Run to You Read online

  I love this woman. Even after everything I just told her, she’s not judging me. She’s not running. No, instead she’s just staring at me with those beautiful eyes, accepting me. My heart soars.

  She receives the all clear shortly after my revelation. I help her into the truck and secure her in like the precious cargo she is. Looking over at her sitting there in my truck makes my heart ecstatic. She smiles at me and I melt. I would do anything for this girl. She owns me.

  “Uh, Chlo…I don’t know where I’m going,” I smile.

  “Oh, right. I-uh…I received an inheritance from my dad and got an apartment up town, but I-I…”

  “What’s wrong darlin,” I ask as she stutters.

  “It’s just, I don’t really want to go home, alone. I mean I know he’s gone. I just-I’m just not ready.” She sighs.

  “Hey,” I reach up and cup her cheeks, “You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. How about we go to my place for a while, you can stay as long as you want. Okay?”

  She nods and smiles.

  My apartment is empty when we arrive, which is perfect I’m not ready to share her just yet. She sits down on the couch and I quickly prop a pillow up behind her back.

  “Are you hungry? Do you want something to drink? Are you in pain, do you need your meds?” I ramble.

  She laughs, “I’m fine, Travis. I’m not broken, not anymore.”

  “I know, I just-I just still can’t believe you’re here. That you didn’t run.”

  “There’s nowhere else in the world I’d run to, from now on I’ll always run straight to you.” And then her lips are on mine and all is right in the world. My arms wrap possessively around her, attempting to shield her from the outside world. She is mine and I’m going to claim her right here on my couch.

  Chloe

  Last night was incredible, I don’t even know how I ended up in Travis’s bed. His arms are again wrapped securely around my naked body. His legs tangled up in mine. His soft breathe is soothing against my neck. My stomach growls, so I carefully untangle myself from Travis’s grip; not wanting to wake him. I slip on one of his t-shirts from his closet. I am almost to the door when I hear a groan.

  “Where are you going beautiful?” Travis asks while rubbing the sleep from eyes.

  “I was just a little hungry and wanted some coffee. Last night drained me,” I smile.

  “Drained you huh? Are you complaining?” A sexy grin spreads across his face. I find myself biting my lip.

  “Nope…no complaints here. Last night was perfect.”

  He strides toward me with a sexy confidence I’ve never witnessed from him before. He looks different somehow, more confident; lighter on his feet. He looks dangerous but in a sensual way and I want him. I crave him. I can’t stand it anymore, before I can even think I close the distance between us and am instantly lifted into his arms. My legs wrap around him and I force our bodies closer together.

  I can’t get enough of him, he staggers back and we collapse into a tangled mess onto the bed. I’m straddling him, his hands are in my hair and my arms are around his neck. When his fingers skim under the hem of my shirt, my body tingles. My shirt is pulled off of me in an instant and dismissed back to the floor. His hands go to my breasts and begin gently squeezing him, his fingers massaging tiny circles around my nipples. A moan escapes my mouth and he squeezes harder. His lips are like fire against mine, he’s feeding a completely different kind of hunger now and I’m famished. There is nothing between us, no clothing barrier to prevent his erection from skimming over my wetness and it feels mind-blowing. When he finally enters me I nearly unravel. His thrusts are slow at first and then it’s as if they develop a mind of their own, becoming more desperate.

  My hips ride in perfect rhythm with his, matching every thrust. Our bodies are sweaty and my lips are swollen but I don’t care, I need him. He’s sitting up now my legs wrapped around his waist, when his fingers graze my clit the sensation is too much and it forces me to release the pressure that’s been building. “Travis,” I moan into his mouth.

  “God Chloe you feel astounding,” he pants as he follows my release and we collapse onto the bed. “Still hungry?” he asks with a smirk.

  “Starved,” I respond and we both laugh.

  Travis

  Once I’ve quenched both of her appetites, we curl up on the couch. I’ve made up my mind, I have a plan and now I just need to figure out how to execute it without her knowing. I smile down at my beautiful girl and begin plotting.

