I chuckle. “Be my guest. I wouldn’t say no to having you here everyday.”
She smiles, looking at me curiously. “Did your ex live here?”
I’m surprised by the question. We haven’t really had the ex conversation yet. I take a sip of my wine and nod, putting the glass back down. “She did.”
“How long, uh, were you guys together?” she asks, worrying her lip.
“Ten years,” I tell her. And as I say it, I realize that in those ten years with Lauren, I never felt for her what I do for Jade in just a few weeks.
“Can I ask how long you guys have been separated?”
I can see her working through thoughts and feelings, and I’m worried that maybe she thinks my break up was recent.
“It’s been five years. She left shortly after Cade lost his wife. But, Jade, I want you to know there is no one else. I’m all in with you. And I know I might have freaked you out a bit the other day when I called you my girlfriend, but if that’s something you want, then I’d really like to make this official.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, and I watch the column of her throat move as she swallows. “I’d really like that,” she says quietly, and my fucking heart soars.
We finish up our meal and take our plates to the sink. I love these domestic moments between us, and now with both the offer for me to be here whenever I want and him asking me to officially be his girlfriend, I’m looking forward to more of them.
My pulse races at the memory of the river earlier today. The way I could feel his length harden beneath me.Gosh, I wanted him to kiss me. Stupid storm.
I smile when I think of him asking me to dance in the rain. I’m falling for this man. My smile fades a bit as I subconsciously bring my hands to my abdomen. Being West’s girlfriend is one thing, but to let him all the way in? I swallow the lump in my throat, afraid I won’t be able to give him that. Through the fabric of the shirt, I can feel the bumps of raised flesh and shudder. No matter how long it’s been, I will never get used to the feel or sight of them. I’m scarred and broken, and I don’t know how West will ever see past that.
“What’s going through that beautiful head of yours?” he asks, coming up behind me and wrapping me in his arms. I stiffen at the contact, lost in the thoughts that were just swimming through my head, afraid that he can feel the raisedflesh the same way I just had. Wiggling free, I smile up at him apologetically.
“Nothing important,” I say, pulling my bottom lip into my mouth.
“I had a great time today,” he says.
“I did too.” I give him a real smile now.
“Hopefully the next time you’re here, the weather will be nice enough to sit outside.”
“That would be lovely,” I say, walking up to the glass doors looking outside. “Your patio is amazing. Have you always lived here?”
“I have. My parents actually live just down the road a bit more. It’s where I grew up. Once we turn eighteen, we get to choose a piece of land to make our own. Where my dock is used to be a small clearing you could see when you rode past by boat. I always thought it was a perfect place for a dock, so when it came time to choose some land, I chose here. Cleared it out and built my house. Took a few years to get it all done, but I completed it as soon as I turned twenty-one.”
“Wow. You built this by yourself?” I ask, astonished.
He chuckles. “No. I had help from my dad, a couple friends that were contractors, and my brothers.”
“That’s still amazing.”
“Thanks. I’m proud of this place.”
“So, do your brothers and Wren live close by then?”
“They do. The house in the field right across from my driveway is Cade’s place. It was my grandparents’ house until they passed. Cade liked the view of the rolling hills and instead of everything sitting there or being sold, he took it.”
I remember seeing the big white farmhouse sitting back on the landscape of rolling hills. From the road, it looked like a beautiful place.
“And then Colter’s is the next driveway by mine. If we would have taken the boat down that way, we would have passed his dock. Hayes is the property at the very end. And Wren hasn’t chosen yet. Right now she’s in the guest cabin on my parents’ property.”
“It must be so nice having them all so close.” My heart aches from the loss of my family. Crew would have been sixteen now, and he always said when he turned sixteen he was going to turn our guest house into a hangout for his friends. I used to tease him and tell him he can’t because I was going to live there.
“It is. I’ll show you around my parents’ property tomorrow. You still able to join us for dinner?”
“Yes, of course.”
