“I believe in you.” He held her gaze with his own, so intently that he thought he might never look away. “I believe in what we could have.” He leaned close before she could say another word and kissed her.
Despite his protests about the movie, the moment his lips touched hers, a wave of passion threatened to weaken every muscle in his body.
Chapter 15
As he kissed her, the ripples of desire that flooded her were dampened by tears that sprang to her eyes. The confusion of her grief for her husband versus her affection for Jack created a panic within her. She started to break the kiss, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. Every inch of her skin tingled as his need for her inspired a rush of the same need inside her. She held him just as close, and together they warmed the Michigan air that surrounded them.
Was it possible? Could she believe that she could be loved again?
When his lips finally pulled away from hers, they pressed against her forehead.
She tightened her grasp on him and hid her face in his shoulder.
He let her rest there for a moment, then whispered. “Are you cold? Let’s get out of here, hm? We can take my car.”
“You don’t have to get back?” Her heart pounded.
“Not just yet.” He wrapped a hand around hers, warming her fingers and bringing with it a sense of calmness. “I’d hoped to spend a little more time with you.”
Michelle drew back from him and glanced at her watch. “I have some time.”
“Good.” He led her to his car.
She noticed that it was a new model and looked as if it was well kept. Compared to her car, which was filled with school supplies, sandwich wrappers, and the distinct smell of basketballs, his car was quite luxurious. She settled into the passenger seat and felt warmth greet her rear end.
“Oh wow—heated seats. Fancy.” She laughed.
“Only the best.” He winked at her. “Any place we should go? Would you like to have lunch?”
“Actually, I ate right before the movie. We could go back to your hotel if you want—to have more time to talk, I mean.”
“Oh—uh…” Jack gripped the steering wheel.
“What is it, Jack?”
He glanced over at her. “Promise you won’t be angry?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Promise? Why would I be angry?”
“Maybe you’ll laugh instead.” He shrugged. “The truth is, I was done in Michigan last week. I drove back here today so that I could spend time with you.”
“All the way from Indiana?”
“Yes.” His jaw rippled. “I know it’s a little ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously sweet.” She stroked his cheek. “You could have just told me no.”
“No, I wanted to be here. It’s worth it to me.”
She stared at him for a moment, then smiled. “There is one place I’d love to show you.”
“Okay.” He steered the car out of the parking lot. “Show me the way.”
She rattled off the directions and he drove as she instructed.
When he pulled into the parking lot of a small building he looked over at her. “What is this place?”
“It’s a surprise.” She grinned.
“Okay.” He eyed her for a moment, then stepped out of the car and walked around to open her door. He took her hand as they walked toward the building.
There was nothing on the outside to reveal what the building was, and when they stepped through the door it was completely dark, aside from an eerie glow that came from another doorway.
“Are they closed?”
“No.” She stepped in front of him and led him down the short hallway to the second door. “I found this place one day while looking for a way to kill some time while the boys were at basketball practice. It’s been my favorite place ever since.” She paused and glanced over at him. “I’ve never brought anyone else here.”
“Then I should be honored.” Jack smiled at her and squeezed her hand.
Michelle stepped through the door and Jack followed. They were immersed in glows of all different shades. The walls were covered in graffiti-style art that was visible because of the black lights that shone from the light fixtures.
“Wow.” He gazed at the images sprawled across the walls. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“It’s a local artist. She uses it as a way to inspire kids to develop their talents. But to me, it feels like stepping into another dimension. Some of the images are a little rough, but then there are ones like this.” She pointed to a wall across from them that depicted a sunrise and glowed just as a sunrise would.
“This is incredible. I’m so glad you brought me here.”
“Me too. I thought you might like it.”
“I do.” He laughed a little. “I never do things like this. I just never take the time to discover new things.”
“It’s a bit like a treasure hunt for me. I used to love to find little bookstores, coffee shops, gift shops—little places that are sort of off the beaten path.”
“Used to?” He brushed her hair back from her face.
“I haven’t gone on a treasure hunt in a long time. I guess I’ve been too focused on surviving.”
As they walked through the remainder of the gallery he commented on almost every image on her list of favorites. It was clear to her that they had more in common than she even knew.
Once they exited through the other door back into the sunlit afternoon, she had to blink until her eyes adjusted.
“I’m really looking forward to our trip to the cabin.” Jack looped his arm through hers. “You’ve shown me your favorite place, now I can’t wait to show you mine.”
“I’m looking forward to it too.” She glanced at her watch. “Oh no, I didn’t realize how late it is. I have to get going to get the kids from school. And you have a very long drive home.”
“Yes, I do. I’ll take you back to your car—or I could pick the boys up first with you.”
“Not just yet.” She shook her head.
“Okay.” He kissed her cheek. “When you’re ready.”
She held his hand the entire drive back to her car.
