Once in a Lifetime Read online

  Raising her hand, she slapped him around the face. “There, I’ve hurt you to make up for it.” She tore out of his hands hating the way he was making her feel. Her emotions were all over the place, and it was because of his withdrawal and passion at the same time. He was a contradiction at every level, and she didn’t know what had happened to make him like that.

  It had to have all stemmed from the visit to his parents.

  “Stop doing this. You’re acting out,” he said.

  “No, I’m not. This is what you want right?” She started getting dressed. Her hands were shaking, and it took her several attempts to get her clothes on completely.

  “This is not what I want.”

  She ignored him and only faced him with her clothes on.

  “I’ve fallen in love with you. There I’ve said it. My feelings are out there. I’m a fucking idiot because I took a chance, and I fell in love with a guy who has no chance of loving me back. Push me away, Guy, go ahead. It’s what you do.”

  Emily looked up to find him staring down at her.

  “You don’t love me,” he said.

  “There we go, telling me how I’m supposed to feel. Thanks a lot.” Picking up her coat, she stared at him. The adrenaline that had been rushing through her body disappeared. “I’m going home. This was a goodbye fuck. You know it, and I know it. I’m not wasting my life with this, Guy. I’m in love with you. If it means anything to you at all I’ll see you at the bar on Monday.”

  She brushed past him heading downstairs. Emily felt sick to her stomach at what was happening and was surprised when she heard him following her.

  “You can’t just go,” he said.

  Turning at the door, she placed her palm over the handle ready to make her exit. “I can go, and I am. Take the weekend to think about what I’ve said. I’ll be waiting for you on Monday.”

  Looking her fill she finally walked away out of the door. Picking up the phone, she dialed Dorothy’s number.

  “Hello,” Dorothy said, sounding like she’d just woken up.

  The tears finally appeared, and Emily sobbed into the phone. “Can you come and pick me up? I need to get out of here.”

  Dorothy agreed to pick her up like the great friend she was. Not looking back, she walked a few feet away from his home.

  She couldn’t believe she’d give him an ultimatum, and come Monday he’d either be breaking her heart or giving her the world.

  Chapter Twelve

  On Monday Emily was a nervous wreck. She’d spent the weekend working or eating chocolate ice cream, tub after tub. She’d lost count of the number she’d eaten after four. Fortunately, Dorothy was more than happy to spend time with her. Janet and Lilly were there, but Dorothy had always been different with her. Nathan had stopped by her apartment to drop the last of her stuff off. She’d been avoiding his calls, and yet all he wanted to do was give her stuff. He’d apologized for his behavior, but he saw neither of them had a future together. Nathan also admitted to the woman he was with was in fact “the one”. He’d proposed, and he and the woman she’d caught him with were getting married. Emily was happy for him. Could Guy be her one? Her feelings for Guy were deeper than anything she felt for Nathan. She wished him well and hadn’t heard from him since.

  Entering the bar on Monday she looked down to see her hands shaking, and she felt they were sweaty. She didn’t know if anyone knew about the ultimatum she’d thrown at Guy. Dorothy knew, which meant Wayne knew.

  You can do this. This is a piece of cake. Stick around, see what he chooses, and then pick yourself up if it goes bad.

  Tony was serving some customers as she walked in.

  “Hey, Em, did you have a good weekend?”

  “Yeah, it was fine.” Her voice was still hoarse from the crying she’d done. At five it was still a little slow, but she knew within the hour the place would be heaving with work finishing. Disappearing behind the bar she walked to the staff room. No one was around, and she pulled off her coat, taking a deep breath as she did.

  With everything put away, she walked over to the mirror. She’d tied her hair back into a messy ponytail. Her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, and she looked pale even to herself.

  “You can do this. You can do this. You can do this.” She closed her eyes speaking the same mantra over and over again.

  Someone clearing their throat alerted her to their presence.

  Opening her eyes, she saw Tony looking at her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

  “Good. You’re a damn good barwoman, and I don’t want to worry about looking for a replacement.”

  Chuckling, she moved toward him.

  She didn’t say anything to him, tapping his shoulder in order to offer him comfort. There was nothing else she could say.

  Squaring her shoulders, she entered the bar and dug into serving. By six her friends arrived along with their men. Wayne’s pity unnerved her, but she was aware of their disapproval as well. Dorothy leaned over the bar to whisper in her ear. “They’re on your side, honey. They know you’re good for Guy. He’s just being an asshole and not letting love fly.”

  Serving the beer and wine, Emily let out a breath. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”

  “I don’t know Guy that well, but I know he loves you,” Dorothy said. “He’s different around you, and it’s hard not to see how he looks at you.”

  Gritting her teeth together, Emily stopped herself from crying. She couldn’t afford any more tears. For the next hour she struggled to tear her gaze away from the door. Every time it jingled as it opened it was like a beacon calling to her to answer. Each time someone came in, she was flooded with disappointment at Guy’s absence.

  At eight, she felt any hope starting to deflate. Then, ten minutes after eight, he walked into the bar closely behind a blonde woman. She didn’t recognize the woman at all. Jealousy, rage, and a sharp hint of lust spiked through her. What the hell was he doing? She’d seen him with other women, and not once had he made a point of showing them off, apart from her. He didn’t go to his friends.

