Inside Out (32 page)

“Come on, I promise to laugh at all your jokes. It’s part of the boyfriend job. Though you can’t tell anyone this, I’m new at it too.”

“Never say,” she murmured as she sat up. “Andrew, I simply must tell you that you have the most beautifully male body I’ve ever seen. You’re, god, you make my mouth water.”

He blushed and she smiled down at him, surprised and touched by how sweet and shy he actually was when it came to the big, important stuff.

“Flattery will get you just about anywhere with me, Red. Then again, all you have to do is ask, and it’s yours. I’m putty in your hands.”

Reaching down between them, she grasped his cock, giving it a friendly squeeze. “I promise to be gentle.”

And she was. Mostly.

21

“Are you getting enough sleep?” Elise looked over Ella warily. “You have dark circles under your eyes. Is Cope pestering you to have sex instead of letting you sleep?” She then laughed, making Ella groan and roll her eyes.

She’d stopped over at Elise’s to drop off a book she’d borrowed and to visit for a few minutes in the midst of a really insanely chaotic period of time where she’d been running from place to place, trying to stay afloat in a sea of to-do list items.

“I’m fine. Just had to catch up on some client work. I did it after Cope was done
pestering
me and he’d gone to sleep. This week has been rushed, and I’ve had a lot to do. It’s just until Erin is better and I finish these last credits. It’s not that much longer.”

“You’re going to get sick if you don’t get more sleep.”

She grinned at her friend. “Thanks, Mom. But really, I’m fine, I promise. We got into a bit of a tiff and then, well, you know the making-up part. That part took a few hours. Believe me when I tell you I’d trade what that man can do with his hands and mouth for a few hours’ more sleep any day.”

“You slapper!” Elise dissolved into laughter. “Makeup sex is the best. What’d you fight about?”

She sighed. “Do you know it’s been something like five years or so since I’ve shared any details about an argument with someone I’m dating? God, no, more like six, since I didn’t really share much about Bill. I’m out of practice.”

“And it’s hard to share when you took all that weight on yourself for so long.” Elise smiled at her. “He’s not Bill.”

Ella laughed. And then she laughed some more at the very thought. “No. God, no, he’s not Bill. Andrew is kind. He’s sweet and loving, and he listens to me. He even gets pissy with me.”

“This is good? That he gets pissy?”

“Yeah. Because pissy can be survived. Pissy is what you get when you’re dealing with someone you trust. See, I’m not even sure if he gets it, but we fought twice, not even fought. He’s worried about Erin and stuff, and he snapped at me. But I batted it away and kept on. It never occurred to me, not even for a moment, to be afraid or unsure. I just let it roll off and gave him shit right back.”

“And that’s huge.”

Of course Elise got it. Ella nodded. “Yeah. Like beyond huge. What’s funny is I never expected it to be any other way. I suppose I’ve just known he was different from go.”

“That must knock him for a loop. Those boys are very confident and stuff. But, wow, are they protective of the women they love. And don’t look at me that way; he loves you. He wears it on his skin like a neon jumpsuit.”

Ella blushed. She hadn’t told Elise of Andrew’s declaration of love. Hadn’t told anyone. She believed it, accepted it and carried it around like a touchstone. It felt like magic, as if she’d break the spell if she said it out loud. “Like the crazy inmates at the county jail? Great.”

“Oh yes, totally like that.” Elise jerked her head toward the interior of the house. “Come in? Have a glass of wine? Rennie is sleeping, and Brody should be home soon. He stopped by Erin’s on his way home from the shop.”

“I wish I could, but I have to run.”

“All right. Oh and hey, the seamstress called today. Your bridesmaid dress arrived, and you’ll need to go in for a fitting. She suggested we wait until after Thanksgiving. Erin, well, let’s just get through the pregnancy and delivery, and then we can think about that part.” Elise hugged herself.

“She’s going to be all right. How could she not be?”

