So Are You In Love?

“So are you in love?”  Grace asked, seeming, quite suddenly, like she wanted to drop the subject she herself had brought up.

Jonah raised his eyebrows.  On the one hand he was tempted to follow her lead, abandon the strange and unsettling topic of discussion, and move on to the present; but something pulled at his conscience.  “Have you been thinking about it a lot?”  He asked quietly, ignoring the tempting question she’d thrown down almost like a casual gauntlet.

She shifted in her seat on the barstool, looking harassed and uncomfortable with her advanced state of pregnancy and with the conversation both.  “More than usual.  Kinda to be expected, right?”

Yes.  He nodded as he swallowed around the lump forming in his throat.  “I think about it every time I see you—I mean, since you announced—“  He trailed off and gave a half smile, gesturing weakly to her enormous belly.  The day she’d told him she and Holden were expecting.  He’d been so happy for them.  Then he’d gone out to Nolan’s bar later and gotten drunker than he’d been in years, but he really was happy for them.  She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes.  “No, Gracie, I couldn’t be happier for you, honest, it isn’t like that.  No regrets.”  Only, sometimes he had regrets.  Sometimes.  “You’re going to be a mom.”  He marveled with a small laugh.  “And you’re going to be great.”

She groaned, even as she grinned, and she shook her head.  “I’m making you babysit all the time.” She warned, resting one hand on her belly and pointing a finger at him.

“I hope so!  My family owes you for how often you watched Caleb in high school.” they shared a laugh together.

He wanted to ask her what she planned on doing about Holden, but thinking about the man he’d considered his friend made him almost blindingly furious, so he decided he needed some time before helping her with that particular issue.  What an absolute fool her husband was.  He really didn’t know if he’d be able to be civil to the jerk anymore.

So instead of saying what was on his mind, feeling that despite her assertion that she liked him because he spoke his mind she might not respond too well if he did so on the matter of her cheating asshole of a husband, Jonah moved back to where he’d begun trying to cobble together some kind of stir-fry sauce.  Deciding he wanted it to have a citrus twist he headed to the fridge once more, for the orange juice.

“So are you?”  She asked more soberly.  “In love with her?”

He frowned slightly at the orange juice carton before retrieving it and turning to face his friend.  “At first sight.” He responded simply.

She studied him for a long moment, gauging him somehow, and he couldn’t quite interpret the face she was making.  “And you’ve been to bed?”

He pushed a gust of air out between his lips.  He placed his focus on pouring a measure of OJ into the mixing bowl.  “I thought you’d gathered that much already.”

“And?”

Jonah laughed a short, surprised laugh.  She’d sometimes asked about his lovelife while they were dating around in college, but she hadn’t done it in so long—since before her wedding probably.  “And?”  He stalled, a sheepish smile curling his lips and a heat rising on his neck and ears and cheeks.

“I’m easily irritated and not very patient lately.”  She commented dryly, reaching for her iced tea and having a long, healthy draft of it. 

Jonah snickered and fetched sesame seeds from the new spice rack Velvet had purchased earlier in the week.  She’d mentioned that Vaughan’s home had already been complete when she’d moved in and that he’d dissuaded her from her impulse to decorate, so Jonah had immediately encouraged her to do as she pleased with the condo.  He wanted her to make it hers.  And she’d wasted absolutely no time at all in taking him at his word.  She’d promptly replaced each of their low-end appliances with brand new, top of the line Calder appliances.  He and Nolan had protested the enormous expense but she’d laughed them off—‘Don’t be silly boys, it doesn’t cost me a damn thing!’  And they’d reluctantly supposed that was true enough.  But everything else?  The new shower curtains and window treatments, the new sheets and towels and kitchen accessories, the new plates and cups and patio furniture, all of the other things she’d been coming home with daily must have been adding up to a small fortune.  It was as if she were throwing herself into redecorating as a coping mechanism.  Jonah recognized the compulsion for what it was, but it made her so giddy and exuberant and happy that he allowed her to do it without comment.  Nolan had grumbled something about not recognizing the place after just two weeks, but he had been exaggerating.  Velvet liked the townhouse and had so far done an admirable job of keeping most of their original furniture and what little décor the brothers had decided upon before she walked into their life.  ‘I just want to flesh it out—‘ she’d said happily over dinner one evening ‘highlight the choices you’ve already made and fill in the gaps you’ve left!’

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”  He teased, shaking the sesame seeds into the mix.

“You don’t need to say it, I can tell by your blushing that it’s to your liking.”

Jonah laughed deeply.  How could it not be?  Velvet Calder was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life.  And she was perfect.  And he was head over heels in love with her.  She was something of a dream come true.  A fairytale princess come to life.  A fantasy become flesh.  And yes, the sex was very much to his liking.

