Kelly's Quest (NYC LOVE Book 2) (28 page)

We decide the liquor stores are the safest place to shop without getting trampled and duck into a large one we come across on the edge of Chelsea. Chloe darts to the far back end of the store, on her own mission. Jewels and I take our time strolling through the store. She stops to hold up a bottle of white wine with a questioning gaze.

I shake my head. “His aunt runs an Italian restaurant. She probably knows way more about wine than I do. I was thinking maybe some top shelf tequila. Theo mentioned she loves margaritas.”

Jewels sets the wine down with a roll of her eyes and we continue walking. “I’ve never seen that big guy act so jacked up over anything. Nights you’re working, he’s usually sulking at our place. Maybe you should see if there’s still an acting part available so you guys can spend every day fawning over each other.”

“What’s that saying again?” I tap my chin lazily. “Something about a kettle and a pot, and something black?”

Her eyes fall down to the floor. “We aren’t as hot and heavy lately.”

I reach out to stop her. “Something going on?”

When she looks back up, there’s a hint of desperation in her expression. “They’re taking the pump back out next week. Adam hasn’t been able to fight off the infections that keep reoccurring from the incision made when they put it in. It’s okay, I mean he’ll be okay without the pump. It was more a thing of convenience. But he’s been really irritated ever since they told him. Davis is going to fly out here over Christmas to see if he can somehow lighten his mood.”

I fold my friend into my arms. I’ve been so busy living in my own blissful world that I failed to notice hers is crumbling down around her. “
Damn
. I’m sorry, hun. What can I do?”

“I don’t know. He’s been so fucking distant, just like the last time when he was sick. I’m so terrified that he’s going to push me away again.” She shakes a little against me as she lets out a small cry. “I can’t take it again, Kel. I’m not strong enough for that.”

“Well we all know he isn’t good at dealing with his feelings, and I can’t imagine he’d be dumb enough to push you away again. Maybe he’s just trying to deal with the news in his own way, without bringing you down.” I arch away from her. “Do you want me to have Theo talk to him about it?”

“He’d be mortified if he knew I sent Theo.”

I shrug. “So I’ll tell Theo not to let on that we sent him. Maybe it can just be a casual kind of conversation. You know, ‘how are things, I’m sorry about the pump, by the way if you hurt Jewels again there are a line of us who will kick your ass.’ That kind of thing.”

“Okay,
fine
.” She giggles, pushing me away. “I guess Theo can talk to him. I don’t know that it will do any good, though.”

I sling my arm around her neck. “I’m sure you’re reading too much into it. He’s probably just pissed that he has to go through
another
procedure. He loves you, Jewels. Everyone can see how much you mean to him. I don’t think he’s about to throw away what the two of you have.”

My gut stirs with unease. I just hope I know what I’m talking about.

TWENTY

Christmas Eve at Aunt Carmela’s
is just as lively and exciting as Thanksgiving, only with the addition of presents and festive music that his cousins dance around to. Aunt Carmela gives me a statue of an angel and squeals like a school girl when she opens the bottle of tequila Jewels and I picked out. I’m embarrassed when Gwen gives me a beautiful silk scarf as I didn’t buy her anything until Theo tells me later that he bought it at her request.

I actually feel like I’m a part of Theo’s family this time, slipping into natural conversations and throwing harmless jabs at his cousins when they relentlessly try to flirt. We’re so wrapped up in the excitement that it’s nearly midnight when we head back to Theo’s brownstone where we make love by the fireplace before passing out.

On Christmas morning, we Skype my parents. It’s strange seeing them on a screen during the holidays instead of indulging in my mom’s cooking and catching up with my sisters. They’re thrilled to “meet” Theo, and announce that they’re considering paying for me to go to school in New York as soon as I’m ready to finish working toward my animal science degree. All four of my sisters budge in for screen time, barraging Theo with embarrassing questions and giggling like a gaggle of dorks. Although I’ve talked to each of them individually since Glori visited, gracefully accepting their apologizes, it’s the first time since this summer that things between me and my family felt almost normal again.