  “I think I need to take a shower, and maybe I should consider going back to school.” She says.

  “Ok darlin, Brian and Jax should be home soon so make sure you’re dressed before you come out. We’ll discuss school later.” I tell her, I didn’t like the way they ogled her last time.

  She just laughs and kisses my cheek before she heads back toward my bathroom. I pull out my phone and begin my plan.

  “Hello?” Katie answers.

  “Hey Katie, I need your help.” I say and reveal my plan.

  She agrees but not before squealing in excitement. Now I wait. Katie calls Chloe like clockwork as soon as she finishes her shower. Chloe comes in and informs me that Katie wants to take her to lunch and have some girl time. I fake some disappointment and she assures me she won’t be long. Chloe tells me she couldn’t refuse, that she actually missed Katie’s annoying perkiness. Once she leaves my job begins. Brian and Jax arrive just in time and I put them to work. We start scrubbing the apartment top to bottom. I leave them to finish up while I head to the mall.

  Once I enter the jewelry store I start searching for the perfect one. It doesn’t take me as long as I thought it would, it calls to me. It’s perfect. A stunning white gold with a ½ ct. princess cut diamond. It has a small cluster of black diamonds circling around it. It instantly reminds me of her, darkness surrounding a beautiful light. I have the woman at the counter wrap it in a small black box and make my next stop.

  The flower shop, I pick up a dozen red roses. Classic, I know. But that’s what she is to me, a classic beauty. Once I arrive back at the apartment I begin to light a few candles and start preparing dinner. Jax and Brian have both been informed that they need to make other sleeping arrangements for the night. I decide to make her favorite, homemade lasagna. It smells fantastic. I set the table, put up a few finishing touches and begin the hardest part. The words. I get a text from Katie telling me she just dropped Chloe off downstairs, I kill the lights it’s show time.

  Chloe

  Shopping with Katie was actually really fun, I forgot how much I missed her. Even though she annoys me at times, she’s become one of my best friends. When I unlock the door to Travis’s apartment the lights are off. There are candles lit everywhere and it smells like warm vanilla, my body relaxes as the scent fills my senses.

  “Hello? Travis?” I call out and then I see him.

  He comes into view and my heart stops. He’s wearing a suit, an actual suit. Sleek black pants, dazzling white button up shirt that matches the color of his amazing smile, topped off with a black suit jacket. He looks…he looks delicious. He smiles brightly at me as he approaches.

  “Um, what-what are you doing?” I ask as I bite my lip.

  He takes my hands in his but doesn’t say a word, instead he kisses my lips. Nothing over the top just a gentle brush against my lips but it makes my body quiver.

  “I missed you,” he speaks.

  “I missed you too, what’s going on?”

  He leads me into the kitchen where the once plan table has a bright red table cloth covering it. The center of the table contains a large black vase filled with a dozen crimson red roses. Sparkling white china sets the table with white cloth napkins neatly folded under the silverware.

  “Travis, this is…this is beautiful, but I feel extremely under dressed,” I chuckle in embarrassment.

  His index finger lifts my chin to meet his eyes, “You are always the vision of perfection to me.”
/>   He slides my chair out for me and then places a dish on the table. The enticing aroma of lasagna engulfs me. It looks and smells delicious.

  “Lasagna?” I ask, stating the obvious.

  “Your favorite,” he smiles as he pours me a glass of wine.

  We eat in silence, I have so much I want to say and ask but I’m stunned. I don’t know what’s going on but I’m just enjoying the moment. Once we finish eating he picks me up from my seat and carries me into the bedroom. There are more candles lit surrounding the bed. The way the candle light dances in his eyes is intoxicating. He places me gently on the edge of the bed. My eyes follow his every move.

  “Chloe,” his voice has a rasp to it that I’m not used to hearing and it’s incredibly sexy.

  He takes my hands in his as he kneels down in front of me.

