Forgiving Patience (39 page)

She parked behind him and stepped out
of her car.

His name came out as a faint whisper.
“Jake.”

“Hey, sweetness.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I had to see you. I needed to make
things right with you. I feel like shit after last night, but you wanted to
know the truth, and I needed to finally tell it. I know I should’ve handled it
better, but I can’t change that now, no matter how hard I wish I could.”

“Jake—”

“Don’t interrupt, please. I need to
finish.”

Maybe his saying this would provide
the sense of closure he desperately needed.

“It was killing me at the wedding
when you would barely touch me. You wouldn’t even look me in the eye. All I
could think about was pulling you hard up against me and kissing you forever
and showing all of Patience you are mine.”

When he rocked back and forth on the
heels of his dress shoes and stopped talking, she asked, “Can I talk now?”

“Go ahead.”

“I was going to do the same—at least
the setting things right part. I forgive you, and in some way, I understand why
you did what you did. Not that I agree with it, but you were shattered, and I
know how that feels. I also realized that I love you…probably never stopped.”
She paused. “No, I know I never stopped loving you. You are the only man I have
ever loved and felt safe with. I wanted to tell you all that before I left.”

“Left…what do you mean, left?”

“I have to go back to my life in
Linden.”

“What about the house? Do you feel
that you have to leave because of your nightmares and memories of the house? If
that’s the case, it won’t help if you run from them.”

“No. I also realized I don’t need the
house to let go of my past. It had nothing to do with the house…maybe not even
this town. It was me proving to myself that I could come back here and come out
okay and proving that the innocence that was taken from me didn’t define my life.
I’m strong enough to handle what I was dealt, and I’m in the process of finally
being able to face it. You had a hand in that. You showed me that I could make
love and not be terrified of it. A wise friend also told me it was about
forgiveness—and I see that now and am ready to embrace it.”

His voice came out soft. “That’s
great, Anna.”

“And as for the work you’re doing to
the house, it looks like you’re handling that all by yourself…and I don’t mean
that in a bad way. I appreciate the work and time you’ve put in it. You were
right in saying that I needed you. I could’ve never done what you did for it.
So, thank you.”

“Is that the only way you need me? I
know you don’t like to believe you need anyone to care for you, maybe even
someone you can lean on, but you do. You need me, and I know for damn sure I
need you in my life.”

Anna was a little dizzy, and it had
nothing to do with the heat. The raw emotion in his voice ripped a hole in her
heart.

He left the side of his truck and
made his way to her. Now that her breathing was becoming irregular, she felt
faint. She longed for his touch but didn’t know if she was prepared for the
feel of his hands on her skin.

He reached out and ran his palm along
her arm.

“Jake, don’t,” Anna pleaded.

“I love you. I can tell you that all
day long. Every day, if you need me to. I want to spend the rest of my life
with you.”

“I have to go back home.”

“You are home. This has always been
your home. Don’t you see that? I want to be your home, the place you find
comfort. Please don’t leave me again.”

“Don’t put this all on me. I told you
my reasons for leaving the first time, and that has to be good enough for you.
I have a life. I fulfilled my obligations here, and I like to think that I
accomplished my personal goals, so I’m free to leave now.”

She had come here for her best friend
and to free that six-year-old girl, and she’d done those two things.

“So I was just a goal to you?” He
took a step back. Fury flashed in his eyes, mixed with more hurt.

“Of course not. I meant the stuff from
my past. But while I didn’t come back here for us, I feel I will be leaving
with peace between us. It lightens my heart to know we’re at a good place. But
I feel you’ve helped me more than I helped you.”

“Do you know what kind of man I was
before you came into my life again? I was a moody son-of-a-bitch—just ask
anyone. After my injury and my mom’s death, I shut down. I told you most of it
at the
ballfield
, but what you don’t know is that my
life changed when you entered it. I found love and hope again. I don’t just
want you—I need you, Anna.” Moisture filled the corners of his eyes. “I don’t
need other women, alcohol, or bar fights to make me feel something—or even
baseball. You’re it for me. Nothing in my life makes sense without you in it.”

Before she knew it, he took that last
step between them, his mouth already taking possession of hers. He was kissing
her so hard she had to tilt back her head to take in all he was giving. A groan
escaped through his chest as he placed both hands on her hips.

When he pulled back, his fingers
grazed her arm, and she couldn’t stop the sudden gasp and shudder that overtook
her. He had a way of throwing her system off balance.

“Don’t even say that you can’t stay
here, because I know it’s a lie. I was young and stupid before and made a
terrible mistake, but I’m a grown man, and you can count on that. I won’t make
that mistake again. You run again, and I will just come after you. I should’ve
done that eleven years ago. I want to build a life with you here. I want us to
have our own wedding with all our friends and family around us. I want us to
buy a house with a big backyard so I can teach our kids how to play baseball.”
He put up a pointing, warning finger to stop her before she interrupted. “And I
won’t stop until I have all those things.”

“You want to marry me?” Her voice
cracked.

“Don’t forget about the kids.” A
boyish grin split his face.

She pulled out of his grasp. She
turned her back on him, needing a moment. And looking at his boyish charm
wasn’t helping the situation. He wanted to marry her? Love was one thing, but
making a family was something totally different.

And what about the plea in his voice
when he expressed how much he needed her in his life?

“Why do you want to marry me?”

“Do you really need an answer to that?”
he asked.

“Yeah, I kind of do.”

