“I do still want to follow through on Allen's trust,” I said. “At least through the court date that's already been set. But I don't want to have to be there when the judge rules.”
“We can figure out a reason for you not to be there,” he said. “Since you've already missed a lot of work this year, maybe saying that you can't miss any more work will be enough.”
“Speaking of work.” I shifted in my seat. “I'm going to call Principal Sanders to let him know the charges were dropped and that Allen's death has been ruled an accident, but I'm thinking he might need something more from me before he'll let me come back.”
Henley nodded. “Not a problem. I'll contact the school and make sure it's all set for you to come back when you're ready.”
“It won't be before the beginning of the next quarter,” I said. “I'm going to help Jasper at the clinic while he looks for a replacement.”
Henley jotted himself a note, his expression sobering as he raised his head. “There's one other thing we need to talk about.”
I already knew what he was going to say, but I let him say it.
“The insurance money. Even though Mr. Lockwood's death was officially ruled accidental, Georgia's confession included her saying that she sent false records to the insurance company. That information will need to be turned over to the company, and they're not going to allow the policy dispensation to stand.”
“I know,” I said. “It's okay.”
It was disappointing that I'd have to wait until the trust issue was settled before Jasper could get the money for his clinic, but he had enough to keep it open through the beginning of the new year. And if the judge didn't rule in my favor, there was always the chance that she'd still make the Lockwoods pay out the parts of the trust that had already been earmarked for specific charities, including the clinic. Even if that didn't happen, Jasper and I would find some way to make it work.
Mr. Henley and I talked for the next forty minutes, going over all of the little details of what needed to be done to keep things running smoothly. By the time Jasper came in to let me know he was here, Mr. Henley and I were done. Jasper and I said our goodbyes and headed out to the car.
I frowned at him as I slid into the passenger's seat. He wasn't looking at me and I could feel the tension radiating off of him. Something was up. What could have happened in the hour since I'd last seen him? My stomach knotted with worry.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
He looked over at me as he started the car. His eyes had that burning look to them, twisting things deep inside me.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Chapter 24
After everything we'd been through, I wasn't entirely sure that a surprise was the best way to go about things, but I didn't say it. Once Jasper had said that, I'd been able to relax somewhat because I realized that what I was feeling from him wasn't anxiety, but rather excitement.
Neither of us said anything on the drive home or the walk up to the front door. When we stepped inside, two things hit me together. The first was the smell of something cooking. The second was the scent of pine.
“I picked up some pre-prepared stuff at the store,” he said as he took my hand. “I figured neither of us would want to cook, but I wanted us to celebrate with something better than leftovers or mac and cheese. It'll be ready in about forty-five minutes.”
My stomach growled. I hadn't realized that I'd missed lunch until now.
“But that's not the surprise.” He smiled at me as he led me into the living room.
I stopped two steps in and stared. There, in the empty corner, stood a tree. Not the old fake one, but a real one. Easily six feet tall, its branches full and thick. It was already wrapped in blue and white lights, with silver garland sending little sparkles of color bouncing everywhere.
Sitting on the chair next to it were two boxes and two bags. I recognized one of the boxes as one of mine and Allen's, but didn't know where the smaller one had come from. The bags looked new.
“I brought down your ornaments from the attic,” Jasper said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Just yours. None of Allen's or the ones you two had together. And I brought out mine.” He kissed the side of my neck. “And then I went out and bought a few that can be ours. Our first ornaments together as a couple.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as I turned in his arms, my arms going around his neck. “It's perfect.”
“And it's ours.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I never want to forget Allen, but I want this to be the start of us making our own memories. The start of our life without all of the baggage we've been dealing with.”
“I want that too,” I said.
He pulled back enough so that we could look at each other. His expression was thoughtful as he put his hand on my cheek. “I don't want you to regret this. To regret getting involved with me so fast.”
“I don't.” I hurried to reassure him. “It doesn't feel rushed. It feels right.”
“I've been waiting for this life for so long.” He touched the corner of my mouth with his thumb and gave me a soft smile. “A life I never thought I'd get to have.”
“You have it,” I said, turning my head to kiss his palm. “You have me.”
“Do I?”
I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair before trailing them down the side of his face. “You do. For as long as you want me.”
He took a slow breath and sank down onto his knee. “Forever, Shae. I want you forever.”
I couldn't breathe as I watched him reach into his pocket. I was certain if I moved or spoke the spell would break, and I'd discover I was dreaming.
He held up a ring, the diamonds glinting in the fading sunlight. “Will you be mine forever?”
Mutely, I nodded, not trusting myself not to burst into tears. I held out my hand and saw that my fingers were shaking. Jasper wrapped his strong hand around mine, holding it steady as he slipped the ring onto my finger. He raised my hand and kissed the ring. When he stood, I saw that his eyes were glittering with tears.
