Autumn Falls (Seasons of Love)

Chapter Seven

Autumn

We come down from our amazing passion and I’m shocked that I gave myself to him.It goes against everything in me to be so reckless and carefree. A big part of me wants to stay wrapped up in his arms in this dark room, but the doubts kick in.

I quickly grab my clothes and throw them on. “I need to go home. My dad is probably going to be looking out for me.”

I’m an adult, but I do live with my dad, and I just met Owen. “I get it.” He leans in and cups my face, cradling my cheeks and kissing me. “How about we walk back and get some air? You look like you need it,” he says. There’s a sense of discontent in his tone.

Damn it, he’s so onto me. “I’d like that.”

We exit the unfinished farmhouse and even from this view in the moonlight it’s spectacular. It overlooks the orchard. Several rows of apple trees line the driveway. They’re bare now, but at the end of winter we’ll see the beginning of the season. He takes my hand and turns me to face him. “Let me fix this.” He adjusts my scarf and hat. “I don’t want you getting too cold out here.”

“Thank you. It did get a little chillier.”

“If you want, we can drive.”

“No, I’d like to walk.”

“Okay,” he says, smiling down on me with that killer face that can make any woman weak in the knees.

My heart pounds in my chest as he walks me home. It’s not that far from his new home, but as we cross the orchard, he looks into my eyes several times. Those stolen glances make me feel like I’m not going home but I’m leaving. There’s just something about Owen that does something to me.

From the first moment I saw him, I felt safe and warm. “So do you want to talk about the whole situation with Carter? Are we going to ignore it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you still in love with him?” Is that what he really thinks my urge to leave was about?

“I was never in love with Carter.”

“Sweetheart, I saw the look on your face when it came to Caroline, and you could not have hated her more. Are you an expert at heartbreaks?” I asked him.

“No. I’ve never had my heart broken before. It’s just you hate her so much for stealing him.”

I shake my head. “I hate her because she’s a bitch. I hate her because she made me the laughingstock of this town and she enjoys it. She’s not even sorry. As much as I despise Carter for cheating on me with her, at least he has the decency not to be rude when he sees me. He doesn’t go out there starting rumors, or at least I never heard them. This town, although usually nice, loves a good gossip. And Caroline has spread them far and wide. Although Carter was my first boyfriend, he and I never really were in love with each other, and it never got that serious.”

“What do you mean, it never got that serious? You were together for a long time. “

“It means there’s a reason she’s pregnant and I’m not. And you know first-hand that he never got that far with me. For some reason, I kept pushing him away, which I obviously didn’t with you. You had no problem getting in my pants.” I smirked at him.

He smiles with pride. “That’s because we’re different. Our relationship is special.”

“Exactly, so Caroline and Carter can have their happily ever after with their baby.”

“Baby?” he scoffs.

“Yeah, you didn’t know she’s pregnant?” He hangs around our mayor, so I’m surprised he’s not in the loop.

“How did you find out about it? I thought you weren’t friends with her.”

“Come on, this town talks and so does a drunk Carter. So the whole town knows about it. He might not be happy about it, but Carter’s going to take care of it, I’m sure. Despite being a cheating bastard, he will do the right thing.” He scowls.

“Are you jealous?” I press my hand on his chest and stare up at him as we stand in the middle of the orchard.

“No,” he answers. I shrugged my shoulders. Could this big, handsome brute really be jealous when I gave him my virginity?

“Okay,” I say, turning back to the road and walking toward the house and he walks beside me. “So we’re here.”

“Thanks for tonight. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.”

“Soon, you’ll be staying every single night,” he promises. “Let’s make it a date for tomorrow as well.”

“I’d like that, Owen.” I step up on my toes and kiss his lips. Our mouths miss and I connect with his jaw. He chuckles and tips my chin, bringing our lips together. The feel of his mouth on mine is nothing like I’ve ever felt before and I nearly melt, but he swiftly wraps his arms around me, holding me up and I cling to him tightly. He carries me away from my front door and off to the side where we kiss deeply. My hands lace into his hair, spearing it and wanting to feel him closer.

