Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cody had never snowboarded before, so they didn’t stay on the mountain long. But at least he’d learned to balance himself and had a few good runs. There’d be plenty of time to teach him.
“He’s a natural,” Boone said.
“Yep,” Wyatt said. “Athletic, just like his uncle Decker.”
Jude laughed. He knew what was coming.
“You don’t have to play professional ball to be athletic,” Boone said. “I haul seventy-five pounds of gear into a fire. On top of that, I carry out two-hundred-pound bodies. Trust me, I could kick his ass in stamina and endurance tests.”
“Just to be sure, we’ll set up a course in the backyard this spring,” Wyatt said, obviously not giving a single shit about who would win.
“Damn right, we will.”
After lunch on the mountain, they’d come back to his dad’s place.
Cody and his grandpa were in the kitchen making cocoa, while Jude sat with his brothers in the living room, itching to get home.
Hopefully, she was enjoying her day. After the spa, maybe she’d spend time working with her soap.
Or watching mindless TV. Whatever she needed. He just wanted to pamper her.
He loved her so damn much, it almost felt like he was making up for lost time.
He didn’t want to overwhelm her. And while he was glad he’d finally told her how he felt, he probably shouldn’t have told her while they were fucking.
Should’ve waited for the right time. He’d have to make a nice dinner or something.
Maybe take a drive. Make it a special moment.
The box in his pocket dug into his thigh, and he pulled it out. He’d never bought jewelry for a woman before, so he wouldn’t mind getting his brothers’ opinion. “Hey, what do you guys think?”
Boone looked at it like it was a turd. “Where’d you get that?”
“I stopped at the jeweler’s on the way home.” He’d gotten the text that it was ready.
Wyatt flipped the lid open. “It’s not exactly traditional, but it’s very nice.”
Boone glanced at it. “Wait, you’re proposing?”
“Yes.” He didn’t know why his brother sounded so surprised. “Where’d you think this relationship was going?”
“It hasn’t even been three weeks. What’s the rush?”
“When you know, you know.”
Boone plucked the ring out of its nest. “So, what, you just walked into the store and bought it?”
“I actually bought it a few days ago.” He’d liked the setting because the center stone represented them, and the smaller diamonds surrounding it symbolized the children they’d have. “But I made a few changes. I think she’ll like the rose gold, and I got a different diamond.”
“A pink one?” Boone asked.
Jude smiled. “She’s a pink girl.” Plus, they were rare, and he wanted her to always wear a reminder of how special she was.
“What the hell?” his dad muttered from the kitchen. A moment later, he strode into the living room with a serious expression and looked right at Jude. “My office. Now.”
As he got up and followed his dad, he called out to his brothers. “Watch Cody for me?” Once inside the library-like room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a huge desk, he closed the door behind him. “What’s up?”
“Finlay wants to sell her house.” His dad handed over his phone.
Finlay: Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, but I have decided to put my house on the market.
What the fuck? This can’t be right. He continued reading.
Finlay: Given the location, I’m sure to get a buyer, so I’m going to begin the process of moving out. You’ve been so incredibly kind and generous, and I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I’m going to return all the furniture you bought. I’ve rented a truck and hired a few guys to load it.
“I’ve been gone six hours. When did all this happen?” Had she been planning it? Why the hell hadn’t she discussed it with him?
Finlay: I know this is sudden, and I don’t want to inconvenience you, so I can rent a storage unit. You let me know where to deliver everything.
Jude had to read the text twice to make sure he understood. “This makes no sense.” Tossing the phone to his dad, he blew out of the room and beelined to the front door. “Take care of Cody.” It slammed behind him.
He fired up the truck and backed out, kicking out snow and gravel.
And then, he gunned it back to town.
The entire drive, he replayed the last twenty-four hours. Last night, they’d made love twice, and he’d said he loved her. This morning, he’d awakened to a string of text messages from his family.
Wyatt: We’re outside right now. Let’s get Cody up on a board.
Boone: Wake up, asshole! The pow is epic!
But scrolling through a timeline wouldn’t bring clarity because her behavior did make sense. He’d been expecting this. She can’t go from a life with Matt straight into a life with me.
All the pampering in the world couldn’t help her end one relationship before starting another.
Even as he acknowledged the truth, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d gotten it wrong. Should I have taken her with me? Was it the spa day that set her off?
Ava loved that kind of thing. That wasn’t a bad gift, was it?
Acts of service, quality time, and physical touch.
Shit. Fuck. He had gotten it wrong. He’d given her a gift instead of spending quality time with her.