And then his mouth was coming down on mine and I forgot about everything else. I leaned against him, parting my lips as his tongue teased the corner of my mouth. He took his time, slowly exploring every inch. One hand pressed against the small of my back, the other cupped the back of my head, holding me in place. As if I wanted to be anywhere else.
We were both panting by the time he pulled back. His fingers tightened, massaging my neck as his thumb made circles under my ear. My entire body felt like it was vibrating, cells humming, desperate for his touch. For more.
“You know,” he said quietly. “For a while, I wondered if what I felt was just an infatuation, wanting what I couldn't have. That if I finally had you, the desire would fade.”
“And?” I raised an eyebrow.
He smiled, his hand sliding around to the side of my neck, thumb pressing against the pulse point there. “And I just want you more every day, every hour.” His eyes darkened. “I want you so much it hurts.”
“I want you too.” I ran my hands down his chest to his stomach. I smiled as I tugged his shirt up. He hissed as my fingers skimmed over those hard, flat muscles. “Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode, like my body can't contain everything I feel for you.”
He cupped my chin and kissed me again, fierce and hard. “I need you.” He practically growled the words.
I yanked him against me, a thrill running through me at the feel of him hard against my hip. Arousal flared sharp and bright inside me. I moved my hand lower, cupping him through his jeans.
He swore. Suddenly I found myself on the floor, his body stretched out on mine. I wrapped my legs around him, grinding against him as his mouth came down on mine. His hands were hot as they moved over me, pulling and tugging at my clothes until he managed to get them all off. Judging by some of the tearing sounds I heard, I wasn't sure they'd be wearable again, but I didn't care. I only cared that he was touching me
and didn't stop.
“Too many clothes,” I breathed into his ear. “I want you naked.”
He chuckled, and I moaned as the vibration went through me. He pushed himself up onto his knees and yanked his shirt over his head. He went to his feet, his pants coming off next. I stared up at him, greedily devouring every inch of him. He was so gorgeous. And he was all mine.
His eyebrow quirked up. “What?”
I ran my hand over my stomach and down between my legs, loving how his eyes followed the path. His cock twitched when I slid my finger between my slick folds.
“I was just thinking of how hot you are,” I said honestly. “And how you're mine.”
He wrapped his hand around his cock, slowly stroking the hard shaft. “I am yours.”
He came down between my legs again. He put his hands on my knees and slid them up my thighs. “And you're mine.”
I reached down and squeezed his wrist. “Always.”
He slid his hands under my hips and raised me up so that my weight was on my shoulders and upper back, his hands supporting me. His eyes met mine and I felt the tip of him brush against me. In one smooth motion, he slid inside and my back arched. I cried out as he filled me, stretched me.
He stayed there for a moment, our bodies locked together, and then he began to move with slow, steady thrusts. Each one went deep, reaching that place inside me that only he could touch. I reached up and put my hands on his, arching my body up to meet him.
His hands slid from my hips to my waist and he pulled me up to him. My butt rested on his thighs as he moved us together. I wrapped my arms around his neck, using his body as leverage to move myself against him, across him. As the pleasure built inside me, my head fell forward. I pressed my face against his neck, moaning as his lips danced across the side of my throat.
“I love you so much,” he murmured. “My Shae.”
“My Jas.” I nipped at his flesh, tasting the salt from his skin. “All mine.”
“I've been yours from the first moment I saw you,” he said.
He pulled me even tighter to him, my nipples hard points against his chest. We were barely moving, just the smallest back and forth motion that put the perfect amount of friction on my throbbing clit. I flexed my muscles around his cock, and he swore.
“I love you, my Jas.” I ran my teeth along his jaw, then nipped at his earlobe. “Now and always.” I pressed my mouth against his ear. “Make me come.”
He bit down on my neck, hard enough to make me gasp, and then I was on my back and he was over me, pounding into me. I wailed as my climax hit me, every muscle tensing. He kept going, forcing me from one into the next. Or maybe it was the same one, magnified until I couldn't even scream.
My senses were exploding, each one overloading on a multitude of sensation. The sight of him above me, the feel of his skin on mine. The sound of his voice calling my name. His scent surrounding me. I could taste him.
And then he was coming too, groaning as he pulsed inside me, emptied. I felt him spilling into me, and I reached up, pulling him down onto me. I accepted his weight gratefully, holding him to me even as the pleasure faded and my body gave over to the pleasant fatigue that followed great sex.
Jasper rolled us over so that I was laying on him and reached over his head to grab a blanket from the couch. He pulled it over us, tucking it around our bodies before settling back down with me on his chest.
“I don't know about you,” I said as I pressed my lips against his chest. “But I think this should be one of our Christmas traditions.”
His fingers massaged my scalp. “What should?” he asked absently.
“This.” I flattened my hand on his stomach. “Get a live tree, have sex and then decorate the tree.”
He chuckled. “That sounds like a great tradition to me.”
I looked up at him. “Does that mean we should start decorating?”
He grinned. “I may need a few more minutes to recover.”
I laughed. “Me too.” I snuggled more closely to him. “But we have plenty of time.”
