Both his hands went up to my cheeks this time as he cleared my rapidly falling tears with his thumbs. “We’re not gonna do that.” He leaned down so he could be eye level with me. “We’re not gonna start worrying before we know what’s going on. I told you this already and you’re not hearing me.”
“I just know it’s CSF.” I stared into his eyes. “With my luck, I know it is.” To have something to hold on to or maybe because I wanted to keep him connected to me as long as I could, I lifted my hands and placed them over Jack’s wrists. “I don’t want this, Jack. I have the coffee shop. After years of dreaming, I have it, and I can’t close it if I have to have surgery. We just opened.”
He took a step closer and I released my hold on his wrists. “Who is talking about closing? You have employees—they can take care of it. If not, we’ll hire someone else to help. Are you even listening to what I’m saying? We don’t know what’s going on yet, Rose. Let’s see what they say tomorrow and we’ll start thinking about the coffee shop then.”
My breath hitched as I managed a small nod with his hands on my cheeks. I must’ve looked like a mess, and I knew I felt like one. I tried my best to stop being stupid and listen to him, but my heart was clenching and I was starting to have trouble breathing. I forced myself to take a deep breath as Jack tilted my head back so he could look into my eyes.
“You’re not alone in this. I’m right here, Rose. We’ll figure it out together. We have each other now.”
Cue more tears, because this Jack was too close to the dream Jack. As a result, I couldn’t help but lean forward and rest my forehead on his chest again. His hands fell from my face even as I burrowed closer, deeper into him. Both my arms were flat against his chest yet his arms stayed limp at his sides. I didn’t say anything, just stood there and breathed in his scent, and for a good long while, at that. As my breathing slowly returned to normal, he didn’t say anything either.
I closed my eyes tight. If he didn’t wrap his arms around me in the next few seconds, I’d have to pull back and walk away from him, otherwise it was going to be too awkward. Then I felt his arms embrace me.
“I’m right here, Rose,” he whispered, his rough voice washing over me like a caress that fired something up inside me. “I might not be what you wanted or needed, but you got me anyway. I’m right here.”
There was a tightness in my chest when I answered him. “You said that, in the beginning, said you weren’t good at this kind of stuff. You’re doing wonderful, Jack.” I managed to push myself even closer to him as his arms tightened around me.
Maybe I would start to be greedy with this man.
I didn’t know how long we stood like that, right in the middle of his office, but when there was a soft knock on the door, I reluctantly stepped back and tried my best to wipe under my eyes. I could only imagine what I must look like. I glanced at my fingers and held back a groan when I saw the black smudges of what was left of my mascara.
Jack had turned halfway to glance at the newcomer so he couldn’t see me as I reached for a Kleenex and furiously started wiping at my face. The damage was done and he’d already seen the worst, but that didn’t mean he had to keep looking at it.
When I heard Samantha’s voice asking if everything was all right, I quietly groaned, still hiding behind Jack’s big frame.
“Yes. Do you need something?” Jack asked, his tone much more businesslike.
“No, I saw Rose earlier and was concern—”
“Thank you, Samantha, but I’d like to be alone with my wife if there is nothing else you need.”
I paused the wiping as a heavy silence followed his words.
“Of course,” she said tightly, and then the door gently closed.
I hurried and pushed the Kleenex into the pocket of my jeans before Jack could face me again.
“Feeling better?” he asked, eyes moving across my face. I hoped I was at least a normal shade of human.
“Mhmm.”
When he closed the distance between us with an unexpected smile on his face, I was surprised.
“Why did you really come here, Rose?” he asked, pushing my hair away from my ruined face. “Just to tell me you weren’t gonna be able to attend events with me? Just because you knew I wouldn’t let you break down?”
I stood still as he reached up and his thumb started a gentle stroke on my cheekbone, my skin breaking out in goose bumps.