Read Love Takes Time (Christian Romance) Online
Authors: Kaci Hart
Tags: #Contemporary, #Romance, #Fiction, #Forever Love, #Christian, #Religious, #Faith, #Inspirational, #Spirituality, #Love Inspired, #Bachelor, #Single Woman, #Hearts Desire, #Clean & Wholesome, #Stanton Falls, #Series, #Investment Banker, #Dance Student, #Lifestyle Changes, #New York City
“Well
I’m going to go take a shower now.”
“Oh
no you don’t!” Her roommate’s almost shout surprised her. “You know
you are sharing. Tell me about your last minute date.”
Sasha
jumped back off of the couch and came around. She grabbed Chelsea’s arm
and dragged her back to the couch beside her.
“Well
since you are asking. . .” A smile came across Chelsea’s face as she got
ready to talk about the night she’d had. “It was really wonderful.”
“No
kiss
and
you are home early. It must not have gone
that
well.”
“You
say that because I didn’t kiss him?”
Sasha
responded very matter of
factly
.
“Yep.”
“Wow.
Well
excuse me but there are still a few of us out
there that are not as free as you are with our bodies. I happen to
believe that a good relationship does not need all that. At least not in
the early going.”
“I
keep forgetting that you’re all into all that
he-needs-to-love-you-for-your-mind, and no sex before marriage stuff. I
didn’t believe girls like you existed before we met.”
Chelsea
laughed as she responded to her.
“Well
we do. And if it makes you feel better, he did try to kiss me but I gave
him my cheek.”
Now
she saw Sasha give her an exaggerated eye roll.
“Pure
craziness. Honestly, I don’t know how you do it. Unless he just
isn’t as attractive as you told me that he is.”
“I
never said it was easy. It’s just a decision. And he is very good
looking thank you. Don’t act like you don’t know. I have to think
you at least saw him when you were doing all of your peeping tomfoolery.”
Sasha
was pointing directly at Chelsea’s head.
“I
couldn’t because that big
ol
’ thing was in the
way. You have a pic on your phone or anything?”
As much
of a free spirit as Chelsea was, she did have relationship rules that she
refused to break. It had ruined a few potentially promising relationships
when she told them about her faith but she felt she was better off without a
man if that man couldn’t respect what she believed. Like never before,
she felt obliged to show Sasha just how good looking he really was.
“No
but I’m sure there’s got to be something on the web about him. He’s
supposed to be some kind of big shot businessman in town.”
Chelsea
grabbed the laptop off of the small wooden center table and ran a quick search
for his name. When she saw his picture come up, she turned the screen
back to her friend who read it and gasped.
“See.
That’s him right there.”
“You’re
kidding me right?”
“Nope.
I told you he’s attractive.”
“Yeah.
He’s attractive but that’s not what I’m talking about. You are telling me
that you went on a date with the son of the CEO of Chatham Holdings. You
hit the jackpot
Chel
.”
“What
are you talking about?”
Her
roommate looked at her in disbelief.
“Not
even you could be so naive that you would not know who this is? You
really
need
to get out more often. Public service announcement, he is only one of the most
attractive and richest men in America and he is related to a few of the others.
I don’t know how in the world you landed this one but you better keep
him.”
Chelsea
turned the laptop screen back to herself and started to read. She
couldn’t believe it. During dinner they didn’t get to talk about him that
much, partially because he just seemed so intent on learning everything about
her. He was singularly focused on her all night long.
Sure,
she knew that he had some money from their encounters. The limo with a
driver and dinner at over four hundred dollars a head were very obvious clues.
Nonetheless this was something way beyond what she had imagined.
His family seemed to be involved in everything from politics to business
and in between. And they were rich enough to be a small country.
“Whoa.
I didn’t know all of this about him. I figured he was just some guy
that had done well when the market rebounded. This reads like his family
would never have even known what money problems means. Well either way
he’s not the typical rich guy so I don’t really care how much money he has.”
Sasha
jumped in.
“Whatever.
That is an amount of money that even you can’t ignore. I wonder if you
can get alimony when you guys break up.”
“Wow,
friend
.
How about hoping we don’t.”
“Oh yeah,
there is that option too. It’s just that you don’t have the
greatest track record with guys.”
Chelsea
responded sarcastically.
“Gee
thanks for the vote of confidence roomie.”
“Now
come on
Chel
. I’ve always believed in you and I
am definitely pulling for you. You know that. If it helps my case any, I
will point out that you already got him hooked.”
Chelsea
liked to think so but life could be funny.
“You
think? It seemed like he was having a good time and honestly Sasha, I
haven’t enjoyed myself with a guy this much ever. He was the perfect
gentleman and we are going out again soon. You know that I haven’t had a
date number two in forever, so you must know how I feel.”
