Page 52 of Pour Decisions
“But you just got divorced,” Mom says with a shrug. “It’s a bit soon.”
I shake my head. “I fell out of love way before we even thought about divorce. And yeah, it’s soon, but we’re taking it slow. Living in the moment.”
I try to ignore the shrinking feeling inside me, like I’m trying to hide my real feelings from her. But it’s hard when she looks at me like that.
“Do you want to jump into something with a man who beat someone up?” Mom asks, keeping her voice low.
“You literally said you understood why JD did that,” I say. “And it’s not like he’s made a habit of it. Raymond was just over the line and JD lost his temper. Literally that one time in his whole damn life.”
“I don’t think I said anything like that. I wouldn’t support violence,” Mom says, blinking.
“You did say that.”
“I didn’t say it. I wouldn’t have.”
Didshe say that? I swear she said that. But either way, it’s a moot point. I might be unsure about our future, but I know JD would never fight anyone again.
“JD isn’t like that. And it’s been ten years.” I polish off the last bit of the cheese danish even though in other circumstances, I would have let her have it. I’m not in the mood to be charitable anymore.
“I know it’s been a while. But trust me, deep down, men don’t change all that much. I’ve been divorced twice, so trust me.” She sighs through her nose, scanning my face. She must pick up on my down shift in mood because she adds, “I just don’t want him to hurt you again, Trina. You were so broken after.”
“I know you don’t,” I say. But even her reassuring me doesn’t help me shake the tightness stretching across my chest.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
KATRINA
“You’resure I just need this stuff?” I ask JD, gesturing to all my stuff spread out across the bed.
JD asked me to pack for an overnight trip to Nashville. I have no idea what we’ll be doing or where we’ll be going, but he told me to pack a dressy outfit, then some comfortable stuff to wear around town. I threw in some lingerie too.
We’ve never done a trip together. Granted, it’s super short and Nashville isn’t far, but it still feels like a step forward. Not too far forward, though. A safe amount.
But what if it’s not the same between us when we have a bunch of free time? There’s a difference between quiet tension and full-on dating. And he’s clearly going above and beyond regular “dates” for me now that I’m officially giving him another shot.
I can’t shake the little knot in my stomach at the idea that he’s just doing all this to speed our relationship along. I take a deep breath and let it out of my nose. I don’t want to let my brain ruin this trip. I need to stop being so paranoid. He always planned dates back when we were together. This is just JD with more money—this trip is the current day version of our trips to the lake with some packed food.
“Yep. We’re just staying overnight.” JD lightly pats my ass as he walks by. “We have reservations for our first thing somewhat soon, so we should head out in a bit.”
I finish packing and he takes my bag out to the car after insisting that his back is a hundred percent okay. I definitely overpacked, but it’s enough cushion for Bubba to rest his head on for the drive to Waylon’s house. We drop Bubba off with him before getting on the highway to Nashville.
“Some hints, before you ask for them,” JD says, checking his blind spot and settling into the middle lane. “One involves dance, the other involves spicy food.”
“Just getting ahead of my questions?” I ask, a little smile touching my lips.
“Yep.” He rests his hand on my knee, the size of it huge against me.
“I have about a billion more. But those are two of my favorite things, so I’ll hold back.”
He lets me choose the music. The drive flies by, though, until we get near downtown Nashville. We inch through downtown, which gives us time to look at places we could go. Finally we make it to our hotel. We barely park in front before two attendants rush to the car, opening the doors for us. One of them takes the car to valet park it.
“JD, this is super fancy,” I say, keeping my voice low as he walks us through the lobby.
The place is beyond extravagant, with lush colors and expensive-looking decor. It looks like we’ve stepped back into a more opulent time.
“It’s for one night, so I wanted to choose something special.” He shrugs and threads his fingers through mine.
I bite my bottom lip. I hate that he’s spending this much on me, even though I appreciate the gesture. “Very fancy.”
