I felt tears spring to my eyes, but this time, they were tears of utter joy. I pressed my lips to his.
He pulled away and leaned in toward my ear again. “Besides, I don’t fuck married women. I’m not fucking you until I know that you’ll belong only to me.” He gently sucked on my earlobe, and then he said, “And when that day comes, you better be ready for me.”
His words took my breath away while the promise that he was going to be waiting for me on the other side warmed everything inside of me.
He made me dinner while I unpacked my suitcase, the threat of me moving out gone from our minds. But I did have one thing I needed to discuss with him, so over our perfectly grilled turkey burgers, baked potatoes, and beer, I brought it up.
“So, there’s actually something else you should know before you decide for sure to let me stay here,” I said, and then I took a bite of burger.
“V, nothing could change my mind.”
He reached across the table and brushed some stray mustard from my lip with his thumb, and then he brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked the mustard off. It was an intimate gesture that became somehow erotic even though he hadn’t meant it to, and it was reminiscent of the happy hour where he’d wiped sour cream off of my lip and I’d confessed my separation to Jesse and this whole adventure together had started.
“Um, Richard made some threats. Against you.”
His eyes met mine. “What sort of threats?” he asked with a mirthless laugh. It was clear from his expression that he wasn’t intimidated in the least.
“He mentioned the friends he has in positions that could potentially take our jobs from both of us.”
“Fuck that,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “My performance speaks for itself. So does yours. Neither of us have anything to worry about.”
“His best friend’s dad is William Stacey,” I said, naming our school board president.
I expected some sort of reaction out of him, but, as always, Jesse remained calm. He took a sip of beer. “Do you know anything about William Stacey?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Not really. Why?”
“He may be your almost ex-husband’s best friend’s father, but coincidentally, he hired me.”
My eyebrows shot up in shock. “What?”
“He used to be an assistant principal at Central. He was on the hiring committee when I was hired. Apparently he fought for me to get the position over another person who had more experience. And my first year at Central, he was my mentor.”
My jaw dropped. Honestly, I had known nothing about William Stacey other than the fact that he was our school board president, and that scared the crap out of me. It was probably unfounded, but it seemed like he wielded some sort of invisible power over all of us because of his position.
But he would be in Jesse’s corner, and that was enough to quell the fears that had plagued me since that morning.
We took another walk after dinner, and just like the night before, Jesse seemed to retreat into himself for awhile. His hand clutched mine as we walked, and I didn’t press for conversation. It was comfortably quiet as we were both lost in our own thoughts, me about nearly letting Richard ruin whatever was budding between Jesse and me, and Jesse about whatever preoccupation he agonized over. Part of what I loved most about what was forming between us was the fact that I didn’t feel awkward in the silence. I enjoyed silence with Jesse.
We were almost at the same place where just the night before he had finally kissed me for the first time when Jesse spoke.
“Do you have plans for spring break?” he asked, breaking the silence. He led me toward the park.
I shook my head, realizing that our break was only another week and a half away. “Not this year.”
“Want to come with me?”
Of course I did, but I was trying to play it cool. “Where are you going?” I asked, and we took our seats on the swings, facing each other just like the night before.
“My parents’ house.” Something in his voice was nearly desperate, and it broke my heart.
And, by the way, holy shit. He wanted me to meet his parents. “Of course, Jesse. I’d love to join you.”
I glanced over at him, and his face was a mix of trepidation and anxiety.
“Are you sure you want to bring me?”
He nodded. “Positive.”
“It isn’t too soon?”
“V, I don’t think you have any idea how long I’ve wanted this to happen.”
“Then why don’t you tell me?” I suggested, thinking again about his talent for deflecting the conversation from himself.
“You ready for a little story?”