We continued until we got to that ever present stopping point and I reluctantly tried to set her down but she claimed that her legs weren't working. I laughed and put her on the bed instead and went to take a shower, ice cold please.

31. Nellie.

Hearing the shower turn on was a relief in a way. It gave me a few minutes to compose myself. Merciful heaven if he didn't stop being so d.a.m.ned s.e.xy I was going to combust. And he had as much trouble leaving me as I was letting him go. I swear it got more and more difficult every single day. He didn't know it but while Sylvia and I looked at her paintings in the bedroom which was just above the porch, the window was open and we could hear everything. Sylvia and I smiled like two teenagers at the conversation that took place below us.

When he said he wanted to marry me I started to cry and Sylvia was there in an instant with tissues.

"You had to have known Nellie. That boy of mine loves with every fiber of his being."

"I knew about it on my end, but I didn't know about him." I looked back out of the window where I heard those words from.

"I've known since he brought you into the restaurant. I know that you know about Amy but what you don't know is that he never brought her around here-never. We met her once or twice when we saw them somewhere together but never on purpose. He was ashamed of her. She just wasn't a good apple. But the first time he had an opportunity he wanted me to meet you. That's the difference." A single tear ran down her face and it was my turn to hand her the tissues.

"Quit dreaming about me in the shower and get your pajamas on woman." His smarta.s.s remarks brought me out of today's events with Sylvia and back to the present.

I sat up and just looked at him for a moment. Keeping this from him was eating at me and I had to let him know, even if he got mad.

"What?" He said and he sat next to me on the bed.

"I need to tell you something that happened today and I don't want you to get mad."

"As long as you didn't kiss Falcon, I think we're good."

"So your Mom and I went up to see her paintings which are phenomenal and the window was open..." He already knew where I was going with this. I could tell by the white hue his face was taking on.

"You heard it all." He said but he looked like he didn't care.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to." I said.

"Are you sorry you heard it or are you sorry because of what was said?" He sounded the slightest bit agitated now.

"I wish I hadn't heard it that way. I wish you would've told me to my face. That's what I want. But I'm not sorry I heard it." I got up and got my clothes and went to change.

I changed and brushed my teeth. Until I said it out loud, I hadn't realized just how upset I was about it. I understand that he wanted to tell his dad but how could he ever think I wouldn't want him. All of this deserving me stuff was a crock of c.r.a.p.

I walked out and he was still sitting in the same place.

"Look, I'm sorry. But how could you ever think that you don't deserve me? You're the best thing that has ever happened to me and you think that I don't want to marry you as much as you want to marry me? That aggravates the p.i.s.s out of me."

"All I heard is that you want to marry me." He was smiling like a goon.

"Oh no, you're gonna have to do better than that." I crossed my arms.

He pulled me onto the bed and into his lap and brushed his knuckles down the side of my neck and across my shoulder.

"Nellie, I love you more than I've ever loved anything. How could I ever have a life without you in it? No matter what happens in the future, it won't be worth a thing without you. So, will you marry me?"

My face was on fire and tears trickled down my face of their own free will.

"I've got purple hair and piercings in my lips and I don't act like a lady and I beat up on girls in roller derby and..." I babbled off all of the reasons that I was insecure just like he thought he didn't deserve me.

"Hey, hey, all of those things make me love you even more. You don't give a d.a.m.n what people think and it makes you that much better." I got a hold of myself and took a deep breath.

"Yes." I said so quietly I didn't think I said it out loud.

"Say it again. Just so I'm sure." He tugged at my waist.

"Owen Matthew Black I will marry you and be the most kick a.s.s wife ever."

"Yes you will. Now, I want to end this Thanksgiving laying next to my future wife, come on."

We got under the covers and he took his shirt off. I don't think I would ever tire of the way his mere presence caused my body to react. It was pure electricity.

