He chuckled. “Something the matter?”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Spain,” I said.
“Is that why you’ve weaseled your way into my heart? Trying to get a free trip out of it?”
My eyes widened. “Busted.”
He laughed and put an arm around me, but it didn’t last. His dog strained against the leash anytime he sensed that David was getting lazy.
As we entered the park, David asked, “Ready for this?”
I followed his gaze to the picnic area. His dad and nephew were stationed by the barbeque as his mom and sister chatted nearby.
Knowing how close David was to his family only made this more intimidating. I had to prepare myself for the fact that they might not like us together. That they might not likeme, despite how welcoming they’d been a couple months earlier.
I glanced between him and them and nodded slightly. David let his dog pull him ahead, and I approached moments later with a racing heart.
His sister shielded her eyes from the sun but still squinted at me. “Olivia?” she asked and surprised me with a hug. “David didn’t say you were coming. Nice to see you again.”
I hugged her back. “You, too, Jessa.”
“At least it’s not freezing,” she said. “It’s a little weird to barbeque in November, but as you probably know, Notre Dame won last night so that’s typically how Dad celebrates.”
I grimaced. “I don’t really follow football. Even if it is my own college.”
“Just smile and nod along if it comes up.” She laughed and glanced in David’s direction as he beckoned me over. “Thanks for getting my brother out of the house. As you can see, he could really use the exercise.”
Even in a jacket, David couldn’t hide his muscular physique. Worried my thoughts would wander to our sordid night—and sexy morning—I hurried toward him.
To my embarrassment, David’s mom, Judy, gushed about how excited she was to see me again. When his dad hugged me tightly, my arm smarted where Bill had grabbed me, but I controlled my wince. The family seemed oddly happy to see me, even though David and I made no moves to suggest that we were dating.
“I just love that you volunteer, sweetie,” his mom said, bending to pet the dog I’d brought.
I smiled. There was something nice about the way her eyes lit up when she called me “sweetie.”
The dogs fell into the grass next to the Dylans’ German shepherd, Canyon, and dozed in the sun. David took his nephew to a nearby basketball court to shoot hoops as Jessa invited me to sit on an outstretched blanket. As we talked, I couldn’t help admiring David’s easy nature with his nephew. He lifted Alex up in the air for a slam dunk, and Alex’s infectious laughter made me smile. I had to look away to keep from swooning.
And I realized Jessa had been watchingme. Now, her eyes danced the same way they had the first and last time I’d been alone with her. When she’d looked at me that way before, I’d been tempted to tell her everything about my feelings for her brother. That ability to draw out my secrets seemed to run in the family.
Yes, her eyes danced, but they also held warmth and invitation, as though we’d been longtime friends. I didn’t know if David had wanted to talk to her about our situation first, but it was the right moment. Despite the cold, a combination of the direct sun and my nerves had me sweating.
I removed my ivory, cable-knit cardigan, stripping down to my t-shirt. “Jessa, I really like you.”
She smiled and grasped my hand. I didn’t flinch or pull back like I normally might’ve. She had a gift of putting others at ease. “I like you, too. A little too much, I’m afraid.”
“I’m sorry?”
She turned her head in the direction of David and Alex and sighed. “I just . . . I haven’t seen David this easy and relaxed since we were children. Don’t get me wrong, he’s always playful with Alex, but he just seems different around you. Less edgy.Calm. Like he’s actually found what he’s been . . .” She turned back to me. “I can’t help but wish for the impossible here.”
I nodded, searching for the words to fill her in. Silence drew out between us and understanding appeared in her eyes. For the first time, she looked at my left hand, her eyes lingering on the empty space.
“I’m leaving my husband,” I said, and then added, “for David.”
After a moment, Jessa’s eyes flicked up to mine. “That must be very hard.”
“It is.” I glanced over at David, who took my breath away now as he did time and time again. “But it almost feels like I don’t have a choice. I couldn’t move forward with Bill after knowing David.”
I looked back and tried to read Jessa’s passive expression. It was hard to gauge her reaction, but there was no judgment, and that was the best thing I could hope for. “All this is just happening as of a few days ago,” I continued. “Things have been hectic. Complicated. My parents are divorced, and I swore I’d never go down that path.”
