Unintentional (2 page)

I decide to take the plunge and ask about sleeping arrangements.

“So, Mattie, how do you want to work this?” I ask.

“Work what?”

“I’m thinking you can take the bedroom, and I’ll crash in the loft.”

She jerks her head up, her face panicked. Damn, I asked too soon.

“What? No, you can’t stay here with me. I don’t even know you!”

Mattie glances over at her suitcase. It appears she’s contemplating leaving. I’d already made my decision while she was in the shower that I didn’t want her to leave. Just as I’m trying to form an argument, the phone rings. Mattie bolts out of her chair and answers it. She sure is jumpy.

I eavesdrop while Mattie talks with Julianne, Sam’s wife. It’s apparent they already have an easy, comfortable banter between them.

“Well, I don’t have a choice, now do I?” Mattie responds to something Julianne has said. She follows up with, “I’ll try.”

“You’ll try what?” I can’t help but ask.

“To put up with you. What else?” Mattie laughs. The sound is like a shot to my stomach. My breath hitches as I continue to study her. She’s radiant when she smiles. I could sit here and watch her all day.

Mattie grips the phone to her ear as she glances around the room. Her gaze settles on my guitar propped in the corner. She leans back in her chair, putting her feet up on the ottoman. She tells Julianne she’s staying. I feel the thrill race through my body. This is strange. I’ve never been drawn to anyone like this before. I barely know her.

It’s a pleasant evening, so we decide to sit out on the deck overlooking the river. I love this cabin. It’s not large, with only one bedroom and a loft. The size doesn’t matter though. It’s the surroundings. It feels like we’re in a green cocoon, enveloping us with the comforting, melodic sounds of the river. If I weren’t so focused on Mattie, now would be the ideal time to work on my songwriting. Deep emotion, good or bad, always brings out my creative side.

Mattie looks over at me and remarks, “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a more peaceful place.”

Okay, now she’s reading my mind. It’s unnerving, being with her, experiencing these foreign emotions, but I’m enjoying every minute.

We spend the rest of the evening talking, getting to know each other. I’m noticing she’s very good at steering the conversation away from anything personal. So I introduce my favorite game, Questions. It’s the best game I know to break the ice. I really want to know this girl. No, I need to know her.

The game is both a blessing and a curse. I’m opening myself up to this girl. I’m nervous because, the more I discover about Mattie, the more I want to be with her. At first, I was dazzled by her beauty, but I soon discovered there’s so much more to her. In less than twenty-four hours, I’ve learned that Mattie is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She’s sensitive and kind, resilient and strong, but also quite funny. Most of our time together is spent laughing. How did I let this happen? My entire adult life, I’ve been avoiding this. I don’t need or want a relationship. I have to stay focused on my career. For the first time in years, though, I feel alive. No, I won’t allow myself to have feelings for this girl. It’s just not going to happen.

Chapter 1

Cade

August

It’s happened. I’m in love with Mattie. I’ve tried everything humanly possible to avoid it, but this feeling has slowly, surely and inescapably taken control. I’ve tried to hold back, knowing she’s still in love with her former fiancé, Jeremy. But try as I might, it’s been impossible to escape. Before, I was more concerned about a relationship interfering with my career choice. Now, it doesn’t matter. Being with Mattie, getting to know her more and more each day is what’s important to me.

As I get ready for the evening, I ponder the last three months. I can’t believe so much has happened in such a short amount of time. Mattie…I can’t stop thinking about her. We spend almost every day together. We decided from the beginning our relationship would be platonic – only friends. She made it clear she wasn’t ready for another relationship for a long time, and she may not ever be.

It’s been awe-inspiring to watch Mattie come back from the loss, the pain she experienced. It was the very reason she was out at the cabin the weekend we met. Mattie suffered a terrible breakup with her fiancé, Jeremy. He betrayed her in the worst way possible. She found him in bed with her best friend, Sarah.

You can say it’s the classic cheating story, but it’s impossible to imagine any sane man cheating on Mattie. Once I got to know her, I recognized she would never stay with someone who would do such a thing. However, sometimes I notice her staring into nothingness with a wistful expression on her face. That’s when I know she’s remembering something about Jeremy. It bothers me to no end that she still loves him, but I also know she’d never go back to him. She has a firm belief system in place, with integrity and faithfulness topping the list. Mattie needs a man who will appreciate her as the truly remarkable person she is.

