Tension eased from his grip.
“But you’re still an ass for having the guts to tell me that after all the things you’ve done with your little man down there.” She pushed away, and he pulled her back and kissed her—hard.
“I never claimed to be anything but an ass, Fiona. I’ve never been possessive or jealous with another goddamn woman, but I am with you. So, yeah, I am an ass, but I’m your ass, and you love me.”
“You’ll get no arguments from me.” She kissed him again, and as she moved back into the passenger seat, she said, “You owe me one. And it better be damn good.”
He grinned and shook his head as he buttoned his jeans and righted his seat. “If it’s a payback, then I have to make it mind-blowing good, because you blew my fucking mind, Fiona.”
“That’s what you get.” She was about to smirk; then she realized that she wasn’t really one-upping him.
His smirk was far more appropriate.
She pointed at him. “I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you very much.”
“I do have a surprise for you.” Jake squeezed her leg. “It’s not a sexual surprise, but I promise you that I’ll make that up to you three times over if you’d like.”
“I’d like.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek as he pulled back onto the road. “You’ve been surprising me in so many ways lately. I can’t imagine what you have up your sleeve next.”
“I could say the same for you.” He let that hang between them, and Fiona was surprised she didn’t feel herself blush.
Instead of driving back toward his house, he drove to the National History Museum. She’d been dying to visit the museum, but since she’d avoided LA, it was never an option.
“I’m sure you’ve been here, but I thought we could go together.”
She was so touched that she decided to be honest with him about why she’d never gone. “I actually haven’t been. I kind of avoided Los Angeles like the plague before getting up the guts to come out with Trish. I was afraid of seeing you, which I know is crazy given how big LA is, but I didn’t want to chance seeing you with another woman.”
He arched a brow. “See? I don’t look like such a bad guy for being jealous anymore, do I?”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway…The museum is closed for renovations.”
“True.” He parked the car and opened her door, pulling her against him. He did that a lot, and she loved it every single time.
“It is closed, unless you happen to know people in high places.” Jake draped an arm over her shoulder as they walked across the empty parking lot toward a door marked DELIVERIES.
“You know someone who runs it? We’re really going inside?” Her pulse sped up at the prospect. The fact that Jake had arranged it made it that much more special.
He knocked on the door. “We’re really going inside. And the Blue Moon Diamond exhibit is still here.”
Fiona felt her eyes widen. “Are you kidding me? Oh my God, Jake.” She threw her arms around his neck and squealed with delight, kissing him several times.
“Wow, I’d have taken you sooner if I’d known it would make you that happy.”
“The Blue Moon Diamond is twelve carats, one of the newest and rarest gems in the world because of its color. It’s internally flawless, and, oh my God. Jake. This is so crazy!”
The door opened, and a short, dark-haired gentleman stepped outside and opened his arms to Jake.
“Jake, buddy.” He embraced Jake and patted him on the back, then turned his attention to Fiona. “So this is Fiona.” He held out a hand and Fiona shook it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Theo.”
“Hi, Theo. Thank you so much for letting us visit the museum.” She knew she was grinning like a fool, and she had no hope of stopping as he led them inside. She held tightly to Jake’s hand as Theo brought them into the rotunda.
“Take your time and look around. I have to close up in about three hours.” He talked with Jake for a few minutes about the exhibits and the areas they should avoid because of the renovations, then excused himself, leaving them to roam the museum by themselves.
There was so much to take in that Fiona felt like a kid in a candy store. She was overwhelmed at Jake’s thoughtful surprise and couldn’t stop smiling.
“Where do you want to start? Gems and minerals?” he asked.
“Let’s see the diamond so we don’t miss it; then…you choose. I want to see as much as we can, but you know I’ll love all the exhibits.” She’d wanted to see the Blue Moon Diamond and had wrestled with venturing into LA for that reason alone, but the thought of seeing Jake with another woman had kept her from doing so. Now she could hardly believe that two of her dreams were coming true. Jake loved her. Loved her! And she was going to see the Blue Moon Diamond. It would be even more special seeing it with Jake.
They followed the map Theo had provided and found the diamond exhibit.
“How do you know Theo?” she asked.
“We filmed part of a movie here a few years back. He’s a good guy.”
“He must be. I still can’t believe you did this for me. Thank you, Jake. This is beyond my wildest dreams.”
“Then you’re not dreaming big enough, babe. Remember when we were in school and we’d watch the geological documentaries on television? You know I’ll always indulge your interests.” He kissed her as they entered the room with the Blue Moon Diamond. “Sexual or otherwise.”
“I’m counting on it,” she teased. Only she wasn’t teasing. She knew their love life would never get stale as well as she knew their life together could never get boring.
The diamond was magnificent. Brilliant blue with a shape reminiscent of a full moon, and it was even more beautiful than it appeared in photographs.
“They found the diamond in the Cullinan mine in South Africa. It’s one of the most significant discoveries in the world. Gosh, what I wouldn’t give to have been the one to find it.” She felt her eyes bloom wide and didn’t even try to contain her excitement. “Can you imagine what that moment would have felt like?”
