And it shook the entire time.
She took a step back and primly sat on the edge of the sofa and then laid back – stretching her arms above her head. A knowing smile on her face.
She was everything.
And she was about to be his.
“You’re sure?” he asked, knowing he had to hear her say it before he was too far gone to think. This was going to change everything. And while he knew sex had a tendency to do that no matter what, there was more involved here. There was a history, a friendship, their families…
Not something he wanted to think about while she was sprawled out before him like a feast.
Swallowing hard because her eyes had gone wide and she looked more than a little vulnerable, he prompted her. “Mal?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes. Always.”
Silently, he said a prayer of thanks before yanking his shirt up and over his head, dropping it at his feet. Next his shoes went as he unfastened his jeans. When he was in nothing but dark boxer briefs, he took a moment to simply look at her.
“I’ve wanted you for so long and I’ve thought about this night for what seems like forever,” she said, her eyes never leaving his face. “And now that it’s here, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.”
Jake wasn’t so sure about that. His nerves were still stretched tightly and he wanted to make everything was perfect for her because that’s what Mallory deserved.
When he still didn’t move, she held out a hand to him and whispered his name. He readily took it in his and carefully placed one knee on the sofa before maneuvering to settle over her. Skin to skin, breath to breath…
“Mmm…” Mallory purred as Jake settled between her thighs. “It’s even better than I imagined.”
He smiled, reaching up to caress her face. “Sweetheart, we haven’t even started.”
9
If this was a dream, Mallory never wanted to wake up.
Never in her life had she felt so empowered, so happy, and so in love.
Yeah. She was in love.
Not that she ever doubted it – after all, she had a crush on Jake since she was twelve years old. But now that they were together and he returned her feelings? It was so much more than she ever imagined.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t sure if he felt quite the same way about her as she did for him – and she certainly hadn’t blurted out her love for him yet – but she knew his feelings ran deep.
Ever since that wonderful night at the boathouse, they’d been inseparable. And what was even better was how they weren’t hiding it.
Something she was quick to point out to Parker and Peyton.
Every day was something new and fun and exciting, and this could quite possibly be the best summer of her life. They’d gone and done things she normally shied away from on her visits – like boating. Why she avoided it, Mallory had no idea, but several afternoons after Jake was done working, they’d take his boat out onto the Sound and just enjoy the sights and the sun. It was a small bowrider and she loved standing beside him and letting the wind blow through her hair while they sailed around. It was invigorating!
Then there were their trips over to the beach. That was something she normally did on her visits to Magnolia Sound, but it was an entirely different experience when she went with Jake. Again, because he was working on Pops’ house, they normally didn’t head over until later in the day, when most people were leaving. They’d walk along the shore and swim a little, but most of the time they’d end up walking along the pier and just talking. He even convinced her to try fishing a time or two.
Not something she ever wanted to do again.
Worms! Blech!
As she studied herself in her bedroom mirror while prepping for their date tonight, Mallory couldn’t help but marvel at the changes she saw in herself. Well, the ones on top of what she’d done to her appearance before arriving for Pops’ birthday.
She had a tan. An actual tan! Normally she didn’t stay outside long enough to let that happen. Twisting to check out the way her new dress fit, she marveled at her new wardrobe as well. Gone were the cutoffs and t-shirts and in their place were more feminine choices. Choices Jake seemed to really approve of too.
She blushed furiously at the thought of how many of her new garments ended up on the floor of the boathouse.
Right now, she felt sexy.
She felt confident.
She felt beautiful.
And as she twirled in front of her mirror, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
“Now there’s a sight for sore eyes.”
Gasping, Mallory stopped and stared as Pops stood in her doorway. He normally didn’t come up to the second floor so his appearance definitely made her jump. Smoothing a hand down the front of her dress, she smiled at him. “What brings you all the way up here?” she asked lightly.
He shrugged. “Wanted to make sure all the repairs were done to my liking.”
Part of her didn’t doubt his explanation one bit, but the work on the bathroom had been done for more than a week. “Oh come on,” she gently chided. “You know the work came out perfect and you’ve inspected it several times. Try again.”
His cheeks turned a little red – as did the tips of his ears – and she found it very endearing. “Well, I was coming up to see if maybe you wanted to have dinner with me tonight.”
And with that one simple request, her heart squeezed. For as much time as she had been here with him, they really hadn’t spent a whole lot of time together and now she felt extremely guilty for it.
“Oh…um…”
He smiled. “I’m sure you have plans with Jake already, but I just thought maybe the two of us could have an early dinner. Something light.”
How could she deny him?
“I’d like that very much,” she replied softly. “I’ll text him and tell him we’ll meet up a little later on.”
His eyes went a little wide – as if he didn’t expect her to agree. “Really? You don’t mind?”
