Drake leaned against the column. “Looks like you and your mother had a great time.”
“We did. I’m so glad we did this.”
Drake dragged her into his arms, tugged his fingers through her hair, drawing her head back and kissed her deeply. “I miss you.”
With her arms linked around his neck, her face against his chest she breathed deeply. She felt the soothing beat of his heart. “Oh, I miss you, too.”
Chapter 12
It was around noon the next day when Jasmine’s cell phone rang. “Look behind you,” Drake said when she answered.
Jasmine peered into her rearview mirror. Sure enough, Drake was close behind her.
“There’s a path about a mile up on the left. Pull into it.”
“All right.” It was a rarely used stretch of land the Averys owned. The road was rutted with potholes and overgrown with weeds. Thick stands of trees blocked out the midday sun.
Jasmine hastily parked and rushed back to Drake. He held the back door open.
“What’s going on?” Jasmine asked.
“Come here, woman.” He hefted her into the seat, climbed in after her and shut the door.
“I can’t believe you.” Jasmine laughed when he started kissing her neck and unbuttoning her blouse.
“I’m desperate. Your family’s cramping my style.”
When he tugged her blouse off and unhooked her bra, light spilled on her beautiful brown breasts. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
He suckled on a nipple, and Jasmine’s smile turned into a groan.
“Just thinking about you drives me crazy. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”
“Neither did I,” Jasmine breathed. The feel of his warm breath against her breast gave her such intense pleasure. She tugged his jeans open and gathered him in her hand.
He swept his hands along her body. She stroked him until he was begging for release.
She found herself flat on her back.
“We’re going to be arrested,” she said around a moan as he slid on a condom.
“I’ll be a happy man,” he said, just as he plunged deeply into her. Her hips rose up to meet him thrust after thrust, demanding more, their breaths panting with a need too long unsatisfied. The windows steamed up and springs groaned as they came to completion, their voices ringing out in the car.
Drake slumped against Jasmine as he crushed her against him. As her heartbeat decreased, the cool air brushed across her skin.
“I can get used to this midday treat,” he said.
“Umm,” was all Jasmine could manage. Minutes later she urged him up. “I have to make it to my next appointment,” she said.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Drake asked, zipping up his pants.
Jasmine sat up, thankful they kept a supply of wipes in the truck. She grabbed her clothes and dressed.
“Mom called. They’re going to the Kennedy Center. They’ll be back late. What about you?”
“Too bad, I have Steven.”
“How is he working out at the clinic?”
“Okay. He’s spending the day in the barn with the animals. Doing chores I haven’t had a chance to do. I plan to take him bowling with the guys tonight. You can come along with us.”
“With a bunch of guys? No thanks. I’m going to bed early. You all have fun.”
Jasmine kissed him, then left the car. She felt energized and naughty. And ready to take on the rest of the day.
When Jasmine made it back to the office that evening, all the energy had drained out of her. That’s what she got for burning the midnight oil only to be up before five in the morning. She couldn’t wait to get home to bed. She’d just make a quick trip inside before heading home.
And if she were lucky, she’d have a few minutes with Drake.
Steven was coming from the barn looking grungy and as if he’d worked the longest day of his life.
“Jasmine, can I have a word with you?”
Eager to get going, she asked. “What’s up?”
“I just want to apologize for the way we acted as kids. I’m sorry we didn’t make more of an effort to get along with you.” Ill at ease, he jammed his hands into his pockets and stared at her as if he expected her to attack him, but was equally determined to see this through.
Jasmine nodded. She respected him for the effort. It was more than his sister or brother attempted to do. It was a little too late, but she thought of her mother’s efforts and decided to try to meet him halfway.
“It was a long time ago,” she said.
“Not really. There’s still that barrier between us. And I know it’s not going to be easy to bridge the gap, but I am sorry and I am thoroughly ashamed at how we behaved.”
“Thanks, Steven.”
“This has been on my mind for a long time. Which is the reason I asked Drake to see if he could get you on at Avery’s Vet. You like it here, don’t you?” he asked hopefully.
“Very much.”
“I knew this would work out for you when I asked Drake to check out your donor father.”
“You asked Drake what?” Jasmine was stunned.
“I thought you needed that connection.”
Steven gazed at her for a moment longer before he patted her on the arm and hastily returned to the barn.
Jasmine started inside, and then changed her mind. But before she could leave, Drake came outside the building, his face wreathed in smiles. “Jasmine?”
When she took too long to respond, he approached her.
“What’s wrong?” His voice was full of concern, and that innocent tone annoyed the heck out of her.
“Why didn’t you tell me Steven asked you to search for Mackenzie?” Jasmine asked.
“Steven asked me not to. He wanted to atone for the past, but given your past he didn’t know how to reach you.”
“Please tell me that you’ve kept the conversations between us confidential.”
“Of course I have. I wouldn’t betray you. You mean too much to me.”
