Part 49
With the clicking of the door as Kevin pulled it shut, dive bombers began assaulting AJ’s stomach and his breakfast threatened to come back on him. God, he’d NEVER had stage fright this bad! Nervously, he took a seat on the coffee table and timidly reached out to take her hand, all the while saying a silent prayer that she wouldn’t pull away from him. When she didn’t, he pulled her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back.
“I know Sarah can be extremely hateful…especially when it comes to her feelings for me so please, tell me what happened.”
“What kind of feelings does she have for you? I thought she was the one who broke it off with you…because you were seeing someone in your AA group.”
Taking a deep breath, AJ explained, “Sarah’s still in love with me and I allowed that story to leak to protect her. I never slept with anyone else and I broke up with her. I was working the steps but she kept throwing temptation in front of me. She’d invite her friends over and they’d be doing lines of coke when I got home and I just couldn’t take it any more.”
“Do you still lover her?”
“Love her….yeah…in love with her, no. Our relationship was destructive. She used me to help her with her career and I used her to party.” AJ looked down at her fingers in his hands. “Chelsea, I told her to keep the dogs.”
Her heart soared. He was cutting his ties to her and Chelsea knew then that Kevin was right. “Why? They’re your dogs too and you love them.”
“I love you more. Giving her the dogs takes away her reason to contact me. She’s simply an ex-girlfriend.”
“Are you sure you want to give up your dogs though?”
“Positive. I don’t want to lose you, Chelsea.” Knowing how much Chelsea loved dogs, AJ said, “Tell you what…you and I can pick one out together….our baby.”
Giving him a soft smile, she said, “I’d like that.”
Okay, she wasn’t going to leave him. At least that bullet was dodged. AJ leaned to her, touched his fingertips to her cheek, and placed a tender kiss on her lips. As he sat back down, he said, “I thought you were going to sleep until I got back.”
“She woke me.” Chelsea moved so that she could prop her ankle up which was beginning to throb. She hadn’t had any of her medications for the day yet and now that she had calmed down, she was beginning to feel it. “She came into the room…looking for you. When she realized it wasn’t you, she called me a slut and then left. I….” a fresh tear fell. “I thought she’d left the house too.”
“Why didn’t you call me, ‘Beautiful’?”
Chelsea gave him a smirk as she asked, “Where’s your cell phone?”
“Right here on….” Started AJ as he reached for his cell phone. “DAYUM!”
“It’s on your dresser,” smiled Chelsea.
“I am soooo sorry, Chelsea,” apologized AJ. “So, when you couldn’t get me, you called Kevin?”
“You aren’t mad, are you?”
“Not at all,” reassured AJ as he brushed her hair back. “Chelsea, I love you and I don’t give a damn what Sarah said.”
“Alex, she called me a slut; told me you just felt sorry for me; and that we’d never last because I wasn’t your type.”
“Okay, first, you know full well you’re not a slut! You have to sleep with A LOT of guys and you’ve only been with two men…seven years apart.”
Chelsea giggled knowing he was right. “I know all that. It’s just the fact she called me one. It still stung.”
“I know.”
“I know in my head that Sarah is simply jealous but my heart was screaming we were a mistake, that Sarah was right.” Chelsea gazed into AJ’s eyes searching and finding safety, the safety he’d given her since they first met. “Kevin told me falling in love with you was not a mistake but Alex, Kevin hurt me when he left and ever since then, I’ve built a wall to protect myself. When Sarah said all those things, it made me doubt us. I’ve made some major life changing decisions that not only affect me but Annie as well and I have to protect her too. I’m scared, Alex.”
“I know that our relationship kinda exploded and I know you’re scared but so am I. It’s not going to be easy but no relationship worth having is easy. Please, don’t give up on us.”
“What about me not being your type?”
“What’s my type?”
“I don’t know…..big chested blondes?”
“Sarah’s not a blonde but you got me on the big chested,” laughed AJ. “What about you? I’m not exactly a clean-cut marine type.”
