If We Dare - J.H. Croix Page 0,72

it was anybody else, they would’ve wondered why you slammed the door.” She sagged against the wall when we heard the door close again. “Can we go home now?”

“Of course. Is home your place or mine?” I reached for her hand, reeling her to me.

She relaxed into my embrace easily. She tucked her head against my shoulder and took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. I just want to be where you are.”

My heart felt cracked wide-open. Jade’s presence filled all the cracked spaces, and I would never be the same.

“In that case, let’s go to your place. I left in a rush, so I’m not sure if my bed is made, or if I have anything decent for food.”

Jade lifted her head, peering up at me. She placed her hand over my heart again, her gaze sobering. “I’m so very sorry about Dave.”

“So am I.” I curled my hand over hers. Although the loss of Dave would be with me always, Jade would help ease the ache of it.

I leaned against the reception desk in the vet clinic, watching as Everett walked with his crooked gait across the floor. When he reached us, he sniffed my feet, looking up expectantly.

Glancing at Shay, I commented, “He seems to want something.”

Shay cast a sheepish smile over her shoulder. “I may have been a bit too generous with the treats.” She handed me a treat that looked to be compressed fruits and nuts over the counter.

Leaning down, I held it out on my palm and Everett grabbed it with both paws. After he ate it, he wandered off to investigate the magazine basket in the corner.

The main door opened, and Jade came walking through. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail with loose strands falling around her face.

“Oh my God,” she said with a sigh as she reached my side. “It’s soooo hot out.”

“According to my weather app, the heat index is 105,” Shay called over her shoulder.

Jade rested her hips against the counter. We were still adjusting to the state of our relationship. Or rather, I should say, the reality that we loved each other and even had a relationship.

My prickly, guarded, and feisty Jade had a smile teasing in the corners of her mouth and a glint in her eyes. I leaned over. “Hey,” I whispered right before I brushed my lips over hers.

Just that subtle touch sent electricity zinging through my body. I was becoming accustomed to a state of almost constant anticipation when I was around her.

While I was orienting to my feelings for Jade and her presence in my life, I was still adjusting to Dave’s passing. It had been almost a month since he died. I missed him so much, and a part of me almost kept forgetting he was gone. Since we hadn’t seen each other daily for years, I was accustomed to not seeing him on a regular basis. I’d think of something I wanted to mention to him, and then I’d have to remind myself he was gone. Although Dave’s death was a huge blow, Jade was a quiet, steady light in my life.

When I lifted my head, I saw Shay smiling at us. “Hey, Jade,” she said cheerily.

Jade’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she sighed. “Hey.” When Shay kept on grinning, she added, “It was just a kiss. You don’t have to look so excited.”

Shay shrugged. “I know, but I love it. You swore off men, and now you’re totally into Walker.”

Jade glanced over at Everett, who had climbed on one of the waiting room chairs and was looking out the window toward the parking lot. “So what’s the plan for him?”

Nimble though he was, he had a distinct limp and didn’t move very quickly. If he were left out in the wild, he wouldn’t fare too well. Shay leaned against the counter opposite us. “For now, he’ll stay here. There aren’t too many rescue programs that will take opossums.”

Jade knelt down and tapped her fingers on the floor. He came walking over, and she scratched between his ears before he meandered to investigate yet another corner of the waiting room.

Lucas came through the front entrance. Lucas and I had eventually had that conversation about Jade, which ended with a stern warning from him. In essence, he said he’d hurt me if I hurt Jade. Those weren’t his exact words, but I got the point.

He had nothing to worry about. As it was, Dave’s final words to me