“Kids, all kids, deserve an equal start in life. We aren't all equal in our circumstances and it's not fair that some are born into the lives they have. They deserve a fighting chance. Their basic needs have to be taken care of. Somebody should believe in them. Then they'll have a shot at life.”
There it was. That passion for his work that was so damn appealing.
“Well, why didn’t you just say that?” I whispered.
“I thought I had.”
I snuggled back down into him, deciding sitting up was too much distance. “You’ve never mentioned children. I mean a little at my trailer, but this clears things up.” I wished I could see him like that all the time. Aflame. I wanted to see it again. All the time. I wanted to let his beast out for forever.
“Sometimes I forget to say the most obvious things,” he said softly.
I twirled my fingers in his chest hair. “You’re hairy.”
“Thankfully, you never do.” He rumbled a laugh.
I laughed into his ribs and looked up at him. “I like you.”
“I like you too.” He added, “Even when you play music so loud it shakes the house.”
I jabbed him in the ribcage. “I like you even when you’re a crabby paddy.”
I rested my head on his chest. I inhaled him. I loved his smell. I laughed a little to myself because he still had a massive boner. We had sat here discussing important topics and Little Ford was screaming for attention. I wanted to reach out and stroke him so badly. But I wanted to respect his desire to wait, too. We were running out of time but I could take things slowly. I liked the idea of it. The idea of moving slowly and taking the time to explore each other's bodies appealed to me; it caused a warmth to spread within me. So long as I didn't think about the after.
“I had a terrible childhood. I was lucky to get out. I’m not typical. I need to help them. I need to make sure I change things. I need to pay forward what was given to me. The world is stacked…” He trailed off as his voice grew tight with emotion.
I pulled him tighter to me, my cheek pressed snug against him. He squeezed me back.
“I promise I’m going to melt the faces off those rich SOBs. They won’t have any clue what hit them. ”
His laughter jostled me. “Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second.”
“I ordered my dress. Gretchen and the girls helped me. I think you’re going to like it.”
“Will it be on you? Then I’ll like it.”
“And you say you’re not good with words.”
I let out a long breath and we settled into a more comfortable position as sleepiness seeped in. “I can’t believe it’s already almost December.
“It’s gone fast.” His voice was quiet. The air was heavy with all the things that we weren’t saying.
That I'd be moving back to my old life. That'd I be dancing the VIP stage for men who may or may not appreciate my artistic talent. He'd be doing the work he loves. We wouldn’t be together. We were from different worlds and the chasm was too wide between us.
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to forget for a minute. I chose to lay there in his arms and just breathe in the moment. I knew what I was getting into when we started all this. I would be fine. He’d be fine.
There were no other options.
Chapter 25
Clifford
Iwanted everyone to shut up. The house was full of people. Suzie's new friends clucked away loudly upstairs, stomping around, laughing and wasting all our time. I wouldn’t yell. I’d be patient. I wouldn’t go upstairs and kick down the door and tell them to hurry.
“I’m having déjà vu.” As Jack spoke, he covered my watch with his hand. “You have plenty of time.”
I dropped my arm and crossed to the bay windows to look outside. It was pitch black even though it was only eight. The Winter Ball was just about to start. Every single person inmyhome had told me that nobody shows up to a party on time. I sighed.
Jack rolled his eyes and said, “I’m going upstairs to help. You’re making me jittery.”
