by Iris Morland
“When my lawyer told me…and then Adam…” Jaime reached out and touched her cheek. “Grace, why did you do it?”
Tears fell down her cheeks. “Do you really not know?” She gripped the umbrella tighter, her breath puffing. “You were right, though, about one thing. Before, it was a crush. You were a dream I created; it wasn’t love that I felt for you.”
He didn’t say anything, but he just stared at her, his fingers clutching at her hand.
“But I realized that as I really got to know you—the real you, not the dream I’d created—that I fell in love with you. With you, Jaime. I love you. I know you don’t feel the same, but I can’t keep this to myself anymore—”
Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her into his arms, umbrella still over them, and kissed her so hard that her breath left her body. He kissed her like he’d wanted to kiss her for years and years. He kissed her like she was the most precious person in the universe.
He kissed her like he loved her.
“Graciela, my God, you shatter me. I told you that before, didn’t I? But it’s true.” He cupped her face in his hands, and the umbrella trembled over them. “I love you,” he said, his voice low but sure and true. “I love you so much.”
She made some kind of a noise—between a moan and a squeak and maybe a sob—and then she threw her arms around him, the umbrella falling into mud, kissing him for all she was worth. He laughed, pulling her close. The rain fell around them, soaking them, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except that they’d found each other.
“I got a job offer, in New York City.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. “But I’m not going to take it. I want to stay here—with you.”
“But I know you’ve dreamed of a position like that. Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I always thought I just wanted to get away from Heron’s Landing. That it was just a pit stop. But then I met you, and my dream—it changed. Because you are my new dream.”
Grace couldn’t say anything, so she yanked on his jacket collar and pressed her mouth against his, and although his cheeks and nose were cold, his mouth was hot. She moaned against his lips. He tasted like peppermint and Jaime and everything she’d ever wanted. Pressing her hands against his chest, she felt his heart pound beneath her fingertips.
“Come on, let’s get in the truck before we freeze to death,” he said. He helped her inside, and then they were kissing and touching, making the windows of the truck steam. Jaime stripped out of his jacket while Grace peeled off hers, and it was only when he stopped to gaze into her eyes that he said, “You cut your hair.”
Grace smiled. She’d cut her hair so it was a chin-length bob, and it had been freeing. A new beginning, especially when she’d thought she’d never see Jaime again. Now, he fingered the shortened locks, looking like he had no idea what to say. She hoped he liked it, and when he didn’t say anything, she became self-conscious.
“I know it’s short,” she began, “but I thought I needed something new.”
He ran his fingers through her hair, touching her chin as he did so. “I like it.” Then he caught her gaze. “But you could be as bald as an egg and I’d love it, because it’s you.”
She touched his hair, which was rather shaggy at the moment. “I’m not sure I could love you as well if you went bald,” she teased. “I rather like your hair, you know.”
He hauled her into his lap. “So you just like me for my looks? I never knew you were so shallow.”
“There are so many things you don’t know about me.” She touched his mouth with a finger, which he kissed.
Looking outside at the falling rain, she laughed suddenly.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You said you didn’t remember, but this is just like when you walked me home.” She smiled at him, her eyes shining. “That was the day I fell in love with you, the first time, you know.”
He brushed her cheek with his fingers. “I lied, you know, about not remembering.” Her eyes widened slightly. “I remember seeing you that day, getting drenched, and how you wouldn’t talk to me for the entire walk home.”
“I was just too shy to talk to you. You held the umbrella over me while you got soaked.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist again with her perched on his lap. “And I’d do it again. I love you, Graciela.”
She laid her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as the rain fell outside their safe haven.
Epilogue
With the coming of spring came the beginning of wedding season once again. After hosting its sixth wedding, River’s Bend started to come back to life. The harvest looked good, and with the revenue from weddings and other events, the vineyard began to turn a figurative new leaf. Soon, they’d actually be making money again.
Jaime had returned to his position as the executive chef, while Grace had decided to apply to grad school come the fall. After much debate with her parents, she moved in with Jaime after spring break, although Carl had not been particularly fond of his unmarried daughter “shacking up with his former employee.” She’d also begun painting again, and although she was often frustrated with the results, Jaime had encouraged her to continue. One night, Grace had gotten up the courage to ask if him if he’d let her paint him—and in the nude, no less. Some painting had occurred, but things had devolved when Jaime started literally painting Grace before they toppled to the floor, laughing and kissing.
Now the trees were changing, and the white buds flourished on the pear trees. Going outside was like a petal tornado if the wind were blowing, and Grace loved every minute of it. When Jaime wasn’t busy working, they would take walks around the town, and they particularly liked to go to the spot down by the river where they’d talked so many months ago.
Standing outside River’s Bend at the beginning of May, Grace looked up at the clear sky, closing her eyes. It was the first really warm day of spring, and everyone it seemed had come to River’s Bend’s first annual farm to table event. Hosting chefs, farmers, and other merchants from across the state, the event bustled with activity. Grace had only seen Jaime this morning for a few moments before he’d had to go into work. Right now, he was giving a demonstration while his audience applauded.
