The noise inside the bar is deafening. Laughter, music, cheers, and champagne corks popping like fireworks. Everyone is celebrating, caught up in the magic of a new year. For once, the uncertainty of a new year, a new chapter, doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Jase’s hand hasn’t left mine the entire night.
“Come on,” he murmurs, tugging me gently toward the back exit.
A chilly breeze hits me as we step outside onto the small deck they’ve added as a space for employees to take a quick break during their shifts. It’s quieter here, just the muffled hum of the party seeping through the walls, but out here I can actually hear my thoughts. The sky above is scattered with stars, one reason I love living out here in the countryside. Nothing but the stars in the sky and a single string of lights that glows along the railing.
I cross my arms tight against my chest, shivering from the cold and the fact I came out here without my coat.
“Fuck,” Jase groans, “I didn’t even think to grab your coat.”
“It’s fine, just wrap your arms around me.” The smile he gives me is like that of a little boy who was just told he could have dessert before his dinner.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
I let him wrap me in his arms as we stand out here, letting the cool breeze extinguish some of the heat coursing through our veins. Yet, having him so close does the exact opposite. My pulse spikes, still racing from the suspense of the countdown, from his kiss in front of everyone. He hadn’t hesitated, not for a second.
Jase leans against the railing, his eyes finding mine as he turns me to face him. He tilts his head, studying me. “When was the last time you let yourself feel that?”
I swallow, the question catching me off guard. My throat tightens, but I don't look away. “A long time.”
“Then I’m glad you did tonight. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Monroe. And if I can give you just a piece of it…”
The weight of his words settles over me, and when he pulls closer, my lips brush against his, soft and questioning. I answer him by leaning in, and kissing him. The world stops, and once again it's the two of us.
“Then I’ll take what you can give, Jase. And I’ll try to be the girl who deserves it.”
He deepens the kiss, his hands desperate to touch every inch of me as his tongue dances with mine. I can’t breathe, nor do I want to if it means my lips have to leave his.
“You already deserve the world, Moonshine. It’s I who’s willing to do whatever it takes to deserve you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Monroe
One month ago, Jase and I agreed to a fake relationship for the sake of making our lives easier as we navigated preparing to raise a child together. Today, we’re no longer pretending.
From the outside, you wouldn’t be able to spot any differences in our relationship, but I can. It's the little things. How there’s always a vanilla and lavender latte waiting for me every morning. At first I was surprised he knew what kind I liked and how to make it, but soon he confessed to asking Bailey.
There’s a certain spark that wasn’t there before when his hand brushes mine during our weekly evening dinners. Or how every time I look his way from across the room, his smile calms whatever fear is going through my head.
It’s felt nice to take our time getting to know one another at our own pace and outside the assumptions we held, but as each day goes by, I realize I’m falling for Jameson King. However, to my disappointment, Jase has kept good on his promise of not pressuring me into a purely physical relationship until I’m ready, not that he ever did, but as each day goes by I can’t stopthinking what it would be like if we just give into the pleasure of being together.
Especially when I lie in bed next to him every night and have to pretend like it doesn’t affect me.
As far as I know, Indy’s still staying at the King’s house, but at least she’s no longer finding reasons to casually run into Jase.
Unfortunately, there is still one problem left, and this one comes in the form of Magnolia King. My sweet as a honeybee, yet ready to sting when you least expect it, mother-in-law has spent the last two weeks dropping off casseroles, offering to help organize the nursery, even feigning interest in my pregnancy. I’m not buying any of it, knowing full well she’s casing the place like an undercover agent, watching how Jase and I interact, noting every detail of our so-called relationship to catch us in a lie.
Luckily, things between Jase and me have never been better. So good, I’ve even gone back to work. It’s my second full week back after the new year, and I couldn’t be more excited for the projects we’re currently working on.
The smell of fresh-cut lumber and sawdust clings to the air, making my nose itch with the familiar scent. I’m standing in the half-framed great room of the new build we were currently working on, my tablet balanced in one hand and a stylus pen tucked behind my ear. Monty stands a few feet away, bent over the plans spread across the workbench he’s built. As I step over the floors completely covered in plastic protective film, I’m careful not to slip. My work boots may not be the prettiest things, but they are necessary.
“This wall here,” I say, gesturing to the open studs overhead, “I want to push it back another three feet. It’ll make the kitchen flow better into the living room, and give them more space for that big island Bailey’s been dreaming about.”
Monty straightens, eyeing the plans with a skeptical squint. “What did I tell you about entering my workspace without a goddamn hard hat, Monroe?”
I raise a hand in defense, grabbing an extra hat that was left on the hooks hanging by the entrance. “Got it, sir. I’ll put the damn hat on.”
