Page 66 of Our Sweet Destiny
“Rex, look at me.”
He shifted his determined eyes.
“I’ll stand behind you—we all will—but are you one-hundred-percent sure that she’sthe one? Because if you’re not, you’re gonna dig a ditch that you might be buried in, and it might not be worth it.”
The flash of rage happened so quickly that Rex couldn’t buffer it. “She’s the one, and if I’m buried because of it, as long as she’s with me, it’s worth it.” He yanked his arm from his brother’s and stalked over to Jade and Jimmy. He had no intention of causing a scene. Jimmy was a nice enough guy, and the only thing he was doing wrong was ogling the wrong woman.
“Rex.” Jade centered him, dulling the sharp edges of his anger.
“Hi, babe,” he said. “Jimmy, you mind?” He draped his arm around Jade’s shoulder.
“A Johnson and a Braden?” Jimmy lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “You gotta be kidding me.” He laughed under his breath.
“Jimmy, I’ve lost my dance partner. Dance with me?” Savannah, in her typical manipulative, flirty fashion, pulled him alongside of her, then flashed a wink at Rex.
The music slowed, and Jade wrapped her arms around Rex. He guided her chin up so he could look into her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell Blake you were my girlfriend, but I was afraid of people finding out.”
She blinked several times, renewed worry shading her eyes.
“What?” Rex asked.
“And you think dancing with me isn’t going to cause a stir?”
His heart swelled with love. Everything about Jade fed him in some way; her sensuality fed his sexual desires, her thoughtfulness fed his heart, the way she worried about animals, and the way she loved Riley and her family, fed his loyalty. It killed him to know that instead of feeding her right back, he’d been souring her with hurt.
He lowered his mouth to hers in a greedy, possessive kiss. She smelled sweet and familiar, and the press of her softness against him warmed him with need as he pulled her closer, covetously deepening the kiss, until they parted with the need to breathe.
“I can’t hide anymore,” he said. He took her mouth again, there, in the middle of the dance floor, with his family beside him and half the town watching.
Jade splayed her fingers on his stomach as their lips drew apart. He could feel her trembling against him. Her eyes darted around the crowd, a flush rising on her cheeks. He wrapped one arm around her lower back; the other gently held the back of her head as he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “I’ll never hurt you again. I’m telling my father tonight, and I’ll go with you to talk to your family when you’re ready.”
She looked up at him, the hurt in her eyes replaced with love. “I’m ready,” she said.
Rex’s world had never felt so right. He was in for the fight of his life with the man who gave him life—for the woman who would give that life meaning.
