I Love You More Than Read online

  “Do we have any paper towels? Where are the paper plates? Did your dumb ass go to the fucking grocery store this weekend?” David asked her in an irritated voice Well looks like there was no time like the present, Felicia thought to herself.

  “So when are you moving out again?”

  “What?” David asked Felicia as he was caught completely off guard. Felicia turned to the girls and told them to go their room, she’d be in momentarily to put them to bed. She then turned her body and full attention to face David who was still standing by the pantry door. He looked to be in a somewhat frozen state.

  “I asked when you are moving out of my house. You’ve been saying for the past three years you’re moving out. Six months ago, you are moving out. And here we are three and a half years later and you’re still here. So I need to know, when are you moving out? Last month you said six weeks. Does that mean you’re moving out in two weeks?”

  “Look I don’t know where the fuck all this is coming from. Are you on your period or something?”

  “No David I’m not. It’s coming from the fact that you don’t like me just as much as I don’t like you. I’m tired of paying mortgage for a house that I can’t come home to and do what the fuck I want. Want to watch a movie in the living room? Can’t because you’re always in the living room. Want to veg out on the couch and watch television? I can’t, because you sleep in the living room like it’s your bedroom. Want to park in my garage? I can’t, because you have two junked up pieces of shit sitting in my garage. Along with all the other shit you’ve collected over the years. I want my house back and that’s not going to happen until you move out. So again, when are you moving out?”

  “I’ll be out of here soon enough. Don’t you worry about it! It’ll happen when it happens.”

  “As long as it’s within four weeks I’m good with that.” Felicia countered leaving David in the kitchen wearing a dumbfounded expression.

  ****

  It was Wednesday and even though it was hump day for most, Harrison and his workers saw it as just another day. They were there Mon-Sat. Harrison’s first garage the one he was at most of the time. It was located in Glendale and was outfitted to do everything. But the specialization was in restoring classic cars. Harrison’s real first love. For so long he had been busy getting things setup that he’d had little to no time to dedicate to his hobby. It wasn’t until he had opened his fourth chain that he was able to focus fully on restorations. He made exceptions for his family and Felicia.

  Everyone else’s vehicles were taken care of by his very capable crew. Harrison’s father Winston usually came by Kincaid’s a couple times a week just to chat with Harrison. Really to see what beauty Harrison was working on or the progress that had been made on it. He came by more if he was on Carolyn’s last nerve. As he often was. Winston had retired eight months ago and they were still trying to get a routine going that fit the both of them. Carolyn has worked from home for the last fifteen years, with little to no interruption. So needless to say they were still getting acclimated to each other.

  Harrison couldn’t quell the feeling this was going to be a week where he’d be seeing his father a few more times. Winston made his way to the stand alone garage stall Harrison restored the vintage beauties in.

  “Hi Son.” Winston called as he made his way to his usual perch on a cement boulder.

  “Hey Pop. Heard I missed you Monday.” Harrison had been short staffed at his garage location in Creve Coeur so he had worked from that location Monday and Tuesday.

  “Yup! I also came by on Saturday, but Trey said you’d taken Felicia out to lunch.”

  It was all starting to make sense to Harrison now. He’d missed a couple of calls from his mom. He wasn’t avoiding Carolyn, he’d just had a feeling she was on a fishing expedition. Since she hadn’t been able to hook him, she was trying new bait. His dad.

  “Hmm yeah. She brought her car in for an oil change and had the girls with her. I didn’t want them to waste a perfect Saturday afternoon in the shop. So we went to the park and hung out.”

  Rubbing his chin hair Winston nodded his head.

  “I see. Is there anything more here than just two old acquaintances spending time together son?”

  “No Pop.”

  “I mean not that there would be anything wrong with the two of you getting together. You know Felicia was like another member of the family. She just distanced herself from us after her and Emma put their friendship on hold. But we still love her and those beautiful girls she’s raising. I was just under the impression that she was still with him.”

  Emma Kincaid-Ross could not bear to hear anyone utter David Foster’s name. So Winston and Carolyn have become used to referring to David as him. Everyone pretty much knew that Harrison was sweet on Felicia. And everyone was rooting for them including Emma. If Harrison was with Felicia that would mean David would be out of the picture. She’d have her best friend back.

  But they were leery too. They didn’t want Harrison to get hurt if Felicia wasn’t able to get up the courage to leave David once and for all. But none of this concerned Harrison. Out of everyone, even though they lived in what most would call a small town city, he saw Felicia the most. Especially of late. And he’d sensed a change in her. A shift in her mood towards David that had never been present before. Had it been, Harrison would have made his move before now.

  Sure some would look down their noses on his intent to poach on another man’s woman. But if said man wasn’t appreciative of the woman and hadn’t made her his, Harrison had decided she was fair game for the taking. He didn’t just want Felicia in his bed, with those chocolaty creamy soft thighs wrapped around him. He wanted her for life. As his wife. No one except his brothers Luke and Stone knew of his intentions. They’d taken him out to drown his sorrows after he and Chloe divorced. Somewhere around his twelfth shot or so he’d confessed to them that Felicia would be his one day. Whether or not David was still in the picture.