“No, you aren’t but what’s on the inside, what you’ve shown to me so far, is very much my type. You’re a good man, loving, tender, caring.”
“Okay, you’ve got me on that. No, you don’t exactly fit the type that I’ve been known to date but I’ve grown up and realized those types of women aren’t the kind you have a lasting relationship with. I envy Kevin and Brian…they have stability.”
Chelsea felt herself melting from the inside out as AJ looked into her eyes. God, how did he do that? “I want that too, Alex.”
Excited that they were back on steady ground, Alex started to move so that he could sit with Chelsea but suddenly realized that she still had tears in her eyes. “Chelsea, have you told me everything about what happened with Sarah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I haven’t had any of my medicines and my ankle is throbbing.”
“Hang tight. I’ll go get your medicines.”
When AJ returned, he handed Chelsea her pills and a glass of water. He waited for her to take them and then set the glass on the table before he had her sit up so that he could sit behind her. Settled, her head against his shoulder, he laced his fingers with hers and asked, “Better?”
“Uh huh!” Chelsea looked at the tattoos on AJ’s arm and the one that said ‘Poopy’ caught her attention. She knew that was what Sarah called him. As she traced it with her finger, she said, “You know, I understand how Sarah feels…losing you. It hurt really bad when Kevin stopped calling and I realized that it was over. I can’t imagine what it would be like if it were you.”
“Would you fight for me?”
“No,” replied Chelsea as seriously as she could and she watched as AJ’s expression changed.
“You….wouldn’t?” he questioned with a pout.
“Nope. No need to fight for you because we are going to be together forever,” she smiled.
“WOMAN!” laughed AJ as he hugged her. “Don’t DO that to me!”
“I couldn’t resist,” giggled Chelsea. “You’re so cute when you pout.”
AJ held her close, letting go of her hand and placing it on her stomach. “So, what do you want to do since we’re alone….ALL afternoon?” he asked sexily.
“You know, Kevin bet me we’d be doing the horizontal mambo within an hour,” laughed Chelsea.
“Kevin knows me. So?”
“What I’d REALLY like to do FIRST is eat. I’m STARVING and I’m gonna get a headache if I don’t eat something.”
“Oh dayum! I bought you breakfast but I left it in the car. It’s probably stone cold by now. Do you want me to go get you something else?”
“Just nuke it. It’ll take too long to go get something else.”
“I could take you to eat and then we could go do our shopping…get it over with so we can spend the rest of the afternoon here…just hanging out.”
“Al….lex! I’m HUNGRY,” whined Chelsea. “And to go out, I have to have a shower and get dressed and…..”
“Okay! Okay!” surrendered AJ with a laugh. “We can talk about our plans while you eat.”
“That’s fine…but you know….I’m gonna need help getting a shower.”
“Oh yeah….I can definitely help you. Let me go get your breakfast.” Chelsea started to scoot off his lap when AJ stopped her. “Chelsea, I’m sorr…..”
Chelsea placed her finger on his lips. “You don’t need to apologize, Alex. When Sarah realized we were together, she wanted to start trouble and she was disappointed. I do love you with everything I am.”
“And I love you, ‘Beautiful’,” purred AJ as he lifted her chin with a single finger and touched his lips to hers.
Chelsea felt like she was floating away. It was incredible how easily and how quickly they’d fallen in love and the way he made her feel was…..beyond description. Even Kevin hadn’t made her feel this way.
As Chelsea sighed, AJ deepened the kiss, sweeping in to taste her sweetness as his fingers tangled in her soft, brown locks. This woman…this angel…was a gift from the gods who had smiled down upon him. He had found his other half and he was going to treasure her for the rest of his life.
Pulling out of the kiss, AJ looked into her eyes. “I’ll go get your breakfast. I won’t be long.”
“I’ll be right here…waiting,” she promised.
Chelsea slid off AJ’s lap and before he took off, he helped her get comfortable. Stealing a kiss, he rushed off to get her breakfast as Chelsea sighed contentedly. She was glad Kevin had made her stay because she really hadn’t wanted to lose AJ.
