“How about we go out like old times?” he offers, flashing me a smile.
Bo would go ballistic if he found out Colt asked me out on a date. “I’m dating someone right now.”
He seems surprised. “Who is it? It can’t be Bo as he isn’t interested in dating women longer than one night.” That was the old Bo, I want to say, but I refrain. “We can go as friends if you want?”
“Bo and I are together, Colt.” Colt is out of his mind if he thinks I’m going to hang out with him. He tried to charm me, making me think he has changed, but I’m not falling for it. He is the same old self-centered asshole who only wants me to get back at Bo. He’s stupid if he thinks I’m giving him another chance.
The roar of a truck pulling in has me turning my head in its direction. Of course, Bo would show up here at this moment. I watch as he climbs down and makes a beeline toward us. He looks pissed.
“Colt,” he acknowledges him as he drapes an arm over my shoulders. Colt’s eyes shift from me to Bo and then back to me.
“So, Jess is right. You two are together,” he quips, clenching his fists. This is going downhill fast.
“It’s none of your business what we are, but just so we’re clear, she’s mine, Colt.”
My breath hitches hearing him say I am his. Bo has never acted territorial around me before, but I have to admit, I like it.
Colt shakes his head and mutters something under his breath that I can’t quite make out. His eyes lift up to mine. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
Bo releases a growl and I elbow him in his side.
When Colt walks off, Bo turns to me. “What did he mean by that and where have you been? You were supposed to have been back by now and we were worried about you!”
His inquisition irritates me. “Colt asked if I wanted to hang out with him and I said no. As far as where I’ve been, I went to visit my parents for a while. Is all of that okay with you?” I retort.
Bo’s eyes soften. “I’m sorry for being upset. We were worried something had happened to you and when I find you, I see you talking to Colt. I can’t stand him for what he did to you and yeah, I’m jealous.”
I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest and I feel his heart beating fast. “I didn’t mean to worry all of you. I just wanted to be alone for a while.”
“That’s understandable, Jess. I know you’re still coping and I feel helpless,” he admits.
“I don’t like that you feel that way. I’m just causing you more problems.”
“No, you’re not,” he says tenderly as he cups my cheek. “I want to help you, even if it takes forever.” Wrapping his arm around my waist he leads me toward my car. “Let’s get home.”
I don’t know what to think of this side of Bo. Seeing him act so sweet to me is different, but a good kind of different.
Ugh! I can’t understand why I can’t be happy and normal again. It seems as if every time I start smiling, something happens or a memory pops into my head and just like that, I’m sad again. I don’t think I will ever get over my parents’ death, especially with how close we were. Not to mention all of my past choices are coming back to haunt me and I instantly feel embarrassed when a memory hits me.
In my heart, I know I can fight this, but all of my thoughts keep pulling me back.
Bo is trying to get me to lean on him for support and while I’m afraid to, I just might give in. This new side of him has me curious and I’m willing to explore it more. Even though we’ve known each other for years, I feel as if I know nothing about him. I want to know every part of him, even his rough side.
46
Bo
Seeing Colt standing so close to Jess had me in a rage. I hate him for how he treated her in the past. Not only that, she’s mine and he wants what’s mine.
I park behind Jess and shut off the truck. Climbing out of my truck, I make my way over to her car. I open her car door and offer her my hand. She places her hand in mine and I help her out of her car, pulling her straight into my arms.
“I’m sorry for acting like an asshole to you, Jess, but seeing him with you, knowing he wants you and after the way he’s treated you, I lost it. I just got you and I don’t want to ever lose you.”
“You’ll always have me, Bo. Even when you didn’t have me, you still did.”
My hands cup her cheeks, tilting her head back as I lean in and kiss her. I wish I had time to make love to her, but I don’t so I’ll have to settle with a kiss.
Entwining my fingers with hers, we head around back where J is lighting the wood. Cassie puts on some music and dances her way over to J.
I twirl Jess before pulling her close. No matter which way I hold her, it never seems close enough to me.
Tonight will definitely be a good night. I can’t wait to get down to the creek with Jess before holding her all night in the bed of my truck.
Faith is up to something, yet I haven’t figured out what it could be. We are all sitting around the bonfire, sipping on some beer, just chilling. Jess is curled up in my lap, almost asleep.
J is sitting to my left with Cassie in his lap. Faith is sitting to my right, grinning like a fool. Cassie invited Heather, but she was unable to come.
“What are you grinning about over there?” I ask Faith.
She shrugs, taking a sip of her beer. “Nothing in particular.”
“You’ve been acting strange all day.”
Faith doesn’t answer which only intensifies my curiosity, but I let it go for now.
Kissing Jess’ forehead, I murmur, “Don’t go to sleep on me, we still have some things to do tonight.”
She smiles a sleepy smile. “I’ll be awake.”
Glancing over at Faith, I ask her, “You ready to go to the creek?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m wiped out from all we did today. You and Jess go and have fun.”
Shocked that she is bailing on us, it takes me a second to reply. “Faith, this was your idea,” I remind her.