  Guy walked in without a care in the world.

  No, she wasn’t going to back down. Throwing down the apron she’d been wearing, she walked out from behind the bar. This is not what was going to happen to her. She wasn’t going to let him throw their relationship away so easily.

  “Em, what are you doing?” Tony asked.

  “I’m taking what’s mine. Guy wanted me. He’s not going to throw me away so easily.”

  Girl, get the message.

  “My son is in love with you.” Jack’s words rolled through her mind. No, she couldn’t allow this to happen to them.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dorothy making her way toward her, along with their friends. She didn’t want an audience when this happened, but she needed to get it resolved.

  Charging toward him, she tugged on his hand, spinning him around. Guy didn’t fight her. He stared down at her. Before he covered it up, she saw the lust burning in his eyes. Then as quickly as he revealed his emotions, he shut them away from her.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  His jaw tensed, another sign he was hiding feelings away from her.

  “Who’s the skank?” She turned her attention to the woman beside him. The blonde frowned at her.

  “Who are you talking to?”.

  “She’s none of your business. This is the choice you gave me. I wanted to end things neatly, which you didn’t want to do. I’m not ending shit neatly. I’m moving on, Em.” He wrapped his arm around the blonde.

  “Ew, get off me. I don’t know you.” The blonde shoved him away then turned to where her friends were waiting. Had Guy just used an innocent woman to make her jealous and send her away?

  How she managed to keep hold of her emotions was beyond her.

  Take a deep breath, and don’t let him hide.

  “You’re giving up, like that
, quitting.” Ignoring the other woman, Emily focused all of her attention on him.

  “What don’t you get? We were a little fun, and like all women you think it means something.” He wasn’t even looking at her as he talked.

  “Guy,” Wayne said, closing in.

  “No, man. I’m making a choice.”

  “It’s the wrong one.” Wayne got the last word in.

  “Not the wrong one. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not a one woman man.” Guy turned his gaze to her. “I wanted you. I fucked you, and now I’m bored.”

  Tears stung her eyes as she looked at him. This was not the man she’d come to know but the man who was trying to run away from her. He was a fucking coward, and right at that moment she hated him. “What the hell are you trying to do, Guy?” she asked.

  Seeing the women surround him over the last few weeks had filled her with jealousy, and then she realized what he was doing. Dorothy had once warned her of what he was like. The way he’d been the last few weeks with her was an act. This was the real man beneath the charm, and she hated it. Part of her believed he was hiding while another knew he was begging to get away.

  “My son is in love with you.”

  She needed to ignore those words. The man Jack had raised into a good son was not the man stood before her.

  “I told you, Em. I’m not the settling down kind of guy. This is who I am. The last few weeks have been fun, but even you knew it was going to come to an end.” He was avoiding her. His gaze was looking at everything else except her. “I’m not a one pussy kind of man.”

  Raising her hand she slapped him around the face. He didn’t do anything other than look at her with pity.

  “You’re a fucking coward,” she said, growling the words at him.

  “I’m not a coward. You just can’t stand the fact I’m no longer affected by you.”

  She shook her head. He couldn’t be so far from the truth. She’d felt the connection with him. Guy had taken her to meet his fucking parents, and this was how he was going to treat her.

  “You’re right. I got too invested in you.” She shook her head at her own stupidity. Emily let the tears fall. Their friends were watching, and she didn’t care. The only person she felt sorry for was Guy. He was too busy hiding and pretending shit didn’t happen. “You’re twenty-eight years old, Guy. When are you going to grow up and realize life is really passing you by? You can lose yourself in women all the time, but there will come a point when women will look at you and see a dirty old man. I hope you find something before that happens.”

  Dorothy looked sad. Janet and Lilly looked ready to do murder, and his friends appeared angered. They were in Tony’s place, and all of the customers she’d gotten to know were witness to her humiliation.

  Laughing, she turned back to Guy. “Can you believe you’ve done to me what you said Andrew would?”

  Shaking her head, she approached the bar. “I quit.”

  With her head held high she walked out of the bar.

  ****

  Guy wasn’t a dirty old man. The woman he’d been with he had followed into the bar. . Guy had watched her pass and decided to follow her in, making out they were together. The blonde had soon put him in check, so it hadn’t turned out quite like he’d hoped. For the last hour he’d been stood outside ready to walk in and claim his woman. Then he remembered all of his doubts, and hurting Emily because he couldn’t stay with her scared him more than anything. So many times he’d started toward the door only to stop and walk back to his lamppost. Never had he told a woman how he felt. Emily had told him, and it had taken every ounce of control not to fall to her feet. His doubts kept him from telling her the truth. She was right. He was a fucking coward but only because he didn’t trust in himself. Emily deserved happiness and a life filled with love.

  He watched Emily walk away, and his gut tightened. He felt sick to his stomach. “What the fuck are you doing?” Wayne asked, stepping forward.

  Tears sprang to his eyes, and he couldn’t control his feelings. So many women had passed him by, and not once in all of them had he felt lost. Letting Emily walk away would be the death of him. There would never be another woman who could make him feel whole and complete.

