“Hmm?”
“Do you have any doubts?” I ask.
“About us?”
I nod.
“No,” he responds soberly. “I just want to do everything right. I couldn’t have done a worse job of protecting you or telling you how I feel. I won’t ever fail you like that again. I promise.”
I know him well enough to recognize his self-critical tendencies. He’ll take responsibility for things that are beyond his control, but he’ll relax once he feels like he’s done all he can.
“You’ve never failed me,” I say. “And you can ask me anything too.”
“Can I start with a confession?” His voice doesn’t hold the same level of mischief I’d expect from those words.
“Are you confessing why you showed up here looking like the hottest freaking lawyer-spy-CEO I’ve ever seen?”
He shakes his head in mock disappointment. “It’s a shame pretty’s not your type.”
“Oh, it is now.”
His smirk morphs into a full blinding smile right before he tosses me on my back and kisses me senseless.
We listen to the rain while we whisper and kiss in the dark, relishing the freedom to embrace feelings we kept locked away.
“We’re going to be in so much trouble. How long have we been here?” I ask, thoroughly wedged between his chest and the back sofa cushions.
“Not that long. We’re making up for lost time.”
I wiggle out of my cocoon, urging him to sit up. His phone has buzzed a few times. People must be looking for us. I offer him Sam’s dry clothes from my backpack when I realize what Idon’thave.
“Jude, I think Sam has my phone.”
“He does. And my jacket too. He said he’d meet us tonight or tomorrow to give it back.”
He hands me his phone to answer Sam myself, and I see more of their message thread. Sam sent a picture of me leaning over the porch railing at my mom’s house, the wind blowing my hair just enough to show the tattoo with the music notes around our favorite lyric.
Then I read Jude’s reply.
“She’s the one who makes the sad songs better. Man, I love her.”
It’s not like we’ve never said it. I’m a little mad at Sam for insisting we say “I love you” when our feelings were blurry. I blink away tears again while I ask Sam to message Liza and tell her to let Mom know I’m with Jude since I don’t know when I’ll be home. We’ll have to walk all the way back to the parking lot, and the storm seems to be picking up again.
Before I can hand his phone back, it buzzes with another message. At the same time Jude says, “About that confession…”
I glance back to his phone and see the message is from Carla.
“We’re leaving for the night, but if you’re too tired to drive, just stay. The couch pulls out, and there are blankets in the closet. Overnight supplies in the bathroom. I trust you’ll be a gentleman. Congrats. She’s perfect for you.”
“You set me up.” I want to be appalled, but I’m kind of impressed.
“Nothing was premeditated. I just didn’t mention Carla’s my cousin.AnnnndI was the guy who backed out on the gig. I did tell Sam to let Carla keep his phone so she could see my location. I called and told him to stall when I was looking for somewhere to park. I barely made it.”
I still can’t believe he rushed over here to see me. “Because you were at a hot suit model convention?”
Jude’s smirk tells me he’s both pleased and surprised by my reaction. “If I’d known how much you’d like it, I would’ve worn a suit every day.”
“It’s a fantasy I didn’t know I had.” I shiver as my thoughts dip into restraining-order territory. “Suddenly, I want to play dress up and see what else you look pretty in.”
