Chapter Forty-Five
Blake
L ying in bed, waiting for Adrian to finish getting ready, I feel a newfound hopefulness. It’s been there for the last couple of hours, since Adrian told me what he spent his afternoon looking into.
Community outreach programs.
And there are some that are run through vet clinics. They offer things I try to do already—pet insurance and basic care education, emotional support during medical procedures, and volunteer pet caretaking. There are endless possibilities of what I could do for the community with the right licenses, permits and grants.
We could hold free clinic days, offer discounted mandatory procedures like spaying or neutering, have emergency relief funds, and so much more. Those are only a few of the many opportunities Adrian mentioned.
His note taking really is impressive so when he realized I was more than interested in his idea, he brought out a notebook and his laptop. For about an hour and a half—while we waited for the cookies he ordered for me—we went over everything he’s learned in the last couple of hours.
It’s more than I can fully process at the moment, but the one thing I realized was, I do need to start thinking about college. Like right now . I don’t feel overwhelmed, like I always worried I would. There are nerves but they’re the excited kind.
Part of those nerves could be the fact that I’m lying in Adrian’s bed in nothing besides my panties and tank top. I showered at the gym. And truthfully, I’ve enjoyed the time with my thoughts while he’s been in the shower and doing whatever else he needs.
Only the water turned off about ten minutes ago, so I know he’ll be walking out any minute now.
This isn’t the first night we’ve spent together, but it feels different. Like we somehow took a step forward. And the longer I lay here, the clearer it becomes. The guilt over our lapses in judgement isn’t building a wall between us anymore.
Maybe tonight isn’t the best night to have sex, all things considered after the day’s events, but I feel closer to Adrian than ever before. And that’s saying something because he’s easily become my person in the last few weeks.
And now, I want to share everything with him… including my body.
As if my thoughts were a beacon, he comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. And God, what a marvelous fucking sight it is. Even though we haven’t gone further than oral, Adrian isn’t shy about his body. And he sure as hell has no reason to be.
Regardless, if we just watch movies or go straight to sleep, he’s always peeling off layers of fabric, and encouraging me to take off as much as possible. I think he just likes the skin-to-skin-contact—something I’ve quickly become accustomed to.
I watch as he drops the towel and grabs a pair of boxer-briefs, not trying to hide my intentions. When he looks back at me, I feel my face warm, but I let my eyes move up his body until I meet his gaze.
It’s new—feeling confident in my desires and expressing those to the person I’m dating. Ever since Adrian promised that I was safe with him, he’s done everything in his power to stick to his word.
His eyes shamelessly move over the curves of my body too, pausing on the cleavage that’s falling out of the tank top. I’m on my side, propped up on my elbow. From this angle, and without a bra, it doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination… Especially to someone as well acquainted with my body as he is now.
“So,” he slowly starts and moves to get in bed next to me. Pulling the covers down for him, I wait for him to continue. He seems nervous suddenly. “Your dad mentioned something earlier, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
Pushing up until I’m sitting next to him, looking down at where he’s settling against his pillow, I ask, “What did he say?” There’s a slight panic in my voice—feeling like everything was too good to be true and this is the other shoe about to drop.
“Shh, pretty girl,” he soothes and wraps an arm around my back. He pulls me down until my front is flush against his and holds me to him. “It’s nothing bad. I promise.”
Taking a breath, I nod and look at him. Waiting.
“I just don’t want you to feel like I’m inviting myself into something, if you weren’t ready for that.” Now I’m just confused, and the way my brows scrunch must clue him into that. He sighs and shyly admits, “Your dad invited me to spend Christmas at your house.”
Surprised, I sputter, “He did?”
My heart pinches at the thought of my dad ending their conversation on that note. I had mentioned to my parents at dinner a few days ago that I wasn’t sure what Adrian’s plans were, after my dad noticed he hadn’t requested any time off.
From the look my mom gave my dad, I knew where her mind was at. But considering my dad and I haven’t ever talked about what’s going on between Adrian and I, I wasn’t sure how he actually feels about everything—or having his employee over on a holiday.
This feels like a confirmation that my dad is okay with this thing unfolding between us, and a white flag that Adrian, nor I, deserve right now.
And it’s exactly why I love that man so goddamn much.
“Yeah, he did.”
Biting my lip, I run my fingers gently over his chest. “Do you want to spend Christmas with us?”
