Page 92 of You & Me: Part Two

I can tell that this isn’t what he was expecting. Was he expecting my rejection? I hate that he really thought I would quit on him or us. I can see in his eyes that he didn’t expect the words that I have just given him. I see my words slowly sink in and his face starts to relax.

“Gracie, I need to kiss you…now.”

With the words on his lips, he leans forward, and in the way he knows I love, he gently strokes his thumb over my cheek. With his big hands engulfing my face, he finally kisses me! He starts gentle, but within seconds the gentle is gone. We are both kissing each other with a fierceness that is unlike anything we’ve experienced before.

Without even realizing it, my legs are wrapped around his waist and I am in his lap. After a while, we both need to come up for air, and while we gather ourselves he places small kisses on the corners of my mouth, my forehead, my chin, my nose, and both cheeks.

I have never felt so cherished.

“Baby, I promise you I will never walk away again. I will never hurt you again as long as I live. I don’t know if I am worthy of your love or your forgiveness, but it makes me feel like more of a man than I have ever felt to know that you are giving me both. I love you so damn much, Gracie. I love you so much it scares the shit out of me. I don’t ever want to let go of us.”

“Don’t let go then.”

And there it is…one of those precious dimples pops out and I feel like all is right in the world again.

“I don’t plan on it.”

We sit on our bench and watch the October sun set. We lean on each other like we should have been doing these last couple of weeks.

We continue to talk, and Jonathan says that he finally realizes that he needs to see somebody about losing his mom and Matt, and also about this recent shooting. He plans on making an appointment to talk to somebody in the morning. He also says that he thinks he should apologize to Ireland for being MIA these last couple weeks, but I tell him to stop beating himself up and that she’s four. She knew he had been hurt and was recovering.

Although it does mean a lot that he would think to offer this to her, there is no need to confuse her when she really had no idea that there was anything wrong to begin with.

We finally head back to my mom’s once the moon is shining above us and we get home in time for Ireland’s bedtime routine. We’ve both agreed that we have to take things slow and not jump right into sleep-overs again. We need to show respect to my mom and then Mick once we’re back at his place. It’s something that I know is important, but it’s hard when all I want is to fall asleep in his arms every night. But knowing he’s out there, that he’s mine, and if all goes well he will never walk away again, is enough for now.

After Ireland is in bed and Jonathan has gone for the night, I finally take the time to unzip the bag he brought me from Mick’s. As I unzip the bag, I catch a glimpse of colorful ribbon. I reach in to find that there are several little gift bags with what looks to be a card on the very top. I take the envelope out and it isn’t a card but a handwritten note from Jonathan that says…

Gracie, I am so sorry that I missed your birthday.

I just want you to know that you are perfect to me.

I know you don’t need a man by your side to make you strong, but I sure hope to have you by my side so you can make me stronger.

You are the smartest person I have ever met.

You have a compassionate heart.

You are independent and capable.

Your smile lights up every room and you make everybody around you feel better just by being in your presence.

You have a grace about you that I cannot explain in words.

You are such a good momma and such a great friend.

You are beautiful inside and out.

You are perfect.

Happy birthday to the most perfect woman I know.

All my love,

Georgia

Once I gather myself and wipe away the tears, I reach into the bag and pull out the first of many gift bags.

Wrapped in plastic, to keep them fresh, is a bouquet of a dozen birthday cake cake pops! They’re put together like a bouquet of flowers with ribbon tying them together. He had to have gone to multiple Starbucks to find all of these. I love it! The next bag has the most beautiful mug with a dragonfly on it. Next is an assortment of every kind of sticky note that you can even imagine. Every shape, size, and color. It seems silly, but all of these little things just shows how well he knows me.

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