Steele Promises

Break Up To Make Up

Chapter 12

Jaxon walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. It smelled wondrous and he felt bad he hadn’t helped her cook dinner as he’d done every other night. The further into the kitchen he got the more he noticed something wasn’t right. They usually ate dinner in the kitchen at the breakfast bar, laughing and trying their best to keep the conversations light. He kept walking until he came to the formal dining room and his breath caught.

Candles lit the room and there were two place settings Chey stood wearing a maternity gown, he remembered her telling him that Preston had planned to take her to the next formal and since it was in the next couple of weeks. She would have needed a gown that would fit a pregnant woman. Her hair was piled up on top of her head two tendrils framed her face. He could tell she was wearing makeup and it made her brown eyes brighter.

“Chey…” He started only to stop when she raised her hand.

“I’m sorry Jaxon,” she said. “That’s not to say what you did wasn’t wrong, but you’ve given me no other reason to feel unsafe with you or that I shouldn’t trust you. Preston was the only person I trusted in all the world and it took me by surprise when you seemed to be lying to me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said walking up to her. “I was only trying to make things easier for you.” This time he held up his hand to keep her from speaking. “I know that you want things all up front, but it was only when you moved in here that you started to be yourself again. It was the first time I was meeting the real you, up until then you were like a shadow.” His fingers traced her lips. “You didn’t smile and your eyes were so sad. I didn’t like that, not one little bit and I knew if I told you about the benefits not coming through you would get that crease in your forehead that you always get when you’re worried about something.” His hand cupped her cheek.

“So how about we make a deal,” she said. “I won’t hold this one error against you, if you promise me that you won’t lie or hide things from me again.”

“Starting right now I will never hide anything from you.” He dipped his head brushing his lips lightly over hers. When she didn’t pull back he deepened the kiss until they both pulled apart breathless.

“Dinner…We should eat dinner,” she said choosing to ignore the heated moment they’d just shared. He smiled down at her.

“Are you going to hide from me now?” he asked. “If I can’t hide things from you then it’s only fair that you not hide things from me. Like how good it felt to stop dancing around the way we feel.”

          “Jaxon…”

“I know it feels wrong because of Preston, right? I’ve been thinking about that since I kissed you after the funeral and Preston was a good man. He always wanted those around him to be happy and to live life to the fullest…”

“Because you never know when a day will be your last.” Chey finished for him.

“If I died tomorrow and never…”

“Jaxon stop,” she begged. “Please.”

“No, we…I can’t do this anymore. I can’t dance around my feelings for you and I’ve tried like hell to ignore them, but you know what I’ve noticed?” he asked.

“What?”

“That when I’m in the room you light up,” he said. “When I stand next to you, you lean into me to get closer, even if it’s just a little. I’ll admit the same things happen to me. When I stand next to you I close my eyes just so I can get the full effect of that scent you wear. When you slept in my arms I felt like I’d finally found something that had been missing all this time. I…I talked to Sarge and I know that you wouldn’t ask me to do this even if you wanted me to, but I asked that he go through the steps to release me.

I’ve served my terms and really I haven’t got any reason to go back without Preston to look out for me. Sarge has always looked out for his team and he knows when to let a soldier go. I don’t want there to be any chance of me leaving you behind. I’m not going to let you go anymore then I’ll let you pay me back for anything I’ve done.”

“Okay,” she said in a quiet voice. He looked at her to make sure that she was really telling the truth. She noticed the look and smiled. “I feel something for you and I’ve been trying to hide it and ignore it, but at night I have to keep myself from coming to your room so that you can wrap me in your arms. However, I spent a lot of time cooking that lasagna and getting all dressed up. So we are going to eat and then we are going to bed.”

“Our beds or your bed?” she smiled.

“My bed obviously,” she said with a wink. Then she left him there stunned as she walked to the other side of the table and sat down. “Are we going to eat Mr. Steele?”