  The door to the bar closed letting him know she’d walked out of his life.

  No, he couldn’t let it happen.

  Are you good enough for her?

  “She deserves better than me,” Guy said, looking at his friend.

  Wayne reached out, grabbing his arms. “You can’t let her get away. You’re in love with her. You will never hurt her. Trust in yourself and how you feel.”

  “Why did you try that with whoever that blonde is?” Dorothy asked, closing in.

  “I don’t even know her. I’ve been stood outside for a long time.” He let the words spill out. “How can I let her love me? What if I fuck it up?”

  “You’re a great guy. Emily loves you because you’re not hiding from her,” Dorothy said.

  “I’ve hurt her.”

  “Then go and get her. Do the romantic gesture shit that chicks dig,” Dale said. Janet clocked him around the back of the head.

  “She’s not going to wait forever. Go and get her,” Wayne said. “No other woman will ever appeal once you claim her. Trust me.”

  Stepping forward, Guy felt the gazes of the audience on him. He’d humiliated her in front of all of them, and now he needed to make things right.

  You’re a fucking asshole.

  Cursing himself, he continued to make his way through the crowd heading toward the door. There was nothing else for him to do other than grovel at her feet.

  Guy opened the door and charged out, finding Emily walking away. She’d put her coat on before walking.

  “Em, wait,” he said, shouting for her to stop. He saw her tense, but she kept walking away.

  Running over the parking lot, he dodged a car pulling in. She was still walking, and over his shoulder he heard heels and scuffed feet. He didn’t care as he went straight for his woman.

  Guy caught her arms, stilling her movements. “Wow, you walk fast.”

  “I was walking fast to get away from you.” She tried to pull out of his hold, but he held her still. “Let me go.”

  “No, I’m not letting you go.”

  “Now you’re going to speak up. Less than five fucking minutes ago you were telling me I was old news.” She tried to fold her arms. He needed to hold onto her. The moment he touched her, Guy felt grounded. There was no need for him to run away or to hide. Emily completed him.

  “You’re not old news. You’ll never be old news to me.” Licking his lips, he stared into her deep blue eyes and felt himself drowning. She was in love with him, and he would spend the rest of his life doing whatever it took to deserve her love.

  “Stop this, Guy.”

  “No. No. No. I’m not stopping this because you were right.” He paused, letting his words sink in.

  “What was I right about?” she asked, frowning.

  Was he that good an actor that she really didn’t know how he felt?

  “I’m in love with you, and I was too much of a fucking coward to tell you the truth. I was scared that I wouldn’t be good enough for you, and I want to be. ” She stood frozen in his arms. He released one of her arms to cup her cheek. Guy felt the need to touch her to know that she was real. Tears streaked her cheeks, and he hated the fact he’d been the one to put them there.

  “I’m an asshole.”

  “You’re in love with me?” she asked.

  “I’ve been in love with you from the first moment I saw you.”

  She shook her head, but he detected the smile playing across her lips. “How is that possible?”

  “I’m a sick fuck, and I wanted you. It has been you for a long time. I want you, Emily.”

  “We barely know each other,” she said.

  “You know me more than my own parents do. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to be the mo
ther of my kids.” He heard several gasps from behind him. Emily looked over his shoulder, and he turned her face. “No, ignore them. I don’t care about them. All I care about is you. I love you, and I want you. Nothing else, no one else, only you.”

  “I really want to hate you right now,” she said. Her lip quivered.

  “Hate me, but tell me you love me.”

  “I love you. I’ve loved you even when I didn’t want to.” The tears fell thicker and harder.

  Come on, jerk, get on your knees. Prove to her.

  Gritting his teeth to stop himself from crying, he fell to his knees in front of her. He didn’t have anything for a ring.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Yeah, mate, what are you doing?” Wayne asked.

  “Emily, I love you. I couldn’t, no, I don’t want to, imagine the rest of my life without you. I’ve been with many women, and none of them compare to how I feel about you. You’re the love of my life. I once remember my father telling me that when you find the one, it will feel like a once in a lifetime feeling. Whenever I’m around you, that’s how I feel. You’re always with me no matter where I go, and I don’t want it to end.” Kissing her knuckles, Guy felt a wave of peace settle over him. He was the doing the right thing, and no other woman would ever attract his attention again. “Emily, will you marry me?” he asked.

  She leaned down, smashing her lips against his.

  “Is that a yes?” he asked, when she broke the kiss.

  “It’s a hell yes.”

  He laughed, standing up and pulling her into his arms. Behind him, he heard the commotion as his friends clapped and cheered.

  Guy knew if he hadn’t followed her outside he could have lost her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, slamming his lips down on hers, Guy knew he was never going to let her go. Emily was his woman, and there was no way he was letting her go.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  Downing his beer, Guy stared at the man currently trying to dry hump his woman. Anger radiated off him like it had an energy all of its own. Emily had been on the dance floor for ten minutes, and the men were swarming around her. Not that he blamed them. His woman looked hot in the short skirt she wore and the tight white shirt that displayed her curves and large tits perfectly.