“I don’t know, but we’re taking one. Chinese buffet.”
Dalton couldn’t agree more. What was it about Chinese food and hangovers? He was already craving the crab Rangoon.
Just then, a car pulled into the driveway. He’d never seen Jessi’s car, but he assumed it was hers. It was a nice, respectable little Audi that suited her perfectly. Cute, happy, and snappy. Just like the woman. Despite everything, he smiled to himself.
Jessi got out of the car holding two huge bags. Dalton could smell the sweet and sour sauce from his spot some fifteen yards away. God, he loved this woman.
“This is not on the house. You guys owe me, but I don’t want the alcohol to eat your stomach lining away.” She looked irritated, but not pissed. It was like she was trying to be mad, but was really over it. That was encouraging.
“God, I could kiss you right now.” Sawyer was on his feet and heading toward the bags of food.
He’d better not kiss her. Hungover or not, drinking partner or no, Dalton wasn’t putting up with that shit. Thankfully, Sawyer did no such thing. Instead, he grabbed the bags out of her hands and headed toward the rough wood table that sat on the large end of Jessi’s side porch. It really was a nice place.
Jessi yelled at Sawyer’s retreating form. “This does not mean you are forgiven, Sawyer Jameson. I just don’t want you two dummies puking all over my yard because of a low food to alcohol ratio!”
With Sawyer removed from the vicinity, it was just Jessi and Dalton. She looked at him, and he stared back. He could tell the anger was gone from her eyes. She just looked...tired. He was instantly sorry about that.
“Jessi, I’m—”
“Dalton, not right now. You and Sawyer eat some lunch. I’ll be inside.”
She walked back into the house, and Dalton had no choice but to go sit with Sawyer. He hadn’t been invited in. He was just there to pick up his mess. When he was done, he’d get in the truck with Sawyer and... then what? He’d never see her again.
No. That wasn’t true. He’d see her all the time. She’d retired, but she’d still be part of swimming. Sure, she was going to start grad school soon, but she’d work with the camps and coaches throughout the year. He’d just no longer have the right to come up behind her and plant a kiss on her neck when she wasn’t paying attention or put his hand on her hip when they were talking with a group of people. They’d just be acquaintances. She’d start dating again, and she’d bring her new flings to Christmas parties. She’d show up to team events with someone else. Dalton was feeling decidedly less encouraged as he sat down.
They ate in silence. Partly because there wasn’t much to say. Partly because it kind of hurt to talk. And partly because they were killing the Chinese food.
Just as they were cleaning the boxes up, Jessi came outside. She’d put on yoga pants and a tight hoody. Her hair was up in a messy bun again. This was Jessi on the weekend. It broke Dalton’s heart to know he’d never see her like this again, but he was glad for the opportunity anyway.
“Sawyer, you can go home. I appreciate you cleaning up the mess. Dalton can finish the porch.” She shot him a glare. “I’m sure it was his idea to throw the cans in the first place.”
“It was.” Sawyer wasted no time getting up and walking toward his truck.
“Dude, you’re just gonna leave?” Dalton yelled from the deck. “How am I going to get home?”
“I’ll take you home when you’re done.” Jessi turned around and walked back into the house.
Sawyer threw his hand in the air without so much as a backward glance as way of goodbye. He got in the truck, started it up, and backed down the driveway.
Dalton stood there, dumbfounded. What in the hell was going on? He shook his head and figured he might as well get to it since he wasn’t being given many options. Not that he deserved them.
Dalton scrubbed the deck for a good hour. Damn. Beer really made a sticky mess on rough wood. He felt bad about that. He’d have to apologize to her...if she’d accept it.
When he was done, he went to the front door and stood there for a minute. What was he supposed to do? Knock? Ring the doorbell? He settled on a quick knock and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he waited.
Jessi came to the door shortly after and opened it. She stepped aside so he could walk in.
The house was amazing. It was all log with the exception of the fireplace, which was made out of river stone and extended up to the roof. A second floor looked out over the open floor plan of the main level, and a wall of windows opened up to a view of the craggy foothills.
The decorations were warm and rustic. Jessi had furnished the house with overstuffed brown leather furniture. The only exception was an odd, cowhide chair. He’d have to ask her about that if he got the chance. There was a chandelier made out of antlers that was equally surprising. Dalton had pictured a much more contemporary setting for Jessi.
“Your house is great. I hadn’t expected this, I guess.”
“Thanks. I always wanted to live in the mountains, but Mom and Dad couldn’t afford it with the bills for my swim clubs and private school. A lot of my high school friends were pretty rich, so we’d go to their cabins for ski trips during winter and spring breaks. I guess I got the bug for log homes then.”
Jessi was wiping down the granite top of her kitchen island. She’d just poured herself a tall glass of what looked like craft beer. “Little hair of the dog?” she offered, turning to pick out another glass. She was just full of surprises.
