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Jay glowers at us, and we both giggle.
“How’d you get her to talk to you?” she asks.
He rubs his thumb over his lip and smirks. “I gave her a song.”
“No,” I retort. “Youstolemy iPod. Thenyou gave me a song.”
Chloe gasps and drops her crust onto her plate. “You stole her iPod?”
“And wiped her entire playlist. The only songs she could listen to were the ones I put on there.”
We smile at one another across the table. They’re soft and goofy and probably cheesy as hell. But the comfort of returning to the past in this way is like finding a favorite teddy bear to cuddle with in bed.
I want to be cheesy with him. I want to be cheesy with them both.
“Which song did you give her?” Chloe asks.
“‘Poker Face’ by Lady Gaga,” I tell her. “I still don’t know why you picked that.”
Jay licks his lips. “I think you do.” He laughs softly to himself. “I think you know exactly why.”
Twisting my lips, I acknowledge that he’s probably right. He was trying to get to know me, but I hid myself well. And maybe I still do. Sophie says I don’t let people in. That I make people work for my affection. But Jay knew precisely how to get it. I’m not sure he even had to try that hard.
Then or now.
No one else saw me back then. It always felt like no one really tried. Not even my brothers. But Jay did. And he told me I was beautiful.
I hum. “Maybe,” I whisper. Before I let the past swamp me with emotion, I stand and collect our plates. “It’s getting late, Chlo. You should say good night and get in the shower.”
Jay stands as well and tucks a hand in his pocket. “I—uh—got you something,” he hedges, his attention on Chloe.
She peers up at him, then darts a glance at me. When I nod, she turns back. “Oh yeah?”
He pulls his hand from his pocket and holds out a silver device.
Tears well in my eyes the instant I see it.This man.He knows precisely what he’s doing.
“Like I said before, I used music to get to know your mom. You and I have a lot of time to make up for, and since I can’t see you every day…” He trails off and looks to me, silently pleading for my help, like he thinks he’s screwing up.
Lips squeezed tight so I don’t sob, I nod in encouragement.
He closes his eyes for a second, like he’s searching for strength. Then he looks back at our daughter. “I got you an iPod. Would it be okay to send you a song every day?”
Chloe beams. “Really? Can I see it?”
I turn toward the sink and swipe a tear from my cheek while the two of them chatter about the playlist he’s created. My focus remains on the dishes until I feel Jay’s breath against my neck.
Banding one arm around my waist, he takes the dish that I’ve been furiously scrubbing and places it in the sink. “I think this one’s clean, Kitten,” he whispers. Then he drops a kiss below my ear, eliciting a moan from me. “Now spin around and tell me why you’re hiding from me.”
Jay gives me space to turn, but as soon as I do, I bury myself in his chest and grip the front of his shirt. “Not hiding,” I murmur.
His chest shakes with silent laughter. “Oh yeah? Coulda fooled me.” He cups my jaw and tilts my head so that I’m forced to meet his beautiful blue eyes. “Hi,” he whispers.
“Hi,” I murmur back, lost in euphoria. Because tonight far surpassed my expectations.
“Can I kiss you?”
His focus dips to my lips. When I nod, he presses a hand to the small of my back and pulls me so close our bodies are flush against one another. Then his mouth is finally on mine.
