If she came that meant she at least wanted to see me, to talk, something. It was a good sign and one I wasn’t going to take for granted.
I took another step closer. If I reached out my hand, I could have touched her, but I needed her to know this was at her pace. I was beholden to only her. “I’ve been waiting for you. I would have waited all night for you.”
“I know that. I got your note you left.” Her voice was low. “I wanted him to be you.”
I waited for her to continue talking. Down the street, I could hear the shouts of revelers emptying onto Front Street. She stepped closer, her hands folding in front of her. “When we were emailing. When I knew you as Jeremiah. I wished he could have been you.”
“He is me.” One more step and my jacket brushed against hers. “From the moment I saw you, I knew you were it for me. I can’t describe it. I don’t have a clue what the future holds, but I need you beside me.”
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against mine. Her voice wavered and I could tell she felt just as nervous as I did. “Tell me something embarrassing.”
Our eyes closed; I reveled in having her so close to me. “When I was seven, I didn’t think anyone else was dressing up for their first communion pictures and I cried so hard when my babysitter put me in my suit that my face looked like I had an allergic reaction.”
“Do you still have the picture?”
I chuckled. “My mom framed it. It’s next to the wedding photo of her and my Pops.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
I took in a deep breath. “Does this mean you’ll give me another shot?”
“I want to. So badly. But...” She hesitated.
Steeping closer to her, I took her hand in mine. I started with her pinky, slowly pulling each finger out of her glove until her hand was bare. Shoving the glove in my pocket, I pulled her hand up to my mouth, pressing my lips to the soft warm skin above her knuckles. Her eyes huge as she took in my motions, I took the moment of her losing words to speak. “Someone once told me that New Year’s is a chance for a fresh start. To create more for yourself. To fall in love.”
Her breath hitched at her words being repeated back to her. “I’ve heard that before too.”
Studying her hand, I laced our fingers together, turning her wrist until we were connected. “So, hi, nice to meet you. I’m Jeremiah Fitzgerald Deir, the fourth.”
“Fitzgerald? That name is a mouthful.”
“Now you see why I go by Fitz. The rest are family names. My dad went by Jemmy, My Gramps was Jeremiah.”
“And you’re Fitz.”
Still holding one hand I laced the other hand around her back to pull her closer. “Fitz. My full name is ridiculous but my last name is Deir. I’m the adoption director at the Humane Society. I love animals, Mexican hot sauce and would like a chance to fall in love with you.”
Dropping my hand she threw her arms around my neck to pull me close. “Evangelina Grace McConnell. I’m a preschool teacher, I love Vietnamese hot sauce, historical romances, and think I could fall in love with you.”
My mouth found hers, the taste of apple cider on her tongue as we kissed. Pulling her flush with me, I could feel the warmth of her body through all our heavy layers.
My hand moved from her waist to the front of her coat. I fumbled with the buttons, trying to get the loose so I could touch more of her. My mouth moved down her throat and she tilted her head back. I got the top button loose and moved her scarf out of the way to kiss her collarbone.
“Why are you wearing so many clothes?’ I grumbled against her skin.
She chuckled, a warm sound that heated me. “It’s December. Maybe we should move to a warmer spot where we won’t get arrested for public nudity?”
With my hand in her hair, I pulled her in for one last kiss before taking her hand in mine.
Constant rainfall is common in the area. Heavy, not so much. The downpour caught us three blocks from my house. Holding tight to her hand, we ran through the slick gray streets towards my bungalow. Water was dripping down our backs and soaking through her coat. Lina’s hair was flattened against her head and black smears appeared under her eyes from her makeup. Laughing together, we climbed the three painted white steps of my bungalow.
This time I was smoother. I didn’t fumble with my keys as we walked into the house together. I think we both knew that we had all the time we needed.
Coming into my home, Lina wasted no time shedding her coat where it fell onto the bamboo floor with a splat. I toed off my boots, kicked them into the corner. Mud and rain footprints followed behind us as we moved to the bathroom. Lina’s teeth were chattering together as I turned on the hot water of the shower. As the water heated up, I turned to face Lina. Her arms wrapped around herself as she watched me through rain darkened eyelashes.
Her dress was red silk, so wet it looked almost black. I realized with surprise it was the same one she wore the night we met. Had it only been six weeks since then? I felt like my entire world shifted that night. I was a different man with her in my life.
Teasing the strap off her shoulder, I bent down to kiss the cool skin as her dress slid down. It was harder to take off the second time around, sticking to her wet skin. She moved her body with me as I eased the dress off her skin. Every inch that I exposed I left a kiss. Kneeling before her, I looped a finger through each side of her thong, bringing it down her thighs. I kissed her hip, her pubic bone, the small mole where her thighs and the apex of her mound met. Her hands in my hair, she sighed as I moved down her body. I wanted to do more, but I couldn’t have her cold. Taking every last ounce of willpower I had, I pulled away, rocking back on my heels.