Chapter 34
34
[Genie]
T oday has been a perfect day. The invitation. The morning orgasm. The picnic. The hike.
Judd nearly gave me a heart attack when he mentioned proposals, though. Within seconds, my heart hammered, and my palms were sweaty because I wasn’t certain I would say no to him.
A resounding check yes was caught in my throat.
Before, I hadn’t ever found someone with staying power. I sensed a loss before a relationship had been found, and I always skated out first, before I could be hurt.
Judd has been different. He’s been patient and kind, thoughtful at every turn. He’s also sexy as hell, even if we haven’t officially had sex.
The longer I wear his ring, the longer I want to keep wearing his ring, but one step at a time. Staying a little longer is an unspoken test. We’ve had twelve wonderful days, but I don’t want that to be the honeymoon period. I still have a large decision to make with Greetings Ambassador, and although that doesn’t involve a move to New York, it would involve changes.
I can only handle one shift in my life at a time.
Judd and I finish our lunch, sticking to easier topics, then we pack up and hike back to his car. I quickly learn the day isn’t over as he drives us into town.
I haven’t been to Sterling Falls other than my short visits to the Curmudgeon Bakery and Milton Roadhouse, so I’m a little surprised by the array of boutiques lining the main streets. However, two staples are still present: Frederick’s Ice Cream Parlor and the diner which stand on opposite corners from one another.
As Judd and I walk hand-in-hand, fingers easily linked together, I pause before a women’s apparel shop where a pretty, royal blue dress hangs on a mannikin in the window. Judd stops beside me.
“It kind of reminds me of my prom dress.” I wistfully recall the strapless dress I’d selected with a full skirt and dismiss the heartache that dress eventually represented, especially now that I know the truth of what happened to Judd and why he didn’t show.
“You should try it on,” Judd prompts.
I huff a laugh. “I think I’m a little old for prom dresses.”
“Is that a prom dress?” Judd eyes the strapless dress with a heart-shaped bodice and a shorter skirt that’s still full at the bottom but not as whimsical as my original prom dress.
“No. It’s just a special occasion dress.” Simple yet fun. Not necessarily appropriate for something formal like prom, but definitely a dress for an important day.
“Today is the perfect day to get it then,” Judd says.
With surprise, I glance at him, but his tone suggests he’s dead serious. Tugging me toward the boutique door confirms his suggestion.
“Judd, I don’t need a special occasion dress.” I really don’t.
“Just try it on anyway.” He’s already opening the door, and a tiny bell tinkles overhead to signal our entrance.
Within minutes, I’m wearing a dress I don’t need, but kind of love. The heart-shape neckline and cinched waist emphasizes my breasts. I love the fullness of the skirt and that the color matches Judd’s eyes.
To my surprise, Judd enters the fitting room while I’m admiring myself in the mirror.
“Judd,” I whisper. “You probably shouldn’t be in here.”
“I just want a peek.” He meets my gaze in our reflection in the mirror. “I already know what I missed, but now I can really envision it.” His eyes don’t leave my body, taking in the fit of the dress.
His hands join the exploration when he sets them on my hips first, coasting them down my thighs before skimming back up and along my sides, brushing at the side of my breasts.
“Looks like a good fit.”
“And suddenly you’re a dressmaker,” I tease.
“I’m a dress expert. Especially when it comes to you in one.” He runs his knuckles down my back along the zipper which sends a shiver up my spine and goosebumps erupt on my skin. He covers my shoulders next, rubbing his hands down my arms to warm me up. His mouth comes to the side of my neck, and he kisses me once before running his nose up to my ear.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispers, giving me more goosebumps and visions of Judd removing this dress from me.
With that, he steps back and slips through the curtain covering the fitting room. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath, turned on by his appraisal and his tender caress, until he exits. He didn’t touch me anywhere special and yet everywhere is humming. My flesh. My clit. My heart.
I admire the curvy fit one final time, admitting that I feel beautiful in a dress like this. Then I carefully remove it and hang it back on the hanger.
As I open the curtain, a salesgirl surprises me by holding out her hand. “I’ll take it to the counter and wrap it up for you.”
“Oh, I’m not?—”
“Your fiancé already paid for it. Judd is so sweet.” Whoever the girl is, she recognizes Judd like the hostess at Evergreen Terrace had, and a tiny pinch pierces my chest. But I remind myself Judd is spending this day with me. He’s made this extra special.
I smile timidly as the girl delicately folds the dress between tissue paper and tucks it into a paper bag before handing me the new purchase. “Enjoy.”
While uncertain when I’d wear such a dress, I thank the salesgirl and step out of the store to find Judd standing on the sidewalk looking at his phone. He glances up the second I hit the pavement and slips the device into his pocket.
“You didn’t need to buy me a new dress.”
“I wanted to.” He shrugs and takes the bag from my hand, then grabs my other one to lead us down the street.