“Having a good time?” Gavin walked up to her with Emma in tow. Emma clutched her dad’s hand, as she was shy around crowds like this.
“I am. What about you? I feel like I haven’t seen you two in ages.” Grace smiled at her niece, who gave her a tentative smile back.
“Busy. My job wants me to return to Boston. They were never fond of me telecommuting, and now they think it’ll be better in the long run if I return.” Gavin grimaced. “But Emma just started school here, and I'd hate to make her start elsewhere a second time.”
Emma didn’t say anything. Grace was once again struck by how much her niece looked like her sister-in-law Teagan, but she also had the blonde hair that was common in the Danvers family.
“How is Teagan?” Grace asked softly.
“I haven’t heard from her, but as far as I know, she’s doing all right.” He didn’t volunteer any more information than that, and Grace couldn’t blame him. She knew their divorce was soon to be finalized, and her mother had told her Gavin had signed and returned the divorce papers already.
Suddenly feeling awkward, Grace was relieved to see Kat walking up to them. She waved. “Kat!”
Kat smiled, returning the wave. Today she wore a blue dress with boots, her lipstick a shade of fuchsia that only she could pull off.
But Grace’s attention was snagged when she saw Gavin stiffen as Kat approached. Kat didn’t look at him, either, but instead focused her attention on Emma.
“Hey Emma,” she said, “how’s your spring break going?”
Emma shifted on her feet. “Okay,” she murmured at her feet.
“You want to go get some funnel cake with me? I know I can’t eat an entire one myself.”
Emma nodded. Gavin seemed intent o
n not looking at Kat, which Grace found rather amusing.
Seeing that Jaime had finished his presentation, Grace said to no one in particular, “I’ll let you guys go get that funnel cake.”
“Bye, Grace,” Kat said as Grace walked away.
Jaime was cleaning up his station, but when she approached, he stopped and embraced her. He kissed her lightly, and she smiled.
“What was that for?” She looked up at him.
“Because I wanted to. Besides, you look so pretty today. And if I’m lucky, maybe we’ll get some time alone so I can show just how pretty I think you are.”
She blushed and laughed. “You’re ridiculous.” But instead of pulling away, she twined her arms around his neck and murmured, “Do you think you have time right now?”
His eyes gleamed. Before she could protest, he picked her up as she shrieked with laughter, taking her away to show her exactly what he’d meant.
Kat knew about a lot of things: she knew computers, she knew video games, she knew French, she knew how to fix a flat tire. She knew her Periodic Table, she knew how to diagram a sentence. She collected information like a bird, using it to build her mental nest, although the nest was never finished. You could never stop learning, never stop discovering.
But as she stood next to Gavin Danvers—grim, taciturn, tall, dark and handsome Gavin Danvers—she had no wealth of knowledge to understand why he affected her so much. He wasn’t even touching her, but simply having him stand next to her was enough to put her on alert, like an electrical buzzing through her veins. She gripped her bag tighter, like it could keep her from disintegrating into a pile of mush at his feet.
“Here you go.” The man across the counter handed her a huge plate of funnel cake covered in powdered sugar.
Gavin paid for the cake, and then ushered Emma over to an open spot on the field, where people were having pseudo-picnics. Kat wished she hadn’t worn a dress, but she squatted down in the grass as best she could without flashing anyone.
Gavin seemed to notice her awkwardness, but as per usual, he said nothing. A man of very few words, really. She had no idea if he thought of her as just Emma’s teacher or as a woman or if he even knew her name. When she’d first met him back in December, he’d looked at her like he’d wanted to know her name. But ever since, he’d barely spoken two words to her.
Emma sat between them, devouring the funnel cake. The young girl was one of her brightest students, but she was also painfully shy and had yet to make any friends her age. Kat felt for her: she’d been that way as a young girl. It wasn't until she’d reached adulthood that she’d begun to come out of her shell, although sometimes the shyness would return without warning.
Like now. Kat felt stupidly, obnoxiously shy around Gavin. She couldn’t look at him, and she couldn’t say anything beyond, “this is good” in reference to the funnel cake. And Gavin wasn’t chatty, either, so they all sat there, silently eating the funnel cake like their lives depended on it.
But before long the cake disappeared, and Emma, restless and bored, jumped up to go collect flowers some yards away. Gavin told her not to wander too far, and he kept a careful eye on her as she gathered blue bachelor buttons and black-eyed Susans.
Kat was never like this around men. Men were easy. You smiled at them, you talked to them, you asked them questions about themselves. They in turn flirted with you, maybe touched you a little, and if things went well, you’d get a kiss and maybe a night’s worth of fun. Kat had been single for over a year now since she’d come to Heron’s Landing, and she’d felt the lack lately. But there was a dearth of eligible bachelors in these parts, so she’d gone without.