“Okay. Because you are the most
amazing woman I’ve ever met. I’ve loved you my entire adult life. Because you
are brave, because you know how to knock me down a peg, because my life seems
empty without you in it. Do you need me to go on? I want to be your safe haven.
I just love you, simple as that. Isn’t that all that matters?”

She searched his face and found only
truth. She could see the respect he had for her. He really loved her, and why
would she want to leave that—turn her back on him? Did she really want to go
back to Linden and run from love? No, she didn’t. She wanted this man who stood
before her.

She jumped into his arms, wrapping
her own around his neck, but not kissing him just yet. She gazed down at his face,
thinking that it was the dearest face she’d ever seen.

“Do you love me, Anna?”

“Yes, I told you I did. I love you so
much it scares me.”

“Then stay here with me. Live here.
Start a family with me.”

“I’m terrified, Jake. I’m just
finding my strength.”

He set her down on her feet and
cupped her face. “I’m not asking you to give up anything. In fact, I refuse to
let you. And if living here is the problem then I will go back to Linden with
you.”

“You would do that for me? You would
leave your home and your brother for me?”

“My home is anywhere you are, and as
for Bradley, he’s a big boy, and I can come back and see him anytime. Don’t you
get it—I just want you.”

“Oh God,” she whispered. “I don’t
think I’ve ever had anyone say such things to me. I’m so lucky to have you back
in my life. I can hardly breathe because of the love I feel for you. I need you
too, Jake.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“That would be a yes, slugger. I want
to stay here with you, marry you, and then we can talk about kids. I would like
some time with just the two of us. We have a lot of wasted time to make up
for.”

She could hear the sigh of relief in
his voice. “Thank the Lord. All of that sounds good. Just so long as you want
me.”

“I definitely want you.” She rose up
onto her toes and kissed him with desperate passion. An eternity later, Anna
pulled back, standing straight on her aching feet. But that didn’t
matter…nothing mattered except her and Jake. They were finally going to get
that second chance. All because of love—and surprisingly, forgiveness.

Epilogue

Two months later

“I can’t believe you brought me to a
Yankees game.” Anna couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she was
standing in Yankee Stadium, a place where traditions ran true. Like, at the
real Yankee stadium. She had dreamed of coming here for years, but New York was
an expensive place to visit, and she just couldn’t find the money to spend on
such an elaborate trip.

“Just so you know, I brought you here
because I owed you a third date. Don’t get any wild ideas that this will be a
yearly trip…because no
sirree
, it won’t. One New York
game is about all I can handle in one lifetime.”

“If you plan to marry me, Lawrence,
then you have to marry my baseball team too. You don’t get me without them. So
you might as well get your butt over here, sit down, and be prepared to watch
the best team in baseball.”

Jake made a
uuummhh
noise that resembled a complaint, but Anna let it go. The guy was being a
trooper since he refused to be a part of anything related to New York. He was
just going to be stuck dealing with it. The Yankees were her team, and she put
her foot down when it came to them.

They took their amazing seats,
courtesy of some contacts Jake had. He took some major crap for asking for the
tickets, but he did it for her. And that meant something to her. He did it to
make her happy and make one of her dreams come true.

They were seated right next to the
home dugout. In just minutes, she would see Derek Jeter take the field.

“I see you over there drooling. You
just remember that you’re my woman, and Jeter can only look.”

Anna threw a handful of popcorn in
Jake’s face. “Oh please, don’t tell me you’re jealous. I tell you what, if he
asks me on three dates, I will go—but that’s it. How’s that sound?”

“Real funny, sweetness. You are my
woman now. I’m sure number two over there can get any woman he wants.”

The crowd started to buzz, and the
roll call was being yelled out by the Bleacher Creatures. When the fans got
around to chanting
Derek Jeter,
Anna screamed at the top of her lungs.
Jeter held up his glove to show acknowledgment. The atmosphere was jumping. She
had always wondered how it would feel to see a game in New York. And so far it
was better than she expected.

Three outs, and it was the home
team’s turn at bat, which meant Jeter would be up first, since he was the
team’s leadoff hitter. On cue, the recording of Jeter’s favorite Yankee
announcer, now deceased, played over the loudspeaker, “Now batting for the Yankees,
number two, Derek Jeter, number two.”

“Do you know that you look like some
little giddy schoolgirl right now?” Jake asked, sounding way past annoyed. It
was only the first inning, and she didn’t know if he was going to make it
through the entire game without exploding.

“You embarrassed?”

“By you? Hell, no. I just find you
damn cute and feel really sorry for Mr. Jeter.”

Curious, Anna asked, “Why’s that?”

“Because you’ll sit here the whole
game idolizing his every move, drooling over him. But after nine innings, I
will be the one taking you home. I will be the one curling up with you in bed
tonight.” After giving her a southern boy wink, he said, “Maybe we can do a
little more of what we tried last night?”

“You’re a bad, bad man, Jake
Lawrence. But for you—and only you—I think that can be arranged.” It had taken
two months, but Anna had finally got up the nerve to let Jake touch her in that
very delicate part of her body with his mouth.

He rubbed the top of her arm. “Are
you sure you’re still okay with it?”

In the past twelve hours he’d asked
her three times if she was okay. It was sweet and touched her that he cared so
much. “Yes, Jake, I’m perfectly fine. In fact, after I have my fun here, we can
go back to the hotel, and you can make me forget all about Derek Jeter.”

“I’ve got something else to make you
forget,” he said with a sexy grin plastered on his face.