Jasmine nodded. “Steven and I have made some progress and I’m grateful. But change doesn’t occur overnight. It will take time for me to trust him. I may never trust him completely, but I’ll try,” she said. “My knee-jerk reaction is to protect myself from him. At this point, I have to consciously make myself relax in his company. As much as I want to, I can’t forget sixteen years with just a snap of the fingers. Although, I admit, asking you to find my father was a kind gesture. I still need some time to deal with all this. I’ll talk to you a little later.” Jasmine quickly walked to her truck and drove off.
Jasmine went in early the next morning, long before Drake made his appearance.
She started at the Avery farm, where her grandfather came out to see her.
“How are your parents enjoying their visit?” he asked.
“Very well,” she said. “Thank you for inviting Norman to the poker game. He really enjoyed it.”
“Good. I’d like to invite your family to a barbecue late Saturday afternoon, since they’re leaving Sunday. Noelle’s parents are leaving around the same time.”
“I don’t think my mother will come,” she told him bluntly.
“Franklin and his wife would really like to see them again before they leave. And so would I.” At Jasmine’s pause, he said. “I want to impress upon your mother that I’m not a threat. I just want to get to know you. I want to be a grandfather to you. It doesn’t take anything away from her.”
“That’s the last thing you can say to her.”
“Then I won’t. I just don’t want to cause you undue stress and I know the barrier between us bothers you.”
“Some things just can’t be fixed,” Jasmine said. “But I’ll ask them.”
“I haven’t seen much of you since they arrived. I hope we can start those riding lessons soon after they leave.”
“I’m looking forward to them.”
“Make sure you invite Drake, too.”
“I will.”
“I have a few things I’d like to give you when your parents leave,” he said. “I have picture albums, and some of your grandmother’s things. I also want you to become more involved with the farm. I know you’re busy right now, but it’s part of your heritage and your inheritance.”
Jasmine shook her head. “Mr. Avery…”
“We won’t discuss it now. We have plenty of time to iron all this out.” He gazed into her eyes. “You aren’t getting enough sleep.”
“I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t fine. Too many things were going on all at once. She should be used to that by now. But since Drake had come on the scene things had been so much better.
That evening when Jasmine made it home, Norman was in the kitchen drinking a glass of juice. Drake hadn’t called her all day. And she hadn’t seen him. Her day just didn’t seem complete without seeing him.
“I’m glad I finally caught you alone,” Norman said, jerking her attention back to him.
“Did you want to discuss something with me?”
“I wanted to make sure you have your finances in order. In a small business like this, sometimes owners neglect things like adequate retirement and insurance. Those are necessary requirements these days. Not a luxury.” He lowered himself onto a kitchen chair and wrapped his hand around the glass. “The younger you are when you start saving for your retirement, the better. Less money grows to larger sums than if you begin in your later years.”
“This practice has both.”
“You’re sure you have adequate health insurance?”
“I’ll give you my paperwork and you can check it out.” If it was one thing Norman did and did well it was drill the principles of finances into them.
Norman nodded. “That’s a good idea. Maybe when you come home we can take a trip to your favorite ice-cream shop. Your mother misses having you around.”
“We’ll do that.” Jasmine reached out and touched Norman’s hand. His gaze jerked to hers. “I do miss you, Norman. You were always so good to me. Thank you.”
Norman cleared his throat and pointed toward the window. “Looks like your young man has arrived.” Norman had never been comfortable dealing with emotions.
Jasmine glanced through the window and, sure enough, Drake’s truck was coming to a stop in front of her house.
Drake spent a few minutes with her parents before he asked, “Jasmine, can you get away for a little while?”
“Sure.”
She got into the passenger side of Drake’s truck and he jumped in on the other side, started the motor and drove away from the curb.
“Where are we going?” Jasmine asked.
“A quiet place to talk.”
She turned on the radio to fill in the silence. The quiet place was on the edge of a lake, she realized a few minutes later when he drew to a stop. The mountain view was all around them. It was a pretty setting, really; a total contrast to the way she was feeling.
It was getting hot. She started to roll down her window, but Drake climbed out of the truck, so she followed.
“It’s peaceful out here, isn’t it?”
“Is something bothering you, Drake?”
“I’d like to build a house here one day.”
Jasmine chuckled. “It’s plenty of land for all your stray animals and future children to run wild.”
Drake didn’t respond.
“I wonder who owns this property.”
Drake shrugged.
“Do you feel content, Jasmine?” he asked. “I think you need to resolve your differences with your mother before they leave.”
Drake walked over to Jasmine and put his arms around her from behind. “You have a grandfather who loves you. I know things will probably never be good between you, Barbara and Jack, but Steven sees the errors he’s made. Your mother loves you. George loves you. Norman loves you, too. Do you think you’ve finally come to terms with the past?”
“I’m getting there.”