  When he’d found out she was expecting her and David’s second child Elena, he had kicked himself. She should’ve been ripe with his seed. Not that idiots! Harrison’s plan hadn’t changed one iota in all this time. It was kicked into action a couple weeks ago when he’d ran into Felicia at the grocery store. Feeling for the first time that she was open to him, and was just affected by him as he’d always been by her.

  Now his plan had an endgame and timeframe. Harrison was done letting life continue to pass them both by. He would do everything in his power to get Felicia to be his.

  “She is.”

  “Hunh. Well son, all I can do is tell you to be careful. Emotions run high where love is concerned on all sides. Even those you wouldn’t expect.” Winston lectured as he pinned Harrison with a stare that spoke a thousand words.

  “I hear you Pop.”

  “Alright then. My work here is done. I’m about to meet Jacob for a round or two of golf. Gotta find something to do to stay out of your mother’s hair. That woman can be downright evil if you interrupt her routine. The things you learn about a person when you get to spend all day and night with them, it’s truly amazing.”

  “Would you change it if you could?” Harrison couldn’t resist asking.

  “Shit no! That woman knows how I like my bread buttered like no other. There’s not another one out there like her. Alright Son, you take care. I’ll be checking on you later.”

  “Bye Pop. Tell Mr. Montgomery I said hello.”

  Harrison called to his dad’s back. A backhanded wave was the only sign he’d got that his father heard him. Winston had definitely given Harrison some things to think about. Starting with how he was going to let Felicia know with certainty what he wanted. He just had to figure out how to do so without throwing her over his shoulder and kidnapping her for a week or two. That might be a little too much to begin with. He needed something a little more subtle…

  Chapter Eleven

  To say things have been a little tense at home would be a serious un
derstatement. It had been four weeks since Felicia had stopped by her parents’ house and had the discussion about finally getting her life started. Starting with getting rid of her two-hundred and thirty-five pound dead weight she’d been carrying for almost fifteen years now.

  David sensed a change in Felicia. He’d completely stopped asking her if she’d showered. Felicia could sometimes get away with showering right after work if she got home early enough. David was such a fucking obsessive compulsive nut. In order for him to feel like his partner was clean enough to have sex with, a shower must be taken no more than thirty minutes prior to sexual act. That left room for none, nada, absolutely no spontaneity whatsoever.

  Felicia was convinced the main reason David was so against foreplay, was because he felt all those fluids were unclean. Felicia had a better time with B.O.B. her battery operated boyfriend than she did with David anyhow. B.O.B. never let her down, it was always about her. He also allowed her to go to sleep immediately after she’d gotten her pleasure.

  Felicia couldn’t lie though, there were times where she did miss the feel of a man. B.O.B. couldn’t replace how it felt to be wrapped tightly in an embrace or spooning. Luckily for Felicia David did none of that, so it made it extremely easy for her to withstand his advances. The last thing she wanted to do after a hard day’s work was come home and put in more work by riding David. Or better yet, feeling like a bull as he rutted against her. In his words, putting it on her!

  Ha! Felicia didn’t know what universe David Foster actually thought the little bit of movement he was able to do was actually doing something? Now Harrison on the other hand, that man could make her wet just by looking at her…. Now where had that thought come from? Felicia had found herself daydreaming about Harrison a lot lately. At first she chalked it up to just running into him at the store followed by spending a Saturday with him. However now…now she was starting to crave Harrison.

  Sometimes when Felicia found herself awake in the middle of the night she’d allow herself to imagine and wonder what it would feel like to be with Harrison? Was he always the ever perfect gentleman? Was he a slob? Did he have some deep dark habit that would drive her crazy? Or was he actually the way he’d always been around her…. An honest to goodness, down to earth, hardworking man. One who definitely was not afraid of getting down and dirty. That Felicia was certain of.

  This night was no different from pretty much every night. Since she’d made the decision that she was done trying to create a family with David, she’d felt great. Felicia was laying wide awake listening to the somewhat quiet sounds of the house. David as usual was sleeping in the living room with the television on. At least the volume was somewhat bearable. Glancing up at her ceiling where her alarm clock reflected the time, Felicia saw it was 10:56pm. This was not going to make for a good day of productivity that was for sure. Well….definitely not without coffee anyway.

  Felicia’s phone let out a soft buzz. She always put her phone on vibrate when she went to bed. Picking it up from her nightstand, Felicia read the message. She couldn’t help but smile, it was from Jenna.

  Hey! I know you’re probably sleep

  but don’t forget we’re hitting the gym

  right after work tomorrow!!! Bring your

  clothes.

  Jenna

  Felicia and Jenna were getting along very well. She didn’t know how much longer they would be making the great team they made. There was still no word on when Saroya would return. On the plus side, Felicia and Jenna had brought in four clients just from the word of mouth on their last two projects.

  Tom and Rich were happy that business was moving right along. The fear of a firm when they lost a designer, even temporarily, is that the clients will go with them as they’ve built a good rapport with their designer. Luckily Saroya had always been an advocate for Felicia being involved up front versus keeping her in the back. Most leads operated like that with their assistants. So their existing clientele felt more than comfortable dealing directly with her. She still got asked when Saroya was coming back….but that was to be expected. She was a great designer!

