And she drew in her breath once more, but didn’t move. He leaned back slightly and met her eyes. The look on her face was something he would see in his mind every time he closed his eyes from here to eternity. The awareness, the longing, the trepidation mixed with confidence… this was a woman who wanted to be treasured, held, and loved – but was scared to get hurt again.
“Someday,” he offered softly as an olive branch, knowing she needed it. “Someday we’ll get to the details of that bedroom, but first we talked about dinner, and I would love some help painting… if you’re game?” The flicker and flare of understanding glowed as she nodded, before biting her lip. “What’s on your mind, Sweetheart?”
He watched a bevy of emotions flit across her face and knew giving her space was the right thing in that moment. She was quiet; he could see the wheels turning in her mind, and saw her eyes dart away before looking at him again.
“You don’t mind?” she finally whispered hoarsely – and his heart broke. Reaching up, his finger caressed her cheek before cupping her face, holding her gaze to his. He wantedher to understand he would wait a lifetime for someone like her – and that she was worth every second.
“Why would I mind?” he questioned tenderly, his eyes searching hers. “If this is meant to be, then we wait until you’re ready, too.” And he realized it was true. “If something damaged what this is, then I would expect you to feel comfortable enough with me to say something. The last thing I would ever want is for you to feel so upset or trapped where you felt like you had to leave,” he murmured.
Her eyes widened in shock, and Jack realized that he’d hit the nail on the head. Heidi kept her secrets close, but he was a patient man and knew to look for her silent clues. Someone had used her and treated her badly, making her feel like she was worthless – and that was something he would never,ever, do. His thumb brushed across her cheek, seeing the shimmer in her eyes and that fearful trust that was so precious.
His heart was breaking at the emotion in those beloved eyes, but he held back, knowing this wasn’t the time. “If someone drives you away, it’s not love… and that’s what I’m hoping to find someday when the time is right – and you should too.”
Heidi’s hand suddenly touched his skin, and he jumped slightly. It was so unexpected that he almost pulled it away – only to feel her fingers curl around his wrist possessively, staying his hand.
“Thank you,” she whispered thickly, her eyes glistening.
“Always,” he promised softly. “We’ve got a lifetime.”
“Could you hold me for a moment?”
“I’d be honored, if you feel…” and Jack grunted at the force to which Heidi threw herself into his arms before he’d finished speaking. His sweet girl didn’t need kisses, flowers, or fancy dinners – she needed someone to be there, to hold her close, to listen and support her.
And he was just the man for the job.
Hours later,they were both sitting on the wood parquet floor in the sitting room. They were both cross-legged, and Jack was pretty sure that he couldn’t stand up without disgracing himself. He was so sore from climbing up and down the ladder to reach the trim at the top of the tall ceilings. The drop cloths had been worth their weight in gold.
Heidi could not paint worth a flip… and he’d never admit that thought crossed his mind. She tackled rolling out the paint on the larger walls, and he worked the angled trim brush along the delicate scrollwork that ran across the ceilings. The medallion in the center of the room was gorgeous but yellowed with age - and their current subject of discussion.
“Gold leaf the sucker…”
“What’s gold leaf?”
“It’s tiny, fluttery sheets of gold that get everywhere…”
“Why would I want to do that – correction,” he laughed, “Howdo I do that?”
“Meh,” Heidi waved him off. “It’s easy. A little glue, a fancy little brush, andvoila…”
“Sweetheart, nothing has ‘voila’d’ in this house – look around you.”
“It takes patience…” she stressed, grinning at him.
“I have patience, it’s the whole ‘voila’ thing that is lacking.”
“I could do it for you.”
“No, because I don’t want you up in the air on a ladder.”
“You’d catch me if I fell …”
“I’d be right there with my hands planted on your backside to make sure you didn’t fall off,” he shot back laughing. “Besides, where do you find gold leaf – and you want a shiny ceiling medallion?”
“And a hussy pink bedroom,” she agreed quickly and then rolled back from her seated position, laughing wildly, before rolling back into a seated position – still cross-legged. He didn’t know how she did that move, nor how she made it look so easy, but seeing her laughing and smiling like this was enchanting. “I don’t even remember the paint color, but ‘hussy pink’ seems fitting.”
“Done,” he chuckled, nodding. “Tomorrow evening, we’ll go get whatever you need for gold-leafing in Tyler.”
She stopped laughing – and looked at him. “Are you serious?”
