“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jason sighed, “I mean, yeah. It’s not like she was around or anything, but it’s just weird to think that she is really gone forever. Like...I will never see her again. Like...all the things I might ever want to say to her...I can't now. Even though I couldn't before, because she wasn't here, it was still like...maybe one day she would be. You know?”
Katie nodded sagely.
They sat in silence for a few more moments, and then Katie took his hand again, and leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat there together, holding hands while they watched the river rush by and felt its power sweep past their feet, and Jason thought to himself, “I'm probably the worst person in the history of the world for thinking this, but...this might be the best day of my whole entire life.”
He thought that his mom might have understood him feeling that way. He hoped so.
Present Day
Katie’s actions and words on that day still gave him comfort now. He couldn’t believe he had let so much time pass and had not gone to see her. So many years he had wasted, not seeing her, not talking to her, not touching her.
Well, damn it, no use crying over spilled milk. Today was a new day and he was not going to let her slip through his fingers again.
Chapter Ten
His boots sounded loud, even to his own ears, as he stomped up the three metal steps to his onsite office trailer, filled anew with determination. As he was opening the door, ready to lose himself in a few hours of work before heading over to the bachelor party at McMillan’s Pub, he heard a car pull into the small lot. As he looked up he saw his brother Alex parking his white SUV beside his truck.
Alex stepped out, “What’s up bro, why are you here? You slackin' on best man duties, or what?”
“Aww, are your panties still in a bunch because Bobby asked me to be his best man instead of you?”
“Nah. I know the real reason that Bobby asked you and not me,” Alex said confidently.
Despite Alex's bravado, Jason knew that he hadn’t taken Bobby’s decision to overlook him for best man duties in favor of Jason all that well. Bobby and Alex were the youngest of the brothers and had been inseparable growing up.
But, after graduation, Alex had left for the Navy. He had moved up the ranks quickly and was selected for the prestigious Navy Seal program. He served proudly for six years and had only recently returned to home to Harper's Crossing, where he was now a firefighter/paramedic.
Jason was the one who had stuck around. He had been there for Bobby, helping to raise him. Giving him advice. Picking him up in the middle of the night from random parties so he wouldn’t drive drunk or ride with anyone else who was. Making sure that he studied, stayed out of fights, graduated...and now Bobby worked with him at Sloan Construction.
Jason was also the one who recognized that Bobby had been in love with Sophie since they were kids. And he was the one who had encouraged Bobby to go for it, not wanting his little brother to make the same mistake with Sophie that he had made with Katie.
Once Bobby had finally gotten his chance with Sophie he had quickly decided that he wanted to marry her. Their dad hadn’t agreed with it, he said it was too fast. But Jason had gone to bat for Bobby, defending him, saying that Bobby had known Sophie practically his whole life. He had argued that this was the real thing. Sure, they may have only technically been dating for a few months before they got engaged. But Sophie Hunter had been the sole keeper of his brother’s heart for years.
So, yeah. Maybe Alex wasn’t happy about the fact that Bobby had chosen Jason, but Jason sure as hell wasn’t going to tiptoe around Alex’s feelings just because he was butt hurt about it.
Alex took the three steps of the metal stairway in one long stride, pushing past Jason, and said, “He couldn’t risk having this perfection,” he waved his hand in front of his face, “standing beside him stealing all of his attention. He had to go with his ugliest brother so he would look better.”
Jason laughed and slapped his brother on the back and crossed to his desk, taking his seat behind it.
“So, I stopped by to see how you were holding up,” Alex said, plunking himself down in one of Jason's visitors chairs, reclining back in it as far as it would go and placing his feet casually up on Jason's desk.
“I’m good. Bobby’s all set, and I’m just trying to tie up some loose ends on the Slater St. job before I head out of town tomorrow,” Jason delivered this information as he reached across his desk and knocked Alex’s feet off of it.
