Page 115 of The Other Guy

I’m not sure why it makes me feel like crying. I’ve never been with anyone who wanted to spend time with my minuscule family. My eyes well with tears and he places a hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb against my skin and wipes away a tear that slips out.

“Hey, what’s this? I think I liked you kissing me in response better.”

I sniff and hold back the rest of my tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for. You’re allowed to feel, you know?”

I haven’t given myself that kind of permission for a while. Keep my emotions buried, don’t let them surface. That’s the way I’ve lived my life. It’s obvious from the people I chose to spend time with.

“Thank you.”

“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for, but you’re welcome.”

“The fact that you don’t even know why I’m thanking you is just more proof of how truly wonderful you are.”

“I’ll take it,” he says, grinning shamelessly. “Let Kyle know the plan, see if he’s good with that. If he is, I’ll change and we’ll head out.”

“You’re wonderful,” I repeat.

“Keep thinking that because I’m sure sometime down the line I’ll do something to piss you off.”

That makes me giggle and the mood is lightened. We clean up our breakfast, hand washing the skillets and putting the rest into the dishwasher then we go to Jack’s bedroom so I can put on the clothes I wore last night and he can change.

Wearing a pair of dark jeans and a pale green plaid button down shirt that makes his dark eyes stand out even more, I stare in wonder at how beautiful this man is. But it’s what’s inside that makes him that way. The sharp lines of his jaw, soft almost black hair that I love to run my fingers through, small laugh lines that angle out from his expressive eyes as inky as the night sky… the incredibly lovely combination that makes up Jack Cole on the outside is only a fraction of how impressive of what drives him to be who he is.

A compassionate, funny, intelligent, patient, kind man.

It scares me, a little, how easily I could see myself one day falling completely for him. Especially with how much I’ve fallen already.

But what scares me even more, is the thought of not allowing myself to fall. Of letting the fear rule whatever is building between us.

It might become everything, and if that’s the case, which a big part of me hopes it does, I’ll consider myself lucky. And not for one minute will I take Jack Cole for granted.

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