26. Harlow
CHAPTER 26
HARLOW
“I don’t want to go.”
Jefferson runs a hand up and down my back and kisses my shoulder. “I know. But we have to.”
It’s very unusual for me not to want to go to brunch.
But brunch the day after the wedding is an exception. It’s Leaving Day and this brunch is to say goodbye to Graham and Ginny. Both of them are leaving Sapphire Falls this afternoon to go home. Well, not home. They are home while they’re in Sapphire Falls, dammit. But they’re going back to where they live now.
I fucking hate saying goodbye to them.
There is one way this brunch will be different. I roll to my back and look up into my boyfriend’s face. “Can I spend the night here tonight?” I don’t want to be alone at my house tonight.
Jefferson looks puzzled but pleased. “You never have to ask permission for that. I’d have you here every night if it was my decision.”
I grin. “That was a very good answer.” I put my hand against his cheek. “I have to go back to work tomorrow, but I don’t want to go home alone tonight. Or wake up in the morning alone.”
I know he understands that the days when I say goodbye to friends make me lonely. I hope he understands that he is already making that better.
He leans over and kisses me. “From now on, you are only alone if you want to be. Got it?”
I nod. “Got it.”
We get up, get ready, and head to the Blue Stone.
I think I fall even more in love when Jefferson nudges me toward the chair between Ginny and Graham while he takes a chair a couple of seats down and across the table. I like that he’s not clingy and understands that I need to be with my friends.
On Graham’s other side, Margot is sitting close and as I take my seat, I notice Graham’s hand on her thigh under the table.
He gives me a grin and leans into the side hug I give him.
“I’m going to miss you,” I tell him. “But maybe it won’t be so long before I see you again.” I look pointedly at his hand on Margot’s leg.
“I love you,” he says. “But when she comes to visit next, you’re not invited.”
My mock pout is ruined by my laugh. “Wow, it took you zero time to shoot me right out of your number one girl spot.”
He chuckles. “Well, my trial kiss with Margot went a lot better than yours and mine did.”
I shake my head and lift the mimosa that has magically appeared in front of me. “It’s always about sex, isn’t it?”
Graham very obviously widens his eyes, looks toward his brother, then back to me. “Hi, black pot, I’m kettle.”
I laugh and Jefferson's gaze meets mine across the table. He gives me a look that makes butterflies kick up in my stomach. And in that moment, it hits me that I truly believe that is going to happen for the rest of our lives. He will be sitting across the table from me in this very restaurant, surrounded by a lot of these same people, thirty years from now, and he’ll shoot me that look, and my stomach will swoop.
I take another drink and try to ignore the idea that I wish I was sitting next to him, and he had his hand on my thigh right now.
The best part of my teasing with Graham is that I am thrilled he and Margot are doing well. The more in love they are, the closer I am to having my best friend move back home. Having brunch on a regular basis with Jefferson, Margot, and Graham is my idea of heaven.
Ginny leads over and whispers, “So what’s going to happen now?”
I don’t know where to start. There’s so much to look forward to. “If you wanted to move back, I would rent you my house for really cheap,” I tell her.
She blinks at me. “What are you talking about?”
“Just thinking that Jefferson and I will probably be living together soon. His house is bigger, so I’ll probably move in there. But I could keep my place and rent it to you if you wanted to move back.”
She rolls her eyes. “I wasn’t asking you about real estate. But I guess you answered my question about you and my brother anyway.”
I sip more orange juice and champagne. They put a splash of peach juice in the mimosas here and it’s delightful. “What was your question?”
“If you and Jefferson were going to keep dating.”
I look across the table again and find him watching me. This time I wink at him. Then I turn to his little sister. I prop my chin on my hand and give her what I assume is a goofy, stupid-in-love grin. “Harriet Ginger Riley, I am going to marry your big brother.”
She grabs her mimosa glass, dings it against mine, then tips it back, downing the drink at once. Then she crosses herself.
I laugh. “Are you praying for me or for Jefferson?”
“For Sapphire Falls. They are not ready for the gaggle of little overachievers the two of you are going to unleash on them.”
All that does is make me grin even bigger. And my stomach to swoop even harder.
God, Jefferson and I are going to have the best kids.
Brunch continues, with everyone in high spirits. The food and conversation are amazing.
But it’s over too soon. Graham and Ginny are leaving from here to go to Omaha to the airport.
We all linger in the parking lot as long as we possibly can.
I hug them both tightly and try my best to hold back my tears. But, as usual, they fall as soon as their car doors shut.
However, unlike usual, this time two big strong arms wrap around me from behind and pull me back against a warm, hard body.
Jefferson hugs me as we watch them drive out of the parking lot. In my ear he asks, “What do you need?”
I shake my head. Nothing specific. I know from experience that time is all that actually makes it better.
Instead of pressing, he puts me in his truck and takes me to his house. There he takes me up to the bedroom. He takes my clothes off, but instead of trying to distract me with sex—and for a moment, I thought he would, and I was not opposed—he pulls out a soft, worn t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. He dresses me in the comfortable clothes, even knotting the shorts at my waist with a ponytail holder. Then he leads me back downstairs, settles me into the corner of the couch, turns on the television, and pulls up one of my favorite thriller movies. He hands me the remote and disappears into the kitchen.
One of the cats strolls into the room and jumps up next to me on the couch.
Okay, that’s a very nice additional perk to being here at Jefferson’s.
I pause the movie when I smell the popcorn.
I’m crying by the time he carries the bowl of spicy popcorn and two root beers into the living room.
“Shit,” he says when he sees my tears. He sets everything down on the coffee table quickly and sinks down next to me, reaching for me. I immediately climb into his lap, and he wraps his arms around me.
“I thought this would help.” He kisses the top of my head.
I bury my face in his chest. “It does.”
“Are these tears I’m going to have to learn to decipher?”
“Yes.”
His warm chuckle and his hand cupping the back of my head soak into me, and I take a deep breath.
I blink and the tears are over. My friends left today. But I had an amazing time with them and there are lots of amazing times ahead. And I’ve got Jefferson. I’m happy. Content. My life is here. So is his. Theirs aren’t. And…that’s okay.It’s not perfect , at least by my definition, but mine isn’t the only one that matters. And it’s all still really good.
“The movie and popcorn and everything are wonderful,” I tell him. “For future reference.”
His arms tighten around me. “Noted.”
The cat moves in closer, curling up next to Jefferson, against my leg. He reaches out a hand and strokes the cat’s head and I feel like purring a little too.
I reach for the bowl of popcorn, settling it in my lap, but not moving off of Jefferson. I point the remote at the TV, but don’t press play. “Please also note that I will also need to be distracted from my sadness by sex later.”
“How do you know that? Do you have sex every time your friends leave and who do I need to kill for helping you through all of that in the past?”
I giggle. I never giggle on Leaving Day. “No, just a theory I’m working on.”
He chuckles and settles more deeply into the sofa, snuggling me against his chest. “Oh good. I’m not sure I’m up for murder today. A hot brunette’s been wearing me out lately.”
I giggle again.
“But I’ll see what I can do for you later. I’m really hoping this hunch plays out.”
I look up at him. “On second thought, maybe I don’t want that theory to be true. You’ll probably make me sad on purpose just so you can make me happy again.”
He grins and kisses my temple. “Nah. I’ll keep you happy because I know I can always make you even happier .”
“You sure about that?”
“Harlow, I’m very aware that I make you happy just walking in a room.”
I roll my eyes and turn back to the TV, pressing the play button on the remote…but only so he doesn’t see my big happy grin.
I can’t let him get too cocky.
I have to put up with him for the rest of my life after all.