Rather than answer right away, Mallory walked over and hugged him. “Of course I don’t mind.” Pulling back, she studied him. “If you asked me to cancel my plans tonight, I would. We don’t have to eat early if you don’t want to.”
The look of pure gratitude on his face spoke volumes. Taking one of her hands in his, he gently squeezed it. “You know me, sweet pea. Early dinner, early to bed. No need for you to cancel all your plans. But I do appreciate you being willing to indulge me over dinner.”
Together they walked down to the kitchen and Mallory quickly tapped out a text and sent it to Jake.
“Gertie made some fried chicken, field peas, and mashed potatoes,” he announced as he made his way over to the stove. “All my favorites.” Grinning at her over his shoulder he added, “And I asked her to make a salad because I know you won’t eat the peas.”
Unable to help herself, Mallory laughed. “I’m not even going to try to deny it.” Then she looked around. “Any chance she made some of her famous cornbread?”
So much for eating light!
Pops laughed out loud. “That’s my girl!” He pointed to the covered pan on the kitchen table. “As if we’d have fried chicken without it!”
Within minutes they were sitting at the old, scarred farm table that had been there ever since Mallory could remember. She often thought about all of the family members who shared meals here – the conversations that were had, the hopes and dreams discussed, the laughter, the tears…
“How’s the garden coming along?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
This week, Mallory had decided to tackle the gardens closest to the pier – the ones where she and Pops talked not too long ago. “I feel like I’ve been pulling weeds forever,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m finally seeing progress and I think by this time next week I should be ready for some fresh mulch. I wish Sam were here. He’s a whiz with the yard work. He’d probably have it all done by now.”
With a nod, Pops
picked up a chicken leg. “That he would. Your brother’s the only one in the family with a green thumb like mine. I, just wish I could get him to sit still long enough to take it seriously.”
“He takes care of the yard back home for mom…”
“And he should!” He paused to take a bite of the crispy chicken. “Gertie’s chicken…there ain’t nothing in the world like it.”
Mallory took her own bite and had to agree.
“When you kids were little and would come visit, I remember Sam working in the yard beside me for hours. None of your cousins ever showed any interest in helping with the manual labor.” He shook his head with disgust. “You ask me, your aunt and uncle made Mason into some sort of weakling!”
“Pops…”
“It’s true! That boy’s afraid to get his hands dirty! Thinks it’s beneath him!” He shook his head again. “Now I know not everyone’s cut out to work with their hands, but that boy’s never even tried. His parents never made him! His sisters are more physically coordinated than he is.”
At his comment, Mallory almost choked on her dinner. Nothing Pops was saying wasn’t true. It was just interesting to hear him be the one to say it. It tended to be something she thought only herself and Sam had noticed. But then again, not much got by Pops.
“You know, you’ve had your eye on Jake for a long time,” he said, completely changing the subject and this time she did choke. Pops patted her on the back until she calmed down. The look he gave her told her he knew exactly what he was doing. “I never said anything and it wasn’t my place to get involved.”
This time she waited before taking another bite of food.
Pops took another sip of his sweet tea before saying anything. Placing his glass back down on the table, he looked at her – his expression stern. “Does he treat you right?”
Afraid to speak, Mallory simply nodded.
“Does he make you happy?”
Another nod.
His eyes never left hers and she felt as if he could see clear through to her soul right there. “Is this serious?” And before she could nod, he snapped, “And I want words, Mallory. You need to use your words. You don’t have anything to fear from me.”
Swallowing hard, she placed her fork down on the table, clasped her hands in her lap. “To me, it’s serious.”
“And to Jake?”
“I can’t answer for him.” Her heart beat like mad in her chest as she said the words and wished more than anything that she could – that she knew with great certainty exactly what she meant to him.
“You know he’s finally going to college, right?” Pops asked, his voice firm and a little intimidating – a complete contrast to their conversation of moments ago. “He deserves this, Mallory. He’s worked hard and all he’s wanted was the freedom to go away to school.”
“I know that!” she cried with a bit more defensiveness than she intended. Clearing her throat, she let out a long breath. “I know all about Jake going to Colorado, Pops, and I think it’s great. He’s so excited about it and he talks about it all the time.”
“And what about you?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
“What about me?”
“Well, you’re going back to school in New York while Jake’s going to be in Colorado. That’s a mighty long distance there.”
“We haven’t exactly been in each other’s pockets all these years,” she reminded him. “I think for now we’re both taking this one day at a time.”
He muttered something under his breath before taking another bite of chicken. After a minute he said, “That’s what’s wrong with the world today! Your generation…nothing matters! You say this is serious, but you’re both going your separate ways like it doesn’t even matter!”
“Pops, I’m not about to ask Jake not to go to college! Not after he’s waited so long to make it happen and finally got some financial assistance! And he wouldn’t ask me not to go back to New York and to school either! Education is very important to the both of us!”
