Now #3
After one more brief hug, she leaves me to return downstairs.
By the time Jackson comes back, I’ve had time to shower, moisturize, and do my evening routine. I’m already in bed, under the covers.
“Hey, you,” he greets, leaning in to give me a kiss.
“Hey. What did your dad want to show you?”
“He’s building a simulation rig in his man cave. He wants to see what it’s like to drive a Formula One car. And he wants his friend to be able to try it.”
“Talk about a supportive father.”
“Yeah, he’s alright,” he says, walking into the bathroom. I listen as he showers, scrolling through Pinterest. When he returns, he has a towel hanging low on his hips and a toothbrush in his mouth.
“If you want to sleep in tomorrow, I can call a taxi, you know,” he offers, barely understandable.
“No, it’s okay. That way, I’ll beat the traffic and be back in Canon City early.”
“Smart.”
Once he’s done brushing his teeth, he returns, throws his towel on a chair set in the corner, and joins me in all his naked glory.
When his greedy hands tug me close, I let out an exaggerated gasp. “Mr. Reyes … in your parents’ house?!”
“I bought it for them. I’m allowed.”
I don’t fight him as he peppers a series of kisses along my neck. “Remember how we both skipped our afternoon periods one day so we could finally have sex on a bed while your parents were at work?”
“Of course.”
“So much better than doing it in your car.”
“It was definitely an upgrade.”
“Until your mom came home early,” I recall. “And I had to sneak out your window.”
“I don’t know why we were so worried. I’m pretty sure they knew we were having tons of sex.”
“Gosh, I hope they never realized it was tons of it.”
“We were teenagers in love with too much freedom. Of course they knew.”
His hand has found its way into my nightgown, and he’s fondling one of my breasts. When he twists a nipple, I hum approvingly.
“When do you think you’ll be back?” I ask, arching my hips into his.
“I’m not sure. I have two races back-to-back. So, after Hungary.”
“I’ll miss you so much,” I pout.
His lips are right by my ear when he whispers, “Then come with me.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer, returning to his feverish kisses. With my leg thrown over his hip and my arm holding onto his shoulders, I allow myself to think about it.
The conversation I had with Cynthia during her birthday has been replaying in my head over and over.
She was right. Following Jackson around isn’t about putting his career before mine.
It’s about putting him, us, before my job.
It’s definitely one of those scenarios where I can’t have my cake and eat it too.
I have to decide if I would rather protect the peace I’ve built for myself in Colorado or take a chance on a life with him.
I gave him until the end of the season to prove to me that we could make this work. But it doesn’t have to be his responsibility alone. I, too, can make concessions and help make this new adventure possible.
I owe him that.
His fingers are trying to sneak into my panties when I decide, “Okay.”
He freezes against me, lips on the swell of my breast. “You’re coming back to Europe with me?” he asks, looking into my eyes.
I nod.
“Really?”
Another nod. “Not in Belgium, though. I can’t … I can’t watch you race on that track. And I don’t want to go back there. But I’ll come to Hungary. And then stay for as long as I can.”
Elated by my decision, he covers my mouth with his and pulls me in so tightly I can barely breathe.
When he pushes himself away, it seems the heat of the moment has taken a backseat to the emotionality of it.
We stare at one another in silence, and all I can see in his mismatched eyes is love, along with adoration and devotion.
How did I ever get lucky enough to end up with this man twice? He might as well be a god walking among us, yet it’s me he wants. Again.
“I’ll get to show you my house,” he says with keenness.
“You have a house?”
“Of course I do. Do you think I live in hotels year-round?”
“I don’t know. You never mentioned a house before.”
“I own eight houses and apartments that I use throughout the year. But the one I’ll take you to is my main residence. The one I go to whenever I have time.”
“And where is it?”
His knuckles tenderly travel from my temple to my jaw. “You know where it is, Evie.”
It’s as if my heart has migrated to my throat, its beats so intense I feel them there. My voice comes out as a whisper when I ask, “Tuscany?”
He nods once. “It’s the house I bought for you, princess. For us.”
This time, I’m the one who moves in to kiss him. And when I endeavor to straddle him, he gladly helps me, his strong hands gripping my hips.
I don’t know how I ever thought I could resist him. Maybe I’m still the naive girl I used to be. I should have known when I stepped into that hotel to give him the divorce papers, months ago, that this would be the unavoidable outcome.
His destiny might be to race cars, but mine is to be with him. And no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I can’t escape it.
I don’t want to anymore.