Once we’re done with my family, I give Theo his present: a small print of the fountain in Central Park where we professed our love to each other. Though he was first a little annoyed I spent money on him, he seems rather touched by the gift and kisses me deeply after telling me we’ll pick out a frame together.

We spend the remainder of the day in bed, watching old Christmas movies and making love until we’re too exhausted to continue. After eating the manicotti—also in bed—that his aunt sent home with us the night before, Theo disappears into the other room for awhile. I fall asleep while he’s gone, waking when he returns completely naked except for a wide grin. He holds one of his hands behind his back.

I sit up in his bed with my arms crossed across my exposed breasts. “That wouldn’t be a
present
behind your back, would it? I thought we weren’t doing that.”

“I said
you
weren’t spending any of your hard-earned cash on me, Cavenaugh. I reserve the right to do whatever I want with mine.” The way he can’t stop grinning, I know he’s up to something big. “You didn’t listen to me anyway.”

“Getting to see your glorious body naked is enough of a gift in itself. And besides, I don’t need any more toys now that we have a green light for you to do whatever you want to me. So get in here already and
do
it.”

His eyes light with poorly restrained mischief. “Present first.”

My heart races as he comes at me. He’s acting so insane that I don’t know what to expect. He sits on the mattress at my side, resting his free hand on my bare thigh, his other still held behind his back. “It’s ridiculous that you’re paying rent for your shoe-box sized room when we’d both rather have you stay here full time. But I did the live-in girlfriend thing before, and it didn’t end up so well. I don’t want to make that mistake again. Besides, you’re different.
You and I
are different. This is real.”

I don’t know what to say. We never really discussed moving in together before now, so why is he telling me this if he doesn’t want it to happen?

He swings his arm from behind his back, presenting me with a small velvet box. Inside there’s a princess-cut diamond the size of my knuckle on a wide band glittering with tiny diamonds that catch against the bedroom light.

“
Theo
!” I gasp, bringing my hands to my mouth.

He smiles warmly, his eyes lit with sincerity. “I want to marry you, Cavenaugh. I know we haven’t been dating that long, and you’re still trying to find your way, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I don’t see the point in dragging it out. It already seems like I’ve waited a lifetime for someone like you to come along. After talking with Adam the other day, I realized just because he has health problems doesn’t mean the rest of us are going to outlive him. I don’t want to waste any time when I already know you’re the one I want to spend my life with. You’re the only thing I know for certain when I think about my future. It’d be my honor and privilege to have you as my wife.”

He takes the ring from the box, slipping it on my finger. It fits perfectly.

“What do you say, Cavenaugh? Will you marry me?”

Tears spill from my eyes when I nod. “Yes. A million times, yes.”

He pumps his fist in the air and hollers in a booming voice, “Yes!”

Laughing, I wrap my arms around his neck and bring him to me for a deep kiss. I lean back, meeting his gaze. “But you do realize that means you’re going to have to stop calling me Cavenaugh, right?”

He buries me in his hold, kissing the side of my head over and over. “
Never
. You’ll always be my Cavenaugh, even if you
do
take on my name.”

“My family is going to
freak
!” I say, biting my lip.

“I Skyped them back while you were sleeping to ask for their permission.” He pulls back with a guilt-ridden grin. “I was worried your sisters’ screams were going to wake you and spoil the surprise.”

I touch his face, running my thumb against his lips. “Holy shit, you are perfect.”

“I wasn’t until now.” He crushes his lips against mine, sealing the deal on the best Christmas of my life.

At first I’m reluctant to
share my news with Jewels until Theo convinces me she’d be upset if I didn’t tell her right away. I run by her place to tell her on the way to work the next afternoon, but she seems far from “okay” with the fact that I became engaged before her. I can sense her old cheerleading abilities kick in as she squeals in a flat tone and draws me in for a hug. Despite the warm smile she flashes as I tell her the details of her proposal, her eyes are flat and lifeless.

The days leading up to New Year’s Eve are exceptionally busy at Flanagan’s. I give Tess notice that I’m moving out of the apartment, and later that night Mick gives me his blessing, even buying the entire bar a free round of shots to celebrate my engagement.

