Chapter 7
Jayme was able to keep her ire to herself all the way back to Rocket’s house.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want Rocket talking to Aspen and Brain about her bakery.
It was more that it kind of sounded like he’d had all the ideas about her bakery.
Yes, he had a business degree and had some really good ideas, but it wasn’t as if she was an idiot.
Jayme knew she was working herself up over Rocket’s words, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she had back in Seattle.
That her ideas were brushed aside and not as important as a man’s.
She even kept quiet when he politely asked if she wanted him to grill up some steaks or chicken for dinner.
But when Rocket asked if she wanted to talk now, or calm down a little before they talked, she lost it.
“Calm down?” she asked in amazement. “You didn’t just say that to me.”
Rocket crossed his arms over his chest, leaned a hip against his amazing marble countertop in his perfect kitchen in his perfect house, and had the gall to grin at her as if she was amusing as hell.
“Just because you’re sleeping with me doesn’t give you the right to take over my life.”
Jayme knew she was being dramatic, but his comment to Memaw’s neighbors had rubbed her the wrong way and she couldn’t stop thinking about them.
“I know it doesn’t,” Rocket said calmly.
For some reason, instead of making her angrier, his non-reaction actually helped Jayme rein in her temper. She brushed past him and got a teabag down from the cabinet.
Rocket reached over and flicked the button on the tea kettle to heat the water. “Go sit, I’ll get this ready for you,” he told her.
Nodding, Jayme headed for the couch. She watched as Rocket prepared her tea, just like he did every night. There were so many considerate things he did for her on a daily basis.
She hadn’t been sure if being around him all the time was going to work in the long run.
She was so used to living on her own. But Rocket had made the transition seamless.
She hadn’t even consciously moved in with him, so much as she’d just kind of stayed after that first night.
She enjoyed being with him, and even puttering around his house when he was at work just felt…
right. She visited Memaw every day, but then came back here and made dinner for them both.
And she baked—a lot. She enjoyed coming up with new recipes and concoctions for Rocket to try.
She also appreciated that he didn’t always gush over every creation. There were certainly times when he’d suggested something wasn’t quite right. That a cookie needed more chocolate or less nuts or something.
And she couldn’t deny how right sleeping in his arms felt.
Jayme had never had a boyfriend she’d clicked with so quickly.
Which was why his making decisions for her bakery without discussing it with her first had bothered her so much.
It wasn’t as if what he’d told Memaw’s neighbors was written in stone or anything; she knew she could do whatever she wanted with specialty orders.
But Rocket just acting as if what he said was law really bothered her.
He headed over to the couch and held out a steaming cup of her favorite cinnamon-apple tea. Then, instead of sitting in the huge easy chair next to the couch, he sat next to her.
Right next to her. His thigh touched hers from knee to hip.
She frowned at him and scooted over, putting some space between them. But Rocket simply shifted with her, eliminating the space she’d gained.
“Rocket, I’m still annoyed with you. Can you scoot over?”
“No,” he said without hesitation. “I know you’re pissed, and I want to talk about it. I don’t want to give you space because there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right by your side.”
Okay, that was sweet…but Jayme was still annoyed.
She blew out a breath and decided to just get it over with.
“Fine. I’m still working out the details of my bakery.
While I have a basic business plan that I worked on back in Seattle, I haven’t decided about things like inventory, inventory options, or what I’m going to do about specialty orders.
So why’d you tell Aspen and Kane that I’d only take a few orders a day? ”
Rocket took a deep breath. “Right. I overstepped, I know that. But I did so from a good place.”
Jayme waited, and when he didn’t continue, she raised her eyebrows. “And?”
“The last two months, I’ve been happier than I can remember being in a very long time.”
His words felt good, but they didn’t explain why he’d made it seem as if he knew better than she did when it came to her business.
“Before you came into my life, I didn’t have much to look forward to every day.
I enjoy my job, I like my coworkers, I get a rush when I discover a problem with an engine and fix it.
