Chapter 9
Jake
Ipulled up in front of Natalie’s condo—my wife’s condo—on Saturday morning, feeling jittery and excited.
I was looking forward to meeting my boss’s new little one, but I was really excited to do it with Natalie at my side.
I glanced down at the band of gold shining from my ring finger against the steering wheel and shook my head.
Who knew anxiety would have me end up here?
Before I got to her front door, she was out of her building and making her way to me.
Damn, she looked good. I was a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy but Natalie was always dressed to kill.
Today, she was in a bright pink, floor-length sundress, a jean jacket, and her signature heels.
My chest swelled to see the ring I gave her on her finger.
Her dark auburn hair was gently curled, and she was carrying a plate of cookies with pale pink icing.
I rushed over to grab the plate from her. “Wow, you look…wow.”
“Thanks.” I liked the way she blushed when my eyes roamed over her.
I opened the passenger side of the truck and put the plate in the back seat with the card I addressed from both of us.
My truck had a big lift kit in it. Even in heels, Natalie barely made five and a half feet.
I gave her my hand and helped her up. She was in the passenger seat but still facing me, and I couldn’t bring myself to step away.
“You know, we will need people to believe that we’re a couple at this event.
” I ran the fabric of her skirt through my fingers.
It was as soft as it looked, and I wanted to bunch it in my fist and rip it off her.
“Right.” She moved a little closer to me on the seat.
“It might help to sell the story if we, you know, were comfortable touching each other.”
She brought her hand to her mouth. “Why, Jake Taylor, are you talking about—” she lowered her voice to a whisper. “—holding hands.” She pretended to clutch her chest.
I smiled at her and shook my head. How she was always so happy and bright I would never know.
It wasn’t the sunny side of her I wanted to get to know better, or not only that side.
I hadn’t stopped thinking about that kiss since it happened and even though all logic told me to drop the subject, I leaned closer.
“Holding hands is nice, but we’re newlyweds remember?
I planted a hand on either side of her hips and leaned into her.
“I would be squeezing your ass anytime I didn’t think anyone was looking.
Or wrapping my arms around you and hugging you from behind so you could feel just how hard you make me. ”
Her breath hitched and her eyes grew brighter. “What else?”
“I should be running my hand up your thigh under the dinner table.”
“Sounds good.” Her eyes grew hooded as she leaned closer. “And what would I be doing?”
I brought my lips to her neck and grazed my teeth over the delicate skin. “You would bend over to take your shoes off and accidentally brush your ass against my dick, letting me know exactly how you want me to take you when we get home.” I latched my lips onto her neck and sucked.
A small moan escaped her throat. “I would?”
“You would. You’d be so ready for me by the time we got home that we’d barely make it out of the truck and through the front door.”
“Fuck, that sounds good.” She turned her head, finding my lips with hers.
I felt her heel dig into my ass as she pulled me closer.
One hand bunched in my shirt and my hat fell off from how hard she pulled me into her.
Her lips were moving, her tongue was in my mouth, and I was lost. Surrounded by the smell of vanilla and heaven and feeling the heat of her core sinking into me.
I could have done it right now. I could have pushed her back, climbed in, and shut the door behind us.
I could have kissed every part of her, told her to forget what I’d said about this not being real, and just got lost in every soft sinful inch of her.
I forced myself to pull back. She deserved more than the small part of me I had to give.
I had to keep my priorities straight and it was damn hard to remember that my priorities aren’t between her legs when she looked at me with kiss-red lips and blurry eyes.
“We should get going.” I took a shaky step back and shut the passenger door before I changed my mind.
******
The drive was awkward, with my dick sticking up higher than the gear shifter and all. I felt Natalie’s eyes roam over me at regular intervals which didn’t help.
“So, driving doesn’t trigger your anxiety?”
The question deflated all the excitement going on below my belt. I shook my head.
“And driving on the highway doesn’t bother you?”
I saw what she was getting at and cleared my throat.
“Out for a drive, if I was unlucky, I might see a fender bender or even a bad wreck. Not that seeing that isn’t an intense experience.
It’s different when you don’t get to drive past it.
My job has me driving straight to it. Being part of the nightmare someone just lived through—or didn’t.
” The muscles in my jaw started to work and I shook my head.
“My brain knows the difference, I guess. I love going for a drive, especially with a pretty lady in the passenger seat. Tow truck driving isn’t the same.
” She rested her hand on my knee and left it there.
I’d never been to Sam’s place before but the bouquet of pink balloons at the end of the driveway was a good sign I’d found the right place.