  Felicia was making such a concentrated effort on not being so reclusive and shut off socially from people. She really enjoyed Jenna’s company and friendship. During a drive to a client’s property Jenna was telling Felicia about the regimen she followed when it came to working out and eating healthy. She was amazed at all the things Jenna did to keep her shape and stay healthy.

  Jenna confessed that she’d been doing it so long, it was second nature now. She no longer dreaded going to the gym. It was just a normal part of her daily routine. At Felicia’s snort of laughter and look of disbelief Jenna challenged her to workout with her for two months straight. Eight little weeks. And if after that time Felicia felt like it was still a struggle to workout, Jenna would let her off the hook.

  And just to sweeten the pot, Jenna had the eight weeks taken care of. Her fiancé` owned the gym so there would be no downfall. Who could refuse that offer? Felicia gladly accepted. She’d never been a stick, but she’d been more slender than she was prior to giving birth to the girls. It was more than time to get back on the ball. Felicia was ready to do something to get the extra weight that was holding on for dear life, off! That was her last thought as she finally drifted off to sleep.

  ****

  Felicia had a hard time waking up that morning. After she was able to drag herself from the bed, she woke the girls up. She had to drag Elena around until she finally woke up enough to eat her breakfast without any additional help. To Felicia’s surprise, David was actually awake before they left the house that morning. Felicia didn’t know what was going on with him. He’d been overly quiet lately. With David, that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Usually meant it was just the calm before the storm.

  His eyes being on her the entire time didn’t help to ease her nervousness one bit. After declaring they were finished, Felicia made the girls go brush their teeth and wash their face so they could get going. Making sure she had everything she needed, Felicia put all bags and her briefcase by the door where she was waiting. Suddenly remembering the trash needed to go out, she went into the kitchen to grab it out the trashcan. Lord knew hell would freeze over before David took a damn bag of trash out of the house. He’d make Dana do it or Elena try before he’d even make an attempt. Felicia didn’t have time for his foolishness this morning.

  “Are you guys going somewhere after work?”

  Startled to hear David’s voice so early, interrupting her as she was about to call for the girls. Causing her to choke on her saliva.

  “No. Not that I know of.” Felicia responded brusquely.

  “What’s with the duffle bag then?” he inquired further. So unlike him. Felicia couldn’t even ask him if the sun was shining if he were going outside. Let alone where he was going.

  Felicia raised her brow, fully expecting David to catch on to the faux pas he’d just committed. But he continued to sit on her couch in his draws looking at her waiting for an answer.

  “It’s for me.” That was all Felicia was willing to give. “Girls come on. It’s time to go, we’re going to be late!”

  ****

  “See I told you it wouldn’t be that bad!”

  Jenna exclaimed a little too brightly as they made their way back to the women’s locker room. All Felicia could manage was to give her a side eyed look.

  “Come on Felicia! You can’t tell me it was horrible. I saw you getting into the moves more than a few times.”

  Jenna had talked Felicia into taking the Zumba class after they warmed up via cardio on the treadmills.

  “Whatever you say Jenna.”

  Felicia was too tired to debate how hard the workout was or wasn’t. In all honesty, the workout really was not that bad. She was very much out of practice when it came to being active outside of running the girls around. And of course running around for work. But the only way to get back to it was to do it. Felicia really did enjoy the class.
But there was no need to tell Jenna that.

  “Mmmm hmm. You can say what you want, I know you enjoyed yourself. So what do you think of Antonio’s gym?”

  “I think it is great! Even though I’m not a health or gym nut, I’d join this gym in a heartbeat. I don’t feel like it’s a fashion show. Everyone is focused on what it is they came to do. And I must admit, although I haven’t been inside a gym in years…I don’t remember them having locker rooms as nice as these.”

  “Well I have and I can vouch that. No other gyms’ locker rooms have anything on ours. That was a stickler with us when he was building this place. Antonio felt that since most of your time was spent out on the floor, he really didn’t need to put a lot of money into the locker rooms. I told him if you make the locker rooms nice, inviting and decadent not only will your clients continue to be patrons. They’ll pay and come back for the amenities alone!”

  “Well remind me to tell him he needs to listen to you more often. I’d come back just to relax back here.”

  The locker room at Get It Right/Keep It Tight was beyond anything Felicia could’ve imagined a locker room to be. It was dry. That was the first big thing she noticed. Usually due to the body heat and other agents Felicia didn’t like to think about, gyms and their locker rooms usually always felt damp to her. But not at GIR KIT.

  Each locker room was equipped with masseuse stations, saunas, hot tubs and a steam room. Felicia was serious when she’d said she would come back just to hang out in the locker room. The floors were heated marble. She found they felt exquisite after a workout and hot shower. She was so relaxed by the time they left the gym she almost told Jenna she could see how she works out five days a week. Almost.

  When Felicia located her car in the parking lot she had to dig through her purse then her gym bag looking for her car keys. She was so focused on finding them that she didn’t hear the approach from behind.

  “Wow. I am definitely kicking myself for not coming earlier and missing this view.”