Page 52 of From Me to You

“Ready?” Jay asked, carrying a couple of grocery bags and our weekend bags.

I held out my hands. “I can carry them,” I said as I reached out to him.

“I am fine, sweetheart. You just open the door. The key is in my back pocket.”

I smirked as I walked up to him. I was so close that I could feel his breath on my skin. I locked my eyes on him as I reached behind his pocket.

“Which one?” I whispered.

“Right.”

I slipped my hand slowly into his right pocket and pulled out the key.

He swallowed.

I turned to open the door, smiling to myself. Katy would be proud of me. I was almost certain that it bothered him.

The same warm wooding continued to the interiors—it was an open layout with a small living room with soft brown couches pushed off to the side, and a huge window opposite displayed the spectacular view of the lake and the vast forest beyond. The kitchen was tucked away in the far corner with marbled countertops and the same wooden cabinets. The floors were a lighter shade of wooden planks arranged in neat patterns. A small staircase was situated on the far side, which I assumed led to the bedroom.

Jay placed the grocery bags on the counter as he reached for me. “Come on. I will show you upstairs,” he said, taking my hand.

The upstairs landing had a single door that creaked open to greet me with a massive wooden bed made with fluffy gray sheets. I blushed when I thought about what we would be doing in that bed tonight. At least I hoped we would be doing tonight.

Jay pulled me into his arms, my back to his chest.

“I love that shade of pink on your cheeks,” he whispered in my ear. My breath hitched. He took my ear in his mouth and gave it soft kisses. “But I like another shade of pink more.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about. The hair on my arm stood straight at his words as I blushed harder.

And then he let me go with a smirk on his face, leaving me all hot and bothered. “I will prep dinner for us. You freshen up and meet me downstairs,” he called out as he left the room.

I exhaled loudly. I was a complete mess.

The bedroom was a lot bigger than I thought—the massive bed dominated the center of the room, and the side wall had a sliding window overlooking the lake. A huge armchair with a small acoustic guitar was nestled to the side, with a bookshelf filled with little trinkets. I peered at a photo frame, a small kid—Jay who looked like he was around ten. He was so cute as he grinned at the camera, holding the red guitar he cherished so much. A tall man who looked so much like Jay’s dad stood to the side, looking at Jay with a proud smile on his face. I assumed that it must be his uncle. It was taken here, I mused, in the front room of the cabin. I took my phone out and took a picture of little toddler Jay, so adorable.

I sighed as I made my way to the other side of the room, which opened to the bathroom. It had a small bathtub tucked to the side and a huge mirror over the white marble countertops. I looked at myself in the mirror, my hair messy in loose waves and my face plain free of any makeup as I stood there in my old gray sweats.

Sometimes I wondered what Jay saw in me. I felt my insecurities start to creep into my mind. I wanted him. Tonight. But I was scared, scared that I would disappoint him. I knew he loved me, and I knew he wanted me, but I feared that would not be enough. Would I ever be enough for him?

I decided to wear the white dress tonight. I took my sweet time getting ready. I brushed my hair several times until it was so soft that it felt silky when I ran my fingers through it. I dabbed on my go-to warm pink lip blush, which accentuated my skin tone. I slipped on my dress and pulled the thin white spaghetti straps around my shoulders. The floral lace patterns on the corset-style top almost looked alluring against the yellow lights and the wooden setting of the cabin. I dabbed my signature perfume on the pulse point of my neck, which Jay loved so much. My warm brown eyes glowed luminously on the mirror, almost to a shade of dark amber. With anticipation.

I headed downstairs, my feet bare and nervous as I stopped short on the landing. My beautiful boy was standing over the kitchen counter with a half-tied apron on his hips. He was in deep concentration as he sliced the tomatoes into small cubes.

Jay’s head pivoted in my direction like he knew I was standing there and drooling over him. His eyes darkened as he took me in.

“Hi.” I waved shyly.

“Hey, sweetheart, you look beautiful. I assumed you would be wearing your favorite pink PJs.” He smirked.

I shrugged as I made my way to him, trying to hide my embarrassment that he caught on to the actual reason I wore this dress. A reminder of our first kiss, and hopefully for him to take it off me tonight.

“What are you making?” I asked as I stood beside him.

“Chicken parmesan, your favorite. Although I might have to ask you to make the sauce. It’s so much better than mine. I got this for you,” Jay said as he pulled up a pink apron from the underside of the cabinet. He turned me to face him, placing the apron over my head. He looked at me the entire time, and I forgot to breathe. He slowly slid in behind me, pulled my hair to the side, and gripped my hips closer to him as he secured the straps over the small of my back. He lingered for a few seconds before he said, “All done.”

I swallowed as I took a step away from him. “Thank you,” I said as I took in my apron. It was a bright pink apron with cute little white bunnies all over it—so much so, like my blanket.

“Where did you even find this? I love it!” I squealed as I jumped at him. I couldn’t help myself as I gave him a quick kisson the cheek. His scent immediately enwrapped me in a warm hug.