Page 88 of That First Moment

I climbed in the shower while Jamie still slept, my mind buzzing with my to-do list, hoping there wasn’t anything pressing with the family today to interrupt it. If I had my way I’d sit in the arm chair and play while Jamie painted. I just wanted to simplybein the same room as the woman I was falling in love with.

And there it was.

The thought popped into my head faster than I had meant it to, but it was out there in the “open” now. I had always teased Milo for being too quick to love. First with Madeline in college, fretting over when she would call after his botched first kiss. Then with Hannah and their relationship. Love was a word Milo would say even to me or Clay. And Clay, well he always knew he loved Ophelia, they just had to figure out their little game. Then there was me. I had only ever told one woman I loved her, besides my mother. I never really had the desire to. But with Jamie, I wanted to tell her that from the first moment I ever saw her.

And now it was really happening.

I was falling in love with Jamie Gaines.

I’m pretty sure I was falling first and falling hard.

“What are you thinking about?” Jamie’s voice made me jump. I thought I was alone in the shower, only to find her right next to me.

The shower had two heads and an open doorway, making a sneaky entrance easy for anyone. The grin on her face as she stepped into the stream of water was taunting me as her fingers found my waist. I held her elbows in my palms and pulled herslightly towards me, the water hitting her hair just enough to cause small beads of drops.

“You,” I answered softly, not wanting to hide anything from her anymore.

“Oh really?” she whispered back, her fingers moving from my hips to below my waistline. “Nothing else?”

I shuddered, taking in a quick breath. “Nothing else . . . ever. It’s only you.” I kissed her, completely skipping the sweet kisses and going right for the gusto, my tongue dancing with hers.

The to-do list flew from my mind as Jamie became my only train of thought, the warm water covering our skin and amplifying everything right up until it turned cold.

“So, other than a FaceTime with Clay and perfecting your set list, what do you have planned today?” Jamie asked after our shower. Her hair was still wet as she floated through the kitchen, a white t-shirt and black leggings hugging her in all the right places.

“The show’s at eight,” I reminded her.

“Oh, right, I forgot.”

I raised my eyebrows at her.

“I’m being sarcastic,” she added.

I sat at the island chair and leaned my elbow on the counter, resting my chin on my fist, keeping my eyebrows raised. I bit my cheek to keep from saying anything. I knew she was being sarcastic, but I wanted to see her reaction. I wanted to see all of her reactions.

“Oh, come on.” She began to bounce on her toes. “You know I’m being sarcastic. You know I’m kidding—you know I’m coming.”

“Yeah, at eight,” I said in a monotone voice.

She stopped bouncing and quickly turned her body to the coffee maker, her wet hair hitting her shoulder with a tad moreoomphthan normal. I chuckled under my breath and reached for my laptop, pulling it close to me.

“Clay should be calling any minute now. If it were up to that man, he’d call me at 5 a.m.”

“But . . . sleep.” Jamie twisted her body, the coffee pot raised in the air. “That man is a workaholic.”

“I can’t deny that, but he’s a hell of an accountant—more so.”

“Yeah, why is your accountant helping you with selling the business?” Jamie put a cup of coffee in front of me, with creamer, exactly how I like it, before she slid onto the chair next to me. “Shouldn’t you have a real estate agent help with that?”

I picked up my mug, taking a gulp before answering. “Well, we’ll need a broker, but Clay knows my company inside and out. He knows it’s worth, he knows my employees, and he knows how much it means to my family. Since Jacob wasn’t a fan of me selling, Clay stepped in. He’s found an agent, and will work closely with the numbers, while I show potential buyers what an amazing investment it would be.”

“Jacob . . . your brother?”

I nodded. “Older brother. If it were up to him we would never sell the company and just keep passing it down from kid to kid. But, I don’t want to sit at that desk anymore. He’s a doctor—he’s working on a research project, and Sydney just opened her salon. Selling the company would allow me to do so much more than become a full-time musician. I would be able to help them too.”

She scrunched her nose. “They don’t see it that way, huh?”

“Jacob doesn’t.”

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