Page 35 of Give In To Love
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ll go with you. I’ll be your boyfriend.”
A smile bloomed across his features, lighting his face like the sunrise. Then he tackled me in a hug.
17
TJ
We lingered in bed,floating in that space between awake and dreaming, occasionally surfacing long enough to trade lazy kisses before floating away again.
Jimmy ended up skipping his first class, but neither of us could afford to miss the next one. We eventually dragged ourselves out of bed, and after another long, lingering kiss, I left him to head to my class while he showered and got cleaned up for the day.
The rest of the day passed quickly between classes, Jimmy’s shift at the library, and preparations for Gram’s party. Ma sent me out to pick up the balloons she’d ordered and Jimmy tagged along, holding my hand as we talked about our day. I did most of the talking as usual, but Jimmy chimed in here and there, and it made me ridiculously happy that he seemed to feel more comfortable sharing things with me.
Jimmy surprised me later in the evening when he asked if he could sleep in my bed. We’d just returned to our room after brushing our teeth when, suddenly, he was standing in front of me, biting his lip and looking adorably nervous. As if there were any doubt I’d say yes. I climbed into bed first, scooting all the way to the wall, and held up the blanket for him in invitation. He’d given me a shy smile before sliding into the bed next to me and curling into my side, an errant curl tickling my chin.
Peace. He’d said earlier that I brought him peace. And while I thought he’d been talking about peace from anxious thoughts, as I lay there with him wrapped in my arms, the two of us creating a warm cocoon beneath the blankets, I thought I knew exactly what he was talking about.
* * *
I wokeSaturday morning to the sound of light rain hitting the window. Jimmy and I lay on our sides, facing each other, and I took the opportunity to watch him sleep. He looked so peaceful like this. Brow smooth. Mouth slightly ajar. Breath slow and even. He had a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. They were so faint that I hadn’t noticed them before. I wanted to memorize each and every one.
What was it about this boy that had me tied in knots?
He was beautiful, of course. I’d thought so from the moment I met him, with his chocolate-brown eyes, fair skin, and those blond curls I was such a sucker for. But beyond that, I thought maybe it was his quiet strength that drew me to him. Despite his childhood and everything that had happened to him, there was still an earnestness in him. He was shy and anxious and full of self-doubt, but he hadn’t let that stop him from pursuing the life he wanted. Underneath it all was a steely resolve to keep pushing forward. I admired him for it.
Jimmy inhaled, then executed a full-body stretch before slowly opening his eyes.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
“Are you ready to experience the absolute chaos of my family?”
“Yes?”
I chuckled, smoothing a curl off his brow. “You’re gonna be great. Everyone will love you. My mom and brothers already do.”
“You’ve talked to them about me?”
“Well yeah. Ma caught on to how smitten I am with you at the football game. So, of course, she brought it up.”
One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Smitten?”
“Utterly and completely.”
His blush was adorable.
“I might be a bit smitten too.”
The way his words had my heart stuttering… He so rarely offered up his feelings like that, which made it all the sweeter. I leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose, unable to resist.
“What time is it? What time do we need to leave?”
I peeked over his shoulder at the clock. “It’s just shy of eight, and I told Tyler we’d pick him up at nine.”
He rolled over to his back, and we lay there for a few moments, watching the rain fall outside. “Too bad we can’t lie here a little longer. It’s the perfect weather for staying inside with a book.”
