Page 64 of Love and Loathing
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring he’d bought her in New York, then dropped to one knee. He gazed up at her, and a small smile graced her lovely lips. And for some reason, he was pleased that she wasn’t surprised.
He held up the ring. “Marry me.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “You bet your bottom dollar I will.”
Chapter 24
One Year Later
Jessie made her way back home from her new neighbors, Cash and Jo. Alex and Charlie’s eight-home development was well on its way to completion. Five of the houses were up, and the last three were expected to be completed by November. The first house to sell was the Alexander Young house, purchased by Alex himself. He and Jessie were married in October and moved in right after the wedding. The second house to go in, the one a half mile to the west, was completed in March, and Jo and Cash moved in shortly after. Charlie and Caroline had gotten engaged shortly after Jessie and Alex’s wedding, and they were thinking of buying one of the houses too.
She headed toward the dock out behind her house, looking for her husband, and spotted him from a distance. His tall frame in jeans, a white T-shirt, and the red ball cap made him stick out against the green backdrop of the trees and emerald water of the Southern Run.
He stood at the end of their old dock, the one he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tear down and rebuild. In the last month, it’d started to creak whenever anyone got on it. It was the Fourth of July weekend, and they were having a family party tonight. Alex wanted to be sure it was structurally sound before people arrived.
He dropped to his belly and leaned over the edge, staring under the deck. She stopped at the edge to admire the view. His shirt had skimmed up a little, showcasing those rock-hard abs of his. She let out a low whistle, and he popped his head back up, staring over at her with a cocky grin. “Like the view?”
“Yeah, the river looks so inviting.” She smirked.
He jumped up from his stomach to his feet in one swift move and headed her way. She met him halfway, and he pulled her into his arms, planting a kiss on her. A good one too. He always kissed her like he meant it, and she couldn’t get enough of it. Was there anything in the world more delicious than a man who loved you and couldn’t get enough of you? If there was, she couldn’t think of it.
“You’re asking for it,” he said.
“I know.”
His smiled brightened, and he back up. “Do Cash and Jo need help getting the food over here later?”
Of course he’d ask that. He and Charlie couldn’t get enough of Cash’s food. She didn’t roll her eyes, but it was hard. “They said no. Allie and Brandon are coming early to help.”
“How are you?” His baby blues filled with concern.
They hadn’t seen each other today yet—at least not since he’d gotten up at five to go for a run and given her a kiss on her forehead while she lay in bed before he left. Their massive, black-as-night Newfoundland had taken Alex’s spot.
“Don’t get comfortable there, big guy,” Alex had warned as Jessie wrapped her arms around the fluffy beast. “That’s my spot.”
Now, outside in the warm breeze of the afternoon, she shrugged a shoulder and swallowed a lump. The last year had been a year of unimaginable joy and unexpected pain. So much of the happiness in her life she credited to Alex. Having been married for nine months now, and officially together a year, she couldn’t believe how much better her life had gotten. She’d been happy before him—now, there were just no words.
The sadness she credited almost entirely to Cecilia. She hadn’t come back with Ike when he had gone after the Whitleys. Apparently, she’d been throwing up when he’d found them in the Maldives, and Ike had thought bringing her back on a plane might not be a good idea. Well, turned out she’d had morning sickness and was a month pregnant with Jacob’s baby.
And to think he’d been trying to get Jessie out on his boat the last Fourth of July when her little sister had already been pregnant. Just the thought of it made Jessie want to spit nails.
Daniel got jail time for the money he’d stolen, but like before, there still hadn’t been evidence to tie Jacob to the crime. And neither brother was talking. Daniel was an idiot, Jessie decided. He might be the older brother, but she knew now Jacob had always been the mastermind. She doubted Jacob would ever see jail time.
Alex had dropped his trespassing charges, and the sheriff’s department dropped the jumping bail charges, all because Cecilia refused to come home. No one wanted her to be alone, even if the alternative was Jacob. She still refused, even a year later with an almost five-month-old baby.
Jessie had loved Alex a little more for that. For putting her sister’s needs above what he really wanted for Jacob—justice. Jacob had gone back to Cecilia, and as far as she knew, they were still married, still together, and still in the Maldives with their baby girl. Maybe being a father had changed him. Jessie hoped so. She wondered if she’d ever meet the baby. And despite Cecilia’s hardheadedness, Jessie missed her.
Jessie grabbed Alex’s shirt at his sides, fisting the fabric, and stared up at him. “Are you kidding? I’m amazing. I have a great job working with my husband, a beautiful home, I’m spending the Fourth celebrating with my family, and I’ve got a hot guy to feast my eyes on every day.”
“Oh yeah.” He glanced up, intentionally giving her a view of his chiseled jaw—any second he’d flex his arms, she was sure. “What’s this hot guy’s name? Do I know him?”
“Nope, tall redheaded guy, big muscles, lives in town, comes into Winslow books every day.” She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. “Want me to introduce you?”
“Watch it.” He cupped her head and kissed her hard. “You know I’m jealous.”
She giggled.
“Now, stop harassing me and give me a hand.” He headed to the end of the deck again where he’d stacked three load-supporting beams.
