Page 75 of Knot Gonna Give You Up

“Never gonna say goodbye,” I continue, my hands resting on her hips, “Never gonna tell a lie or hurt you.”

Grinning, her eyes still overflow with tears, and I start to get a little worried about her hydration levels.

“You’re so cheesy,” she accuses me.

Slowly, so she has plenty of time to pull away, I rest my forehead against hers, “Just for you, Jojo. Only you.”

thirty-three

JOSIE

Reconnecting with Jesse is everything I hoped for. I was fully prepared to go nuclear on his ass, but, to my surprise, he just took my anger and held it. He didn’t interrupt, he didn’t try to deny anything. Did he already know how badly he’d fucked up? It sure seems like it. His forehead is on mine, and I draw comfort from the physical touch we have. I may not be able to feel the Match we have, but being able to freely touch him is healing for me.

“What now?” I ask him, “As sweet as this is, I need to know you plan to step up. I need you to tell me what you’re going to do to fix this.”

I feel a tad guilty putting it all on Jesse, but then I hear Ray in my head reminding me that he’s the one who fucked up, not me. I get to be angry and make him work for it. Romance novel level groveling.

“Did you move in with Henry?” he asks softly.

He pulls back, helping me to stand and get more comfortable on the couch as we talk.

“A little. It was only going to be for a few days, but I want to make it permanent, just need to talk to him about it. I can’t imagine he’ll mind,” I confess.

Jesse hums, “Okay then, I’ll ask him if there’s a place for me there. I don’t think I’m ready to fully move in or bond yet, but you need to know I’m in this. So, I’m going to physically be in this.”

“Really?” I ask, feelingmoretears building in my eyes. I’m not sure how I have any left.

“Yes, I want to prove to you that I’m here, and I’m in this. Am I terrified? Yes. Am I going to let it hold me back? Not anymore.”

I grin, “Okay.”

“Let me text Henry and see about logistics,” he offers.

“I should probably talk to Vic and let him know we talked. Henry knew we were going to talk, but I should probably update Vic,” I say.

“Yeah, go for it, if you want to call, then you can do it here or go to another room, whichever you’re more comfortable with,” he offers.

I lean over and surprise him with a kiss on the cheek before pulling out my phone. When I glance up, Jesse is staring at me, slack-jawed and awestruck.

“Careful, you might catch a fly like that,” I giggle.

He grins in response and grabs his own phone to start texting Henry. I pull up Vic’s contact and hit the “call” button. While I won’t put him on speakerphone, I also don’t feel the need to go to a different room.

“Josie Girl!” he greets me.

“Hey you, how are you?” I can feel my grin stretching across my face.

“I’m better now that I get to hear your voice,” he teases.

I giggle, “Such a charmer.”

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to check in with you and let you know Jesse and I talked,” I tell him.

“Oh? Did it go well?” Vic asks gently.

“Yeah! I’m at his place now. He’s actually texting Henry about moving in a little bit.”

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