Chapter 7
Joci wanted to call Gunnar and tell him they were leaving.
Jeremiah was on his phone talking to one of his guys about her bike.
Having him tell her they were going to be together tonight was a major turn-on.
She hoped like hell she didn’t end up with her heart broken again.
That would be a loss she didn’t think she would be able to recover from.
Joci took a deep breath as she pulled her phone out of her purse. She swiped her finger across Gunnar’s picture and tapped the dial icon.
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?”
“Gunnar, I’m going home with Jeremiah. I didn’t want you to worry. He’s having the guys bring my bike into the garage for the night,” she said with a quiver in her voice.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’m glad you’re giving him a chance.”
What do you say to that? “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom. He really is a great guy.”
She smiled, “Yes, you’ve said that…many times. Oh, please tell Sandi and Jackie so they don’t worry, okay?”
Joci looked up to see Jeremiah watching her, and her breath caught.
* * *
As Jeremiah watched her talk to her son, his mind reeled.
She was a beautiful person, inside and out.
He had learned so much about her this past year.
She was caring, loving, and a great mom.
She loved her friends and family, and she would do anything for those she cared about.
All she asked in return was honesty and fidelity.
She had been lied to and cheated on during her past two relationships.
She had major trust issues that lingered with her.
He wanted to give her a good life. He had thought of little else while he was waiting for the right time to make his move.
She was the kind of woman he’d always wanted to be with.
His past relationship with Barbara, his boys’ mother, had been pure hell.
It hadn’t been a relationship; it was casual sex when either of them needed it, and then she had gotten knocked up.
She was a biker bitch all the way. Crass, coarse, rough around the edges, and too made up, too over the top—too everything.
Thinking about it now, he couldn’t see how he was even remotely interested in her to begin with. She was nothing he wanted at all.
Jeremiah finished a text and walked over to Joci. “Everything okay?”
She put her phone back in her purse. “Yeah, it’s good. How about with you?” Her lips quivered into a smile. “I have to ask one last time, are you sure about…this? Me?”
Jeremiah nodded his head, “I’m very sure. How many times have I asked you out over these past ten months? Did you think I asked you out because I didn’t want to go out with you?”
“No. I…it’s just, you could have any woman you wanted—except maybe Mrs. Wilkes.” Joci smirked. Getting more serious, she said, “I’m just…nervous, that’s all.”
Stepping closer, Jeremiah reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Releasing it, he slid his hand to her nape and gently circled his fingers against her neck.
“Mrs. Wilkes is enamored with Gunnar. I’m enamored with you. Let’s go.”
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. Before she could answer, he said, “I just want to spend time with you and get to know you better. I want to share myself with you, and I want you to share yourself with me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I can’t change on the drop of a dime. I’ve lived with this fear and these trust issues for so long; I don’t really know anything else.”
Jeremiah’s green eyes clashed with her gray ones. He wanted to change that for her, for them. He slid his hand to her cheek and rubbed his thumb where a tear had been not long before.
“I want you to come home with me to my house. Since you’ve eaten dinner already, I thought we could have a glass of wine. We’ll be able to sit and talk uninterrupted there.”
Joci took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay. I’m… A glass of wine sounds great.”
Jeremiah took her hand in his. He felt a shudder run through her and watched her eyes. She never moved her gaze from his.
“I have my truck out back. Let’s go.”
They walked hand in hand through the store and out to the garage area of the shop.
They went out a side door to Jeremiah’s truck, virtually unseen, even with all of those people milling about.
He opened the passenger door and motioned for her to get in.
She looked at him with her head cocked to the side, and he smiled at her.
“Too late to change your mind, Joci. You’ve let fear keep us apart for a long time. Time to live a little.”