“Actually, I swore off beer this morning, but that might actually be the only thing that saves me today.”
Jessi smirked and opened a small fridge cut out of the cabinets below the counter. It was full of different craft beers. “I’m kind of a beer snob,” she confessed. “I don’t get to drink often, but when I do, I want the good stuff. Sorry, no Bud Light.” She looked up from the fridge with a raised eyebrow.
Yeah, there’d been a lot of Bud Light cans on her lawn that morning. “Actually, I don’t think I could drink another Bud if my life depended on it. Do you have an IPA?”
Jessi pulled out three different kinds of India Pale Ale and set them on the countertop for his inspection.
God, he seriously loved this woman. He selected one and she grabbed a bottle opener, popped the top, and began pouring the beer into the glass at the perfect angle.
“So,” she began.
Fuck. Here it was. She wouldn’t offer him a drink and then kick him out before he had the chance to take a sip, would she? Dalton wouldn’t put it past her. He’d seen firsthand how mean Jessi could be, and he had seriously pissed her off.
“Why did you show up here with Sawyer last night?”
“Well, actually, I snuck away from Sawyer at some point and did a little covert yard hopping until I found a liquor store. Then I bought a case of beer and came up here. Don’t be too pissed at Sawyer. He was just trying to find me and keep me from doing something stupid.”
She raised her eyebrow again and stared at him.
“I didn’t say he was successful.”
Jessi was trying to look serious, but her lips were twitching. Dalton’s heart soared. He wouldn’t let himself get overly excited, but that was a good sign.
“You guys are stupid. You know that, right?”
“Yep.”
“Good. So...” Jessi looked down at the counter for a second.
Dalton thought she wasn’t going to speak again, but then her head popped up and she looked right at him. “What did you want to say to me that was so important you had to camp out on my front lawn?”
Shit. He hadn’t expected to be able to explain himself. He wasn’t prepared. “Look, Jess, I’m so sorry. I was an ass and—”
“Yes. We’ve established that. Numerous times. And in numerous situations. I’m not really interested in that, and I accept your apology. You’ve cleaned up your mess, so we’ll consider things square. What I want to know is what you wanted to say to me.”
&nb
sp; Dalton took a deep breath. Here it was. “I guess I wanted to yell at you for waving your ex-boyfriend under my nose. I wanted to tell you I was proud of you in Canada. I wanted to shake you for pushing me away while we were there. I suppose I probably also wanted to say sorry for leaving without saying goodbye...” Dalton trailed off.
“Yes. Let’s start with that one. You realize this is the second time you’ve left me at an Olympic Games without so much as a ‘see you later, Jess’?”
Dalton looked up at her from under his eyelashes. “I’m not sure I’m supposed to call you Jess.”
“Oh my God, Dalton, I swear—”
“Sorry! Sorry. Humor is my go-to when I’m in a corner. I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. That was really shitty of me. I just knew I was losing you, and I couldn’t handle it.”
“If you knew you were losing me, why didn’t you do something about it?”
“What was I supposed to do? You’d already made up your mind. I was a dead man walking.”
“You didn’t have to be.” Jessi looked down at the counter again, and this time, her voice was soft. She looked eighteen again.
Dalton’s heart broke even more. He hadn’t known that was possible. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say,” he confessed.
“Yes, you do. You just can’t say it.” She looked up with tears in her eyes.
Dalton would do anything in that moment to make those go away, but he didn’t know what to do.
“Jessi, I’m going to be completely honest. I am so lost when it comes to this...to us. I don’t know how to do this, so, baby, you’re gonna have to tell me what to do sometimes. I swear I’m not trying to hurt you. I just really am this clueless.”
“Dalton,” Jessi sighed. “It’s not difficult. I love you. I’ve loved you since I was a kid, but I can’t wait around hoping you’ll just magically fall in love with me. I’m not what you need—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dalton interrupted. “Not what I need? Jessi, you are exactly what I need. You make me happy. You keep my mind focused. I don’t want to do anything stupid when I’m with you. I just want to be the guy you need. Why in the hell would I sit out on a lawn and curse your ever-loving name if I didn’t need you?” Dalton was yelling by now. It sort of hurt his hungover head, so he took a sip of the beer she’d offered him.
“You have to do more than need me, Dalton.”
“I’m lost here, Jessi. What am I supposed to say? I don’t know what else I can do to make you see that I will do anything for you.”
“You have to love me, you stupid ass!” Jessi screamed at him from across the counter.
Dalton froze and looked right at her. His heart soared, because damn it, he knew exactly what to do to fix this. He put on his best smile and started to walk around the counter. Jessi started to back away. She looked scared, tired, and completely ready to just give up. Hold on, sweetheart. Just give me one more second, and then you can rest.