She rises to her feet. “I know, but you and she need this more than I do.” She walks inside the house before I can say anything else.
I pat Jess’ leg to make sure she’s still awake. She moves a little so I whisper in her ear. “Would you rather go home and sleep or go down to the creek?”
Jess is off of my lap in two seconds flat. “I’m up!”
Chuckling, I stand. “Thought so.” I smirk. Bending down to Jess’ waist, I lift her over my shoulder. She squeals with laughter, surprised by my move. Glancing over at my brother and Cassie who are getting a kick out of it, I say, “We are out of here, J. I’m glad we got to do this.”
“See you, bro. I think we are going to head out too,” he says, gazing at his wife.
I carry Jess in the house so we can grab the things we need.
It doesn’t take long and we are on our way to the creek. It takes a few minutes to get back there, but it is worth the while.
I’m so ready to get Jess naked and in the water.
I go ahead and spread out the blankets in the bed of the truck, getting it ready for us to sleep in later.
Faith is right, we need this night. I need this night so I can take my time with her, exploring every inch of her body.
47
Bo
Waking up in the bed of my truck with Jess curled up in my arms is the greatest feeling. I could lay here all day with her, but I know we need to go.
Jess stirs in my hold. “Morning, darlin’.”
“Hmm…”
“We need to get back to the house, baby.”
Jess groans and snuggles closer to me. “I wish we had more time, Jess, but we need to get back to the house before they send out a search party.”
“Okay,” she relents, sighing.
We dress and fold the blankets up, placing them inside the cab of the truck.
Jess sits next to me, her head on my shoulder as I drive us out of the woods toward the house.
When
we walk in, I immediately notice something is wrong. I drop all of the blankets on the couch and head to Faith’s room. Mom is in there with her and a woman I’ve never seen before.
Mom sees me and shoos me out. “What’s going on with her?” Mom brings the door to, leaving it cracked.
“She spiked a fever of one hundred and four during the night. She won’t eat anything.”
Jess grabs my hand and squeezes it. “What aren’t you telling me, Mom?”
“Why don’t we wait to hear what the nurse says,” she replies.
I don’t like being kept in the dark. A gut feeling tells me Faith doesn’t have as long as we think.
It seems like forever before the nurse is done looking over Faith. I swallow hard, trying to prepare myself for the worst.
I listen intently as the nurse talks to my mom, explaining what will happen soon with Faith. Deciding I don’t want to hear anymore, I leave the living room to go see Faith.
At first, I think she is sleeping, but then she turns her head in my direction. “Hey, cowboy,” she rasps.
There is a chair next to her bed so I sit down in it and take her hand, giving her a half smile.
“Don’t look sad, Bo. I still have time.” She doesn’t like seeing me worry about her, but I can’t help it. How long does she have left?
I force a smile. “We still haven’t crossed everything off your list.”
“When I get better we can go.”
“Okay, I’ll hold you to it.”
A smile appears on her face. “Can you hand me my list and a pen?”
“Sure, where is it?” Faith tells me it’s in her bag, so I find it and dig around for the list and a pen.
Handing it over to her, I watch as she unfolds it and uncaps the pen. She draws a line through the last one, which is, fall in love…for real. “I don’t understand, Faith. Why did you mark off that one?”
“Because I did. You told me that you couldn’t help me with the last one, but you did. I fell in love with you.”
“Faith,” I breathe, choking up.
“I don’t regret meeting you or dating you, even though, deep down, I wondered if there was someone else. I still fell in love anyway because I wanted to know what it felt like.”
It hurts to hear her tell me she was in love with me. Knowing I broke her heart hurts more than I can handle. “I didn’t want to break your heart.”
“You didn’t, I promise. Everything happened the way it should have,” she assures me, although I’m not so convinced. “I don’t regret a single thing, Bo. And you shouldn’t either so wipe that frown off your face.”
“When you’re better, we’ll go do whatever you want, okay?”
“Deal. Oh, by the way, how was last night?” she waggles her brows.
I chuckle, tears brimming my eyes. “It was amazing. Jess is so fucking beautiful and perfect. I woke up this morning not wanting it to end.”
“Good. I’m happy for you two. Now, send Jess in here. I want to talk to her before I fall asleep.”
“I’ll go get her,” I say, rising to my feet. I lean over and kiss Faith’s head. “I’ll come talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay.”
Leaving the room, I find Jess sitting with my mom in the living room. “She wants to see you,” I tell Jess.
Jess nods and stands. I catch her when she walks by me, lifting her chin so I can capture her lips.
Reluctantly, I let her go, knowing she needs to go talk to Faith.
Later that evening as I am talking to Faith, an idea hits me forming a smile on my face.
“Why are you grinning like a fool?”
“I’m going to need your help,” I tell Faith and begin quietly informing her of my plan.