JAKE COULD IMAGINE what that moment would feel like, and he imagined it would be a lot like the way he’d felt the minute his lips had met Fiona’s for the first time in more than a decade.
“I’d imagine it felt like the most thrilling moment of their lives.”
Seeing the glimmer of excitement in her eyes warmed him all over. He knew he’d chosen the right place to take her. It dawned on him that he’d been so wrapped up in being with Fiona that they hadn’t spent any time talking about her life. Her job. Her friends. They’d been too focused on making it through the mess of a life he’d created for himself.
The shocking realization momentarily consumed him. Had he really become that selfish of a man? They moved from the gems and minerals through the nature lab and the lab of mammals. All the while, Jake was wading through a pool of introspection, laden with uncomfortable truths.
He kept up with Fiona’s conversation as well as he could as they discussed the exhibits, but he couldn’t shake this harsh new realization. The fact that Fiona hadn’t said something about it didn’t surprise him.
She knows me.
On one hand, that was a very good thing. Fiona loved him regardless of his faults. But on the other, more uncomfortable hand, he didn’t like that he had become so wrapped up in himself that he’d let such an important discussion go unsaid. Yet another reminder of how far he’d fallen from the man he used to be. It fueled his desire to do all the right things for Fiona from here on out.
The last exhibit they visited was the Aurora Butterfly of Peace, a world-famous collection of diamonds in varying colors arranged in the shape of a butterfly. Fiona looked intently at the gems.
“Do you know it took the men who put this together twelve years to collect the diamonds and assemble this? It has two hundred and forty pieces.” She touched the glass case.
“No, I didn’t. But it turns out there’s a lot I don’t know,” Jake answered. Like how to com
e out of my selfishness enough to be worthy of you.
“Together, the diamonds total one hundred sixty-seven carats, and they come from all over the world: Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Australia. It’s amazing, isn’t it? That they could bring all of these rare finds together in one place?” Fiona snuggled against his side.
“You’re amazing, Fi.” She truly was, and he was going to do his damnedest to be the best man he could for her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He folded her in his arms. “Because I think I’ve been a real jerk, and I’m only just realizing it.”
“How can you say that? We just had the most incredible weekend, and look where we are.” She waved her hand at the display.
“Yeah, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Come on.” He pulled out his cell phone and texted Theo to tell him that they were ready to leave. Theo met them in the rotunda and walked them to the back entrance.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Fiona gushed. “That was wonderful, and we really appreciate you taking time to let us in.”
We. He loved hearing her say that with such confidence.
“No problem. Jake, we’ll catch up and have a beer sometime.” Theo patted him on the back.
Jake wanted to run out of there so he could talk with Fiona, but he calmed his jets long enough for a proper goodbye. “Sounds like a plan. Thanks again, Theo.”
In the car, Fiona went on and on about the museum. Jake loved hearing her enthusiasm, but his mind was stuck on talking with her about her world, her life, her job. The job she’d left to seek him out.
They stopped and ate at a café on the way back to his house. Jake spent that time trying to figure out where else he’d gone wrong. His eyes were wide open now, and he swore he wasn’t going to miss another damn thing.
Jake drove out to the beach. He knew it was one of Fiona’s favorite spots. They left their shoes in the car and walked along the sand hand in hand. The sand was warm from the sun, and the beach was fairly crowded. Then again, wasn’t it always? Crowds didn’t bother Jake, but the more time he spent with Fiona, the more he craved alone time with her—even after having her all to himself for the past two days. Would he ever get enough of her? He doubted it.
“Why do I feel like you’re mulling over something?” she asked.
“You always could read me.” He sank down to the sand and patted the spot beside him.
“It’s not hard when you go all reticent on me.” She sat down beside him. “I could feel the tension in your hand.” She leaned back on her palms and sighed. “But I’m not sure how you can be tense about anything after the perfect afternoon we’ve had.”
“It was pretty perfect,” he admitted. “I’m not really tense, just thinking. We’ve been all wrapped up in me and my life, my world, my job. I want to know about you, Fi.”
She laughed. “That’s what you’re worried about? I think you know me pretty intimately.”
“You know what I mean. What’s your life like in Fresno? What’s your job like? Do you have many friends? Hobbies?” He looked her in the eye, giving her his full attention.
“Oh, you mean like my life, life.” She drew three circles in a row in the sand, then pointed to the first one. “See this? This is Fresno.” She pointed to the middle circle. “This is Los Angeles.” Then she pointed to the last. “And this is Trusty. I have spent years doing this.” She drew a line that began at Trusty and arced wide around Los Angeles, then met Fresno. “That’s how I lived. I’d go home and visit, then get back to my real life trying to pretend you weren’t just a short drive away. I’d do my job until the next time I went back home. I could have written a book called Avoiding Jake Braden.”
“Jesus, Fi. Was I that bad?” He scrubbed his hand down his face.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t really you, Jake. It was me. I was afraid to see you again. I knew you avoided me back home in Colorado, and I didn’t want to experience that here. But I thought about you every day, until one day Trish handed me a chance to try to make things right.”
