He didn’t, but he nodded.
Satisfied, Cole nodded as well. “Good.” He propped a shoulder against the fence. “Now, tell me what you plan to do to make my girl happy.”
“Honestly?” Jared sighed. “I have no idea. But I do know that I’ll never make her cry, not if I can help it. I’ll be there for her, whether she needs me, or not. I’ll care for her, protect her, and love her with everything I’m capable of.” He paused to catch his breath. “I’m not saying I won’t screw up, because I know I will, but I was raised to treat women with respect and to man up when I know I fucked up. I might not be able to give her everything she deserves, but I’ll sure as hell try, and I’ll love her until my dying breath.”
Cole said nothing for so long, Jared wondered if the other man had frozen to the spot.
“That’s not the girl I sent off to school,” he said at last. “I don’t know what it was, but something’s changed in her. She’s lost her fire.”
“I know.”
Cole nodded slowly. “Are you prepared to take on whatever that reason may be?”
“Yes.”
Calla met them at the backdoor. She jumped when the door opened and they strode in. Her hands dropped from trying to zip up her coat and she exhaled.
“I thought he killed you and was off burying your body under the swings.”
Cole smirked. “I was tempted.”
With that, he left them there and made his way back to the others.
Jared could feel her apprehension even before she opened her mouth.
“I get what you’re doing,” she said. “You’re worried that if you put an end to this, my uncle will fire you and you won’t be welcome here anymore.”
None of those things had even crossed his mind. The not having a job didn’t worry him. He would be fine if he left McClain’s Pack N’ Go, but there was a prickle in his chest at the thought of losing his second family. The McClain’s had all but adopted him right along with Damon over fifteen years ago. His life had become intermingled with theirs and he wasn’t sure what he would do if that thread ever snapped. Nevertheless…
“Is that why you said yes?” Her quick avoidance of his gaze was answer enough. “I can find another job. Losing your family, it would hurt. But ultimately, the only real pain I would feel would be if I lost you.”
Sadness glittered in her eyes, making them appear luminous in the semidarkness. “You really want to do this?”
“More than anything,” he answered with absolute honestly. “The timing’s off and it’s a year or so ahead of when I had planned—”
“Planned?” she gasped. “You planned to ask me?”
Her disbelief drew a humorless chuckle from him.
“Calla, I meant every word I said in that room.”
“I thought you were just saying those things so my dad wouldn’t beat the shit out of you.”
“While I respect Cole, the only person I care about is you and what you want.”
She turned away from him, arms folded across her abdomen as she shuffled five feet. “It’s all happening too fast. We wound up in bed just this morning. You asked me to give us a chance … just this morning. Now I’m married to you and there is still just so much…”
“I’m not asking you to move your stuff into my place.” He paused. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no, but I’m willing to go slow.” His poor attempts at humor were meant by her dry scowl. “Look, I didn’t plan this,” he tried again. “I didn’t set out to get us both drunk and hitched. But I’m not exactly horrified and heartbroken over it either. It’s not going to be easy, but we can make this work if we try.”
“But what if it doesn’t work?” she asked again. “What if you realize what a huge mistake you’ve made and…”
“Or it could be the best thing that ever happened to either of us,” he mused. “Maybe this was exactly what we were both waiting for. Maybe this was fate. All I know is that I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you.”
Chapter Nine ~ Calla
If there was one thing the people of Willow Creek were any good at, it was spreading gossip. Calla getting married to Jared on the night of someone else’s wedding was something her tiny town was not soon to forget for a very long time. She had known the moment it all hit the fan that she was in for a long, exhausting ride, especially more so since she was a McClain.
The people of her town had almost come to expect craziness from her family. Her mom and dad started it when she got pregnant with Calla and then her Uncle Sloan had told everyone the baby was his to keep her dad from taking the hit. When it all came to light, many were shocked, but that didn’t stop them from being smug about it. Then when her dad rescued Damon from an asshole, abusive dad … it had started another McClain wildfire. Her family wasn’t meant for small town life where every aspect of their lives was scrutinized under a magnifying glass. People in the city didn’t give a shit. But small town gossip was what fueled Willow Creek.
From the moment Calla opened Libellule the next morning, the bell over the door never stopped jingling. There came a time when she had to fight back the urge to rip the damn thing off the frame and pitch it into the snow. It was solely the fact that everyone who walked in bought something that kept her from closing shop and going home to nap, even if they did so in hopes of getting information out of her.
By noon, her head hurt and there was a twitch in her right eye that was driving her crazy. It was the first time in hours that the shop was empty and she’d never been so happy.
Then the bell jingled and Calla nearly whimpered. Instead, she fixed a smile on her face that felt painful and turned.
“Jared!”
Taking up her entire doorway, he grinned back at her. He was clad in his work clothes, ratty jeans, scuffed and worn boots, and his heavy coat. But he was a sight for sore eyes.
“Hey.” He let the door shut behind him with another tinkle of bells that made Calla flinch. “You okay?”
