He nods enthusiastically. “I should think so. I didn’t come all this way to not get you alone. I have plans for us.”
“Good, because that makes the surprise even better.” I drag him by the hand toward my car. But then remember I dropped my bag on the ground and have to run back to pick it up. “You’re such a distraction.” He just smiles at me.
Quickly I unlock my car and put my bag in the back seat as Jarrod opens the door on the other side and places an overnight bag in beside it. He had obviously put it near my car earlier.
“How did you know this was my car?”
He smiles back at me. “Madison, I have been paying attention in our phone conversations. You told me you had a blue Hyundai hybrid. And this was the only one in the parking lot.”
I look around at the near empty parking lot. I had worked a bit later today, not realizing there was such a good surprise waiting for me. “How long have you been waiting?” I ask, suddenly feeling guilty. Now I realize exactly how much later I am than usual.
“About two hours, and it was worth every minute. It was even worth the strange looks I got from some of the parents picking up their children,” he says, getting into the passenger seat beside me.
I turn to look at him sitting there only a foot away, in my car, looking as handsome as ever in dark jeans, a white polo shirt, and gray zip-up hoodie. “Oops, sorry … And I suspect those weren’t strange looks you were getting. They were probably the moms checking you out.” He smiles back at me with a shrug of his shoulders. I imagine him showing up at school pickup will have the moms speculating for weeks on who the hot, sexy man was standing in the parking lot.
Wasting no more time, I start my car and drive the short distance to my little house a block back from the beach. I pull into the drive, and we get out, but before I’m even around the car Jarrod has already opened the back door and taken out both our bags.
I go to take my bag from him, but he shifts it out of reach saying, “Let me carry your books for you, miss.” My heart melts into a gooey puddle of passion. If it was possible for me to like him more, I would now. Under that grumpy exterior hides a caring, romantic man. I grab him by the arm, dragging him toward the house.
As soon as my key is in the lock, I hear Ned on the other side of the door, wanting to welcome me home. “Are you ready to meet my housemate?” I open the door, and as usual, Ned is there, with his tail wagging furiously. He doesn’t even mind when Jarrod steps through the door behind me because he’s just as eager to meet this new human as he is to see me home at the end of the day.
I lead Jarrod through into my small living area, and he drops our bags before looking around the room. It’s a perfect room to relax in at the end of the day, with the soothing pale blue and gray color scheme. Jarrod wanders the few steps over to the shelves with my collection of black-and-white photos of friends and Ned. His eye is drawn to one particular large picture. It’s one Jasmine took of us together on Christmas day.
“That’s my new favorite. I only got it framed last week.”
He turns and walks back to me, smiling. Pulling me into his arms, he whispers into the shell of my ear, “I’ve missed you. I just had to come.” On a contented sigh, the restriction I’ve felt around my heart the last couple of weeks releases.
“I’m glad. I’ve missed you too.” And those are the last coherent words I speak for a long time as I give myself over completely to his love.
Epilogue Madison
THREE MONTHS LATER
Thedelicatetonesofa harp being played echo in and around the soaring arches of the two-hundred-year-old church. The perfectly aligned wooden pews are filled with hundreds of guests. Women styled like models in a glossy magazine wear dresses in pastel flowing plain or floral fabrics, creating a kaleidoscope of color. The men accompanying them in their finest tailored suits, predominantly navy or black with the odd younger one wearing stripes or checked jackets over beige pants. Blake and Bec’s wedding will fill the pages of the society magazines and social media sites for weeks to come. It is being heralded as one of the weddings of the year.
I hug Jarrod’s arm tightly, still a little shaken after we had to run the gauntlet of the media just to get into the church, cameras flashing in our faces. He, of course, took it all in his stride, providing a steady, protective hand for me to cling to. I just hoped I wouldn’t embarrass myself by tripping up the stairs.
I breathe a sigh of relief that we made it to the church vestibule unscathed, and in my case, embarrassment free. I guess until this moment, I never really appreciated how well-known Jarrod’s family is within the Manhattan social set. The paparazzi all knew his name, and from the shouted questions, were eager to know mine. Jarrod ignored them all, pointedly glaring as only he can at one particularly annoying photographer who shoved a camera only a couple of inches from his face.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his brow furrowed in concern. “I should have realized they were all going to be here. We should have snuck in the back way so they left you alone.”
I reach my hand up to ease the crease from his brow, a gesture that is becoming a habit of mine. “It’s fine as long as you keep hold of my hand. I’m always okay with you.” He pulls me into the curve of his arm and drops a kiss to my forehead. I meld my body to his. Another new habit of mine.
Over the last few months, Jarrod and I have met up every couple of weeks. Mostly he has flown down to Florida to stay with me, as it’s easier for him to travel with work. And this is my third visit to Manhattan to spend a long weekend with him.
On my first visit, Jarrod arranged for me to meet his family at his parents’ Fifth Avenue apartment. To say I was nervous would have been an understatement. I honestly thought I was going to throw up in the elevator as we ascended to the penthouse apartment.
I’ve always hated meeting a guy’s family, mainly because my experience of family was far from normal, and I feel like I don’t know how to act. But Jarrod, being the kind, sweet man I’ve come to love, put his arm around me and held me close to him all through the introductions to his parents and his older brother, Rory. In fact, he didn’t let go until we sat down at the dinner table and his arm was replaced with his hand holding mine.
It’s the same today. Holding his hand or having his arm around me makes me feel safe and gives me the confidence to face anything. Even a bunch of pushy photographers.
His arm slips down to my waist, the heat of his hand permeating through the thin, silky fabric of my dress. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you look today?” he asks, and I smile.
“Yes, you have, but you can keep telling me if you want. It never gets old.”
“Noted. Now, are you ready to go in and sit down?” I nod, then take a quick look at my phone. Cassie texted a few minutes ago to say she’s already seated in the third row and is waiting for us to join her. We make our way along the side aisle on the groom’s side to where I can just make out the back of Cassie’s shiny blond hair. She came earlier with Luke, who is Blake’s best man, along with his two brothers, Hunter and Logan.
I squeeze past a couple of guests at the end of the pew and slide into the space beside Cassie, Jarrod slipping in on the other side of me.
