side to side.
“Put some pants on,” Callie said. “I can’t be distracted by that thing.”
I put my shorts back on and grabbed a fork.
We stood together, eating the stir-fry right out of the pan.
It was warm and it was perfect.
Each time we looked at each other, we smiled.
When we both had our fill, I got us each a bottle of beer.
As we leaned against the counter, Callie pointed with the bottle of beer.
“That corner is nice,” she said. “The way it touches the windows. You can see the city. It’s cozy.”
I looked down at her. “Okay. You win.”
I put my beer down and grabbed her hand.
She laughed as I dragged her to the corner.
It was time for a quickie or a hand-job…
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Callie
I grabbed Jackson’s hand as we approached the little, vegan restaurant. It was the kind of place where you’d wonder how the place could still be open. It was always dark and quiet and… vegan. No offense, but this girl needed meat.
And no, not the sexual kind, referring to Jackson. Although his was…
I shook my head.
I pulled at Jackson’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nervous?”
“A little,” I said. “My mother…”
“Is way out there,” Jackson said.
“Her friends…”
“Are way fucking out there,” he said with a wink.
I smiled. “Jackson. She thinks it’s real. She thinks there’s this energy between us.” I sighed. “Sometimes I just want to scream at her to forget about the rocks. How the fuck are rocks going to heal or show love or hate or…”
“Callie,” he said. “Everyone has their own beliefs. And I understand. She’s a single mother who will always care for her daughter. She might give out rocks instead of hugs, but I get it. We’re married. We’re so fucking in love…”
Jackson slid his free hand around my waist and pulled me close for a kiss.
When he kissed me, the very tips of my toes tingled.
Holy. Fuck.
He pulled away and licked his lips. “You’re my wife. I’m your husband.”
“The place is all vegan,” I said, like that actually mattered in the heat of the hot moment between Jackson and I.
“I’ll survive,” he whispered.
We entered the restaurant hand in hand and I cringed when I saw what Mom had done.
First off, the restaurant was all ours.
Not that it was that big or anything.
But all the lights were off.
And there was a walkway on the floor with candles lining it.
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Feels spooky,” Jackson whispered to me.
“Welcome to the rest of your lives!” Mom yelled from the opposite end of the restaurant.
I heard the click of a lighter and Mom lit two more candles.
“Walk,” Lake said as she appeared.
Guess what?
She was holding a candle.
Sunny and Joni were there too. Both holding candles.
Jackson and I held hands.
And we walked together.
Almost like a real wedding.
Or just, you know, our second fake wedding.
The lights were back on and all but one candle had been blown out.
The smell of the food was out of this world. I couldn’t even pick out what the smells were. They were mouthwatering. There was just one issue. Again, no offense to Mom or anyone else, but the smell was usually better than the taste. The smell was a tease. Like the point was to trick your brain into thinking the cardboard tasting food was good.
“Callie, listen…”
Mom made everyone quiet down.
We were all seated at a long table.
Jackson and I on one side. Lake, Sunny, and Joni on the other side.
Mom at the head of the table.
Her hands outstretched and when she opened them she had rocks in her hands.
Ohgod… no…
“The energy,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I’ve ever felt it this strong before.”
“I have,” Lake said. She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to make everyone sad.”
“You must say it,” Mom said. “Tell them.”
Lake stood up and reached across the table. She took one of my hands and one of Jackson’s.
“I felt that with my one true love in life,” Lake said.
“Lake…,” I said.
“Callie, she must say it,” Mom said. “It must be known.”
“What is it?” Jackson asked.
“I fell in love at sixteen. He was the same age. The energy was similar to what I feel between you two.”
Of course it is. If this energy exists at all, it’s purely sexual. I just want to ride Jackson so hard he doesn’t talk and say stupid things. And he makes me come so hard I want to cry and laugh at the same time.
“We were so madly in love,” Lake said. “At eighteen we had our plan. Runaway together and get married and just let life