When they parted ways, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. “I’m looking forward to our weekend together.”
“So am I. Drive safe.” She pulled away from him before she could decide not to let him leave.
On her way to get the boys from school, Michelle wondered what it would be like to introduce them to Jack. It was one worry that still weighed on her shoulders.
Chapter 16
As the day approached to leave for the cabin, Jack grew more and more anxious. He wanted to make sure that everything was perfect. It was his chance to truly impress Michelle and convince her that their romance was worth a shot.
As he packed for the weekend, he double-checked that he had everything they might need. There was no snow in the forecast, but it wasn’t uncommon for a storm to kick up. If it did, they would be pretty isolated. He tucked in flashlights, candles, and extra canned food.
Once he was sure he had everything, he loaded up the trunk and backseat of his car.
As he made the long drive to the cabin it thrilled him to think that she was making a similar drive. What was she thinking? Did she question whether she’d made the right choice?
He didn’t really have to wonder about that. He knew that she’d be at least a bit apprehensive. He planned to get to the bottom of that over the weekend. He wanted for there to be trust between them. If they had that, then the relationship could be easily built on top of it.
He turned into the driveway of the cabin and pulled all the way up to the door. He took a walk around inside to be sure that everything was still in order. The only other person who had a key was his son, and as far as Jack knew, Noah hadn’t been out to the cabin in a long time. In fact, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t so sure that Noah had been out to the cabin since before his mother died.
The
thought sent a jolt of pain through Jack. There were so many memories in the cabin. He and his wife used to have the most epic Scrabble wars there. They loved to hike to the lake and go for a swim. There were so many things that they’d enjoyed doing together. He missed those things. Not just doing them with her, but doing them for himself.
It seemed wrong at first to even think about engaging in activities that used to be theirs, but time passed, and he found himself falling into old habits anyway. With the way that Michelle fretted over her sons’ reactions to their father’s death, he wondered if he’d been neglectful with his own son.
He and Noah had leaned on one another for some time, but both had recovered pretty quickly after Laura’s passing—at least Jack thought that they had. He made a note in his mind to check in with Noah when he returned home and make sure that he was doing okay.
His contemplation was disrupted by the rumble of a car engine. He walked outside to greet Michelle with open arms.
She laughed as she ran into them and hugged him close. “I’ve been counting down the days, the hours, the minutes.”
“Now you don’t have to count anymore. But it’s freezing out here. Go ahead inside, I’ll get your things.”
“Oh I just have this one bag.”
“One bag?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t need much for a couple of days.” She smiled. “Do I?”
“No, I guess not. I’m just used to women needing a bunch of stuff, I guess.”
“I’m not that kind of woman.” Michelle laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“I’m not disappointed—not at all.” He opened the front door to the cabin for her. “Welcome to my little piece of paradise.”
“I like that.” She leaned close to him as she set her bag on the floor.
“I know it’s not much, but I enjoy it here.” He glanced around at the simple furnishings, the worn area rug and the light curtains.
“It’s perfect, Jack. It’s just what I expected.”
“Really?”
“It’s you.” She walked further into the living room and paused beside the fireplace. “Can we make a fire?”
“Yes, sorry, I was just about to get to that. Let me grab some firewood.”
“I’ll help you.”
“You want to help me gather wood?”
“Yes, my arms aren’t broken.” Michelle met his eyes. “What were you expecting? Did you think I would sit on the couch the whole time?”
“I suppose I just thought you might want to let me do the manly work.”
“And what exactly makes it manly?”
“Alright, alright.” He laughed. “I get the point. Follow me.”
As they gathered the wood to bring inside, Jack admired Michelle’s strength and her pleasant demeanor. She seemed to be just as excited about the weekend as he was.
Once they had the fire going, he invited her to join him in front of it to warm up. She sat close to him, but didn’t reach out to touch him.
He smiled and curled his arm around her shoulders. “This is the fire that we built together. There’s something special about that.”
“Yes, there is.” She leaned against his chest.
He enjoyed the sensation of her weight against him.
“I bet you’re thinking about the boys.”
“You know me a little too well.” She smiled.
“I’m sure they’re having a great time.”
“Me too, but I still worry.”
“I’ll tell you the truth, I still worry about my son Noah too. I’d like to tell you that it gets easier when they become adults, but I think it gets harder. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what’s going on in his life.”
“That must be very difficult.”
“In some ways. In others, I trust him to make the right choices for himself.”
“Do you ever think about his future? Sometimes I think about the kind of women my boys might marry, if they’ll marry, whether they’ll have children, what kind of careers they’ll have.” She cleared her throat. “I think about all the things that—” She stopped.
“That what?” Jack tilted his head so that he could catch the corner of her eye.
“Never mind.” She gazed at the flames. “Anyway, I guess that’s just the hazards of parenting.”