I know I can be that man for her. I would never do to her what Jeremy did. The idiot. It infuriates me that a man who had it all could be so stupid. How could anyone cheat on a girl like Mattie? She’s the most kind-hearted, thoughtful, and sweet person I’ve ever met.

I hope he’s suffering for his mistake. And her ex-best friend
Sarah? She has to be the shallowest and most conniving person around to toss out her friendship with Mattie for some womanizer. They deserve each other.

The lines of my friendship with Mattie have been blurring for some time now. I sense she’s ready to move on from her heartbreak. We’ve always had an affectionate, but mostly platonic relationship. Lately, though, I’ve noticed her hugs have been a little tighter, a little longer. Her head rests softly on my shoulder, her body snuggling in close while we watch movies. It’s driving me a little crazy, but I like it. Mattie is finally letting go of Jeremy, I’m sure of it.

Tonight is the night I hope things change for us. I’m diving in, no looking back. I’m ready, and I’m pretty certain she is also. If things go the way I think they will, I’ll be the happiest man on earth.

I stop at her apartment building and wait outside at our usual meeting spot. It’s become our routine; every weekend, Mattie comes to watch my band, Hard Reign, play at local nightclubs.

Mattie exits her building at the normal time, but tonight, it’s not routine, not usual at all. It’s her, wearing the most sensual, daring dress I’ve ever seen her in. Oh my God, she’s stunning. My mouth is trying to form words as I open the car door for her. She has a sly smile
on her face. She knows exactly what she’s doing to me. I shake my head, trying to snap out of it. The atmosphere hums with tension, sexual tension. I already know this night is going to be great.

Three hours later, the band has almost completed our set. I’ve asked my band mates, Mica, Ayden, and Scott, if I may dedicate a song to Mattie. They’ve known for months how I feel about her. I can’t keep pretending I don’t want her. I want her in the most desperate way. I turn to Mattie and sing “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers directly to her.

Mattie’s eyes are shining back at me. Her hand is on her chest. With that small gesture, I know tonight will be different. We’ve been holding our feelings back for so long. Tonight, we’ll be together, and I don’t plan on ever letting her go.

Once I finish the last note, I rip the guitar off and head right for her. Her expression, it’s everything I’d hoped for. Her eyes are glistening with tears as her gaze locks onto mine. I’m going to kiss her, and nothing is going to stop me. I’ve wanted to kiss her since we first met three months ago.

I stride over to Mattie, take her in my arms, and press my lips gently against hers. I don’t know how she’s going to react, so I plan to
take it slowly. I feel her body melt into mine. A soft breath escapes her as she puts her arms around my neck and leans in. That’s all the encouragement I need. I pull her close and deepen the kiss, sweeping my tongue across her lips. Mattie softly moans as she shifts closer, responding to the pent up desire I’ve let loose. I’m hanging on for dear life. I have one hand grasping her hair and the other fisted in her dress. I’ve never felt such passion, ever. I’m so consumed with the kiss, I can barely hear all the cheering, laughing, and clapping that’s exploding around the nightclub. All I can think about is Mattie and this life-changing moment.

Suddenly, I feel a hand grab my shirt and pull me back. I look up to see a dark-haired man who looks like he wants to kill me, with his raging eyes and clenched teeth. I try to figure out who he is, when I’m punched in the face, knocked to the floor.

I don’t care who this guy is. He’s going down! I start to get up, when I notice a blonde girl taking a gun out of her purse. I decide to stay put. I don’t want any sudden movements possibly provoking this girl to pull the trigger, making a bad situation worse. Who the hell are these people?

The girl holding the gun has crazy eyes. My instincts tell me to
move, get to Mattie and protect her. But I’m still worried about the gun going off, possibly shooting Mattie. Panic starts to take root, making me freeze with indecision. I just want Mattie safe, away from here. I glance over at her.

Mattie’s eyes are wide, and I hear her say softly, “Sarah.” Is this Sarah? The Sarah who slept with her ex-fiancé?

That must mean… Oh no, the guy who hit me must be Jeremy. I look back at him. He’s turned the color of his shirt, a deep red. The sweat is dripping off his forehead. He looks over at Sarah with terror taking over his expression, eyes bulging, mouth opening and closing trying to form words. Did he bring her here?

