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Swallowing roughly, I hand it to her.
“What’s this?” she says, scrunching her nose at the box. “Did you buy me shoes?”
I shake my head and wait. She slants me a questioning look, then slowly lifts the lid. She stares at the contents a moment. No reaction. The recent notes she wrote for me are on the top—our food flirting and fun cooking game. She picks one up, reads it, and bites her lip.
She moves those to the side and digs more purposefully through the box. Sifts through our old movie and concert tickets. Edwin, her skull-shaped rock. A stick she used to use as a wand to cast spells while adventuring. There are small notes she left me over the years, including her cute “You suck at football,” written after I fumbled the ball, giving Jake’s and her team the win.
She traces the bubbled curves of her writing. “You said you left Windfall without taking any of your stuff.”
“No, I talked around the question—said I had to leave Windfall quickly, that I didn’t get to takemuch. Truth is, this is the only thing I grabbed from my room. I had a feeling I wouldn’t see you again, and I couldn’t leave this behind.”
“Oh, Cal.” She carefully replaces the lid and runs her fingers over the closed top. “We lost so many years apart from each other. Not knowing or understanding…” She trails off, blinking out a tear.
“Hey.” I tip her face to mine and brush her cheek dry. “We know now. Understand now. I wasn’t comfortable sharing this with you before—letting you see how much you really meant to me. But I wanted to show you now. Put it all out there. I love you, Jolene. Plan to make you so damn happy you can barely stand it, while kicking your ass at berry picking.”
Her watery laugh is full of fondness. “I love this box of history, and I love you.” She presses her forehead to mine. “Even when you cheat at berry picking.”
“There was no cheating,” I say, with a tickle to her side. “Also, Mom’s homecoming surprise party is in two days. Will you come with me?”
She pulls back. “Are you sure? It’s a special day. I don’t want to make this uncomfortable for anyone.”
“My family loves you, Jo. And they love me. They’ll be happy we’re there together, and I’ll let Jake know ahead of time. If he’s as okay with things as he says, he won’t mind.”
“Then, yes.” She leans her head on my shoulder and runs her hand along my thigh. “I’d love to be there with you.”
“It’s settled, then.” I twirl her hair around my finger, getting turned on by her proximity. The soft drags of her hand close to my suddenly aware cock. “Also, how do you feel about getting finger-fucked on this ledge out here?”
She sputters out a laugh. “Jesus, Cal. Who are you right now?”
I ease her away from the ledge. Adjust us so she’s lying down and I’m on my side, protecting her from being seen. “Too blunt?”
She pushes her hands up my T-shirt, fondling my abs. My cock goes from aware to demanding. “Perfectly blunt. Dirty Talk Cal is as much fun as Romantic Date Cal.”
“Wait until you meet Spoil You Rotten Cal. He has plans.”
She beams up at me with so much trust and affection, my chest gets all locked up. Jammed with a landslide of feelings.
I trace a path up her soft thigh, under her skirt, and run my knuckles over her panties. I groan. “You’re already wet for me.”
“Seems to be a constant problem around you.” She reaches between my legs, squeezing the hard ridge of my shaft.
Heat snaps up my legs, but I bat her hand away. “Just you right now. I want to take care of you.”
“Only if I get to touch you after.”
“Deal,” I say as I push her underwear to the side and grunt again. “So fucking wet and perfect.”
She clutches my forearm as I drag my thick fingers over her slit. The color on her cheeks deepens, and she tips her head back, giving me control. Her hips jerk. Her eyelids flutter. Her breasts push up on faster breaths. “Cal,” she says on a pant.
“I know, baby.” I crowd closer to her, addicted to the sight of Jolene getting off.
Her body coils tighter, her composure faltering with each flick of my finger. I don’t blink. I thank the fucking stars that Jolene and I found our way to each other in this crazy life I’ve led. Never again will I have to know the agony of living without her.
chapterthirty-seven
Callahan
I’m at work before Jake, and I’m never at work before Jake. Granted, I’m usually coming from an early gym workout and have to haul ass to get here. I did a different kind of calisthenics this morning, involving Jolene, the shower, and her legs wrapped around my waist. I barely beat the clock afterward, but I did. And Jake’s not here.
