Say It's Forever, page 26
On a gasp, I whirled around. “Mimi.”
She cracked a smile, though there was something soft about it, too. “What? Don’t look so shocked. Every woman should be loved up right. I’m just relieved your looker knows what to do.”
“You don’t even know what he looks like,” I pointed out, like it was going to throw her off course.
“Don’t need to. Already can see it in your eyes, right there with those dreams that are flarin’ up. Clear as day, sweet girl.”
Right. Okay.
She could see right through me.
A second later, a commotion clattered from the hall. “Wakey, wakey! I smells the coffee, so you know whats that means, my mimi is gonna be making the bestest breakfast we ever ate.”
Footsteps pounded on the old floors, and a second later, Juni and Gage busted through the archway.
All grins.
Pure sweetness.
Life and beauty and hope.
My chest squeezed.
“Good mornin’, Miss Mimi and Miss Salem. Thank you so very much for letting me spend the night.” Gage took a seat at the little round table off to the side of the bar. “I am starvin’ marvin’. I like my eggs scrambled, please.”
The words spilled from his mouth, manners galore.
The smile he created nearly broke my face.
Juni ran my way and threw her arms around my legs. My precious girl beamed up at me. “I hads the bestest time ever in evers, Mommy. I wants to stay livin’ next door to my best friend forever and ever. No more adventures, unless we comes right back. Is it a deal?”
She bounced when she begged it.
“I love her all the way to the sky,” Gage said, so matter of fact.
My spirit clutched. I touched my daughter’s chin. “I’m so happy you had a great time.” I deflected from answering her question by asking one of my own. “Were you two good for Mimi?”
Juni looked at me like I was crazy. “Um, yes, of course, we followed every single of all the rules. We don’t wants to go gettin’ into trouble and have to go to timeout all the way in Antarctica.”
“Gotta get all the A’s for our whole lives,” Gage added.
Wow.
Mimi chuckled. “My, my, those are some goals.”
“Well, my new mommy said it’s good to get the A’s, but the most important is that we always try our hardest, even if we don’t get ’em all every time, and she said we have to have the grace, even if we’re givin’ it to ourselves. She’s a teacher and the smartest in ever, you know.” The tornado of words whipped from his mouth.
“She sounds like a good mommy,” Mimi said as she took out a skillet.
“The best.” He gave a resolute nod.
So cute.
For so long, Juni and I had been alone, just the two of us.
Just the two of us.
Enough.
But still, there had always been something missing.
And now…my chest pressed full.
Hope. Hope. Hope.
How easy it’d be to fall into it.
Then I was jerking when I heard the light tapping at the front door.
Worry jumped into my bloodstream, and I frowned at Mimi who looked over at me in question.
“Wait right here,” I told the kids, and I edged into the living room and peered through the drape again.
My heart leapt into my throat, confusion and excitement and worry as I twisted the lock and opened the door to the gorgeous man waiting on the other side.
“Jud?”
He stood there with a bunch of flowers in his hands.
So big.
So handsome.
So overwhelming I felt the ground shake, that energy lapping through the cool air. Though this morning, it was different. It caressed and soothed and skimmed.
Soft, slow warmth that wrapped me in comfort.
“Hey there, darlin’. Just thought I’d pop by to make sure you made it home safe last night.”
He winked at me.
My belly flipped.
“Uh—”
“Well, look at that.” Mimi’s voice hit from behind.
Jud smiled. Pure charm. “Ma’am.”
I was pretty sure my mimi could see right through him, too, because the man wasn’t exactly polite last night.
My stomach churned again. Desire and greed. I had the urge to throw my arms around him and hold him tight.
Reckless girl. This was only going to hurt all the more in the end.
But I guessed there was no stopping that destruction because Mimi stepped forward. “Well, what are you waitin’ on, my girl? Invite the man in. Coffee is almost ready. He’s right on time.”
There was no missing the glee in her voice.
“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to impose,” Jud said, far too innocent.
“Nonsense, you sly dog, get in here. Breakfast is on the stove,” she said.
“Well, if you insist.” He stepped into our small house.
Holy shit. What was happening?
Darius was going to lose his mind.
But apparently all pretenses were off when Jud squeezed my hip as he passed.
His head nearly touched the low ceiling.
If he hadn’t looked like a giant before, there was no mistaking it then. The way his big boots moved across the floor, eating up the space as he made his way to Mimi.
Mimi grinned wide, and Jud was taking a bough of flowers wrapped in ribbon and offering them to her. “Thought I’d pick up a little something for you on the way.”
“Oh my,” she said, her hand on her chest and her eyes skating to me.
Sly dog, was right.
He tossed a grin my way.
“Uncle Jud?! What the heck are you doin’ here?” Gage was pure excitement from the kitchen when he caught sight of his uncle.
“Well, comin’ to see some of my favorite people, of course.”
Juni screeched. “It’s the motorcycle man!”
Jud chuckled, and I felt myself moving that way.
Drawn.
He knelt down on a single knee and handed her one of the bouquets, this sweet little one with glittery hearts on sticks surrounded by tiny pink roses.
