Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
THEA
Joe insisted we shower first. Once we were in there, he started kissing me while the water ran down around us. It was a blur of warmth and need and lingering touches as we explored each other. Lifting me against the wall, he thrust into me, and I trembled all over, the pleasure nearly undoing me.
Jesus, there was Joe in high school, and then there was this Joe—all man, all hot and sexy and magic for my body.
This man knew how to make my body sing. He played me like his own personal instrument.
I came in a noisy rush, and his forehead fell to mine as he shuddered against me, filling me with the heat of his release.
My knees were wobbly as he eased me down. “Easy there, now,” he murmured, one hand firmly steadying me by the hip and the other at my shoulders.
“Joe,” I managed in a breathy reply.
Once I had my balance, he caught my lips in a lingering kiss as he drew away, murmuring, “I could get used to this.”
That was the problem. I could get used to it too.
“How can I help?” I asked a short while later as we stood in the kitchen.
Joe was wearing a pair of jeans and a blinding white T-shirt, which only set off his muscled chest and the olive bronze tinge of his skin.
“You want to make coffee? I promise the waffles are good, but I use a box mix.”
I felt my lips tugging into a wide smile. Breakfast with my high school sweetheart after last night was about the best thing ever.
“Okay. I'll do the coffee.”
Joe pointed me to where the coffee beans were. I ground the coffee and started a pot. A few minutes later, I watched him as he prepped the waffles in a bright blue waffle maker.
“That's cute,” I commented.
He shrugged. “My mom got it for me. Joey loves waffles, so when he's here on the weekends, that's what we have for breakfast.”
“Tell me about him.”
Joe pointed at a photo I’d already noticed.
Crossing the kitchen to where it sat on the windowsill, I felt my heart clench as I studied it.
It was Joe with his son, a little boy who looked just like him.
We'd gone to school together, starting in kindergarten. I knew what he’d looked like as a little boy.
“Oh, wow. He looks so much like you did.”
He came to stand behind me, his palm landing between my shoulder blades. My body was attenuated to his touch, a shiver chasing over my skin and my heart kicking hard against my ribs.
“You're not the first to say that,” he offered dryly.
“What's he like?”
“Full of energy. He’s mostly good, but he also has, well, a contrary streak.”
“No way,” I teased. “You were never like that.”
Joe rolled his eyes, and my heart thumped when I turned and peered up at him. He’d definitely had a stubborn streak when he was little and had gotten in trouble at school on occasion.
“Is it hard?” I asked.
He knew what I was asking even though I didn't clarify—having a kid and not being with his mom.
“Yes and no. Yes, because it's never what I would have chosen. No, because it was a one-night stand, literally. We are not cut out to be in a relationship. We manage the co-parenting thing okay. It takes a lot of grace and a lot of biting my tongue, but we do all right.”
“How often do you have him?”
“She has him mostly during the weeks unless something comes up, and I have him most weekends. We worked out a schedule, and we stick to it, for the most part.”
“I bet you're a good dad,” I said, meaning it and ignoring the achy thump of my heart.
The coffeemaker beeped, and we turned together. I needed the distraction. Crossing the kitchen, I poured coffee for both of us. Joe finished getting the waffles ready. After that, the conversation turned to lighter topics.
I was absorbing the morning and what it felt like to see Joe after all these years. To have last night with him was startling. This morning, my heart felt as if it were flailing. I was set adrift on emotional waters I didn't know how to navigate.
Joe reached across the table, catching my hand in his as I felt his knee press against mine. His somber gaze met mine, earnest and intense. “Here's the thing, Thea. I know last night might feel like a fluke, but I don't want it to be.”
I thought my heart might crack my ribs as it felt caught in the wind and yanked upward with hope sending flares into the sky. “What?” I whispered.
“I loved you before. And it's been a long time, but it just feels right with you,” he continued, oblivious to the cacophony in my body.
Oh. My. God. That was the thing. It did feel right with Joe. I'd loved him before too. It was youthful and almost saccharine sweet, the way only young love could be. I'd been so crushed when my father forbade me from dating him.
Despite the joy rushing through me and my heart going wild, doubts and uncertainty were the name of the game when it came to my brain and romance. “But, Joe, I don't live here.” I heard myself saying.
Joe was undeterred. “We'll figure it out. What's the harm in trying? Boston’s only a few hours away. I know that you know that this thing that we have doesn't come along very often. In fact, I've only felt it with you.” His eyes searched mine. “And don't lie to me about that, please.”
Tears rushed to my eyes, and my throat felt tight. I couldn’t lie, not to Joe. “I won't lie.”
His steady, intent gaze held mine, and I took a quick breath.
“I know it's not something that comes along very often.”
“So?” he prompted.
Hope sent up a few more flares, and I felt my lips curling into a slow smile. “Okay, we can try.”
“We have one pretty big thing working in our favor.”
“We do?” While I was feeling wildly, ridiculously hopeful, and wistful, it all seemed too good, like it couldn’t really work out for us. I’d let Joe go in my mind years ago. I’d felt like I had no choice.
“This.” He gestured back and forth between us.
I suddenly felt like my teenage self, that young girl who loved a boy so, so very much. A boy who made her feel safe and loved. That boy was now a man. His presence that had once felt protective and youthful was sharpened and honed. I thought maybe this was crazy, but maybe we did have a chance.
“Okay,” I managed after a deep breath.
“I think you should just stay here.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“Where are you going to go? You're being all weird about going to your family's place so stay with me. Joey has Christmas with his mom this year. It's just me.”
“What about your parents?”
“I'll go see them on Christmas Day. I'm assuming you'll go see your family.”
I nodded. “I don't want us to be a secret.” I surprised myself with that.
Joe's eyes flew wide. “Ah, well, now that kind of surprises me.”
I shrugged. “My dad’s in jail, and my mom's gone. I don't care what anyone thinks.”
He smiled, dipping his chin in a quick nod. “I do need to take it slow with Joey.”
“Oh, I understand that part, but we'll figure it out. That'll be the upside to me living in Boston.”
His eyes warmed as he cocked his head to the side, considering me. “Good point.”
A moment later, when he leaned across the table to kiss me, it all felt so right.