“I have a gift for you,” I say as I scramble from his lap. I’m nervous about showing him these boudoir pictures. Talk about really laying yourself bare!
I stand and go to the closet, gently pulling down the large box that Sarah wrapped for me. It’s white with a navy blue bow, which matches the guys suits. I take it back to the bed and present it to Jackson.
“Open it.”
He smiles at me. “You got me something?” The bow slowly falls away as he unties it and reaches in to take out the album. He looks up at me, a glimmer in his eye.
“Would this have anything to do with that picture of you wearing my jersey that you sent the other day?”
I shrug nonchalantly. “Maybe.” I nod to the album. “Just take a look.”
He opens the first page and sucks in a breath, snapping the album shut.
“What’s wrong?”
Oh god, he hates them.
His eyes are closed and he’s concentrating on slowing his breath down. It’s a tactic I recognize that he’s done while playing and coachingbig games.
His eyes flutter open and they’re glassy as he looks at me. “Francesca …” he says on a breath as he looks down again and re-opens the album. His chest rises and falls with every page turn and my anxiety is quickening the longer he stays quiet.
He slowly turns through all the pages until he comes to the last one, which is the one in his jersey. The picture shows that I’m kneeling on the bed, my hands twisted in the jersey as I pull it up on one side, teasing him, letting the red cheeky panties show on my hip. He runs his hand over the page and connects eyes with me.
“You are so unbelievably fucking beautiful. I can’t … I don’t even have words for how lucky I am that I get to love you for the rest of my life.”
My heart soars and all the nerves that ate at me that day and all the days up until I was able to gift him this, just evaporate. This man is my world.
His face. His reaction? It’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted to stump him like he always seems to do to me.
He slides the album to the side of the bed, pulls me in close and I can feel his body shaking.
“Jackson, are you—”
“Shh. You’ve got me so fucking hard right now, I’m trying my hardest not to rip you apart.” He leans in, running his nose up the length of my neck and takes a breath.
“Babe…”
“I know we’re not supposed to be together the night before but there is no way I am going to make it until tomorrow night without tasting you.” He groans out the words like he’s in pain.
I play with the hair at the back of his neck. “It’s still morning, I don’t think we’re breaking any rules yet.”
And with that, he flips me to my back, covering my body with his.
“I’m so glad you see it my way, wife.”
twenty-two
FRANCESCA
After I left Jackson this morning, I met the girls and my mom at the bridal shop for our last fitting and to pick up our dresses.
“Come on out, let’s see!” Britt yells excitedly.
“But it will ruin the surprise!”
“No way, we need a preview. I need to not be bawling like a baby in front of the entire town tomorrow.”
“So dramatic, B.” I chuckle as I step out from behind the curtain of the dressing room.