All right, I can fix it.
Killing the engine, he jogged to the front door and let himself inside. Immediately, he slammed into a stack of boxes. Trash bags heavy with clothes and toys filled the foyer.
“Finlay,” he hollered, racing to the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of green. The money he’d left her sat untouched on the dining room table.
Yeah, he’d fucked up big time with that one.
As he dashed back out to the living room, he found her at the top of the stairs.
He’d never seen her so wrecked. “Sweetheart.” She stood there with red-rimmed eyes, hair in a pile on top of her head, and her sleeves pushed up to her elbows.
He took the stairs three at a time, reaching for her the moment he got to the top.
But she reared back, holding her hands out to ward him off.
“What happened?” Again, his mind scrambled across the past day and a half. He was missing some key thing, but he couldn’t seem to think straight.
“Nothing.” She wouldn’t look at him.
“Finlay, for God’s sake, talk to me. This is your house on Bloom Lane. You can’t sell it. What did I do?” he roared.
His panicked tone seemed to snap her out of her fog. “It’s not about you. It’s me.” Dodging him, she started down the stairs. “I can’t have a fresh start by living here.”
Okay, good. It’s not about me. I didn’t fuck up. “That’s fine. We can move into my dad’s place.” He didn’t care where they lived. As long as they were together, what did it matter?
When she reached the bottom, she turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m moving in with my mom.”
“Like hell you are. That’s the last place you want to be.”
“It’s not ideal, but my realtor thinks she’s already got a buyer. It won’t be forever. As soon as I get my money out, I’ll find another place to live.”
“And where will Cody sleep? On the floor? In a sleeping bag?” Because he was not going to focus on the part of the sentence that didn’t include him.
Confusion crossed her features. But the moment awareness struck, her shoulders pushed back. “I think it’s best if the two of you go to your dad’s.”
“Wait, you’re getting rid of me, too?” The axis of his world tipped, then spun. He couldn’t seem to get his bearings. I’ve lost her?
“Jude, please. This is so hard for me.”
“Hard for you?” Urgency sharpened his mind. He had to get through to her. “Finlay, I love you. I’ve never…I’m not ever going to love anyone else. You’re it for me. So don’t tell me it’s hard for you to dump me. If you do this, if you walk away, I will never be the same. Do you understand that?”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and her shoulders curved in. “Please stop. Please.”
“It was easy to want you when I was a kid because it was from a distance. But now? Now, I know you. I know how you like your coffee and what temperature you like when you shower. I know the song you hum when you’re baking.
I know your heart and mind…I know your soul.
And that makes me the luckiest man in the fucking world.
Don’t do this. Do not break up with me.”
“I know it’s awful, but I have to, Jude. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I’ll tell you what you don’t do. You don’t throw us away. You come to me, and we’ll handle it together. Sell the house, I don’t care. We can live in a camper on the side of the road, and I won’t care. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.”
“I can’t do that. If I stay with you, I’ll never know if I’m hiding in your problems instead of handling my own.
I’ll never know if you love me because of our situation.
You always ran from me when things got intense with us, but now, you have no choice but to stay.
For Cody’s sake. Do you see that I need time to sort it all out? ”
Of course he did. He’d been saying it all along.
“Yes.” Which meant he had to let her go.
But he stood there, frozen, terrified that if he broke the connection, he’d never see her again.
He’d lose her for good. “Okay. I’ll go. I’ll give you…
” His mind blanked out, so he resorted to action.
He grabbed some of the garbage bags and tossed them into the back of his truck.
He loaded the boxes. His heart raced, and perspiration dripped down his back.
When he finished, he turned to her. “What do I tell Cody?”
She stood on the porch watching him with the same anguish he felt—as if he was leaving her. “You paid for me, right? I’m still your nanny.”
The money. Reality flipped like a coin, tails turning to heads. “Oh shit. Fuck, no. That’s not what I meant. I was trying to pamper you. I wanted you to feel special. Loved.”
“Let’s not get into it right now. I’m not thinking clearly.”
“Okay, okay. We don’t have to talk about anything. But it’s not over, right? We’re only taking time apart?”
“Yes. That’s right. I just need…time. If we’re truly meant to be—”
“We are truly meant for each other, and I’ll prove it by giving you this space.” He got into the truck.
She stepped off the porch. “You’ll get your money back.”
“I don’t want it.”
“And I’ll put the furniture in storage until your dad tells me where to put it.”
Fuck that. “It’ll go in the next house we buy together.”