Lead On (Complete)

~ Chapter 15 ~

Jeff watched her; he watched the shift in her eyes and knew when he lost her. But she had to understand that it wasn't the money that he wanted the first time around. He knew how she thought and what she was thinking right now.

"Stop those thoughts Rose," he told her, walking over to her and placing his hands on her legs.

"What thoughts could you possibly think are rolling through my mind?" He had to admit; he loved and missed her pout. She had her moments of anger and fuck almighty was she sexy when her eyes flashed with anger. But her pout always made him want to fall to his knees before her and basically worship her, starting with kissing that little love nest between her thighs. And this moment wasn't any different.

"You think you have changed that much in ten years that I wouldn't know you Rose? You think as someone who has all this money that I couldn't possible still want you but that is so not the truth. In fact, that's very far from the truth." Rose just eyed him and he wanted to laugh. No matter what she thought, he knew her. "I know this many sound dumb as shit, but after I got over the hurt of you not following, I wanted to work towards the goal of being able to come back to you with enough on a plate to offer you everything you wanted."

"Jesus fucking shit!" Rose cried out as she jumped off the tailgate. "You think I wanted that? Or better yet needed that? God you are dense Jeff! I wanted my husband, not that!"

"You think I don't know that? I did. But I wanted more for you, you deserved more darlin'. I wanted to come back here and tell you that you didn't have to bust your ass workin' anymore if you didn't have to!"

"That's my call, but still not what I needed."

"It's what I needed." Rose tilted her head as she looked at Jeff, who waved his hand for her to come sit back down again. He knew she didn't need those things, but there was still a lot more he needed to explain.

"I'm not getting this," she told him, hopping back up on the truck. Yeah, he could get that; looking back ten years ago, he couldn't understand it either.

"When I applied for that contest, my sister saw the name and wrote to me; it came along with the winning note. That letter from him explained how he had been searching for me and had given up hope but that he would very much like for me to go see him, he even paid for everything.

"Before I talked to you, though, I went to see my aunt, because if that damn letter was true, then everything I had come to believe about my dad was a total lie. Can you picture how that went down?" He knew she has no clue about his because he never explained to her how he found out about her death and how he was the one who saw her on the floor.

"Oh my God Jeff, is that how....?" She couldn't finish and he couldn't blame her.

"Yeah, it was. So I had this letter, my aunt was dead and I had so many questions and no one would be able to answer so my anger surfaced. On a quick move, I said I was going to Austin to see this man, to talk to him and get to know him, to figure his side out and then figure out the truth."

"So by the time you were talking to me, you were already pissed off?"

"It's not right darlin' and I have kicked my ass every day for how that went down." That was the God honest truth. He knew he was more than an asshole to her and he deserved her hate, he knew that, but that didn't mean he didn't love her or that she didn't love him.

She laughed as she shook her head and he frowned slightly; that was not what he was expecting in the least; maybe anger, maybe shouting but not laughing.

"Oh Jeff, my mama always said that one day your anger would cause you problems and look at how much this caused you! I mean you still left but things might have been different, I'm not sure."

"Maybe she was right, but I'm not the same, well not that bad." Rose shook her head and waved him on.

"What did you find out?"

"I met a man who was heartbroken that the woman he loved had left with a child he so badly wanted. I found a family, as broken as it was. I found a damn good job and the means to offer you the world. But in finding all of that, I lost you.

"I found out that my mom had lied, that everyone in my family had lied. It took me a very long while to figure out the truth behind it though. I also found out my dad was dying, so there was no choice for me to stay and figure things out."

"So those months, you got to know him?"

"Pretty damn well. In fact, the business is mine; he left it to me as my sister didn't know the first thing about cars." He could see the wheels turning. Hell, this had been his life and shit; he was still shocked and had no clue how to handle that whirlwind that was his life. So, he could only imagine the thoughts rolling in her mind.

"Was he a good man?" He took her hand, leaning against the truck and against her.

"He was. He was smart, so damn smart and really knew his way around cars. He wasn't too funny, rather a serious man, but he sure loved us, and I don't think I could have asked for more." He paused and he felt her eyes on him. "I talked a lot about you Rose and he wanted to meet you. But he also told me that when I had a love like that, that I needed to give you all the roses and diamonds you deserved."

"Oh Jeff, he didn't mean it literally."

"But it did to me. All I have wanted to do Rose was take care of you, you know that. I have always loved you."

"I know, but just because you did, didn't mean I wanted it as well." He watched her as she sighed, her free hand playing with something on her pants. "I don't want you to think that I'm not happy you found all of this, because I am. I knew you well enough that you hated the fact of your dad walking away. And though you never told me, I knew you wanted to find him, to ask him why. Just like I know you have other whys that can never be answered."

"Why do I hear a 'but' somewhere in this?"

"But, you found all of that at the cost of us, was it worth it?" Jeff turned and fully stood in front of her, right between her legs.

"Rose, if I thought for one minute that you didn't love me anymore, then I would say nothing was worth it. I'm not going to say I'm proud we lost ten years, that many foolish things kept us apart but I know that no matter what, you love me. And through all my foolishness here, I'm still going to try my best to have you back in my arms. Because a love like ours, Rose, you can never lose. There is no amount of time that can erase that love. So now I stand where I stood back in high school and I will try my best to win your affections again." He watched the play of emotions in her eyes and he wanted to smile; sometimes those eyes gave her away in ways she didn't know.

"You make it sound like it's so easy!"

"It's not. But we still have love and that's a pretty solid foundation."

"I'm not a teenager, flowers and candy doesn't cut it for me." He had to laugh because they never did. She wasn't saying yes, but she wasn't saying no. No, his Rose had grown a couple of thorns to protect herself and he had no problem working through them to have her back. He cupped her cheeks, giving her plenty of time to say no if she didn't want what was about to come, but she didn't. So his lips brushed hers once, and then twice before settling on them in a heart stopping kiss.