Chapter 17 #3
Tim looked down at his watch, then smiled back at me. “I have to get home or else I’m definitely going to be grounded.” He pointed a finger at me. “I’ll see you soon though.”
I pointed back at him. “Yes you will.”
I watched as he left the cafe, looking much happier than when he first sat down with me. Mission accomplished. If I was the type to pat myself on the back, I’d be doing it at that moment.
“That seemed to go well.”
I jumped at the sound of Jax’s voice and put my hand over my rapidly beating heart while I turned to glare at her. “You scared me.”
Jax giggled. “Sorry about that. I was just wondering how long you were planning on staying.”
“That depends. When do you get off?”
Jax bounced up and down slightly. “Are you going to stay? I close tonight, so I’ll probably be here until at least 9.”
I stood up and wrapped Jax in a hug. “Then it sounds like I’ll be here until at least 9 as well. Luckily, Uncle Jamie was already planning on helping my grandma to bed tonight, so I'm all yours.”
I spent the rest of the time that Jax was working switching between reading my book and going to the back to give Speck attention.
When the last customer left and Jax locked the door, I let Speck come out to the front with us.
I asked Jax if she needed any help, but she insisted she didn’t, so I sat down with Speck and held him on my lap while I read some more.
I didn’t know how long it took Jax to finish up all of her closing tasks, because I was swept away once again. When I sensed Jax standing close to me, I was surprised to look up from my book and find her holding two drinks.
She set them on the table beside me. “Hot Chocolate.”
Instead of waiting for me to stand up, she sat down next to me. She snuggled close to me and Speck and pulled out a book of her own.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Jax nodded toward my book. “You looked so happy and content, I figured I’d join you.”
“We’re not leaving?”
Jax shrugged. “We can if you want to, but I thought it might be nice to sit here and read together. Take advantage of the quiet.”
I leaned my head on Jax’s shoulder. “That sounds absolutely perfect.”
It really was perfect. As we both read quietly together, I realized that this was the most content I had felt in months. We stayed like this for at least an hour, neither of us speaking unless something interesting happened in our book that we wanted to tell the other person about.
When I finally picked my head up from my book to look outside, I realized the snow was really piling up. “Oh no. It’s getting kind of bad out there.”
Jax looked outside as well, but she didn’t seem concerned. “I’ll drive us home, don’t worry. I know you get nervous driving in this, but I really don’t. We can come back to get your car whenever you feel comfortable driving again.”
“Really? That would be amazing.” I was more excited about the fact that I would get the extra time with Jax as we drove home than I was about not having to drive in this weather (although, I did appreciate that as well).
Jax held up one finger. “On one condition. You have to do something with me before we head home.”
“Okay…” I had no idea where she was going with this. With Jax, it could honestly be anything. “What is it?”
Jax pointed out the window. “I want to go for a family walk in the snow.”
It was freezing outside, and neither of us had the correct attire, which made it absolutely crazy, but I loved the idea. “That sounds great. Let’s do it.”
We put Speck on his leash and bundled up in as many layers as we had available, then headed outside. The cold air immediately had me shivering, but when Jax took my hand, my whole body warmed from her touch.
The town was breathtaking with the snow falling all around us. It felt even more like I was living in a Hallmark movie as Jax and I talked and laughed and had to hold each other up when one of us started to slip.
At one point, Jax stuck her tongue out to catch snowflakes and Speck rolled around in the snow as if he was trying to make his version of a snow angel. That’s when it hit me. This was my home.
Home wasn’t a place. It was a person. I had been so stuck inside my own head that I was missing what was right in front of me.
I didn’t feel out of place because I was somewhere I shouldn’t be.
I felt out of place because I had been denying things that made me happy—sitting at the cafe while Jax worked, taking advantage of the moments we had together, fully appreciating the wonderful things the woman in front of me brought to my life.
Jax stopped catching snowflakes to look over at me. Her eyes sparkled as they stared into mine. “Are you okay?” she asked before reaching out for me and twirling me in her arms.
“More than okay. I’m perfect.”
I couldn’t believe that this whole time, I had been missing what was right in front of me. It was almost as if Carter from three years ago had returned.
I couldn’t wait to tell Jax all about how I was feeling and what this meant for our future, but the realist in me told me to make sure this feeling lasted before I made any promises.
Luckily, I had a really good feeling that it would.