by Jessie Cooke
All of these thoughts were running through his head as he took one of the bike engines apart. He could take an engine apart in his sleep, so at least his work wasn't affected by the chaos in his head. But apparently, it was affecting his senses since he didn't see or hear Callie come into the shop. “Hey! Jig!” She was right next to his face before he finally saw her. His body jerked in surprise and he almost dropped the heavy wrench he was holding.
“Damn Callie! You could give a guy a heart attack, sneaking up on him like that.”
She shook her head. “I've been calling your name since I walked in. Where were you, in outer space?”
He chuckled. “Something like that, I've got a lot on my mind.” What can I do for you?”
She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. “Hopefully one of those things on your mind is your old lady's birthday?”
“Birthday? Oh fuck! What's the date today?”
“February ninth.”
“Shit! Damn it!”
Callie stood there with her arms folded while he cursed himself and when he seemed to be finished she said, “So apparently it wasn't one of the things on your mind. That's too bad because I was going to tell you that the veterinarian I work for had to cancel his dinner reservations tonight and he asked me if I wanted them. Handsome is busy tonight so I thought I'd pass them on to you...but, if you don't want them...”
“I want them!” Damn it! This was going to be her first birthday they were together. He'd planned what he wanted to do in his head a thousand times at least. He couldn't believe he forgot!
Callie smiled. “Good. Go tell her right now so she has time to decide what to wear.”
“Don't tell her I forgot?”
“Not as long as you do her right,” Callie said. “I'll text you the information about the restaurant.”
Jigsaw started to leave but came back and grabbed Callie up in a hug that almost crushed her. “Thank you. She'll have the best birthday ever if it kills me.” Callie was still trying to get her breath when he left to find Kimber. He had a lot to do, and not much time to do it.
21
“Oh wow, this place is...are you sure you want to eat here? I mean, am I dressed okay?” Jigsaw had borrowed the swag wagon and he was wearing a tie and a pair of pants that weren't jeans. He hadn't done that since...well, his parent's funeral, probably. Kimber on the other hand looked completely natural in her new dress. After he told her he was taking her out, he'd found Callie again and he'd given her money to take Kimber shopping. He knew Kimber would balk at spending money on herself, but he had faith that Callie could talk her into it. The end result was enough to make a grown man cry.
“Dressed okay? Baby girl I have honestly never seen anything more beautiful in my life, than you in that dress.” It was silver and clingy. It came down to mid-thigh in front and it attached to her neck with a sequined choker. But the back, that was his favorite part. He couldn't wait to get her inside and take her coat off her. The back didn't start until it got to the small of her back...right where those two sexy little dimples were, just above the swell of her perfect ass. He was worried he wouldn't make it through dinner without a swell of his own making him look like the pervert that he was.
Kimber smiled and blushed. “It's not too much?”
“You're too much, baby...everyone in the room is going to be jealous, horny or both.” She was wearing high heeled shoes that strapped around her ankles too...He couldn't wait to fuck her in those...shit, he was getting hard again. “Anyways,” he said, clearing his throat and helping her out of the car. “I'm the one to worry about. This tie is choking me. I might have to rip it off halfway through dinner.”
She laughed. “You look so handsome. Thank you for doing all of this. I know you have a lot on your mind.”
“The most important thing on my mind is you,” he said, feeling guilty once again for forgetting what today was. Thank God for Callie. He was going to make it up to Kimber though, starting right now. He handed the keys to the wagon to the valet and let Kimber take his arm. He was a nervous wreck walking into the restaurant. He'd never been anywhere like it, and he could tell by the look on Kimber's face that she hadn't either. But, she deserved to eat in a place like this, probably more than anyone in it did. He told the hostess they had a reservation, gave them the name Callie told him to and seconds later they were walked through the beautiful restaurant that smelled good enough to make Jigsaw forget his cock for a second and remember his stomach. They were shown to a table near the back, far enough away from the other tables that they could have a private conversation and enjoy each other's company without feeling like they were on display. Best of all, Jigsaw got to help her take her coat off and now her beautiful body was on display for him alone.
