Page 18 of The Charmer
“Everything.” I raise skeptical eyebrows. “No one has everything.”
Why is he still standing here? Why hasn’t he bolted yet?
I lean over the sink, bracing my arms on the vanity. Reese shifts closer, shadowing me, his voice low and soothing, his hand on my back centering. Reassuring.
“You’re my everything, Jayde. All I want is you. I know I came on strong. I tried to pack an entire dating phase into a weekend.” He bites the corner of his mouth. “Maybe it was ambitious. Or naive. Or stupid. But I wanted to show you, prove to you, that I want this withyou. Everything.”
I draw in a breath. My heart is hammering so loudly, I’m sure he can hear it.
“I’m freaking out,” I admit, turning to look at him.
Reese tilts his head, his eyes searching mine. His expression is earnest and so damn lovable. Flashing, curious eyes and tender understanding. “I know, baby.” His hand rubs soothing circles along my spine. “Let’s talk about it, yeah?”
I want to laugh because his solution is so…logical. I’m used to my ex-boyfriend, a dramatic fight followed by tears and several days of not speaking.
But Reese is mature. He knows what he wants and is confident in his choices. It’s sexy as hell and still, I feel like my dress is too tight and I can’t draw a full inhale.
“Talk to me, Jayde. Tell me, please, has this weekend done more harm than good? Or have I convinced you at all? Will you take a chance on me?”
I freeze.
Will you take a chance on me?
Doesn’t he realize it’s the opposite? Doesn’t he know that he’s gambling, risking it all, on me? I’m not the stable and steady type. I’m not the rock in the relationship. I’m the runner.
Reese holds my eyes, certain and sure of his decision, of his choice.
And he chose me.
The realization rocks through me like a storm, a wave pulling me under.
SEVEN
REESE
She’s full-blown panicking. Her golden-brown eyes are wide and worried. Her mouth is pinched in the corners, her knuckles turning white from her tight grip on the bathroom vanity.
I keep my palm rooted to her back, my fingers sweeping long circles. It’s heartbreaking to see this woman—always so calm, collected, and confident—spiral because of how big her feelings are. Panic because of how big my—a man’s—feelings forherare. Still, I wait to hear her out, forcing myself to hold my tongue.
This isn’t a situation I can jump in and fix. This is a conversation we need to have to see if we can move forward, to know if there is a future for us. And Jayde has to be all in for that to happen.
“Tell me why you’re freaking out,” I suggest quietly, trying to connect the dots.
I left her by the table to take some photos with Mick and the guys. Then, Ben dragged us to the bar for a shot and when I looked up, Jayde was beelining toward the bathroom, her shoulders stiff, her eyes almost unseeing in her haste.
I passed off the cocktails I was bringing back to our table to my friend Keisha and followed Jayde here to find her nearly hyperventilating, pacing back and forth in front of the sink.
“Jayde,” I keep my tone light.
“This is all so fast, you know?” She straightens, my hand slips away, and she resumes pacing. “It’s overwhelming.” She gives me a pointed look. I nod, knowing what she means. It is a lot for a weekend away but…not. Because my feelings for Jayde have been constant for a long time. For me, this weekend feels like the icing on the cake. The prize. The pinnacle.
I swallow back my hurt that she doesn’t it see it that way. But how could she? It would be unfair of me to think she’s been pining, like me, for an entire year.
“I don’t like trusting people,” she adds, tossing a hand in my direction. “And you, God, Reese, youaregolden. And I don’t mean that the way your friends joke about it. I mean, you are the guy I could trust. I want to trust. And it…shit, it scares the hell out of me.”
I move closer but she holds up a hand, not finished. “I’ve had a string of failed relationships followed by a year of unsuccessful online dating. All the dates, the time invested, the rejection and disappointment and…with you, I can see it. I can see it all.” She stops, abrupt, her face draining of color. “But if it doesn’t work out, you’ll gut me, Reese.”
My chest twists at the devastating expression on her face. She’s so gorgeous, so honest and real and “what you see is what you get.” “And you don’t think you’d gut me, Jayde?” She would. She has the power to decimate me. I’m already in deeper than I should be, given we’re having this conversation in the ladies’ room at a wedding but—“Real things are always worth it. Worth the time, worth the investment, and worth the risk. You know that.”