She gazed at Gavin as he watched Emma. He had dark hair like his brother, but he was a trifle shorter than Adam. He was broad in the shoulders and chest, and at the moment he sported a dark beard, which made him look a bit like a lumberjack. She knew he’d separated from his wife recently, but beyond that, he still remained a bit of a mystery.
His gaze caught hers, and she looked away.
Suddenly, a ball came soaring overhead, and someone shouted, “look out!” Before Kat realized what had happened, Gavin pushed her out of the way and they subsequently toppled onto the ground, and he ended up laying on top of her. He breathed hard as his chest pressed against hers, and she looked up into his eyes like a startled fawn.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice gruff.
She could only nod. She could make out tiny creases at the corners of his eyes, and there were a few glints of silver in his dark hair.
“There was a ball.” He still looked at her, his elbows pressed to the ground beside her shoulders.
“So I gathered.” She licked her dry lips.
His gaze zeroed in on her lips, and a thrill went through her. Was he going to kiss her? Right here?
He seemed to have an internal battle going on. He said something underneath his breath. Kat’s eyes widened.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
He lurched upward, breaking the moment. She still lay on her back, staring up at the sky, as she listened to him say, “There was a ball. It almost hit Ms. Williamson.”
She watched as he walked to stand over her, and he offered her his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up. He didn’t let go of her hand right away. Looking like he was going to say something, she waited, her heart pounding.
But then Emma said, “Can we go get something to drink?”
Gavin let her go. “Sure.” He looked at Kat. “Want to join us?”
Kat just shook her head and, mumbling about having to get somewhere, left the two of them to figure out what the hell that had all been about.
The End
Thank you for reading All I Ask of You! I hope you loved Jaime and Grace’s story.
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Enjoy this exclusive excerpt
From Make Me Yours
A door opened down the hallway, and Kat Williamson stepped out. He froze. He hadn’t seen her since she’d told him about Emma hiding in the closet, and for some reason, he felt embarrassed at seeing her again.
Maybe it was because his family seemed bent on making her life more difficult. Kat and Gavin’s sister Grace had gotten close a year ago when Kat had helped Grace exonerate her boyfriend Jaime, after he’d been falsely accused of stealing from River’s Bend. Now, Kat was the one to discover his daughter hiding in school supply closets.
“Gavin,” she said as she approached. “How are you?”
“Fine. Well, not really. But it will be fine, eventually.” He knew he was babbling. He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to keep dumping my problems on you, though. You don’t deserve it.”
She smiled a little. “It’s not dumping if I want to know, though.”
“Still.”
They stared at each other, and eventually she gestured to go outside to the parking lot. “I was about to leave anyway. I don’t have much in the way of conferences since I’m not a teacher-teacher. If you know what I mean,” she said.
“So you’re a fake teacher?”
“Ha, something like that. Since I only do one subject, I’m kind of considered to be on the sidelines most days. At any rate, it means I don’t have to get yelled at by parents every semester, so I’m not complaining.” She stopped in front of a green compact car.
“I want to yell at Emma’s teacher,” Gavin admitted. He leaned up against her car, and she did the same. She waited. He knew he probably shouldn’t talk about one of her colleagues like this, but he was tired and at this point, he didn’t care. “She basically said that Emma was odd and needed to see a therapist.”
“Yes.”
“Damn. That’s unfortunate.”
“It seems like such a stupid thing to get angry over. But I keep hearing that word and my blood boils. Like Emma’s too odd to understand. Who calls a student odd?” He looked at Kat. “Am I overreacting? Please tell me if I am.”
Kat hesitated. “I’m not a parent,” she finally said slowly, measuring her words. “So I can’t say what is and isn’t overreacting. That being said, she could’ve phrased things much better than she did.”
He closed his eyes, sighing. “Okay, enough about me. Tell me about your problems.”
She let out a sudden laugh. “My problems? You don’t want to hear about my problems.”
“Yes, I do. If you want to tell me. Mostly I don’t want to make this always so uneven between us: me complaining and you having to stand there and listen.”
“Didn’t I already say that I asked for it?”
“Sure, but sometimes we do things that aren’t good for us.” She gave him a look, which made him smile for the first time in a while. “Come on, spill it, Williamson.”
She stared at him for a moment, like she wasn’t sure how to take this request. But before she could speak, her phone rang in her purse. “One sec…” she said as she pulled out her phone. As she read whatever had come in, she made a face before swearing underneath her breath.
Now it was Gavin’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Okay, what was that about?”
“Nothing.”
She said it too quickly. He turned so he was facing her and folded his arms. “Nothing means you look at the text and don’t make a face like that. Come on, spill.”
She worried her plump lower lip with her teeth, and just like that, desire spilled through him. He wanted to touch that lip himself and capture her mouth with his own. Instead, he reached for her arm, trying to pluck her phone from her grasp. “Come on,” he cajoled as she laughed, trying to keep the phone from him. “Tell me, otherwise I’ll just keep bugging you.”