Page 70 of Reckless (Adventures in Love 3)
“I’m not changing my mind,” I tell her, then freeze when I spot Jade across the room talking to a man I don’t recognize. As she smiles, I rub my chest, hating that I’m the cause of the dark circles under her eyes, which seem to be red rimmed.
“What are you doing here?” I turn to find Cybil coming toward me with a murderous look on her pretty face.
“He is winning back his girl.” Margret steps between us, and I sidestep them as they talk quietly and make my way across the room. Like she knows I’m here, her eyes find mine, and a panicked expression replaces the smile she was wearing just moments ago. Between the music playing and the sound of people talking, I can’t hear what she says to the man she is standing with, but I’m sure it’s something polite like that she will be back, right before she takes off. Like a predator with its prey on the move, I follow her across the room, then out the front door to the sidewalk.
“Jade.” I grab her arm, and she spins to face me with tears filling her eyes.
“Please don’t do this.” She holds up her hands between us. “Not tonight.”
“It can’t wait another night.” I keep ahold of her, afraid that I will lose her if I let go. “I lied to you.” I hold her gaze as my pulse thunders. “I can’t be your friend.”
“Good to know.” She laughs without humor, trying to pull free.
“I can’t be your friend because I’m in love with you, Jade,” I tell her, and her lips part as she goes completely still. “I want all the things that you want, to get married and have babies, but there is no one else out there I want to do those things with but you.”
“Maverick.”
“I know I fucked up, I know I hurt you, and I’m so fucking sorry about that, baby.”
“You can’t just suddenly feel differently about having a family, Maverick.”
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever trusted besides my sister, the only woman I’ve ever trusted with my heart. I’m sorry for not being open with you, and I know you might not believe what I’m telling you right now. But I promise you that I will prove to you every single day for the rest of my life that the same things you wished for on that star are the same things that I want with you.”
“I never said I wanted to get married or have babies tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll have time before we take that step.” I drop my forehead to rest against hers. “Please tell me that you forgive me.”
“You hurt me.” The sound of pain in her voice almost brings me to my knees, and worse, I know I did that. I caused that pain.
“I fucking hate knowing that I did that.” I watch her eyes slide closed. “And I will do everything in my power to make sure that I never hurt you again. Just give me another shot.”
“You have me, all of me. I didn’t plan on falling in love with you, either, but somehow you stole my heart,” she says quietly, and my chest aches for a different reason. Fuck, it feels good to know that part of her is mine.
“And if I tell you that I’m not ever giving it back?”
“Then I guess I have no choice but to trust you to take care of it,” she says, and my throat gets tight.
“I’ll always take care of it and you,” I say, and she tips her head back so that her mouth touches mine. As we kiss, a loud roar goes up around us, and I realize that everyone from the party has come out to witness this moment.
“I think this calls for champagne,” Cybil shouts, and I smile as Jade laughs. “Everyone, back inside. Let’s give them a few minutes alone.”
“You know,” Margret says, coming over to us, “I didn’t think your ‘winging it’ would pay off, and there were a few minutes there where I was sure you were going to go home without your girl, but that whole ‘never giving her heart back’ kind of redeemed you.” She grins, then her expression softens. “I’m happy for you two.”
“Thanks,” Jade says quietly, and Margret smiles before heading back inside with Mason at her side.
Once the crowd has cleared, I look down at Jade, and she gets up on her tiptoes. “You love me?”
“More than anything.” I kiss her softly, then rest my forehead against hers. “I just don’t know how I got lucky enough for you to love me back.”
“You’re one of the best men I know, and as lucky as you think you are, I’m lucky that you love me.” She pulls in a breath. “From now on, you have to talk to me. I know that’s not really your thing, but I can’t read your mind, so if this is going to work, we need to be able to communicate,” she says just above a whisper, and I hate that she’s scared that I’ll do what I did again, but I get it.
