Never Far Away (The Never #2)(14)

“So, now that our first, but not really first, date is out of the way, am I going to be able to see you again?” Ella asked as they approached her car. She sounded shy and he felt a smile pull at his lips. They stopped and faced each other on the sidewalk.

“Of course. Do you still have the same phone number?”

“I do.”

Porter pulled out his cell phone and sent a text to her number he saved in his phone. The same number he’d looked at countless times willing himself to be strong and not contact her. His smile grew thinking about the fact that they were here, together, exchanging phone numbers again.

“There. Now you’ve got my number, don’t be afraid to use it.”

“I won’t be,” she said. He was a little surprised when she leaned towards him and lifted up to put her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and let his face rest in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent again. When he felt her pull away, he tried not to groan out loud; he wanted to hold her forever. “Thank you for the beautiful ring, Porter. I love it.”

“I’m glad. I had a really good afternoon with you, Ella. I hope I didn’t scare you away with everything I told you. I’ve never really been very good at filtering my mouth. I usually just say whatever I’m thinking.”

“Honesty is exactly what I need right now so, no, you didn’t scare me away.”

“Good, well, I’ll let you get back to the rest of your day.” He took a step back from her and before he turned away he gave her wink. He was rewarded with her radiant smile and a laugh. She shook her head and got into her car. He idly wondered if there were still jumper cables in her trunk with a big red bow on them, and how they would have been explained to the woman who wouldn’t remember receiving them. He shook his head at the thought, because it simply didn’t matter.





Ella

Ella decided to stop by Poppy after she left Porter and his devastatingly handsome face. He had held her hand most of the afternoon, and it made her feel young and giddy. His hands were large and rough from his work, she imagined. The feeling of his callouses scratching along her hand made her skin prickle more than once. Had his hands been all over her body? He had painted a really hot picture of the two of them being together. What would it be like to let his hands roam wherever they wanted? She shook her head and smiled because she knew what it would be like: amazing.

She was fairly certain that even if they didn’t have this unusual history, she would still be terribly drawn to him and she would probably make a fool of herself falling for him. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and saw the smile plastered all over her face. She liked the way she looked when she was happy. She hadn’t seen a smile on her face a whole lot lately.

As she strolled into Poppy, she noticed that Megan was behind the counter and she was talking to Kalli. As she approached she noticed Megan’s eyes glance up at her, and then she did a double take and her mouth fell open. She closed it quickly with a loud snap.

“Oh, shit,” Megan said.

“What?” Kalli asked, looking between the two of them.

“Yeah, what?” Ella was confused.

“You were with him, weren’t you?” Megan said accusatorily.

“What?” Ella was confused by her tone and her question. “Who?”

Megan came around the counter and came towards Ella until she was standing right in front of her.

“You know who, Ella.”

Ella looked between her sister and her friend and decided it was dumb to be hiding Porter from them. She was an adult and she had every right to see whomever she wanted.

“Are you talking about Porter?” Ella asked icily. Megan’s eyes shot up at the use of his name.

“Damnit. He promised me he wouldn’t tell you who he was.”

“I knew who he was.” Shock moved across Megan’s face like lightening.

“What do you mean you knew who he was? You remember him?”

“Yes, I remember him from the hospital, after I woke up. He was there for just a minute, but I remember him. But nothing from before the accident.”

“What did he tell you?”

“Everything. But you can’t be mad at him. He’s just doing what he feels is right. Just like you. I’m tired of everyone tiptoeing around me. I can handle it, Megan. Trust me. Porter will be good for me.” Megan’s eyes lingered on Ella’s for a few seconds as she seemed to mull over what she had said.

“Listen, as your sister I just want to say this: Porter is very hot. And I am sure he is equally charming and sweet. But just because he shows up here and tells you that you used to be in love with him, it doesn’t mean you are obligated to him.”

“Obligated? Megan,” Ella let out an exasperated sigh. “Where is this coming from? Why are you so against him? I have said hardly anything about him and you’re already rooting against him? Why?”

“You’ve been through so much, Ella. We’re all worried about you. I just don’t want something bad to happen to you again.”

“So I’m not allowed to date?”

“Ella, the last time you dated Porter, it was like warp-speed dating. You guys went from zero to f*cking in like, a matter of hours.” Ella’s eyebrows shot up.