But every day was the same. I’d get up, work out, grab something for breakfast, go to work, then come home, eat takeout, and maybe tinker in my garage for a while before going to sleep.
I occasionally went out with friends from work, but since most of them have families, those times were few and far between.
When I met Winnie at the grocery store, she gave me something to do other than hang around my house being bored.
“Then, when I first saw you at Winnie’s house, something clicked inside me.
You were funny, and gorgeous, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you from day one.
Talking to you became the highlight of my days.
I couldn’t wait to get home from work so I could check my texts or call you.
And all that sounds pathetic, and I know it, but it’s the truth. ”
“I’m sure you had dates,” Jayme said quietly. Rocket’s words were getting to her. She had no idea what his confession had to do with what had happened today, but it was almost impossible to stay mad at him when he was being so sweet.
Rocket shook his head. “Not really. Maybe I’m just picky in my old age, but I never felt a connection with anyone I met.
Some were too desperate to be taken care of, others weren’t interested in anything serious.
Some just wanted sex, and a few were simply bitches who thought any man they dated should get down on his knees and thank his lucky stars they were with her.
You weren’t any of those things. You were shy, and slightly awkward, and nervous, and ambitious.
You weren’t looking for a husband…or even a date. ”
Jayme chuckled. “Wow, that doesn’t make me sound very attractive.”
He smiled at her. “It was. It is. Trust me. Anyway, now I get to wake up with you in my arms. See your smile. Hear your laugh. Savor your zest for life. I go to work in a good mood, and no matter what happens while I’m there, I know at the end of the day, I’m going to get to be with you.
I walk into this house and it feels like a home for the first time since I first moved in.
When I see you in the kitchen with an apron around your waist, I can’t believe how lucky I am.
And I don’t mean just because you cook dinner and treats for me.
It’s because of you. You could tell me you’re not making one more meal and I wouldn’t care, as long as I still got to come home to you.
“And I love that you’re working toward your goal of opening your own bakery.
I’m so proud of you, my heart can barely stand it.
Warm Delights is going to be a hit, I know it.
How can it be anything else with your enthusiasm and excitement?
And…when Aspen asked if you were going to take special orders, I had an immediate vision of the future.
Of you getting up at four a.m.…and not coming home until ten at night.
Of you staying late every day because you had more cakes you had to bake for birthdays.
Of one more batch of cookies you had to get done that someone ordered at the last minute for a retirement ceremony.
“I had an immediate flash of jealousy. It’s stupid.
I know. But the thought of you working day and night, of not getting to spend as much time with you…
it hurt. I’m not being sexist; I know that I work all day, and I have no problem with you doing the same.
But I want evenings to be ours. I don’t know what you’re thinking about as far as store hours go, but I hate the thought of you working fourteen hours a day.
I just thought if you limited the special orders, you’d be able to leave the store to your manager and employees and come home at a reasonable hour.
“Creating scarcity really is a good marketing strategy. If customers know that they can’t simply call in an order whenever they feel like it, the value of what you do will hopefully rise.
But yeah…I was out of line with my assumptions, and of course you can do whatever you want with Warm Delights.
But I said what I said because I love you and want to spend as much time with you as possible. ”
Jayme’s irritation faded away with every word out of Rocket’s mouth.
How could she be upset that her boyfriend wanted to spend time with her?
Yes, he had been out of line by telling Memaw’s neighbors how she was going to run her business.
But he’d said it out of an emotional need…
and, she had to admit, an acute business acumen as well.
Then his last words registered. “You love me?”
“More than I’d ever thought I could love anyone,” Rocket replied.
And just like that, Jayme was glad he hadn’t let her put any space between them. She put her tea down on the coffee table in front of her and practically threw herself at Rocket. He caught her—of course he did—and held her tightly against him.
“I love you too,” she said into his neck.
She felt him tighten his arms around her before his lips nuzzled her ear. “Enough to forgive me for speaking out of turn?”