I looked up to find his eyes on me as he leaned against the kitchen counter. He wasn’t wearing his glasses tonight, which made me realize how much I loved seeing him in them. If anyone could pull off the unassumingly sexy vibe, it was JoJo. Sometimes I wondered if he knew just how fine he was. At six-two and almost two hundred pounds, he was a bronzed-dipped god with a quiet sex appeal that still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up after all these years.
JoJo’s question caught me off guard, so instead of looking at him, I focused on washing dishes as I thought of a way to shoot it down without offending him. There was too much to consider. I couldn’t just hop up and go away with him. I had responsibilities and a life.
I narrowed my eyes as I finally turned to face him. “The whole weekend, Jordy?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have a cabin in the mountains. There’s a Jacuzzi and a fireplace. We can go up there for a couple of days to relax and just enjoy each other.”
I smirked at his statement. “Oh, so you’re just trying to get into my panties.”
“I’m trying to hoard your time. The panties are a plus.”
“What about Cameron?”
“I already spoke to your mom about watching him. Her and your brother are hosting a sleepover Friday night.”
“So, you’ve thought of everything, huh?”
“And next week, I want us to take Cameron to the lake. I promised to take him fishing.”
“JoJo,” I whined once I realized he wasn’t going to make it easy for me to get out of his plans.
He chuckled as he moved close enough to brush my hair over my shoulder. “I’m not sure if that tone is good or bad, baby.”
I sighed. “When are you planning on going? I have to check my training schedule and pack.”
“You’re off Friday and Saturday, Harper. I’ll have you home in time for your client on Sunday.”
“JoJo, you’re too much, baby.” I sighed as I reached up and cupped his handsome face.
He leaned down, meeting me halfway and kissing my lips. There was nothing in the world that this man thought I might need since I had been here that he didn’t provide. Between him and Jase, I barely knew if I was coming or going. Jase came by the gym every morning to check on me and make sure I was adjusting well and get me a smoothie from the juice bar in the gym.
Never the one to be outdone, Jordy sent me lunch every day. He’d sent me flowers twice a week since I’d been there, with cute little notes reminding me that he was thinking about me. The least I could do was show my appreciation and go with him on a trip he seemed to have gone through a lot of trouble to set up.
“I’m so scared, Jordy,” I finally confessed, breaking the lingering silence.
“I know, baby, but I promise I’m never going to hurt you again,” he vowed, kissing my forehead.
I touched his face again, letting my thumb linger along the seam of his bottom lip as I gazed up into his eyes. Jordy looked so sincere and honest. That never changed. I never thought that I couldn’t trust him until I saw it with my own eyes. Now I wished that I was a mind reader. I wanted to know without a doubt that he was sincere. There was no way to tell, so the only thing I could do was go with my gut. This getaway would be a reset for us. No matter how much my mind told me that we were moving too fast, my heart wanted Jordy.
In just theshort time since Harper had allowed me to come back into her life, I felt better than I ever had in my life. Her coming back to me with a son should have felt crazy, but I wanted my girl any way I could get her. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Cameron was a bonus. I loved his little intelligent ass. He was so much like Harper that it amazed me. He was so curious and had no problem asking questions. It made him a fast learner.
It felt good every time I heard someone bragging on him. In my eyes, he was just as much mine as he was Harper’s. I didn’t give a damn what his last name was. I was raising him to be a St. John man. The only difference was I wouldn’t pressure him into following in my footsteps. That pressure only causedunwarranted stress and anxiety. I knew firsthand how hard that could come down on someone. He could be anything he wanted to be, as long as he was happy. He just needed to know his mom and I wouldn’t be taking care of him our entire lives. He could do whatever he wanted to do with that information.
I felt so good that I briefly considered going off my meds just to see how things would go. It was just a passing thought. I knew better than to chance it. Harper wasn’t the source of my depression. She was just a trigger to it. I’d had dinner with her and Cameron three times in the past week, and I still couldn’t get enough of them.
As much as I enjoyed spending time with them together, I looked forward to getting some alone time with Harper. I had no qualms with sneaking in and making love to her almost every night since the first time, but the house was small.
Since Harper didn’t want to bring Cameron to my house or drop him off on her mom to creep with me, I was forced to keep things quiet and somewhat clean. I didn’t mind it, but at the same time, I was ready to get loud and dirty with my girl. My house was perfect for that, but Harper was weary about spending the night, even if she could bring Cameron along.
I didn’t know about Harper, but I had been on cloud nine since the night she let me into her bed. I was doing the work to make sure I kept her happy. I needed full access to her heart again. I knew I couldn’t ask her to trust me if she was still coughing up water from the last time I let her drown. I had to show her that I was still the man she loved all those years ago. I wanted to remind her of the old days and how much we loved each other. It felt good that she was coming around more and more every day.
Since I figured Jase would pop in every chance he got to see Harper at work, I had to make sure my presence was felt around there. I made sure to send her lunch and flowers every few days.She gave up protesting after the third day. I wanted to make sure Harper knew that I was in her corner. If it were up to me, she would never have to work. My baby loved the idea of being self-sufficient. The least I could do was respect it.
The mountains were as breathtaking as ever. I loved coming here to clear my head. Harper had been quiet since we’d made it to the house. I could tell that her wheels were turning. I didn’t need her in her head. I needed her out here with me. I found her out on the balcony with a cup of hot cocoa clutched in her hands.
We had only been here for about an hour. I was still winding down from the drive, so I could only imagine what was going on in her head. I wished that she could be in mine so she could see how sincerely apologetic I was for hurting her and how I intended to spend my life making it up to her. I wanted her and Cameron to move in, and I planned to ask her before we went back home.
“What’s going on in that beautiful mind?” I asked, walking up and wrapping my arms around her from behind. The warmth of her body instantly relaxed me.
