Chapter Seventeen
Noah
All day, I couldn’t stop thinking of Jess and the fantastic time we had the day before at Playland. Offering to take her to dinner was the second part of my plan. I wanted to show Jess that she would and always be a part of our family, even though she’d only been with us for a short amount of time. There was something special about her, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. I wanted to get to know every detail about her life and share every detail of mine with her. It would take time, but it would be worth it.
Jess was to arrive around five-thirty for our six o’clock reservation. I made sure I was ready before I started with Gina. She had a tendency to mess up her clean outfits before we even left the house, so getting her ready was last on the list before going anywhere nice.
“Which dress are you wearing?” I asked when I came into her room. I looked around and couldn’t believe what I saw. The room appeared as if her closet had exploded. There were clothes strewn on almost every surface. I pinched the bridge of my nose, attempting to push away my frustration. There wasn’t enough time to clean all of this up before leaving.
“This one,” Gina said, holding up a red velvet dress.
“That’s your Christmas dress,” I said.
“But I want to wear it!” she exclaimed.
“Fine,” I said, not wanting to argue. I picked up a few of the strewn outfits and placed them on the bed. I could at least get everything in one area before we left and then hang them up later on.
I went into her closet and picked through a basket overflowing with her shoes. Even though I installed built-in shelving units, Gina could never keep her closet clean, so I gave her a basket to store her accessories. At the very least, there was one place to find matching pairs.
I picked out a pair of black patent leather shoes. “Put these on.”
“No,” she said. “Those pinch my toes.”
“Okay” I said, tossing those in the back of the closet. I made a mental note to speak to Jess about helping sort out clothes and shoes that were too small for Gina. It wasn’t a task I had time for anytime soon.
There was another pair of black shoes a size larger. “How about these?”
“Yes,” she said, running into the closet and taking them from me. She sat on the floor and started putting them on. I walked around her room, picking up her clothes. By the time I finished laying them on the bed, it was already close to five-thirty.
Gina stood up and shoved her messy brown mane out of her face.
“We’ll need to put your hair up,” I said.
Gina cringed.
“Come on,” I said, shooing her out of the room. “We have only a little time before Jess gets here.”
While I worked through her tangled hair with a comb, I heard the door open downstairs.
“We’re up here,” I called into the hallway.
“Ow, Daddy!” Gina said.
“Sorry, honey,” I said, trying to untangle one particular stubborn knot.
“How’s everyone doing?” Jess asked from the doorway.
I turned, taking Gina with me. I dropped the comb from my hand, and it hung from Gina’s head. “Not so great.”
Jess tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “Let me have at that.”
With her focus on Gina, I took a moment to inspect her outfit. She wore pleated black pants and a white shirt with a low cut. Unlike Kimberly’s low-cut outfit, Jess’s was classy. Though when she bent over to help Gina, the thin fabric moved away from her body and revealed the top of one of her breasts.
Feeling like a voyeur, I said, “I’ll give you two some space,” then left the room. I took several calming breaths before heading downstairs. I trusted Jess to handle Gina’s hair, and I needed to cool down for a moment. That mere glance at her had sent my head into a tailspin. How much longer could I keep this up before I started something between us again?
I paced the kitchen a few times before I heard them coming down the stairs.
They entered the room, and Gina’s hair was pulled back in a loose French braid.
“You two look great,” I said.
“Thanks!” Gina said and twirled around.
My gaze shifted to Jess, and she offered a small smile.
“We should get going,” I said.
I’d reserved a window seat on the second floor of the restaurant for us. It was private enough to have a decent conversation with each other while not bothering others with Gina’s rambling. I loved her to death, rambling and all, but Eclisse was an expensive place, and I didn’t want to disturb anyone’s dinner with her curiosities.
“This place is beautiful,” Jess said after the waiter took our drink orders.
“It’s one of my favorites,” I said.
“Mommy and Daddy had their first date here,” Gina said.
I sucked in a breath and locked eyes with Jess.
I didn’t know what to expect from Jess. Gina rarely spoke about Wendy.
“That’s sweet you keep coming here,” Jess said, unaffected by the conversation about my deceased wife. I wondered if Gina and Jess spoke about Wendy when I wasn’t there. Not that Gina knew much about her mother, only what I told her.
“Yeah,” I said, looking down at my menu, even though I memorized it a long time ago.
“What is your favorite dish?” Jess asked Gina.
“Um,” Gina said, holding her little chin in her hand. “I like the spaghetti with broccoli.”
