How to Fail at Flirting(85)
His eyebrows dipped, a grin spreading across his face.
“Say something . . .”
He smiled, his blue eyes bright and dancing as he stroked a finger down the back of my hand.
“. . . well?”
He glanced over my shoulder again. “I was waiting until the dietitians were distracted.” He brought my fingers to his lips, kissing my knuckles sweetly and holding my hand to his face. “And, for the record, I’m in love with you, too. Phobia-facing, pun-making, you-had-me-from-day-one, I’m-never-letting-you-go-again in love with you.”
“When I imagined you saying that, I pictured fewer dietitians,” I whispered back.
“I always assumed there’d be a gaggle.” He laughed, and, like that, it seemed we were back to where we’d been, making each other laugh and forgetting the rest of the world.
My spine relaxed in a way that made me realize how stiffly I had been holding myself. “Is ‘gaggle’ the technical term for a group of them?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask next time I’m at the library. Man, that will be awkward with Gladys, though.”
“It’s a hard life you lead,” I said.
“Not really.” He shrugged, his fingers slipping from my skin, the trace of his touch lingering on my nerve endings. He smiled at me, his eyes almost twinkling in the sunset. “It seems I have it pretty good right now.”
A slight breeze picked up, but it didn’t diminish the warmth between us. I had nothing to add to my list in that moment, but it felt like a whole world of things I could add had just opened up.
Epilogue
The cut of the pants and the way the jacket framed his shoulders left me in awe every single time. I wonder if Jake would agree to wearing tuxedos around the house or while mowing the lawn.
The ceremony took place on the top of a mountain overlooking a lush valley, and the smell of gardenia and lavender filled the air. Jake stood at the altar, his features bathed in the sunlight of the hazy North Carolina morning. His gaze moved to mine, and he smiled, the one just for me, before he turned back to face the happy couple.
Jake handed the ring to his best friend. They exchanged a tight hug before Tyson faced Eric and the officiant walked them through their vows.
I dotted a tissue at the corner of my eye. Jake glanced my way and winked—he’d been the one to give me a small package of them, even though I’d insisted I wouldn’t cry.
The ceremony was followed by cocktails while the couple took pictures in front of the stunning vista with their wedding party. Standing in this jovial crowd alone would have made me anxious a year before, but sipping the drink, I enjoyed the moment.
The last year had been a whirlwind. Davis was convicted but didn’t receive any jail time. He hadn’t tried to contact me, though. He’d stayed away from Jill, too. When we’d finally talked, she’d shared that her experiences had been like mine. We cried and shared, and it was horrifying and affirming to know someone else going through a similar healing process. We’d become close, and between her, the counselor, and Jake, I felt like I was finally moving out from Davis’s shadow.
I’d made progress on my list, and Jake and I started adding things to a new one together with the myriad of changes we made at work, me earning tenure, Jake’s traveling, and more weekend trips between Chicago and Raleigh than I ever would have thought manageable. We’d gone to Seattle to see his family at Christmas. I’d fretted over the third degree I was sure I would receive from his four sisters, but they welcomed me into their circle like I’d always been there. After the new year, we went to my small hometown in Iowa to see my family, and we’d visited my grandfather, and I told him I was done auditioning. I was signed up for an intensive Spanish-language course for the spring, and couldn’t believe I’d waited so long. I was excited.
With as much as he traveled anyway, Jake decided to work based out of Chicago, and that plan was finally coming to fruition. I never got better at flirting, but it seemed I’d never have to do it with anyone else, so I stopped worrying. We’d spent the last three days packing up his house on the lake to prepare for his move to join me at our new place.
Buy a house. Check.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my clutch.
Felicia: The boys and Emily want to know when Jake can come over to play.
Felicia: Aaron does, too.
Naya: Aww . . . he has a crush on my boyfriend.
Aaron: I only asked if he’d be back in time for poker this week.
Naya: There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. He’s cute.
Arms wrapped around me from behind as I stood at a high-top table, sipping a mimosa. “If that’s Felicia, can she tell Aaron I’ll be back in time for the game?”
I grinned and tapped out the reply assuring Aaron he’d have his date for poker. Jake fit into our group like he’d always been there. He’d won over Felicia immediately, clinching it when he volunteered to babysit. Aaron and he just clicked. I think Aaron liked having another guy around. Felicia’s trainer, Wes, had started hanging out with us more often as well, and all of a sudden, I had this widening circle of people. It was kind of amazing.
“You know, day drinking is a great idea for a wedding,” Jake whispered into my neck, pulling me to him. My blue chiffon sundress caught in a slight breeze and swirled around me as I set my phone down and faced him.