Chapter 36 Jude #2
The soft look in her eyes tells me she wants to say it back, but she’s holding out on me.
“Have a safe trip,” I say as I nod to her friends.
I don’t expect a kiss, but her reaching up to hold my face takes me aback. She kisses my cheek and whispers, “I’ll see you soon.”
My heart jumps out of my chest, and it’s abundantly clear she has all of me. I stand there for a second and then wave bye. As I walk away, I hear Kendall behind me.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that face of hers. She’s scared. Give her some time. You still have my card, right? Call me anytime. For the record, we’ve never seen Faith this happy. Word of advice? Show up for her this time.”
Her words hit me with some guilt for not showing up for her twelve years ago. And they also give me hope. With her encouragement, I will stay the course and get home after the wedding. The sooner I get Colorado taken care of, the sooner I arrive in Massachusetts to be there for her.
I stand in the lobby, watching the shuttle leave the resort with her on it. My feet feel frozen to the ground until the shuttle is out of sight.
Max comes up to me and grabs my shoulder and says, “Everything good?”
“It’s almost your wedding day. The only thing you should be concerned about is your soon-to-be wife!”
He stares at me with an eyebrow arched before saying, “Are you going to tell me, or do I need to drag it out of you?”
I’m shifting back and forth on my feet as I realize there’s nervous energy coursing through my veins. I start to ramble. “Faith just left. She’s worried and has doubts about us and how our lives will fit together. She doesn’t know if we can make things work.”
“Dude, you have loved that girl long before I ever met you.” He slaps my shoulder and holds it, reassuring me I’m making the right decision. “You’ve got this.”
I groan. “She said she needs time and space to figure things out.”
“Then you’ll give it to her. You have a lot on your plate right now. This will give you time to do what you need to do.”
“Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to let her go.”
“It’s written all over your face, man—determination. What are you going to do?” he asks.
I will do whatever it takes to show her I love her like she is the center of my universe.
Well, she has become that very quickly these past few days, and it’s not over.
“I’m packing up my Colorado house and moving home as quickly as I can.
It’s the one thing that will prove to her I’m not taking this lightly. I’m serious.”
“You’ve had one foot in Colorado and one foot in Massachusetts for almost two years now. This is the push you need to pull the trigger on the move. That’s amazing news. What else happened?”
I feel like I got kicked in the chest, and I can’t breathe. I end up telling him all the grueling details of the conversations we had to get him up to speed.
“I saw the way she looked at you. She’s done for.
It’s the same look Klara still gives me.
You need to show her the man you are now.
Make sure she knows that you’ll stick around this time.
It’s what you’ve been talking about all week.
In the end, if she still doesn’t see you, then you did everything you could. No regrets this time, right?”
“Max’s words of wisdom. When did you get so prophetic?” Slapping him on the shoulder, I say, “Really, thanks, man. I was getting in my head about all of this.”
“So then what are you waiting for? You should get that flight changed so you can leave tomorrow night. No hard feelings here. Klara and I love you, man. We want to see you happy.”
“Okay, I’ll change my flight to tomorrow night. Are you sure?”
“Whatever you need to do.”
“Shit! I’m really doing this. I’m selling my house and moving. Putting everything on the line to show her how much I love her and I’m never leaving her again.”
I excuse myself, and on the walk back to my suite to pack, I change my flight to leave tomorrow night.
A smile crosses my face, and I nod my head in disbelief.
I finally know I’m making the right decision and know exactly what I want in my life.
I need to text Gabe again and see if he can get to the house quickly. I don’t want to waste a second.
Jude:
I changed my flight! I’m leaving Aruba tomorrow night. When is the earliest you can come over?
Gabe:
I can meet you Sunday afternoon at 2. Is that soon enough for you?
Jude:
Yes, I’ll fill you in when I see you.
Gabe:
Can’t wait to hear what the final straw was.
Faith completes me. I hurry through the room, grabbing all of my stuff from the main area and bathroom, and I shove all of it in my luggage. I’m leaving a casual outfit on the chair to change into quickly after the reception. I will only need to zip up my luggage and head to the airport.
I lower myself onto the edge of the bed.
Taking a deep breath and running my hands through my hair, I realize I need to book a short-term rental for at least three months.
The thought crossed my mind to stay with my mom or Eve, but this is a transition, not just a family visit.
If I’m going to be taken seriously, I need to make sure my living arrangements fit my long-term goals of finding permanent housing.
I can’t help but imagine Faith in my bed with my arms wrapped tightly around her.
I think about my heart rate slowing as she cuddles into me, and we fall asleep together—in a place of my own, not my family's.
I slide my phone from my pocket and bring up the short-term rental app.
Then a thought pops into my head. Would it be crazy if I looked for a house on Lake Mirror?
It’s the lake where we spent two summers together.
With all the criteria lined up, I click search.
The moment the results appear, the perfect house is on my screen.
It’s a Cape style house with a two-tier deck.
The main deck, which appears to be off the living room, expands the entire length of the house and overlooks the lake.
There’s a wall of windows, and it has a four-season porch with a hot tub.
The inside has hardwood floors, an updated kitchen with an island, and the cathedral ceiling living room has a natural stone fireplace. It’s exactly what I’m looking for, so I book it.
Tomorrow night can’t come fast enough.