Page 48 of Scooter's Endgame
“You ready to get out of here too?” Beckett asks.
“You bet I am.”
“Well, come on then.” He holds out his hand to me, and happily I take it.
“Yeah, let’s get out of this horrible place. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just being in this room.”
All the new things I’ve learned about Jeff today whirl in my brain as we walk out into the fresh air, despite my best effort to put it all out of my mind. I know I jumped into our relationship way too quickly in order to escape my mother and all the chaos and drama she brought to my life.
But never in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed that Jeff would turn out to be such a heartless bastard. At least now I’m free of him and his toxicity. I have a new life ahead of me that includes Luke. And if I’m really lucky, Beckett too.
I’m not sure what the future holds with him, but after our night together, I’m hoping it’s the start of something beautiful for us. I could do with a little beauty in my life, and that man certainly knows how to bring it. And the way he treats Luke is such a joy to watch.
More than once over the last while, I’ve thought about how wonderful it would have been if Beckett were his father rather than Jeff. And no day more so than today. If it weren’t for him, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this case would have had a very different outcome.
I’ve always known he’s a compassionate, empathetic man, and I’m so lucky to have him in my life. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it, but I’ll take it. Following Beckett, my hand firmly in his, I feel something settle inside and, for the first time since Jeff threw Luke and I out, there’s a lightness in me.
I’ve kept my love for this man hidden in fear he doesn’t return it, and I have to bite my tongue to prevent the words from spilling out right there. I’m terrified to tell him how I feel – I don’t want to drive him away. I’d rather take what I have now than lose it all, including him.
I’m so lost in my thoughts I’m unaware that Beckett has stopped. So I plough full tilt into his back. Damn, the man is solid muscle. It’s like slamming into a brick wall.
“Shit, sweet pea, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Kinda lost in my own head.”
“Good thoughts, I hope.” The soft look in his eyes warms me inside. “Hop on in,” he continues, opening the car door for me.
I got so wrapped up in thoughts of Beckett that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Staring up into his gorgeous face, it dawns on me that Luke will still be away for a couple more nights. A plan begins to form in my head as I climb into the car, and I can’t suppress my grin of excitement.
I may not have the courage to tell him how I feel, but I can certainly show him.
The trip is over quickly, mainly because I’m so wrapped up in my planning that I once again lose track of time and surroundings.
With a rough plan in mind, I waste no time getting out of the car once Beckett stops in the drive.
But first I need to ensure he has no plans for tonight. “Thanks a million for – well, everything. I have to dash, so I’ll see you later, okay?” I lean over and drop a quick kiss on his cheek, then hop out of the vehicle. Before closing the door though, I lean back in and ask, “Do you have plans for this evening, by the way?”
“No, I don’t, why?”
“Excellent. I have something I need to do right now, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after.”
“Yeah, I’d love that,” There’s zero hesitation in his quick response, and my heart sings.
“Cool. I’m not sure when exactly I’ll be done though.”
“No problem. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
“Great. I’ll see you later then.” My mind racing with ideas, I head for the cottage, happiness in my heart for the first time in far too long.
By the time I let myself in, I have a rough idea of what I want to cook for dinner. I’ll figure the rest out as I work. I grab what I need and get started with putting dinner together. Setting a timer on my phone, I dash through the shower, wanting to look my best for tonight’s seduction.
All’s going well until I open my closet and eye the meager selection available to me. The best I can do is a pretty black T-shirt that does wonders for my figure and some black jeans to match. With no time to waste, I pull it out and go in search of underwear. At least in this department, I have an array to choose from thanks to Jeff’s penchant for sexy lingerie.
The thought makes me giggle that he spent an absolute fortune on buying these beauties for me, and now another man gets to enjoy them instead. I hurry into my clothes before shifting my focus to hair and makeup, taking my time to get the siren look I’m going for just right. I’m just about done blowing out my hair when the timer goes off for me to check on the food.
Done to perfection, I set the warmer function and, taking a bracing breath, I call Beckett to invite him over for dinner. My pulse hammers in my ears as I wait for him to answer.
“Hey.”