As soon as they sat down, he began to relax...until they brought the wine menu. He'd forgotten to ask Callie what to do with that. He had no fucking clue how to order wine. The only wine he'd ever drank came from a bottle with a Thunderbird on the front of it...and it tasted like Strawberry Kool-Aid. “Um, what do you recommend?” he asked the waiter. He could see Kimber out of the corner of his eye. She was trying not to smile. The waiter recommended some fancy bullshit that would probably cost him three hundred dollars...but he didn't care about the money. Jigsaw had been getting paid since the second month he was on the ranch, and he had already spent more of it that day than he had all year. He would gladly spend the rest of it that night too, if it would make Kimber smile the way she was right then.
“This place is so nice,” she said, again.
He reached over and took her hand. “You deserve nice things,” he said. “This is going to be a birthday you'll never forget.” He kissed her hand and gave it back to her so that she could look at the menu. Jigsaw was relieved to see they had a steak portion, things with names he recognized. When the waiter came back and poured them each a glass of the expensive wine, Kimber ordered the seafood platter and Jigsaw a big, juicy steak and potato. Once the waiter left again, he picked up his wine glass and said, “Happy birthday, baby.”
She picked hers up too and they toasted and then he took a big drink of his...it was awful. It tasted like piss and he wanted to spit it out. But Kimber looked like she was enjoying hers, so he swallowed and smiled and reminded himself to ask for ice water when the waiter came back. “Thank you,” she said, “For all of this. So, are you guys leaving Sunday night or...?”
He shook his head. “No shop-talk tonight. No club-talk. No talk about anything that makes either of us unhappy. This night is about everything good in our lives...namely, you. Tell me about shopping with Callie. How was that?”
She laughed. “Okay. It was fun. We went to the mall first, but Callie has surprisingly upscale taste. She didn't like anything I found there so she took me to a dress shop downtown and that's where we found this one. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.”
He ran his eyes over her torso and said, “Me too.”
She laughed. “I'm glad you like it. What did you do today while I was out shopping?”
“Nothing exciting,” he said. In fact, he had done a little shopping of his own, and he'd made hotel reservations and set a few things up there. He barely made it back to the ranch in time to change into the stupid clothes he was now wearing. But, being here with her now made it all worth it.
“Okay then, how about this...I'd really like to hear about your brother, if you don't mind talking about him.”
Jigsaw smiled, sadly. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he talked about Nick...really talked about him. He'd told Natalie about him, but if it didn't affect her in any way, she was never very interested. “I don't mind,” he said. “What do you want to know?”
“What's it like having a twin? Did you guys have that connection that people talk about?”
He smiled. “Not like a psychic connection or anything,” he said. “But we were close growing up. My poor grandmother had her hands full when we were little. If one of us was into somethi
ng, so was the other.”
“Is it weird to look at someone else and see yourself? Like looking into a mirror?”
“Not for me because that was the way it always was. I didn't look at him and see my face. I just saw Nick. He was always the adventurous one between the two of us. He was the leader and I was the follower. He did everything first and by the time I did it...our parents, or Mamaw were like, ‘Yeah, well we just saw someone that looks like you do that,’ so...” She laughed. “Go ahead and laugh, but I'm serious. He took a few steps and the earth stopped turning for the celebration. Ten minutes later I did the same thing and the dog was the only one that noticed.”
She laughed then said, “You poor thing.”
Jigsaw smiled. “My brother was fearless. When they told him he had cancer, he didn't flinch. He just said, ‘Okay, how do I kick its ass?’ And he did...at least for a while. He didn't let it keep him down and I never realized it until recently, but it took a hell of a lot of balls for him to go off on his own like he did and make his own life. I wish I had been that brave.”
