Page 70 of Then Came Love
“No. As I said at Nick’s wedding, life is too short to hold the important things in. I’m falling hard for you, sweetheart, but I have no problem going slow. You can take a week, a month, or a year. Take however long you need to heal and to trust your own judgment and mine. I know what I want, and I’m going to keep showing you and telling you exactly how I feel, because you deserve to know.”
She needed someone to pinch her to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She was falling for him, too, for all the little things he said and did and for knowing how to nurture her heart in ways other people never had. He brought so much light and clarity into her life, it allowed her to take a new look at who she was, what she wanted, and what she had to offer. “How did I get lucky enough to meet you and then run into you again at the wedding?”
“I think they call that serendipity.” He kissed her softly. “Let’s get comfortable, so we don’t miss the rest of the sunrise.”
She sat on the blanket, and he knelt by the basket on the other side of the blanket as Coco settled in beside her.
He opened a water bottle and handed it to her. “First we hydrate.” He poured water into a dog bowl and set it down for Coco, and then he guzzled some water, too. She loved how selfless he was, caring for them before himself. He lifted a beautiful stained-glass dove wind chime from the basket and hung it on the lowest branch of the tree. He thought of everything.
“That’s beautiful, Jax. Doves and wind chimes are signs of hope.”
He tossed her a wink. “Only the best for my girl.” He tapped the chimes, and Coco tilted her head curiously at the whimsical sound.
Jax knelt by the basket again, handing Jordan a warm thermos and two mugs. “That’s peppermint tea. I know we usually have lattes, but trust me, there’s a method to my madness.”
“I love peppermint tea.” Peppermint. Another sign of hope. She’d always noticed signs of hope around her, but Todd had rolled his eyes at her so many times she’d stopped mentioning them long ago. She thought about that as Jax set a bowl of kibble near Coco and a plate and napkins by Jordan. She hadn’t known why she’d opened up to Jax about the signs of hope she’d noticed while they were together, but she just figured it out. Everything about him—his kindness, honesty, and yes, even those flirty, sexy innuendos and his exquisite follow-throughs—made her want to share everything about herself. But spotting signs of hope was a little odd, and she imagined it could get tiresome if she mentioned every little thing she saw, so this time she kept it to herself.
He set a banana-nut muffin on the plate, and then he added a cinnamon roll, a cherry-cheese tart, and a chocolate-almond croissant. Jordan’s mouth watered at all those delicious options. Four. Another sign of hope. “Are you a little hungry this morning?”
“That’s a dangerous question now that I’ve had a taste of you.”
She giggled. “I meant for food.”
He put his hands on the blanket on either side of her legs and crawled up her body. Her chest felt like there were hummingbirds in it as he caged her in, his dark eyes sparkling with as much happiness as desire. “Good morning, Ms. Lawler.”
His seductive voice coasted over her skin. “Good morning, Mr. Braden.”
“Do you realize we’re literally surrounded by hope right now?”
“You noticed?”
“It was purposeful. I told you there was a method to my madness. I wanted that for you.” He brushed his lips over hers. “I looked up the symbols of hope, because I want your every morning to start with it.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, his words taking her breath away. “And I want you to end every night feeling as safe and happy as you can be.” He gazed deeply into her eyes, and she felt herself getting lost in them. “And when you’re ready, we’ll add sated to that nightly list.”
“I want that, too.” So much, she ached for it.
“When you’re ready.”
“I want to be ready.”
“There’s no rush. You’ll know when the time is right.” As he pressed his lips to hers, she hoped that was true.
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Jordan sat on her living room floor surrounded by her mother’s sketch pads, photo albums, and loose pictures of her family, memories coming at her from all sides. They were good memories, and it was a good feeling, even though she missed them. She wished Jax were there so she could share them with him. She wanted him to see her mother’s creativity jumping off the pages of her sketch pads and the light in her father’s eyes as he carried Casey on his shoulders, holding one of her tiny hands, his other arm slung over their mother’s shoulder, holding her hand. She wanted to put a face to their names and let Jax see her mother’s beautiful smile, her arm draped protectively over Jordan’s shoulder, her hand on Jordan’s belly.
Her phone rang with a call from her aunt. She answered and put it on speakerphone. “Hi!”
“Hi, honey. I wanted to see how you were holding up.”
“I’m having an amazing day. I met Jax for a run this morning, and he surprised me with a picnic breakfast, which we ate while we watched the sun rise.”
“He sounds wonderful. Is he with you now? Should we chat later?”
“No. We’re still taking it slow.”
“He’s okay with that?”
“He’s okay with everything. I never realized how much thought I had to put into my relationship with Todd until now. Being with Jax is so easy and natural, it makes me see how stressful things were with Todd.”
“Life has a funny way of showing us things we don’t want to see.”
“It’s so true, and being with Jax, being happier, has changed me. I’m realizing how much I neglected myself in my relationship with Todd, too. You were right, I had put myself in a safe little box, and I think I did it to keep from wanting something else.”
“And now you’re going for runs and having picnics.”
