“Would you like to spend the night?” Danielle whispered in his ear as the movie they’d been watching ended. She got up from the couch and held out her hand to him. Jack took it eagerly, and she led him to her bedroom.
Chapter Twelve, I Love You’s
Danielle woke up in Jack’s arms, his chest pressed against her back. She could hear his breathing, low and soft, and she knew he was still asleep. He sounded so peaceful, and while she had a moment to herself, she thought about the night they had shared together.
She was so happy she hadn’t slept with him right away, even though she had wanted to. She knew that waiting would make their bond stronger, which it had. The night they had shared was beyond everything she had imagined. The way he had touched her body, knowing just where to place his hands, his tongue, she shivered in pleasure at the memory. She could still hear the sound of her moans mingled with his.
“I can hear your mind working,” Jack’s sleepy voice said from behind her.
“I thought you were sleeping,” she replied as she twisted around and faced him, his eyes were still closed but he was smiling.
“I was half asleep, but I could sense you were awake by your breathing,” he muttered, his eyes half open now. It was a cute look on him. She could get used to this.
“Want some coffee?” she asked as she rubbed his cheek.
“Mmm, yes please,” he replied, but as she tried to get out of bed, his arms tightened around her. “Just not now though. Let’s stay here for a little longer.”
Danielle didn’t fight him, and she snuggled into his chest, breathing him in as they stayed there wrapped up in each other. She was sure that nothing in her life could ever be as perfect as that moment.
“I could stay here forever,” Jack mumbled.
Danielle looked up and his eyes were closed again, his face completely relaxed and peaceful.
“So could I,” she replied.
She stared at him a moment longer before closing her eyes and savoring the moment. She was happy that Jack had come into her life when she was open to a relationship. Of course, she had seen him at the bar countless times, but she knew he had changed. She had seen it that first time they had spoken to each other.
“Jack?” she asked after a moment of silence.
“Hmm,” he replied.
“I love you,” Danielle said, her voice soft but loud enough for him to hear her.
His eyes flew open and she tried to see what he was feeling or what he could be thinking, but it was hard to tell. His eyes were just searching hers. She was scared she had said it too soon into their relationship, but it had felt right to say it in the moment.
She wanted to get away and hide, feeling her cheeks grow red as she waited for him to say something, anything. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, forget it,” she finally said as she tried to pull away from him.
“No, no. Please, I...I’ve just never said those words to someone before, and honestly, I’ve never had a woman say them to me either, so it’s a lot to take in. But...I love you too. I really do.” He smiled gently at her and cupped her cheek, looking at her tenderly.
“You do?” she asked, her voice small and soft.
“Of course I do. You’ve shown me a new way of life. You’ve had faith in me. I didn’t think I would ever get here, and I'm happy to have you at my side,” he said gently.
Danielle’s heart was still beating rapidly but, now, it was from excitement, not anxiety. Her eyes locked on his as she absorbed his words. She had never thought she would find someone who would be so gentle and kind, someone who had truly taken the time to get to know her and then stuck around.
“How did I get so lucky to meet someone like you?” she asked gently.
She knew he wouldn’t know the answer. After all, it was a question that neither of them could answer. It was just life.
“I ask myself the same question every day, but all I know is this: I want to be with you all the time, and that’s something I will never get bored of,” he replied as he moved closer and gently rubbed his nose against hers.
Danielle could spend the rest of the day just curled up in Jack’s arms, but she knew she had to go to work soon. She opened early for breakfast on Saturdays. “I wish I could spend the rest of the day here with you, but I have to get ready for work. Maybe we can have breakfast quickly before I leave?” she asked.
“That sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you stay here and I’ll sort that out? You’re going to be on your feet for hours and I might as well make myself useful,” Jack offered, rising from the bed.
She watched as he walked out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she stretched, screaming internally as she remembered their special moment over and over in her head.
It was hard to believe that she had spent so many years giving herself to men when all they did was let her down. Now, just when she had all but given up, she had happened to fall in love. Of course, she knew better than to get completely carried away because there was still a chance of getting hurt, but she felt Jack had proven himself over the last month. She knew he was truly serious about what he wanted, and as he said, that was her.
Danielle sat in her bed and listened as Jack cooked in her kitchen. She could hear him singing while plates and dishes clanked around. She smiled to herself as the smell of bacon wafted into her bedroom. Jack had been around her house a few times so it didn’t surprise her that he knew where everything was.
Fifteen minutes later, Jack walked into her bedroom with a tray that held two plates and two cups of coffee. “Breakfast is served, my lady,” he said with a small bow as he placed the tray on the bed. He had made her egg with avocado on toast with bacon and fried tomatoes on the side.
