“Don’t forget volcanoes,” he adds. “By the way, I didn’t know there were so many here.”
“Fifty are ‘active’ status. There’s a lot more than that though, yeah.”
This conversation is so surreal to me. I’ve got work colleagues I can geek out with, that’s just a perk of the job. But having someone in my life that I can share my passion with—who’s actuallyinterestedin what I do—that’s something I never expected.
“Sorry,” he says. “The last thing you probably want to do is talk about work at the end of the week.”
I stare at him, and for a moment I wonder if he’s actually real. “It’s not that. You just keep surprisin’ me, that’s all.”
“Is that a good thing? Lots of people think I’m too much sometimes.”
“I can’t think of a time when I’lleverthink you’re too much, Jude,” I say, leaving no room for doubt in my tone. “I guess I’m realizin’ that this isn’t a typical date. There’s no wonderin’whether you like me or if I like you back or stressin’ about whether you’ll want to see me again. It’s?—”
“So much more than that.” It’s a statement, not a question. “Why don’t I just lay it all out there and you can tell me what you think? Cause I think we’re both overthinkin’ things and maybe if you know whereI’mat, that might help?”
“Please!” I say, a wry grin curving my lips. “Analytical minds are good for a lot of things, butnotin situations like this. Then you get confused and decide you need to run off a mountain to clear your head.” I wave my hand in the air, “like me comin’ back to Palmer, work, myhouse.”
“OK. Let it be stated that I really hope this doesn’t send you runnin’, but to give you some peace of mind and clarity, I’m willin’ to take the risk.”I’m really starting to think this man is too good to be real.
I nod, my heart’s lodged in my throat as I wait for whatever he’s about to tell me. Thankfully, he doesn’t make me wait long.
Jude holds his hands out over the table, wiggling his fingers until I take the hint and tangle my fingers with his. Then he proves—yet again—he’s not just a good man, he might just be one of the best.
“I want to get to know the woman the mountain has chosen for me. I know what I feel in here,” he taps his chest, “and the more we talk and the more time we spend together, that feelin’ has only gotten stronger.” He pauses, letting that sink in. “When I’m not with you, I’m thinkin’ about you. And when I do that, I find myself wantin’ to know everythin’ about you; the good, the bad, the happy, the sad. All of it, Em.” I stop breathing. “I watch TV and wonder what you’re doin’, or if you’re cheatin’ and watchin’ the new episode of our show without me.”Our show…“And already know there’s so much more to you than what you’ve shown me so far andthat—most of all—is what I can’t wait to discover.”
I’m speechless. Literally devoid of words. If my hands weren’t holding his right now, I’d pinch myself. Since I can’t do that, I dig the heel of my shoe into my other foot just to make sure this is real.
There’s something so certain about the way he talks about me—aboutus—and that confidence is exactly why I’m so comfortable with him.
For the first time in forever, I feel safe with someone other than my family. That’s how I know I can be completely honest with him and—unlike me—he won’t run.Though there’s no way I’m running away from him now, that’s for sure.
“I want to get to know you too,” I say quietly. I mean it too. Every text and phone call we share has revealed a little bit more about my husband. And every new little nugget of information intrigues me.
Like how he truly loves plants and landscaping that complements the environment rather than distracts from it.
How he enjoys living with his brothers, their wives and Wyatt.
How he grumbles about Grumps the donkey and his shenanigans, but one of his biggest achievements so far was training him to walk down the aisle for Will and Case’s double wedding to Birdie and Isla. Even if itdidgo pear-shaped at the end.
All of it has proven that Dad chose right. Judeisa good man.
There’s also the way he kept showing up to be there for me and my brothers after Dad’s passing, and not in an intrusive, overbearing, unwelcome way either. He simply made sure I never felt alone and had everything I needed, unwittingly helping me to start navigating my grief and the season of change I was facing.
“Take care of my girl” Dad had told him, and without hesitation, Jude stepped up and accepted the job.
Now he’s here, after driving hundreds of miles for the second time in a week, just to spend time with me, proving he’s a man of his word and the very definition of ‘if he wanted to, he would’ because Jude Cooper has, and has said he’ll continue to do so.
“I’m glad you’re here, hubby,” I whisper past the sudden lump in my throat.
“Nowhere else I’d want to be, wifey,” he replies.
Chapter 12
Jude
As if the universe knew we needed a break from wherever this emotional mood was taking us, it’s then that our server arrives and slides our plates onto the table.
I take the opportunity to detour the conversation toward some safer,lightertopics.