Page 20 of Shattered

Most people were a bundle of nerves for their first date. Multiply that by infinity and you’d know my exact frame of mind when I wiped my sweaty palms down the front of my dress pants, then knocked on her door three minutes ahead of schedule. Granted, our first date was happening after we made promises of a lifetime together.

No pressure or anything.

My knuckles barely grazed the wooden door when it swung open, revealing a sight which robbed the breath from my lungs. Jade appeared in the entryway wearing a pale-pink dress with intricate lacework covering her arms fromwrist to shoulder. It hugged her so tightly; it was impossible to ignore the shapely curves she wore proudly.

“Holy fuck,” I exhaled. “You look stunning, Jade.”

“Thanks. You clean up nice too.”

Slowly, my gaze floated from the top of her delicately curled hair to the tips of the sparkly silver heels on her feet, memorizing the vision of beautiful perfection in front of me. I must have been staring longer than socially acceptable because red bloomed on her cheeks, running down her slim neck before disappearing beneath the V in the middle of her chest where her ample cleavage was on full display, begging for my mouth.

Good Christ Almighty.

“That dress is lethal, Angel. Are you trying to kill me?”

“Not today,” she chuckled, stepping out onto the weathered porch, closing the door behind her.

Wrapping my hand around hers, I held tight as we descended the rickety steps, mentally adding them as a priority for repair, along with a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the exterior of their home.

In its heyday, I’m certain the canary yellow cottage was the envy of the neighborhood. Like every other house on the street though, time and the harsh elements associated with mountain living had worn it down. From what I’d seen on the inside, Jade was doing her damnedest to restore it to its former glory. Sadly, the project was too massive to be done alone. Good thing she wasn’t alone any longer.

“Did you see Jett before you left?” she asked, lowering herself into the passenger’s seat of my car.

“No. I was already gone by the time he would’ve gotten there.”

“Nelson and Sammy were still okay to drive him home?”

The fretful way she chewed on her bottom lip reminded me of my mother. I’d watched her do the same thing when any of us left the house after Dad died. Always worried about everyone but herself.

Dropping down to a squat inside of the still opened door, I placed one hand on her exposed knee and the other on the headrest behind her.

“Look at me, Jade.” Gradually, her browns collided with my greens. “There’s an office full of people who care about your brother. If something came up, any one of them would make sure he was taken care of.”

“Thank you,” she sighed.

“For what?”

“Being real.”

“I don’t know any other way to be, Angel. Buckle up.” I winked, then stood, cautiously closing her door before jogging around to the other side of the car.

An uneasy realization hit me as I settled into the seat. Apart from her grandmother, Jade never had another person she could rely on. A partner to ease the burden of not only raising a teenager, but of life itself. Deep down, where dreams grew into reality, I already knew this incredible woman was my epilogue. We just needed to write our chapters. Although, after she thanked me, capturing her heart became my number one priority.

Jade Trumble—soon-to-be Banks—was mine.

Jade

As we entered the nearly deserted courthouse hand in hand, I was strung tighter than a fishing line holding a sixty pound blue catfish on the hook. My distracted state was to blame when the toe of my shoe caught on the metal plate atthe bottom of the door, propelling my body forward with alarming speed. A scream stuck in my throat just as a steel arm banded around my waist, hauling me up against an equally hard side.

“I’ve got you.”

If it hadn’t been for Koen’s quick reaction time, I’d have face-planted on the hard marble floor. After steadying me for a moment, he lowered me back to my feet and rejoined our hands.

“Yeah, you do,” I whispered, realizing all too late I’d spoken the words out loud. A low hum deep in his throat was the only acknowledgment of my unintentional utterance, thank God. Trying to explain the significance of his casual phrase would be better left for another day. If ever.

My heels clicked in quick succession as we made our way down a long hallway toward what appeared to be multiple offices. Stopping just outside of the last one on the left, Koen grasped the knob, pausing to speak.

“I know this isn’t exactly what you pictured your wedding day would look like when you were a little girl.” He inhaled quickly through his nose and gave my hand a squeeze. “But if you let me, I’ll make sure you never regret saying ‘I do.’”

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