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An engine revved, and it sounded like it was right outside my house. Another rev. There was no mistaking the sound of a motorcycle. A Rossi, I was certain of it.
My heart leapt into my throat, and I vaulted off the couch, running for the front door. Yanking it open, I stepped out onto my porch.
There he was.
Jake Hayes, leaning against his motorcycle in my driveway. His arms were folded over his chest, long legs stretched out with his ankles crossed. He looked cool as a cucumber while I was trembling.
“I texted you,” I called out.
He patted the pocket on his chest where he kept his phone. “Haven’t checked. I was riding.”
“Okay.”
He pointed to the ground in front of him. “Come over here.”
Like always, drawn to this man, my feet carried me to him before I’d made the conscious thought to step off my porch. An arm’s length from him, Jake raked his eyes over me, landing on my feet.
“Where’re your shoes?”
I peered at my bare feet and wiggled my pedicured toes. “I didn’t take the time to put them on.”
His head cocked. “You heard the motor and came running?”
“I knew it was you.”
“That’s some urgency,” he murmured. Then he slipped his phone from his pocket, the glow illuminating his inscrutable face. He took his time studying the screen before raising his eyes to me. “I want our beautiful life back too.”
“How do we do that? What do we change so we don’t end up right back here?”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I do,” he said simply. “I haven’t been back to MZ since that day, but before I came here, I talked to Jer and made it official. I’m done. As of right now, I’m unemployed. Don’t know if that’s a selling point, but it is what it is.”
It was too dark for me to get a read on him, so I stepped closer. At least, that was the excuse I’d used. Once his scent hit me—leather and wind—I couldn’t deny I’d just wanted to be near him. His warmth filled the inches between us, and my toes touched the ends of his boots.
“I never would have asked you to quit,” I said softly.
“But I needed to. I’ve been unhappy there since the day I started. And I couldn’t come to you with promises unless I made the changes to make them irrefutable. When I tell you I’ll never put business before you, you can take that as fact. I hope you’ll give me the time to prove my word trustworthy. That’s all I’m asking for, Clara. I need that time.”
My guts were twisted in knots, and a “yes” caught in my throat. There were things to say before I could throw myself into his arms like I so desperately wanted.
“I used to measure my life in before Miller and after Miller. I could look back and see the distinct delineation of who I was and who I became. The truth is, I had to rebuild myself from scratch and decide who I wanted to be because I had formed myself around him. I chose the woman standing in front of you. And you love her.”
“I love the hell out of her,” he agreed gruffly.
I smiled. It felt damn good to hear that out loud, and I really didn’t want to cry another tear. “I love you back.” I put my hand on his crossed arms, his muscles rippling beneath my touch. “I can’t divide my life that way anymore. Now, it’s everything that came before you and—”
“Don’t say after me.” His arms came loose to grip my waist. “There’s no after me. We’re gonna ride this out in the middle until we get to the end.”
“I would really like that. I don’t want there to be an after either.”
He looked at me with fierceness and all the promises in the world. “There won’t be.”
Heart hammering, I reached for his face, the bristles of his beard tickling my palms. “We can only have honesty.”
“I agree. I’ve got nothing to hide, and I won’t be putting myself in a situation where I’ll need to keep anything from you.” He hooked a finger into the waistband of my pajama pants. “I’ll help you work through your fear, but you have to be standing beside me. No more hiding from it.”
