As the song ends, the video ends with a clip of Lindsay Blair encouraging anyone who’s being abused to tell someone.She advises them to tell anyone, just get help and get out of that situation. After Lindsay’s clip ends, Andi yells into the microphone,“Save yourself and help someone else!”
The six ladies all exit the stage and I watch the bastard slowly lower his glass to the table and stand up. He’s looking at the backstage door so I slowly get up and make my way closer to the door. I want to be ready if he makes his way towards Andi or any of those young ladies who were so brave to come forward.
Rhoades sees me and stops to stare at me for a minute or two. It’s an obvious showdown but there’s no way in hell he will beat me. He’s fucking lucky to still have his head attached to his body right now. The only reason I haven’t jerked him up is because I can’t protect Andi from a federal penitentiary. I cross my arms over my chest and grind my teeth from the firm set of my jaw.
He must sense I’m teetering on a thin edge of sanity myself because he averts his eyes from mine and quickly makes his way to the exit. I know the war is far from over but I can’t help but feel good at the small battles we’ve won here tonight. The thought of what those young ladies went through at his hands makes me want to follow him out to the parking lot and drag him behind the building. Someone needs to show him what it’s like to feel helpless.
Andi and the others all come filing out from the backstage area. She’s walking on cloud nine but I see her eyes dart around the room, looking for him and waiting for him to appear out of nowhere.
“He left,” I lean in to tell her just before I kiss her cheek. “You were great, as usual, baby.”
She smiles and puts her arms around my waist to hug me. “Thank you. And thank you for waiting here for me,” gesturing towards the backstage door.
“Well, he was watching it pretty intently. I wasn’t about to let him get through it.”
She nods in understanding and looks at the other girls. After a round of introductions, we’re all back at our usual table with Shane, Will,Brandon, Christina, Tania and Katie. I look around the table and realize how blessed I am to have such a great group of friends and family.
I take Andi’s hand in mine and raise it to my mouth, kissing each of her knuckles softly. She was in midsentence conversation with someone when she looks at me, confusion etched in her beautiful face.
“What was that for?”
“Because I love you, Andi Morgan,” I answer.
She doesn’t smile in response this time. In fact, she has a very serious look. She suddenly leans towards me and covers my mouth with hers, her free hand wraps around my neck and pulls me closer to her. Since she started it, I’m more than happy to oblige her, so I wrap my arms around her and hoist her over the chair and into my lap. Once she’s reseated, I put my hands on either side of her face as I kiss her back.
“Get a room, already!” Someone from our table shouts. I’m pretty sure it was Brandon. He’s still a little jealous that Andi’s mine. Andi breaks our kiss and laughs while throwing a wadded up napkin in his general direction.
“Dance with me,” I say as I incline my head towards the dance floor. She nods and we push through the throngs of people to the dance floor. It doesn’t matter if it’s a slow song or a fast song. All I want is to hold Andi in my arms – we move to the beat of our own music.
ANDI
What a great night! Tonight went far better than I thought it could. I have the hottest man on the planet, we’re getting married…um, eventually. I’ve been reacquainted with Maria and she doesn’t hate me, plus I’ve met several more courageous young women that I’m proud to call my friends.
Luke is driving us home now and even this feels good. It feels right – holding his hand, seeing him raise my hand to his mouth and gently kiss it beforehe secures it back in his hand, and knowing that we’re going to ourhome. Home is where the heart is, they say. My heart belongs to this wonderful, sexy manly-man beside me. I don’t care where we live as long as I’m with him.
Finally home, Luke goes inside first, as always, to make sure it’s safe for me to enter. It really is the small things that end up mattering the most. It is the small things that make up everyday life together.Even just the fact that he cares about my safety enough to enter the dark house first time after time melts me every time. Everything he does for me is out of love and I can’t imagine my life without him now.
I follow him towards the kitchen and we purposely keep the lights low. It’s finally just the two of us again and I’m looking forward to it. Luke opens a bottle of wine and pours two glasses. He hands my glass to me and holds his up in a toast.
“To my beautiful fiancé. The man I am today is because of you. Your strength, your gentleness. Your love, your fight. Your thoughtfulness, your boldness. I love every quality you possess, Andi, and you inspire me to be a better person. Every day.”
We clink glasses as I wipe a tear away. Having someone to call my own still doesn’t feel real sometimes. I’ve been alone for so long. He starts to take a sip from his glass but I halt him with my hand on his arm.
“Wait,” I say. He lowers his hand and keeps his eyes trained on mine. “I have something to say first.”
“OK,” I hear the trepidation in his voice.
“To my handsome and sexy fiancé,” and his face lights up in that gorgeous, panty-dropping smile that still gives me goose bumps. “You’ve given me more than I could’ve ever hoped for. You’ve been everything I’ve always needed and never had. You are my rock, my encouragement, and my protector. You’ve fulfilled dreams that I never let myself even consider. I love you, Luke, more than life itself.”
We clink glasses again, drink to each other, and suddenly the wine glasses are crashing to the ground and we are in each other’s arms. I’m totally lost in this man’s arms, his masculine scent, the hard muscles in his body, until….
“Well, now. Isn’t that just. So. Fucking. Sweet,” the male voice from the shadows mocks.
Luke and I jerk apart and Luke automatically pushes me behind him, shielding me with his body and readying his for all-out war. I’ve seen him in this fighting stance before and it’s a balls-to-the-wall, take-no-prisoners stance. It would be a huge turn on if Jackson Rhoades wasn’t hiding in my kitchen right now.
Jackson steps out into the light and lightly chuckles.
“You know, I never knew you had it in you, Andi. To be so passionate. If I’d known, I’d –“
