I slide closer to her, allowing her to lay her head against my chest.
“Everything’s gonna be okay. I still love you so much,” I whisper softly to her. “You know who else still loves us, too?”
She doesn’t answer me, just sniffles. I rub my hand up and down her arm. “God still loves us, baby.”
“I know,” she mutters, her voice less shaky. It sounds like her tears are subsiding.
My feelings for her, the love I have for her, is stronger than I ever thought possible. My desire to marry her hasn’t changed. It will happen one day. I’d lay my life down for her.
Chapter 25
Ella
Jesse’s been hiding his phone from me. He usually leaves it lying around and ends up forgetting where he left it, but lately I’ve noticed how quick he is to put it back in his pocket.
I know he isn’t cheating on me or anything. He would never. But I’m trying to figure out what he’s hiding.
I came over for the evening to have dinner and spend some time together because, starting tonight, I will be working night shift at the hospital until Friday. I won’t see him at all as I’ll be too busy catching up on sleep.
“Care if I shower quick? I got a little dirty today, if you couldn’t tell.” He gestures to his filthy jeans. He was at Mason’s all day helping him spackle or sand or something, I’m not really sure what exactly.
“I saw. And smelled,” I tease.
“What? I put deodorant on before you came.” He lifts his arm, sniffing himself to prove a point. The motion pulls his shirt up just enough to reveal a glimpse of his abs. He’s always been fit, but now, with ten years on him, his muscles haveonly filled out. His shoulders are broader, his arms are visibly stronger. He’s aged like fine wine; it’s dangerous how good he looks.
“Sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I shrug. “Well, that’s kinda mean—hi, honey, you smell, love you?”
He lets out a laugh and empties his pockets. Walking away, he shuts his bedroom door. When I see he left his phone on the table with his wallet, gun, and keys, my heart beats faster. Do I look at it? Figure out what he’s hiding? Would he be mad if I did? Would I be mad if he did that to me?
Walking over stealthily, I listen for the water running first. Picking up the phone, I take a deep breath. My hands trembling slightly, I see what his last app was, the weather. Wow. Okay next, alarm clock. Thrilling. Oh okay, phone calls. Now we’re getting somewhere.
His call log is filled with mostly my name, his dad, there’s a few of Cody, and then I see an odd one. “LH”—he talked with them three times the last few days, and yesterday, it shows there was a forty-five-minute phone call in the middle of the day. I switch apps, opening his text messages. There’s nothing substantial to even guess who this person is. The conversation solely consists of figuring out good times to call.
Hearing the water shut off beyond the walls, I quickly grab a pen and sticky note from the drawer and write down the number, knowing I don’t have more than a minute. Turning the phone off, I set it down just how he had it. Scurrying over to the couch, I kick my feet up on his coffee table, steadying myself even though my heart is pounding.
“Alright. I feel better. What do you want to watch?” He comes over and joins me on the couch.
“Whatever.” I shrug and watch him pick up his phone from the table before heading toward me. My mind is racing, trying to figure out who he’s talking to and why he’s hiding it from me.
* * *
Seeing Mason’s truck parked at his cabin on my way down the driveway, I pull in beside it. I don’t wanna be late for work, but this should only take a few minutes.
He opens up a few seconds after I knock with a confused expression across his face. In dust-covered clothes, he appears to have been sanding. I only know that because Jesse told me that’s what he’d been helping him do all day.
“Hey,” Mason greets.
“Can you do something for me?”
“Course.”
“Promise me you won’t tell Jesse.”
He runs a hand over the back of his neck. “Ella …”
“Please? Just for now. I’ll tell him eventually.”
