I tried to picture ten or twelve-year-old Jake asking Angelica to dance and couldn’t do it.
“Oh, she laughed and said I was cute. She also suggested I try again once my balls dropped. I had no idea what she was talking about and was too embarrassed to ask anyone,” he said spinning me around the dance floor again.
“Aww, well she could’ve been nicer about it.”
When the song ended, we decided to take a break and join our friends who were taking up two large tables close together. In addition to Marc and Aurora, the Caffertys were all there along with Jake’s family, Melody, and Rafael.
I looked around for Sofia but didn’t see her, and Donovan was also missing. I spotted Mack standing by the refreshments table talking with a young woman who worked at Carly’s Coffee and Treats. Hopefully, Mack had figured out he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Sofia and had decided to move on.
The conversation around the tables was lively and I was having a good time. Jake sat close enough that when either of us moved, we’d brush up against each other. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional on his part, but the more it happened, the more I thought about how much I’d enjoyed my time with Jake at the cabin and also at my place. I had no idea if it was my hormones, but a big part of me wanted us to be more than friends—and I was fairly sure he agreed.
TWENTY-ONE
JAKE
“Follow me home?” Julia asked when I walked her to her truck. She wasn’t quite looking at me when she spoke, and I had no idea what was going on in her head. She’d kept me guessing all evening. “It’s on your way and it’s not that late. We can talk about the baby over a cool drink, maybe.”
“Happy to.” I’d almost suggested the same thing since I wanted to make sure she got home safely, but I’d held back, unsure of what her reaction would be. She often bristled if I tried to be protective. We reached her truck, and I opened the door for her. I thought about kissing her, but I’d wait until we were back at her house. I sure hoped her plan for the evening involved kissing, because mine did. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I hopped into my truck, following her out of town and onto the highway that led to our homes. I kept my speed down so I didn’t crowd her, but I wanted to race ahead to the next part of the evening when we were alone. The dance had been fun because I’d spent most of it with Julia.
After coming in from outside, she’d seemed to gain a new enthusiasm for the event. She’d chatted and laughed with mewhile we danced. The best part had been holding her close when slower music played. It had all been great, but now, I was ready to be alone with her.
My mind wandered to the future as I drove. I’d put together a pretty convincing happily ever after in my imagination for us. We could raise the baby together on Thorne Ranch. Our child could have the kind of childhood that I’d had, and Julia and I could have the type of love my parents had shared. I wanted something like that for all three of us. Something safe and secure, without the out-of-control feeling Julia sometimes evoked in me, usually when we disagreed.
I smiled. There hadn’t been much arguing lately. Julia and I had developed a strong friendship. A relationship built on being friends could work for me, especially if we returned to the intimacy we’d shared in the cabin and in her bedroom.
Friendship, trust, pleasure…that could really work for me. It might not be the true love everyone talked about—the kind that both Brian and Cal seemed to have found—but it sounded pretty great to me.
She was already on the porch, letting her dogs out, when I pulled up. I took a minute to scratch Wellington’s ears before joining her. When the dogs ran off chasing each other, I turned to her. All evening that tinge of red on her lips had been tempting me to kiss her.
Before I could decide if the timing was right, she stepped toward me and leaned in to kiss me. For one second, I was too surprised to respond, but then I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her with all the pent-up passion I’d been feeling all evening.
My lips wandered from hers to explore the hollow at the base of her neck. I was nudging the collar of her dress aside when she planted her hand on my chest and put a little distance between us.
“Jake.” Her breathing wasn’t quite steady. “I have to know why we’re doing this. It can’t only be because I’m pregnant.”
“It’s not for me,” I said, speaking honestly. “But if it is for you, I’m okay with that. Any opportunity I have to be with you, I’ll take.”
“I’m serious, Jake.” She sounded exasperated now. “This matters to me. I need to know that there’s something between us, something real. Because if we go inside and go to bed, it’s not a one-night stand anymore. Or a fling.”
I cupped her cheek with my hand. “The one-night stand was over a long time ago. And this definitely isn’t just a fling. I like you, Julia. I want to be with you. I don’t have a great track record with relationships.ButI keep entering new territory with you. I don’t have any experience being a dad, and I’m committed to making a success of that.” I stroked my thumb over her lips. “I’d like to commit to a relationship with you, too, if that’s what you want.”
“Why?” she whispered.
I smiled. “Because you’re amazing, and a man would be an idiot not to realize that.” I saw the doubt in her eyes for just a second. “I mean that, sweetheart.” Her brows lifted slightly, but the doubtful look was disappearing. When I felt sure that she believed me, I kissed her again and didn’t stop kissing her until I felt her soften against me.
“Now, may I come in?” I asked against her lips.
“I don’t know why we’re still standing on the porch,” she said, then took my hand and led me into the house and to her bedroom. She pushed the door shut behind me, then turned to face me, her fingers going to my shirt buttons. Seconds later, she pushed my shirt off my shoulders and her hands were on my chest.
We both needed to be naked. I reached for the tie that closed her dress and tugged it loose, feeling as if I were unwrapping a long-awaited present. She shrugged, letting the dress slip to the floor and pool around her feet. Her bra and panties went next.
“They’re bigger,” she said as I touched her breasts. “I have cleavage now.”
“I noticed.” I’d seen—and admired—the change in her body at the dance.
“You would,” she shot back, making me laugh.