Alex smiled a knowing smile and raised his eyebrows, “I wasn't actually talking about your work schedule, although thanks for that boring little rundown. I was actually referring to the return of one blonde-haired, blue-eyed hottie. I saw you driving away from Richard’s with Katie. How are you doing with that situation?”
Jason did not like where this conversation was headed. He didn’t mind being a sounding board for his brothers and would always be there for them if they needed to talk, needed advice, needed anything. But that was a one-way street. He wasn't going to sit in a construction office trailer and spill his guts. He didn’t need to have an Oprah moment with his brother.
“There is no situation,” Jason said sternly, intending to end the conversation before it even got started.
“No situation, huh?” Alex said, amused. He clearly wasn’t going to drop this.
Always one to cut to the chase, Jason looked his brother straight in the eye, “You got something to say, then say it.”
“Hey,” Alex said with a 'who, me?' expression on his face and put up his hands in mock surrender, “I just wanted to let you know I’m here if you want to talk, and also I really wanted to make sure it wasn’t messing with you too much, seeing her again.”
“Katie and I have been friends practically our entire lives. It’s good to see her again. End of story.”
“Friends, huh? Is that what you kids are calling it these days?” Alex smiled again, that same superior and knowing smile.
Jason knew his brother was getting at something, he just wished like hell he would come out and say it already rather than sitting there like an asshole and hinting around at it with that damn smug smirk on his face.
Wait a minute.
That little speech sounded familiar. But...from the other side. Yeah. He suddenly recognized it. He'd been the recipient of that same complaint multiple times.
Holy crap. So, was this what Katie felt like when he gave her that little grin he liked to give her, just so he could see her get riled up? Damn. He had thought it was charming. If what he was feeling right now was any indication, though, he was probably going to have to revisit that conclusion, because 'charmed' was the furthest thing in the world from what he was feeling right now.
“I’m gonna say this one more time, if you have something to say then say it. If not, shut the hell up,” he snapped, his tone sounding harsh even to his own ears.
“Look Jas, seriously, I didn’t stop by to give you a hard time. It’s just that the night of Nick’s funeral, you know, I was staying at Cam’s house. He lives right down the street from Katie’s. We were out in the front playing basketball when we saw you climb out of Katie’s window, and you didn’t have a shirt on. If memory serves, Katie was gone by the next day.”
“Gotta love small towns,” Jason said tightly, never having felt more nostalgic for NYU than he did at that moment.
“And she's never been back to town since. Not even once.”
“Alex, If you have a point to this little trip down memory lane you need to make it,” Jason said, hoping he was succeeding at his goal – keeping his expression blank, not giving anything away.
“Alright, fine. You don’t want to talk about it, I’ll back off. I just stopped by because I wanted you to know that, even with Bobby busy with wedding stuff and Riley and Seth deployed, you do still have a brother to talk to if you want to.”
Alex stood and turned to leave, but looked back as he was opening the door, “He
y you picking up Bobby tonight? You know the kid can’t hold his alcohol for shit.”
“Yeah, I am heading over there after I finish up here,” Jason said, and then, feeling a little bad for shutting out his brother when he was just trying to help, he added, “Hey, you bringing a date for the wedding?”
Alex smiled and deep dimples appeared on his face, “Nah, bro. That would be like taking sand to the beach.”
Chapter Eleven
Standing in the bathroom, Katie put the finishing touches on her make-up. She had been able to take a long hot shower when she had gotten home from the luncheon and she had sung her heart out. Shower concert FOR THE WIN! She felt like a whole new person.
This day had not gone how she had planned, but she wasn’t going to get bogged down with that now.
The luncheon had been a lot of fun. She had been able to catch up with everyone, and really enjoyed being back with a group of people that really knew her. There was a short-hand in their communication that she hadn’t even realized that she missed until today. There was no way to develop that sort of unspoken understanding with new people, no matter how much you liked them. The only way to enjoy that particular brand of telepathy was by being with people that had known you forever, and shared countless experiences with you.