Sighing, she wobbled her way to the counter and leaned against the glass. “I am exhausted,” she confessed. “That damn bell hasn’t stopped jingling since eight o’clock this morning and I swear I’m going to have nightmares about it tonight.”
Jared chuckled. “Rough day?”
“You can say that.” She groaned. “Every woman in Willow Creek has been in here hoping for an exclusive. You would think we were the only people in history to have gotten married.”
Gray eyes narrowed in quiet deliberation. “Well, I think we might be the only ones who ever eloped. That sort of makes us town celebrities.”
Despite her weariness, Calla chuckled. “I am actually hoping one of the teenagers at the high school gets knocked up soon. I don’t know how much longer I can handle this fame.” Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze up to his. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to work today.”
He nodded. “I am working. I mean, I was. I still am?” He frowned as he mulled over his own words. “I’m on break,” he finished with a shrug.
Laughing, Calla straightened. “Okay. Are you working here in town?”
“Yeah, I’m helping Ms. McPherson with her awning and a few other repairs around the shop.”
Her eyebrows went up. “You’re just down the block?”
His clothes rustled as he moved forward. A warm tingle prickled down her body as he drew closer. Then his frame was propped against the counter next to her, so close, there was a mere inch between them. They stood facing each other with their forearms resting on the glass. His fingers lightly grazed over the back of her hand, spreading up to her wrist and back again to curl around hers, swallowing her hand in his. Her pulse spiked. Her breathing quickened. All thoughts of a nap vanished as his free hand went to her hip and pulled her to him.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he murmured.
He kissed her. It was gentle, but firm, and it zapped through her in sharp little bursts of heat. Just as quickly, too quickly, he pulled back and peered down
into her eyes.
“Have lunch with me?” It was placed as a question, yet still somehow came off as a statement. It baffled her how he managed to do that.
“It’s only noon,” she murmured, gazing a little starry-eyed at his mouth. “I take my lunch at one.” She moistened her lips and forced herself to look up into his eyes. “But I can make an exception if you promise to get me back in an hour.”
Amusement and hunger shimmered across the pools of silver. “I really meant lunch. I only have thirty minutes and I’m starving.”
Calla blinked. “Oh!”
His laughter vibrated up his chest and spilled into the air between them, loud and rumbling. His arms tightened around her and she was crushed into him. His lips nuzzled her temple, warming the skin and ruffling the hairs there.
“But I do like the way you think.”
Cheeks warm, Calla nudged him back and scowled up at him without any heat. “Let me close up quickly.”
Moving around the counter, she pulled out the money tray from the register and took it with her into the back. She locked it into the safe and hurriedly pulled on her coat. Jared was waiting for her by the door when she returned. Together, they made their way down the street to Ma’s. The place was crammed with the afternoon rush. Denise waved at them—or at Jared, Calla thought—from behind the counter. Jared waved back and moved forward with Calla to place their orders.
She ordered a taco salad. He got the burger with chili fries. Together, they found a table in the corner and sat.
“So how did you get roped into helping Ms. McPherson?” she asked as she scooped bits of meat and lettuce into her mouth.
“She came out to thank me last week when I shoveled a path in front of her shop and I noticed her awning was sagging so I offered to help fix it.” He rolled those wide shoulders of his. “It’s only a few screws that need tightening. I’m working at the Company tomorrow and again Thursday and Friday, so I figured I’d do it today.”
Calla studied him from across the table, touched by his thoughtfulness. She knew how hard her uncle and his crew worked helping people move during the week, so for him to take his day off to help someone made her fall for him all the more, especially when she had a feeling he wasn’t accepting payment for his help either.
She must have been watching him for too long, because he paused mid chew and glanced up.
“What?”
Biting back her grin, she fisted a wad of napkin and lightly wiped at the smear of ketchup on his chin.
“Nothing. You’re just adorable.”
Jared grinned boyishly and went back to his burger.
She didn’t finish her salad. He did. Plus all his food and a slice of cake. Calla was amused, and a little intimidated, by his appetite.
“How can you eat like that and still look like that?”
She motioned to his toned and beautiful body.
He shrugged. “Luck?”
Shaking her head, Calla chuckled as she found the keys to the shop and pushed the door open. Jared followed her in and took her wrist before she could move too far in. She was pulled to him.
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
“Dinner?” she parroted.
He nodded. “What time do you get off?”
The dirty, horny part of her brain wanted to say whenever you touch me, but he had to get back and she didn’t want to start something she’d have to wait until later to finish.
“The shop closes at six,” she answered. “I leave about seven.”
“I’ll pick you up at your place at nine then,” he decided. “We’ll grab dinner and see a movie.”
Calla’s mouth curved. “Is this a date?”
His hands splayed across her back and she was curved into his chest. “Possibly.” He kissed her soundly. “And to show what an amazing husband I am, I’ll even let you pick the movie.”
She was still laughing when he smirked, kissed her cheek and left the store.
True to his word, Jared arrived promptly at nine that evening. Calla was just switching the lights off and making her way to the door when he knocked lightly. Coat drawn on over her favorite little black dress, black stockings, and red pumps, she hurried over to unlock the door.
