Jack
“I’m listening,”she says as her chin quivers. It’s killing me that I’ve made such a mess of this and that it's taken me this long to clean it up and set it right. I place the bottle of wine I brought onto the bar, then move closer. Close enough to see tears rolling down her cheek and to be reminded that she smells like my favorite color. The way she affects me is like a punch to the gut, mixed with a welcoming home and fire-burning need to touch her skin, absorb her warmth, strength. Being close to her again makes me feel lighter, happier than I have been.God, I missed her.
I’m so nervous. Afraid that she’s going to tell me to fuck off and that she doesn’t love me anymore, not the way that I’m ready to love her now. I don’t want to be too late. I steel my reserve so that my voice doesn’t shake the same way that my hands already are.
I look around quickly and so does she. We watch Asher and Law make their way out to the patio doors, both giving me tight smiles and nods of encouragement. The guys knew I was planning to talk to her today, but it wasn’t supposed to be until later tonight. I feel a twinge of guilt for cutting their time with her short, but I’ve waited long enough.Too long.
I’ve come to more than appreciate this family. After the day at the rock wall and dinner with them later that night, I’ve seen them often. Henry’s been helping me with some renovations at my new place, and Law always pops over with dinner on Friday nights. He tells me he’s taking a break from dating, but I think he’s been dumped royally and needs to lick his wounds without the rumor mill catching wind of it.
The fact that I don’t even need to ask for some time alone with Everly, they already know that I don’t want to do this with an audience says enough. I can’t say the same for Giselle, who is sitting and watching us as if we’re the penultimate episode of her favorite TV drama.
“Giselle?” I ask and look up at Henry as he walks back toward her.
“I’m not about to leave her alone with you. Oh, no. I’m staying right here until I know she’s going to be okay,” she says with obnoxious gumption.
In an exaggerated exhale, Henry says, “No, you’re not. Let's go.” He doesn't wait for her to get up, he just hauls her up under her armpits and walks with her outside. I don’t catch many actual words coming out. “Such a killjoy, you big oaf! My girl needs me right now. Put me down before I jam my boot right into…”
As the commotion settles, Everly looks back to meet my gaze.
She says, “I’ve missed you.” And with that, I release the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. In two short strides, I make my way to her. Without missing a beat, she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my neck. I’ve never held on to anyone so tightly in all my life, and I have no interest in ever letting her go. I made a lot of bad calls when it comes to this woman, but the one that ruined everything was saying nothing at all.Never again.
“Will you let me explain some things? Things that have been going on that you probably don’t know about since you’ve been in New York. Well, even before that.” I wipe a tear away from her cheek and she mimics the same motion on the other.
“I don’t want your excuses, Jack. I just need to know what you want from me. I can’t move forward unless you spell it out for me. I’m a smart woman, and I refuse to be stupid about this. About you.”
I brush my thumbs under her chin and pull my hands from her face down her neck, tilting her up to look at me. “I want everything you’re willing to give me. I want you. All of you. I’ve never wanted something so much in my entire life.”
She closes her eyes, hopefully absorbing my words and not readying to shatter my existence.
I’m filling silence, because she needs to hear everything. She deserves all my truths. “The biggest mistake of my life was not running after you. Staying that day after you told me how you felt, and not figuring out how to talk with you about what was going on with me. I handled all of it wrong.”
I pull her hand over my chest so she can feel how nervous I am. My heart racing, chest rising. I take my breath and exhale my love for her. “I fell for you hard. Probably started that first time I kissed you in the studio, beautiful. You knocked me sideways with that mouth of yours, and then everything afterward was better than I thought I ever deserved. After you told me you had fallen in love with me, I wasn’t ready to hear it, but it never meant I didn’t feel it too. And I should have said that.” I take a breath. The next part she doesn’t know about yet.
“I went to New York when I realized how badly I fucked up in shutting you out.”
I pull my eyes from our entwined hands to her sparkling hazels. “Giselle just told me you came to New York. Why the big secret? If you came to fix it, then why not stay and come talk to me?”
“I saw you in your store, running the place.” I kick up a laugh. “Like the boss you are, and I was proud of you. I am so proud of you. I watched you for almost an entire day from across the street like a damn stalker and realized that if I was going to come into your life and blow it up again that I needed to do more than just tell you how I felt. I needed to show you that this wasn’t just a fling for me. I don’t want tojustdate you. I’m not looking for temporary.”
I pull her closer to me and drag my fingers through her shortened hair. “I’m such a goner for you, Everly. I should have told you. I’m so sorry I pushed you away.”
She looks at me for a long minute, searching for something. Perhaps her way of making me sweat for being such a dick, for taking so long to get out of my own way and in front of her at this moment. She steels herself, grips the fingers that are twined with hers and stands taller.
“Beg.”
I bark a laugh out because it wasn’t what I was expecting her to say. If she needs me to beg, then I will. I’ll do anything she damn expects from here on out.
“Alright, beautiful. You’re the only person I’ll get on my knees for.” I drop in front of her and look up at her wild hazel eyes, and I already know she’s forgiven me. That she’s mine. Smiling, I obey her request. She deserves nothing less. “Please. Forgive me. I’m so sorry it's taken me so long to show up for you. For this. Us. I’ll work my ass off to make it up to you every damn day.”
Mirroring me, she smiles, big and bright. The dimple in her left cheek, which I’ve learned only comes out when she’s truly happy, truly smiling, is there. “That was good, but I feel like I’m going to need to think of some kind of penance now.”
I can see her wheels spinning. Hopefully, she comes up with something deliciously dirty. I’ll take it. Right now, at this moment, she’s smiling at me, and that is worth more than any kind of currency or exchange. I pull her down to me and brush my mouth over hers. Our lips are slow, but my body is quick to remember what she does to me when we touch. Warmth. Sparks.Fire.
I break our kiss, only to lean my forehead to hers and finally tell her what I’ve been working up to say. “I’m so in love with you.”
“I know.” She pauses and then says, “You sent me waffles.”
“Yeah, I made you waffles. They were the only thing I could think of to try to make you feel better. They always do the trick for me. Did they help?”