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“You do?”
With a downward jerk of his chin, he confirmed he was telling the truth. But apparently, he didn’t think that was enough because he added, “More than I ever thought would be possible.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes searching his handsome face.
He loved me.
Jacklovedme.
There was only one thing I could do with that. “I’ve fallen in love with you, too. And it’s far more than I ever thought would be possible.”
He grinned at me.
Then, he closed the remaining distance between our faces and pressed a kiss to my lips. Eventually, his hands left the side of my face, but only so he could haul my body against his. And for the next few minutes, Jack and I stood there in my bedroom, kissing each other as all the fear and worry I’d been feeling about what was in store for me tonight melted away.
SEVENTEEN
Jack
“She’s great.”
Even though I’d expected a sentiment similar to the one I’d just heard from Dylan, it was still nice to hear it.
This moment felt like a lifetime in the making.
I was here.Herenot necessarily being a physical place, but something else. I’d just finished having dinner with my family and the woman I loved.
I hadn’t believed I’d ever be able to feel this happy, but here I was. And it was beyond my wildest expectations.
Dakota met everyone.
My parents, Bob and Sue, as well as my siblings and their significant others.
All fourteen people.
There were Carson and Lila, Dylan and Christine, Brooklynn and Damien, Hailee and Chris, Jessa and Todd, and Blair and Mike.
Carson and Lila were married. Dylan and Christine were engaged. Brooklynn and Damien and Hailee and Chris were also married. Jessa and Todd were engaged. Blair and Mike were the only two, other than Dakota and me, that were just dating.
Dinner had been wonderful, and Dakota fit right in. There was nothing awkward, and the conversation never focused solely on her. My family did just enough to make her feel welcome without making her feel uncomfortable.
I couldn’t have loved them more for it.
Just as I promised her, my family didn’t hate her. I hadn’t had any doubt about that, but I understood her fears about it.
Fortunately, I was pretty certain that she finally realized I hadn’t been trying to fool her when I insisted my family would like her. It was one of the best feelings in the world to have her sitting by my side at dinner, jumping into the conversation, and laughing with all of us.
For my family, I knew it meant the world to them to see me smiling and happy again. I’d been walking around a shell of a man for years, and there was always that hint of sadness that fell over the room whenever I came for a family dinner.
Because I had been alone for three years.
Nobody had been filling the empty seat beside me.
And now I had Dakota. Bringing her here, having her meet the people who’d stuck by my side through the worst time of my life, I finally felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief.
Now that we’d had dinner and dessert, all of the guys had left the house to head out to the barn. My parents had a ranch, and my dad had been having an issue with some of the cattle getting out of the fence lately.
We typically didn’t work on occasions like this, but I think part of the reason he urged the rest of the guys and I to come out to help him was so that Dakota would have time alone with the girls. Though it might not have seemed that way on the surface, I knew it was going to ease the pressure she’d been feeling all day. I had every confidence that my sisters, my mom, Lila, and Christine wouldn’t do anything to upset her.
