Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
claire
“I forgot what we were talking about in the first place,” I say as my laughter dies down.
“I think we left off at what Rowan is like in bed,” Loren reminds me, and my cheeks heat again.
JD lets out a whistle and rises to his feet. “Maybe you were right. This tea might be too hot for me.”
I cock an eyebrow at him. “You talk a big game for a man who dips out at the first mention of a bed.”
“I thought we were focusing on your feelings in this session,” JD clarifies.
“You have to admit, it would be pretty awkward to have the details of everyone’s sex lives in the back of your mind when you have to perform a classroom walk-through,” I say with a grin, and Loren grunts and crosses her arms, presumably because JD’s already traded stories with his brother.
“Then I’d better leave now, Ms. Claire, especially since you’re on my walk-through list for next week,” he replies with a silly face and an exaggerated tone.
I gulp. “What do you know?”
“Not much, other than there not being much to know. Besides the night you met,” he continues, clicking his tongue. “Now, the feelings part, I’ve gotten an earful on that front.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “You, too? When the hell did you and Rowan become best friends?”
“Well, I figure I have the right to befriend my wife’s work husband. But I thought you knew we were all golf buddies, now. Landry added him to our group chat and everything,” he explains innocently, but I can tell he’s growing more concerned with my reaction by the second.
“What exactly did he say?” I demand.
A crackly voice calls JD’s name from the radio attached to his belt, but he reaches down to turn it off.
He glances at Loren and swallows hard before he speaks again.
“He told us a little about that first night, and how it shook him after he’d been so sure he was waiting for marriage.
Then he talked about how well you get along despite not being on the same page about what you want in the future, all so he could get some advice. ”
I scoff. “Is that all?”
He cringes. “There was more, but I feel like you should hear the rest from him.”
“Remind me not to trust you with any more of my secrets,” Loren whispers to JD.
He clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I was honestly just looking for an excuse to bring up the chastity stuff and offer some encouragement.
I mean, Lo probably has a more relatable speech on tap, but I wanted to reassure you that waiting for marriage is very rewarding and more common than you might think. ”
Loren jabs her elbow into his thigh, making him wince. “You could have just told her that part, you ass,” she scolds him again, and he nods solemnly in agreement.
I sigh. “I’m not upset, I’m just shocked to hear that Rowan was willing to talk about what happened between us. I’ve sort of been thinking he’s embarrassed of me.”
JD rears back. “Uh, no. That’s not the impression he gave me at all. Or Tenley, from what I’m told. And for the record, had he said anything to make me even think that, I’d have threatened to kick his ass.”
“How bout I kick your ass?” Loren mutters, but it admittedly warms my chest to hear that JD would be so quick to defend my honor.
He rolls his eyes before he continues. “If he seemed embarrassed about anything, it’s that he can’t get a handle on his self-control and hasn’t been able to convince you to take him seriously.”
My heartbeat drums in my ears. “What do you mean, take him seriously?”
“I guess you could say he’s hoping you’ll actually consider something serious with him,” JD replies carefully.
My cheeks heat again, and I open my mouth to speak, but I’m interrupted when the door swings open and a large bouquet of flowers appears. No, scratch that, a small shrub is being carried in by one of the secretaries.
“Is Ms. Claire in here by any chance?” she calls out blindly from behind the plant.
“Oh, she’s right here!” Loren volunteers as she darts over and snatches the card from its stick. Ms. Sam hands me the flowers, while JD plucks the card away from Loren and holds it over her head until I can set the pot down and open it myself.
“You could at least read it out loud,” she grumbles, stomping on JD’s toe and making him curse under his breath. “After all, it’s not like we don’t know who it’s from.”
My eyes skim the handwritten note.
Dear Claire Bear,
Since the moment we met, you have filled every corner of my mind. Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and I promise to do everything I can to prove I’ll be worth the wait. My heart beats for you and no one else. And my other parts only work for you, too.
Your soulmate,
Athanasius
PS. Have I mentioned you have a really nice butt?
By the time I’m finished reading it aloud, I can barely make out the last few words with the tears blurring my eyes, so I hand the note over to Loren.
“Ugh, I just knew he’d be a Regency-romance level yearner,” Loren declares and mimes a chef’s kiss.
