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“Jae?”
“Yes, baby doll.”
She exposed her top half completely, lifting from the pillow before she even opened her eyes. I bowed my head in shame.
“What are you doing here?”
Wasting little time, Jae wrapped a blanket around Aeir’s body, understanding that she was struggling to make sense of everything and concealing her body parts was the least of her worries. Jae, obviously, wasn’t worried either. It was simply in her nature. She was a caretaker to the core.
“My first assignment is in Perry. I chose to fly into Berkeley before I left Channing for the next three months. This assignment is a minimum of ninety days. I’m not exactly sure when it’ll end or how long I’ll be gone. Before the whirlwind begins, I had to see you, babe.”
“Thank you.” Aeir yawned. “Thank you for thinking of me.”
“I’m always thinking of you.”
“Malachi,” she called out to me. “This is Jae. Jae, this is Malachi.”
“Honey, we’ve met, and I’ll just say, I don’t blame you. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling you’re in good hands.”
“Me, too.”
“Well, I don’t have much time. Get up. I’m taking you to brunch.”
“Brunch? You mean breakfast?”
“No. I mean what I said, Aeir. It’s going on eleven. By the time you pull it together, it’ll be noon.”
“Oh God, I had no idea.”
“Dick will do that to you.” Jae chuckled.
Shaking my head, I added to the equation. “Brunch is on me. So is a trip to the shops. Buy whatever your heart desires. Aeir shared with me that you’re the reason she’s here. Consider this a thank you for saving me, too.”
“You hear that, Aeir? Get your thin ass up, babe. We have things to do. And make sure you brush those teeth good. I can smell your night all over your breath.”
“I’m going to leave you two alone. Aeir, you have my card. Call me if you encounter any problems.”
“Okay.”
“It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Malachi!” Jae yelled behind me.
“The feeling is mutual.”
I grabbed my pants from the side of the bed, leaving my button down for later. There was work that needed to be done. Dinner remained on the table in the greenhouse. Cleaning our mess was first on my list.
The sound of genuine laughter secured my attention moments later as I watched the girls scurry across the land toward Aeir’s hideaway. I waited, gazing from afar, for her to turn around and leave me with something to carry me through the day while she was away with the most important being in her world at the moment.
Come on, my love.
The reference left me gutted and filled to capacity at once. Aeir was growing on me and her growth was rapid. There was no way I could stop her and there was no way I wanted to. She’d attached herself to me by the soul and was slowly creeping her way into my heart.
She raised her hand and angled her top half in my direction, still rushing toward her place. She’d ditched the ridiculous sex number she’d worn last night for my black button down. She had impeccable taste. Her fingers wiggled, leaving me no choice but to nod in her direction.
Later, she mouthed before turning back around and catching up to Jae.
* * *
Sunlightand the day's work drained me in less than three hours. I shoved the pick into the soil and removed the hat from my head to lower my temperature a few notches. Dehydration led me off the land and into the house. I removed my boots before stepping inside so that mud wouldn’t be tracked.