“You’re too kind, sir,” she joked as she grabbed the tray.
Jack climbed into bed next to her and immediately started to devour his food.
“This is truly amazing,” she said as she took her first bite.
Jack couldn’t reply as his mouth was filled, so he just nodded in agreement. Danielle giggled at his response because he sometimes acted like a child with the way he did certain things. It made her love him more.
“I think you should meet my family. My brother and I have gotten a lot closer lately and I think he'd love to meet you,” Jack said after he had finished his breakfast and had been watching Danielle finish hers.
“I think that would be rather nice actually. I’d like to get to know the people that are important to you because you’re important to me,” Danielle replied as she placed her empty plate on her side table.
“I know my brother will love you. I’ve already told him so much about you,” Jack said with a smile.
“All good things I hope,” Danielle teased as she nudged him with her elbow.
“Oh, definitely,” he agreed with a wink and kissed her on the cheek.
They spent a few more minutes in bed together before she headed to her bathroom to shower. After washing herself, Danielle got ready for the rest of her day while Jack watched her from the bed. It would have made her feel weird if it were anyone else, but she enjoyed the fact that he watched her doing the simple things as if it meant so much to him.
“Are you ready to go or do you want to let yourself out?” she asked once she was ready.
Jack jumped out of bed and pulled on his shirt and his jeans as he had just been in his boxers. Within seconds, he was set. “I’m ready,” he said with a clap of his hands.
“Maybe next time you can bring a change of clothes. Maybe you could even shower with me,” Danielle baited as she led them to her front door.
“Now that sounds like a good idea,” Jack replied, his body soon pressed against hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.
She couldn’t help but sigh. Just his touch sent a rush of emotions through her body.
Together they walked out the door and into the street, turning to face each other as they said their goodbyes.
“Definitely,” she replied with a smile.
********
Danielle felt as if she were floating on clouds for the rest of the day, her face permanently carrying a smile as she served customers. he couldn’t believe that her life had changed so much in such a short space of time. It felt like just yesterday when she would go home to an empty house and sit alone on her couch with her cat. Now, she sat on her couch with her cat while curled up in Jack’s arms.
“Well, I guess it’s safe to say that things between you and Jack are going really well,” Alice deduced as she sat down at the bar.
Danielle hadn’t spoken to her friend properly since that time she had made a scene in front of Jack. She wouldn’t allow anyone to tarnish the happiness she felt.
“Things are going extremely well, but if you have something horrible to say about it, I don’t even want to hear it,” Danielle said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Alice hung her head in guilt. “Look, I know I was a bitch the last time and I’m sorry about that. I have my own issues to deal with when it comes to men and I shouldn’t have taken it out on Jack. You seem really happy and that’s all that matters.”
“I’m really glad you said that because I really don’t want to keep you two separated. He really means a lot to me. I want you two to get along,” Danielle said softly.
“Well, I’d love a do-over, if you’d allow me,” Alice replied with a smile.
“I’d love that, and I think in doing that, you should apologize to Jack too,” Danielle added.
“Of course, of course. I owe him that,” her friend agreed with a nod.
“Perfect, then we can definitely arrange a lunch or something where we can all get together,” Danielle said as she got her friend a drink.
She was happy Alice had realized her behavior wasn’t okay. All she wanted was for all the people in her life to get along. The last thing she wanted to deal with was having to choose who stayed and who left.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’m sure you’re dying to tell me all about him.” Alice took a sip of her drink as she waited for an answer, and because she was Danielle’s best friend, she was right.
Chapter Thirteen, Meeting the Family
“Do you think you’ve cooked enough food?” Jake asked as he walked into the kitchen.
Caroline had spent the whole day cooking. Not knowing exactly what to prepare, she had made a little bit of everything. She wanted the evening to go smoothly. After all, it was her first time meeting Danielle. She wanted to make a good impression and hoped that they would get along. As much as Caroline had enjoyed being alone at the house with Jonathan most of the time, she wouldn’t mind having a female friend to go out with on occasion.
“Well, I want to make sure that she at least likes something,” she replied as she looked over the spread of food on the kitchen counter. She had cooked a creamy chicken pasta, a cottage pie, a rack of lamb, and a few different salads, along with a couple of desserts.
“She’s a normal human. She probably enjoys most things that I’d call ‘traditional’,” Jake teased as he kissed her.
“I know, I just want her to like me,” Caroline replied.
“She will like you. Everyone does,” Jake said softly.