I laid on my right side and Owen put one arm under my head and one hand on my hip pulling me to fit next to him. He moved his left arm and put it around my middle grazing the underside of my chest. I stiffened a little and he started to take it away.

I quickly moved it back.

He kissed the back of my neck and within minutes his breathing slowed and deepened.

I rolled over half awake and heard and felt a crunching under me. I turned to find a note that read: Went to grab breakfast and coffee.

Love you.

Owen.

I got up and showered, got dressed and gathered laundry together to wash later. I heard the door open and close and I put the basket on the bed. I walked out into the kitchen and saw him unloading armfuls of white bags and travel cups of coffee.

"Oh man those bagels smell great." I said and he smiled at me and walked my way.

"You smell great too. Come sit down and eat."

We enjoyed the rest of the Thanksgiving break in the same way. We only had three more weeks of the semester and then we had decided to spend Christmas with my parents. Owen wanted another chance at winning my mom over but I knew my parents weren't ones who were won over even if he or I was perfect. Even perfection was criticized in that house.

I didn't work the week of finals, Cindi wouldn't let me. Owen and I studied separately knowing that if we were together absolutely no studying would get done. I also took the opportunity to buy his Christmas present and one for each member of his family. We texted and talked on the phone at night but other than that didn't get to spend too much time together. After finals were over we spent a few days with his family at their home. We put up the Christmas tree and exchanged presents early. Sylvia made the most divine early Christmas dinner and she showed me how to make her lemon cheesecake. Owen and I also announced to them that we were engaged which went over well with everyone but Falcon and Maddox. They said it wasn't real because Owen hadn't bought me a ring yet. Falcon even broke out into the 'Single Ladies' song to drive home his point.

I didn't want to leave their home after it was all over. They gave me a family that I'd never had and treated me like I belonged there instead of a person who was just in the way. Every time I thought about going to my parents' house my stomach somersaulted and almost revolted against me.

It was a two hour drive to the Forrester mansion and I tried to enjoy Owen's hand tangled with mine but my stomach wasn't cooperating. I must've drunk an entire bottle of the pink stuff trying to calm its nerves.

"I've got an idea." Owen said as he smiled over at me.

"What? Anything will help." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's pull over and make out." He said and acted like he was turning off onto the exit.

"I'm right on the edge of vomiting so that might not be a good idea."

"Look, your mom already hates me so let's make sure Dad does and then Merry Christmas!" He smiled a really wide creepy smile.

"You forgot the berating and constant tattoo and piercing comments." I joked.

"Oh, my favorite. Plus with you drinking all of that stuff-pink puke would really bring out your eyes." He squirmed up his mouth trying not to smile.

"Wow," I said flatly.

A while later we pulled up to the gate and he looked at me weird.

"What?" I asked as I leaned over to key in the numbers that would let us in.

"Your parents live in a plantation, a huge plantation." He said incredulously.

"So? I'd rather be with you in my tiny apartment anytime than to be here."

"Good answer." He said and smiled genuinely.

When we parked there were some other cars that I didn't recognize but it wasn't out of the ordinary for Mom to invite people over for Christmas dinner. After all, eating with me and my boyfriend was going to give them a migraine or an aneurism.

I opened the front door to the mansion and let the cold and empty foyer echo 'Mom' until she heard me.

She rounded the corner with my dad who was stiff as a board and walked as if he was taking the plank to his sharky death.

"Nellie Mich.e.l.le, you're late. You know that dinner is served at promptly noon and no later. Yet here we are at twelve," she looked at her watch, "thirteen and you are just getting here."

Without consent my voice changed back to puppet Nellie and I replied, "I apologize mother. Thank you for having us here. Owen, you've met my mother Sabrina Forrester and this is my father, Alexander Forrester."

Owen shook hands with both of them who in turn wiped their hands on their pants, the same gesture they used after a handshake with the plumber or the gardener.

"Well, let's not dally here all day. We have guests waiting."

