Page 17 of Cherish

“Isn’t that show about single women looking for love? I don’t think my fiancée fits,” Jake says.

“Aw,” Sandy says, smiling, “if I dump him, will you take me?”

Jake pulls his fiancée away from Mellie, puts a gentle finger under her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I don’t think that’s an option,” he says.

“You’re right,” Sandy says, agreeing with her fiancé. She puts her arms around him while she faces us and says, “He’s kind of my everything.” Then she gets on her tippy toes and gives him a gentle kiss on the lips. It’s not the sweet kiss that causes the yearning in my stomach, it’s the way their eyes meet after the kiss. It’s like they are having an entire conversation without any words.

“Right,” Mellie says, finally causing the lovebirds to cease their private conversation. “What was I thinking? We’re looking for love, and you’ve already found it. And look at this.” Mellie grabs Sandy’s left hand, holding up the giant, pink engagement ring for all of us to see as she lets out a loud whistle.

“Wow,” is all I can manage to say.

“Wow, is right. You can see this thing from outer space.” Mellie finally drops Sandy’s hand. “You realize what you’ve done, right, Jacob?” Mellie asks. “Every man is going to hit on your woman. Do you know why? Because it will be a stroke to the old ego to get her to leave or cheat on the man who gave her that rock. I bet half of the male population she’s been in contact with since you’ve given her that has hit on her.”

Sandy laughs guiltily, while Jake turns to face her, his face questioning.

“Is this true, Sandra?” He reaches over and strokes her hair. “Someone thinks they can get you to take off your ring? I don’t think so.” He smiles at her, showing off a dimple. “Show them, baby.”

With a smile on her face, Sandy slides the ring to her knuckle, exposing a tattoo at the base of her ring finger. Jacob’s is written around her finger. He shows us his own hand, and Sandra’s is tattooed on his skin.

“Always have your bases covered, JC,” Jason says, slapping his friend on the back.

“How did you two meet?” I ask.

“At a party, April of last year. She walked into the room and changed my life. Love at first sight,” he declares.

“For you?” Sandy asks.

“For the both of us.”

“Maybe.”

CHAPTER 9

ALEX

“I love them,” Ananda declares as we stand on the deck. Jason is talking with Jake and Sandy when the rest of Jake’s family arrives. His older brother, his wife, and his younger brother arrive, followed by his parents.

“Me too,” I say as I lean against the rail. “You should have seen the way he slapped her on the ass.”

“Ugh. If any man slaps me on the ass, I’m kickinghisass. I don’t want any part of that alpha male crap,” Mellie says, crossing her arms over her chest. Ananda lets out a loud laugh.

“Mellie, have you lost your mind? The only man who can handle youisan alpha. Look at you. You’re taller and more intimidating than most men. You just want to be the boss in the relationship, but let me tell you, that ain’t gonna work for you. You need a man with balls.”

“Bullshit,” Mellie counters. “I’m looking for a nice guy. A gentleman. Not someone who has to walk around proving to everybody what a big man he is.”

I tune out the argument between my two friends and focus on the party. A giant of a man, who looks like an older version of Jacob, practically picks Jason off the ground in a hug. The entire Clark family circles around him, embracing him. An older woman kisses him on his cheeks and gives him a motherly hug.

My chest tightens, thinking of my own mother and how much I miss her.

When she lets him go, he looks around, and when his eyes land on me, he smiles, causing flutters in my stomach.

Since the day I dismissed his interests and told him I was interested in Dr. Doyle, he hasn’t made any more attempts at conversation. Not until today. I still saw him in the hospital hallways, but not a single word was exchanged between us. Not a good morning. Not a hello. He hasn’t come by the office with any more muffins.

The only interaction I got was when our eyes locked as we were walking in opposite directions. We’d held the stare until we’d walked past each other. My nipples had been hard, my chest heaving, and I had been out of breath by the time I made it to my destination.

As more people pour into the backyard, many faces I recognize from the hospital, I pour myself a glass from the pitcher of drinks Sandy made. Fooled by the purple color, I take a huge gulp, not anticipating the amount of vodka in the drink, but after downing the first mouthful, I take another, letting the alcohol relax the tension from my body.

I step back on the porch and watch the scene unfold. Mellie and Ananda are chatting with a group of guys. Jason is with the Clarks, but there’s a young woman standing next to him. Her face looks familiar, which means she probably works at the hospital. He introduces her to his friends, but it’s the way she looks at him that has my heart racing. After shaking hands with the other guests, she takes a step closer to Jason, standing too close for someone who is simply a colleague. When he leans down and whispers something in her ear, I bite down hard enough on my bottom lip to draw blood. She nods her head to whatever he says, and he takes a few steps away from the group, but he stops, looks up and scans the yard until his eyes find me.

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