“You aren’t put-off by the belly?”  She asked, keeping her tone sort of teasing, but a muscle in Jonah’s cheek twitched to hear the naked vulnerability hiding just underneath the question.  Goddammit he wanted to punch Holden Sinclair in his gaddamn jaw for doing this to his Gracie.  Gracie, who’d always been strong and sassy and confident and who would never have taken this kind of bullshit from a man she was seeing—not when he’d know her.  Now she was becoming unsure of herself, dependent, she was losing her self-worth and becoming the kind of woman she would have scoffed at once upon a time.

“I think it’s gorgeous.”  He replied honestly. 

She raised her eyebrows and laughed.  “I suppose the boobs aren’t too bad either, huh?”

Jonah rolled his eyes even as his face split into a wide grin.  “You’re incorrigible.”  He said.  “But, yeah—not too bad at all.”  He admitted ruefully.  “Yours are looking particularly spectacular, I must say.”  He said without agenda.

She laughed appreciatively.  “Oh thank you sir—they ache like a beast, but at least it’s all worth it if people have been taking a second look at me.”

“Gracie, you’re stunning, even on your worst day.”  He assured her.  And it was true.  She was a beautiful woman.  She’d been an adorable little girl, had gone through maybe a couple of awkward years near junior high, and then had blossomed into a very lovely young woman.  As kids she’d almost always been a little taller than him, and he had been very relieved that puberty had finally reversed the ratio; nevertheless she stood above most women at a little over 5’8”.  She had a long, lean, healthy frame, and now with the added softness of pregnancy she was absolutely captivating.  He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her that her condition agreed with her. 

Jonah ran his eyes over her swept-up sandy blonde hair and her direct hazel stare, at her long but distinctly feminine nose and at her wide lips, which enthralled everyone in any given room whenever she broke into that huge, charismatic grin of hers.  He took in the strong cut of her jaw, softened slightly with the pregnancy, the almost impossibly long curve of her neck, and then back up to the small spray of light brown freckles sprinkled over her nose and cheeks, barely visible in the healthy glow of her tan and presently in the pink flush of heat and maybe a touch of summer sunburn.

She was beautiful, but accessible, real.  Her husband was an idiot for looking anywhere else.

“What are you thinking?”  she demanded, scrutinizing him as he gazed at her.

He felt a little bit caught.  It wasn’t his right to be looking her over like that, not anymore.  Not that he’d meant anything by it, but nonetheless…  “I was thinking that if you were my wife there wouldn’t be a single day that went by without you hearing me tell you how beautiful you are.”

He smiled sadly and held her eyes with his.

She nodded slowly.  “Yeah, you used to be a real broken record about that.”  She teased with the words but the tone was more of a ‘thank you’.

“Yeah, and what’d I get in return?”  He laughed, “Jokes about my girly-eyes, if I recall?”

She laughed loudly and he felt warm at the sound.  “You had every girl that ever saw you swooning over them! ‘Oh!  You’re eyes are soooo pretty!  Oh, Jonah, those eyes are my favorite shade of violet!  Ohmygoodness are they reeeeeeal?!’  Ugh.  I had to do something to keep you down to earth.”

He tried to stop grinning but only succeeded in twisting he mouth to the side.  “Well thanks for knocking me down a few pegs Gracie.” 

She nodded “Don’t mention it.  I had your best interests at heart.  Nobody needs a conceited redhead with Liz Taylor eyes strutting around like a peacock.”

His stomach muscles were beginning to ache from laughing, and his cheeks were getting sore too.  “I miss you.”  He said without guile.  “You should come by more.”

Since she’d become serious with Holden their once comfortable friendship had become considerably less so.  Jonah had given her the space she’d seemed to need, stepped back while Holden had wooed her because he hadn’t wished to appear a threat or a rival for her attention, but he’d been careful not to let the friendship slip away entirely.  Hell, besides Nolan, Grace Bennett had been the very best friend Jonah had ever known, and she’d known him since preschool. 

So they remained good friends, saw each other often enough, stayed in each other’s lives, but naturally her main focus was on the man she’d fallen in love with, the man who’d asked her to marry him.  The prick that apparently didn’t deserve her.

Jonah had given a reading at their wedding.  He’d been at Holden’s bachelor party.  He and Nolan had them over for game nights fairly often, along with the Bennett brothers and a few other mutual friends.  They all saw eachother at large social gatherings and often at smaller family get-togethers as well.  And conversation was always easy, always fun, always warm.

But he missed this.  Just the two of them, chatting and joking and giving eachother a hard time.  And laughing.  She had a way of tapping right into his sense of humor that was second only to Nolan.  He hoped one day to be able to laugh like this with Velvet.  To be able to know each other so well that they could always make each other laugh belly-laughs and grin like idiots.

