“Just make sure I can go to a school where they have a development squad so I can play soccer.” That was his only stipulation and Jake was sorely tempted to tell Bella he’d follow her to wherever she pleased so long as they had a chance together regardless of the promise he’d made Lisa – that Cory could grow up in Cherry Lake where he belonged.
He kicked at the frosty driveway, pulled his bow tie loose, and undid the top button of his shirt. He’d long discarded the jacket when Cory had sat him down for a heart-to-heart and made the offer to move and now he could feel the cold getting into his bones.
Where was she? Should he go into town and see if she needed a lift home? If she’d been drinking, he didn’t want to find out she’d driven anywhere. It couldn’t hurt for him to do a drive past the hotel and see who was still there and what Bella was doing? Surely she wouldn’t be so irresponsible?
Tires crunched on the lane and headlights blinded Jake as he turned to watch the limo coming toward him. It pulled up at Bella’s cottage. The driver got out, nodded his head to Jake and opened the passenger door. A long leg clad in silky stockings, with killer black stilettos slid out. His breath caught in his throat. She wore a little black dress that rose high on her thighs, hugged her hips, hung off the shoulders to show the swell of her breasts. From a diamond-studded clip, her hair tumbled down the back of her slim neck in wavy curls that accentuated the fine bones of her face. Bella had changed after he’d left. Something she was obviously expecting to do and he hadn’t known about. The shock-red lipstick would have done wonders for his imagination if he hadn’t been so worried about her.
Bella reached for the hand the driver offered, found her feet and thanked him. Her gaze met Jakes and she smiled.
“You waited for me. I didn’t think you would when Ryan dragged me away.”
He watched quietly as the driver shut the door, got in, and turned around to go back to town.
Bella walked over, stopped in front of him, wobbled a little and smiled. “I missed you when you left. I’m sorry they took over like that. It was supposed to be our night. Our first Valentine’s Day dinner but Russell had other ideas.” She held her hands out to show him her change of dress. “Sneaky thing even had an outfit change for me so he could make the most of the filming. I’m sorry our plans didn’t work out.”
“As much as I would like things to have been different, it was your night, Bella. Yours and Mari’s. Besides, you seemed rather occupied so I thought it was best if I slipped away.”
“Possibly. But I missed you. At least it’s all over and done with now. Russell will head back to Seattle tomorrow morning once he gets over his hangover and puts the show together. I’m sure he’ll have more than enough to work with.” She raised a hand to her head, squinted her eyes.
“And what about you, Bella? Will you be able to relax without all the excitement that he brings with him? You seemed to be in your element with that kind of environment.”
“I love the buzz, don’t get me wrong. The thrill of making the next episode is always going to remind me of how far I’ve come. But it isn’t everything, Jake. There’s more to life than what you see on the television or what you saw tonight.”
“That’s the bit that worries me, Bella. How am I supposed to compete with that?” This wasn’t the time or place for this discussion but he couldn’t pretend any longer.
“As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need to. You just need to be you, the man who saved me from the fire, my own hero.”
“I wonder how long that will be enough for you though? How long until you crave the lights and the action, hate me for being the small-town man I am?”
*
Her head thumped and his words became a little blurred in her mind. Hate him?
“Jake, do you mind if we talk about this in the morning? I have an awful headache happening and I can barely see straight, let alone hold a decent conversation when the subject is important to both of us.”
Her vision became fuzzy and she wobbled on her feet. Jake grabbed her hand, lifted her into his arms and cursed as she sagged against him. “I knew you’d taken on too much. This is ridiculous.”
She didn’t have the energy to argue with him. He carried her over to the gate, nudged it open, and walked up the path. Her front door was unlocked and he carried her inside straight into the bedroom.
When he set her on the bed, she swayed, put her hands out for balance. “Oh, gosh. This isn’t good.” Her world tipped and nausea rose in her throat.
Jake bent down, slipped off her shoes and threw them across the room. “Turn around.” He undid her dress. “I can stay and help you into bed if you want or I can leave you by yourself. Do you think you can manage?”
Even shaking her head made her feel woozy. She let him slide the dress
