Page 139 of A Very Merry Mistake

“That would be awesome. I’m sure she’d love it as much as you,” he says.

I point out different areas of the city and landmarks. Manchester Holdings is close enough that I can walk if I’d like. That life already feels like a thing of the past.

I sigh.

“You good?” Jake asks, noticing me losing myself in my thoughts.

“I am,” I tell him, lifting his hand and kissing his knuckles. “I’ve realized when I’m with you, I don’t have nearly as many anxiety attacks.”

He wraps me in his arms, and I inhale his scent, which reminds me of the fresh air and evergreens. I squeeze him. “Or maybe it’s because you’ve been doin’ things that make you happy and stopped forcing yourself to fit into a role you never belonged in,” he suggests.

I chuckle.

“What did I say that was funny?” He smirks.

“Nothing really. In the past, had someone told me I didn’t belong in that role, I’d have become a nightmare. But when you say it…”

“I’m not sayin’ that because you’re not good enough. You don’t belong because you’re better than that life. You care about people. You’ve got a big heart. Doing what your father does has to be hard. He’s sacrificed a lot. That’s respectable. But when he’s at the end of his life, can he say he was truly happy?” he asks.

“No,” I confirm. “He was briefly happy when my mother was alive, but I think he buried his soul with her. You’re right. I’m nervous about the unknown.”

“Darlin’,” he whispers. “It’s all going to work out. I’ll help and support you however I can.”

I stand up on my tiptoes and wrap my arms around him. “It will. Thank you.”

* * *

The following day, I wake up next to Jake, naked. I lift the fluffy blankets and take a peek, then slide out of bed. But I take one last glance at him before I walk away.

He’s built like a statue, carved in all the right places, with a personality that’s to die for, and when he wears those black-framed glasses… Well, I can barely contain myself.

After I use the bathroom, I walk into my closet, which is the size of a room. The space is the only thing that’s missing from my house in Merryville, but as I look at my wardrobe, there isn’t anything I want to wear. Everything was designed and tailored specifically for me and my body, created to help me fit in with my social class. It’s arranged from light to dark and by season.

I huff and hear a chuckle behind me. I turn to see Jake leaning against the doorframe, wearing a boyish grin, and of course, he’s wearing those glasses that make me weak in the knees. I swallow hard, my gaze trailing from his lips to the package in his black joggers. I gasp. “You’re…”

“Cat got your tongue?”

I move toward him, brushing my fingers down his abs and around his back as he leans down and kisses me.

“More like a lumberjack has it,” I say.

“You’re too pretty to look so sad,” he tells me.

“I was just thinking about all these clothes and how I don’t like them,” I explain.

“Then don’t wear them.” He kisses my forehead. “It’s your life. Make your own rules.”

“But—”

He crushes his lips against mine. “You’re in control, darlin’,” he says once he pulls away. “Be comfortable in your skin. Be yourself. You have nothin’ to prove to nobody. Just showin’ up is enough.”

“I love how you make it seem so easy.”

“It is easy. Twenty years from now, you won’t remember what you were wearin’ when you walked into that lawyer’s office. You’ll remember what’s said and how you felt. Guaranteed. The rest of it…trivial bullshit.” He places his fingers under my chin and forces me to look into his green eyes. “If they’re gonna talk, might as well give ’em somethin’ to talk about,” he says.

I nod. “You’re right.”

“Don’t be a Stubborn Susan.”

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