Q #2
Once she was out of earshot, Caroline stepped over to me and asked, “Hey... Have you talked to Hayes?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve talked to him.”
“I know I shouldn’t ask, but has he said anything about me?”
“Afraid not.” I gave her a shrug. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means plenty. At least now I know he’s not interested, and I can quit thinking about it.”
“I don’t know if...”
“It’s fine, Q. I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” She feigned a smile as she told me, “I just thought he was... Never mind. I’m over it.”
“Over what?” Jules continued towards us, and the second she saw Caroline’s face, she grimaced. “Oh, you’re talking about Hayes.”
“We were talking about him, but not anymore.” Caroline flicked her hand in the air. “I’m over it and moving on. Besides, there was nothing to it.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, silly. I’m fine.” She waved us on as she said, “Now, you guys get out of here and go have a good time.”
“Okay, but call if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
After a quick wave, Jules followed me over to my truck and got inside.
Moments later, we were on our way to my place.
It wasn’t the first time I’d picked her up from work.
I had done it countless times, and usually, she was quick to share her day, telling me everything that had transpired out at the orchard.
But tonight, she was quiet. Hell, she’d barely even look at me.
When we got to the house, she still wasn’t talking, so I went over to her and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yes and no.”
“I’m gonna need more than that, babe.”
“I’ve just got something I need to talk to you about.”
“Well, I’ve got something I need to talk to you about, too.”
“Oh?” Her cheeks flushed red with worry, and she sounded utterly panicked as she asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, babe. Nothing’s wrong.” I placed my hands on her hips and pulled her close. “In fact, everything’s good. Really good.”
“Oo-kay.” She let out a slow, relieved breath before saying, “Then, what do you need to talk to me about?”
“Thanksgiving.” I glanced over at her as I said, “I wanted to see if you’d be interested in having dinner with me at the clubhouse.”
“You want me to come to Thanksgiving with you?”
“Well, yeah. You’re my girl. Of course, I want you to come with me.”
“Your girl?” she asked, sounding surprised. “Hmmm. I kind of like the sound of that.”
“You sure about that?”
She nodded, then in a faint voice, said, “I think we’ve found a good thing.”
“I think we have a good thing, too.”
Jules and I shared an unlikely connection—first, it was driven by lust—on my part, but it quickly turned into something more. She was a wonder to me, and each day, I found another reason to be with her.
There was no denying it, I was falling for Jules and falling hard.
I knew it was fast. I knew I was taking a risk, but I didn’t care.
I lowered my mouth to hers, silencing her rebuttal with a deep, demanding kiss.
I wound my hand around the nape of her neck and tangled my fist in her hair, letting out a low growl as I gave it a firm tug.
Her lips opened in a small gasp, exactly like I wanted, giving me even better access to her sweet mouth.
She ran her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer and returning my kiss with fervor. From the start, I had suspected the pull I felt toward hers was mutual. I’d felt it lingering under the surface for weeks, and if this kiss was any indication, Jules wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
I was becoming lost in a haze of need when I remembered Jules had something she wanted to talk to me about.
It took some effort, but I managed to force myself to take a step back, ending our embrace.
She looked up at me with disappointment in her eyes, making me momentarily regret ending our moment.
I brought my hand up to her face, gently brushing the pad of my thumb across her cheek as I said, “There was something you needed to talk to me about.”
“Yeah, but you’re probably not gonna like it.”
“Won’t know until you tell me.”
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
“Can’t promise that, but you don’t have to worry. We will get through it.”
“Okay.” She took hold of my hand and led me over to the sofa. As soon as we were seated, her knee started bouncing, and she started wrenching her hands. It was clear she was struggling, but I had no idea why until she muttered, “It’s about James.”
“Yeah.” Just the sound of his name had me feeling on edge, and I could tell by the look on her face that the feeling was only going to get worse. “What about him?”
“Remember how I told you I left without saying anything to anyone and I’ve basically been in hiding ever since?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, being in hiding and basically not speaking to him for the past three years has made it difficult to completely cut ties with him.”
“What are you trying to say here, Jules? You still got feelings for this guy or something?”
“Oh, God, no!”
“Then, what is it?”
“Well, we’re... it’s ...” She lowered her head in shame as she finally muttered, “We’re still married.”
I didn’t respond.
Not because I wasn’t bothered by her news.
I was.
But it wasn’t exactly news to me. I’d known from the start that she was still tied to that piece of shit ex of hers, and I hated it. But I’d held onto the hope that she’d eventually gain the courage to do something about it, and now, it looked like that day had finally come.
She nervously raked her teeth across her bottom lip, then said, “I know I should’ve mentioned it earlier, but I talked to MJ and she’s going to help me. She’s preparing the papers, and it won’t be long before James is completely behind me.”
“Hmmm.” I kept my voice calm and steady as I asked, “Does she have any idea how long this whole thing will take?”
“She didn’t say.”
“Well, I’m sure she’ll get it all taken care of.”
“So, you aren’t upset with me?”
“I’ve got no reason to be upset with you, Jules.” I reached for her and pulled her into my lap as I told her, “You do what you need to do when you need to do it. This is your journey, Jules. I’m just glad I get to be a part of it.”
“Well, in case you didn’t know, you’re the best part of this journey of mine.” She brought her hand up to my face and rested her palm on my jaw. “You’ve made all the crazy worthwhile.”
She lowered her mouth to mine and kissed me with a kiss that was full of promise—a promise of tomorrow. I had no idea what my future held, but I knew without a doubt that I wanted Jules to be in it. And if that kiss was any indication, Jules felt the same about me.
It was a thought I would hold onto when trouble came knocking at our door and our entire world was turned upside down.