Page 43 of Something that Could Last

Quicker than I would've thought possible, he moves on top of me and stares into my eyes. “I could stay here with you like this all day.” He leans down and presses a sweet kiss to my lips. He doesn't know how good that sounds.

My alarm chooses that moment to blare again and I groan my frustration. Jacob and I dress quickly and I start to pack everything up again.

“Don't worry about that,” Jacob offers, placing his hand on my arm. “I'm going to take you to breakfast before work, then I'll come back and take care of all of this.”

Part of me wants to protest. It's not fair for him to have to pack my gear up by himself. But I can tell by the look in his eyes, there’s no arguing with him. And breakfast sounds fantastic right about now.

“Are you sure?” I ask, not wanting to take advantage of his kind nature.

“One hundred percent,” he answers with that dazzling smile of his.

I change into my usual uniform of white shorts and blue t-shirt, brush my teeth with a bottle of water, and braid my hair before leaving the campsite. Jacob texts Luke to let him know not to leave before he gets back so nothing happens to my gear. I'm not too worried about that happening though since our friends will probably sleep until noon.

We drop Cero off back home before heading to breakfast. Sitting in a corner booth of the little roadside diner, we crack open our menus. “What's good here?” Jacob asks, scanning the laminated pages.

“Everything,” I reply. “Don't let the looks of this place fool you. It may be a hole in the wall, but the food is phenomenal. Especially after a long night at the bar,” I add with a wink. He chuckles and sets his menu down.

“How would you know? You just turned twenty-one,” he points out with a smirk.

“That doesn’t mean anything around here. It's not hard to get into bars in this town when you're underage. Besides, I had a fake ID.”

“You little rebel,” he grins teasingly at me.

“Y’all ready to order?” the waitress asks as she approaches our table. Her name tag reads “Millie.” She looks to be about forty with a mass of unruly, dyed red curls piled on top of her head and secured with a pencil. Her lips are painted the same crimson shade as her hair and she has a sweet, motherly smile.

“Yeah, we're ready,” Jacob answers and motions for me to go first.

“So, what was it like growing up around here?” Jacob asks once we've placed our orders.

“I suppose it's just like growing up anywhere else,” I answer with a shrug, sipping my orange juice.

My response amuses him. “I doubt that,” he replies with a laugh. “It must've been a lot different than growing up in Arlington. Here, you're surrounded by beauty and nature. I was surrounded by politicians and lobbyists.”

Hmm, surrounded by liars, I think to myself. Politicians aren't exactly known for their honesty. They tell the people what they wanna hear, pretending to care about them, while in reality, most of them just want to stay in power and pad their bank accounts with the taxpayers’ hard-earned money. I keep that thought to myself, though. I don't want to offend Jacob by insinuating his dad is dishonest. He may be a perfectly nice guy, for all I know. One of the good ones.

Throughout breakfast, we discuss our childhoods and how different it was growing up in our respective hometowns. I mostly talk about the time before my father passed away. Those were happy times. There's too much anger and hurt in the years that followed to discuss over breakfast. Besides, Jacob already knows about my mom's drug problem and what she put Ethan and me through as kids.

Jacob tells me about growing up in the public eye and how dedicated his parents are to making a difference. That must be where he gets his passion for helping others. I can tell he has tremendous respect for his father just by the way he talks about him. I’m starting to like this guy, despite his occupation.

We finish our breakfast and although I insist on splitting the check, Jacob lays down two twenty dollar bills on our table. That's nearly double what our meal costs. As a waitress myself, I truly appreciate a generous tipper. I shouldn't be surprised, though, because Jacob is generous in everything he does. It just makes me love him even more.

Whoa! Where did that thought just come from? Do I love him already? Is that even possible?My head is still reeling from my inward revelation when he takes my hand and leads me out the door. I'm quiet as he helps me into his car and slides in next to me, my thoughts consumed with the possibility that I may be in love with this man after knowing him less than a week.

This is ridiculous. You can't fall in love with someone that fast! Love takes time to build and grow. It must be nurtured. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for him. And I like him. A lot. He's a wonderful, giving, selfless person who gives me really good orgasms.

“Hey,” Jacob interrupts my racing thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” I try to act cool when inside I'm coming unraveled.

I. Love. Him.

This epiphany hits me like a ton of bricks. And it scares me to death. What if he doesn't love me back? It will crush me. Then again, what if he does? He's leaving soon. What happens then?

“Abby, you're shaking.” Jacob grasps my hand and I look up to see his face etched with concern. “Do you feel alright? Did that food make you sick?”

“No, no. It's nothing. I'm okay. Must be a sugar rush from the pancakes and orange juice.” He eyes me skeptically, sensing that something is off. “Really.” I smile and try to reassure him. “I’m fine.” I can't tell him what I'm actually thinking. He'll think I'm a lunatic.

He laces his fingers through mine and brings our entwined hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of my hand. “Okay, but if you start feeling bad, call me. I'll come pick you up early.” He already plans to pick me up when I get off work so I don't have to catch a ride home with one of my co-workers. I'm extremely grateful for that since I know Caleb would be the first to volunteer to take me home. No effin' way. I wouldneverget in a vehicle with him.

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