“I have to love you, huh? Jessi, how can you be so unaware? I risked my career—my second and last shot to make something of myself in swimming—to be with you. You know me. You know no matter what bullshit I throw out there, to win gold was the most important thing in my life. When you hit that wall, I did that. And you know what? I was vindicated. I’d finally won through you. I was part of that gold and not because I swam on some fucking relay, but because I worked with you side by side for weeks. So yeah, I was vindicated. But more than that—way, way more than that—I was so fucking proud of you. I sat in those stands and cheered like you were my goddamn grandkid. I squealed, Jessi—no shit. And I did not give one good goddamned fuck what anybody thought because that was my girl out there. That was my old woman whooping up on a bunch of pretentious little whippersnappers.”
He needed to hurry now because she was going to lunge at him if he didn’t. He wasn’t worried though, because he still had the ace up his sleeve. “That was the woman I love having the moment of her life and looking so fucking beautiful doing it.”
Jessi stopped her forward progression and stared at him. She didn’t move a muscle. It started to get a little eerie, and Dalton was worried he’d messed up again.
“Dalton, if you are just saying that, I swear to God...”
“Oh, sweet baby Jesus, woman, just come here.” He grabbed her up and kissed her hard.
She gave it to him right back.
He gently pulled her back. “I love you,” he whispered, then set back in to kissing her. It was the best feeling in the world. He knew what it was to love Jessi. He knew what it was to lose her, and, thank God, now he knew what it was like to get her back, keep her by his side.
His hand found the back of her neck, and he pulled her even closer to him. She pushed her body up against his, and they started stumbling toward something to lie down on. Dalton broke the kiss. “Where’s your bedroom, Grizzly Adams?”
“Funny.” She grabbed his hand and turned on her heel to lead him up the stairs.
Jessi’s room surprised Dalton. It had white sheetrock trimmed in light-colored, hand-carved worn wood with a huge, matching canopy bed. Etchings of vines and leaves crept up the posts. Gauzy material hung from the canopy. Fluffy pillows and a white down comforter covered the bed.
“Now this is a bed to have a hangover in,” Dalton said.
“Oh, you aren’t resting, Coach.” Jessi pushed him back on the bed and started to crawl over him.
He quickly grabbed the back of her neck again and cradled her with his other arm while he flipped her over. Laying himself down on top of her, he looked into her beautiful eyes and softly said, “Jessi Pruitt, I love you. I hate the way you came into my life, but I’m not sorry for it anymore because it brought you to me. I know I got here in all the wrong ways, but, baby, I’m here, and I’ll stay as long as you want me.”
“Then you’d better get comfortable.” Jessi brought her head up to kiss him.
Dalton took the hint and stopped talking. He lowered himself completely on top of her as, without words, they told each other everything they needed to know.
Later that night, Dalton woke up alone. He panicked at first until he heard the soft sounds of music coming from the kitchen below. He could smell food as well. He looked out the window and stared at the pink of the evening sky. They’d spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, and at some point, fallen asleep together.
He smiled as he thought of all the crap she’d had to eat while she was training. By the smell of things, Jessi had thrown herself off the wagon. Dalton’s mouth started to water, and he figured he’d better go down and help her with things. Who knew? Maybe she was up for a little nookie on the kitchen island.
He smiled and started to rise. Then the last of the dying light sparked on something bright. He looked down next to him where Jessi had been lying. Right there, in the middle of the pristine white sheets, was a gold medal. Dalton’s breath caught. He didn’t need to know which race it came from. It was the medal from her one-hundred yard butterfly. Her signature stroke. Next to it was a note.
Dalton,
I won my first medal by myself with the sheer will of a teenager who didn’t know enough to be afraid of the competition. I won the rest because of my training, my coaches, and my parents. This time, I didn’t stand a chance. The people who had raised me up before weren’t enough anymore. I was done. There was no way I could have won this if you hadn’t stumbled back into my life. When I swim, it’s just me and the water. No one else. But when I swam for this, all I thought about was you.
I thought about how hard you pushed me, how mad you made me, and how proud of me you’d be if I won. Even though I thought I was losing you, I wanted to win this for you. I heard your voice as I pushed off the wall for that last fifty and something broke free. I couldn’t feel tired, old, or afraid. All I could feel was how much I loved you and how this would be yours. So here it is.
I love you,
Jessi
P.S. Don’t try to give it back. I have enough already.
Dalton choked out a laugh at that last statement, wiped his suspiciously damp and blurry eyes, and folded the letter. He picked up the medal and gave it a quick kiss. Then he went downstairs, wrapped his arms around the woman he loved, kissed her neck, and helped her make dinner. He’d never felt so at peace in his life.
You did it! If you enjoyed this story, please remember to leave a review.
To be the first to know about my new releases, please join my newsletter (I promise, no spam, ever… who has time for that).
Evie’s Newsletter
For more information check me out here:
On Facebook evie.anderson.author
www.evieanderson.com
In the Fast Lane (Fast Series Book 1) Page 18