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I lean back into him and give him the words he needs, “Okay, Jake. I can do that.”
“Thank you,” he nips my ear and my body shivers with desire.
He moves me, hefts the diaper bag and car seat out with ease. I stand, watching his muscles flex and it has to be the hottest thing in the world.
“Ready?”
“Uh…yeah,” I mumble. He laughs. I’m constantly getting caught red handed gawking at him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jake
I’m not sure how I’ve managed to keep everything from Larissa while we were in the car or once we got here. Mom has everything set up in the main house, across the lake. You can’t see very much of it, due to the island-like copse of trees in the middle of the lake.
I usher her into the house, praying like hell she can’t hear anything across the way. I want Larissa relaxed and surprised as possible.
Mom and I didn’t invite a lot of people, wanting to keep it small and quiet.
I show Rissa around the small cabin. It’s only a two bedroom with one bathroom, a small kitchen, and an even smaller living area.
“I love what Katrina did here,” she states.
“How did you know Mom did all of this? I could have, you know?” I play into her talk.
“Jake, Honey. I saw your condo. There’s no way you did this. It has your mom stamped all over this. It’s cozy,” she says as she stretches with a yawn.
“You really didn’t like the condo’s décor, did you?”
“It’s not that I didn’t like it, it was just…sterile,” she replies.
“It was me, and I didn’t really care what it looked or felt like. I wasn’t home much when you were gone. I didn’t want to be there without you. Fuck, I barely washed the sheets, wanting to smell your scent lingering as long as I could. Once I washed the sheets, though, I worked as much as I could,” I tell her with all honesty.
“Jake, I’m so sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. All I can do is prove to you that I’ll never leave your side again,” she says with conviction in her tone.
“I know, Rissa. I wasn’t telling you that to upset you. I know you’re mine, now and forever,” I lean down and kiss her with everything that I have. I deepen the kiss, taking her as much as I can, tasting her flavor, feeling the depth of her need, and wanting to consume every inch of her.
We break apart, breathless, and my phone takes that moment to ring. Elijah is still asleep in his carrier and I could have had another hour with Larissa and I naked between the sheets, yet I know with everything going on, I have no choice but to answer it.
“I gotta take this, Baby. I’ll be right back,” I give her one last peck and walk outside to answer the ringing phone.
“Hey, Mom,”
“Hi, Jake. I’ll make this quick. Her dress is hanging in the closet with all the essentials she’ll need. Your suit and Elijah’s are hanging in the spare room closet. Mack will have the boat ready for you three to board at six o’clock,” she says with a hushed tone.
“Thanks, Mom. I couldn’t have done it without you,” I tell her.
“Anything for you. If I don’t get off the phone though, I’ll be a blubbering mess. Love you,” she says, and I don’t get to respond because the phone is clicked off. I look down at my phone with a laugh. Our relationship wasn’t always a good one, but every day it seems to be getting stronger and stronger.
I walk back into the cabin and see Larissa looking out at the back deck and into the woods that surround it.
“Hey, baby. Turn around for a minute. I want to tell you something.” It’s now or never. It would be hard to get her to the main house without getting dressed for her own wedding.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Larissa
I hear the stress in Jake’s voice, and it makes me think the worst, “Is everything okay?”
“What? Of course, it is. I did something you may hate me for. I’m praying you don’t. I wanted to do this for you, well, for us.” He’s looking deep into my eyes.
“You’d never do something I’d hate, Jake. You don’t have that in you,” I respond.
“I hope you’re right,” he tells me as he takes my hand in his and leads me to the master bedroom.
We walk in and I see a dress, and it’s not any dress either. It’s a wedding dress and it’s hanging up in the window. The sun is filtering through and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s cream in color, A-line cut, with off the shoulder cuffs that sweep off both sides. The lace beading and chiffon material are exactly what I was looking at when Katrina brought over gobs of magazines, asking me questions about what I would want my dress to look like.
