“Yep. They can also be broken and need a technician with more expertise than me to visit or—worse case—we need to replace major parts of the unit—sometimes the whole thing,” I explain, loving the way Jude watches me intently as I speak. Something I’ve quickly learned about my husband is he listens when someone talks.
More importantly, he makes sure whenItalk, that Iknowhe’s listening. And frankly, it’s just one of the things about him that I find hot as hell.
I knew Jude would enjoy this trip because he has a thirst for knowledge and a fascination with learning anything and everything he can. That’s how I knew he wouldn’t just tag along and be a bystander but fully commit himself to the whole experience.
I also wanted to share something with him that I haven’t shared with anyone else close to me but also show him the one thing—other than him—that has been like an anchor for me since Dad passed. It’s a bonus that the same thing is also one of my proudest achievements and something I’ve worked damn hard for.
There have been moments in between Jude’s visits where I’m struck with self-doubt. Not in myself, but when I wonder if he’ll get sick of driving across the state every weekend just for a date or two. It’s not every day that you find out you're legally married to a woman who lives hours away from you, and who isn’t in the mental place to share the traveling load right now.Or cut the need for traveling altogether and move back home where she belongs.
Whenever that happens though, all I have to do is text or call Jude and just hearing from him silences my doubts. He’s never hidden his feelings or where he’s at with me and him. He’s also repeatedly told me that he’s in no rush.“We have time,”he hassaid more than once. Just thinking those three words and his confidence behind them gets me smiling again.
Ugh. Have I become one of those women who gets giddy thinking about their partner… husband…boyfriend?
“Are you my boyfriend?” I blurt out just as Jude goes to sit down, he stops mid-bend before straightening and staring at me with a puzzled look on his handsome face.
He drops down again to sit on the blanket and stretches his legs out. “Legally husband, but now I’m wonderin’ if there’s someoneelsevisitin’ you every weekend that I don’t know about.”
“Well,duh. I see you on the weekends,” I reply, getting a smile. “That’s why myotherboyfriend/partner/husband/handyman/site visit assistant comes to visit me durin’ the week when you’re nothere.” His grin turns to a half-hearted glare I know he’s trying hard to seem real.
I reach out and tap my foot to his, making a show of rolling my eyes. “No, hubby. You’re the only man I want visitin’ me, feedin’ me, watchin’ TV with me, pushin’ me to do home renovation projects, and helpin’ me with my nerdy earthquake job.”
A soft smile curves his lips, his eyes crinkling at the sides and making me feel warm all over. “I love doin’ all of that with you, Em.Especiallythe nerdy earthquake job.”
“I love it, too,” I say just as my stomach lets out a loud growl that has me turning red and grabbing my waist as if to silence it.
Jude just laughs and reaches out for the sandwiches, handing one to me along with one of the bottles of water before grabbing his own. “But yes, I’m your boyfriend/partner/husband or whatever you want to call me right now, and I plan on bein’ youronlyone from here on out.”
Damn that feels good to hear. “Hope you know the same goes for you too.”
He grins. “If I didn’t before, I do now.”
While we eat, we chat about how I got my job and then he asks me to nerd out and tell him about the volcano we just happen to be eating lunch on, something Jude calls a ‘perk of the job’.
“It’s one of the most active places in the state, seismically speakin’,” I say.
“You brought me on a date to anactivevolcano. That’s not only sexy, it’s also a little worryin’.”
“Why?” I ask, intrigued and amused.
“What happens if there’s an eruption or an earthquake or somethin’?” he asks, his jaw tensing before he can hide it.
“Don’t worry, hubby. I wouldn’t be allowed up here—let alone bring you along too—if this one had anelevatedrisk level right now.And, if somethin’doeshappen, it just so happens that you’re married to an expert. I’ll protect you.”
He bats his lashes and makes a show of clutching his chest. “My hero.”
“Damn, right.”
The more we talk, the more it hits me how safe he makes me feel. The only times I’ve felt like that before was with my family.
Whether it’s because we know each other better now, or because I’m feeling the power of the Call and the connection we have, it makes me feel that same calm and peaceful way I experienced that day next to Dad’s bedside.
I’m yet to ask Dare about it but his pre-wedding pep talk in the barn makes a lot more sense now than it did at the time. Especially the part about making sure Jude and I were on the same page. Funnily enough, it seems like we were, we just didn’t talk about it, let alone realize our story was already being written.
When we’ve finished eating and we’re letting our food settle, I catch Jude studying me. Knowing him well enough by now,I realize he’s weighing something up in his mind. “What is it, hubby?”
“I’ve been wantin’ to ask you somethin’ but we’ve had such a good day so far,” he shakes his head, “actually, don’t worry about it.”
I shuffle forward so that I’m sitting beside him before resting my hand on his hard, muscular thigh. “You can ask me anythin’, Jude. Iwantyou to, no matter how hard or easy or good or bad it might be. Yeah?