Elise sighed. “It happens every day. She’s strong, and it’s looking like the modified bed rest is controlling the blood pressure. But she has to be careful. They’ve put her on a special diet, which she hates. But Ben and Todd won’t let her get away with any nonsense, even if she tried it.”

“She’s scared. She’ll behave because she’s a good mom already. Though I’m sure that’s enough pressure right there. Knowing what it means to have a child, but also what it means to lose that.”

“It makes me nauseated to even think about what it would be like for her right now. But she’s got a group of people who love her to help with everything. And she knows it. Rennie and I lucked out to end up here with these people in our lives. To be loved the way they all love. It’s a gift.”

Ella nodded. “Yeah, it is. Listen, I really do have to run. I’ll see you soon though, right?”

“You free this weekend? Brody and Adrian are taking Rennie to the movies on Saturday, so I have a free afternoon if you want to grab lunch.”

“That sounds great. Why don’t we find out what Erin can eat on this new diet, and we can make it and take it to her place? Free Todd and Ben up for a while and give her some new faces to look at.”

“Great idea. I’ll call her and make the arrangements and get back to you with details.” Elise hugged her. “Talk to you soon.”

Ella waved and headed back down the sidewalk to her car just as Adrian and Brody pulled up.

“Why, if it isn’t the loveliest redhead I know,” Brody said, grinning as he pulled her into a hug. “You here to get my lovely wife-to-be in trouble?”

“If so, can I watch?” Adrian winked at her.

“Mmm-hmm. If there’s trouble anywhere around here, I doubt it’s coming from me. This is a whole lot of Brown maleness right up on this driveway. How’s Erin?”

“She was actually getting tucked up into bed when we left. She’s doing all right. Her BP is much better today, but she’s still pretty swollen in her feet and ankles. They’re monitoring her and the baby, and everything looks good, so they’re going to go ahead and let her stay home on bed rest and not push labor unless it gets worse.”

“I’m stopping by tomorrow after I get off work to check on her. You guys please let me know if you need my help.”

“You’re leaving? Come on inside and have a glass of wine with us.” Brody touched her hand.

“Thanks. No, Elise already asked, but I do have to go. I have a really full schedule tomorrow, so I need to get home to rest.”

They both escorted her to her car. And it was then Andrew pulled up. Her heart skipped a beat as she took him in, saw the surprised pleasure on his face at the sight of her.

“That’s our cue to beat it.” Adrian knocked once on her car’s roof. “Have a good night, Ella. See you soon.” He and Brody waved at Cope and headed inside, while Cope headed straight to her.

“Hey, Red, fancy seeing you here.” He leaned in her window and kissed her soundly. “That’s better. Takes the edge off.”

She just let that soak in, smiling at him. “I was just on my way out. Glad I didn’t miss you.”

“Are you free tonight? I know I slept over last night too, but I’ve come to notice something peculiar, Ella. I sleep much better with you next to me.” He leaned closer. “I promise to make you breakfast in the morning.”

She groaned. “I’m mightily tempted.”

He brushed his thumb against her cheek. “I didn’t notice these dark smudges until just now. Here’s what I’m going to do. Come to my house. I’ll run you a bath, complete with Epsom salts. Fix you a cup of tea and tuck you into bed relatively unmolested. I’d say totally, but we both know I can’t resist just a little bit of kissing and touching.”

“I have to get up at five. You don’t have to be up until seven. That’s a lot to ask when sex isn’t on the table.”

“We haven’t done it on a table yet. I’ll put it on the list for next time.” He touched her again, just a butterfly against her cheek. “It’s up to you, but I don’t care if I only have you until five, I just want to be with you. Though, how about we switch locations since you’re so tired and you have to be up really early. Your house?”

She smiled. “All right. But I can’t guarantee I’ll be awake if you aren’t there in half an hour or so.” Yawning hugely, she turned the car on, and he stepped back.