“Okay
Chel
, you don’t have to beg. If you insist,
then yes I will be a bridesmaid but only if you and your rich hubby buy my
dress. And jewelry. Oh and makeup and shoes. And don’t make
me an ugly bridesmaid. Make me look like a beautiful lady.”
“Stop
it Sasha! That’s getting carried away. I’m just saying that I like
the guy. Nothing more. And as for you being a bridesmaid, if it
ever happens, I can arrange you being in the party but I have to tell you that
makeup and a dress can only go so far in making someone look like a lady.”
She
laughed as her roommate stopped looking at his picture long enough to recognize
her soft jab.
“I
am
gonna
give you that one because I probably deserve
it and it was funny.”
“I
know. Hey, I am
going to
get cleaned up and if you are still awake, I’ll tell you all about the date in
detail.” She started to walk off when she remembered Phaedra.
Turning back to her roommate she spoke. “Not that I really cared,
but wait till I tell you about ...”
She
had meant to get up after a minute and shower but she was wrapped up in everything
she was telling Sasha. She hadn’t realized how much he had charmed her
and how much she had liked it until she was telling it to her friend. She
was convinced that she didn’t care about his money, or his friends. If he
kept treating her like that, she would spend as much of her time with him as
she could. Forty-five minutes later she had wrapped up the story,
highlighting how she didn’t need Sasha’s help in making Phaedra cry.
When
she finally did get up to shower, she was certain of one thing. She was
really looking forward to their next date.
***
Ryder
parked his sports car in one of the parking spaces in front of her brownstone
apartment. It was a nice place. They had been on several dates
since they had started talking a few weeks back and he was well aware of how
smitten he was becoming with her, catching himself stealing glimpses at her
when he hoped she wasn’t looking.
Ryder
got out of the small sports car and held her hand, assisting her as she set her
stiletto clad feet one after the other on the pavement. On the one hand
he hated how he kept looking at her all night long. He was normally never
one to stare at a woman but he found it nearly impossible to keep his eyes off
of her. No matter what she had on, she was stunning. Then there
were the special days, like that one.
He
was so caught up in how pretty she was that it would have been easy to not pay
full attention to her. Ryder didn’t though. He did his best to stay
in tune with her all the time and tonight things were off the slightest
bit. Behind her smiles, laughs and words he could sense that something
may have been bothering her. After he helped her out of the car he took
her hand and walked with her towards her front door.
“Are
you alright Chelsea? There were times tonight when you seemed like you
were miles away during dinner. Did I do something wrong?”
“I’m
sorry, it has nothing to do with you. To be totally honest, today has
been a really long day. No offense, but I’m just looking forward to
crawling under the covers, unplugging my alarm clock just in case, and sleeping
the rest of this perfect night away. I had half a mind to actually
tell you that we should do it on another night when you first asked but you had
a look on your face that told me that I would be hard pressed to get to say
anything else to you but yes.”
Ryder
grabbed her hand and started to walk towards the door with her.
“Well
you know, when I see something that is worthwhile, I make sure that I do
everything in my power to achieve it. You have me figured out pretty good
because had you said no, I would have had to pull out all the stops.”
“That
sounds like it might have been interesting.”
He
really didn’t want the night to end. The past three weeks had been filled
with dinner dates or lunches here and there and he had been enjoying his time
with her drastically. He was hoping that one day soon she would be
willing to be his girlfriend exclusively. He was well aware that most
people took more time before they entered into a serious commitment but he
found Chelsea to be enticing on so many levels and he didn’t really enjoy
playing games of the heart. For
now
though, he
had smaller plans.
“It
certainly would have been fun, that’s for sure. Hey, I wanted to ask you
something. I need you to show me a few ballroom dances.”
“Huh?
Why the sudden interest in ballroom dancing?”
“That
brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to
. . . meet my parents.”
He saw
the look of full blown surprise on her face.
“Ryder
we’ve only been dating for a little bit of time and you already know you want
me to meet your parents? Oh my God that’s a big thing. What if I
embarrass you?”
“I’m
sure you won’t do that Chelsea. I’d be proud to show you off to my
family. Besides, it’s not like I have much of a choice.”
That
was one hundred percent true. Of course, he didn’t expect her to meet his
family so soon but circumstances just worked out this way. If she were
any other woman, he would probably go alone but there was something beyond
special about Chelsea.
“Oh
you’ve always got a choice Ryder. You know that.”
“Well
yeah, but it’s not that simple in this case. See every few months my
mother throws a dinner party. I mean the whole works. Food, music,
dancing. Everything. She’s really into them and my dad really has
no choice but to go along for the ride even though he’d much rather be in the
office making money. She’s the one person he can’t say no to.
Regardless, the reason I’m springing this up on you is that my mother always
tries to set me up with some woman there and I’m pretty sure that my current
girlfriend wouldn’t want me being set up with another lady. What do you
say? Will you be my date?”