I wonder if he knew that was in here.
Setting the book up on the piano, I read over the music, refreshing my memory with the notes. I surprise myself at how easily I can read the music.
Jake was right when he said I wouldn’t have forgotten.
I position my left hand over the keys, reading to play a C minor for four beats, then G minor with my right for two beats, then shifting to B-flat and G minor.
Okay, deep breath…here we go.
Crap, I’m playing and…it feels surprisingly good. Great, in fact.
I close my eyes briefly, just feeling the keys beneath my fingers, and in that brief moment, Jake starts to sing quietly along, and I’m transported back to a whole other time and place.
Opening my eyes, I see him smiling at me. He’s wearing the kind of happiness I haven’t seen on his face for twelve long years. Seeing him looking at me this way makes me fall into the music even more, and then it’s like I never stopped playing.
“I’m going to have a bath,” I holler down the long hall to Jake, who is in the living room.
“You want some dinner ready when you’re done?” comes back his reply.
“You gonna cook?”
“I’ll order in, smart-ass.”
Holding back a laugh, I reply, “Then, yes, please.”
I head into our bedroom, then the en suite, and turn the taps on our new, never-before-used bathtub.
Searching through the cupboard where all my toiletries have been stored, I find my bubble bath and pour some under the running water.
The movers finished a few hours ago and have long since left.
Stuart’s in his new abode, getting himself set up. So it’s just Jake and me in the house together, all alone.
Being alone with Jake is a big thing for me, as it doesn’t happen often. Now that we’re living together, though, just him and me, T&J alone time is going to happen often.
The thought sends a thrill through me.
Turning the taps off, I set the music system in the bathroom, selecting the new Killers album. I’m currently having a love affair with it, especially the song “Miss Atomic Bomb.” I pull my clothes off, dropping them into the hamper; tie my hair into a loose knot; then submerge my body in the bath.
The scent and heat envelop me.
Heaven.
I close my eyes and rest my head back.
I wake with a start. Glancing at the clock, I see I’ve been asleep for just over half an hour. Figuring dinner will be here by now—and I’m more than ready to eat, according to my rumbling tummy—I let the water drain and climb out of the bath.
Wrapping a fluffy bath towel around myself, I turn off the music and go into the bedroom to change.
I put on my favourite pair of comfy jogging bottoms and my TMS T-shirt that I got from the European leg of the tour.
Making my way down the hall, I hear music. Jake’s listening to our song, “You Started.”
I turn into the living room and find him waiting for me.
He smiles, getting to his feet. I glance at the scene around him.
My skin tingles. The sensation vibrates through to my heart.
Set out on the coffee table are open cartons of Indian takeaway food. No plates or cutlery, just plastic forks. A bottle of white wine is open and waiting. No wineglasses.
Scattered all around the room are empty cardboard boxes.
“Did I get it right?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
“You heard what I said to Simone?”
He shrugs. “I know things in my life are a little different from what you’re used to. I thought because you didn’t get a normal moving day, I would give you a normal first night in our new home.”
“And the boxes?”
“For effect.” He smiles, and his eyes sparkle under the lighting. “They work?”
“Absolutely.”
“You hungry?”
“Very.”
But now I’m not so hungry for the food, just hungry for him.
“You wanna try that new bed out?” I suggest.
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”
The next thing I know, Jake’s body is slamming into mine, picking me up, carrying me down the hall to our bedroom.
He lays me down on the bed, hovering over me, propped up on his hands.
“I love you,” I whisper to him, in the dark. “Thank you for what you did out there. And for the piano. Thank you for all the wonderful things you do for me.”
He stills for a long moment, staring down at me, a blank expression wearing his face. I wonder what’s going through his mind.
“There isn’t anything I won’t do for you, Tru. Nothing I won’t do to make you happy. What I feel for you…it’s limitless. There is nothing before or after you. There is only you.”
I choke up with emotion.
I lift my hand to his face, tracing my finger over his cheek. “When we get married, say that to me as your vow.”
He nods, and leaning down, he presses a light kiss to my lips.
A sigh escapes him. “I know I’m not the best choice for you.” His words move over my lips. “I know I f**k up a lot, but I promise I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”
“You already make me happy all the time. Are you happy?”
Lifting his head, his dark eyes stare at me. “Like I never knew possible.”
Then he closes his eyes, almost as if he’s in pain. Like at some level, it’s actually painful what he feels for me. I understand that, because I feel it too.