin.

             
They picked up the pace as they started up an incline.

             
“Have you finished anything?” He asked.

             
“Yes, actually, I have,” Nicole admitted. “I have finished the first draft and I’ve been editing it.”

             
“Is that what you were doing on your computer when I brought you the flowers?”

             
“Yeah,” She said as she smiled at the memory. “I was so focused that I didn’t know it was you that came in my room.”

             
“That’s amazing, Nic.” Kent replied. “I think it’s wonderful that you’re going after your dreams. You’re very focused. I think we have that in common?”

             
“Oh? Why do you say that?” Nicole asked him.

             
Kent figured after everything she had told him about herself, he needed to open up a little bit as well, no matter how much he hated talking about his personal life.

             
“Well, I’ve always known that I didn’t want to live the way my parents did, so I’ve worked my whole life to make sure that didn’t happen.”