Page 79 of Everything We Left Unsaid

Her eyes soften as she holds my stare. “I love you, too.”

I waited so long to hear those words, to say them. Hearing them now, after everything we left unsaid, fills my chest with warmth and my heart with hope. Hope for our future and a love I’ll never let slip through my fingers again.

I kiss her softly, gliding my tongue over her lips before gently turning her so her back is against my front. I slide my hand down her stomach and she gasps as my fingers slip inside her panties. I reach lower and lower until I confirm my suspicions. She’s already wet for me. So. Fucking. Wet. My other hand grips the waistband resting at the small of her back and quickly rids her body of the material. She’s finally bare to me, and so damn beautiful it hurts.

I work my fingers into her tight body and her head falls back onto my chest. Burying my nose in her hair, I breathe in her sweet scent, the one that always drove me crazy. She still smells so damn good.

I need to be inside her and I just can’t wait. “Don’t move,” I whisper in her ear as I remove my fingers, and she whimpers at the loss. I slip out of the bathroom, returning within seconds. Stripping out of my boxer briefs, I place the condom on my tip and roll it down. Urging her back against me with my hands on her hips, I feather kisses along her neck and shoulder. She arches her back, pressing her ass into my groin. We groan together at the sensation.

“Jacob,” she breathes out, her husky voice going straight to my balls. “Please.” I squeeze my eyes shut and my head falls back, basking in the sound of her begging. I gently ease her body forward so she’s bent at the waist and place her knee on the edge of the tub.

“Brace yourself,” I warn, stroking my hardened length over her slick center. Her grip tightens on the tub as mine tightens on her hips and I slam into her. She lets out a startled yelp and for a moment I’m afraid I hurt her, but then her moans echo through the small space, mixing with the sound of our skin colliding over and over again. She comes quickly, faster than she ever has before, and I continue to pound into her, chasing my own release. I nearly lose my footing as I spill into her, her body quaking with aftershocks. My body falls from hers and I help her stand, pulling her back against me. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her face adoringly, worshipping her.

“You are fucking amazing.”

“Right back at ya,” she returns my praise breathlessly.

I quickly discard the condom and step into the tub, pulling her down and nestling her in front of me. She lies back against my chest and I wrap my arms around her. She sighs, but not in the good I-just-had-the-best-sex-of-my-life-with-the-man-I-love kind of way. It’s a melancholy sound that makes my heart plummet in my chest and land in the pit of my stomach. I wait for her to speak, feeling like a man awaiting a jury’s verdict.

“I wish you didn’t have to go back tomorrow.” I let out the breath I’ve been holding, unsure why I was so afraid of what she’d say. Lingering insecurities from before, I suppose.

“Me too.” I pull her in closer. “But we’ll see each other again soon,” I assure her, preparing to broach the subject I’ve been avoiding all weekend. “Now that Ama’s doing better, I was hoping you and Chloe would be able to come to Arlington in a couple weeks to meet my family,” I prompt hopefully. She brings her glass of wine to her lips, taking a slow sip before answering. Maybe I should do the same. It feels like an eternity passes before she gives her answer.

“Okay,” she says simply.

“Yeah?” I question, a little surprised at how easily she agreed.

“I’ve already asked for the time off, and Ethan will be home for a visit, so I won’t have to worry about my grandmother. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I think it’s only right for Chloe to meet her grandparents and for them to get to know her.”

She skims her hands over the surface of the water absentmindedly, causing little ripples to spread out across it. I watch those little ripples and can’t help but think of how our actions two years ago caused their own ripple effect. Everything that happened since we gave our hearts and bodies to one another never would have occurred if we hadn’t fallen in love.

“Thank you.” I kiss the side of her face and she turns to gaze at me over her shoulder. My lips find hers, tasting the sweetness of wine on her tongue. We soak for a long time, lazily washing each other between stolen kisses and sips of wine. When we finally slip into bed, we’re too exhausted to do anything but fall asleep in each other’s arms.

My alarm blares to life at four a.m. and I silence it quickly, not wanting to disturb Abby. She stirs, mumbles my name, and rolls over, but thankfully doesn’t wake. I dress quietly and brush my teeth before packing everything up and throwing it into my car. Tiptoeing into Chloe’s room, I lean over her and brush the hair away from her face before kissing her gently on the temple. She’ll wonder where I’m at when she wakes up, and it breaks my heart thinking how sad she’ll be that I’m gone.

I push those thoughts away and leave her room, returning to the bed I’ve shared with Abby all weekend. I take in her sleeping form, wondering what it would be like to do this every morning. To watch her sleep, knowing that after a long day at work, I’d come home to her and she’d welcome me into her arms, into her body. One of these days, I’m going to make that happen. I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but I’m determined to make a life with Abby and our little girl.

I scribble out a quick note and leave it on the pillow next to hers. She’ll have to check out and leave the keys in the lockbox, so I jot down the instructions on one side with a little love note on the other.

Abby,

I will miss you every day we are apart. I’ll think of you my every waking

moment. I’ll dream of holding you and Chloe in my arms every night.

Until we meet again,

Love,

Jacob

I pull a flower from the bouquet I bought her at the farmer’s market and place it on top of the letter. I know it’s cliched, but it will make her smile and that’s all that matters.

Before I leave, I press a lingering kiss to her forehead and run the back of my finger down her cheek, memorizing the soft feel of her skin and the way she looks in the moonlight. That’s the image I’m left with as I drive back home.

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