“I miss this too.”  She responded. 

They fell into a comfortable silence.  After a few minutes of whisking and some suggestions from Grace as to how to improve the sauce, Jonah was just about ready to start heating the oil.  He filled a pot with water and rice and set it on the burner.  “Should I do noodles too, d’you think?” 

“You never cheated on me, did you?”

Jonah turned to her, feeling a little blindsided, concern and caring coloring his expression and his tone.  “Never.  I would never do that.”

She nodded.  He opened his mouth to say more when there came a light rapping on the door.  He recognized it as Velvet’s knock and he blinked. 

“I think we should talk more—“  He began, moving around the island and heading toward the yellow door.

“Maybe.”  She said with a dismissive wave of her hand.  “But now right now.”

He frowned, but nodded his agreement.  The light knocking came again and he broke his eye contact with Grace and bounded toward the front door, a fluttering in his abdomen and a lifted, expansive feeling in his chest.  He felt this way everytime he saw Velvet.  “Coming!”  He called, nearing the door and quickly pushing his hair into place and pulling on his shirt a little.  He checked his breath with a little huff into his cupped hand and nodded decisively. 

Jonah swiftly pulled back the multiple bolts and the chain and finally twisted the handle to open the door.  He swung the door inward and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.  God.  She was perfect.

She grinned up at him, her pale-green eyes sparkling, her dark hair shining in the blazing august sunshine, her delicious little mouth rewarding him with a pleased-to-see-you smile that belonged only to him.  “Hiya, Handsome.”  She murmured, a giddy lift to her attempt at being flirty.

He bent down and took her small face in his long fingers and kissed her deep and full on the lips.  “Welcome home, Beautiful.”  He told her when at last he drew back, slightly out of breath.  He said that to her everytime she returned to the townhouse.  He made a point of it.  ‘Welcome home.’ You are welcome here, and this is your home.

She made a contended little sound and reached up to hold one of his hands to her soft cheek, nuzzling into it and grinning.  “I love you.”  She told him softly.  “And I love coming home to you.”

He kissed her nose in response and she giggled.  “But you’d better let me into that air conditioning before I melt!”

He chuckled and kissed her glistening forehead.  It really was intolerable out there today.  He moved aside, taking a few bags from her arm as she moved into the house.  “How many trips do you think I’ll need to make?”  He asked, looking out toward her little car.

She laughed.  “Oh no, what I bought today wouldn’t fit in the car, I’m having it delivered tomorrow morning.”

He rolled his eyes to the heavens but he smiled.  “What are we getting now?”  He inquired pleasantly.  “It feels like Christmas everyday around here.”

She laughed merrily and tossed her keys into a little candy dish by the front door.  “I think you’re going to be very, very pleased with your present Mr. Delaney.”  She purred, moving to him and slipping her hands up his chest.

Her hands on him made him feel transported, and that sexy tone of voice made his heart speed up.  “Oh?”  He asked, pausing in the front entryway and letting her run her fingertips over his shoulders and down his arms and back up over his chest sensually.  “I get a present?”  his voice was thick, his wits slow.  She was bewitching. 

“Mmmmmhmmmm.”  She said, nodding slowly, blinking slowly and holding his gaze in hers.

“What is it?”  He asked, flicking his gaze to her lips and beginning to salivate.

“I got you a brand new—“ she traced a finger from his clavicle down to his sternum, “very luxurious—“ the finger trailed down to his belly button and he felt his abs go taut, “very delicious—“ she said with a small, breathy giggle as her finger arrived at the waist of his jeans, “King sized—“ she grinned wickedly and captured his now thickening cock in her delicate little hand, causing him to suck in a sharp breath and smile with amazement “Bed!”  she finished with a trill of giggles and he wrapped his fingers into her thick, dark, silken hair and pulled her mouth to his for a hungry and grateful kiss.  The hand on his package stroked and pulsed eagerly.

He heard a polite clearing of the throat from the kitchen area and pulled up abruptly, blushing.

“We have company.”  He replied, to Velvet’s questioning expression. 

Her eyes opened wide and she bit her lip.  “Ooops.”  She giggled, and it took all his self control not to pick her up and bring her to the bedroom right then.  She was so goddamn adorable.  He was the luckiest man alive.

He chuckled and stroked her cheek one last time before turning his attention toward the rest of the townhouse, where Grace stood by the kitchen island, ready to be introduced. 

He smiled an apology to his friend, who cocked an eyebrow but looked amused, and he moved into the space, one hand on Velvet’s small back, the other still loaded with her shopping bags, which he used to cover the erection she’d just given him.

“Velvet, I’d like you to meet my good friend Gracie.  Gracie, this is Velvet.”