Taking Shots (Assassins, #1)(108)

It had been a long two weeks, but Shea was coming home the next day and Elli was super excited!

The first week Elli work a lot, it was a good week for her and the Assassins since they had won every game they played. On Thanksgiving, Elli ended up going to Liam and Noah’s house to see the kids before they went to her parents. It was wonderful seeing the kids, they asked her about Shea and when they would see him again, Elli promised to have a day with them and Shea. They loved that and covered her with kisses and hugs. She ate dinner with Bryan, talking hockey, and about Shea. He wanted to make sure Shea was being good to her, which, of course, he was.

Every time Shea and Elli would get off the phone, he would tell her he loved her. She didn’t realize being told that she was loved by someone would fill her so completely, but every time Shea did, it gave her butterflies, but then she would feel like the biggest ass in the world because she would say “Thanks, bye!” What was supposed to say though? She didn’t want to lie to him. Yes, she had deep feelings for Shea, maybe they were love, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it, not in less she knew for a fact that she did. Which how she was going to know that was beyond her.

The past week was busy with people getting Christmas pictures done in the studio, and businesses hiring Elli for Christmas parties. Birthdays and weddings were in full swing again, and Elli wasn’t getting home until late again. The holidays always brought in a lot of business, which was good, but Elli was crazy tired by the time she got home.

Nashville was also so beautiful during Christmas time. Lights covered trees, Santa filled the windows of businesses, lights shaped into different Christmas figures adorned every light post along the sidewalks and everyone was just nicer during the holidays, it seemed. There was such a beautiful feeling that just filled Elli up during the holidays, even with Harper bitching every minute about Jakob, she couldn’t help but smile.

“I mean, I love him, I do, but, Jesus, I’m ready for him to go on the road!” Harper complained some more as Elli ordered some toys for the kids on the computer.

“I mean what did you expect, Harp?”

Harper threw her arms up in the air, “I was expecting him to not bitch and moan!”

Elli shook her head, “Harp, he’s in pain, give him some slack.”

“He’s a baby,” she said in a huff as she crossed her arms. Elli giggled just as her phone went off. She looked at the display seeing it was Jodi.

“Jodi!” she gushed, Harper smiled as Jodi gushed, “Hey, Elli!”

“Tell her I say hi!”

“Harper says hi!” Jodi laughed, saying to tell her the same.

“So I’m calling because my water heater busted, my carpets are soaked and there is no way I can have people over this weekend for our dinner, is there any way we can do it at your house?”

“Oh no! That sucks, um, yeah, I don’t see why not,” Elli said trying to think of the last time she went home. She had gone shopping for clothes because she didn’t want to go back to her house. She had been missing Shea a lot these past two weeks; she had figured it was cause of the holidays. All she knew was she was ready for him to be home, even if it was only for three days.

“Awesome, thanks so much!”

“No problem babe! See ya Sunday,” she said before saying bye and hanging up the phone.

“What happened?” Harper asked as she stretched out on Elli’s couch.

“Jodi’s water heater busted, she was wondering if we can do it at my house,” she answered before putting in her credit card information in the right spaces for her order.

“Well, shit, do you think Shea would mind having it at his house? Jakob won’t make it in the car out to your house.”

Elli nodded, “Crap, I forget he can’t ride in the car for long. I don’t know, I can ask, I guess,” she said as she looked at the time. Shea was working out, so she would have to wait to call him.

“Cool,” Harper said with a nod, then she sat up quickly, “You know what would make me happy and forget that I have a whiny, little brat of a boyfriend at home?”

Elli giggled as she looked over at Harper, “What’s that?”

“Let's go out later!”

“Go out?”

“Yeah, let’s go karaoking!”

“Karaoking? Is that even a word?”

“It is in my dictionary! Come on! Let’s go get our drink on!”

Elli giggled as she shook her head, “Harper, I haven’t drank in months.”

“More the reason to go, we’ll have a ball, we always do! Please!”

“Maybe, depends on how the day goes,” she said with a grin while Harper’s shoulders slumped. She wasn’t saying no, she loved going out with Harper, but she needed to clean up a little at the condo before Shea got home, and she had a busy day tomorrow, so she wouldn’t be able to drink much if she did.

Her cell phone rang just as she was about to get up to get the receipt that she had printed off the printer. It was Shea.

“Hey you, I thought you were working out,” she said as she got the piece of paper, folding it up and putting it in her check book.

“Got done early, what are you doing?”

“Hanging out with Harper in the office, my next appointment isn’t for another twenty minutes.”