We both sit down at the table, our chairs facing each other. Mila slices the cake and pours us each a glass of milk to go with it. When I raise my eyebrows at her choice of beverage she shrugs. “Trust me.” As soon as the words leave her mouth, her eyes widen, and she casts an uncertain glance my way.
“I do trust you.” I say quietly, hoping the truth behind those words gets through to her.
She nods thoughtfully. “Do you see how that was hard for me to believe when you came here accusing me without bothering to ask the truth?” She says it all so calmly, as if she isn’t talking about the single worst conversation I’ve had with a woman, ever, even including the day Stefani confessed to me.
“I do. I know I was a completely misguided idiot to jump to conclusions like that. It wasn’t fair, it was disrespectful, and immature. But it wasn’t that I don’t, or didn’t, trust you. I just freaked out and let my past completely colour my perception of things.”
“I’m not her, Jackson.”
I can’t hold back any longer. I take her hand in mine, threading my fingers through hers and lifting it to my lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. “God, I know that, Mila. You are nothing like her. You’re the woman I need, the woman I want, and the only woman worth fighting for.”
She leans down and kisses our hands right over top of where I kissed them. “Good line, Doctor Holt.” When she looks back up at me, her eyes glisten with what I hope are happy tears. I shift forward in my seat just slightly, wanting her to close the distance. When she does, it’s as if my soul breathes a sigh of relief. Our lips touch, lightly at first. Then with a moan, Mila takes it deeper. My lips drink in the feel of her as I pull her into my lap. She straddles my legs and presses herself against me.
“I missed you,” I mutter against her mouth, loving the fact that I feel her lips curve up into a smile. I reluctantly pull back. “Wait. As much as I want to just keep kissing you, I have to tell you something.”
She shifts back on my legs with a sigh. “Yeah, same here.”
“You go first.”
Mila arches her eyebrow at me, but doesn’t argue. “Fine. I wanted to apologize. I should have remembered what you’ve been through, and thought about how that might affect your reaction to seeing me buying Riley’s pregnancy tests. And when you tried to apologize, I shouldn’t have shut the door in your face. I was just so angry, and so hurt.”
“Ethan said you have a reason for being defensive,” I say cautiously. At her frown, I hurry to continue. “He didn’t tell me what that was; he said it was your story to tell. But I’m hoping you will tell me, so I can understand.”
Mila drops her head down on my shoulder, turning to bury her face in my neck. I twist to press a kiss to her head, and just wait.
“My last serious boyfriend, well, as serious as they ever were, was a real asshole. We were only together for a few months, but that was a long time for me. It’s not that I have a problem with commitment or anything, it’s just that no guy was ever good enough for me to keep around.” Her voice trails off and I feel her arms squeeze tighter around me. “Until you.”
Fuck, I want to kiss her when she says that, but I don’t. I do start to run my hand up and down her back, hoping to give her comfort and strength to say whatever she needs to say.
“So anyway, this ex, Derek, he was really insecure. Always needed me to reassure him that I liked him, that kind of stupid stuff. We were young; I was only twenty, he was twenty-two. But I always felt like I had to defend myself to him. He wasn’t controlling or anything, just insecure about everything. Questioning why I was going out, who I would be with, why I wouldn’t go out with him. I shouldn’t have bothered staying with him as long as I did in retrospect. The final straw was when he came over and flew off the handle at me when he found the condoms he had brought over previously, the box open and half empty. He started yelling and accused me of cheating on him. The truth was, I had moved some of them into the bedside drawer so we wouldn’t have to get up and go to the bathroom to get them. It was so stupid, and he freaked out. I kicked him out right away. There was no way I could be with someone who didn’t trust me, not to mention someone who would overreact like that.”
“And then I did something stupidly similar,” I finish for her. “Jesus, Mila, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. But I swear to you, my reaction had everything to do with my shit and nothing to do with you.”
“I know that. Just like my reaction was about my past and not you.” Without warning, Mila leans in and kisses me, hard and fast. “Here’s the thing, Jackson, we’re both human. Which means we’re going to fuck up sometimes. But I love you, and that means I’m committed to working through the fuck ups and learning to do better. So, I accept your apology if you accept mine, and I promise not to get defensive and overreact next time you try to apologize for whatever stupid thing you might do. Although, not doing anything stupid would be even better.”
I let out a relieved chuckle at that. “Deal. And I love you, too, Mila Monroe. So fucking much. Thank you for giving me another chance.”
She cocks her head and gives me a sexy, sassy smile. “You can thank me with orgasms.”
I stand up with her in my arms. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Chapter 25
Mila
I laugh as Jackson carries me down the hall to my room, closing the door on poor, confused Milo.
“Did we just get over our first fight?” I ask, twisting the hair at the nape of his neck around my finger.
“Yeah, babe. We did. It was a fucking doozy of a fight, too; let’s make that our first and last one.” Jackson sets me down beside the bed. My hands instantly go to the hem of his shirt and I lift it up and over his head.
“Not likely. Have you met me? I’m a stubborn girl.”
He shakes his head slowly, and the glowing fire in his eyes melts away the last of the icy grip that has been around my heart for the last two days. “Not stubborn. Strong, independent, fierce, committed…”
I interrupt him with a kiss. “Stop, you’re making me blush.” He laughs, kisses me, then keeps going.
“Perfect, amazing, beautiful, kind, generous, sexy, and most importantly, mine.”
