Chapter 30

Faith

Lacey looked at me and smiled knowingly as Jackson carried me to the table.

“I see you two have become reacquainted,” she said, teasingly.

“You knew about this?” I said. “You knew he was back and you didn’t tell me?”

“He made me promise not to say a word,” Lacey said.

“But you brought her here,” Jackson said.

Lacey laughed. “And I’m glad I did. You’ve been reconnected now. You have your girl back. If I hadn’t brought her here you’d have let another week pass. You two have waited long enough.”

“Thank you,” Jackson said, and he meant it.

I found my seat and Jackson opened the wine as he sat next to me.

And Damn.

What can I say?

It felt so good to be sitting in that bar next to my man. My makeup was smudged, my heart was still fluttering from nerves, I was still terrified for the future, but I was happy. Jackson was back.

The way he looked at me, as if he was staring right through me, into my soul. I felt naked in front of him. He made me tingle with something I hadn’t allowed myself to feel in a very long time. I felt sexy. I felt desirable.

He was so sure of himself. I’d never seen a guy walk with so much swagger. To call him cocky was the understatement of the century. He was like a young Clint Eastwood crossed with Jax from Sons of Anarchy.

I’d forgotten how he made me feel. I felt like a little girl again, the girl who’d walked up to Jackson all those years ago and asked for his help.

It was like going back in time. It was like being reborn. It was like getting a second chance at life. And this time we were going to do it right. We’d make up for all the time we’d lost. I knew we would. There was no Wolf Staten, no Los Lobos, just me, Jackson, and the son our passion had created.

I looked at Lacey and I was so grateful to her. She’d forced this meeting. She’d brought me here.

And at the same time I felt so sorry for her. Her guy was cheating on her, screwing with her mind like a complete jackass, and all the while, I was having the happiest time of my life. I’d never be able to thank her for allowing me to have this moment of happiness. She didn’t make it about herself and her struggle with Matt. She gave me the night, allowed it to be a happy time, despite the fact she was going through her own personal torture.

Jackson nodded to Lacey and poured four glasses of the pinot noir. Then he stood and motioned for Grant to come join us. He’d been watching the scene from the bar with a big smile on his face.

He came over, said hi to me and Lacey, slapped Jackson hard on the back, and took a glass.

Jackson raised a toast. “To second chances,” he said.

“To second chances,” the rest of us said together.

I tasted the wine and to my surprise, it was pretty good. No, it was better than good, it was excellent. “This is good wine,” I said and picked up the bottle.

“It’s from my father’s vineyard,” Jackson said.

“I remember Grant saying he was working on your father’s vines.”

“Did he ever take you down there?” Jackson said, his eyes widening.

“No, never.”

“Good,” Jackson said, relieved. “That’s going to be a surprise.”

“Jackson knows all about our wine business,” Lacey said.

I smiled. “How come we never tasted this before, Grant?”

“It wasn’t ready,” he said. “Believe it or not, the first vintage wasn’t ready until the very night Jackson returned from his wanderings.”

“Is that so?” I said.

Jackson and Grant nodded.

“What a coincidence,” I said.

Jackson looked into my eyes. “Nothing in life is a coincidence,” he said.

I blushed under his gaze. The way he looked at me made my cheeks flush. He leaned back in his seat and made no attempt to hide where he was looking. His gaze started at my feet, climbed my legs, passed over my dress and paused at my breasts, before coming up to meet my eyes.

“I missed you,” he said.

My heart fluttered. He stared at my breasts and ass without even trying to conceal the fact. It was the first time in twelve years I’d been examined so closely by a man with sexual intentions. It was thrilling.

I looked at Lacey. She was loving every second of it. She’d waited so long for me to find happiness with Jackson. Even when I was ready to give up, she never let me.

I thought again of the pain she must have been going through with Matt and something inside me wanted to scream. How dare that asshole hurt my best friend. I’d take a bullet for Lacey. I’d have to do something about Matt soon. If Lacey didn’t, I would. After all, she’d intervened to help me and Jackson.

I glanced again at Jackson. I’d been trying not to look at him. I was still getting used to the fact that he was there, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself. Despite my best attempts however, I felt myself trembling with excitement. The way Jackson was looking at me, I felt like a deer on the African plains. Jackson was the lion. I was his prey and he was about to kill me. It would happen very soon. I could feel it.

He’d waited twelve years. He wouldn’t wait another night.

“Lacey,” Jackson said, “would you do me a favor?”

“Sure thing,” she said, looking at him with a naughty twinkle in her eye.

“Would you tell Faith that I find her completely enchanting.”

“Of course,” she said, playing along. Then she turned to me. “This gentleman finds you enchanting, Faith.”

I blushed. “Will you tell him that I know for a fact he’s no gentleman,” I said.

Jackson reached under the table and put his hand on my thigh. I felt electricity rush from his skin into mine. Desire poured through me.

Lacey giggled. She looked at me.

“Faith,” she said, “you look like you’re going to fall off your seat.”

I can’t describe how I felt. My heart was pounding. I felt nervous and excited and full of lust.

After twelve years of absolutely zero male attention, Jackson coming on to me in front of Grant and Lacey was too much to bear. He was shamelessly flattering me. It had been so long since I’d allowed any man to show me attention.

I liked it. I realized I’d been yearning for it.

I’d done a lot of things during the past twelve years that I was proud of. I’d built a life for Sam and myself. That meant building up the wine business from scratch with Lacey, becoming financially self-sufficient, being a good mother with a stable, sheltered, secure life for Sam.

But I’d done nothing with a man. Nothing at all. I was practically a virgin all over again.

So when Jackson said what he was about to say next, I didn’t know how to react.

“Faith,” he said, “come outside with me.”

“Where?”

He shrugged. “I don’t care where. I just have to be alone with you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said, laughing but also meaning every word I said. “You think you can just show up after God knows how many years, flatter me, and I’ll fall right back into your lap like nothing happened?”

Jackson looked right at me, into my eyes, and I found myself desperate to believe whatever he was about to say.

“I know what happened, Faith. I know I can’t erase that. But if you don’t get back into my lap soon, I swear I’m going to burst.”