“Really?” Jess asked. “I thought you hated broccoli.”
I smiled. “Broccoli rabe,” I corrected. “It’s the garlic that she loves.”
Gina smacked her lips together for emphasis. “Gaaarlic!”
Just then, the waiter placed a basket of bread on the table. “Are you ready to order?”
Jess took Gina’s recommendation and ordered the pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage. It was a simple dish but prepared exquisitely.
I ordered last. “I’ll have the fish special.”
“Very well,” the waiter said, collecting our menus. “I’ll return with your drinks.”
“Did you take your date here?” Gina asked me after the waiter left.
“What?” I asked.
“Is this where you took your date last week?” Gina asked.
“No,” I said. I never took anyone but Gina here; it was special to me. At least until Jess came along. It was a grand gesture to take her out to dinner with us here. Though she didn’t know it yet.
“Oh,” Gina said. “Maybe that’s why it didn’t work out.”
I glanced at Jess. Her hand covered her mouth. But the corners of her eyes lifted with amusement. I was glad we were at the point of laughing at my tragic date with Kimberly.
“You may be right,” I said.
“You should go on another date soon,” Gina said.
I stared at Gina, not wanting to see Jess’s expression. Would she want me to date again? Would that get her off the hook about what happened between us last week? “I don’t think so, honey. I think I’m done with dating for a little while.”
“You’re wrong,” she said.
“How so?”
“You’re on a date now.”
I locked eyes with Jess.
“With me!” Gina said and giggled into her hands.
I smirked. “That’s right. We are,” I said without taking my eyes away from Jess.
Jess’s chest heaved as she took labored breaths. It made sense that I thought of Jess during my date with Kimberly. Being here with Gina and Jess solidified my need to have her in my life on a more permanent basis. She turned me on so much and had a genuine love for my daughter. What else did I need in a woman?
We fell into a rhythm for the rest of the dinner. Being with Jess and Gina was so easy. I never thought anyone could seamlessly move into our lives as well as Jess did.
And when it was time to get the check, I knew there was only one way to prolong our time together.
When we reached the house, the three of us got out of the car. The beautiful weather from yesterday had continued through today. The sun was close to setting along the horizon, and a warm breeze moved through the trees on the edge of the property.
Gina shuffled toward the house. We’d stayed at Eclisse later than I’d expected, but I didn’t want the night to end. Though Gina had been a trooper, I knew she was tired.
“I want to talk to you about something,” I said to Jess. “Can you stay while I put Gina down?”
“Sure,” she said.
As if Gina knew that I was pressed for time, she didn’t fight me about getting ready for bed. I had her down in less than ten minutes.
When I came back downstairs, Jess was sitting on one of the kitchen barstools waiting for me. She stood up when I entered the room.
“We should talk outside,” I said, indicating the door. I knew Gina wouldn’t eavesdrop, but I didn’t want to risk it. Not until Jess and I figured all of this out.
“What did you want to talk about?” Jess asked when we reached her car.
My gaze fell to her lips. She’d reapplied her red lipstick that accentuated her thick lower lip. I remembered sucking on that when we kissed over a week ago.
I blinked a few times and cleared my throat, attempting to concentrate. “I wanted to talk about last week.”
She nodded. “It’s the elephant in the room, huh?”
“Yes,” I said. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She tilted her head to the side.
I took a step closer to her, and she didn’t move. That was a good sign. At least she wasn’t repulsed by me. But I wasn’t sure how much time I had to convince her. “That night. I keep replaying it in my head over and over again. Every time I see you, I see you like you were that night.”
“But, Gina—”
“Gina loves you. There’s no reason we can’t try this.”
“I don’t want to lose her if this goes wrong,” she said. Her eyes were glossy with tears. “You either.”
“You won’t,” I said, pressing my body against hers. I reached out to touch her hair, squeezing it between my fingers.
Her breathing intensified, and we stood there, mere inches from each other. She knew how I felt. If she didn’t want it, then she needed to tell me. I counted down from five in my head before I made my move.
I grabbed her waist and lifted her up.
A surprised gasp burst from her lips. I pressed her against the car and silenced her with my mouth.
Her legs wrapped around me and she ground her hips against me. The heat between her thighs warmed my stomach. Her hands cupped my face as she deepened the kiss.
“Oh, Noah,” she said with a moan.
We kissed for a few moments before I reluctantly put her down. My fences were eight feet high, but I wasn’t going to do this with Jess on my front lawn.
“Open your car,” I growled.
She smiled and opened the back door.