Page 61 of From Me to You

“No,” he admitted, his eyes getting soft. “Uncle Stephen was sick. That was his name, Stephen. He had a rare genetic disorder. He knew he wasn’t going to be around for long, so he didn’t want to start a family.” He sighed. “He kind of took me in as his kid. My dad used to work at the town’s newspaper, and even though there wasn’t much news in Bellevue, he was pretty busy. And Mumma had Lily right after. That little shit was a handful, so she had to always look after her. My uncle was my best friend. We used to come up here every weekend and spend every summer here. He wanted to be a singer, but it didn’t work out for him. He struggled with his sickness. He taught me everything about music. And soon it became my escape, the one thing I craved more than anything. Sometimes I wrote and played for hours and hours till my fingers bled, but it made me so damn happy.”

I knew how much Jay wanted to make it big. To create art that would change people’s lives. I knew it was only a matter of time before he achieved that. He worked so hard and produced some of the best songs I had ever heard in my life.

I took his hands between mine and kissed the rough tips of his fingers, the proof of his dedication.

“Will you take me to Japan when you get rich and famous?” I asked, changing the subject. I hated the sad look on his face that crept up whenever he talked about his uncle.

He chuckled. “You are so weird.”

“Good weird or bad weird.” I pouted, faking a sad frown on my face.

“Definitely good weird.” Jay cradled my face and pulled me closer to plant a wet kiss on my cheek, almost too close to my lips.

I giggled.

“Will you take me to London? I want to see the rain there!” I exclaimed. I loved it when it rained.

“You do realize that people go to London to see anything but rain.”

“I don’t care about other people. I want to see the rain.”

I squealed when he lifted me up in his arms and dashed to the actual rain in front of us.

“Jay, what are you doing?” I shrieked against his hold.

He turned me to him in a heartbeat and cradled my face. “I might not be able to take you to Japan or London to show you the rain, but one day I will, I promise,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine.

My heart leaped at his words—we were drenched, soaking wet from the cold rain. But none of it mattered because it was just us again.

“I love you.”

We kissed as the rain thundered around us. We didn’t care—we kissed and kissed until there was no me, no him, just us.

Later that night, he took me back to the cabin in the woods and showed me exactly how he would keep all his promises to me.

CHAPTER 14

Now that we both had a taste of what sex would be like between the two of us, we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other. We literally had sex anywhere or anytime we were alone. Like now, I was currently on my bed as Jay drove into me at the sweetest pace that hit me in all the right spots and made my toes curl.

“Jay, I am close,” I moaned.

“I know, sweetheart. Wait for me.” Jay hooked my right leg on his shoulder and plunged deeper, picking up the pace, and soon we came together.

I panted, staring up at the ceiling like I ran a marathon, which maybe I probably did.

Jay gathered me in his arms, and I buried myself in the familiar scent that I loved so much.

“It’s not fair,” I rasped.

“What’s not fair?” He peered at me.

“You are breathing just fine. I won’t believe you anymore when you say that I steal your breath away.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “God, I love you.”

I rolled my eyes at him and rested my cheek on his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart while he ran his fingers through my hair. I sighed. I was so in love with him. My soulmate. My best friend. My everything.

Jay suddenly got up and pulled me aside. “I have to write something,” he mumbled as he took his guitar, which was now a permanent fixture in my room, and the piece of paper that he somehow always had in the back pocket of his jeans. I wondered what he would do if he put them to wash and forgot he had it.