Page 58 of Could Have Been Us
Jessica slaps my chest playfully. “I resent that. I’ll punch you in your junk, and we’ll see what a girl hits like.”
Grayson extends his arm. “By all means, I support this.”
Just like that, the mood changes, and the restrained hostility melts away. “I take it back.”
Jess laughs. “Good, because I’ll do it.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Now, let’s have a drink and toast to love.” She lifts her hand to Grayson. “Relax, I will have apple juice.”
She grabs us each a beer and then fills her glass with sparkling juice. Gray speaks first. “To never breaking my sister’s heart so I don’t have to break your face.”
Jess huffs. “To love of friends and family.”
“To finding the girl who makes you willing to take a beating.”
Grayson smirks and clinks my bottle. “You have no idea.”
* * *
I head right to Stella’s after leaving Gray’s. I promised her I’d let her know how it went. When I knock on the door, it’s not her beautiful face I see, but Oliver’s ugly mug.
“You here to shack up with my sister?” he asks with a smirk.
“I have a feeling we’ll be hanging out at my cabin more than anywhere else,” I note.
“So, you did want to get in her pants?”
“Ollie? What the hell?” Stella yells from the other room. “Is someone at the door?”
He turns to see her coming toward him. “Just an unwanted visitor.”
She huffs. “Already you have a girl coming here? I thought I told you that I don’t want you bringing random girls to my apartment. I don’t care if you’re single and still nursing your broken heart from Devney.”
I laugh once, and Oliver opens the door. “I’m definitely not here for him, babe.”
Her eyes widen as her smile grows wide. “Jack.”
Just the sound of my name on her lips causes everything to click into place. The way she’s looking at me, the tone of her voice that sounds as though her whole world just righted itself, are things I don’t deserve. I have loved this woman for almost fifteen years, and I’ve never once felt good enough to stand in her shadow, let alone in her light.
She rushes toward me and jumps into my arms. “This is one hell of a hello.”
“It’s been two days.”
“Two very long days,” I say as I carry her inside.
“This is going to be unbearable.” Oliver’s voice cuts in from beside us. “If you two are going to be making these sighs and doing God knows what else, I’m not staying here.”
Stella turns to him with a grin. “By all means, go stay with anyone else. I’m going to kiss my boyfriend.”
He shudders and then walks away. Stella fuses her lips to mine, legs wrapped around my waist as she clings to me.
I carry her deeper into the loft to where the table is and rest her ass on it. My hands move to her back, tightening her body to mine. Two days of knowing she is mine but I still couldn’t have her has been hell.
She pulls back. “Did you talk to Grayson?”
“I did.”
