Still puzzled, Micky continued, careful not the mention Logan by name. “I'm sorry the day ended up this way, but at least the hearing worked out the way we hoped. Well, I better get going before they notice us.” He extended his hand to Jake, who stiffened, smiled and eagerly pumped it.
“Hey man, thanks for helping her out.”
“Any time. Kristen, take care and stay in touch, you hear?” Not certain if he should touch her, Micky’s lips quivered into an awkward grin.
She hesitated, then broke out of Jake's arms to spring into Micky’s. Surprised, he glanced at Jake.
“Shit. We should've left sooner,” Jake muttered with a disgusted grunt.
Too late for that—an officer stood sternly in front of them.
“We need you to clear the area and move to the side,” he instructed in a gruff no-nonsense manner, shooing them off. “Did you witness the incident?”
Kristen opened her mouth, then froze. Jake chimed in, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Nope, we were on our way out and didn’t see anything.”
“Same here.” Micky cleared his throat, checking his watch for the third time.
The officer eyeballed them briefly, huffed and shook his head in agreement. After scribbling down their contact information for future reference, he trotted off to another potential witness. An over-zealous reporter stormed over, excited to get an interview. Kristen hid her face in Jake’s chest, seeking refuge in the warmth of his body. By that time a large crowd surrounded the yellow accident scene tape cordoning off the immediate area. Not wanting to waste a second, the reporter lost interest and scooted into the crowd to search for another candidate to propel her to fame.
“Let's get out of here.” Jake wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her to the street.
So much for the final test. No matter where this goes from here, all that matters right now is her safety.
When they reached Kristen’s car a few blocks away, she held onto his hands, pulling him to her. “How did you know I was here?”
Despite having cleared his throat, Jake’s voice stayed hoarse and low. “You mentioned it yesterday. I had a bad feeling…” His words trailed off. After pausing to sigh and regain his poise, he searched her eyes. “Aren't you happy I did?”
“That's why you came, you had a feeling something bad would happen?” She blinked back the tears, incapable of words that could express the true extent of her feelings.
“You never even answered my texts. If I didn't care so much you could be...” Shaken beyond comprehension, he couldn't go on.
Seeing him so affected shook her up her even more. “Jake, I don’t understand, it’s like a horrible nightmare. Why...” The tears streamed down her face, as it all sank in.
“Kris, I'm just happy you didn't get hurt. If something happened to you...” A tremor shot through his body, the trauma shedding new light on the depth of his love.
“So you're not mad at me then?” She ran her fingers along his arm.
He couldn't contain a gigantic smile. “Maybe later, when I get over the shock. For now, you're safe.”
They kissed with renewed urgency. When they broke apart his skin tingled, more from a feeling of gratitude than desire. If Nick is actually dead, someone else did me a big favor. Maybe the stars are lining up for me after all.
* * *
It took a few hours, fervent sex and a nice buzz, for the agitation to wind down to an exhausted, numb calm. Kristen was desperate to wipe the entire day from her memory, but couldn't stop wondering why Jake followed her to the courthouse. As much as she hated disturbing the blissful atmosphere and risk stirring things up, she couldn’t resist.
“Why were you really there today Jake?” she whispered, stroking his chest.
“I told you baby, you don't believe me? You think I was spying on you?” He rolled onto his side, supporting his head on an arm to scrutinize her.
She raised her eyebrows in affirmation. “Were you?”
He laughed sitting up, his tone serious “You want total honesty?”
She nodded. “Like you do.”
“Okay. You got it, but you're not gonna like it. I was ready to fuck up that Nick asshole big time if he touched you. I was about to mess him up right when I saw that other guy coming at you. At that point, the only thing I cared about was protecting you.”
“Oh my God!” She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “I thought I felt something hard in your pocket.”
“Nobody rapes a woman I love and gets away with it! I just got lucky— someone else did it for me this time.”
“How did you know he’d be there?”
“Just a feeling.” The fire in his eyes was replaced by a faraway look, the vision alive in his head.
“But... why? You could've ended up in prison for murder.” It doesn’t make any sense at all. How could he risk everything? With hard breaths she clasped his hands in hers, combing his face for a clue to the puzzle. Her troubled eyes knocked him back to the moment.
“Yeah, but at the time it didn't matter. Now I'm glad it worked out the way it did, especially since I have a gift for you.” He smiled, leaping out of bed.
She stared after him in wonder as he ransacked one of his dresser drawers. After a few seconds he stood breathless and flushed beside her.
“Close your eyes.”
Unable to tear her eyes away from his, the perplexed look in her face deepened.
“Come on, or I can't give it to you.” His voice remained calm and gentle as he prodded her. After she finally obeyed, he fumbled with the box to get the ring out, deciding to just go ahead and slip it on her finger. He wasn't into the traditional kneeling routine. Besides, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to reject him. He knew it was stupid, but his nerves prevented him from thinking straight.
Kristen sat with her eyes closed. She felt him pushing the ring onto her finger and couldn't stop the tremors rattling her body.
“Okay, okay, go ahead—open them.”
It was no use trying to hide the moisture in his eyes or eagerness in his voice. When her eyes fluttered open, her hand shook so violently it was hard to hold it up. He grasped it, holding it steady.
The tears flooded her face as she blinked in disbelief at the diamond ring. Once the initial astonishment passed, she burst into a short bout of hysterical laughter. “Jake Wolf, are you asking me to marry you?”
“What do you think? Well?”
“Why aren't you on your knees then?”
“Baby, I don't get on my knees for anyone!”
“You want an answer or not?”
“You’re not getting out of that bed until you say yes anyway.” He moaned, dropping to the floor and taking her face in his hands.
“I'm on my knees all the time for you. Now it's your turn.” She grinned motioning for him get to it.
Rolling his eyes, he exhaled before he spoke. “Kristen Gold, will you marry me?”
Shocked he remembered her maiden name, her face lit up like a full moon on a clear night.
“What do you think?” After a long, deep breath and dramatic pause that drove him crazy, she opened her eyes wide. “Yes!” She pulled him to her holding on for dear life, too overwhelmed to utter another sound.