Sarah, with the gun shaking in her hands and a sneer on her face, asks Mattie, “You get to choose Mattie. I’m going to kill one of them – either your precious Jeremy, or your pretty Tattoo Boy over there.” She swings the gun back and forth between Jeremy and me. It’s confirmed, I’m looking at Mattie’s ex-fiancé.

I see Mattie hesitate, she glances at both Jeremy and I, and calmly tells her that her choice is “Sarah”.

Knowing what Mattie has done, Jeremy yells, “No!” Sarah, with hate-filled eyes, aims the gun at Mattie and pulls the trigger. I
hear the sound of the gun before Mattie goes down.

Oh my God, Mattie! As she falls, she hits her head on one of the tables. She’s only a few feet from me, so I start to go to her. As I take off my shirt to stop the flow of blood coming from the gunshot wound in her shoulder, I hear two more gunshots. I can’t think about it now. I’m not concerned about anyone or anything except Mattie.

Before the gun shots, the crowd was gathering around, looking to see what the commotion was all about. After, they are scrambling out of the nightclub like bees after their nest has been smoked out. Everyone wants out – right now. Chairs and tables are being knocked over in the melee.

Mattie‘s unconscious; I have to help her. I hear more shouting, and the guy, who I know now is Jeremy comes over and tries to shove me out of the way, but I’m not budging. He finally relents, and I stay, putting pressure on her wound. The nightclub has emptied out, with only a few people remaining. I take a look around and see Sarah lying on the floor about twenty feet away from us.

I notice someone else on the ground. I think its Jerry, the club’s bouncer. This is a nightmare. The continued and rising panic doesn’t abate because the ambulance and police haven’t arrived yet.
I’m about to yell for someone to call 911 again, when I finally hear the sirens. Mattie is going to be all right. She has to be.

∗∗∗

It’s two in the morning and I’m finally at the hospital with Mattie. They’ve wheeled her right into surgery. The girl who started all of this was DOA, along with Jerry, the bouncer. Two people have died.

I found out the girl with the gun was indeed Sarah. I just haven’t been clued in to why she was here and why she wanted to hurt Mattie. Didn’t she already hurt her enough?

I’m in the waiting room with Jeremy. He’s running his fingers through his hair while pacing. I don’t trust myself to speak to him yet. I want to yell at him, blame him for everything that’s happened. Then, I want to punch him senseless. I need to totally withdraw, either that or they’ll be admitting Jeremy soon.

Ayden, Mica, and Scott come barreling in around two-thirty in the morning, interrupting each other, asking about Mattie. I try to calm them down.

“Guys! If you all stop talking at once I’ll tell you what I
know.”

That seems to shut them up for the moment.

“Mattie is in surgery. The doctors removed the bullet from her shoulder and said she has a concussion. They assure me she should be okay. Okay guys? So please, just sit down. We can wait this out together.”

I’m so exhausted and drained I really don’t want to talk to anyone right now. They sense what I’m feeling and back off.

It’s four am before we get the news. Mattie is out of the woods. The doctors expect her to make a full recovery. She suffered a major concussion from her fall after she was shot. The doctors assure us that by tomorrow she’ll likely be conscious. My relief is indescribable. I lay my head back against the wall feeling like I can finally breathe again.

Jeremy hears the news, stops his pacing and flops into the chair on the other side of the room. He puts his face in his hands and starts to cry. I look over at him in shock. If he loved Mattie this much, why in the hell did he cheat on her?

∗∗∗

I literally feel like I’m going crazy. The idiot, Jeremy, continues pacing, driving all of us to the brink. Ayden, Mica and Scott remain with me in the waiting room. Part of me is glad they’ve stuck around; the other part wants to be alone with Jeremy.

My hands are clasping and unclasping as I try to contain my anger. I know the guys remain because they care for Mattie. I also know they’re staying to make sure I don’t do what I really want. I want to pummel Jeremy and release the fury that started two days ago when he showed up with his crazy girlfriend or whoever she was.

Before, Jeremy was always a ghost from Mattie’s past. Now, he’s real, and I want him to pay for hurting her, not once, but twice. He has no right to be here. I want him to leave, but I know by his body language, that’s not going to happen. Unless I use force…