Before Caroline could respond, there was a knock at the door.
“That should be them,” Jake said as he headed to open it.
Caroline followed close behind him as he did. Jack and Danielle stood together, his arm around her shoulders while holding a bunch of flowers in his other hand.
“Come in, come in,” Jake invited, gesturing to drive his point home.
“Thank you. This is Danielle. Danielle, this is my brother Jake and his girlfriend Caroline,” Jack introduced.
“It’s so good to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you,” Caroline said as she moved to hug Danielle.
Danielle gladly took the hug and gave a little squeeze in return. “I’ve heard so much about you too. Thank you for having us over,” she said as she stepped back.
“It’s our pleasure. Now let’s get this party started,” Jake said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
“These are for you,” Jack said as he handed Caroline the flowers.
“Thank you. Can I get you guys something to drink?” Caroline asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Anything you’ve got will be great,” Jack said.
Caroline was more than happy to host a dinner party, especially when it gave her an excuse to cook. She had been working on her culinary skills for a while, wanting to improve so she could give her new family all they could ever want.
With Jake’s help, Caroline poured four drinks for all of them and they arranged themselves around the dining room table.
“This place smells amazing. What’s for dinner?” Jack asked.
“Almost everything. Caroline has been cooking all day,” Jake said with a proud smile.
“I guess I got a little carried away, but I wasn’t sure what you liked,” Caroline said to Danielle.
“Oh, you really didn’t have to go through so much trouble. I’m really not a fussy eater,” Danielle said sweetly.
“I got overzealous. But there’s plenty of food, if you guys want to take some home with you I’m sure there will be plenty of leftovers,” Caroline suggested with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Oh I’m all for that, I can appreciate good food but cooking is not my thing,” Danielle said with a smile.
“You’ve got that right,” Jack agreed sarcastically.
“So Jack tells us that you own your own bar. That’s extremely fascinating” Jake said, turning all eyes onto Danielle.
“Yeah, I love it. It wasn’t my plan from the beginning, I just kind of fell into it, but I find it really satisfying. It’s been great getting to know my customers and I’ve managed to put together a great team of people. They’re like my family,” Danielle replied.
Caroline watched Jack gaze at Danielle as she spoke, his eyes glued on her with a sappy grin on his face. She could see just how in love he was with Danielle, which made her happy. She wanted Jack to have someone in his life to love and rely on, and from what Caroline could see, he had found that person. It was also clear to Caroline that Danielle was in love with Jack. She could see it in the way her eyes shone whenever they locked on him.
Caroline couldn’t help but smile to herself. She knew how it felt to love someone completely. It was how she felt about Jake. He must have felt the same way watching Danielle and Jack because he reached over and grabbed her hand as they were eating.
“You two are really smitten, aren’t you?” Caroline asked as she looked at Danielle and Jack.
The couple looked at each other with smiles on their faces as they nodded their heads. Neither had to say a word; it was already written all over their faces.
The rest of the evening went by smoothly. Everyone was talking and getting to know each other, and by the time Jack and Danielle left, Caroline was sure she had made a new friend. The two of them had discovered that they shared a love of marine animals, and they had been sure to exchange numbers before Danielle left.
“I really like her. I think she’s good for Jack,” Caroline said as she and Jake worked together to clean up the aftermath of the dinner party.
“I think so too. They seem to get along so well. I never expected him to meet someone so soon, but she seems to be a perfect fit for him,” Jake replied.
“I definitely agree. The way they are around each other just shows how much they care for each other. It’s so refreshing to see Jack that way,” Caroline added.
It had been clear to her that Jack was jealous of what she and Jake had, and even though she blamed herself for hurting him, she knew it was better in the long run. They wouldn’t have been as happy as she was with Jake, and definitely not as happy as Jack was now that he had Danielle.
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“Do you think they’ll get married?” Jonathan asked from the couch. It had only taken one meeting for him to also become smitten with Danielle, and he was excited to play with her cat one day.
“Who knows?” Jake mused. “They might, but we’ll have to see. They’ve only been going out for a little while now so we can only see what happens.”
“I think he should marry her. She’s pretty,” Jonathan said with stars in his eyes.
Of course, it wasn’t surprising to Caroline that Jonathan had a little crush on Danielle. After all, she really was beautiful. But she was sure Jack wouldn’t get married in a hurry. It was clear that he was getting closer to what he wanted in life, but Caroline didn’t think he would rush into anything just like that. He had taken so long just figuring out what he wanted. There was no way he would just jump into marriage. Caroline couldn’t picture it.
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