“You were taking care of your mamaw. That was brave.”
He rolled his eyes. “That was paying her back, for everything she did for us.”
“Not everyone would have done that at your age.” He was uncomfortable with the praise, especially because that time of his life felt like a huge failure to him. He'd lost everything when Mamaw died. He hadn't been able to save any of it. He was glad when the waiter arrived with their food, it gave him a reprieve for a few seconds and time to think of something else to talk about. While they ate, he told her stories about Nick and made her laugh. He liked being able to talk to her about him. It made it seem not as horrible that he was gone...if they could keep his memory alive.
They finished their delicious meal and Kimber had another glass of wine. They shared a dessert and after Jigsaw paid the exorbitant bill, they got back into the Swag-wagon and Jigsaw headed further downtown. “Where are we going?” Kimber asked.
“You'll see.” He drove up in front of the Omni Hotel, Parker House. It was the hotel he was told was the nicest in downtown Boston earlier in the day when he started asking around.
“What are we doing here?” Kimber asked when he turned off the ignition and opened the door for the valet.
“Continuing the birthday celebration,” he said. He handed the keys to the valet and went around to help her out. She once again stood in the entryway and looked up at the building like she did at the restaurant and said,
“Are you sure, baby? This is so much...”
He shushed her and led her through the door that the doorman was holding open. The lobby was opulent, and Jigsaw's face probably looked like Kimber's did now when he'd come in earlier to make the reservations. He was glad he'd come in earlier and got that out of his system. Now, he just strolled up to the desk like he belonged there and while he checked in, Kimber's eyes traveled from one beautiful, glittery thing to the next.
Once he had the room key, they took the marble and glass elevator up to the sixth floor. They found room 604 and Jigsaw stood in front of her to block her view as he slid the key in the lock and opened the door. He wanted to be sure they'd arranged everything the way he asked. The room was huge and in the center of it was the biggest bed he'd ever seen. There were white rose petals scattered across the chocolate-brown comforter and spilling over onto the plush carpet on the floor. Candles were burning across the desk near the window and the drapes were pulled open to show off the gorgeous Boston skyline. Most importantly, her gift was wrapped and sitting on the table next to the birthday cake he'd had made especially for her. He stepped aside and said, “Your room is ready, Milady.”
22
Kimber gasped when she saw it. “Oh Jig...when did you...? How did you...” Oh Jig...this is incredible.”
He closed the door behind them and leaned down and kissed her lips. “You're incredible. I love you.”
She slipped her arms up around his neck and kissed him, hard. “I love you too. I love you so much. But you didn't have to do all this...”
“Shush!” He laughed. “I know I didn't have to. I wanted to.” He took her by the hand and led her over to the table so that she could see the cake. It was shaped like a Harley and there was a man and woman riding it.
“Oh wow! It's so cute. I love it.”
“Open your present,” he said. He was like a little boy all of a sudden. He couldn't wait any longer for the highlight of the night. Kimber smiled and picked up the box off the table. It was as big as a shoe-box and from the looks of it, heavy. She tried to shake it but nothing moved inside, just as he had requested. “Don't shake it, open it, babe.”
She smiled again and sat down at the table and began to untie the ribbon. Jigsaw's patience was wearing thin by the time she carefully slid her fingers underneath the shiny paper it was wrapped in, like she was trying to save it. He wanted to reach down and rip it off for her...but, he didn't. He fought his impatient urges and continued to watch as she finally got the paper off and saw that it was, in fact, a shoe box. They'd wrapped it in a pretty pink shoe box and as she lifted off the lid, Jig wondered if she thought he'd bought her shoes. She looked a little confused when she saw what was in the box on top. They were photographs of a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, a bedroom attached to it with a round deep window with a seat in it. Outside the window was a huge old oak tree with leaves the color of fire. The next photo was of a cozy little kitchen with a breakfast nook, and a small living room with a stone fireplace and glass doors that looked out into a backyard surrounded by what looked like forest.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Keep going,” he told her, taking the pictures out of her hand.
