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"I... You... Wow," is all I'm able to get out because my brain seems to be malfunctioning.
"You look pretty good there yourself self, soldier," she says with a smile, taking in my dark jeans and button-down shirt.
"Well,” I say, still taking her in. “I don't think there is a word for how beautiful you look right now. Beautiful isn't even strong enough of a word, stunning, magnificent, perfect."
Mine.
I wonder how she'd react to that last one because that one seems to be the only one able to encompass my current feelings.
When I hold my hand out to her, she takes it with a smile on her face.
Slowly, we make our way out to the front porch and then to the garden, which Lexi has closed off this evening just for us.
Stone walls covered in ivy and flowers surround the garden. It gives the patient here the ability to escape reality and forget where they are. Many find it a great hiding space.
There are swings and benches, and pathways, along with flowers, herbs, and trees. I take her towards the back corner of the garden, where there's a small little waterfall and where Lexi has set up a picnic dinner for us.
When she sees it, she stops it and looks up at me with her jaw open.
"You did this?" She whispers in shock.
"I had a little help," I admit with a smile. I lead her over to the blankets that are spread on the ground, and we both take a seat.
We sit, eat, and talk. It's not the typical first date talk because, let's face it, we know each other way better than most people who are on a first date. We share about everything from TV shows we like watch to places we still want to visit.
Touching on our childhoods and our time in high school brings back so many memories. We went to the same high school, but we weren't in the same grade, so we did have different experiences. We talk about our reasons for joining the military and our plans and hopes for what to do beyond the military.
After we are finished eating, we put everything back into the basket that Lexi had set it in. She even included some treats for Atticus, who has been lying next to the water like he's on some tropical vacation.
Then I maneuver her so she's sitting between my legs, resting her back to my chest. With us not being face to face, it makes some of the harder topics easier, and the mood shifts.
"Have you talked to Caden?" she asks, resting her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arms around her waist.
"I tried to call him, but his phone was shut off. That means he's usually in training. I'll try again in a few days." I tell her, kissing her temple.
She nods her head and nothing else is said for a while as we sit in comfortable silence. If I want her to open up to me, I know I need to open up to her, but this doesn't seem like the time or the place.
Chapter 8
Kassi
Sitting there with Jake's arms around me was like something out of a movie. Talking and sharing about ourselves with each other was what I needed. I didn’t know that I was longing for a deeper connection, and this time with him provided it.
We stayed there until well after dark. When the garden lit up with fairy lights and made it look magical, I was transported to a secret fairy garden. I didn't want to leave.
Once we packed everything up, we walked hand in hand around the garden and back up to Oakside. And now we are standing outside my door, and things are awkward.
I don't want the night to end. It's been so perfect. But I don't know if he is feeling the same way or if maybe it was a bust and I didn't live up to what he had in his head. I simply don't know, and it's the not knowing I don't like.
Leaning against my closed door, I look up at him, hoping I can see in his gaze what he is thinking. Though he doesn't say anything, but I wish with all my heart that he would. He's still holding my hand, and he looks down at it, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. The sensation sends tingles down my spine.
Then he looks back up at me.
"You feel that too, right?" he whispers. To make his point, he again runs his thumb over my knuckles, and sure enough, the same electric zing hits me.
I nod my head because it feels impossible to get words out. His eyes flit down to my lips, and that is the only warning I get before his lips crash into mine. When I kiss him back, it's like all bets are off, and he backs me up, so my back is to my door, and I'm pressed up against him.
It begins like our other kisses, but before long, there is so much more passion and longing in it. Maybe because we already knew each other or because we’re spending more time together, but this kiss is powerful and intense. Soul shattering. Atticus breaks the moment by nudging his head between our legs, and Jake pulls back enough to whisper against my lips.
