Page 50 of Tru Blue
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
The denial in his eyes pierced through her, but that was okay, because he was right—no one was truly perfect.
“In a perfect world,” she said softly. “We both would have had loving parents, and you never would have faced what you did. We didn’t grow up in a perfect world, but you’re my perfect.”
He pulled her tight against him again and pressed his lips to hers. His heart was beating fast, so sure and steady it spoke louder than words ever could.
He held her close as they walked around the magical tent.
“Ohmygosh. Truman.” She wasn’t even sure if the words left her lips, she was so awestruck. The alcove that had once housed tools, big metal tool chests, ladders, and other gritty paraphernalia had been transformed into the most luxurious bedroom she’d ever seen. And it had nothing to do with expensive furnishings, because there were none. She could hardly believe Truman had gone to all this trouble for her. Gold sheers hung from floor to ceiling surrounding a thick mattress, which sat atop a beige shag rug. A fluffy cream-colored comforter, several pillows, and soft-looking knit throws in earthy hues were strewn across the foot of the bed. Sheers were also draped over the window, allowing the dusky, romantic moonlight to shimmer through. On the floor beside the bed was a hubcap, with a wide candle in the center. She loved that hubcap best of all, because she loved his world. This life he’d created for the kids—and for them. He’d gone to such lengths to give her something beautiful and meaningful, when all she needed was him.
She turned to face the man who had obviously listened at a time when he’d been busy with her car and overwhelmed by his upended life, and had cared enough to do something so big and meaningful when he had so little.
“I think my heart just exploded.” She blinked up at him with damp eyes. “How did you…? With the kids to take care of and your job?”
“I had a little help from my friends.”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him. The fact that he’d asked his friends to help do all of this for her made it even more special, because Truman never asked for help.
“I think I need to make a whole new prince outfit for my shop. Prince Truman, because no prince, fictional or real, could ever hold a candle to you.”
TRUMAN REFILLED THEIR wineglasses, Gemma’s toes playing over his. Gemma had gone in to kiss the kids good night as Truman had promised Kennedy, and they’d long ago cast aside their boots and polished off a few glasses of wine. They were lying in the tent playing a game, weaving each other into their pasts as if they’d known one another forever. It was a game of pretend, something they’d both missed out on as kids—although he’d spent his whole childhood pretending his life was something it wasn’t—and playing this game made him feel even closer to Gemma.
“Do you remember the night I scaled the gates around your house and snuck into your bedroom when you were sixteen?” He ran his finger along the length of her arm, loving the way she shivered under his touch.
She leaned forward, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, her fingers nimbly unbuttoning, then touching his chest. “How could I forget the night of our first kiss?”
“That was a night of many firsts.” He set their wineglasses off to the side and lowered her gently to the floor, perching above her. She gazed up at him with lustful eyes. He traced a path from her chin, down the graceful column of her neck, along her cleavage, to the first button of her black leather vest, slowly unfastening it.
“That was the first night you let me touch you.” He pressed a kiss to the swell of each breast. “Remember?” He wished the things they were making up were true and liked imagining having known Gemma back then.
“That was the first night you tried,” she countered, arching up beneath him.
He rained kisses over her shoulder, the curve of her neck, and the dip at the center of her collarbone. “Was it the first time I tried?”
Her eyes narrowed, but she was breathing harder now. “No, but I had to play hard to get. You had all those other girls after you, and everyone knows guys want what they can’t have.”
