Page 6 of Laying His Claim
“At least think about it,” he urged. This time, he did touch her, his broad hand taking hold of her by the shoulder and turning her to face him.
At his touch, she inhaled sharply, then let her breath out in a gust. She set the brush down in her lap. “That’s a very kind offer…”
“It’s not about kindness, Jalissa. It’s aboutus…”
“But it feels like I’d be going home with a stranger.”
“First off, I’m not a stranger. I’m the man you love; the man you were going to marry.”Believe it, he urged her silently.
Her brows lifted slightly at this.
He went on, “And second, even when I was a stranger,” he countered. “You knew exactly how to handle me.”
She gave him a look of surprise. “Did I?”
“You sure did. I remember being so mesmerized by you. You were fierce and loyal with your friends, especially Kaiya. And you were sexy and forthright with me. You never played games, never left me guessing. You knew exactly what you wanted.”
Jalissa looked down at her hands, lying limply in her lap. “Not so fierce now,” she sighed.
He tugged at the lock of hair again, then let it fall back into place at her jawline. “Maybe not now, but soon you’ll be you again. Full of the old vinegar and spit. But in the meantime, letmebe strong foryou.”
That was enough for one day, he thought. If he pushed any harder, he would only come up against more resistance. Reluctantly, he stood up, excused himself with a peck on her cheek, and exited.
* * *
Jalissa let her gaze roam around the large living room of Kaiya’s gracious home, taking in every detail; the curtains, the paintings, the furniture. The few bags she had brought with her were stacked in the guest bedroom, waiting to be unpacked. As it turned out, they were largely unnecessary, as Kaiya and Kalilah had shopped up a storm, filling the closet and armoire with clothes, shoes, and toiletries.
“This all feels so… familiar,” she murmured.
“It should be,” Kaiya responded. “You’ve crashed here a few times before…”
“Before the accident.”
Kaiya grimaced. “Yeah.”
Unable to respond, Jalissa reached instead for Kaiya’s baby son, TJ, and Kaiya willingly handed him over into her arms. The baby didn’t mind one bit.
She buried her nose into his curls and inhaled deeply. “I love the way babies smell. They’re so—”
There was the sound of the front door opening and then slamming shut. Almost instantly, Justin appeared, followed closely by Tyler, who gave his wife an apologetic look.
“Jalissa,” Justin said as he burst into the living room. Then he stopped dead, mesmerized by the sight of TJ in her arms.
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’m not going to drop him. My hands are steady enough. Besides, he’s so adorable. I love the way he feels in my arms.”
Kaiya and Justin exchanged glances, then Kaiya said, “Justin, she just arrived. Don’t you think she needs a little time to settle in?”
“I don’t think she should be settling in here at all,” he snapped. “She’d be much better off at home with me.”
“I’m not too sure about that—”
“I don’t care what you think. She’s my fiancée and deciding what’s in her best interest is up to me—”
That set Kaiya off like a cherry bomb. “She’s my best friend! I’ve known her all her life, so I think—”
“Cut it out!” Jalissa said, so disturbed by the war raging around her that she felt a wave of weakness threaten to overcome her. Tyler immediately spotted it and swooped in to steal TJ from her arms.
In a flash, Justin was at her side, looping his arm around her. “Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?”
