Page 48 of I Knew You
“Sure. But I can put the roof on if you want me to.”
“No way! I want to try it as is.”
“Okay, then.” I chuckled. “Maybe it’ll take your mind off the appointment.”
I tried to look disinterested. Did she want to go alone? Or was she hoping I’d ask to go with her? My mind was full of questions I usually didn’t have to deal with.
I wouldn’t ask. I couldn’t give her any more stress. She was already going through a hard time with her pain, her job loss, and whatever demons she was fighting with Whit, not to mention the anxiety of an upcoming surgery. And now, the added complication of a marriage? She didn’t even have a car. There was no one else in town to watch after her.
If I hadn’t come along, she would have been alone.
I looked at her. It was the first time since we’d met again that I’d ticked off everything she was going through. How much strength did one possess to maintain kindness and beauty under such rotten luck? I stepped toward her. Her eyes widened slightly, and her mouth parted, but I ignored any sense of shock. If she pushed me away, I would let her go.
I pulled her toward me firmly until our bodies touched. I wanted her to warm up to my touch. I could be a patient man. She looked back at me with wide eyes. I didn’t allow my eyes to break from hers, and I watched as her gaze went from surprise to soft acceptance. It was all the permission I needed. I pressed my lips to hers.
It was a sweet kiss, something quick and without extensive lingering. Yet, the impact was profound.
She pulled back slightly. “Oh,” she said.
I wanted to go in for a deeper kiss, but refrained.
Patience.
I gently wrapped my arms around her, bringing her to me again like before. I couldn’t hold back the satisfied smile that crept onto my face as her chin instinctively rested on my shoulder.
“What’s all this for?” Her whisper tickled my ear. I hugged her a little tighter, my fingers slightly digging into her softness.
I put my mouth near her ear. “Marry me, Julianna Joy East.”
She stiffened a little, but as I rubbed her back lightly, her body melted into mine. Her heart beat in time with my own.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
I pulled her back from me a little so she wouldn’t feel the arousal she’d caused once again. That was going to continue to be a problem.
“When should we?” I asked.
“Any day you want,” she replied. “Not like I have a job or responsibilities on my schedule, although I am working on my resume and found a few things I can apply for online, so hopefully not long.”
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and her eyes never left mine.
I was going to marry the girl I used to watch dance outside to her iPod with abandon, and who read in quiet corners of rooms. The girl who used to spy on me while I changed clothes in her brother’s room. The girl who haunted my dreams for so many years.
A chilling thought doused the flames that ignited.
This is not a real relationship. You’re getting too close.
I stepped back. “I’ve got a frozen pizza in the deep freeze in the garage for supper.” I headed toward the doorway, separating myself.
“Sounds great,” she replied with the sweetest smile, and I wished I could read her thoughts to tell if she could feel the tether between us that seemed so apparent to me.
Chapter Ten
Julianna |October 1, 2024
Ibuckled myself into the sleek, black leather seats of Bram’s Jeep Wrangler. It was the cleanest, most pristine vehicle I’d ever driven.
I’d bundled up in a Blue Devils hoodie and skinny jeans and wrapped my hair into a bun. The moment my foot hit the pedal, my suspicions were confirmed: I loved the vehicle’s openness. I drove down curvy backroads, watching the beautiful autumn colors shift in the distance, with the wind whipping around me and the road following beautiful, flowing creeks. The experience was a balm for my fragile soul.