He wore black trousers. The rest was covered beneath his coat. She thanked the fashion gods that she’d worn something that could be both fancy and casual, since he hadn’t told her where they’d be going for supper, but assumed it wouldn’t be too fancy since they’d be going to the movies afterwards.
“Hey.”
She kissed him, partly out of reflex, but mostly because she’d actually missed him.
He grinned down at her, seemingly pleased by her gesture. “Hey.”
Cheeks warm, she locked the door and followed him to his truck.
There weren’t many romantic places in Willow Creek. They didn’t even have a movie theater and only the one restaurant. To go on an actual date, one had to drive at least twenty minutes into the next town to have a night out.
They drove to Newburry. The streetlamps were on as night shimmered over the town. People were still out. The shops were still open and the roads were much more crowded than what Calla was used to. But Jared seemed unperturbed as he reached one hand off the wheel and rested it lightly on Calla’s thigh. Without thinking, she settled hers over his and watched as buildings blurred by.
“I think I’d like to open a shop here,” she decided as a for lease sign flitted out of sight. “Not right now, of course. Libellule’s only been open the one year, but maybe in another three, or four years.”
Jared gave her leg a gentle squeeze. “That’s a good idea. Would you call it Libellule Two?”
Calla laughed. “No, probably just Libellule. The main shop would remain in Willow Creek, but it would be a chain.”
“I like it,” he said.
She turned her head to him. “Are you humoring me?”
Never taking his eyes off the road, he shook his head. “Not at all. You have a knack for business and you’re good at what you do. I think there’ll be a Libellule all over the world one day.”
A deep, warm hum filled her chest. Her heart melted and she had to tamp the urge to lunge across the divide and kiss him.
They pulled up in front of a red bricked building with a burgundy awning over magnificent mahogany doors with gold handles. Large, bay windows gleamed with golden light spilling out from inside. Something was written in loopy gold font across the domed awning that Calla couldn’t make out, but she did understand the much simpler block letters underneath.
“Originally established in sixteen-fourteen France,” she read out loud. “Jesus, four hundred years ago.” She took the hand Jared offered her and eased out of the truck. “Maybe I should ask them for business tips.”
Chuckling, he led her to the doors and ushered her inside.
It was comfortably warm and sprinkled with the delicious scent of creamy sauces and herbs. Her mouth began to water even before they crossed the short foyer to the arched doorway and through a set of heavy, burgundy drapes.
Soft violin music serenaded the quiet hum of chatter, the gentle clink of silverware, and laughter. Everything was a rich maroon and gold and it made her think of being in a castle. A wood paneling separated the entrance from the main room, but judging from the level of commotion, she had a feeling it was a full night.
“I don’t think I’m dressed for this place,” she whispered, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
Jared never got the chance to respond when a rail thin man in a black suit bustled out from behind the wall and greeted them with a fluid stream of French.
Shit, Calla thought, trying to remember her high school French lessons.
Jared didn’t seem to have that problem. He responded fluently and without hesitation. And Calla couldn’t believe how wet that made her. Although, it didn’t really surprise her. Jared’s dad was French and used to make him speak nothing else while he was home. She remembered going over as a kid
with Damon and Willa and Jared’s dad would talk to him. It always sounded like he was pissed off, but Jared had assured them he wasn’t. Nevertheless, Jared always aced their French class.
The pair chuckled over something Jared said. Then the man’s warm, brown eyes settled on Calla. He said something she didn’t understand. Jared answered for her and the man chuckled again.
“Pardon me.” He switched to a thick English. “I was complimenting how radiant you look this evening, mademoiselle.”
At least she understood mademoiselle. Then he was talking again before she could thank him.
“Je m’appelle Jean Paul.”
“Calla,” she answered, offering him her hand.
He took it and she marveled at how dainty and soft his was.
“Je suis très heureux de faire votre connaissance.” He chuckled a little sheepishly. “Pardon me,” he said again. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Merci!” Calla said, basically the extent of her knowledge of the language. “You too.”
Jean Paul laughed and gave her hand a light squeeze before letting it go. He waved with the same hand towards the opening he’d come through.
With Jared’s hand resting lightly on the small of her back, she was guided after the maître d' into a grand and luxurious opening that seemed to gleam expensively. Platforms draped in lush, red carpet rose like the tiers on a cake to four floors ringed by glass railings trimmed in gold. Tables draped in white and red cloth dotted all four levels. She had been right in her earlier assumption, the place was brimming. The faces blurred as they passed them up one, then two, then three floors. They stopped on the fourth floor. There were only three tables and the other two weren’t occupied. They were completely alone up there.
Jean Paul took their coats, helped Calla into her chair and left them with the promise of their waiter arriving shortly.
“This place is amazing,” she said once it was just her and Jared.
Jared nodded. “I used to come here all the time.”
Some of the charm lifted at his confession. She couldn’t help wondering if he brought other women there. If that was his main date place to impress the panties off his dates before taking them back to his place. Ugh! She hated that side of herself, and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
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