“That’s one point in his favor. Didn’t know he was that perceptive when it came to you.”
“Me neither. Did Meghan ever think anything?”
“No. I thought maybe she would, but she was always so focused on the boys. Our marriage was all about them from the start.”
I lean my head back against the seat, but I can feel Jenson shift to look at me.
“So did you get it?”
“Get what?” I say.
“The contract. How’d the meeting go?”
“It went awesomely. I closed the deal, baby.”
“So you’re now the number one deal closer in the Northeast?”
I laugh. “Right. I’m still working on that title. But I will get a good bonus from this.”
He leans over to kiss me at the next stoplight. “Congratulations, Olive. I’m proud of you. You worked really hard for this.”
“Yeah, I guess. I know Liberty Falls is a joke to people here.”
“Liberty Falls isn’t a joke,” Jenson says. “You want balance in your life. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I know.” I never actually wanted to move to New York City. I didn’t want the long hours or the intense pressure, as much as I tried to convince myself I needed it. And if I were living here now, I would have missed Jenson’s homecoming, which means I may not have gotten a chance to heal the hole in my heart that I’ve had for as long as I can remember.
“Did you get us a room?” I ask him.
“Yes, sugar, I got us a room,” he says in a teasing tone.
I laugh. “How is it?”
“It’s nice. I’m not big on fancy hotels, but it’s got a great bed and a good view of the city.”
“I think that’s all we’ll need.”
Chapter Nineteen
As soon as Jenson and I step out of the truck and hand the keys to the hotel bellhop, I drop my purse. It flies open and the condoms I brought sail out. But they don’t just drop out of my purse—no, they literally fly out and disappear down the gutter, which happens to be right next to my feet.
“Oh. No.” I kneel down and desperately look down into the gutter, even sticking my fingers into the spaces. Maybe I can still reach them; after all, it isn’t every day I get to have sex with the love of my life as often as I want to.
Jenson touches my arm. “Just let them go, Olive. It’ll be all right.”
I know he has no condoms with him because I showed him the box of specialty ones on my dresser and told him I’d pack plenty for our trip.
I stand up reluctantly and take his hand as we walk into the hotel lobby, which looks all gold and glittery and pretty.
“We’ll buy some later. There are drugstores in the city. I know yours were special,” he adds at the look on my face. “But we got to use those last night, right? I guess we’re due for some good old-fashioned rubbers.”
I hit his arm as he laughs. “I hate that word. It’s so unromantic.”
“Because condom sounds so sexy?” Jenson says as we enter the elevator. The couple already inside the car stares at us, and Jenson grins at them until they turn away.
When we get to our floor, Jenson leads me to the left and down the hall before stopping outside our room. I kiss his neck as he puts the keycard in the lock, and as soon as we step inside the door and close it behind us, he backs me up against the wall.
“I love your work clothes,” Jenson whispers to me as he takes off my jacket. “But I love taking them off you more.”
He shifts me toward the bed, unbuttoning my blouse at the same time. I fall back onto the mattress, and Jenson joins me. He stretches out onto his back and lifts me on top of him.
“I missed you the whole meeting,” I say to him as I pull off his shirt. I start kissing his chest and then move my lips down to his stomach. “I’m glad you came with me.”
“Honey, I don’t want to be anywhere else.” Jenson fumbles with the zipper on my skirt and then slips his hands up the insides of my thighs.
I let out a moan and reach for the belt on his jeans. “I want you so much, J.”
His hands are all over me, dragging my skirt down my legs. But then he freezes.
“We don’t have a condom, Olive.”
Every part of my body and heart is screaming: That’s fine! I always knew that if I were ever going to have kids, they would have to be Jenson’s. My brain warns me to be careful.
But I’ve been holding back with Jenson for years. I’m sick and tired of listening to the jury panel in my head as they sit back and deliver their verdicts over and over again.
I grab at his boxers. “That’s okay.” I flip onto my back and pull him on top of me. “I don’t think I’m ovulating. We’ll be okay.”
“All we need is us.” He nibbles my neck. “Love is all that matters. And I’m okay with whatever happens as long as I’m with you, Olive. I want everything with you.”
After that speech, he rolls off of me and starts putting on his pants.
“What the hell are you doing?” I prop myself up on my elbows and watch him get dressed. “I just worked to get you out of those clothes.”
He chuckles. “And I look forward to you doing that again in a few minutes. I’m just going to go grab us some protection.”
“You’re leaving? To get condoms? I thought you just said love is all that matters and you want everything with me.”
He bends down to kiss me gently on the lips. “I do want that. And I really am excited to have a baby with you as soon as possible. But I don’t want it to happen by default. We waited too long to do everything right, so why would we get careless now?”
Good point. “I’m not sure…”
Another tender kiss. “Olive. You deserve to have a baby on your own terms, when you’re ready. And I’ll be right by your side. Okay? I’ll be back. Keep the bed warm for me.”
Later that evening, I’m lying across Jenson’s chest, enjoying that the only sounds I can hear are his heartbeat and his breathing and, of course, the constant background buzz of city traffic down below.
Then my cell phone rings.