“Humph…”
Rolling her eyes, Mallory picked up her fork and took a few more bites of her meal. “You have always told us – all of us – how important a good education is, Pops. You can’t be upset that we’re listening to you.”
“I can be anything I want,” he murmured. “I’m ninety years old, for crying out loud. I’ve lived more and seen more than any of you. I just think that for all the time you and Jake are spending together, it seems crazy how you’re willing to walk away from each other come August. Which – by the way – will be here before you know it!”
Unfortunately, she did know it, and every time she thought about it, it bothered her more and more. But no matter what, she couldn’t regret this – the chance she took and the relationship they now had because of it. Maybe her heart would be broken at the end of the summer, but it was a chance she was willing to take.
“You’re confusing. You know that, right?” When he didn’t respond, she went on. “In one breath you’re telling me how Jake has to go to school and in the next, you’re upset that he is! Seems to me you don’t know quite how you feel.”
He shrugged. “Again, I’m ninety. I’m allowed to be confused too.”
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.
“You know,” she began casually, reaching for her own glass of sweet tea. “Something else you were always saying applies here.”
“Is that right?” he said, looking mildly amused.
She nodded. “Uh-huh. You always said you have to work hard for the things you want most in the world.” She paused. “Well…I want Jake Summerford. And if that means at the end of the summer we’ll end up living thousands of miles apart instead of hundreds, then so be it. If it means the next four years we’ll only see each other the way we have for our entire lives, then so be it. To me, he’s worth it. He deserves to go to school and get the degree he so desperately wants.”
Then, in a move that surprised her, Pops reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “And what if – at the end of the day – it doesn’t work out, sweet pea?” he asked softly. “What if it’s all too much? What if he goes off to school and decides he doesn’t want to come back, or worse? What if he falls in love with somebody else? Will it still be worth it?”
Those exact questions had plagued her almost since the beginning and she still didn’t have any answers.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly, sadly. “I don’t think I could ever regret loving Jake, but I know it will hurt when it’s over.”
He gave her hand a final squeeze before returning his attention to his meal. “If he’s smart, he won’t let it end.”
If only it were that simple, she thought.
10
She was addictive.
It was well after midnight and they were tangled up in each other down in the boathouse. Yeah, it still bothered him that they didn’t have a better place to go, but getting a hotel room felt wrong to him.
Cheap.
Dirty.
Although, the thought of being able to spread out on a king-sized bed with her for an entire night seemed well worth it.
Then again, being forced to hold her close and having her naked and silky limbs wrapped around him was pretty damn sweet too.
Beside him, Mallory let out a long breath and shifted so they were chest to chest. She kissed his shoulder, his jaw, before letting out a happy little hum. Jake held her close and placed a kiss on the top of her head. She was quiet. Almost too quiet. Moments ago she was vocal enough. Hell, when she met him after her dinner with Zeke she had been extremely vocal about what she wanted and needed tonight. So this sudden silence seemed a little…off.
“Hey,” he said softly. She looked up at him but didn’t speak. “You okay?”
Rather than answer, she squirmed against him and began kissing her way down his body. Before she got very far, Jake stopped her and maneuvered them until they were eye level again.
“What’s goi
ng on, Mal?”
If he didn’t know her so well or for so long, he might have missed it – the look in her eyes that showed a hint of sadness before she pushed it away. She gave a careless little shrug before averting her gaze.
“Did I do something to upset you?” he asked, finding he was getting mildly annoyed now that she wasn’t talking to him. “Is everything okay with Zeke?”
This time the breath she let out was of irritation.
“Pops is fine,” she said as she moved away from him and sat up. In a flash, she was slipping her panties back on and reaching for the dress she was wearing earlier.
He didn’t take it as a good sign but opted to stay on the sofa and simply pull the throw blanket over his lap as he sat up.
“Then what’s going on?” he repeated. “Clearly something’s bothering you.” When she turned and looked at him, he saw the annoyance on her face and had to fight a grin.
“What are we doing, Jake?” she asked with some snap in her voice. “I mean, I know what we’re doing – or just did – but…”
“We’re dating,” he replied easily enough. “I don’t understand why that needs clarification.”
She began to pace and considering there wasn’t a whole lot of open space for her, he was certain it wasn’t nearly as gratifying as she wanted it to be.
“What’s going to happen at the end of the summer, huh? I know we’ve sort of talked about this and…and…we said it would be like everything was before, but…what if it’s not? What if you decide you like Boulder better than Magnolia Sound? Are we just killing time here?”
Ah…now it was all starting to make sense.
Carefully, he stood and wrapped the blanket around his waist and went to her. “We’re not just killing time here,” he said softly, reaching up and cupping her face in his hands. “I’m crazy about you, Mal. All of this…it took me by surprise. Maybe the timing sucks and we know it’s not going to be easy, but I think we deserve the chance to try.”
Tears filled her eyes and he wasn’t sure if he was helping or making matters worse.
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