  “We’ve been through so much in such a short time. There was a time when I thought I’d never find my match, that one person that challenges me, that makes me want to be a better man. When I saw you at that club that night I was mesmerized by you. I couldn’t get enough of you, I craved you that first moment.”

  My cheeks redden but I can’t stop looking into those piercing eyes. My breathing increases and my heart flutters. “Travis,” I start but he interrupts.

  “No, let me finish Chloe. I was lost before you, living life but not really living it. You breathed life into me, you have become the air I breathe now. Without you, I cannot exist. I want to be the one to make you smile, to make you laugh…the one that lights up your heart as you have radiated mine. You have become the sun to me, you have chased away every ounce of darkness that plagued my heart. Chloe Marshall, will you marry me? Will you run to me one last time?” He says as he pulls a black box from his pocket.

  I can’t speak, I’m frozen where I sit. This man is astounding. It must have taken me longer that I thought to respond.

  “Chloe?” He asks, looking worried.

  “Yes!” I scream as I tackle him to the ground, “A thousand times yes!”

  When he kisses me I am certain for the first time in my life that I’ll never need to run again.

  The Wedding

  Chloe

  We decided against a long engagement, Travis wanted to give me a reason to enjoy the Fall season again. November 17th. I can’t believe it’s here already. Tomorrow is the big day and there is so much to do. We already reserved Rave for the reception. Figured it was only fitting since it was where we first met. It’s going to be a small wedding, just close friends; since neither of us have a lot of family left.

  I still haven’t figured out who will walk me down the aisle. It’s not like I have a lot of options. The reality of it soaks in and my heart sinks. I have nobody to give me away now. With my dad and Mac both gone, I have nobody. Katie and I are on our way to her final dress fitting.

  The dresses are beautiful, a dazzling teal color with a chocolate bow wrapped around the waist. The dress itself is a baby doll style. It’s strapless and hangs down to just below her knees. The color look amazing on her, makes her eyes pop. Of course Brian is the best man and then there’s Jax. I have Katie and a cousin that flew in from out of town. We were close as kids but drifted apart.

  I have two aunts coming and an uncle on my dad’s side. They all live out of state so this will be the first time I’ve seen any of them in years. They came down for the funeral but I don’t remember seeing them. That day is still a blur for me. My cousin Hailey is a little shorter than me, she’s about 5’6. She has straight dirty blonde hair and has an athletic build to her. She’s a school teacher for an 8th grade English class.

  Travis doesn’t have much family coming, but most of his employees are coming and a few of his friends from high school. I think in total we have about 60 people. As I stand there watching the seamstress pick and poke at Katie’s dress my mind wanders. I remember when I was 5 and I had snuck into my mom’s closet. She had a bright green summer dress hanging in her closet and I decided to play dress up. I even got into her makeup. When she found me in her bathroom, wearing her dress and shoes and makeup smeared all over my face; she didn’t yell at me. She smiled her sweet smile at me and began brushing my hair.

  “Are you mad at me mommy?” I asked her.

  “Not at all princess. I think you look beautiful.” She soothed as she ran the hair gently through my hair.

  “I’ll never be as beautiful as you,” I frowned.

  “Oh my baby girl, you are the most stunning princess in all the land. And green is a perfect color on you.” She smiled at me in the mirror.

  Green was my favorite color from that day on. I remember my mother vividly in my mind. She was breath taking. Pitch black hair with perfect curls. Bright blue eyes that could light up the night sky. Her skin was pale but flawless, a small array of freckles spread out over her cheekbones. God I miss her. An idea sweeps over me and I have finally figured out who will be walking me down the aisle. I smile to myself.

  “Hey Katie, we need to make one more stop before we head back okay? And I need your help with something,” I smile.

  “Of course! I love surprises!” Katie squeals causing the seamstress to accidentally poke her. We both laugh.

  Once her fitting is complete and I try my dress on one last time we make my final stop.

  “You sure about this Chloe, because it’s not very traditional.” Katie asks me.