Now he felt even worse. He hated knowing she’d avoided him, even though he’d spent those years avoiding her. Nothing made any sense, and yet, somehow, they were able to overcome it all.
“But what’s your life like? And what made you finally take the chance? I’ve been so caught up in us that I haven’t slowed down to think about your life without me.” He read the suspicion in her eyes. “And I don’t mean dating and all that other crap. You set me straight on that. I mean you, babe. Do you like your job? Is it intellectually stimulating? Do you hang out with friends a lot? Did you ever learn to paint?”
She blinked several times. “You remembered that?”
“Sure. You always wanted to learn. So I take it you never did?”
She shook her head, and it made him sad to think she hadn’t fulfilled that dream. He wanted her to have everything she ever dreamed of.
“Why not?” He touched her hand.
She shrugged. “I got busy with work. You know how life is.”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve been living in a fantasy world for years. My life isn’t normal, and quite frankly, it’s not the life I want.”
“You have a great life.”
“Sure, in some ways, but not in the ways that matter. When we were at the cabin, I didn’t want to leave. I loved just being with you, having that time together without having to pretend for the media or worry about someone knocking on the door. I had forgotten how nice it was to enjoy the quiet. And then today I realized that I’ve gotten so used to focusing only on myself that I hadn’t taken the time to get to know your world. I want to know everything about you, Fi. I want to know about where you live, what you do at work all day, what your hopes and dreams are.”
“None of it is very exciting.”
“Maybe not to you, but it’s important to me. Do you live in an apartment? A house? Do you like it?” The more questions he asked, the more he wanted to get in the car and drive to Fresno so he could do more than talk about Fiona’s world. He wanted to experience it.
“I live in a bungalow. It’s simple, and at the end of a rural road, so it’s very peaceful. And yes. I like it very much. It’s very…me.”
He nodded, picturing her in a bungalow. “Can we go there? Next weekend, maybe?”
She smiled but furrowed her brow. “You don’t need to—”
“I want to, Fi. Tell me more. What about your job? You mentioned a promotion. Are you excited about it?” He realized as he waited for her to respond that her answer would be very telling. With their relationship moving so quickly, she might not tell him if she did love it for fear of not wanting to rock the boat.
“I like my job a lot.” She looked out over the water.
“And?”
“And I was excited about the promotion. I’ve worked hard for it, but that was before coming here.” She met his gaze, and there was so much emotion in her eyes that he wasn’t sure if he was seeing what she felt or a reflection of his own feelings.
For a minute neither of them said anything. He didn’t want to push her on that subject. He hadn’t realized until that second exactly how much she’d put on the line by coming to LA.
“And hobbies?” A futile effort to change the subject and learn more about her.
She shrugged and looked down as she doodled in the sand. “I don’t have much time for hobbies. I read a lot, and I hang out with friends, but work keeps me really busy. And as far as hopes and dreams go, I still want to make it to Greece one day. It would be really cool to discover something magnificent, but those aren’t really things that I sit around and think about.” She lifted her eyes to his again. “You are, Jake. My heart is so wrapped up in you that you’re my hopes and dreams.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Fi.”
“I love you, too.”
“I want to see your world.”
I want to be your world.
Chapter Twenty-One
AT JAKE’S INSISTENCE, they spent Sunday night at Fiona’s apartment. Jake seemed to enjoy being around her belongings, even though it wasn’t technically her apartment. She’d brought her own comforter and pillows from home, as well as a few photographs of her family that she set up on the bedside table. She’d made it as much hers as it could be for such a short period of time, but it still didn’t quite feel like home. Although, now that Jake was there, it felt more like home than ever. After their run, they’d showered together, which she’d already gotten used to, and looked forward to, each morning.
“Fi, coffee’s ready,” Jake called from the kitchen.
She’d dreamed of mornings like this with Jake for so long, but while she’d hoped they’d come true, she never imagined it would really, truly happen. She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion and sank down on the bed until the dampness in her eyes subsided.
“Babe?” Jake stood in the doorframe, shirtless, wearing a pair of faded jeans that hugged him tight in all the right places, his feet bare. His abs looked like a giant arrow pointing to the significant bulge in his pants.
She exhaled, giving in to the holiness that was his body. “You know how cats need to wear bells to warn their owners of their presence?”
He grinned. “Yeah.”
“When it’s this close to when I need to leave for work, you need to wear a shirt. And looser pants. And shoes. God, I even love your bare feet. This is so sick.” She reached for the cup of coffee he was holding out, and he drew it out of her reach.
“Doesn’t the coffee boy get a kiss?”
She rose from the bed, hooked her finger in the waist of his jeans, and banged her forehead on his bare chest. “Do you have to smell so good, too?”
“I’m waiting,” he whispered.
She lifted her chin and accepted the kiss as if it were a big imposition, eye rolls and all.
“Oh, is that how it’s gonna be?” Jake teased.
“What do you expect? You’re standing there like a Hershey bar ready to be eaten, and I happen to be a chocoholic.”
Crashing Into Love Page 22