“Be right there. I was just stopping off to check in with Brody about something. That can wait, though. I’ll call him about it.”

Before she could protest, he’d jogged his very fine ass back to his truck, making her all swoony and lightheaded.

He knocked on her door, excited to see her, to be able to touch her. Silly how quickly seeing her every day had become necessary.

She opened, and he realized just how tired she must have been. Even her normally very straight posture was slumped a bit. He stepped inside, waiting for her to close and lock the door before he took her into his arms.

“Baby, you’re knackered. I’m sorry I pushed to come over. I’ll go home.” The last thing he wanted was to make her more tired.

She smiled up at him. “Plate on the table for you. I need to shower. Cookies in the jar.”

Okay then. He considered following her into the bathroom to help with relaxation and stress relief. He sure knew a bunch of ways to work out the kinks. But that’s what most likely kept her awake the night before.

He looked at her table, where she’d prepared not just one sandwich, but three.
Meatloaf? Awesome.

“The woman is a goddess,” he mumbled as he put on a pot of tea for her.

He loved the way she looked all fresh from the shower. Her hair pulled away from her face only emphasized the beauty of her features, the size of her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the mug of tea. The apartment was cold, he knew, due to an aging radiator. But she had on her sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. He made a mental note to bring her some wool socks and to look into radiant heat for the floors in his bathrooms.

Wow. He stilled a moment, startling himself with the idea of living with her. And then being stupefied that he’d startled as he was ass over teakettle in love.

Living together was a huge step. Natural with the course they’d set. His place was bigger and safer for her. He thought of his house with her stamp on it, that simple femininity she had, the bold sense of colors and style.

He thought of his brother and the melding of three very distinct styles and personalities in their apartment. They worked as a unit. He admired their effort and commitment to each other, their energy put into maintaining such a complicated but totally loving relationship, which was not only intact but thriving.

For a time, Cope had worried that Ben would fall away from Erin and Todd, that in the end, Ben would end up alone and broken. Now he knew that wouldn’t happen, but there was still the worry of loss. He’d spoken with Ben earlier that day, and his brother had been scared shitless and trying to hold it together when he was around Erin.

It hurt, seeing his brother so worried and not being able to help. He worried about Erin too, but she wasn’t his wife. What would it be like to have that threatened? It made his anger at his father even worse.

Still, he was there with Ella, and for that moment, everything was right. He watched her as she laid out her clothes for the following morning, content to simply be with her.

She yawned, and he turned to the bed, pulling the blankets back. “Get in, babe. Snuggle down, and let’s go to sleep.”

“Mmm, that sounds very good.” She drained the tea, and he took the mug and the plate his sandwiches had been on and put them in her dishwasher.

“Be right back,” he said, stepping into the bathroom to clean up. By the time he’d come back, she was facedown on the bed, totally asleep. She was also topless. “Lucky me.” He grinned and slid into bed, loving how she moved toward him, even in sleep seeking his body.

He turned the lights off, but there was plenty coming in from the streetlights outside. Enough to see the beauty of her. Moonlight and stardust, Ella was all that and more.

She already had achieved that depth of sleep where she’d transformed into a soft, warm, substantial weight against him. As much as he loved how she felt, totally relaxed and unafraid, sexy and feminine, he felt bad that he hadn’t seen how exhausted she was before that evening. Especially when he’d been the one who kept her up the night before. Twice.

Thinking back, he realized he’d noticed she was tired here and there, but it passed quickly, and there’d been something else to worry about.

The woman was a caregiver down to her toes, and that’s exactly what she’d been doing. Erin had tattled on her earlier, telling Cope what Ella had been doing at the café, organizing the employees to take up any and all slack, checking by a few times a day to be sure all was well. She’d also taken to stopping in to visit Erin whenever she could break away from work. On top of that, she worked her other job, which he knew took a lot of paperwork and time, and spent time with him. No wonder she was paler than usual; distracted even.