“Oh, and this came with it, too,” Ms. Sam adds and drops a bag of salted caramel chocolates into my hands before she winks at me and scurries out.
JD lets out another whistle. “Wow. I think he likes you, Claire Bear.”
“Yeah,” I say, sniffling. “I guess he does.”
“And how are you feeling about all those serious words?” he ventures hesitantly.
“I thought I said we weren’t talking about feelings today?” I reply with a smirk.
JD lifts his hands in surrender. “Just sayin’, a guy like Rowan LaFleur probably doesn’t throw around the L-word or the butt-word unless he means it.”
I nod. “Yeah. I’m afraid so.”
Loren snatches the candy from me. “Good thing they’re soulmates,” she intones, helping herself to a chocolate. “What’s up with the flower bush, though?”
“It’s a daphne plant,” I tell them. They drag out an awww in unison at the reference to my first name, which they only recognize because it’s part of my school-based email address.
Loren gasps. “And Daphne is a flower, which means you were always meant to be a LaFleur. Oh my gosh, the two of you are just perfection,” she declares and adds another kiss to her fingertips.
I snort. “You mean, besides the part about one of us being divorced and the other being a virgin?”
“Eh, that kind of stuff all balances out in the end,” JD declares, staring at me as if he’s trying to convey something deeper.
“You just have to be willing to look beyond the surface and think about the reasons God might have brought you together. He tends to have a sense of humor about these things.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I say, just as the bell rings, and I curse under my breath. “I’ve gotta go. Thanks for all this, though,” I tell them, collecting my things.
“So do I,” JD says, picking up the plant. “I’ll bring this to your classroom in a minute,” he reassures me, and I nod gratefully as he walks out.
“Wait, you’re coming to Daisy’s surprise party next weekend, aren’t you?” Loren asks and walks around to help me.
“Yeah, of course. And I’m happy to help with anything.”
“I was going to ask you to bring a finger food, but what about a soulmate instead?” she requests sweetly.
My eyes widen. “A what?”
“You and Rowan should totally soft launch your relationship,” she says. “Daisy would love it.”
“Oh, um, I don’t know if we’re ready for that,” I choke out as soon as I think about his sisters watching from the sidelines.
“What do you mean? He’s practically proposing to you in that note,” she points out.
I swallow hard. “I know.”
Her lips form a perfect oval as understanding dawns. “You’re not sure you’re ready to get remarried.”
“Ever. And it’s pretty important to him, as you may know,” I confirm.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but I almost made the biggest mistake of my life and turned down Blake’s proposal,” she admits, cringing.
“I was super knocked up, and the crazy baby-mama hormones had me convinced that he was only doing it because he felt obligated and not because he was a Regency-romance yearner.”
“Seriously?” I ask, my brow raised.
“I was absolutely terrified to say yes. Insane, right?” She bugs her eyes, and I nod for her to continue.
“But at some point, I realized I wasn’t just keeping him from making a mistake.
I was making myself the villain in his origin story instead of accepting the role of the princess in his love story.
I had to learn to trust him when he said that I was it for him and that his parts worked for me and no one else. ”
She bounces her eyebrows suggestively, and I giggle.
“Finding one another at a weird time or through unlikely circumstances doesn’t make your feelings any less true or real.
If it signifies anything, it’s that you’ll have a better chance of making it through the hard stuff,” Loren says, and I get another one of those warm, fuzzy feelings just from listening.
“And what if being with me requires him to give up one of his dreams?” I ask quietly. “How can I trust that he won’t resent me for it later?”
“I guess there’s no way to know that for sure, but I imagine a guy like Rowan wouldn’t question God’s will,” she says with a shrug. “Then again, if he’s anything like my husband, he wouldn’t have any cause to resent you so long as you kept him happy and fulfilled and … busy.”
I bite my lip when she emphasizes the last part. “I like the way you think, Mrs. B,” I tell her and work up the courage to reach out and squeeze her arm. “Thank you, Lo.”
She grins and returns the squeeze. “Anytime, Ms. Claire Bear.”
“Oh, and don’t forget,” she calls out once I gather the rest of my things and turn to go. “On Wednesdays, we wear pink!”