She smiled and reached in the box again, this time pulling out a key. It was on a chain that said, “Insert family name here.” With a nervous little laugh, she said, “Hmm, is this a key to...?”
He took it from her too and said, “Keep going.”
She laughed and pulled out a smaller box that was wrapped in the same paper that the shoe-box had been wrapped in. She shook that one and he rolled his eyes. When she finally began opening it, she unwrapped it as carefully as she had the other box, but that gave him the time he needed to get himself ready. With the key and photographs in his left hand, he knelt next to her. Kimber glanced at him like he was crazy right before she pulled the top off the little box. A small sound between a gasp and a squeak escaped her lips when she saw it.
It was an engagement ring, one that he'd spent the better part of his day agonizing over. He wanted it to be perfect for her, but he didn't want to show it to Callie or anyone else to make sure it was perfect before Kimber saw it. So, he'd had to go with his own instincts and he hoped that he'd done good. When she looked at him with tears in her eyes, he wasn't sure.
“Oh Jig...is this...?”
“Kimber, will you marry me?” She used two fingers to pull the diamond and platinum gold ring out of the box. A tear escaped her eyes as she said,
“Oh my God, Jig...are you sure?”
He took the ring out of her hand and slipped it on her finger and then he stood up and pulled her to her feet. He had asked Callie for her size and he was glad he did, the ring fit perfectly. “I've never been more sure of anything in my life...oh, except for this,” he said. He handed her back the key and the photos. She had tears freely rolling down her cheeks now as she looked at it.
“Whose house is this?” she asked.
“Ours,” he said. “It's not much, but it's off the ranch a ways and it's just a starter house. I'd like to fill it full of kids, but if you don't, that's okay too. And if you do...I won't make you live in a two-bedroom house forever with six kids...”
Kimber cut him off by throwing her arms around him and pressing her lips into his hard with a kiss that took his breath away. When she finally let him come up for air she said, “Yes...I will marry you and I'll live in this house with you and have six kids with you...I'll l
ive in a tent or under a freeway with you. Oh my God Jig...I love you so much.”
His heart was so full that he thought it might burst. She was everything he ever wanted and a family with her would only tie the dream up in a big, pretty bow. “I love you so much. You make me happier than I've ever been, and I remember all of it now.” She wiped her tears away and kissed him again. He had his hands on her bare back and the feel of her soft skin was going straight to his cock again. “I have a confession,” he said when she pulled out of the kiss.
“What's that?”
“All night, I've been trying to be a perfect gentleman on the outside, but every five seconds, I was thinking about getting you out of this dress and fucking you all night long.”
She smiled wickedly and said, “I had that same thought, more than once.” She leaned in and let her tongue slide along the outside of his lower lip. He pulled her against him tightly then and they locked in a kiss that caused his pulse to surge with furious passion. She explored his mouth with her sexy tongue like she'd never been there before and then he felt her use her teeth to nibble at his lips. He let out a groan and whispered, “So fucking sexy,” as her hands were already tearing at his tie. He helped her get the noose off and she immediately went for the buttons on his shirt. Jigsaw tried to help her there, but they were small, and annoying, so he just grabbed one side of it and pulled. The buttons scattered across the floor, skittering under the table and up against the wall. He let her push it off his shoulders and then he shrugged it off before grabbing her face and pulling her into another hot kiss. As he kissed her, his hands roamed and he slipped them down into the opening of her dress in the back. As soon as he felt what was there, he gasped into her mouth and pulled back and looked at her face. She was grinning up at him.
“Panty lines would have ruined the dress.”
“Fuck me...” She'd been sitting across from him all night, so demurely, without a stitch of anything on underneath that thin, sexy dress. That might well be the sexiest thing he'd ever heard.