I jump and glance at the clock, certain it must be the middle of the night.
“It’s only nine?” I say to Jenson as I grab my phone.
“Hi, Mom,” I say into the receiver.
“Hi, honey,” she says. “How are you doing in New York?”
“I’m great. How are you?”
“Everything’s fine here. Auntie Sue’s doing as well as can be expected. I just hope she can make it to Sheldon and Cara’s wedding.”
“I hope so too.”
“I figured you were done with dinner, and I thought maybe you were lonely in the city all by yourself.”
“Oh.” I pull the sheet up over me and lean back against the pillows. I feel like she can see my naked body through the phone. “No, I’m okay, Mom. Not lonely.” I look over at Jenson, who smiles and starts pulling the sheet back down so he can kiss my stomach.
I push him away as Mom keeps talking. “And with the whole Nate business that took place there…”
“It’s okay, Mom.”
“I know. But the city can be very lonesome. So many people but no connections, you know? No green grass to lie down in, no trees to stand by you as you take walks…”
I have no clue what she’s even talking about. “Mom, the trees don’t stand by you as you walk. They stand still, and you walk by them.”
Jenson starts laughing. I push his head to get him to stay quiet and press the phone closer to my ear.
“But nature is so comforting,” Mom waxes. “I remember the year Dad and I lived in Philly while he was an adjunct at the university. It was terrifying.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of around here, Mom,” I assure her.
Jenson leans closer to the phone and whispers, “What the hell is she talking about?”
I put my hand over his mouth as I say into the phone, “I’m safe and secure in my hotel in a very safe part of the ci
ty. Don’t worry, but I’ve got to go, okay? I’ll call you when I get back. Love you.”
Jenson’s kissing the hand I’m pressing over his mouth, and he keeps kissing it until I hang up the phone. I turn it off and throw it across the room to the couch, and then I scoot back down under the sheet and climb on top of him.
“That was not fun.” I kiss his neck and run my hands through his hair. “You made that very distracting.”
“I’m sorry.” He puts his arms around me and reaches for my mouth with his. “But you’re irresistible.”
And then everything grows fuzzy, and love feels easy. Jenson and I waited so long to get to this point, and all of a sudden, in a different state and a different place, it all feels so easy.
A while later, I stand in Jenson’s t-shirt in the dark room and open the curtains to look out at the city lights of New York below me.
“It’s weird being this high up,” I say as Jenson leans his head on my shoulder and puts his arms around me from behind.
“I called Donald Waverly today,” he says abruptly.
The mood in the room changes in an instant.
I whip my head around so I can face him. “What? When?”
“While you were in your meeting.” He sits down on the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but his black boxer briefs. “I guess being in Manhattan felt far enough away…like I could be anonymous.”
Kind of like how we feel right now because no one in our families is here to see us together.
“What was he like?” I say as I take a seat next to him.
“He was very businesslike,” Jenson says. “I told him I was interested in condos or possibly houses in the Philly area. He talked to me for about ten minutes about the different options and neighborhoods. Then I said I had to go, but he asked me to call him next week to set up coffee and then some viewings. He told me he’d take me around personally. I said I’d get back to him when I was ready.”
“Wow. Does he typically offer to meet people himself?”
“I’m sure.” Jenson clasps and unclasps his hands on his lap. “It’s just him and one assistant. The assistant was out to lunch so I lucked out. Or else I may have had the wrong person talking to me about real estate I’m never going to buy.”
I put my hand over his. “I’m proud of you. At least you got to hear his voice. It’s a good start.”
“He lives in a high-rise, and he’s one hundred percent single and living the good life. He sounds like he’s got his whole life in place,” Jenson says. “Who am I to go and screw that up?”
“He may want to know that he’s your father. He may not. I don’t know what I’d do.”
Jenson turns and puts his arms around me, and I hold him close to me. “He doesn’t know I exist. Imagine if I didn’t know about Kyle and Connor? I have to tell him. I’m just not sure what to say yet.”
“Keeping secrets is exhausting,” I say, picking at the comforter on the bed.
“Why do I get the feeling we’re not just talking about my situation?” Jenson asks.
I raise my eyes to look at him. “Part of me wants to tell our families soon. But we’ll have to wait until after Sheldon and Cara’s wedding; I couldn’t live with myself if I ruined their wedding because things got awkward.”
His expression relaxes into relief. “I’ve been feeling the same way. The thing is, when I decide to tell my mom about you and me, I’m not going to stop there. I’m also going to tell her I found Donald, and I don’t know if I can keep that secret from Dee.”
I look at him in surprise. “You’re thinking of telling Dee about Donald?”
“I wouldn’t ever do that without my mom’s permission,” he says, but his voice is strained with pain. “You remember how, the day I found the birth certificate, my mom asked me not to tell anyone who my biological father is? And I get it—she wanted to protect her marriage. But keeping the truth from Dee has made things incredibly awkward. He’s raised me the same as if I were his biological son, and I love him. But to pretend that Donald doesn’t exist is hard; I’m uncomfortable not telling my sons the truth, and the older they get, the more uncomfortable I feel.”