“Your mother’s human. Yes, she made a few mistakes. But you never told her your problems. Maybe she could have intervened.”
“How? She couldn’t stay home supervising us twenty-four-seven. And she certainly wasn’t going to leave Norman.”
“Maybe you could have had some family communication. Maybe all of you could have seen a counselor. There were options.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all in the past.”
“Not if it’s still front and center in your mind. You need to talk with your mother so you can resolve the past and go on with your life. You need to tell her why you need George in your life.”
“I can’t tell her. It would hurt her too much.”
“You don’t have to tell her everything. But she needs to understand what you’re feeling.”
“I think I’ve tried to protect her my whole life.”
“You don’t need to protect her. She’s strong.” Drake turned her around in his arms, but he didn’t kiss her. He merely held her.
“What about you, Drake?” she said against his chest.
Puzzled, he said, “I don’t understand.”
Jasmine was comforted by the steady beat of Drake’s heart. He’d mentioned all the people who loved her. But she noticed he didn’t mention himself.
Her arms tightened around his back. She was a fool. She’d fallen in love with him. He’d already told her there wasn’t a future for them.
“I’ve said this many times and you won’t respond. I know you’re keeping secrets. You refuse to talk to me about it.”
Drake eased his hold on her and they moved apart. “Let’s talk about it when your family leaves.”
“Why are you doing this? I’ll only worry.”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” But the creases between his brows told a different story.
“Is it that bad, Drake?”
“No. It’s just something that’s been worrying me.”
“Are you sick?”
He shook his head. “Nothing like that. Just enjoy your family. We’ll talk when they leave.” He glanced at his watch. “They must be worrying about you. The way I hauled you out of there.”
“That’s it? You’re going to leave me hanging like that?”
Drake opened his mouth to say something to ease her mind. Maybe tell her he loved her, but what good would that do? All they had was right now. There was no future for them, but he wouldn’t tell her that. He’d already gotten himself in too deep. He felt like a louse.
“Let’s go,” he said.
She stared at him, then tore her gaze away and marched to the truck.
More than anger she felt heartache and betrayal. He was pulling away from her. He wanted to wait until her family left before he ended the relationship.
A few minutes later Drake pulled into her driveway.
“If you want to end the relationship, why don’t you just do it right now,” she said. “You don’t have to wait.”
“Stop trying to speculate. We’ll talk when your family leaves.”
“I mean it, Drake. Don’t treat me like a child. I want to know, and now. All I can do is speculate with your being so cryptic. What is it?”
“I can’t give you children, Jasmine. I’m physically unable to.”
Jasmine stared at him in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I found out after you arrived. It was hard for me to believe. I couldn’t even imagine telling you.”
Jasmine touched his arm. “Drake, I love you.”
“I know. But it’s not going to work.”
“It can.”
“I didn’t want to get into this while your family is still here. We’ll talk when they leave.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond and quickly got out of the truck.
Jasmine got out, too, and approached him. “We can’t leave something this important…”
“I won’t talk about it now.” He sighed. “Look, your family is here. You have enough to deal with without my problems.�
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“I’m not a child, Drake. We’re not going to put this on the back burner for later. We’re a couple and I think it’s important we talk about things.” She’d never seen this side of him. He was hurting, and she couldn’t let him leave thinking that she would desert him. But he left her side, went into the house to say goodbye to her parents, then he left.
If he could be nurturing to other people, why couldn’t he accept it from her? Jasmine sighed when she remembered that she’d already told him she wouldn’t adopt or have children from a sperm donor. She had to make this right. So much had happened since she’d arrived in Virginia. She’d been so wrong. She and Drake needed to talk, but they also needed some uninterrupted time.
Later that evening Jasmine approached her mother.
“Mama, Mr. Avery wants us to attend a barbecue at his place Saturday afternoon. Noelle’s parents will be there,” Jasmine said.
“You know how I feel about associating with that family.”
“It’s not that family. They’re half of me.”
“Girl, what are you talking about? You are my child.” Her mother’s lips trembled as she hit herself in the chest. “My child.”
Right then and there, Jasmine knew she’d never get through to her mother. And she wasn’t up to another confrontation.
“You were a dream come true for me. I thought…I thought I’d never have children and I wanted a child so badly. But as much as your father and I tried, we just couldn’t. Then we started going through all those tests only to find out your father couldn’t have any.” She smoothed a hand through Jasmine’s hair. “Then a friend told me about the sperm-donor program. I didn’t think it would work, but I was desperate. Often it takes months for pregnancy to occur. I was lucky. And then I had you. I can’t express the joy you brought into my life. But after your father and I divorced and I remarried, our relationship almost shattered.
“I wanted to do things with you as you grew older, the way we did before I remarried. But you pulled away. I thought it was just teenage rebellion. And you never were one to talk much. I’d talk a mile a minute, but pulling emotions out of you was always difficult.”
Then Comes Love Page 16