Page 119 of Can't Get Over You
“This isn’t about Cody. It’s never been about him. It’s about you. It’s us.” He cupped her neck, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “I’ve wanted you since I was eleven years old.”
“Eleven? I thought you said fourteen?”
“Fourteen was when I wanted to touch your boobs. But in sixth grade, it was a whole different kind of want.” The memory dropped into his mind so vividly that the same emotions seized him. “Do you remember when Mr. Pettino asked if anyone wanted to volunteer to spend time with the preschoolers?”
“Oh.” She stuttered out a laugh. “Yes. I jumped out of my seat, waving my hand. I was desperate for him to pick me.”
“I’d always thought you were pretty, but when you raised your hand like that, you were…”Luminous.“I don’t know how to explain it. You lit up like the Fourth of July. Back then, everyone was worried about being cool, wearing the right clothes, hanging out with the right people, but you knew exactly what you wanted,and you went for it, not giving a shit what anyone thought about you.”
“Well, that was after Leia dumped me, so maybe I had nothing to lose.” She was teasing, but he wouldn’t let her dismiss it.
“I’ll bet that’s thereasonshe kicked you out of her group. Not because you didn’t have money, but because you wouldn’t fall in line. You’ve just always followed your own tune, and she couldn’t stand it.”
“I never thought about it like that, but it’s possible. Because, yeah, her friends went along with everything she did.” She sifted her fingers through his hair. “But let’s get back to the part where you fell for me when you were eleven.”
“Words of affirmation,” he muttered, kissing first one cheek, then the other, then the tip of her nose, and finally, her sweet mouth.
“Jude McKenna.” She sighed. “Talking love languages.” She fanned herself.
Laughing, he caught her around the waist. “You see what a man’ll do when he wants a woman?”
Her smile faded, and her eyes filled with awe. “Yeah. I really do.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
As Jude crossedthe living room, he took in the Christmas wonderland they’d created for Cody. Strings of lights twinkled, bright red stockings rimmed with bands of white fur hung off the mantel, and embers still glowed from their evening in front of the fireplace. It smelled of cinnamon, pine, and the sugar cookies Cody and Fee had baked.
They were all getting so close. It was good. Great, even. But he couldn’t get Fee’s question out of his mind:What if Carlo took Cody back?
The boy had become an integral part of their lives. Earlier in the day, when Jude had taken a break from carving out the interior of the snow house, he’d glanced into the white tent to find his dad and Cody having a hot cocoa together.
What would happen if he was pulled from the McKenna family?
Bringing him into the family was the right thing to do, no question. But how many times could a person open his heart and trust when people kept leaving him?
He had to talk to Carlo. He set the water bottles down on a table and pulled his phone out of his gym shorts.
Jude: Hope rehab’s going well. I know Christmas Eve is tomorrow, but I wanted to talk to you about Cody.
Before he could pick up the bottles, his phone rang. “Hey.”
“Is everything all right?” Carlo cleared the roughness out of his voice.
“Yeah, all good. Sorry, I should’ve started with that. He’s fine.”
“Oh.” Carlo chuckled. “Scared me.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I’m a night owl. So what’s up?”
“You never really spelled it out, so if I got it wrong, tell me, and we’ll forget about it.” He held his breath. Because there was no taking a statement like this back. “But I’d like to adopt Cody.”
“Hoo-ey.” Carlo let out a shaky breath. “Yes. That’s exactly what I want. It’ll give me a lot of peace of mind. Good kid, yeah?”
“The best. I’ll wait till after the holidays, but by the first week of January, I’m going to talk to an attorney and get the process started. You think you’ll be back in town by then?”
“That might be a little too soon, but I’ll be available for anything you need to make it happen. Now, listen, you’ll need a house and money for clothes and food. School supplies. I’ll make you the executor of the trust so you can use the money I set aside for him.”
