into town later today and pick up groceries.
Or is that too pushy?
I’ve spent the last several nights at Dale’s, but I haven’t technically moved in with him. My belongings, with the exception of a toothbrush, my skincare routine, and some pajamas—which of course I never wear at Dale’s—are still at the main house. I have to go there every morning to change clothes. So far, I haven’t run into Talon or Jade since that first morning, which is good. I know I have no reason to be embarrassed, but still…
Jade is sitting at the kitchen table reading something on her tablet when I enter through the back. She looks up.
“Good morning, Ashley. When are you and Dale leaving this morning to go to the hospital?”
“He already left. He wanted to go alone.”
Jade sips her coffee and sighs. “That’s so like him. He never wants any help with anything.”
I nod. She’s not wrong.
“Have a seat,” she says. “There’s juice in the fridge.”
“Thank you.” I help myself to a glass and pour a serving of OJ. I sit down next to Jade.
“How are you?” she asks. “We haven’t had the chance for any girl talk for a while.”
“I’m good.” I take a sip and swallow. “Dale and I…”
“Yes, I know. Talon and I are thrilled for both of you.”
“But it’s… He and I, we…” I huff out a sigh. “He only committed to me for the time I’m here. That’s all he’s giving me.”
“Is that enough for you?”
“Of course not! I’m in love with him. But it’s all he’s giving me, so I’m taking it. And before you say anything, I know I’m worth more, that I deserve more.”
“Actually”—she smiles—“I know exactly how you’re feeling.”
“You do?”
She chuckles. “When I was living here that summer, I took every single second I could get with Talon. He treated me terribly sometimes, but I still savored every moment with him.”
“I can’t imagine him treating anyone terribly.”
“He was different then. A lot like Dale, as I’ve told you.”
“Dale doesn’t—” I stop.
“Dale doesn’t what?” she asks.
“I was going to say Dale doesn’t treat me badly. He doesn’t. But there have been a few times when his words weren’t the nicest.”
She nods. “I understand.”
“Jade…”
“Hmm?”
“I know you don’t talk about these things, but maybe if you can tell me how you were able to finally reach Talon…”
She inhales deeply, her expression resigned. “I want to tell you everything, Ashley. I do. But the truth is that it’s not my story to tell. I will say this much. Don’t give up. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to my son. I can see how much you cherish him just by your expression when you say his name. He may not know it yet, but he needs you. Maybe even more than you need him.”
I run my finger over a drip of condensation on my juice glass. “It always seems what Dale needs most is his solitude.”
“Solitude is important to him. It’s true. But you’ve touched something in him. Something I never could, and Lord knows I tried. Something even Talon never could. He’s a little less walled-off since you came along, and that’s a very good thing.”
“How is it a good thing, if solitude is what he craves?”
“Because in the end, we all—including Dale—yearn to belong to something bigger. Being alone can be wonderful. We all need it sometimes, but at the end of the day, we all want to belong to someone else.”
“Not Dale,” I say.
“He does, and you’ve begun to prove it. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
“I don’t know whether to feel good or bad about that,” I say. “I don’t want to change him. I fell in love with him the way he is.”
“Oh, there’s so much to love in him,” Jade says. “So much that he doesn’t even know he has to offer. He’s brilliant, of course. And genuine. He’d take a bullet for his father or me in a heartbeat. Or any of his siblings. But mostly, somewhere inside him is a soul that needs to heal. I could tell from the first time we talked, Ashley, that you’re attracted to that part of him. The same thing that attracted me to Talon.”
“How did you get through to Talon?”
“It took time. Though looking back, we met at the beginning of summer and were married during the fall. Crazy, but it seemed longer.”
“Dale and I haven’t known each other very long either.”
“No, you haven’t.” She sighs, shaking her head and smiling. “I’ve said