  “Yes, I’m positive. Nothing about Travis and I is traditional.”

  I manage to sleep for the first time in a long time without any nightmares. I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. I haven’t seen or heard from Travis in almost 32 hours and it’s maddening. We promised to do something right, and not have any contact like traditional couples. It hasn’t been easy. I wonder if he’s going as stir crazy as I am.

  Travis

  Today is the big day. I want to rush over and see my fiancé more than anything right now, why we agreed to this stupid ritual is beyond me. I’m sure she’s going crazy. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling today, I know she is missing her dad something awful right now and that breaks my heart. It’s one of the only things in the world that I can’t give her and it kills me.

  Only 4 hours until show time and I’m not nervous at all. Brian and I are already dressed in our tuxes. A few of my old high school buddies have stopped by to say hi and congratulate me. I’m still not entirely sure that I’m not dreaming, but I’m not arguing with it anymore. I must have done something right in my time here to deserve this beautiful, strong and amazing woman.

  “Yo, you ready to head over or what?” Brian asks.

  “Never been more ready for anything in my life, man.” I admit.

  “Happy looks good on you Trav. I’m happy for you, I was worried about you for a while but I’ve seen the way you look at her and the way she looks at you; it’s a good look.”

  “Thanks man,” He hugs me.

  When we arrive at the pond everything is already set up to perfection. It look amazing. We decided to have a small outdoor ceremony, nothing extravagant but the old fishing pond has a lot of sentimental value for us both and it’s really nice out here. There are white chairs set up in rows, there is no bride or grooms side; we want everyone to mesh together. A wooden arch is standing up front, cascading red roses woven in all around it. The tree we sat under is in the background. People start to slowly arrive and the seats fill up. I kiss and hug my relatives I haven’t seen in ages, shake a few hands. I’m really just buying time, the one person I crave hasn’t arrived yet but I’m heard she’s on her way. The pastor stands under the arch and I follow suit.

  My hands are starting to sweat and my heart rate has increased. Great, now I’m getting nervous, perfect timing. Brian takes his spot beside me. There is a huge white tent set up in the back behind the chairs. Chloe and her bridesmaids are entering from the tent in order to maintain her big reveal. I can hardly stand the wait any longer; I want to march in there and have my way with her right now. I
haven’t even seen her yet and my body is already responding to her. The music starts and I see a couple of ladies I’ve never met start slowly coming down the aisle. This music is dragging and it needs to go faster. I smile at the lovely ladies as they pass me, but I don’t care about them. That may sound harsh but it’s true.

  When Katie emerges I know it will only be a few more seconds before my eyes land on the one target they’re seeking. As Katie passes me she winks. I turn my head back toward the tent as the music changes it’s tune. I inhale a deep breath and wait for my blue eyes.

  What happens next scares the shit out of me. Chloe, shrouded in a big white dress starts running down the aisle toward me. Her dress is bunched up in her hands near her knees, she has on a pair of white sneakers that appear to be sparkling. Her bouquet is still in her hand, I’m terrified but in awe at the same time, she looks beautiful. I brace my body and throw my arms out wide as she leaps into them.

  “Chloe? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I ask searching those blue eyes for some hint as to what just happened. The people around us disappear. It’s just her and I.

  She smiles widely, “I’m fine…I just figured since you’re the only one I’ll be running to from now until forever I should make sure that you’ll always be able to catch me.”

  Damn her.

  I love her.

  “I have you blue eyes…always, Mrs. McGuire.” And then my lips cover hers.

  Epilogue

  Travis

  (Two years later)

  As we pull into the driveway, I can hardly contain my excitement. I look over at my beautiful wife and smile. She’s wearing a blind fold, it took me a lot of begging for her to allow me to put it on. I wanted this to be a surprise. The house is marvelous. Two stories, near the lake. When Chloe told me that it had always been a dream of hers to live near a lake I began searching immediately. It was a little more than I wanted to pay but no price was too great to keep that smile on her face and money wasn’t really an object.