Page 37 of Our Sweet Destiny
Chapter Twenty-Two
REX WASN’T GOOD at keeping secrets, and he was even worse at lying to people’s faces, but the closer he got to Jade, the more secrets and lies he saw in their future. She was so easy to be with, so right. Talking with her at dinner was every bit as natural as it was necessary. He’d never shared his thoughts about his mother and the lessons she’d taught him about animals and humans with anyone. Not even his siblings. With Jade, they didn’t just fall from his lips; they jumped. He wanted her to be part of his past and part of his future, and he wished she could have known the soulful beauty of his mother.
Now, as they walked hand in hand through the Village in Allure, with the trees that lined the sidewalk sparkling with little lights—one of the romantic things Allure was known for—he knew he didn’t want to continue hiding their relationship from their little Weston world. He also knew that it was ridiculous to think a solid foundation could be built on a handful of nights, so he tucked away the desire to share his joy with the people he loved until an appropriate amount of time had passed.
Jade pulled him up the stairs of an eclectic shop with a wooden sign above the door that read,JEWELS OF THE PAST.
He smiled, loving the feel of her excitement as it radiated through her hand. The little shop was chock-full of vintage clothing and jewelry, books, and other knickknacks. A woman in a long flowing dress called out to them from the back of the store. She had a mass of dark curls that tumbled down her back and a wide, pleasant smile. She lifted her hand in a wave, and the bangles that covered her wrist to elbow tinkled and clinked against one another.
“Welcome to a little piece of heaven,” she said as she neared. “My, my, look at those eyes of yours,” she said to Jade.
Jade blushed, and Rex’s heart warmed.
The woman sidled up to them, looking at Rex for a beat longer than Jade. “What are you two lovers looking for today?”
“Whatever my girlfriend wants,” he answered, and man, he loved the way that sounded and the pride it evoked within him.
JADE SPUN AROUND.Girlfriend? Girlfriend!Gleaming like a fool, she laced her fingers into his.
“I’m not looking for anything in particular. We’re just browsing,” Jade said, smiling up at Rex. Her heart beat triple time, and the stupid smile on her lips refused to ease.
Rex laughed, and it was a sound that she hadn’t heard often enough. His laugh was deep, loud, and joyous, like he’d finally let all those layers of tension go.
“Nonsense,” the woman said. “Everyone is looking for something.” She winked at Rex. “They just don’t know it yet.” She crossed her right arm over her stomach and stroked her chin with her left hand, studying the two of them as they moved through the shop, touching items and pointing out the things they each loved.
Jade reached up and touched the wind chimes that hung from the ceiling, then snuggled in to Rex’s side as their music rang out. He took her hand and dragged her to a glass cabinet full of jewelry, where he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier.
“Look at the amber,” he said to Jade, pointing at a necklace with a ragged-edged sliver of amber bordered in silver.
“It’s one of my favorites.” Jade snuck a glance at the woman and whispered, “She’s staring at you.”
Rex looked, and his lips spread into a sexy grin. “What can I say? I’m a sexy monster,” he teased.
She turned to him and touched his cheek. “Darn right you are.”
“But I’m your sexy monster.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
The woman’s eyes grew wide, and she said, “Oh my goodness.” She scurried toward them. Her finger shot up toward the ceiling as she passed. “I have just the thing. I’ll be right back.”
SHE HURRIED TOWARD the back of the shop and Jade giggled. She picked up a treasure box. “I had one of these when I was younger. I used to keep all of my most sacred treasures in it.”
“You are my treasure.” He pulled her close. “I wonder where she went,” he said, looking toward the back of the shop. He was intrigued, not only by what the woman thoughtjust the thingwas, but also by the new feelings that had gripped him so strongly—the realization that Jade wasthe one. He felt like a switch had been flicked somewhere in his body, and the life he lived was no longer whole. It was no longer his to claim. Instead, as he thought about what he had to do the next day, his mind immediately included Jade, and he wanted to know what she was doing. He wanted to kiss her good morning and hold her as she fell asleep at night, and it had all happened in the space of the evening. The pieces were tumbling into place moment by precious moment, and he hadn’t even seen it coming until just now.When he knew.
The woman burst through the curtain at the back of the store with her hand held high.
“Here it is!” she said. She stopped before them, carrying a little antique jewelry box. “Do you two lovers believe in fate?” she asked with a hopeful smile.
Jade and Rex exchanged a smile. “Yes,” they said in unison.
“Me too. I knew a girl when I was in high school. I had lived in a little town outside of Weston then, and we were bused into the bigger schools, you see. Anyway, her name was Adriana, and she was the most beautiful little gal I’d ever seen. She gave me this, and she said that I would know who it was meant for. When I opened the store, I tucked it away with the rest of the little items I’d gathered over the years and forgot about it until now.”
Rex couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening. The room began to spin, and his chest tightened. He released Jade’s hand and latched on to a wooden bookcase that was off to his right.
“Oh goodness, are you okay?” the woman asked. She guided him to a velvet chair in the corner.
“Rex? What’s wrong?” Jade asked.
Rex put his elbows on his knees and covered his face, trying to gain control of his breathing. Why were tears welling in his eyes? He wished he were anywhere but with Jade. She couldn’t see him fall apart, and why was he, anyway? What was wrong with him?
