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His chin tipped. “How fucking rude of that guy.” He left me with a peck on the lips and returned to his seat, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. “Eat, then you can tell me what you thought of the last email I sent.”
I ate because I really was starving, and Jude gave me flirty eyes from across the table. His tears had dried, and now he looked at me like I might have been the best damn thing he’d ever seen.
I was certainhewas the best damn thing I’d ever seen.
We were doing dishes before he brought up the final email again. And by “we,” I meant I sat on the counter, watching my man work.
“I’m surprised it didn’t scare you away,” he said.
“It didn’t scare meaway, but it was intimidating to read your intentions. I don’t even know if those are still your intentions.”
He dried his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder. “They are.”
“You were pining for me?”
“I was.”
His hands slid up my legs, coming to a rest at my hips.
“I wasn’t pining for you.”
His mouth gave a little quirk. “I know.”
“I’d pushed you aside, relegating you to a dusty corner in my mind.”
He winced, but mostly playfully. “Ouch. The truth hurts.”
Gripping the sides of his hair, I got his full attention. “You were right to take the job. I wasn’t over you either, even if I never realized it.”
“Getting over the kind of love we had is pretty fucking impossible.”
“And neither of us tried too hard.”
“I did stupid things.”
“Like marrying Claudia in Vegas?”
His forehead dropped to mine. “I swear, baby, it was never a real marriage. It was two friends being stupid and drunk and—”
“It’s okay. Even if it was a real marriage, it’s okay. I understand you. I might have made equally stupid decisions if I hadn’t had Nina and my parents to kick me in the ass when I started in that direction.”
“What do you think about ending up together?”
My stomach twisted with nerves, but also a little bit of excitement. I could see it. It was the same kind of future I’d envisioned us having when we were young, but there was a chance it would be better.
“I thought...it seemed crazy, to want that with me when we hadn’t spent any time together since we were kids. But now, being here in your real world, eating your eggs and watching you wash dishes, it doesn’t seem too farfetched.”
He exhaled in a whoosh, then pulled back to grin at me. “That’s the best thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Better than I love you?”
“Really close second.” His hands worked up the back of my shirt, fingers spreading wide across my spine. “Now you have to take me to your place, make me some eggs, and let me watch you wash dishes to see if I feel the same.”
It took us both a second to start laughing, then I tugged the towel off Jude’s shoulder and whipped him with it. “You’re the very worst,” I cried.
He ran, and I chased, swatting his legs with the towel. Strong arms came around me, disarming me. “Here’s a secret,” he whispered next to my ear. “You could burn every egg in the world and poison me with berries, and I’d still want to end up with you. Got it, Stripes?”
I nodded. I did. I finally got it.