The next spot we visit is the local pharmacy that’s more of an all-goods store. They have everything from a greeting card section to Sterling Falls T-shirts, plus your basic houseware needs and pharmaceutical products. The superstores are located near larger cities, so this pharmacy is for immediate needs.
Judd leads me to a hat rack covered in an array of sun hats and baseball caps, plus a few straw ones. He picks up a grass-woven cowboy hat and sets it on my head. I laugh while he sets a similarly made rancher’s hat on his own.
“Perfect,” he mutters, watching me as I watch him. “Happy National Straw Hat Day.”
I laugh. “You’re making that up.”
“Nope. That’s the surprise mentioned on the invitation.” He takes my hand and walks me over to the counter, where he promptly pays for two straw hats to celebrate the special day.
I’m still giddy when we walk out of the store wearing our new hats.
“One more stop to celebrate May Fifteenth Day.” Judd opens the door to Frederick’s Ice Cream Parlor on the corner of Main and Corner.
“Ice cream?” I question as the cool air conditioning hits us, and we saunter to the freezer counter to examine the flavor options.
Fredericks is famous for seasonal flavors like purple-tinted blackberry and pumpkin spice, but Judd has our order ready.
“Pick between chocolate chip cookie dough or mint chocolate chip. Your choice on National Chocolate Chip Day.”
My smile is so wide it might actually break my cheeks. “Mint chocolate chip, of course.” I hum.
“Of course. Two, please,” he says to the clerk.
Despite it being late afternoon on a Wednesday, the bench outside the shop is taken. We could re-enter the place to enjoy our frozen treat at their bistro tables, but Judd leads us down the street again and out of the business district to the green square off the main streets. Once there, he plops down in the grass, and I follow.
After taking a lick of my ice cream cone, I thank him. “Today has been amazing.”
“Thank you,” he emphasizes. “For being amazing. It’s been really fun. I’ve never planned a day before. Or a date, for that matter.”
I still my tongue on the next lap around my ice cream. “Seriously?”
Judd told me how he and Heather often went to functions or fundraisers. Situations that were more of a collective event than an intimate activity. He’d never picked a movie or a meal, at least not in the last two and a half years.
“Seriously,” Judd states before swiping at his ice cream cone with a long lick. He winks at me and the gleam in his eyes says everything. He’s pleased with himself, and I’m honored to be the recipient of the meticulous planning and effort on his part to make today such a special day. He catered to my quirks and interests, celebrating them, appreciating them.
“Another first,” I state, thinking back to making out in his childhood bedroom.
“Another first,” Judd confirms, staring at me as he licks his ice cream. The grin on his face is easy and relaxed. His body posture matches the ease as he leans on one arm in the grass, enjoying a day in the middle of the week instead of working.
He’s been many firsts for me as well.
That tongue is on the list.
But I’m certain the overwhelming possibility that I love him is at the tippy-top.
Our celebrate-the-day doesn’t end with ice cream.
At night, Judd grills us a steak dinner with fresh asparagus, and we open another bottle of sweet red wine. Judd and I hang out on his deck, sitting in lounge chairs that he pulled next to each other. I’m leaning on my side looking at him, while he sits with his back pressed into the cushion. And we talk for hours, sharing more stories about growing up in Sterling Falls. I mention my limited adventures as an only child and Judd tells me a hilarious story about his brothers and sister when they were younger.
Eventually, the sun sets, and Judd says, “You should put on that dress again.”
“What? Why?” I giggle. My birthday hangover is long gone, but getting drunk is the last thing I want to do tonight. However, I am relaxed and full to bursting on a rich dinner, good wine, and excellent company.
“I just want to see you in it one more time.”
Slowly, he turns his head to look at me, and everything rushes to my belly.
He really wants to see me in the dress one more time, so . . . what the heck . I stand while keeping my eyes on him and drain the remainder of my wine.
“I’ll be back in a sec.”
Judd stares back at me as if he can’t believe I’m going to put on a dress for five minutes, but then he gives me that half-smile. The crooked one that makes my heart go thud-thud-thud , and I race off to change.
I’m giddy as I step into the guest room and slip into the silky fabric. I fluff up my hair, reapply my lipstick and even spritz myself with perfume just for fun. As I don’t have the right shoes for this kind of dress, I skip footwear and walk out to the great room barefoot. From the middle of the room, I can see Judd is no longer seated on the deck and I spin in a slow circle wondering where he went.
“Judd?” I call out.
“I’ll be right out,” he hollers from his side of the house.
I wait until he calls again. “Firefly, meet me in the library.”
For a half a second, I think I’ve heard him from the wrong direction of the house, and I practically skip toward the library expecting Judd to be inside.
Instead, I see the flowers from earlier have been moved to the desk in the room. The lights are dim, and music plays over a hidden speaker. The song is familiar, very 1990s, but I cannot place it because Judd enters the room . . . wearing a tux.
My mouth drops as I stare at the man who was once a boy intended to be my prom date. Now, he’s dressed in a stunning, fitted black tux with a circa 1990s cummerbund and bow tie in royal blue.
A perfect match to the dress I’m wearing.