Drunk Girl Page 10

  “Goodnight, babe,” I whisper into the dark room, a minute or so later.

  “Night,” she sleepily says, and I can tell a minute later, she’s fallen asleep, as her breathing changes and she melts further into me. I scroll through Facebook on my phone while I lay here with her in my arms. She’s quickly worming her way right into my life and heart. If I’m not careful, I’ll be falling in love and be ready for everything with her before she even knows what hit her.

  12

  Ashley

  One Month Later

  “Nick!” I call out as I step through the front door. I’ve still got the key he gave to me a few weeks ago, and come and go at my own will. I don’t technically live with him, but I’m here more nights than I am at my mom’s place.

  “I’m back here.” His voice sounds like it’s coming from the bedroom. I head inside and find him in the master bathroom, tools all out as he finishes installing the new vanities.

  “Hey,” I say once I reach the doorway. “It looks amazing in here.”

  I look around at all he accomplished today. We’ve worked on things here and there over the past month, but it’s slow going with my full-time job and his time at the bar.

  “Thanks. Figured I should take advantage of the day off. We can finally start using this bathroom now. Only thing that’s left to do is wipe everything down and start putting things away in here,” he says, a huge smile on his face.

  “So, what I’m hearing is that we can finally christen that shower we worked so hard on a few weeks ago?” I ask him, already able to picture what it will be like for him to pin me against the wall as he fucks me.

  “I’m sure we can arrange something like that,” he says, a smirk filling his lips.

  “So,” I say, stalling, a huge smile of my own filling my lips. “I have some exciting news.”

  “Did they offer you the full-time position?” he asks, an excited look on his face.

  “Yes!” I cry out in happiness. “Plus, a raise, and full benefits, including tuition reimbursement, if I want to return to school at some point.”

  “That’s amazing news.” He closes the distance between us and swoops me up in his arms, spinning us in circles. “We need to go out and celebrate,” he says, placing me back down on my feet before he crushes his lips to mine.

  “Sounds good to me. I’m going to call my mom and tell her quick.”

  “Why don’t you invite her to come? I’ll call Kaiden and Katie and my parents, and see who all wants to join us to celebrate your big news.”

  “You sure?” I ask, shocked he’d want to invite so many people, just because of my official full-time employment.

  “Of course. This is something to celebrate. You know my family adores you and they’d love to be included.”

  “Okay, where should we go?” I ask, trying to think of places that can accommodate a party of at least seven people.

  “Wherever you want to go. It’s your big news and night.”

  “How about Mexican? I could go for some tacos tonight.”

  “Sounds perfect.” He looks at his watch. “How about we tell everyone to meet up at seven if they can make it. That will give me time to clean up in here, plus take a shower before we need to leave.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I tell him, sneaking in one more kiss before I head out to the living room to call my mom and then Tiffany to tell her my big news.

  We finally arrive at the restaurant and find that everyone has come out and almost all of them beat us here, as we’re followed in by Tiffany and Colton. “Thanks for meeting us,” I tell everyone once we’re all seated at a large table.

  “We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Barb, Nick’s mom says, smiling from across the table.

  “Good evening,” our server greets us. “Can I start you all out with some beverages? Maybe a couple of pitchers of margaritas for everyone to share?”

  “That would be perfect. Let’s go with two to start with, as well as a pitcher of strawberry daiquiri,” Nick tells him, knowing my dislike of tequila.

  “Right away. Would you like any appetizers while you decide on dinner?” he asks. Nick’s dad, Donald, orders some queso for everyone to share.

  We fall into conversation while we wait for the drinks and appetizer to come, which continues while we wait for our main meals and throughout the rest of our time at the restaurant.

  “We’re so happy for you,” Barb tells me in the parking lot as she pulls me in for a hug before we part ways.

  “Thank you. I was so nervous that they weren’t going to offer me the position. So, I’ve been on cloud nine since our meeting at the end of the day today.”

  “I’m sure they were elated to offer it to you. Sounds like it, if they offered you a raise after just a month,” Barb states.

  “I know. As I said at dinner, I was shocked about that. But I guess they had to pay the temp agency an even higher rate while I was their employee, so they were able to afford to pay me a little more and still not be spending as much as they were with the agency.”

  “That’s usually how it goes. The temp agency has to make money somehow, and that’s how they do it.”

  “I think I’m most excited about the tuition reimbursement. I’ve really been thinking about returning to school and getting my degree.”

  “That’s so amazing. You let us know if you need help with any of that,” she tells me, and I’m still so shocked at how easily Nick’s family has accepted me into the fold, as if I’ve always been a part of their family.

  “Thanks,” I tell her, doing my best to hold back the tears I can feel starting to form. I swallow down the emotions as we say our final goodbyes.

  “Proud of you,” my mom says, pulling me into a hug once Donald and Barb are in their car and pulling away.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I tell her, hugging her tighter.

  “I’m guessing that you won’t be coming home tonight?” she asks as we break apart.

