Come to Me Softly (Closer to You #2)(43)
Author: A.L. Jackson

It gutted me, him believing for even the flash of a second he wasn’t worthy of me, when this man had been created for me.

He crushed my face in his hands, almost painfully, his fingers digging into the skin behind my jaw, silencing my own insecurities on my tongue. “Can you picture it, Aly . . . us here? Raising our family? Together?”

And I could. I could picture the perfection. Blood bounded through my veins, rushed to my head and tingled in my fingers. I stepped back, pressing my hands over my heart, feeling overwhelmed by the moment, by this man who knew me better than anyone, who saw the desires hidden in my heart when I’d never even spoken them aloud. “Can we afford it?”

He smiled a little, nodding slowly. “Baby, I already told you . . . it’s yours if you want it. I still have a ton of money saved up from back when I was working in Jersey and I’m making enough now that keeping up the mortgage on this place will be no problem.”

“Is this what you want? To rebuild this place?” I asked.

And I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it. Wanted him to feel it. And I felt certain it wasn’t just this house. There was so much inside Jared waiting to be freed, to be discovered underneath all that self-hatred, more beauty in this man than I could have ever imagined.

I suppressed the emotion that pricked behind my eyes, watching as Jared struggled through the shame that was always there, as he fought against the chains holding him down.

He took one tentative step forward and pulled me back into the safety of his arms. His hold was soft, and he rocked us slowly in the middle of the room. “Aly.” I felt the weight in his swallow, the hard beat of his heart where it thundered against mine. “I didn’t think I’d ever get this. Any of it. One day spent with you is a dream . . . a gift. Living here, with you . . .” He tightened his hold. “I want it more than I could ever tell you. Nothing would make me happier than building this for you, building this for my family.” His voice cracked on the word, as if saying it aloud could curse him and steal it away.

I clung to him, silently promising that was never going to happen.

“Then I can’t imagine a better place to spend my life with you.”

ELEVEN

Jared

I dipped a roller into the pool of beige paint that lapped in the tray. Mine butted up against Aly’s as she hurried to dive in, trying to beat me to the punch, launching us into a latex-fueled tug-of-war.

“I was here first.” I nudged hers back and my roller disappeared deep into the thick pond.

Aly giggled and vied to take position. “And I picked the color, so I win.”

A wave of contentment and a thrill of excitement played a contradictory beat on my heart.

I didn’t think Aly had stopped smiling since I brought her to this wreck of a house more than two weeks ago.

And God, if I didn’t love seeing my girl happy.

With one last playful prod, Aly straightened back up, pushing her roller up the length of the wall, crisscrossing it as she smeared a coat over the textured surface.

Doing the same, I peeked over at her, watching her while she worked. Her hair was piled on her head in the messiest knot, pieces falling all around her. Streaks of paint coated a few errant locks where she’d been careless and brushed up against the wet wall.

A couple of them were compliments of me.

I just couldn’t resist, messing with her, seeing her get all flustered and trying to fight back. Like she could ever sneak up on me, mark me in the paint marking up our walls.

But this girl sure as hell had marked my heart.

A wide smudge of paint was branded across my chest.

Yeah, I’d let her get one in. Just because I wanted to see her victorious smile, the way she’d giggled and run away as she anticipated my retaliation.

So f**king cute.

And that’s what she did to me, turned me to slush, liquid on the inside.

Megan, Aly’s best friend since high school, and Christopher had shown up early this morning to help, and the two of them were across the room working together, chatting and laughing and pretty much making more of a mess than they were helping with. Megan painted in a slow sway beside Aly’s brother, dancing to the music that pumped from the small radio that sat on the floor.

Lowering my voice so they wouldn’t hear, I sidled up to Aly, our strokes keeping time. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be painting.”

Sure, it was the same complaint I’d given her about a thousand times. Didn’t make it any less valid.

Aly scoffed. “Jared, how many nurseries do you think pregnant women have painted over the years?” Lifting on a challenge, her eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs as she waited for my answer.

My voice dropped even lower. “Well, maybe those men didn’t care about their women as much as I care about mine. And this isn’t a nursery. . . . It’s a family room,” I pointed out, as if that was going to make any difference.

Of course she’d picked out paint for the small bedroom down the hall, too, and I was pretty sure there was no chance in hell I could keep her from painting it.

I knew I was stretching, grasping at nothing because it seemed just about impossible to get Aly to concede.

But f**k, a man could try, couldn’t he?

Maybe it was irrational, but I wanted to erase anything that could possibly harm her, anything that could harm the baby.

“What if it’s like one of those news stories?” I continued, dipping my roller back into the paint and bringing it back to the wall. “Like when they release a new miracle drug that’s going to save the world and find out five years later it’s burned a hole in your heart.”

And, yes . . . stretching. I knew it. Aly did, too.

She rolled her eyes, but amusement played all over that gorgeous face. She leaned in and pecked my lips. It was just an innocent little kiss, but it was enough to awaken the desire lurking in the deepest places inside of me.

I could have Aly every second of every day and it still wouldn’t be enough.

“Stop worrying,” she commanded on a whisper, her nose brushing mine. “I’m pretty sure my mom painted my room when she was pregnant with me.” Aly stepped back and lifted her arms out to her sides, putting herself on display. “And I turned out just fine.”

My eyes raked down her slender body and back up to meet those green eyes. I lifted an appreciative brow.

Uh, yeah, I’d have to say she turned out just fine.

But I sure as hell didn’t have to say I wouldn’t worry.