“Autumn, are you home?” Noelle shouts from the porch. Owen and I quickly break apart, and I step back and lightly brush my lips. I’m going to kick her ass. He gives a chuckle.

“We’re back.”

“Yeah, I was wondering how long it was going to take. Dad was hoping he didn’t have to send out a hunting party.”

“Whatever, I bet dad is already in bed.”

“He is, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have come looking for you.” I roll my eyes, but she’s right. I’m rushing this with Owen and so is he.

“It’s been great, Owen, but I should head in.”

“You should before I take you back to my little apartment in town or back to our future home. I have a busy morning, but I’ll be calling you tomorrow morning, anyway.” He leans in and kisses my cheek before turning back and walking the way he came. He left his car by the house he’s building.

Noelle leads me back into the house and smiles. “God, you two were going at it. I almost had to pull out the hose on you.” I’m glad it’s cold out or she’d see how red her words really made me. She has no idea how we really went at it, like wild animals.

“It would have been funny if it wasn’t getting so cold. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m kind of tired, so I’m headed to bed.” I move past my sister and head upstairs to my room and ignore her teasing because that’s all she’s going to do.

****

The next morning comes, and I miss Owen. I want to talk about yesterday. I feel like we argued about nothing, and I should have stayed with him instead of running off like a silly little girl. He’s clearly upset about Carter, which is understandable since my relationship ended recently and he’s like in our face on a daily basis, but I know there’s more. Something isn’t right between us, and we need to talk. Maybe it’s because we’re rushing everything.

I call his cell first thing in the morning and a woman answers. “Well, good morning, Autumn. Is there someone you’re looking for?” Caroline coos on the other end of the line, adding a yawn at the tail of her words.

“What the hell?” Owen roars. “Get the fuck out of here before I have you arrested,” he snarls.

“You’re a pussy and you’re not going to do anything.”

“Autumn, I’ll call you back.”

The call goes dead, and I slump on my bed, feeling completely overwhelmed. What am I supposed to think?

I decided to get dressed because no matter what happens, there are things to do. My phone rings and I think it’s Owen calling me back, so I pick up without looking, but it’s not him. “Hello, Autumn?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

“This is Tara at the pharmacy. Your dad’s meds are ready for pick up.”

“Okay, great. I’m on my way.” This is exactly what I need to do. Get out of the house and get some air.

“Dad, I’m going to head into town and pick up your prescriptions.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I get in my car and head down the road to the pharmacy. Carter is in there while I’m inside.

“Hey girl, how are you doing?”

“I’m okay. I’m here to get my dad’s meds. What are you doing here this early in the morning?”

“I’m supposed to pick up some things.” Being nosy, I peek inside the basket and see prenatal vitamins. He has the nerve to look embarrassed, but he has no idea that she was with Owen right now, answering his phone and insinuating that she was fucking him. I shutter in revulsion.

“Autumn…I…” I put my hand up, stopping before he tries to explain himself.

“Don’t. Whatever we were is said and done with, Carter. I get it. Caroline is attractive to everyone.” I bite out, my anger pouring like a waterfall from my lips.

“You mean she’s sunk her claws into Owen, too?”

“You don’t look upset by that.”

“No offense, but I’d love to get her out of my way. She used me that night and did it to break us up. I fell for it because I’m a stupid ass who ruined the best thing that ever happened to me, but then again, she doesn’t want me any more than the next guy.” He rakes his hands through his hair. He rocks on his feet like he’s trying to find the right thing to say, but I’m not sure there’s anything he can say to me. This is the longest conversation we’ve had since I found out about the affair.

“Fuck, I’m not sure she’s even pregnant. She’s been acting weird about the doctor’s appointments and there’s something that the receptionist said yesterday that threw me off.” He bites on his bottom lip like he doesn’t want to admit the truth.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. She said she hadn’t seen Caroline there in six months. I’ve been paying for doctor’s visits for three months. She’s not even showing, either. I know it’s possible even though she’s a stick, but….”

