27. Chapter 27 You Want to See Me Pissed Off?
The rest of their stay continued in much the same vein. They had more sex, laughed a lot, ate delicious foods, and learned more about each other. Eventually, it was time to return home. The weather heated up enough for the ice to melt, and the roads were cleared for safe travel before the weekend traffic hit.
As they drove home, they listened to more of her audiobook. At first, she was mortified, but Wade surprised her again after they listened for a few minutes.
“Is this the kind of thing you like only in books, or is it a real-life interest, too?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
He glanced at her with a wolfish smile before he returned his attention to the road. Neither of them spoke for a few more minutes as the characters in the story engaged in sneaky sex in a closet during a party. Jenny was both embarrassed and aroused. When Wade turned the volume down, her heart sped up.
“I’m not sure I can listen to any more right now without wanting to pull over and see if we can find our own little closet.”
Jenny wasn’t sure what she expected him to say, but it wasn’t that.
“I wouldn’t mind listening to it when we’re in a position to do something about it,” he added. “Maybe you could send me the name of it so I can check it out.”
“What do you mean? To see if you approve of the content?”
It was his turn to look confused.
“What? No.” His expression clouded over as he glanced at her again. “Don’t tell me one of your asshole exes did that, too. I already hate them for how they made you feel. Enough about them. I asked about the book because I want to know the things you like. What do you do when you’re on your own?”
“Do you mean when I’m reading naughty books in my apartment?”
A laugh burst out of him.
“No. Of course I want to know that, but I meant more generally. I want to know what interests you. The books you read, your favorite movies and shows, the music you like. I want to know your favorite foods, how you act when you’re sick, what you look like when you’re on a rampage, that sort of thing.”
Jenny giggled.
“You want to see me pissed off?”
“I want to know you, and that means everything. Hopefully, I won’t be on the receiving end of your anger any time soon,” he said with a half-smile, “but I’m bound to piss you off at some point. If we talk about it, we should be fine. We’re not always going to see eye-to-eye, but that’s okay. I like you because you’re you.”
She was flabbergasted. All her previous relationships with men, from her earliest memories of her father through Chad, involved her tiptoeing around their behavior in an effort to stave off recriminations and angry outbursts.
Wade’s matter-of-fact expectation that they would disagree sometimes was at odds with everything she knew about male-female dynamics. Chad always implied that she was one disagreeable act from being dumped, and her previous boyfriends had been similar.
“I didn’t freak you out, did I? Kyle told me not to go overboard, or I’d scare you off.”
“No, I’m not freaked out. I think I’m happy.”
Wade’s smile warmed her from the other side of the car.
They drove for another hour before they stopped so she could use the restroom, and they stretched their legs.
“I think we should talk to Angela first thing when we go back to work,” Jenny said once they were back on the highway.
“Angela in HR? Really?”
He beamed at her. Secretly, it thrilled her how much he wanted to openly claim their relationship in the real world, and she felt confident in it now, too.
“Okay, good. We should plan when we’ll see each other next once we’re back in town.” Her voice trailed off.
“If you’re not sick of me already, I wondered if you’d like to have breakfast with me when we get back.”
“Breakfast tomorrow, you mean?” Jenny wasn’t sure how he envisioned their return to reality, but she wasn’t ready for the magic to end so soon. “I need to unpack and do laundry—”
“Dinner and breakfast,” he clarified. “Dinner tonight at my place and breakfast tomorrow, also at my place. With a sleepover in between.”
His devilish expression made his intentions clear, and Jenny blushed scarlet.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay.”
Joy radiated from his face, and his fingers danced on the steering wheel in delight. The honeymoon phase was always giddiness and smiles, but she’d never felt like her partner was as euphoric about it as she was. No one had ever smiled at her with the frequency or delight that Wade did.
“Do you have any food at your place?” she asked after a brief silence.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he smirked. “You’re expecting a bachelor pad with a recliner or two, a big screen TV connected to every gaming console on the market, a computer station to rival NASA, and pizza boxes everywhere.”
Jenny grinned at his evocative description. She had, in fact, envisioned something similar, though the technical details had escaped her.
They spent the weekend at his apartment. Jenny was pleasantly surprised by the stylish decor until he sheepishly admitted his sisters and mother harassed him into buying furniture and decorating. But the paintings on the walls were Wade Edison originals, another of his mom’s therapies when she broke her ankle.
He gave her a tour of his apartment, but they spent most of their time in bed.
JENNY
“What can I do for you two?” Angela asked, a pleasant smile on her face.
Monday morning, Jenny agreed to let Wade take the lead with the Human Resources manager since she was too nervous. There was nothing in the company policy prohibiting them from dating, but she’d be anxious until it was over, despite the inviting workspace.
Angela’s office overflowed with plants, soothing some of Jenny’s stress as she glanced around. Despite the calming atmosphere, she jumped when Wade spoke.
“Jenny and I are dating.”
“Oh, I’m delighted to hear it.” Angela’s face split into a broad smile, and she clapped her hands. “You two make a lovely couple.”
“But back to business,” she said with a more professional manner. “It’s no issue since you don’t work in the same department, and neither of you reports to the other. But I’ll grab each of you a copy of the consensual relationship agreement to sign so everything is above board. Oh, and the sexual harassment policy, too, as standard procedure.”
They each read over the forms and signed them. Angela smiled proudly at them again when they returned them to her.
“Let me be the first to wish you the best. I’ll place these in your personnel files and email you both a copy of your forms as well. Congratulations, again.”
Angela shook their hands, and they exited her office.
“That was so easy,” Jenny said in an undertone.
“Now let’s go tell Kyle and Gloria.”
“You haven’t told Kyle yet?”
“Of course I have, but not where he can crow loudly about how he knew it all along. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one’s around to hear Kyle take credit for it, does it make a sound?”
“I hear my name,” Kyle announced grandly as they reached the break room.
Kyle, Mike, Alan, Gloria, and Kenny chatted together around coffee and pastries. Jenny blushed as she remembered the pastry Wade fed her in bed. By his sidelong glance and smirk, he remembered it, too.
“Oh, good, you’re all here,” Wade said.
“I knew it!” Kyle whooped when he spotted Jenny’s hand in Wade’s.
Jenny laughed and shared smiles with Gloria, her heart full and happy.