Love In Secrets (Love Distilled #3) - Scarlett Cole Page 0,60

down all the way if you feel like you’re going to puke.”

Cassie sighed. “Okay.”

It felt as though only moments had passed when the door she’d been leaning against opened, and Jake caught her.

“Come on. Let’s get you some toast and Advil.”

He helped her from the truck, and she let him. The world spun again, and nothing felt good. She’d obviously fallen asleep on the drive. Once inside, he led her to the kitchen where he sat her on the stool.

She watched as he busied himself, first getting her a glass of water and the packet of Advil. “Don’t take those until we’ve got some toast inside you.”

Cassie sipped the water. It was cool and refreshing. She already felt as though something had died in her mouth. Tomorrow was going to be ghastly. The counter was cool as she pressed her forehead to it.

The smell of toast filled the air, and she heard the clang of the toaster, the scrape of a knife on bread. “Ready, love?”

There were two plates, one for each of them.

She took a bite of the thick slab of fresh bread toasted to perfection. “Mmm,” she moaned. “This tastes so good.”

Jake grinned. “You’re welcome. Best cure for a hangover always starts the night before. Lining your stomach, plenty of water, pain meds.”

He cared about her.

He really cared about her. He could have drunk this evening but stayed sober so he could drive her home. He was going to let her take his shirt home with her because the memories of her in it were too much.

And she was going to leave him without every telling him just how much it all meant.

She turned to face him and took his hand. “Thank you, Jake.”

He squeezed it. Three. Fucking. Times. “You’re welcome.”

“Not just for the toast. For everything. You’ve been . . . you’ve been . . .” Why couldn’t she figure out the words?

“You’re still welcome.”

“No. You don’t get it. This. Coming home and dealing with work and Dad and his company and everything else. You’ve been my rock. I love you for it. I really love you, period.”

Jake nodded, the smile gone from his face. “Still welcome, love. But next time I hear you say I love you, I want you to be stone-cold sober. I’m not going to hold you to it, we can talk about it in the morning.”

Cassie nodded and took another bite of her toast. She might be too drunk to stand, but wasn’t too drunk to understand she’d given her heart to a man who she knew wanted to keep it and wouldn’t give it back easily when she left.

The following day, Jake sat in the kitchen, scrolling through the news on his phone. He’d been sitting there for approximately forty minutes waiting for Cassie. He’d gotten up to go to the distillery at a disgustingly early four in the morning, leaving Cassie tucked in his bed, all so he could get out early enough for the two of them to take a drive and have a picnic for dinner.

When he’d arrived home, ready to shower, he’d found her on the phone in a very animated call with Brandon. After his shower, she was talking to someone about a new crane hire. By the time he was dressed, she was talking someone through getting the road closed on what sounded like a major intersection in New York to allow the base of a crane to be delivered.

Now, she was talking about elevator shaft inspection.

Periodically, she’d put the phone down and shout an apology and ask for two more minutes. Occasionally, she’d wander over and mouth sorry.

He wasn’t mad, he was worried.

He and Cassie had fallen into a perfect rhythm. They’d wake and eat breakfast together before they left. She’d sometimes pack his lunch in brown bags when she made her own to eat on the go. He’d get food for her when she was at the distillery. And they’d sit out in the garden in the evenings, talking about their day, problem solving issues together, or admiring the way the sky lit up in vibrant hues of purple and orange as the sun set. And in-between, he’d had some of the best sex and happiest moments of his life because Cassie was . . . everything.

But hearing her talking about New York projects sent a ripple of fear down his spine.

“Done,” Cassie said, rubbing her ear. “Sorry about that.”

Jake slid his phone in his pocket and pulled her to him so she