Dylan’s Redemption(82)

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Things could have been so different for us. They will be.”

“Let’s stop going in circles. Come upstairs. I’ll show you the guest room.”

“I’ll settle for sleeping under the same roof. But, not for long. You will be my wife, Jess.”

Looking at him now, his determined expression there for her to see, she believed him. He meant it. Nothing she said or did would put him off for long. He was just giving her time to get used to the idea. The moment she settled into it, he’d make her his wife. Relief and trepidation filled her at the same time.

They went up the stairs in silence. Dylan waited for her at the top when it took her longer to get there. He could be a patient man. She hoped those patience held out a while longer.

“I still can’t get over this house.”

“That’s the master suite.” She pointed to the door closest to the stairs. “The next two rooms share a bathroom between them, and then the other two rooms share a bathroom between them.”

Dylan smiled. Leave it to Jessie to come up with the perfect floor plan. She led him to the first door on the right. The room was furnished and ready for company. The room across the hall had several pieces of furniture and a double bed, but there weren’t any linens or decorations. The other two rooms were either the same or empty.

The guest room had two large dressers, a night table, a rocking chair, and a queen-size bed. He recognized the beautiful furniture as pieces she’d made herself. The bed had a light-green comforter with a cream-colored blanket at the end. It matched the cream paint on the walls. The painting above the bed showed a white clapboard house with a wide green lawn and trees in the background, making the room feel homey.

She pulled the covers back on the bed and he lay Will inside. He took off Will’s little shoes and set them on the floor next to the bed. Leaning over, he kissed his son goodnight. It warmed his heart when Jessie did the same.

They stepped out of the room and stood at the top of the stairs. “Get some rest, honey. I’ll go down and clean up. You look tired.” He rubbed his palm up and down her arm and linked his fingers with hers. Her face turned up to his, her eyes soft and a touch sad.

“He’s beautiful, Dylan. You’re lucky.”

“I hope so.” He left her at the top of the stairs, hoping luck would bring him Jessie.

A half hour later, he walked into her room, carrying a cup of tea. The door had been left open and the massive king-size sleigh bed was empty. He made his way through the dim room, guided by the soft light glowing by the bed. The window was open and the breeze blew the sheer curtains into the room. Drawn in that direction, he found Jessie sitting on the roof outside.

“Jess, honey, what are you doing out here?”

“I sit out here most nights. It’s the one mistake in the house I made. I should have put a balcony out here.”

He climbed out the window and sat next to her. She was right. She’d miscalculated the balcony. What a spectacular view. The land rolled out before them and appeared to go on forever. Where the land ended, the brilliant stars sparkled against the dark night sky and spread upward. A beautiful, clear night, you could see for miles.

The curve in the road where they’d parked so long ago lay below them. Jessie had been torturing herself with the past for a long time. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. He leaned back against the wall of the house. They sat together in silence long after she finished her tea. It was the first night in a long while the silence didn’t make him long for things he couldn’t have. Tonight, the silence surrounded them like a cocoon and he sat content with the woman he loved snuggled against his side.

Late, they went back in the window and stood in the shadows in her room, drawn to each other. He pulled her close. Her body melted against his. He kissed her until both of them were hungry and wanting. As desperate as they were for each other, he could take her to bed and make love to her all night. He wanted to more than his next breath, but Jessie wasn’t ready to trust him again. They needed time to bridge the gap between who they used to be and who they had become to each other.

Not wanting to rush her, feeling her hesitation when he took things just a bit too far, he pulled away and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He stared at her for what seemed like a lifetime, memorizing every line and curve of her beautiful face. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and combed his fingers down her soft hair, ignoring the urge to grab fistfuls and draw her close again. “Goodnight, sweetheart.” He fought his compulsion to be with her and left her room without another word.