“Is those for me?” I was pretty sure Juni swooned.
“They sure are, Juni Bee.”
“Sly dog,” Mimi muttered as I came to a stop by her side. “And holy hell, he is a looker. You are done for, girl.”
“Mimi.” I whispered the warning low.
She laughed and turned her gaze on me. Though it’d gone soft and tender and sure. “Dreams, sweet child, dreams. It’s time to reach out and take some of them for yourself.”
TWENTY-SIX
JUD
I wasn’t sure if I was playing dirty or playing for keeps.
The only thing I knew was I’d gotten about halfway back to my place and couldn’t do anything but turn around.
I couldn’t handle the uncertainty that had taken Salem over since the moment she’d stirred in my arms this morning.
And fuck, I liked her there.
I wanted to keep her wrapped up and tucked away, her heart drumming against mine. I wanted to stay tangled with her sweet, hot body all goddamn day.
Maybe forever.
Because shit, the girl had blown my mind.
Turned me upside down, inside out. I no longer knew if I was coming or going each time I crawled back between those thighs to take a little more.
But it’d been far more than the physical. The way we’d stripped each other bare in every fuckin’ way.
Hearts and souls and bodies.
The things I’d confessed to her that I’d sworn I’d never give to another person.
She’d held them like she was strong enough to bear the weight.
I’d become certain I was going to bear hers, too.
But I’d felt it—the shift when she’d come to the realization of where she’d woken.
The veil of night no longer obscuring what we’d done or what we’d shared.
I knew the girl had been panicking. Itching to run and hide.
So, I’d taken a chance, and now I was the one kneeling there in front of her adorable daughter, offering her hearts and flowers.
And fuck me, if my heart wasn’t bleeding all over the place.
Panicking.
Feet itching to run while that hidden, ugly place begged to stay. To be good enough to stand in their presence. To take up their side and fight for them. Live for them.
Blasphemy.
Fuck.
What was I thinking?
But I couldn’t shuck the compulsion when Juni’s precious face stretched in this earth-shattering smile, those eyes the same color as her mom’s swimming with awe and joy. “Really? Did you knows I love the pink flowers the most?”
My chest stretched tight. “No, I didn’t, but I do now, so I’ll be sure to remember for next time.”
Felt like an oath sliding off my tongue.
Next time.
“You gots a favorite flower?” she asked, her head angling to the side like the question was of utmost importance to her.
Was Juniper considered a flower?
Yeah.
Was losing my mind.
My cool.
My purpose.
“I think I like these ones right here.” I tapped one of the roses she had held tight against her chest.
She giggled.
My spirit thrashed.
In too deep.
Footsteps shuffled in behind us, and Salem’s grandmother whisked by. “All right then, Juni Bee, why don’t you set the table for our company? Mimi is gonna whip us up some pancakes and eggs.”
Juni’s eyes widened in exuberance. “Just you waits, Motorcycle Man, my mimi makes the best breakfast in ever in ever. Take a seat and I’lls take care of you.”
She grabbed me by the hand and hauled me over to where Gage was sitting on his knees at the table. She patted the chair next to him. “Sits right there.”
Like I could refuse.
Not a chance.
“Right next to me!” Gage shouted. “I’m glad you got here, Uncle. I’ve been missin’ you like forever.”
Yeah, it’d been like yesterday since I’d seen him, but I’d take it.
I leaned in and dropped a kiss to the top of his head. “Me, too, Gage in the Cage. Me, too.”
I slid into the spot next to him. Couldn’t stop the grin from splitting my mouth. Not when my gaze caught on Salem where she watched us from the archway.
Thunderbolt eyes the softest they’d ever been.
My chest panged.
Mayhem going down right in the middle of me.
This want unlike anything I’d ever felt. This connection greater—bigger—than anything I’d experienced.
It felt like I got knocked in the face when I realized it was true.
Did she feel it?
Salem inhaled a shaky breath while she stared back at me, like she’d gotten swept up by the awareness, too.
Then she straightened and walked the rest of the way into the kitchen. She sidled up to her grandmother and set to work.
“Anything I can do to help?” I asked.
Salem’s grandmother waved me off. “You just sit there and look pretty. Coffee will be ready in a minute.”
My eyebrow quirked.
Pretty?
Salem hid her smile as she pulled out a bowl and measuring cups, and she peeked at me every few seconds as she started to measure and pour in the ingredients.
When the coffee maker beeped, Salem grabbed a mug, filled it, and picked up the carton of creamer and dumped a small splash in the way I always did at the shop.
And shit, yeah, I liked that, too. Liked that she’d been paying attention. Learning me the way I’d been learning her.
She carried it over to me, her breath turning shallow as she rounded the corner. As that need amplified with each step that brought us closer.
“There you go.” Her voice was doing that wispy, throaty thing.
Sexy as fuck.
Sweet, too.
Accepting the mug, I let my fingertips brush over hers.
Warmth raced. Her confusion. Her want.
This thing that I was so over pretending didn’t exist.
“Thank you, darlin’.”
“I think that’s the way you take it?” she asked, almost hopefully.