  “No,” I tell her as Nick sidles up next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “I’m going to go home with this guy.”

  “No problem. I figured that was your plan. I’m surprised you haven’t just moved out yet,” she says on a chuckle.

  “I practically have. I think ninety percent of my things are already at his place.”

  “You know, babe, you could move the last ten percent of your things in and just admit that we live together,” he says. He’s been telling me that now for the past week or so. And it’s true. But it also feels like it’s way too soon for us to be officially living together. So much for my plans to take a break from men after Chris cheated on me. It’s hard to believe that that happened only a month and a half ago. Feels like it was years ago.

  “I know,” I huff.

  I’ve heard this every day. He’s starting to wear me down, but I keep holding out and not committing to it. I don’t know why, he’s nothing like any of the guys that I’ve dated. He’s completely different, and it sometimes still catches me off guard how sweet he can be to me. How his priority is me. What I want, how I want things, what I think about things. Not what I can do for him or how quickly can I make him come. He doesn’t treat me like I’m his live-in maid or cook.

  Hell, the guy gets mad when I toss in his dirty clothes and do the laundry while he’s at work. He’s adamant I don’t need to do things for him, and I have to reiterate that if I’m offering, it’s because I want to, just like he wants to do things for me. We’re a team, and the more time that goes by, the more we fall into an easy rhythm together.

  The last time I slept at my mom’s, I tossed and turned all night, and got the worst night of sleep I’d had in weeks. I missed having his warm, strong body wrapped around me. I missed rolling over in the morning when my alarm went off and kissing him before I slipped out of bed to get ready as quietly as I could as he slept, then kissing him goodbye once more before I left for work each morning.

  “I’m off this weekend, we should do lunch together,” my mom sugg
ests.

  “I’d love that. I’ll call you Friday night and we can finalize our plans.”

  “Talk to you then,” she says before retreating to her own car a few spaces down from us.

  “Ready to head home?” Nick asks, then places a kiss to my forehead.

  “More than ready,” I tell him. I’m still feeling good from the two glasses of daiquiri I had with my dinner. Between the nine of us, we easily polished off the three pitchers of drinks he ordered for us as we enjoyed our meal.

  Once home, I place our leftovers in the fridge then join Nick on the couch.

  “Thank you for tonight,” I tell him as I slip into his embrace. He’s lying down on the couch and I’m facing him, our chests resting against each other’s as our legs intertwine.

  “Of course,” he says, placing a quick kiss on my forehead as he runs his hands through my hair. I love it when he does that; it’s so soothing and relaxing. Lying with him on the couch like this has quickly become one of my favorite ways for us to relax together. It’s intimate, and we take the time to talk about anything and everything, from our days, to future plans, as well as things from our past.

  “How are the new hires coming along?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “They did well last night. I think another week or so and they’ll be good to go. Obviously, they’ll never be working by themselves, but knowing they could hold things down if that happened is important.”

  “Are you ready to present Kaiden with all the numbers for starting the brewing center?”

  “I think so. I put some final touches on the proposal this morning and am ready to go over everything with him tomorrow. I really think that we can make it work. It might mean we have to make some sacrifices for a little while, but I think that it will quickly start turning a profit once we get the first batch done.”

  “Are you going to talk to him about switching your focus to just the brewing side of things, now that you’ve added more staff?”

  “I plan to bring it up as something we’ll need to work towards. I know I’ll need to stay behind the bar for a while, but I think if the brewery side of things takes off like I think it will, I’ll need to focus on that as a full-time job. That will be nice for us, as it will bring our schedules more inline. Or at least take out so many late nights for me.”

  “It would be nice to have you home more on the weekends.”

  “The late-night weekends have been such a big part of my life for so long now, I don’t know what I would do with a Friday night off.” He laughs.

  “Think of all the things we could do if you were off on a weekend.”

  “Sorry to break it to you, babe, but those thoughts will have to wait for a little while longer. Kaiden will want to comb through everything I present to him, crunch numbers himself, and make an educated decision. I can’t fault him for how serious he takes decisions like this, as it’s important. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for him being as dedicated to the business and numbers side of things as he is. I sometimes like to joke that he’s anal about money, but if he wasn’t, then we’d probably be underwater or not even open anymore. Because of his dedication and expertise, we’ve built ourselves quite the business that we can both be proud of.”

  “I know, and I’m proud of both of you. He relies on you to keep the front of the house running smoothly like you depend on him to keep the back of the house running. You guys make a good team.”

  “That we do,” he agrees. “So, about that conversation with your mom…” He stalls, kissing the top of my head that’s resting on his chest. “Are you ready to give in and admit that you live here?”

  I can hear the humor in his voice in the question. He’s asked me this multiple times the past couple of weeks, and I’ve always told him no. But something in my mind has changed tonight and I can’t quite put my finger on it, so what the hell.

  “Yes,” I say into his chest, a smile filling my face.

