Free Cherishing You by JoRae Andrews Page A

can call you tomorrow.”
    “Andi, come in. You’re fine, you know you’re welcome here anytime.” I step aside and motion her in. She takes a couple steps in and I close the door. When I turn, she’s staring at me, and I can’t quite figure out what it is I’m seeing in her eyes. Maybe a mix of fear and determination. The last thing I ever want Andi to feel when she looks at me is fear.
    “Remember what I said earlier, Andi? I’m the same guy I was when you left.”
    “I know you are, Ethan, and I’m so glad to see that. I’ve missed you so much. You don’t know how many times I wanted to pick up the phone just to tell you about something. When something good happens, it’s you I want to call and share all my excitement with. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I really miss having my best friend to talk to.”
    “I’ve missed you too. After you left, I missed you so much that I was sick constantly. I had no appetite, and I don’t even know how much weight I ended up losing. I had no motivation, until I started working for Ron. I don’t know, working for him helped ease it somehow. I guess being close with him in some ways helped me feel closer to you. Andi, I’ve missed you so much, and I know you’re going back to Texas and I would never stand in your way of happiness, but I can’t go back to not being able to talk to you. I won’t, actually. So you may as well get used to hearing from me, because I’m not backing down this time,” I say with a smile across my face. I’ve already decided I’m not going to live without her. I love her, and no matter how hard I’ve tried to leave her alone, I can’t. I won’t . Not having her in my life is not an option.
    “I’m glad to hear that, because I don’t want to go back to the way we were before either. Not talking to you was so hard, and I don’t want to do that again. And I’m counting on you calling me, mister!” Andi giggles.
    Taking a few steps to her, I come in close to her face. “I love to hear you giggle. It’s so cute, and I’ve really missed your smiling face. And now that I’ve had a taste of your mouth, I’ve already been missing your lips on mine.” I lean down and place a soft kiss on her lips. As soon as I do, I feel the vibration of a soft moan coming from Andi’s throat. I can’t hold back the small victory chant in my head, and I chuckle a little bit. This girl is killing me!
    Placing my hands on her hips, I pull her tight against me. She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest.
    “What are we doing, Ethan? As much as I missed you and our friendship, I never knew how good your lips would feel on mine. I melt every time you look at me. As much as you keep saying you’re the same as before and all that, we both know we’re not. The moment we crossed the line from being best friends to you looking at me with the same desire in your eyes as what I’m feeling shows we’re not the same. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, just that we’re deeper now than ever before. I don’t know what to do.” She lifts her head and pulls back a little. “Listen, Ethan, clearly you and Kelly aren’t together, but you haven’t said a single word about your baby. I know it was a long time ago, but please tell me what happened.”
    “Why does it matter?”
    “I need to be able to process it and put it away. I never dreamed you and I would ever have a fight, let alone it be big enough to not speak for four long, excruciating years. I never thought my life would change so much so quickly. My whole world tilted that day. I was in shock, and I was hurt that it was her and not me. I was hurt that you even slept with her and gave that stupid bitch the chance to sink her claws in you. But most of all, I was hurt that you took her side. You were okay to let go of me to make her happy. Why didn’t you fight for me ?”
    She says all this with tears in her eyes, and it rips my heart out. I had