“Couldn’t ask for anything better.” Let the innuendo slide out with that.
Her grandmother hummed a knowing sound from the kitchen.
Yeah, we were in trouble with that one. Woman watching us like a hawk. Clearly, there was no reason for us to keep up with the charade.
Juni came bundling over with a handful of forks, counting them out as she rounded the table. “One, two, three, four, five.” She smiled up at me. “There you go.”
I grinned at her. “Thank you.”
“You gots it, Motorcycle Man.”
And shit, I touched her dimpled chin, couldn’t stop it, the affection that rose up and took me under.
A flashflood that came from out of nowhere.
Caught me unaware.
Fifteen minutes later, the five of us were sitting around the table eating what was, in fact, the best breakfast in ever in ever.
Straight-up delicious.
But I was pretty sure it was the company that made it unforgettable. My nephew on my right and my girl on my left. Salem’s grandmother sat next to her, and Juni sat squeezed between Mimi and Gage on a high stool since there weren’t enough chairs for all of us.
Juni and Gage prattled nonstop, giggling and stuffing their faces while telling the tallest tales, while I let myself get lost in the feeling.
This sensation that a bad piece of me had gone right.
That maybe…maybe…
“That was incredible,” I said as I took my last bite. I looked across the table at Mimi, like she’d insisted I call her. “I really appreciate you inviting me.”
She smirked, all kinds of knowing. “I don’t think it was me who did the inviting. Some people just head in the direction they belong.”
“Mimi.” Horror flew from Salem’s mouth.
A rough chuckle scraped from mine. Under the table, I set my hand on Salem’s thigh and gently squeezed. Fuckin’ loved the way she breathed out a tiny sound that lit a fire in my veins. I glanced at Salem and then at her grandmother. “Well, I’m just glad the door was open when I got here.”
“Oh, it wasn’t open, young man…it seems you possessed the right key to turn the lock.” Suggestion filled her words, and the old woman flashed this scandalous smile, her face weathered and aged, but it was clear the mischief had never faded from her mind.
I choked out a laugh.
Groaning, Salem covered her face with her hands. “Mimi. Oh my god.”
Mimi laughed low. “Just tellin’ it like it is.”
“Well, I wish you wouldn’t.” Salem widened her eyes at her grandmother when she dropped her hands.
Mimi waved a flippant hand in the air. “Now, what would be the fun in that? Everyone should find the one who can love them up right.”
I had to turn my head and press my mouth to my sleeve to keep from cracking up.
“I gots the love for Gage,” Juni piped in.
“Oh my lord,” Salem muttered, almost sliding under the table in embarrassment.
“Yep,” Gage agreed, sitting up high on his knees and chewing a giant bite of pancake. “I love her all the way to the sky which is even higher than the mountains.”
“Is that so?” I asked him, the kid so damned cute that sometimes it was hard to look at him.
“Yup. We’re gonna get married.”
A chuckle rumbled up my throat. “Married, huh?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Juni said. “We decided last night so I can stay here forever and evers and nots ever go on any new adventures because I don’t want to nevers leave. But no kissing. Blech.”
Juni curled her face in disgust, all while I felt the turmoil slam into Salem. The grief that struck her out of the blue.
I squeezed her thigh tighter and looked at this woman who bore so much pain, those secrets stark in her eyes, like they were trying to fight their way out to me.
Looking for a safe harbor.
Disquiet blustered through the kitchen, the two children completely unaware, while the rest of us were stuck in the reality of a very complicated situation.
A situation my fingers itched with the urge to uncomplicate. Clearing her throat, Mimi stood and gathered Juni and Gage’s plates. “Well, that sounds like a mighty fine plan.”
There was pain in her voice, too, though she was hiding it the best she could by pressing her lips to Juni’s forehead. Juni grinned like mad under her great grandmother’s affection.
I squeezed Salem’s thigh harder, my heart shouting like mad.
I have you, Salem. I have you. And I’m not going to let you go.
Salem and I stood side-by-side at the kitchen sink. In silence, I rinsed the dishes while she loaded them into the dishwasher. A casual comfort had taken us over as we worked together like it was something we did every day.
Mimi about had a coronary with the idea of a guest doing the dishes, but I told her since I had the key, then I guessed it was my place.
She’d cocked me a grin and gave me a pat to the cheek and whispered, “Sly dog,” before she’d sauntered off to see what antics Juni and Gage had gotten up to in the other room.
It was damned impossible not to like the woman.
I angled an eye at the one next to me. Every cell in my body fisted. Yeah, it was impossible not to like her, too.
“What?” Salem asked, redness hinting at her cheek when she caught me staring.
“You’re so pretty.”
Her lips twitched up along with the faint shyness that I glimpsed every now and again.
This vixen who had so many complex layers. I couldn’t wait to peel back each one.
“Pretty, huh?” It was a soft play from her mouth as she gave me a little check of her hip that hit me in the thigh since she was at least a foot shorter than me.
Rinsing the last plate, I handed it to her then grabbed the dishtowel on the counter to dry my hands. Salem placed it into the dishwasher and shut the door, pushing a button to make it spin to life.