  “Fuck yes.” He throws a fist in the air, which has me falling into a fit of laughter. “I thought it was going to take me a few more weeks, maybe months, to get you to admit that,” he says, pulling me up so he can kiss me on the lips.

  “Just don’t hurt me, please. Don’t make me regret this,” I tell him, the vulnerability coming out, not only in my words, but my voice.

  “Ash.” He cups my chin, so I’ll look up at him. “Listen closely,” he says, dropping a chaste kiss to my lips. “I will never, and I mean never, purposely do anything to hurt you. I know our relationship has moved pretty fast and we’ve just clicked. I know we’ve still got a ton of shit to learn about each other, but there is no one else in this world that I’d rather have beside me in life. There’s no one else in my life that I want to celebrate milestones with or have at my side when things aren’t going the way I’d planned.

  “Before I met you, I wasn’t interested in long-term. I wasn’t interested in relationships. I was focused one thousand percent on the bar. Now, the bar hours piss me off because they keep me from you so much of the time. I know that I won’t be working the hellish hours forever, and because of that, I can deal with it for now. I know we can deal with it for now.”

  He pulls me closer, holding me tight as he continues, “I know the men in your life haven’t left you with a good impression on what a real man is like, but I’m here to show you. I’m here to show you that you deserve to be treated like the strong, intelligent, beautiful woman you are. I’m here to show you that you’re just as important in this life as I am, and if I’m honest, more important than I am. I’m here to show you that a real man will hold up the woman he loves, not beat her down with his words or fists or actions. I’m here to walk beside you because, Ash, you’ve changed me. You’ve cast your spell and made me fall in love with you.”

  His lips crash against mine and I can feel tears streaming down my cheeks at his words. I don’t know what I did to deserve this man, but I’m so thankful our paths crossed when they did. I’m almost thankful for that day I lost my job and found Chris cheating on me. If it weren’t for those two events, I wouldn’t have been crying in the booth in Nick’s bar that first night he helped me. I probably would have gone back a few nights later for Tiffany’s birthday, but that connection wouldn’t have already been there. That pull we each feel toward each other. It’s like we’re two puzzle pieces that have finally found their place together.

  I pull back from the kiss and look into Nick’s eyes. The love I see pooling in his dark blue eyes is everything. I know down to my soul I can trust this man with everything that I am. That he will be my future, my forever.

  “I love you,” I whisper into the small space between us, looking him straight in the eye. I’ve never told a man those three little words, but they just felt so right.

  “I love you so fucking much,” he replies, and the huge smile covering his face is contagious. His thumbs swipe across my cheeks as they brush away the tears that still are flowing freely.

  13

  Nick

  “Morning,” Kaiden greets me as I walk into the office and take a seat across from him.

  “Morning. How are things around here?” I ask, our exchange pretty typical each morning.

  “Good, last night was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday night.”

  “That’s good. Are you ready to go over these numbers on the brewing?” I ask, holding up the binder I’ve put together over the past month or so.

  “Now’s great, let me just go refill the coffee cup and I’ll be ready.”

  “No problem,” I tell him as he gets up and heads downstairs. While he’s gone, I pull out the information, placing his copy on the desk and readying mine to explain everything included in the costs.

  “All right, lay it on me,” he says, sitting down and opening the binder.

  “I’ve separated everything into categories. First, is the space. I’ve found a space that I think will be perfect for the setup, and it’s not far from here—just a few blocks away, actu
ally. They are willing to discuss a rent-to-purchase option, which I think is beneficial to us, as we’d eventually own the property and would build the equity. Especially if we end up scaling up and add more tanks down the road.

  “The next section”—I point— “is all the equipment that we’d need to purchase. I’ve set it up to have the equipment to start out with being able to brew two batches at the same time, that way we can appeal to a wider customer base.”

  I pause long enough to take a drink from my water bottle before jumping right back into things. “The third section is the actual brewing supplies we’d need, which are pretty straightforward. The last section is the packaging section. I figure, at startup, we’d only keg it to have at the bar, but if I can dream big here, I’d love to think that, at some point, we could bottle it up and end up on the shelves in stores. I know that piece is a ways off, but I included it, to be thorough.”

  “This looks great, Nick,” Kaiden says, flipping through all the pages as he reads through my notes and numbers.

  “Oh, and the last page has a spreadsheet with all the numbers together, color coded even, with things broken down into startup costs, mid-point expenses, and future expenses.”

  “You really put a lot of work into this,” he says, sounding impressed as he flips to the last page with the numbers. “It actually isn’t as much as I was thinking it would be for startup costs. What kind of timeframe are we looking at to actually get beer in the bar?”

  “The building would need some work, obviously the tanks would need to be ordered and installed. If we got started on everything soon, I’d think we could be brewing within six weeks, maybe eight. Then it would be another six or so weeks after that before beer would be ready. If we give ourselves a few extra weeks buffer for delays, I’d say we’d have beer on tap by the new year, probably earlier than then, but for sure by January.”