Chapter Eighteen

"Do I look okay?" Daisy asks as she comes out of the bathroom.

My mouth is dry as I look at her, and I"m silent for so long, she smooths the fabric of the dress down with the palms of her hands. "You look absolutely breathtaking."

"You don"t think the sparkles are too much?" She tilts her head to the side, nose scrunched up.

"No, they fit your personality, and if there"s one thing I like most about you, it"s your personality. Even when I want to not be happy, you make me that way because that"s how you live your day-to-day." I don"t know why I"ve just said this to her. Another glimpse into my inner workings that I didn"t mean to give.

"Aww, Jasper, thanks. Sometimes I think you"re barely tolerating me." She blows out a breath.

"Oh, babe, that"s not just you. I"m barely tolerating everyone." I shrug on the jacket to my suit.

She laughs loudly, coming over to smooth my shoulders. "I can"t believe you just made a joke. You must be worried about this dinner if you"re choosing to deal with it in a sarcastic joking manner."

It"s tough to put into words how this does make me feel. "There"s a lot riding on this. It"s the first time he"s seen us together, and he has to know that this is for real. If he suspects anything is off, he"ll pull out all the funding. And make no mistake, he"s looking for it, Daisy Mae. He"s always looking for it. The old bastard can spot a con job a mile away. I need you not to hide how you feel about me tonight." It"s a shitty request to make. I"m fully aware of how she feels about me.

Standing in front of me, she licks her lips before sliding her arms around my waist. "Then I have a request for you, Hamilton. Don"t hide how you feel about me, either. For once I want to see it reciprocated, and I know there are times when you can"t help it. I"m not going to hurt you. That"s hard for you to trust, I get it. But we"re in this together."

I"ve never been part of a team before, unless you count the group of friends I have. This request is different than anything that"s ever been made of me, but I"ll do it for her, for my parents, and for the future I want to see come to fruition. "Okay. I can do that."

"I won"t expect it all the time," she whispers, a sexy smirk tilting the edge of her mouth. "But given how much makeup I had to use on my neck today, you can"t hide it all the time, either."

My face burns hot at the memory of what we did in that bathtub last night. I let go in a way I haven"t since the first few months we were together back in college. "Next time, I"ll make sure we"re in a bed."

Her eyes roll playfully. "We were in a bed right after and you didn't fuck me. Don"t make promises you can"t keep."

My throat is tight as I say these next words. They"re so important and I want to make sure she really hears them. "Only because we haven"t talked about trying for a baby. You and I both know that"s part of what"s required, and I want to make sure we"re on the same page. As soon as I know we are, all bets are off, Daisy. It"s been hell keeping my hands off you, even though it"s only been a week and a half."

"We"ll have that discussion tonight after we get home. I think we"re both going to be on the same page, and I don"t think you have anything to worry about. But if we don"t want to be late, we need to get going."

When she steps away, all the warmth she brought with her is gone, reminding me exactly the way she makes me feel. I crave more of it but can"t yet bring myself to tell her that. I watch as she grabs her coat. "Here, let me help you put that on."

Surprise flashes. "This is new."

It shouldn"t be, but I can"t keep comparing myself to who I was before. That isn"t going to get me anywhere, and the only way I can start to show her that I want to change is by making those changes. "I"m a husband now, right?"

Walking over to where I stand, she hands me the coat and then turns to put her arms through the sleeves. Once I make sure it"s on, I hug her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. I allow a moment to take a deep breath and let her scent wash over me. This reminds me that we could be a different couple. We could be one of those sickening sweet ones like Kara and Abel, if I would allow us to. When the hug is over, she steps away from me before turning around putting the palm of her hand to my cheek. "You"re enough, Jasper. The little moments you share with me are enough. I"m willing to wait, but I won"t be a doormat."

"I know." I swallow roughly. "But I"ve made you wait for years, and it doesn"t seem fair that I continue to do so."

"I"ll let you know if and when I"ve had enough. Leave my own personal boundaries up to me, Hamilton. That"s where you fucked up the first time."

Digging my chin into my chest, I give her a grin. "Duly noted. Now, let"s get outta here. You wanna take your SUV so you don"t have to climb up in my truck with that dress on?"

"Sure, I"ll even let you drive it."

Now that"s saying something since she doesn"t let anyone touch her vehicle. It was almost brand new when she drove it off the lot last year, or so I heard through the grapevine. "That"s a lot of trust coming from you. I"ll be sure and handle it carefully."

I follow her around to the passenger side and hold the door open for her.

"I don"t know if you realize it or not, but you never did that for me when we were dating. You"ve changed, Jasper. Whether you want to admit it or not. You aren"t the same man you used to be, and you"re doing yourself a disservice with the comparisons. I"m willing to let everything go that happened before if you do, too. I want to know the man you are now. The one who"s halfway willing to show me how he feels about things. We can work with that, and I won"t throw anything you did before back in your face. Deal?" She holds out her hand.

"Deal, but I"ll be damned if I"m gonna shake on it. C"mere." We seal it with a kiss that leaves both of us breathless, and I"m thankful for the cool night to temper my raging libido.

* * *

"Holy shit," she whispers as we pull up to my grandfather"s.

I don"t necessarily think about what his house looks like. Maybe it"s because I"m used to it, and it doesn"t impress me. It wasn"t the place where I had love when I grew up, and I learned to hate coming here. Would rather be anywhere else but inside the walls of this house. "I guess it"s interesting if you didn"t grow up here." I shrug, going over to the passenger side and helping her out.

"You hate it, huh?"

"With every part of my being. I"d rather live in a shack down by the river than have someone cook my dinner every night."

She cuts her eyes over at me. "Was that an option for you."

"Sure was. For a while, it was fun when I"d request different stuff for dinner every night, but it lost its appeal pretty quick. Especially when all I had to look forward to was asking for my favorite meals. I was starting to think the cook loved me because she"d make me whatever I asked for. I learned later that"s what she was paid to do," I say it as quickly as I can to reduce the pain I feel when I admit this.

Daisy turns to me, puts her arms around me tightly, burrowing her face into my chest. "I"m sorry that hurt you, but it made you the man you are today. He"s pretty amazing, even if he can"t see it."

My throat tightens, and I don"t know how to respond, so I pull her closer and think about what my life would be like without her. I remember it well.

It was empty, and I don"t ever want to go back there again.

"You ready?" I ask.

"I"ll go wherever you do, Jasper. Let"s show this man who he"s messing with."