The only thing that had tainted her complete and total enjoyment of the afternoon was her insane reaction to (and behavior with) Jason. It wasn't just what she had done – although even that was almost too much for her to face. No, it was also how much she had missed him.
God, she REALLY had missed him.
Well, nothing to be done about that now. Nope. Tonight, Katie was going to go out with Sophie, Amber, the Quad Squad and Sophie’s friends. Her game plan was just to relax and enjoy herself.
She took a deep breath and that reminded her to put her trusty paper bag in her purse. Hey, no reason to tempt fate!
There was a knock at her bedroom door. That’s odd, she thought, Mom and Aunt Wendy are both out running errands. Maybe they forgot something.
“Come in,” Katie sing-songed from her bathroom.
She heard footsteps and felt more than saw Jason standing in her room. She opened the bathroom door a little wider and tilted her head to peek out.
“Hey Jas…” She stopped in her tracks before she was even able to ask what he was doing there because, HOLY MOLY, he looked smokin’ HOT.
Jason stood in her room wearing gray slacks and a black button up shirt. He had not shaved so he had a sexy stubble that was more pronounced than even this morning when she had seen him. He cleaned up well. He smiled and she melted, her insides dissolving into a puddle of mush. Lovely, tingly, euphoric mush.
“Hey Kit Kat.” His voice was deep and gravelly.
“What are you doing here?” Katie asked, remaining in the safety of the bathroom. She honestly did not trust herself to step into her bedroom with him, not after how she had behaved a few hours before in his truck and CERTAINLY not with him looking the way he looked right now.
“Bobby’s next door with Sophie. He wanted to stop by because she thought there might be strippers at the bachelor party and she was upset.”
Katie raised an eyebrow, “And does she have any reason to be upset?”
He stepped closer to the bathroom door and raised his hands above his head, resting them on the door frame.
Damn, he smelled good too.
“No,” He replied, looking completely calm and relaxed.
Hmmmmm...Katie considered the way she had phrased the question. Best to be a bit more specific with her inquiry.
“So, then, there is NOT going to be a stripper there?” Katie asked determinedly, trying to pin him down. She needed to get to the bottom of this because a big part of her duties as M.O.H. tonight was going to be calming Sophie down if she was upset. Katie knew that if Jason told her there wasn’t going to be a stripper then there wasn’t going to be a stripper. Jason didn’t lie.
But the other reason she was asking was that...well, for some strange reason the thought of a half-naked or (GOD FORBID!) completely naked girl shakin'-what-her-mama-gave-her all over Jason made her feel…not good. Not jealous, she assured herself. But not good.
But mainly she was asking for Sophie’s sake.
Yeah, and if she believed that maybe she could sell herself some ocean front property in Arizona.
“I didn’t say that,” He (non-)answered.
“So there IS going to be a stripper there?” Her tone sounded much more strident than she had meant it to.
He shrugged noncommittally, “I didn’t say that either.”
“Seriously, Jason. Is there going to be a stripper there or not?” He could be so frustrating sometimes!
“Why do you care?” He leaned closer, making eye contact and smiling that sexy enigmatic smile. His scent was filling the bathroom and suddenly the space felt very close, almost claustrophobic. Her breath quickened and she wondered if just the sight of Jason Sloan in slacks and a button up was enough to bring on a panic attack?
Katie stealthily ducked under Jason’s arm, brushing lightly against his body as she passed him on her way out of the bathroom. It was just the briefest and tiniest of contacts, but it was just enough that her body was now humming with an electric current that felt dangerously close to arousal.
Jason turned towards her as she passed him, leaned back casually against the door frame and crossed his arms, causing his sleeves to hug his well-defined biceps. Good night nurse! She should not be this turned on by him basically just STANDING in front of her.
“Well?” He asked, a little smile playing on the corners of his mouth.
