I think, maybe, he has been showing his feelings toward me all these years without either of us even knowing it.
* * *
“B, stop staring at the bed like it’s going to blow up in flames.” Stepping up behind me, his palms encase my waist and he pulls me back into his body, resting his head atop mine.
A low and pleasant hum warms me like usual, but after Jack’s words from earlier, now more than ever.
“Last time we shared a bed, we got married,” I whisper.
“Mmm,” he purrs. “Who knew I would be thanking my lucky stars for that day.”
I spin around, coming face-to-face with him. “Jack…”
His dimples pop as he pulls me tighter into his body. I hastily bury my head into his neck when his eyes darken, knowing full well that if I keep eye contact, all of my resolve will falter.
“Maybe tonight you can sleep on the sofa?” I mumble into his chest.
“Not happening, so don’t even ask again.”
It’s not like I expected him to say yes… I’m not sure I even meant it.
We stand there for a minute in silence before I push back and head into the en suite to get myself together. I need a minute alone without Jack breathing down my neck.
Literally and figuratively.
“Annabelle,” he calls. I turn back, those green eyes holding me hostage. “I’m not giving up, my beautiful B, so you might as well get it through your head. Not now, not ever, not until you realize you can trust me. We could be something so fucking amazing if you let me show you… Something that’s been brewing for two decades.”
I clench my jaw and turn around to hold back the tears that instantly spring up, because he’s not wrong, except for that it hasn’t beenbrewing. It’s been full-force exploding secretly inside me for as long as I can remember.
I close the door and sag to the floor, holding my head in my hands as all the words from today swirl through my mind.
At first, I was worried he was rushing a new feeling he had, but I should have known better. Jack contemplates and analyzes everything. He would never come to me with this if he weren’t entirely ready.
Now, I’m confused about how to move forward, because I want everything he’s been saying.
Every surprising word that came out of his mouth made so much sense to my heart.
I want us to be fucking amazing together, as he said. Because I know we would be, and if I’m being honest with myself, I do trust him. I’m just so screwed up after seeing my dad cheat that this invisible wall I put up to protect my heart keeps holding me back.
If I wanted to psychoanalyze myself, it would take two seconds to realize that I’ve been dating wankers my whole life because I knew it would never amount to anything. Never caring enough if they did hurt me.
When my ex, Trey, cheated on me, of course I was gutted, but it lasted all of one day. I got back out there and moved on without any regrets.
So, it’s frustrating and irrational, even to me, that I would ever imagine, for one second, that Jackson could do something so hurtful.
Jack is more of a man than my dad or Trey could ever be. He would cherish and respect me with every fiber of his being.
So why can’t I let go and do this? To finally put my past to rest?
If I’m going to spend the week with the one person I’ve ever truly loved, with him confessing his feelings, I need to finally release my insecurities. Because if he continues to break down my walls, wouldn’t it be easier to let him in?
6
Jackson
The espressoI ordered for Annabelle has arrived. I place it on the large mahogany table she’s turned into a makeshift desk before stepping back and pausing against the doorframe.
I watch her with rapt attention as she ambles back and forth, listening intently to a work call she’s been on for the last hour.
