Page 31 of His Sacrifice

“I can’t watch another minute of this,” I said, grabbing the remote and pointing it at the TV. “You’re rotting your mind with this crap.”

“And you have a better idea of what we could watch?” Jada laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Anything other than this,” I chuckled, settling back into the couch. “What kind of movies do you like?”

“I’m pretty sure I am going to be watching the back of my eyelids real soon here. I think I am going to go to bed.” She sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “Thanks for going with me today even though I told you not to.”

I turned off the TV and stood, holding my hand out to her. She took it, and I pulled her up. “Sometimes it’s hard to know what you want. There’s no reason why you have to deal with your mom by yourself.”

“Um, yes, I do because she is my mom, not yours.”

I caressed her hand in mine, feeling the warmth of her skin. “What about your dad?” I asked gently.

Jada smiled sadly, a shadow passing over her face. “He passed away when I was just a baby. It’s just been me and my mom for my whole life,” she explained.

“How long has she been like that?” I had a ton of questions to ask, but I didn’t want to bombard her. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about her mom, but I could see how much it weighed on her.

“Uh, it’s been a couple of years since she fully remembered me. She had days when she would know who I was, but I can’t even remember the last time that was. Most of my visits are like today. I spend time with her, and she thinks I’m someone she hasn’t met before.” She smothered a yawn with her hand and sighed. “As long as she is happy, I’ll be fine.”

I didn’t know much about dementia other than today had been hard for me, and Kim wasn’t my mom. I couldn’t imagine what Jada really felt.

“Now, go home. I know we’re supposed to be falling in love with each other, but I don’t want Candace to think I’m a hussy who fell into bed with you on our second date,” she laughed.

Fucking Candace. I pulled Jada a step closer and rested my hand on her waist.

Jada tipped her head back and smiled up at me. “Is this practice?” she whispered.

I shook my head and reached up to cradle her cheek with my hand. Her skin was soft and warm against my palm.

“Creed,” she sighed, her breath mingling with mine.

If Jada and I were going to do this, we needed to start now. At least, that was what I was going to tell myself. The urge to kiss her had nothing to do with Candace or the façade we were going to put on. I just wanted to kiss Jada.

“I’m gonna kiss you, gorgeous.”

“Okay.” The word slipped out of her lips without hesitation.

I knew Jada was attracted to me. The first time we had met still played in my mind. She had wanted me then, and it didn’t have anything to do with anything other than raw attraction.

I leaned in and kissed Jada. The kiss was soft and sweet, our lips brushing gently against each other. It was a tender moment, full of unspoken emotions and promises.

I pulled back a breath and looked down at her, my heart pounding in my chest.

“More,” Jada whispered, her eyes half-closed and lips slightly parted.

I didn’t need to be convinced to kiss Jada more. It only took one kiss for me to know I wanted to do that a hundred times more. I leaned in again, and this time, the kiss was deeper, more passionate. Our lips moved together with a sense of urgency, as if we were both afraid of losing the moment. My hand slid into her hair, and I felt her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me closer.

We finally pulled away, each of us panting. Our foreheads rested against each other, and I could feel the warmth of her breath on my skin.

“I think I can get used to that,” Jada whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

“Same, gorgeous,” I replied, my own voice thick with emotion.

She smiled softly, her eyes reflecting a mixture of happiness and exhaustion. “Uh, I should get some sleep. Tomorrow is Tatum’s day off, and I need sleep to be able to function.”

I nodded, reluctantly letting her go. “I’ll lock up on my way out. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

She nodded gently. “Okay.”

---