Page 55 of Playing for Keeps
His hand slid up her back, and his fingers spread out across her shoulder blades. “I had a lot of good plans for my life, and they always involved you. Living without you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I don’t ever want to do it again.”
“Me either,” Caroline whispered before a whole-body shiver rushed over her.
Justin pulled back and grabbed both sides of her coat, folding them over her chest. “You’re freezing.”
“I’m okay.” Even as she said the words, she couldn’t control the trembling of her body.
“Get inside. I’ll be right in as soon as I check on the steaks.”
He turned to attend to the grill. A warmth spread over her as she walked back into his house. They were tip-toeing into a future she’d always wanted, and it was better than she’d ever dreamed.
21
CAROLINE
Caroline rinsed a dirty plate at Justin’s kitchen sink. There were barely any scraps of food left from the amazing dinner he’d cooked.
This was a perfect way to end a long day of work. The sixteen-hour shifts at the bakery were beginning to take their toll, but spending quiet time in the evening with Justin was going to be her new favorite thing.
He finished wiping the table and appeared at her side to take the plate from her and place it in the dishwasher.
Yeah. She could get used to this.
Caroline dried her hands just as Justin slid his arms around her waist from behind. The warmth of his chest against her back made her lean into his embrace.
“Stop. You don’t have to clean up here,” Justin whispered against her ear.
Her head fell back against his shoulder. “You say that, but it’s not easy to believe it.”
Justin spun her around and took her hand in his. “Come on. Sit down and rest.”
“Rest? What’s that?” Caroline joked.
Justin led her to the couch where she fell into the soft cushions with a satisfied groan. “This couch is way more comfortable than mine.”
Justin settled in beside her, and pulled her into his warmth, resting her legs over his lap. “I think that means you need to come over more.”
Cuddling into his side, she let that dream turn into a reality in her mind. Thinking about the future with Justin didn’t seem as scary as before. “I’d like that.”
Justin brushed her hair over her shoulder before lifting his hand to graze his fingertips over her temple and down her jaw. “Tell me something I don’t know. I want to know everything.”
The tightening of her muscles was instinctual. There were things she wasn’t ready to talk about just yet. Would she ever be ready? “Everything?”
“Everything. Do you want to give me an update on your brother?”
Caroline usually avoided talking about Dom like the topic was an infectious disease, but right now, it was the lesser of two evils. “He’s okay, I guess. I thinkhe goes through ups and downs. He seemed good the last time I saw him.”
Visiting Dom in prison always brought on a torrential mix of emotions she didn’t know what to do with. Happiness she could handle. Sadness and anger just got jumbled up and pushed down.
“He’s lucky to have you,” Justin whispered.
“Why? Every time I visit him, I’m just reminded of how helpless I am. He’s a good man. He always has been. He just…”
Just what? Slipped up and killed someone? Yeah. There weren’t many words for the confusion that always swirled in her head whenever she thought about her brother.
Justin’s hand slid up and down her arm, leaving a trail of warmth that quickly faded. “How’s your mom?”
A chuckle slipped out before she thought about her response. “It’s weird that you ask about my mom and care about how she’s doing when you’ve never even met her. I mean, not bad weird. I just think you should have met them by now.”
