At the sight of him, my heart fills with a big, big feeling I’m terrified to put a label on. I have this man to thank for getting me in touch with my sisters. I would have gone my entire life without meeting these girls had he not invited me out to dinner with Faith and Maxwell that night. The thought is almost terrifying.
How will I ever repay that debt? How will I ever thank this man for all the things he’s done for me?
Jude says a quick goodbye to everyone and limps off to wait for me in the car.
“I’m so grateful to have met you guys,” I say, struggling against the tightness in my throat as my sisters and their children take turns giving me hugs. The amount of love is almost overwhelming. “Let’s stay in touch.”
Faith grins and throws an arm around my shoulder. “Oh, honey, you just opened up Pandora’s box. There’s no getting away from us now.”
40
Jude
In the middle of the night, I wake up needing her. I want to grab her and haul her into my arms. But when I reach for her body, my fingers clench on nothing but crisp, cool sheets. And a bony, furry ass.
“Sorry, Foxxy…” I gurgle the words as the cat darts out of the warm bed.
I pat around on the mattress like an idiot expecting Iris to materialize out of thin air. Eventually, I crack one eyelid open in the dark. She’s not here and, in an instant, I feel off-balance.
God. I’m losing my head over the woman. I’m falling head-first in love with her. There’s no point in trying to deny or justify my feelings anymore.
Things are still so fresh between us. We’re both going through so many life changes. I’ve got to figure out what my future holds, and Iris has to come to terms with her new family, her new business ideas, her new life. I don’t want to push things since I don’t know if either of us is ready for a heavy discussion at this point.
I didn’t expect we’d be in each other’s lives long-term. This living arrangement was supposed to be temporary. But now, all I want is to find a way to make it work.
Maxwell was full of unsolicited advice yesterday, spilling secrets on how he and Faith keep their fire alive even with his crazy travel schedule and her plateful of work commitments.
“Go for it, man. Iris is a great girl, and we’d practically be brothers. Shit, can you imagine us fighting over the last turkey leg every Thanksgiving?”
I chuckle to myself as I sit up and press my feet to the cool floor. My QB is clearly rooting for us. He’s a happily married man, unlike most of the skanky bachelors on the team. He’s not giving me shit for falling in love with a good woman. And he has me thinking—if he and his wife can have a thriving relationship, maybe Iris and I can do the same.
I pull on some sweatpants. Then I’m stalking down the stairs, needing to be close to her. I find her in the kitchen, hair piled on top of her head while she taps furiously at her computer. She’s wearing nothing but her tank top and lacey boy shorts. Sexy as hell.
I lean a shoulder on the doorframe. “Come back to bed.” My voice is still scratchy from sleep.
She pauses to take a sip of her coffee then smiles at me. No wonder she’s so wired. She shakes her head vigorously. “Sorry, baby! I just have so many ideas after spending the day with the girls. I’ve got to get it all on paper before I forget.”
She looks happy, excited. I love this look on her.
I pad over to the freezer and grab an ice pack. My knee is healing well but when I’m on it too much—like I was yesterday—it still puffs up like a balloon. The therapist tells me that’s normal at this stage, but I can’t help but be cautious. My whole future is riding on this damn leg.
“How was that for you, spending time with your sisters?” Iris and I didn’t really talk last night. As soon as we got home, I’d dropped into bed with my ice pack. She got under the covers, curled up beside me and fell asleep in an adorable, blissfully exhausted, little ball.
She gets this faraway look in her eyes. “Well, I’m still trying to remember all their kids’ names.” She lets out a giggle. “But overall, it wasn’t as weird as I expected. My sisters are really easy to be around. Plus, we have way more in common than I’d imagined. I just wish I’d met them earlier.” She sighs.
“Glad you got along with them,” I tell her as I pull out a chair and sit across from her. “They all seem like genuinely nice people.” I soften my voice as I broach a touchy subject. “Are you ready to talk to your mom yet?”
Iris closes her eyes and chews on her bottom lip. “I…I don’t know. I’m still trying to sort through my emotions on that. I mean, I understand why she kept all this a secret from me but at the same time, it still hurts. I missed out on so much time with my sisters and I’ll never be able to get those years back.”
Her words singe my heart. My brothers piss me the hell off but I wouldn’t trade our childhood memories for anything.
I brush my fingertips over her knuckles. “I’ll support you in any way I can when you’re ready to talk to her.”
Iris’s eyes hold a soft light. “Thank you, Jude,” she says simply, earnestly.
With a jut of my chin, I shift my focus to her computer screen. “So, tell me