“No, I get it.”

“I wanted to end our relationship when I saw you over the summer at the lake. Caroline saw the way I was looking at you and she got pissed at me.” I remember running into both of them and his expression was different, but I didn’t know what it meant at the time. “Does she think it would keep us together?”

“Carter, I’ve warned you about staying away from Autumn,” Owen’s voice comes from behind me. “I’ll beat your ass and then bury your body under my damn trees if you make a move on her.”

“I know you’re not trying to play that when you were with Caroline this morning,” I snap.

“You mean I had her arrested like I said,” I added.

“You had her arrested?” Carter said.

“You don’t need these,” Owen says, taking the prenatal vitamins out of the basket. “She’s playing you. She left her tampon wrappers at Matt’s house the other day.”

“I knew it.”

“That’s why you were all pissy about Carter taking care of the baby.”

“No, because this fucker still wants you.”

I look at Carter and see his eyes are speaking the truth. “It doesn’t matter. The damage is done and it could never be undone. Cheating is my unforgivable sin.” I look up at Owen. “That goes for you too, Owen.”

“I didn’t cheat on you. I never would do such a horrible thing. That bitch snuck onto the property and my alert went off. You can check every damn camera. The cops were on their way before she even got her words out to you.” He runs his hands through his thick dark brown hair in aggravation.

I knew he wasn’t lying, but she had been my nemesis for so long that it hurt to even picture the two of them together. “I’ve got to go.” Carter drops his basket and turns to leave, but Owen grabs his bicep.

“Don’t fucking do anything stupid. She’s not worth it. I might not want you chasing after my woman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe you have a future ahead of you.”

“I won’t. She’s not getting the best of me again. I don’t need to waste my time anymore. I’m sorry to both of you. Good luck.” He tugs himself free and walks out.

“You?” Owen says as he turns back to me. “You and I have a lot to talk about.”

“I need to get my dad’s medicine first.”

“I’ll wait.” He follows me to the counter, and I give the pharmacist my dad’s information.

Owen stands behind me with his arms crossed, waiting patiently. Once we’re done, he leads me to his vehicle and helps me inside. “Does your dad need these this minute or can he wait a while?”

“He has enough for the next couple of days.”

“Okay good. We’re going to the house.”

“What about my car?”

“We can pick it up later, but we have things to deal with and I refuse to wait.” He drives us in silence, and we arrive at the construction zone where the crew is working. He leads me up the stairs. “Please don’t bother us,” he informs them. “This is the master bedroom.” Owen opens a door and inside is a massive room that’s three times the size of a normal room. My mouth falls open as I stare at all the windows that line one wall. There are two doors, one is a double door, and another is a regular.

“We can talk about the design later, but first we need to clear the air.”

“The design?” Does he mean?

I turn around to stare at Owen and he takes my hand in his, and the fall sun is beaming through the room, casting a perfect glow over his handsome build. He then puts both my hands into one of his strong ones and then caresses my cheek. “I get that you’re dealing with abandonment and trust issues from that fuck and your mom, but I’m not them. Autumn, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“You love me?” The smile on my face must be a mile wide right now.

He nods. “Yes, I do.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re my first for so much. We might be moving fast as hell and I’ve never felt this way before, so it’s hitting hard. You were my first too, Autumn. I’ve only had one girlfriend in high school, and she only dated me because she was trying to make her ex-boyfriend jealous.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, so it was pretty pathetic. Until you, I’ve never had these urges, needs, and the moment I saw you, I wanted everything a man could desire. So yes, I’m madly, obsessively in love with you.”

Tears fell from my eyes because he means so much to me. “Owen, I love you too, and it scares me. This is intense… too much.”

“Marry me.”

“What?”

“Have all my babies and marry me.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe so, but I’m serious.”

“Okay.”