Chapter 62

Jesse

After laying with Hal for a long while, recovering from their intimacy together, she rose up, excusing herself to the restroom, where she cleaned herself up. She ran a comb through her hair so it wouldn’t get even more tangled than it already was.

Satisfied with her hair, she looked over her body in the mirror, shocked to see red marks where Hal had gripped her. In the heat of the moment, they hadn’t felt painful, and now they served as active reminders of their fervor. More than any other emotions she had felt, she was proud to have acquired them, and she was somewhat sad that they would eventually fade.

Jesse looked herself over again before she ran some water and rinsed her face. She dried herself off and then left the restroom to return to bed with Hal. She laid out beside him and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you,” Jesse said, a soft smile on her face.

“Thank you,” Hal returned, turning onto his side and leaning on his elbow so he could face her.

A long moment passed between them, and Hal seemed to look Jesse over worshipfully. She couldn’t help feeling a little exposed and embarrassed.

“Jess …” Hal finally broke the silence, and Jesse waited patiently for him to continue. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

Jesse’s smile faded off of her face, and she felt a twist of anxiety in her stomach.

“It’s about us,” he said, and Jesse stayed silent so that she could listen better.

“I know that you want to take things slow,” Hal prefaced, “but being with you this past couple of days and having you here … I realized that the connection we share isn’t just a passing fling. I want to grow with you and be the kind of man that you deserve. I don’t want you to ever have to worry about finding a man who can take care of you because I know that I can be that man.”

Jesse gaped at his words. She had intended to address this issue as well, but she had worried that she would never know just what to say. She was grateful that Hal had been the one to make the move, but now she found herself in a new position unable to respond to the tender words he was speaking.

“Jess,” Hal went on softly, reaching to take up her hand. “I don’t want to waste any more of my time. For the first time in years, I feel really connected to the things going on around me, and I know it’s because of you. I already told you I had already gotten everything I ever wanted, but that was before I realized I wanted you.”

Jess felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

“I understand if you need more time to think it over,” Hal said, his voice softer. “But I just want you to know that whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I want you, and I want to start a relationship with you.”

Tears finally trickled down Jesse’s cheeks, and she sniffled as Hal brushed them away with his thumbs.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he shushed her gently. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you …”

Jesse shook her head and took his hand so she could press a soft kiss to his palm.

“No, no,” she spoke up, laughing through her tears. “I’m not upset … I’m … happy …”

Hal’s expression perked up, and she could feel the excitement rolling off of him in waves.

“Hal …” she started, taking a breath to steady herself before she went on. “I want everything you just said. For so much of my life, I’ve been scared. Scared of finding a good job, scared of ending up homeless, scared of never making a name for myself. But since I met you, for the first time … I feel safe. I know that you’re a good man, and for some reason, I believe you when you say things to me. I … I want to be with you, too.”

Hal blinked for a moment before a broad smile stretched across his face, and he gathered her up in a tight embrace, peppering kisses all along her face and shoulders.

Jesse laughed, and she tightly gripped Hal in response. Neither of them seemed to have the words to express what they were both feeling, but Jesse truly believed they weren’t necessary. As long as they were both there in that moment, holding onto one another, there was nothing else that needed to be said.

That was until Hal leaned back and looked deep into her eyes.

“Jesse Clarke,” he said worshipfully. “I love you.”

Jesse was shocked by his admission, and once again her eyes flooded with tears.

“Hal …” she breathed out in a barely audible whisper. “I love you too.”

Again, Hal beamed and gathered her close. He whispered the words to her over and over again as he gently rocked her in his arms. Jesse, for her part, gently stroked the hair on his head.

She felt whole and complete with him like this. She didn’t know what she was going to do about her job or if she would ever turn into the journalist she had always hoped she would be.

She did know, however, that as long as she was with Hal, that he would take care of her, and she would always be safe and loved. She knew that she would be with a man that cherished and valued her for who she was and would never ask her to be anything else.

And to Jesse, that was the only thing that really mattered to her anymore.