Jack leaned beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “So that’s what led you to become a positivity warrior.”
I leaned into him, thankful for his warmth, his strength, his willingness to listen. “I was in a dark place. A scary place. It wasn’t until I learned to keep my eyes focused on what’s good that I was able to pull myself out, and even then it took me a while to feel like life’s worth living. I know I can be a little over the top with my silly shirts and essential oils. I know not everyone gets me, but I’d rather be a little weird and a lot happy than totally normal and clinically depressed.”
“I respect that about you. I really do.” Jack craned his neck to meet my eyes. “I’ve found a new good thing to focus on and it’s helped me a lot lately. Maybe it’ll help you.” His smile was sunshine. A lighthouse to guide me out of darkness and I hadn’t realized how much I needed it until it was there.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“This. Us.” Jack smiled. “Whenever things get hard, I think about you. And when I’m with you, I feel like I can take on the whole fucking world and come out on top. You make things better.” He nudged my shoulder with his. “Plus, all the making out is a nice bonus.”
“Just nice?” I put on a pout and pretended to be hurt. “Here I’ve been listing you as my top kisses and I only rank as a ‘nice bonus?’”
“If you knew what I felt when we kissed, you might not feel safe standing this close to me.” The heat in his eyes had my gaze darting to his lips.
I turned to lean my back against the railing, meeting his eyes head on. “Talk is cheap, Jackalicious.”
“Are you saying you don’t believe me?”
“I’m saying I want you to show me.” I grabbed his shirt and drew him close, pulling back just before his lips crashed into mine. “And for the record, I feel safer with you than I have with anyone before.”
His blues searched my face for a frantic moment, as if he could chase down the hidden meaning of my words. Desperate for his kiss, I leaned in, only for him to pull back, smiling as he teased me.
“Damn it, Jack, just kiss me.”
One hand slid into my hair while the other slipped lower, lower…down my back until a finger slipped beneath my shirt and rubbed the sensitive skin at my waist. I gasped and he drew me closer, tighter, as if even a whisper of space between us was too much. His tongue parted my lips and I sighed into him, gripping his arms as if I could cling to life itself by holding on to this man.
Desire hummed through my veins. My core throbbed with want and my hips crushed against his growing erection. Jack growled, his grip on me tightening—
The door swung open. “Hey, Dad?”
We sprang apart as Garrett froze in the doorway.
“Hey! Yeah.” Jack ran a hand over his mouth and blinked at his son in surprise, smiling just a little too wide. “What’s up, buddy?”
Garrett’s eyes bounced from his dad’s to mine and back again. “We, uh, wanted to know if I could make popcorn or if you wanted to wait until you were done talking…”
“Yep. Definitely.” Jack looked to me, doing his best to play it cool and utterly failing. I widened my eyes and he gave his attention back to Garrett. “I mean definitely go ahead and start the popcorn. I’ll be there in a sec.”
The boy nodded and went back inside, a frown tugging at his features.
Jack let out an audible sigh. “Well. That happened.”
“That it did.” I bit my bottom lip as I studied his face. “But the good thing is, I don’t think he suspected a thing.”
Jack’s whole face lit up. “Really?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “He definitely caught us kissing and we doubled down by making it awkward.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” He shook his head with a derisive chuckle, adjusting his pants while staring at me with heat and want. “Stay for movie night with us. I’m not ready to let you go.”
I knew what would happen if I stayed and one look at Jack said he did too. We’d watch that movie and behave like perfect angels in front of the kids, but I wouldn’t be going home once they went to bed—at least not for a while. The chemistry between us would ignite and we’d finish what we started just now.
“Are you sure?” I asked, hoping he knew I wasn’t just asking about the movie.
Jack ran his thumb across my cheek. “I haven’t been this sure about something in a long time.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jack
What the hell was I thinking? Mauling Amelia on my front porch with the kids just inside the house? With nosey neighbors out and about, enjoying the summer evening, one message away from alerting Greta of our ‘scandalous’ behavior? There was a time when people wouldn’t stop trying to set me up, but the moment they caught me in public with a woman, the whole town lost their minds. I would never understand what they had against Amelia. She was sweet and wonderful, and sure, she wasn’t exactly conventional, but who was?
I sure wasn’t.
Neither was Greta Macmillan or any of her gossip-driven cronies.
Amelia and I went into the house and found the kids set up in the living room with blankets, pillows, and individual bowls of popcorn. Charlie’s face lit up when she saw I wasn’t alone. “Are you gonna stay with us, Amelia?”
The hope in my daughter’s eyes hit my heart, just a touch offkey. While she was asking about staying for the evening, my mind went straight to the future.
How long are you going to stay with us, Amelia?
Whenever I’d let myself think about dating, I’d sworn I wouldn’t introduce the kids until I was sure we were serious. Being with Amelia felt pretty damn good, but she’d said it herself:
We’d only gone on one date and made out a few times.
That was basically the antithesis of serious and I didn’t know what to do with that. Especially since the kids were introduced, involved, and head over heels for her.
Amelia beamed at Charlie. “Dad said Cooper family movie nights are pretty epic. How could I resist?”
It had been a long time since I saw my daughter look as happy as she did right now. My throat clenched as she bounded off the floor and did a little dance. “We didn’t make any popcorn for you, but I bet Daddy will share. He never finishes his.”
I turned to Amelia and pretended to snarl. “Get your own popcorn, woman.”
The kids laughed at my antics then took off down the hallway in search of gear. When they returned with enough blankets to melt the arctic, three pillows, and a handful of stuffed animals, I held out my hands in mock exasperation. “I never get blankets hand-delivered on movie nights. What gives, guys?”
All three kids froze, identical looks of confusion and shame twisting their faces. “You’re kidding, right Dad?” Connor asked.
“Of course I’m kidding. I’ll happily share blankets, pillows, popcorn, and stuffed animals with Amelia.” I ruffled Garrett’s hair and we all settled into place, the kids on the floor and Amelia with me on the couch.
They’d picked an animated movie for us to watch, though I couldn’t have said which one if my life depended on it. Not with this woman curled in next to me, my arm around her shoulders, the blanket covering our laps, and the very real, very insistent erection that demanded her attention. In my head, I worked equations, imagined old men walking around naked in locker rooms, and contemplated the difficulties of cleaning sewers until things settled down.