Six Months Later
I pulled my feet up onto the couch and tucked them underneath me. I sighed as I looked at the mess around me. School had ended on Thursday, and yesterday had been the teachers' time to clean their classrooms. I'd gotten it all done, not wanting to have to come back in next week. I did, after all, have a lot to do.
Three weeks from today, I was going to be changing my name from Lockwood to Whitehall. It would be one week after the year anniversary of Allen's death, and I was going to be marrying his best friend.
And I knew Allen wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
There were probably some people who thought the two of us were moving too fast, but we didn't care. It was going to be a small ceremony, just the people who really cared about us. Gina and Junie. Mitchell and his girlfriend Brenda. Jasper had invited his parents, but they hadn't said for sure they were coming.
They hadn't been too excited when he'd told them about our engagement, but they hadn't been opposed to it either, so I was willing to consider that to be a step in the right direction. They would have to be a lot worse than distant to be worse in-laws than the Lockwoods.
I hadn't seen the Lockwoods since that day at the police station. I'd kept to my decision not to continue pursuing the arson case, and I'd let Henley deal with everything to do with the trust. The Lockwoods had tried to drag it out, refusing to adhere to Allen's wishes, even if they received the rest of the trust. That had been my only stipulation to continuing to pursue the case.
Finally, in mid-April, a judge had finally ruled that all of the Lockwoods' claims had no merit and ordered that the trust be released. So Jasper had gotten the money for his clinic, and we'd been able to pay off the loan I'd taken out to cover what we'd originally planned to use the insurance money for.
The clinic was doing well, and Jasper had been able to get enough donations to keep it going without any other financial input. Not that I would've minded using our money, but Jasper insisted that we keep the extra from the trust for the future, just in case.
I still hadn't decided if I was going to go back to school in the fall. Even though Principal Sanders had been agreeable about me coming back at the beginning of the third quarter, I'd ultimately decided against it. Full-time at least.
After talking things over with Jasper and Gina, I'd decided that it would be more disruptive to the students for me to come back than it would be to keep the substitute for the rest of the year. She was a good teacher. Once Jasper had hired his new secretary, I went back as a sub. I hadn't, however, cleaned out my classroom, letting Mrs. Kim use the things I'd bought, hence the reason I'd gone in to help clean up yesterday.
I'd ended up spending the rest of my free time doing something I'd never thought I would've wanted to do. I wrote a book. I'd started it off as an exercise to help me work through everything that happened, but it had ended up turning into something more. A month ago, my agent had called and said she had a publisher interested in my book. They fast-tracked it, and it was due to come out shortly after Jasper and I would be getting back from our honeymoon.
And that was what I was currently working on. Not the book, but rather our honeymoon. The wedding details were more or less taken care of, but Jasper and I had been going back and forth about where we wanted to go. Now I needed to finish making the reservations or we were going to be sleeping in the airport.
Jasper had wanted us to do something big, go to Europe for a couple of weeks. I'd told him that I was fine with us just going to a bed and breakfast up the coast. Finally, we'd talked about it and realized that we were trying to sell the other one on the honeymoon we thought they wanted. Once we'd gotten that out, it had been easy for us to agree that the perfect honeymoon for us would be a week in Vancouver.
I'd made up a list of places to call and was just reaching for the phone to start making the calls when it rang.
“Hey, Maggie.” I leaned back and stretch
ed out my legs, taking care not to kick off any of the papers I had spread out.
“Shae, great news!”
My agent was in her early fifties, but sounded like a bubbly teenager. I sometimes thought that was her secret weapon. People didn't always take her seriously at first, and that often ended up giving her a stronger bargaining position than people realized.
“Really?” I reached behind me and twisted my hair up behind my head.
“I just got a call from Elton in legal, and the publisher received an offer for the movie rights.”
I sat up straight. “What?”
Maggie laughed. “That's right. And with the offer made, you're going to clear a million, easy.”
I didn't really remember the rest of the conversation, but I must've said the right things in the right places because we ended the call and I found myself staring at the phone. A million dollars. The exact amount of the insurance policy that we'd had to give up.
The amount that Jasper and I could use to do what we'd been dreaming about – start a clinic near the place where it had all started for us, near UCLA. Jasper had hired a couple doctors to help him at the clinic up here, so we'd also discussed getting an apartment down there to stay while we were getting things started. Now it looked like we'd be able to do it this year.
I supposed that answered my question about whether or not I was going to teach next year. It also brought up something else that had been on my mind for a few weeks...
“Hey, babe.” Jasper smiled as he came into the room. “Things were slow so I thought I'd come home for lunch.” His smile faltered. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head. “No. Maggie just called.” I stood up and gave him a quick kiss. “I just got an offer for the movie rights on my book.”
“That's great!” He smiled again as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him.
“What's even better is, my cut will be enough to start the clinic in LA.” I put my arms around his neck. “So when we get back from Vancouver, we can start apartment hunting.”