Chapter 23 #2
“Just leave it at that and trust me the guy’s a scumbag. He didn’t have anything to do with Zoe’s death but that doesn’t mean that while she was married to him, he didn’t do her dirty.”
I wanted to push for answers, but I trusted Jase. And really, Zoe was gone, there was nothing I could do with the knowledge. There was no rescuing her from a bad marriage or helping her through a divorce.
She was gone.
And the shitbag was still breathing.
Sometimes the universe was cruel.
“Okay. I’ll leave it, and thank you for having your friend check for me.”
He gave me another squeeze, this one affectionate.
“Something else we have to talk about,” he told me.
“You better make it quick. My stomach’s full of spaghetti, garlic bread, and cheesecake. I’m shocked I haven’t already lapsed into a food-slash-fuck-fest-coma.”
Jase chuckled and snuggled deeper.
“This morning on the way to Shay’s, Colson asked when you and Lucas were moving in. Which necessitated another talk with Shay on her porch after the kids went in. I didn’t want one of them saying something to her and for her to be taken off guard.”
Oh, shit.
“Was she pissed?”
“No. She told me that Colson’s old bedroom furniture is still in their garage if we needed it for Lucas.”
What in the crazy daze universe was this?
“She offered you furniture? For my son?”
“I knew Cole got new stuff a few months ago. And according to Shay, his old stuff was still in good condition, so she didn’t want to throw it away.
I’m not suggesting we take it. I’m just telling you Cole asked about you guys moving in.
And answering your question about Shay’s reaction.
I don’t know if she’s faking cool so she doesn’t rock the boat, but I have to say she looked sincere, and yesterday on the phone when she told me she was happy for me that sounded genuine, too. ”
“Lucas asked this morning on the way to my mom’s when we were moving,” I admitted.
“Right, so now we gotta come up with a plan. We got three kids who don’t have a problem with it.
Two mothers who are right now planning a bridal shower and a wedding and if I know my mother, a baby shower for good measure.
And an ex-wife who accepts what’s going on and suggests a blended family dinner. ”
“And a partridge in a pear tree,” I hummed.
Jase’s body started shaking. His laughter didn’t become audible, but I knew he’d found my comment amusing.
“Glad you’re joking about this instead of making your mental checklists.”
“I’m too tired for mental checklists. Either that or you fucked ’em out of me.”
That brought forth a sharp bark of laughter. “Good to know I now have that tool at my disposal.”
“Yes, I think we should schedule a once-a-month fuck fest. We’ll schedule it when the kids are at Shay’s and my mom can watch Lucas. Do you have a calendar? We can pencil it in now, so we don’t forget.”
“You’re cute when you’re sleepy. Always were. And I can’t tell you how fucking pleased I am having it back—you curled up in my lap, snuggled in, being cute.”
The smart thing to do would be take a few months and think about what we should do.
The smart thing to do would be to slow this down and give the kids some time to settle in and me and Jase to breathe.
To relearn each other. To make absolutely certain we hadn’t changed in ways that the other person didn’t like.
But one time, my overthinking brain that I had trouble turning off, had led me astray. And I’d missed out on a lot of time.
“Do you leave the toilet seat up?” I asked about one of my pet peeves.
“No,” he huffed.
“Do you come home from work and toss your clothes on the floor?”
“No.”
“Do you leave the cap off the toothpaste? Leave water and toothpaste residue on the mirror? Leave your whiskers in the sink?”
“No, no, and no.”
I tried to think of something else that would annoy me. Oh, I know, and this was a biggy. Zoe would do this when we lived together and I wanted to strangle her every time she did it.
“Do you take clothes out of the dryer, toss them on your bed, then leave them there for days before you put them away. Or alternately, put them on the bed, toss them on the floor at night, then put them back on the bed in the morning?”
“No. Though I’ve been known to take clothes out of the dryer, fold them, put them in the basket, and leave them there for a few days.”
I thought about it.
Folded in a basket? Who cared?
“That’s acceptable. Now your turn.”
“My turn what?”
“Your turn to ask me if I’m a pet peeve perpetrator.”
Jase’s chest started rumbling. “Christ, you’re funny. I don’t have any questions for you.”
I lifted my head out of the crook of his neck and looked at him.
“What if I do something annoying that you don’t like? You should know that now before I move in. What if I’m a slob?”
“Are you?”
“No, but that’s beside the point.”
“How about this, Rae. I don’t give a shit if your dirty clothes are left on the floor, as long as that floor is in the bedroom where we sleep.
I don’t care how you brush your teeth or how you do laundry or if you leave dishes in the sink.
First, because the only thing I care about is you and Lucas being in this house.
Second, I’m a fully functional grown man.
I can clean, do laundry, and I even know how to put it away. ”
I narrowed my eyes. He was being far too cavalier about this.
“But what if—”
“Listen to me, Rainy. I don’t care. There are no what-ifs. I care about you and Lucas, that’s it.”
There was so much love and earnestness beaming in his brown eyes, I believed he didn’t care. I could be a slob, leave my dishes in the sink, cook a big meal and leave the kitchen a mess and he wouldn’t care. As long as I was here with him he wouldn’t care about anything.
“The kids are with Shay this week. We’ll feel Lucas out while they’re gone. Check in with them when they get home, and if they’re still good, then we’ll move in the next rotation when they’re home. I don’t want to move in during a week they’re at Shay’s. They should be part of the moving-in day.”
Oh, no, I had it wrong. Now his eyes were blazing with love and earnestness. So much love I could feel it washing over me.
“You’re moving in in three weeks?” he asked
“If the kids are all okay with it, then yes.”
“In three weeks.”
I knew he wanted us to move in, but it wasn’t until that very moment when I saw the joy on Jase’s face that I understood just how much he wanted it.
“Yes, honey. In three weeks, me and Lucas are moving in.”
His hands came up to cup my face and pull me closer.
“You giving me my dream says sweet and gentle. But I’m in the mood to watch you fuck me on the couch with your tits in my face. So, I hope you were being serious about your pussy being healed. Up, Rainy, clothes off, and get ready to ride.”
I scrambled off his lap, had my clothes off in record time, and climbed back on his lap as he was pulling his dick free from his sweats. I felt him where I needed and bore down.
“Fucking heaven,” he groaned when I was fully seated. “Three weeks, baby.”
“Three weeks,” I echoed.
“Fuck me, Rainy.”
I did as I was told and fucked my man while he sucked and toyed with my nipples.
But I ended up on my back with Jase riding me.
And he was right, I came harder on my back.