“Well, what?” She heard herself snap back at him.
“Why do you care if there is or is not going to be a stripper at the bachelor party?”
“I don’t care! I’m just asking for Sophie. I am the maid of honor, remember. It’s my job to make sure that Sophie has a good time tonight, and worrying about her soon-to-be husband being GYRATED on is not going to be conducive to her enjoyment of her bachelorette party.”
“Well, I am the best man, remember. And maybe a stripper would be conducive to Bobby’s enjoyment of his bachelor party.”
“Jason, quit playing games and just tell me: yes or no, is there going to be a stripper there.”
“Yes or no, is there going to be a stripper there,” Jason repeated.
When she glared at him, he just looked innocent and said, “What? You told me to tell you ‘yes or no is there going to be a stripper there’ - I'm just trying to be helpful and follow orders!”
Katie shook her head in frustration and bent over to get her heels out of her suitcase. She unzipped the case and flipped open the lid, and as she did that, she saw that Jason’s shirt was sitting on the top. Damn! She hadn’t even thought twice about packing it. She never imagined for a second that he would have an opportunity to see it. She should have known better.
Chapter Twelve
Jason knew he should simply answer Katie and put her mind at ease, but he just couldn’t help himself – he loved seeing Katie Lawson get annoyed. It was one of the cutest things in the world. The way she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, the way her skin would get a little flushed and she would shake her head, trying to clear it of frustration. MAN, he had really missed her.
As she bent over to get something from her suitcase, he took the opportunity to enjoy the view. And what a view it was. DAYUM. Her sweet ass was molded perfectly by the skin-tight jeans she was wearing. He felt himself growing harder by the second and his brain began to fog over with lust, with need. He had a vague notion that he should try to clear his head, but that thought was getting further away by the second.
Katie suddenly slammed her suitcase down and turned and looked…guilty.
Hmmm...that was interesting. He smiled and took a slow step forward.
“What’s in the suitcase Kit Kat?”
“Nothing,” her response came just a little too quickly. He sa
w her cheeks turn red and he knew that she was hiding something.
“Tell me,” He smiled playfully.
“Just clothes, Jas. Seriously,” She looked him straight in the eyes, her face completely relaxed, her voice as smooth as silk.
He knew that, at least in her youth, Katie always pinched her lips together right before she told a lie, but she was older now and top that off with the fact she was a lawyer. Yep, she could probably lie with the big boys now.
Either way, there was definitely something in that suitcase that she absolutely did not want Jason to see. Which, in Jason’s mind, meant only one thing…he needed to see what was in that suitcase.
“Open the suitcase Kit Kat,” he said in an authoritative tone.
“What? No,” she retorted, crossing her arms and looking annoyed. She jutted out her hip and said sassily, “You’re not the boss of me, Jas.”
“Now who’s acting like a five year old?” he sassed back, “You win many arguments in court that way? I can just hear it now. 'But, your honor, that's no fair! Tell opposing counsel he's not the boss of me!' Very professional, Kit Kat.”
Her cheeks flushed pink from either rising ire at his words, or embarrassment over what was in the suitcase. He smiled. Time to find out.
He juked around her and was just in the middle of pulling the top open when Katie jumped in front of him and sat down firmly on top of the suitcase lid. She was grinning broadly and Jason could see in her smile that she was proud of herself because she thought she had outsmarted him. He burst out laughing, which took a bit of the shine off of her smile.
“You think plopping your skinny little ass on top of there is going to deter me?” Jason laughed, and then made a tsk-tsking sound and shook his head slowly back and forth, “Kit Kat, I’m hurt. Honestly. It’s almost as if you don’t know me at all.”
Her eyes grew wide as he lunged forward to pick her up and toss her on the bed. She must have recognized the maneuver from when they were kids because a burst of competitive laughter immediately sprang forth from her mouth, and her eyes came alive with a warrior's fire.
My First (Jason & Katie) Page 14
