Page 92 of In the Pursuit of Haven
I nodded, unable to speak through the emotion constricting my throat.
He ran a trail of kisses against my jaw before releasing me. “You ready for this crazy day?”
I laughed in relief to be changing the subject. When it came to our plans, I never felt more alive. “Well, when you put it that way…”
“I can’t wait for our island retreats,” he said. “Let’s do this, sweetheart.”
“We’ve got this, babe,” I returned with a sassy wink of my own. Wrapping the sheets around me, I headed to the bathroom in my toga to brush my teeth.
“Wait, where are you going?” He chased after me and caught me to him. Warmth tingled through my skin with another kiss. He ran his hands down my arm. “How did I get such a pretty and clever wife?”
I shook my head at him and skipped away. Yeah, I wasn’t allthat, but as long as he thought so, I wasn’t about to complain.
There was something about finally feeling my husband’s complete adoration that made my heart sing. It had been so long since things between us had begun to unravel, and I began to suspect that if someone had seen fit to tip me off about The Lady at the auction, then what if that same someone had gotten Jessie started on this hunt for the same reasons?
Well, no one controlled our lives! Things were going to change. I was going to take less hours at the museum, and Jessie was going to buck every bad habit from his childhood and open up to me.
I smiled around my toothbrush while I tried to scrub at my teeth. The more awake I became, the more my mind centered on Jessie’s phone call with Hunter last night.
He hadn’t actually said what he’d told Hunter to make him back off.
My fingers slowed.
There were still secrets between us, weren’t there? But how when I felt closer to him than I ever did before? There were a few things I needed to know, like why had Abby called Robert a blackmailer? And what indiscretion exactly had they been using against Jessie to make him work with them?
I’d been so sure it was something Abby had done, but what if it was something else?
I should ask him!
But will I like it?
My stomach sank—a sickening blur of feeling after my high from this morning. I’d been so sure that we were sailing free.
Is it bad for me to want to put this off? I just want one day with Jessie! Just one happy day when we’re not fighting!
Still arguing with myself, I got dressed in warm black jeans and an even warmer sweater. We were going to sail to some of the islands today after our jaunt into town and it was going to get cold.
I refused to think about anything else right now.
Grabbing a backpack, I shot upstairs and carefully rolled up Crabb’s map of Salem and put it into a waterproof holder—I didn’t dare leave anything behind. The Relics followed next. Searching through Haven’s books that she’d bought on our area, I noticed that she’d included a few of the islands too. Flipping through them, I also saw she’d painstakingly highlighted facts in a cheery yellow.
And Jessie still hadn’t given me the clue for Children’s Island he’d stolen from Hunter.
We were partners now. Why hadn’t he even shown that to me?
Stop it already!
I shoved Haven’s notebooks into my pack with more force than necessary. My stupid brain was trying to ambush me with thoughts of Jessie abandoning me. That was all this was. I’d rather think of these terrifying Shepherds of the Relics instead, anything than imagine another betrayal from Jessie.
He was downstairs cooking breakfast. I could smell the savory aromas from here. He was doing that for me. Climbing down the ladder, I began the complicated process of putting away our secret room. The trick was to make it look so cluttered that covering up the rope to the attic didn’t look suspicious.
After pushing everything into place, I headed down the stairs, my shoes creaking against each step. The instant I turned the corner, my eyes were only on him.
Relief flooded me at the sight.
This was just Jessie. His dark hair was messy from the morning, his tired eyes a little red. And yet, seeing him was absolutely refreshing. How could I let myself get so carried away? His black wind-resistant cargos swished as he moved around the kitchen tending to his culinary delights like a true artist.
His white thermal top molded to his muscular frame, and he’d pushed the sleeves up his veined forearms. Those strong arms had been around me last night, where they belonged.
