Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(114)

“But I love you, Jaxsen. I’m doing this for me but also for us. This isn’t about getting away.”

“I know that.” He shook his head. “Okay, I hear the words and I try to believe them, but I still lie awake at night wondering how I’m going to keep up with you. I’m not one of those liberated men who’s comfortable with his wife making more than him. I want to be the one taking care of you. If you can take care of yourself, then what?”

His amazing, wonderful words had her stepping toward him. She pressed her hands against his chest and smiled at him. “Jaxsen, don’t you get it? I’ve only ever stayed because I wanted to. I never had to be here. I love you. You’re the man of my dreams. I want us to take this journey together. There’s no leaving you behind. Who would I be without you?”

Hope flared in his eyes. “You mean that?”

“Of course.”

He pulled her close and held on so tight, she couldn’t breathe. But that was okay because this moment mattered more than anything.

After nearly a full minute, he released her. “I’ll have the money you need later today.”

“What?”

“I’m selling a few things. I talked to the guys at work and a couple of them are interested in the ATVs. I listed the Jet Skis on Craigslist and I’ve sold them. I’m meeting the people this afternoon. By six tonight, you’ll have your fifteen thousand dollars.”

“You can’t,” she said. “No. We’ll make the line of credit work.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “You never liked the ATVs. You were always worried one of us would get hurt. We’ll still have the skis and snowboards and all the camping gear. We only go to the lake once in the summer. It makes more sense to rent Jet Skis for a day or two.”

He stared into her eyes. “I want to do this. I want to show you I meant what I said before. About loving you and being a part of this. I’m proud of you, Kristine. I want to be proud of myself, too. Let me do this for you. Let me show you I meant what I said about wanting things to work.”

There was so much more they had to say, she thought, unable to take in all he was telling her. They definitely needed the counseling and new ways to disagree and a realignment of chores, but right now this was enough. Jaxsen could have talked for days, but nothing would have shown her how much he believed in her like selling his precious ATVs.

“I love you,” she said, taking his hand in hers and tugging him toward the stairs.

He hesitated. “Are you sure? Don’t you think we should wait until we’ve seen the therapist and know it’s okay?”

She smiled at him. “Do you want to wait for the therapist?”

“Of course not, but I’m trying to be a good guy. I’ve been a dick too long.”

She stepped close and placed her hand on his crotch. Sure enough, he already had an erection.

She smiled. “Good guys get to make love with their wives, Jaxsen. It’s been a long time.”

“Thank God!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs.

She ran alongside him, anticipation igniting need. When they reached the bedroom, he pulled her close and took her face in his hands.

“You are my world,” he whispered, right before he kissed her.

And he was hers, she thought, wrapping her arms around him. But she would tell him later. Right now there were more pressing matters to be dealt with.



Chapter Thirty-One


Sophie spent several days wrestling with the reality of the situation versus how she wanted it to be. She wanted Heather to have a chance to live her life, unencumbered by the deadweight that was Amber, but Sophie really hated the idea of rewarding bad behavior. There was also the issue of Amber’s continued stealing. The new inventory control issues weren’t sufficient. For all Sophie knew, other employees were aware of what was happening but were afraid to say anything because Amber was family.

When she complained to Dugan, he pointed out that she was never going to change Amber and that acceptance would lead to serenity. That statement had pissed her off so much, she’d stopped speaking to him for nearly two days. Only not talking to Dugan bothered her more than she would have thought, leaving her pissed about that even more than she had been at him.

“Ridiculous man,” she muttered, driving to Amber’s house. She’d texted her cousin and asked her to be ready to go at six. Amber had complained that she usually ate dinner at six, at which point Sophie once again wondered if coming home had been her dumbest idea ever.

She pulled up in front of her aunt’s house. The garden looked good. The flower beds were tidy, the lawn green. Heather had mentioned a bathroom spruce and a minor kitchen update. Sophie would guess the house would be going on the market very soon.

Amber stepped out of the house and started toward her car. “Are you taking me out to dinner?” she asked as she got in and fastened her seat belt. “You didn’t say anything about dinner, but I am hungry.”

Sophie smiled. “Not dinner. When does the house go on the market?”

Amber’s mouth twisted. “Next Friday. That real estate bitch has been over every day, telling me I have to get rid of a bunch of stuff or she’ll send in a team and do it for me. The nerve of her. She says she wants the house staged. Because we’re living like the rich people do now. My mother’s been watching too many home improvement shows, if you ask me.”