“They didn’t say that,” he whispers, leaning into me.
“They so did,” I tease, pulling out my phone. “Want me to call and confirm?”
When he tries to take my phone away, we end up wrestling, laughing and tangled up together, then have to separate, the tension growing. I love my kids more than anything, but this is the first time I wish they were at their grandparents’ instead of home with me.
Jake opens up about what it was like at his dad’s funeral. How he doesn’t understand the relationship his sister had with him. How she makes comments about her dad that don’t line up with what he knows about him.
I tell him about clinicals, about how much I love being a nurse, but how happy I’ll be once I can find a permanent spot in obstetrics. I tell him about the nurses who were so kind to me when I delivered the triplets, so unjudgmental despite how young I was, and how I’d finally known what career I wanted to pursue after that.
He tells me about how the renovation of the house is coming on, and he says he wants me to come over and pick out paint.
“Why would you wantmeto pick it out?” I laugh, eyebrows shooting up as I pour us each a second glass of wine.
His gaze settles on me, soft and gentle, and he says, “Because I trust your judgment, Lara.”
It turns something over in my chest, and we plan a time for me to come to the house, even though I get the feeling that it’s about something more than trusting my judgment.
I want it to be more than that, but I desperately need to stop myself from getting my hopes up.
Then I tell him about my fight with Zachery, about what it’s been like to watch my best friend coming and going.
“That’s hard,” Jake says, his hand moving lazily up and down my calf. I want to tell him to stop, that it’s making it hard for me to concentrate, but him stopping is also the last thing I want. “This might come off as harsh, but have you ever thought about finding a new best friend?”
When I pull my head back, frowning, Jake clears his throat and tries again.
“I mean — what I’m trying to say is that maybe it’s okay to have anoldfriend, agoodfriend, and abestfriend, you know? Like, maybe Zachery could be an old friend, and you could find a new friend to be your best friend. I think the best way to move forward with him is to take what he can give you, you know? And to find someone else here in Wildfern Ridge who can give you what you need.”
“Jake Bradson,” I say, trying to ignore the tears stinging at the back of my eyes. “Are you asking to be my best friend?”
He opens his mouth, then seems to reconsider what he has to say and starts again. “I like Zachery — what I remember of him. And I think you were right. That maybe he was just trying to help.”
Later, when Jake is leaving, I stand in the doorway and wrap my fingers in his shirt, pulling him into a kiss that feels like it sears its way into my brain.
His hands fall to my hips, and I feel his cock hard against my belly. My hands skate up his chest, longing to be skin-on-skin.
After getting a taste of him, it’s almost impossible to let him walk away. It’s Jake who untangles us, pressing another long kiss to my forehead that feels like a promise.
When he’s gone, I pull out my phone and send two texts. The first is to Zachery, asking if we can talk. And the second to another contact in my phone.
Lara:Hey, did you still want to plan a time this weekend to grab coffee?
The girl I’ve been acquainted with since nursing school answers almost straight away.
Ellie:Yes!
CHAPTER 26
JAKE
I’m driving home from the hardware store when I get a call from Lara.
“Hey, did you change your mind about coming over tonight?” I ask when I answer.
“I wish,” she says, bypassing a greeting altogether, sounding like she’s just run a marathon. “Jake, I know this is a big ask, but— do you think you could pick the kids up from daycare?”
I’m quiet for long enough that Lara starts to backpedal.
“Sorry, that’s too much. I’ll see if I?—”
