Rushed: Christopher (The Four 4.50)

I was horrified to see three older women standing not more than two feet from us. I put them in their late thirties, early forties. One of them was holding what looked like some kind of wicker basket, another had a covered cake pan, and the third was carrying a bottle of wine.

“Oh, God,” I said as I tried to push Rush off me.

“Ladies,” Rush said in amusement as he made a big production of climbing to his feet and then pulling me up against him.

There was no missing the women’s responses as they eyed Rush up and down. I was the one who had to cough to get their attention so they’d stop ogling my guy.

My guy? What the hell?

“Oh, um, good evening,” the woman in the middle said. “We’re the official welcoming committee,” she added. “I’m Margie, and this is Amanda, and that’s Theresa.” She pointed at the other two women as she introduced them. “Is one of you the homeowner?”

“Um, yeah, that’s me,” I said. I felt like my cheeks were on fire. So much for living unnoticed in the neighborhood. I’d be lucky if there weren’t religious zealots pounding on my door within the hour to tell me I was going to hell.

“This is Christopher,” Rush said. “And I’m his boyfriend, Rush.”

I nearly swallowed my tongue when he said boyfriend.

“Oh,” Margie responded, though admittedly it sounded like she was more interested than disgusted. I didn’t see any kind of judgment in the expressions of the other two women either.

“Oh my, are you all right?” Theresa asked Rush as she motioned to his nose.

“Oh yeah, this one doesn’t know his own strength,” he said as he gave me a little half hug. “He thought he saw a mosquito on my face, and well…” Rush tipped his head and motioned to his nose.

“No, I—”

“Is that a merlot?” Rush asked Amanda, who was holding the bottle of wine.

“Why, yes, it is. It’s one of my husband’s and my favorite vintages. We hope you enjoy it.”

“And this is just a little basket of goodies from some of the different small businesses in the area,” Margie added. “But the real treat is Theresa’s homemade Lemon Surprise cake.”

Theresa lifted the cake cover off to reveal a gorgeous layer cake with white frosting and yellow shavings along with a few lemon slices.

“Wow,” Rush and I said in unison.

“Anyway, we don’t want to keep you,” Margie said with a sly smile as she handed me the basket and the wine. Rush was given the cake.

“If you drop that,” I warned him.

“Not a chance,” Rush responded. He was practically salivating.

“Thank you so much,” I said. “I, uh, wow, this is just really nice.”

“It’s no trouble,” Amanda said, and then she was giving me a hug despite the stuff in my arms. As the ladies said their goodbyes, a strange sense of loss came over me. I glanced at Rush, but he didn’t say anything, though I had a feeling he knew what I was going through.

“Um, would you ladies like to come inside? There’s way too much here for just me and Rush,” I said. As right as the invitation felt, I was also a little terrified by it. I’d been living a low profile for so long that I wasn’t sure I even knew how to entertain guests.

The ladies turned their heels on a dime.

“We couldn’t…”

“Just for a little while…”

“Wine and a Theresa cake? Jay is going to be so jealous,” Margie said.

“Oh, well, you can invite him if you want,” I offered.

“He’s a she, and she’s out of town,” Margie said easily. “Married for fifteen years, and I still can’t sleep without her next to me. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.” Margie put her arm around me as she grabbed the bottle of wine and cast a glance at Rush, who was surrounded by the other two women.

I should have used the opportunity to correct what Rush had said about being my boyfriend, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I responded to her comment about not being able to sleep without my man by my side with total honesty.

“I do,” I agreed. I looked over my shoulder at Rush, who shot me a wink even as he charmed the ladies.

He hadn’t even been sharing my bed for more than a couple of days, but I couldn’t even fathom what it would be like to one day have to sleep without him by my side.

It was insanity.

As Margie urged me toward the house, I realized something.

Maybe a little insanity was just what the doctor ordered.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

RUSH

The next several days flew by in most ways but dragged in one very important one.

Christopher had had his blood drawn the previous day so the RNA test to check his viral count could be run. The results would take anywhere from two to four days to get. Although we tried to stay busy, there was no denying that both of us were needing and dreading the call that the results were in. Even then, there would be more waiting because the doctor would only share the results with Christopher in person, not over the phone. Based on her schedule, it could take another day or two to get in to see her.