Owen held my hand while we followed, our footsteps quiet next to the tapping of my mother's designer stilettos on the wood floors. We entered the dining room and my heart stopped and for a moment the world became hazy.

"Nellie, you remember Corey and Ca.s.sandra and their children Christina, Colby and of course there's another on the way. And their parents of course. Right? And everyone this is Nellie's boyfriend Owen."

I stood staring, not at the guests but at Mom. How could she do this to me? A tug on my hand brought me back to the present, the very ugly present and I called puppet Nellie forth to handle it for me.

"Yes, of course. So nice to see you all. Merry Christmas." I sounded like a computer voice when I talked like that. We took our seats at the enormous cypress table and Owen whispered to me after a few bites.

"Calm down, she can't eat you and neither can they. It's going to be fine. I can take it. Your mom's a good cook." He was trying but I had given up a long time ago.

"We have personal chefs." I whispered back to him and he almost laughed.

The food served was probably one third of what Owen usually ate and I knew he must be starving. The silence during dinner was smothering.

"So, Nellie, how is school?' The icebreaker was provided by Ca.s.sandra and it was a lame attempt.

"School is great Ca.s.sandra. Thank you for asking. Your children are really beautiful. I'm sorry I couldn't come to the shower."

We had more of that shallow conversation for the rest of the meal. It was going unbelievably well in a fake kind of way. We went into the formal living room after the meal. The older adults were partaking in bourbon.

"Owen," my mother started in and I could tell by the intonation in her voice what was about to happen, "would you like a drink? You are twenty one right?"

Owen glanced at me quickly and winked as if he could 'one up' her.

"No ma'am, thank you. I am twenty one but I don't drink alcohol."

She raised an eyebrow and I swore I saw flames rise up in her eyes.

"Oh? It is my experience that when a young person doesn't drink it's because either they have an addiction problem or because they have alcoholic parents."

Owen's ma.s.sive frame flinched the tiniest bit at the mention of his parents and I immediately opened my mouth to defend them but Owen beat me to the punch.

"Mrs. Forrester, my parents are not alcoholics and I don't have an addiction problem. I've just been a witness to what happens when people drink. Insane, critical and ridiculously rude things come out of their mouths and they hurt the people they are supposed to love."

Before I could stop it I snorted and so did Corey and Ca.s.sandra. I don't know why they were laughing, they were pompous a.s.ses too. Mom let out a curt 'hmmm' and went on with her sn.o.bby chatter.

Then she started in on me.

"Nellie Mich.e.l.le, you've gone back to purple I see. It's been so long I can't remember what color it naturally is."

"Really Mom? Because pictures of prim and proper Nellie are plastered everywhere. You usually get Leslie to dust them and put them around the house before I'm coming, right? All you have to do is look at one of those."

She acted shocked and hurt and said she always kept pictures of me out in the house but I knew better.

I announced that I was going to take Owen on a tour of the house and my mother didn't even turn around to acknowledge it. I took him through the downstairs rooms and introduced him to Leslie, the housekeeper and Christophe, the chef. They both hugged me and showed me more affection than my parents put together.

Owen didn't say much and then I shrugged my shoulders and said, "That's it."

"You know that's not it Nellie. You're hiding your princess bedroom."

I opened my mouth as far as it would go. "How did you know?"

"Really? Look at this house. I bet your room looks like the Easter bunny had diarrhea."

I laughed so hard I could barely walk to my room. He was exactly right.

I opened the door and he cracked up. I slapped his shoulder and it made him laugh harder.

"It's not that funny. This was my prison." I said laughing, but now he stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry. I'm so glad you got out of here. This place, as big and decorated as it is, is kinda depressing."

He walked around my room touching random cheesy things and laughed. We decided to make our excuses and go ahead and leave.

Mom and Dad looked more relieved than heartbroken that we were going and on the way out we heard them making plans to open presents with Corey and Ca.s.sandra and their family. They never mentioned a present for me; my gift was getting out of there fairly unscathed.