CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #2
Waiting for her answer felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. He'd never been this open with anyone about his feelings, had never allowed himself to be this vulnerable.
Angela reached across the center console and took his hand. Her touch was warm, her fingers fitting perfectly between his.
"I can’t imagine feeling the way I do about anyone else," she said.
"I might not have had a lot of experience with men, but I know a good man when I see one. Your strength. Your loyalty. Your commitment. It touches me deep in my heart. You’re a man of honor and integrity, and those are very attractive qualities to me.
I like how you encourage me without being pushy.
Without making me feel stupid for not knowing things or taking longer than others to learn something.
You make me want to be a better person."
Jude's heart hammered against his ribs. He gently squeezed her hand, marveling at how something so simple could feel so significant.
“You make me want to be a better man too,” he said. “And with you, I find myself thinking and imagining a future I’ve never given much thought to. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not big on emotions.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said. “But you smile at me.”
And Jude did right then, too. “You make it easy to smile.”
She beamed at him then, lifting his hand to press the back of it to her face. “You make me smile too.”
Jude turned his hand over to cup her cheek, feeling the satiny softness beneath his fingertips. When his gaze met hers, he saw in her eyes a reflection of what he felt.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “So beautiful.”
A shy smile lifted the corners of her mouth as her cheeks pinked. “You’re the beautiful one. Well, I guess it would be handsome.”
Jude had always been aware that his looks were something that attracted women, but he hadn’t cared about that until now. He liked the idea that she found him attractive.
Lowering his hand, he took hers in his again.
"I talked to your dad," he admitted, wanting to make sure she was aware of what had transpired. "About us."
Angela's eyes widened. "You did? When?"
"A couple of days ago. I needed to know where he stood before…" Jude trailed off, realizing how calculating that might sound. "I mean, I respect him, and you're his daughter. I didn't want to complicate life for either of us."
"What did he say?" Angela leaned forward slightly, her expression a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"He said he trusts me. And that he'd stay out of things and let us figure this out for ourselves.”
“Wow. That kind of surprises me.”
“It did me too,” Jude admitted. “But I suppose he learned some things from his dealings with Cole.”
“I’m glad that he dealt with them first,” Angela said. “So maybe it will be easier for us.”
Jude hoped that would be the case, but he wasn’t delusional enough to think it would all be sunshine and roses. He wanted to make it as easy as possible for them, but the reality was that they still had hurdles to overcome.
“I did want to let you know that I’ll be bringing someone else in to operate as your bodyguard.”
“What?” Angela frowned, and her fingers tightened around his. “Why?”
“If we go out together, I want to be able to focus on you without having to be on the alert for security threats. I’ll always be armed. I mean, I’m never without a weapon, so I’ll always be able to protect you, but I want to have someone else there too.”
“Will it ever just be the two of us?” she asked. “Like if we go on a date?”
Jude gave her a smile. “Depends on what we decide to do. If we’re going where there are lots of people, we’ll have someone with us. But if we go to a quiet place, like on a hike or something, it can be just the two of us.”
“Guess I’d better start liking hiking, huh?”
When Jude chuckled, Angela’s smile grew.
“I don’t mind hiking,” he said. “There are some nice beginner trails around here that we can start out on. In fact, we have some on the estate that we can go on once the snow melts.”
Jude realized then that he was going to have to get creative. He’d never really planned dates in his last relationship. They’d just kind of decided together what they wanted to do.
With Angela, he wanted to do special things. Memorable things. He wanted to build a sturdy foundation for them because he wasn’t just playing around.
If he was going to open his heart and his life to a woman, it was because he wanted everything with her. A family. A home. Children. All of it.
He thought that was what Angela wanted too, but he supposed they’d need to have a conversation about that before too much time passed.
But for right then, he was content to sit with her. Holding her hand. The car creating a cocoon for them.
There were no cameras or people watching them. Just the sparkling snow and towering trees that surrounded the car.
“We can sort of have a first date now, if you want,” Jude said.
Angela’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“If you don’t mind just us driving around. Maybe we could swing into Serenity and get some hot drinks.”
“I’d like that,” she told him with a smile that let him know that she really meant it.
“Let’s switch seats, head into Serenity for the drinks, and then I’ll drive us around for a bit.”
“That sounds perfect,” Angela said.
Jude wasn’t sure how many women would actually consider the plan a perfect first date, but all that mattered was that Angela did.
It didn’t take long to switch seats, then Jude put the car in gear and guided it back onto the road in the direction of town.
Because he still had to keep Angela’s identity on the down-low in Serenity, he had to go to the place that had a drive-thru lane. Once there, Angela chose a mocha latte, while he settled on a large black coffee for himself.
“Do you want something to eat?” he asked. “I’m pretty sure they serve pastries of some kind here.”
“I’m actually fine with just the drink.”
“I think I’d prefer to eat the pastries you make anyway,” Jude told her. “I think you’ve spoiled me for everyone else’s baking.”
Angela’s laugh was soft. “Well, let me know if there’s something specific you’d like. I’m always up for suggestions.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After paying and getting their drinks, Jude drove them out of town, choosing a road that would eventually loop back to the estate, but would be a nice long drive to get there.
He wasn’t quite ready to end his impromptu date with Angela because he knew it might be hard to have all the time he wanted with her just yet.
But they’d get there. He felt confident of that.