“You ready for this?” She nodded, beaming, and I helped her down from the truck.
Even when she was on her two feet, I threaded my fingers through hers and held her tight.
I didn’t want her to slip on the gravel since she was in heels, but I had my own selfish reasons for wanting her close.
I knocked on the door and Katie, the rookie of our tow truck family, answered the door. She was a ball of energy at the best of times and today she was like a golden retriever after three cups of espresso. “Jake!” Her voice was both louder and at a higher octave than necessary. “Who is this?”
“This is my wife, Natalie. Natalie this is Katie.”
Katie wrinkled her brow. “Wife?” She looked back and forth between the two of us. “I didn’t know you were married, Jake, where have you been hiding her?”
“I’m usually under a pile of books, but I came out for the special occasion,” Natalie said with an easy smile.
I envied the way she met new people. I had planned to stick by Natalie’s side and introduce her around, but Katie grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the group of women oohing and awwing over baby Shelby.
I put the card and cookies on the table and moved to stand with the guys from the shop.
Max, the shop mechanic, grunted in greeting.
He introduced me to his son Blair, who stood next to him bouncing a baby girl on his hip.
Sam leaned against the wall to my left with a burp cloth over one shoulder. His eyes never leave AJ and Shelby.
“How’s fatherhood?”
“Man, if I hadn’t already known women were tougher than men, this experience would have proved it.
I wouldn’t be standing after everything she did to bring Shelby into the world, but she’s kicking butt, being AJ.
” He shook his head. “You won’t see me around the office much.
I’ll be in and out here and there, but my goal is to take a month off and then come back part-time.
I don’t want to miss a minute of her growing up and with two of us home we have a fighting chance of getting some sleep. ”
Blair and Max chimed in with stories of raising kids.
A pang of longing went through my gut to see these average, blue-collar guys tied up in knots.
I wanted to know what it felt like to be connected to someone on that level.
I knew exactly who I wanted that someone to be, I just couldn’t have her. Not yet.
I managed to get Natalie back by my side and introduced her to Myra and the rest of my coworkers.
A few people expressed surprise that I was married but we stuck to our story and the subject was quickly dropped.
After milling around and socializing for a while, Sam and AJ got to work opening gifts.
There weren’t enough chairs, so I snagged one and pulled Natalie into my lap.
“I’m too heavy.” Her voice was an anxious whisper, and she kept her weight on her feet.
“I got you, babe.” She gave me a look and gingerly transferred some of her weight to my lap. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her back.
She sat stiffly at first, barely an inch of butt cheek on my knee, but as the gift opening went on, she sank back into me. Her back was warm and soft against my chest and the smell of her shampoo was giving me flashbacks to the kiss we shared in the truck.
Baby gifts weren’t all that interesting, and I was distracted by a little freckle right where Natalie’s neck meets her shoulder.
Experimentally, I nuzzled my face into her neck, kissing the little spot.
Her shoulders relaxed and she intertwined her fingers with mine where they rested against her stomach.
I wanted to keep kissing her. Start at the freckle and move to her shoulder pushing the strap of her dress out of the way as I went until it fell to her waist. It was hard enough not to react with her sitting in my lap.
I cut off that line of thinking and reverted my eyes back to the baby gifts.
When there was only one gift left, Sam handed it to AJ to open.
She tore the pastel pink paper from the box and added it to the growing pile.
When she pulled the top off her eyes went wide.
Sam pushed off the couch and got down on one knee.
Natalie sat up straight and brought her hands to her mouth.
“AJ. I know I am doing this in the wrong order, but you and Shelby are the best things that have ever happened to me. Now that I’ve found you, I want you to be mine and me to be yours officially. Will you marry me?”
AJ didn’t strike me as the crying type, but a tear slid down her cheek as she started to nod. She slid down onto the floor in front of Sam, and they hugged.
“Awww.” Natalie pulled my arms more tightly around her.
“They seem so happy.” We all applauded. I really was happy for them.
I liked it when good things happened to people who deserved it.
Natalie twisted around on my lap, and I could see she was tearing up.
I wiped her cheek with my thumb. “You hardly know them, why are you crying?”
She shrugged and sniffled. “I’m just in love with love I guess.”
I knew she was. Her heart seemed to soar like a helium balloon over every cutesy thing she saw.
The fact that I had robbed her of her chance for a real relationship, a real proposal, a real wedding, and a real marriage—at least for a while—sat heavily in my gut.
I had to get better. I had to make all of this up to her somehow.