48
Bo
While Jess and I have been amazing together, I still want to do something grand for her. I pull out my guitar from the closet and dust it off. I can’t sing that well, but there is a song that I want to sing to her. Faith and Cassie are going to help decorate the house and make it look awesome. The house was ready for us to live in again a couple of weeks ago, but Mom thought it is best if Faith stays with them and I agree.
Mom is keeping Jess occupied today by shopping. With Faith’s health declining fast, I need to do this now and not keep putting it off. Faith is a major reason why Jess and I are together so she needs to be a part of this.
Since the whole incident with Craig, Jess has been slowly becoming the girl she used to be. I’ve missed her smile and hearing her laugh.
“Is everything ready?” I ask the girls. Mom will be here with Jess anytime so we have to get done.
“Done!” They yell as they leave the bedroom.
Grabbing my guitar, I walk outside on the porch swing and wait. I’ve been planning this night for two weeks. I want it to be perfect.
The ring I spent a week searching for is tucked safely in my pocket. It will look amazing on her finger. A small part of me wonders if she will say no, but I try to focus on the positive. Jess loves me.
Gravel crunching has me whipping my head around. Cassie and Faith are so excited they can’t sit still.
J climbs out of the backseat and I smile, happy my brother is going to get to see this, too. Judging by the look on Jess’s face, she knows something is about to happen.
As soon as her foot hits the first step, I begin strumming my guitar. The song, God, Your Mama, And Me, is perfect for us.
Tears fill her eyes as I continue to play. By the end of the song, everyone has joined in singing.
Setting my guitar down, I close the distance between Jess and me, placing my hands on her waist. “From the beginning, you affected me and it took me a while to realize what you were doing to me. From then on, everything I did was for you. I never thought I would be in a relationship and want to settle down. Now, it’s the only thing I want and you are the only one I want to spend forever with.”
Lowering to one knee, I pull out the velvet box and open it. Her hand covers her mouth in shock. “Will you marry me?”
She nods. “Yes, a million times yes!”
That’s all I needed to hear. I slide the ring on her finger and rise to my feet. Her arms circle my neck as I lean in to kiss her soft lips. I hear everyone around us cheering and I’m glad they got to share this moment with us.
Cassie and Faith step in to hug Jess. I turn to J who slaps me on my shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, bro!”
He steps back and mom hugs me. “I can’t wait to plan the wedding! Have her call me tomorrow and we can get started.”
I laugh and kiss her cheek. “I will. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you.”
Cassie hugs me and tells me congrats. When it’s Faith’s turn, she pulls me in for a long hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you, Faith, for all that you’ve done for us and my family.”
“Not a problem, cowboy! Now, go have hot sex with your fiancée!”
I bark out a laugh and let her go. “See you tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry about me, Bo. Spend time with Jess.”
“I’m coming to see you sometime tomorrow.”
She rolls her eyes and leaves with Cassie. Everyone is gone now so I scoop Jess up in my arms and step inside.
Her breath hitches at the rose petals and candles burning. After I set her down, I lock the door behind us.
“You look so beautiful,” I murmur, admiring her. She is wearing a white sundress and flats. Dropping to my knees, I slip off her shoes. I kiss up her calf, then her thigh. I rip her panties off of her, letting the shreds fall to the floor.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Jess breathes. I place a kiss to the apex of her thighs and she lets out a moan.
As I stand, I inch her dress up all the way until it’s off of her and discard it on the floor.
“Why are you still wearing clothes?” she whispers. Jess is slowly getting some of her curves back and I can’t wait to run my hands along them.
“Good question,” I reply, grabbing the back of my shirt and pulling it over my head.
Jess undoes my belt, then my jeans. I toe off my boots and remove the rest of my clothes. Placing my hands on her waist, I lift her, her legs locking around me.
As I take us to our bedroom, Jess unclasps her bra and tosses it.
“Look, darlin’,” I tell her, waiting to see her reaction.
I set her down and she turns and gasps again. “Oh, Bo, this is so beautiful. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”
My arms snake around her from behind and I kiss her cheek. “You deserve this and more.”
In this moment, I feel as if I am the luckiest guy in the world.
49
Jess
It’s only been a week and I’m still staring at my gorgeous ring, unable to believe that I am engaged to the love of my life. Bo and I haven’t started planning the wedding yet as we are taking our time.
It’s been a week of bliss, until this morning when Bo received a call from his mother that Faith passed away. Bo and I held each other and cried for a few minutes before getting dressed and heading to his mom’s.
Although we knew this day was coming, nothing can prepare us for the moments after they go.
My heart hurts knowing that she died too young. She had her whole life ahead of her and it was stolen.
While I knew Faith didn’t have a good relationship with her parents, I want to call them and let them know out of respect. But I hadn’t been prepared for them not to care. That broke my heart even more until I realized that they weren’t her family, we are.
Faith had everything planned out for us so we wouldn’t have to. She wanted to be cremated and her ashes spread out in the ocean.
I smile, knowing how much she loved the beach.
“Are you okay?” I ask Bo, wondering why I asked such a stupid question. Of course, he isn’t okay.
Holding on for you (Saved #2) Page 18