“I understand.”
His eyes look greener than ever and more intensely bright when he says, “Once we tell them about us, Olive, it’s not going to be easy at first. Your family’s amazing and welcoming, but some of them, not to mention the people in Liberty Falls, truly believe I’m related to you by blood. They’re going to feel like we’ve betrayed them, and we’re going to need to be strong no matter how hard they come at us.”
We check out of the hotel early the next morning to make sure we get to Jenson’s townhouse in Pittsburgh before the moving company does.
We run into traffic leaving Manhattan, but by the time we hit Pennsylvania, the roads are clear. Jenson tells me he’s mapped out the back roads to Pittsburgh.
“Cool.” I look over at him. “Who’s on the back roads?”
“Hopefully just you and me.” He winks. “I’m hoping that somewhere along the way, we can pull over and have a little fun. You want to?”
“How soon can you find a place?”
About an hour later, we pull onto a dirt road that leads us past pastures of cows and horses to fields of wheat and corn. Jenson pulls the truck off the road so we’re nearly hidden from view by the cornfields growing over the fence. Not a soul is around, and he looks over at me and grins.
Jenson moves over to the passenger seat, and I climb on top of him and look into his green eyes. He’s got my skirt hiked up and has unhooked my bra before I hardly know what’s happened. Then his hands are underneath my skirt, and I start working his pants down past his hips. He puts on a condom and then pulls my underwear to the side just before I sink down on him abruptly, bringing him all the way inside me immediately.
He jerks in surprise, and grips my hips as I start riding him.
“Olive.” His voice is heavy with lust. “Come for me. I want to feel you come for me.”
My orgasm hits me so fast I clutch Jenson’s biceps to keep from sliding off him. He thrusts up into me hard a few more times and then follows me over the edge.
“It will always be you and me, Olivia,” he murmurs as I lean my cheek on his. “Forever.”
After our private rendezvous, we’re forty minutes late to Pittsburgh. The good news is, so are the movers.
“I’m impressed by how organized everything is,” I say to Jenson as I help him take a few of the boxes out of his townhouse and into his truck. “You’ve labeled the stuff you want to take back so you’re not fishing around for it all afternoon like I would be.”
“The moving company said they’d get the furniture to my house next week. But Kyle and Connor had a few things they don’t want to wait for.” He gives me a kiss. “The landlord’s on his way now so I can hand over the keys. We’ll sit tight until he shows, and then we can get food downtown if you want. There’s a good pizza and ice-cream place. It’s called Pitts Stop.”
“That sounds perfect. So, how far away from here does Meghan live? You know, your old house?” I ask him. Mentioning the elephant in the room doesn’t feel great, but I’m curious where they lived together.
“She and Andy are away with the kids,” Jenson reminds me. “We won’t run into them.”
“I know,” I say. “That’s not why I asked.”
“Oh. Why did you ask?”
I put my hand on one of the belt loops on his jeans and slip my fingers inside it. “I think I want to see where you lived when you were out here and I was in Liberty Falls.”
He doesn’t ask me why I need to see it, and I love him for that. He puts his hand around mine, which is still clinging tightly to his belt loop. “We can drive there before we get food. It’s about ten minutes away.”
“That’s it.” Jenson slows the truck and points across the street.
I look past him at the bluish grey two-story house he and Meghan lived in for their brief marriage. It looks surprisingly
normal in a normal suburban neighborhood. Doesn’t look like a place where divorces happen.
I nod at him and don’t say anything. Jenson pulls away from the curb and drives off. Neither of us speaks until he parks outside Pitts Stop.
“I was living my life wrong,” Jenson says to me as we sit in the truck outside the ice-cream parlor. “I remember sitting in Pitts Stop with Kyle and Connor after Meghan and I agreed to try again after our separation. They couldn’t even talk yet, but I was sitting there trying to explain to my two babies how Mommy and Daddy were going to live together again. And I’m ashamed to admit it, but part of me wanted to jump in the truck and run like hell.” He looks at me. “Things were never good between Meghan and me, and all it took was a few months of living in the same house again for us both to fully accept that we were never supposed to be together. We went forward with the divorce, and that was it.”
I exhale, feeling past pain that I’ve been holding onto finally disappear. “Thanks for showing me the house, and I truly appreciate your honesty. But I don’t need to talk about it anymore. I’m just so grateful we have a second chance, Jenson.”
He brings me into his chest. “Me too.”
Chapter Twenty
Now that Jenson has his own place, it’s easier for us to spend time together. It’s also easier for us to sleep together, which we do quite often over the next few weeks.
When his sons are with him, we all go to the park with Bernie, we go out for pizza, or we cook at home. We put the boys to bed after reading them a story, and then Jenson and I stay on his couch and make out like high schoolers until I leave for my own house.
Jenson’s busy game planning for Randolph’s first game of the season, but he takes time out to arrange to meet Donald Waverly at a coffee shop in Philadelphia.
“I told him I decided I was interested in buying a house. For me and my fiancée.”
“Oh, no.” I put my hands on my hips. “Why did you bring me into it?”
Jenson (Wild Men Book 4) Page 18
