“I had a plan,” she whispers toward the ceiling.
I offer her what I hope is a sincere smile, encouraging this beautiful creature to share the broken pieces of her heart with me.
“And I’m fucking angry that he blew it to smithereens.”
“He not only wasted your time, but blew up your dreams,” I validate.
“Exactly.”
“It’s okay to be angry.”
“Even if I’m also thankful that those dreams didn’t happen with him?” She turns her head toward me.
“Especially because of that. You recognize that he did a shit thing while also doing you a favor.”
“He did, didn’t he?” She mulls that over, pressing her lips together as she looks back up at the ceiling in contemplation. Oh, that cute, fucking button nose.
“So, what did you want?” I ask under my breath, nervous she won’t tell me.
“Jaxon…”
“I want to know what you dream of, Holly,” I whisper so softly she has to turn to read my lips. Holly rolls onto her side to face me, her golden brown eyes bouncing back and forth between mine. I’m asking her to trust me, again. I’m asking her to be vulnerable, again.
“I wanted it all. A happy marriage, a family, maybe a pet or two,” she whispers. She doesn’t prioritize a lucrative job, stability, a big fancy house, or a nice car. She just wants love, happiness, and people to share it with.
“You’ve got a fantastic job, a house, and a nice car.”
“They’re mostly empty, except for all the rugrats that aren’t mine by blood.”
“It’s something.”
“I know, and I should be grateful, which I am, but it all still feels… empty. I feel…empty.”
Her forehead squinches up, and her eyes fill like she’s about to cry. Shit, twice in one night! I scoot forward and reach for her face, pulling her lips against mine.
“Oh, Sweetheart…” I lay my forehead to hers. “You’re not alone anymore… You've got Dr. Sexy for a boyfriend now.”
She snorts against my lips, causing me to sputter out a giggle with her.
“Is that so?”
“Did you really think after moving, all this chasing, and especially after this weekend, that I could just let you go? I'm like…crazy into you, if you haven't read the memo.”
“There was a memo?” she teases.
I roll my eyes dramatically and sit up, pull open the bedside table drawer, and rummage around. Thankfully, it has what I need. Flopping back onto the bed on my stomach, I scratch out a note, rip it off the pad, fold it, then hand it over to her.
She rolls her eyes in return and, with a semi-goofy smile, opens the note to read it aloud. “Memo… J + H.” Her eyes take in the big ol’ heart I drew around the initials before she looks up at me with a small smile.
I purse my lips with a thought and snatch the note back from her hands before scribbling again, as I voice my words outin the open. “P.S. This means I really, really like you.” I sign it from Dr. Sexy and re-fold it–like something I would’ve folded back in my high school days–before writing her name on the front and handing it back to her. “That’s better. A little memento for you. A bit old school and professionally signed by the doctor himself.”
She chuckles and takes it from my hands, holding it like a treasure, and I jump on the opportunity to flip Holly over onto her back and smother her with kisses. It’s been a long day. I feel like we’ve been at this for a while now, instead of just a couple of days. I can’t believe that this all really just heated up yesterday.
“Now, I can respect that we’re keeping Jane on edge here a little bit longer, but there’s no way that I can sleep knowing you’re not wearing my shirt tonight.” I hop up from the bed and run across the hall, snagging my tee she wore last night. It still carries a scent that’s a mix of us, and I secretly never want to wash it. When I toss it across the room at her, she smirks and lifts her arms in the air.
“Oh.” I tilt my head in question. “Do I get the honors?”
“Why not? I haven’t had my skin checkup yet this year.”