Page 129 of Puck and Prejudice

“Yeah.” I take a large sip of my drink to avoid her knowing gaze.

She takes a step forward, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I can share mine. He’d love to spend more time with you. You have so much in common.”

My heart seems as though it will overflow with emotions. I touch her face. “How was I lucky enough to get you?”

“I bet you didn’t feel lucky when I doused you in beer.” She chuckles.

“No, but I’m glad that wasn’t our only encounter.”

She rewards me with the most beautiful smile. “Me too.”

“Move in with me,” I say suddenly.

Her pretty eyes widen. “What?”

“I love you, my sweet Izzie. I don’t want to spend a minute apart from you.”

“Jacks… I love you too, but wejuststarted dating.”

“So? I was miserable when we weren’t together. I could barely function.”

“I was miserable too,” she confesses, giving me hope her answer won’t be no. Am I acting impulsively? Yes. Is that ironic, considering I gave Chad so much grief for doing the same? One hundred percent.

I run my fingers over her collarbone. “I want to fall asleep with you next to me every night. I want your face to be the first thing I see in the morning.”

She wrinkles her nose. “We’ll see about that when I look like a dragon.”

“That’s impossible. You’ll never look like a dragon to me. Please say you’ll think about it?”

She grins. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

The worry holding my heart hostage recedes. I can work with maybe. Besides, I have an ally. Once Mrs. Bennet is no longer distracted with Jane’s wedding, she’ll turn her focus on Izzie. I predict Izzie will move in with me by next month.

“Good.” I take her hand in mine. “Now let’s go check out that powder room.”

ChapterFifty-Two

IZZIE –TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER

When Jackson asked me to move in with him at Jane and Chad’s wedding, I didn’t take him seriously. Emotions were running high, and paired with alcohol, that wasn’t a good combination for making reasonable decisions.

But a week after the wedding—and once my mother realized she had another daughter she could harass about relationships—I caved and asked Jackson if he was serious about me moving in. Long story short, we’ve been living together for two and half months, and it’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.

We’re not only compatible in bed, but we’re also a perfect match in every aspect of our lives. It’s corny to say, but he brings out the best in me, and I’d like to believe I do the same for him.

During the summer, we stayed mainly at his ranch. It was closer to my work and my parents, plus it’s Jackson’s favorite place, and mine too. But now that season has started, we split our time between the ranch and his house in Miami.

Jackson had a game on Friday, but by some miracle, he was free this weekend. So after his Friday game, we drove to the ranch to have some quiet time before his trip to Finland, where he’ll be playing in the NHL World Series against the Boston Zodiacs. The team leaves for Helsinki after their Tuesday game against the Chicago Crows, and they’ll be gone an entire week.

I’m in the kitchen preparing a light lunch when Jackson finds me. He stops behind me and kisses my shoulder. “What are you making?”

“Chicken salad. I was thinking sandwiches for lunch.”

“Sounds good. Are you almost done?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“It finally stopped raining. We can go for a horseback ride.”

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