“Michelle.” He felt her muscles tense against him. What had he done to make her uncomfortable? “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry. Is there something you’re not comfortable with telling me? If I’ve offended you, I’d like to know.”
“No, it’s just probably better not to talk about certain things—when I’m here with you.”
“I don’t ever want you to feel hesitant about sharing your thoughts with me.”
“It just seems inappropriate to bring up right now.”
“Nothing’s inappropriate between us.”
“It’s just all the things I think about. I think about how their father won’t be there to see them. It always makes me a little sad too.”
“Their father is just as much a part of you as they are, Michelle. You don’t need to hide your thoughts of him from me. I get teary-eyed when I think about Noah’s wedding and his mother not being there to see it. Or her not being there to know our future grandchildren. I’m sad for her and sad for him, because—well, I just won’t be able to give him the same advice that his mother could.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a way.” Michelle smiled at him. “I think sometimes you underestimate what a great father you are.”
“Maybe. But I was nothing compared to her. Sometimes…” He paused and looked down at their intertwined hands. “Sometimes I think about how much better his life might be, if it were me instead of her that had died.” His jaw tensed as he stared hard into the flames. “I wonder if he thinks about that too.”
Michelle nestled closer to him and kissed his cheek. “Yes, I’ve had many long nights thinking about that myself, actually. But we have to let go of that idea. We’re here, our spouses are not, and if we dwell on what could have been, we can’t be present for the kids.”
“Yes, you’re right. I’m so glad we’re here now together. I feel like you’re the only person that could ever understand me.”
“I feel the same. It doesn’t sound funny to me. I’m just not sure how I got so lucky.”
“That makes two of us.” He laughed.
As the fire crackled and she snuggled close to him, he couldn’t think of a more perfect moment.
Chapter 17
After they shared a delicious meal, cooked by Jack, they curled up together on the sofa. The plan was to watch a movie, but once they were settled, the television was never turned on. Instead, Jack brushed his fingers through her hair in slow easy strokes and pulled her back against him until they were nestled up together on the sofa.
They talked about everything under the sun, just like they once had in the chat room. His attention relaxed her so much that she became quite sleepy. She gazed out the window as he talked about his job and whether or not he should go after a promotion.
“Jack, it’s snowing.” She smiled and pointed to the window.
“What?” He sat up a little. “It wasn’t supposed to snow this weekend.”
“Hm—Mother Nature had her own plan, I guess.”
He curled his body around hers and smiled. “I guess I’ll just have to make sure I keep you warm.”
She stared into his eyes for a moment before his lips met hers. Her heart soared with the pure ecstasy of being in that precise moment with Jack’s arms around her, their lips tangled together, the fire crackling and big white snowflakes drifting down outside the window.
It wasn’t long before her desire overcame her hesitation, and their embrace became more heated. Warnings flashed through her mind. She was a mother, she was a widow, she was not supposed to be having such a wonderful time in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful, amazing man.
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Before she had a chance to put the brakes on, he drew back and gazed at her with a flushed face and tattered breathing. “Okay.”
“Okay what?” She laughed and kissed his chin, then the tip of his nose.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me.”
“What?” She blinked and searched through her memories for what he might be referencing.
“That Hollywood is right.” He brushed strands of her hair back from her face and leaned in to kiss her.
She returned the kiss as shock flooded through her. Was he trying to tell her that he was in love with her? Was that what he was saying? She wriggled away and sat up, though his arms remained around her as he sat up with her.
“Jack, is that a joke?”
“No, it’s not. Is it too soon?” He stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes.
“No.”
“But you don’t feel the same way?” He straightened up and loosened his grasp on her.
“I do.” The words jumped from between her lips.
“You do?” He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“That’s all I need to know.” He kissed her again.
As her desire for him threatened to take over once more she contemplated just giving in.
A moment later, though, Jack was the one to pull away from their embrace.
“It’s getting late. If we’re going for our hike in the morning, we should probably turn in. I’ve set up your room for you.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No. I didn’t bring you here to pressure you into doing anything you’re not ready for, Michelle. I’m not ready, either. I don’t want to rush any of this. I want to enjoy every moment.”
“I love you, Jack.”
“I love you, too.” He offered her his hand as he stood up.
It still felt strange to her to tell another man she loved him, but at the same time, it was exactly what she knew to be true.
In the quiet it was easy to imagine that this could be her new life—kisses by the fire, a warm arm around her shoulders and that strange sense of contentment that filled her whenever Jack spoke her name.
But in the morning, as she made coffee and sat by the small breakfast table, thoughts about her real life flooded her. How would Jack really fit into the rest of it? Did he even want to fit into the rest of it? If they moved forward with things, would her kids be able to accept a stepfather? She wasn’t sure she could even ask them to.
Forty and Free: A Sweet Romance Series Bundle - Books 5 - 8 Page 31