While we’re in no hurry to set a date and actually get married, Theo and I agreed that it made sense in every way for me to move in with him as soon as possible. I can hardly believe how much my life has changed in just six months. I’ve gone from having nowhere to live and being in constant turmoil over my life to having an amazing fiancé who constantly tells me how he plans to spoil me for the rest of our lives.

Adam spends the night in the hospital for observations after they remove his pump. Chloe, Davis, and I camp out on the couch with Jewels, doing our best to take her mind off the fact that Adam insisted she didn’t spend the night at his side. It was Theo’s idea for us to go over and cheer her up. He continues to insist things will be fine between them, though I really start to question his confidence in the matter.

On New Year’s Eve we walk to Jewels and Adam’s brownstone with appetizers and champagne for after we watch the ball drop in Times Square. Although we know the code to their place, we ring the doorbell as we often do when we know they’re both home. Chloe answers the door, her big eyes even larger than usual.

“About time you got here,” she whispers. “Shit’s going down, you don’t even know. Davis told Adam that Jewels locked herself in the guest bath and won’t come out. She won’t answer me when I tried talking to her, but I could hear her moving around. Theo, you get your sexy ass in their room to help Davis with your buddy, and we’ll go up and try to talk J down.”

“Wait.” Theo grabs my arm before I can go with Chloe. “Whatever happens, you make sure she knows it will be okay.”

I sigh. “Why do you keep saying that? How do you know?”

“Because Adam swore to me that he wouldn’t push her away again. He’s been under a lot of stress since the infection, but he’ll snap out of it eventually. You have to trust me on this one, Cavenaugh. I know what I’m talking about.”

“I’ll always trust you,” I say, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

Chloe hums as we climb the stairs to the second level. “You guys are so damn sweet. You’re as bad as Jewels and Adam, when they aren’t having problems like this, of course. When am I going to find myself a hunk who treats me like that?”

“Soon,” I promise with a smile, knowing it won’t take much to get her and Mick together. I knock on the bathroom door. “Jewels, sweetie, it’s me. What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“I’m fine,” she calls back after a beat. Her voice sounds little and soft. “I just need a minute.”

“Chloe says you’ve had the door locked for a while.” I close my eyes, hoping that my best friend hasn’t done anything to hurt herself. She doesn’t answer.

Chloe sets her head against the door. “We have to get going if we’re going to find a good place to watch the ball drop, and I know you don’t want to miss it. As crazy as everything will be, it’s epic when they release the confetti and everyone around you is kissing. You
have to
see it to believe how unreal it can be. It’s like something straight out of a movie.”

“Let us in so we can help you get ready,” I add, watching Chloe hopefully.

“He’s either getting ready to leave me, or preparing to die all over again!” Jewels’s voice cracks. Her quiet sobs seep through the door. “He’s been quiet and weird, and he keeps talking about
my
future and
my
dreams as if he’s getting ready to give up again! I don’t care about the stupid fucking New Year! Just go without me!”

Chloe frowns as if waiting for an explanation. I just shrug.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Jewels, but Theo promises it’s going to be okay. He wouldn’t tell me anything more, and said we have to take his word for it. He seems to know what he’s talking about, and I know he wouldn’t lie to me about something like this. We have to trust him. Adam must just be having a hard time and doesn’t want to bring you into it.” I knock on the door again. “C’mon, sweetie. Open the door so we can talk about this. We’re not going anywhere without you.”

After a drawn out pause, we hear a click and the door springs open. Jewels stand in her pjs with snot running from her nose and her eyes swollen. “
I can’t lose him
,” she whispers, her shoulders shaking.

I take her in my arms, making room for Chloe to join in.

By the time we convince
Jewels to let us dress her up for the night and then fight the insane traffic, it’s past eleven when we’re near Times Square. The limo Theo hired can’t even get us within two blocks. After we park on a side street, Theo excuses himself to make a call.

Adam and Jewels sit next to each other on one of the short ends of the limo. Though Adam has his arm wrapped around her shoulders, Jewels quietly watches the snow fall outside, unresponsive to his affection. He occasionally flashes tight, nervous smiles while we wait. Chloe taps away on her phone, her face aglow from the screen. I twist my giant engagement ring back and forth around my finger.