“Honestly,” he exhales, “ yes . You know I’d love to see my parents, but it makes the most sense to wait until New Year’s Eve. And the only other place I’d want to be is with you and your family.”
A smile breaks out across my face. “I want you there. I was going to ask you, after I talked to my parents about it. I just… I haven’t really told my parents about us.”
He nods, but there’s obvious confusion mixed into his features. “What do you mean? We spend a lot of time together. You’ve stayed here. They must know something.”
“They do,” I assure. “I mean, you asked me on a date in front of my dad.” My cheeks warm at the reminder; so does my heart. I love the straightforward approach he’s always taken with me. And he’s easily the one responsible for getting us as far as we’ve come.
“Olivia told me about three weeks into the job that I was doing ‘a horrible job at hiding my crush on the boss’s daughter.’”
That makes me laugh, and I can perfectly imagine Olivia giving him a hard time. She knows all the work gossip and is very proud of that.
“Okay, so everyone has an idea that something is going on. I just mean, I haven’t been sure exactly what to tell my parents. And I wanted to figure it out first, you know?” He nods but seems to pick up on the fact that I’m working out my thoughts. “Earlier,” I quietly tell him, “You said we were in a relationship.”
He tilts his head, looking curious and cautious. “Aren’t we?”
Scared to meet his eye, I stare at the wall behind him. “ Are we?”
He grabs me by the waist and pulls closer, which causes me to lay more on top of him with my legs straddling him. “Blake,” he breathes. “You aren’t a dumb girl, so don’t act like it.”
The words are similar to the ones he told me when we went to dinner at SunRay’s. That was the night I realized I wasn’t imagining a second of my time with Adrian—he really was interested in me. And his intentions were made clear to anyone who asked.
“I’m not trying to play stupid,” I argue. Being this close to him is a little distracting, but I cling to him anyway, still needing the contact despite it. “I can’t just make assumptions here, Adrian.”
He nods and grips my hip tighter, wrapping both of his arms around my lower back so I’m trapped with our bodies melded together. Leaning forward, my hair creates a thin curtain around us causing it to feel more intimate.
One arm is bent next to his head, holding me up, the other lightly moving up his arm and shoulder. I continue brushing along his neck and jaw, before making my way back down the path.
I’m comfortable with this—the nonverbal types of intimacy when our bodies do the talking for us. But I know we’ve gotten to the point where we need to start having some of those conversations if we want this to actually go somewhere.
And I do.
“Let me make it clear for you, so there’s no confusion,” he murmurs, our lips only inches from each other now. “I’m not interested in anyone else, Blake. Truthfully, I haven’t been able to think about anyone other than the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, with the lightning eyes, since that night at the grocery store.”
“Really?” I breathe, wrapping my hand around the nape of his neck and pulling him closer.
“Really.” The hand on my hip tightens. “I want whatever you’ll give me, as long as it’s just the two of us.”
“I don’t want anyone else. And I hate the thought of you with anyone other than me,” I admit. In a lighter tone, I add, “It makes me feel weird .”
He chuckles quietly and I can feel his warm breath against my lips. “We’re in agreement on that then.”
After a second, my playful smile disappears, and the intensity of the moment takes over again. “I think you’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” I whisper.
He shakes his head and one of his hands slides up my spine until he’s cradling the back of my head. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about you for weeks now…” He breathes a little harder and I can tell that the next words out of his mouth are about to change everything between us.
“Say it,” I urge when he’s quiet for a few seconds too long.
He places a light kiss on my lips before saying the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. “I love you, Blake. I’ve been in love with you for weeks now. Maybe even months, truthfully. I thought love at first sight was a stupid, made up concept but I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“Adrian,” I cut him off. “I love you. It’s like a part of me even knew that night—I never forgot you either.” He’s always known that I remembered him just as well as he did me—and Margo accidentally confirmed that—but it’s the first time I’m admitting it to him.
“And now you’re here, and hopefully mine.”
Pushing back to squint at him, I only partly joke, “I can’t believe you’d still want me after everything I’ve put you through—emotionally and professionally.”
“I’m going to tell you this for the last time, baby,” he says as he flips us onto my back, and settles between my legs. “You didn’t make me do anything. We made choices, together—as partners. They weren’t the greatest choices, I’ll admit.” That signature charming grin tugs on his lips. “But they were ours . You’re not carrying that guilt alone.”