I blush under his sincere praise. “You look good too, cowboy. I haven’t seen your fall and winter jacket collection.” I tug at the collar of his jacket and Jake’s eyes glow at me. “Suits you.”
Jake’s gaze passes over my features, softening and taking on a certain sadness. His throat bobs and he licks his lips, his next words quiet. “I missed you.”
I grin and take a sip of my coffee, cupping the mug in my hands. “I just tried to call you, actually.”
One of Jake’s dimples pops. “Oh yeah?”
I smile and nod. “Yeah. Wanted to see how you are. I’ve been up all night missing you.”
Jake’s voice is gravelly, his expression serious. “I’ve been missing you too. I just drove through the night to get to you.”
I blink hard. “Through the night? Where were you?”
He looks out at the field where a couple of deer graze, then back at me. “I went home. Couldn’t sleep, so I left my mom a note and took off around 3:00.”
I lift my brows and take a sip. “How was home?”
He snorts and a corner of his lips lifts. “Well, my picker works?—”
“Hey. That’s awesome.” I wiggle his shoulder in my hand.
“Thanks,” he says. “But I think you might have been right about some things.”
I laugh and adjust the quilt on my shoulders, clasping it in one fist. “Do tell. I love being right.”
Jake shakes his head at my pestering and sighs. “I talked to my mom about everything. My dad, my stepdad. The picker and why I did it.” His eyes grow more determined, looking into mine. “You.”
I rub my lips together. “Me?”
His mouth curls up and he looks wistful. “She can’t wait to meet you.”
I grin wide. “Yeah?”
He nods. “And she pointed out all the ways I don’t do anything for me, the picker included. Said a lot of things like you said, like I need to figure out what I want for myself.” He draws a deep breath. “And there’s a lot I still don’t know. But I do know one thing: I want more of you. Deciding on the rest of our lives right now would be a little rushed, so I need more time with you to decide. Being apart isn’t going to help me at all. My gut tells me I’m picking you no matter what, but you know,” he snorts. “I’m a scientist. I need more data to be sure.”
I puff out my bottom lip. “More data?”
“I know Summer Darcy, but I don’t know Fall Darcy, and Winter Darcy, and Spring Darcy. I want to see how we deal with the changes life throws at us. I want to grow together, and not just theorize on what might be if we choose each other. So, I’ve got something to ask you. Because even though you said no before, if your last two weeks were anything like mine, you might be changing your tune.”
Jake stands and looks over the grass, stooping to pluck a dandelion. He cocks his head to ask me to stand too. He reaches for my left hand, and I spread my fingers. He ties the dandelion around my left ring finger and drops to one knee. My heart thuds and my stomach drops below the earth’s crust somewhere. A man on one knee brings up all sorts of emotions. But when Jake cracks one of his scampy dimpled smiles, I know I don’t have any reason to be afraid. “I’m going to ask you one more time: Darcy Rossetti, will you date me?”
What he’s asking for is fair: don’t push a decision on the rest of our lives right this minute. Stop torturing ourselves by being apart. Get to know all the seasons with each other and actively choose, or walk away from, that life.
“Two weeks was awful enough, and I think you’re right. We need more data points.” My face feels like it’s going to splinter and crumble with how hard I’m smiling. “Yes. Yes, of course. I will date the shit out of you.”
I tug on his hands to get him to stand again and we fall into an elated kiss, my hand holding my wrist behind his neck, leaning into him with a foot kicked up. I’m surrounded by Jake again, his scent and his warmth, his tender kisses where he focuses so hard on loving me that I feel it in every stroke of his lips.
“Darcy, who—oh, hi Jake.” Maggie appears in the doorway. “Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise,” he says, with a tip of his hat.
Maggie takes in the scene, the calculations in her brain almost making an audible sound. “Darcy, I’ll get Bill to help me with the horses,” she says.
“We can get ‘em,” Jake says with a smile. “Gotta say hi to my buddy out there.”
Maggie nods slowly. “That’d be alright. Bill and I’ll just go get some things done down at the barn, stay out of your hair. Y’all take your time.” She widens her eyes at me, then tips her head at Jake. “Really is good to see you again, bub.”
Jake wraps his arms tighter around my back and lifts me, kissing my cheek to my giggle. “Glad to be home.”
