Less than Perfect by S. J. Evans (librera reader .TXT) đ
- Author: S. J. Evans
Book online «Less than Perfect by S. J. Evans (librera reader .TXT) đ». Author S. J. Evans
Her mind cluttered with possibilities of what the surprise could be, and, taking a deep, cleansing breath, she turned towards him, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and said, âYou better hope itâs worth the wait. âCause if itâs not, and Iâm not pleased, youâll owe me big time.â
âTrust me,â he countered around a grin, âI know.â
âGood.â A teasing smile crawled up her lips. âAs long as weâre on the same page.â
Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head, and, when she curled into him, wrapped his arms securely around her. Skye appreciated the display of affection, and couldnât help the overwhelming feeling of happiness that bubbled up inside of her because of it. Sheâd always been a sucker for even the simplest displays of love and affection; it always meant something to her, never to be taken for granted (especially after all the pain sheâd gone through in her relatively short life).
âDinner is ready! Come to the table, please.â
At the sound of Leahâs honey-sweet voice, Skye startled, squirming in Julesâs hold. Her heart crashed against her rib cage for a moment in a state of panic, before she managed to pull herself together again. When she realized what sheâd just done, and how silly the act had truly been, she lost herself in a parade of giggling, only to be interrupted by Julesâs hand covering her mouth.
âHey, Trouble, pull it together, would ya? Weâve got somewhere to be.â Warm breath tickled the side of her face as his own laughter echoed in her ears, the melody deep and enticing. âAnd what if theyâre listening? Youâre making a fool of yourself.â
She slapped his hand away, scowling. âAm not!â she squealed, and scrambled out of his arms, leaping to her feet. âIâm just expressing myself. Itâs perfectly natural and understandable.â As she crossed her arms, she tried to keep her expression neutral, merely weighing more on the irritated side. But with one look at Julesâs beaming face, she nearly lost it. His cheeky grin was only working against her.
âAre you sure about that?â he teased, raising an inquiring brow. ââCause you looked at least a little
ridiculous.â
âJules!â she snapped, slightly exasperated. Despite the fact that she didnât want to give in to his charming appearance again, she could feel a small, uneasy smile spreading across her lips, and she hated herself for it. âHow can you say thaâ?â
âIâm kidding!â he announced around another parade of laughter, cutting her off. âYouâre perfect.â In a flash he was standing in front of her, cupping her face in his hands, and pressing their foreheads together. âTrouble, if I was being completely honest with you, Iâd say that youâre the best kind of ridiculous there is. And you never have to worry about making a fool of yourselfâIâll always be here to back you up.â
Clutching his shirt in her small, trembling hands, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his, softly, tenderly. âJules,â she breathed, overwhelmed with a sudden wave of warm, dizzying sensations. âThank you.â Her voice echoed a mere whisper.
After a few kisses, Jules was the first one to pull away. âWe should go. Come on,â he said gently, and pulled one of her hands in his, entwining their fingers together. âWe wouldnât want to keep them waiting.â
âOf course not,â she mumbled, wrapping her arm around his chest and nuzzling her face into his side. âEspecially since thereâs some kind of surprise waiting for me, too, correct?â A small smile graced the corners of her lips.
âCorrect.â
After a moment of trusting him to lead her in the right direction, she lifted her head up, focusing her attention away from himâat least for a little while.
When they rounded the corner and entered the dining area, the first thing Skye noticed was the roomâs bright, warm glow, illuminated from the golden candles that were selectively placed around the room, some on the table top, others on the shelves that haphazardly occupied the walls, symbolic as Joeâs handiwork.
With a smile creeping up the corners of her lips, she thought of Joeâs own special surprise
for Leah (a surprise sheâd been fortunate enough to be included in), and felt a pang of excitement stir inside her as she recalled the memory of her and Joeâs conversation over breakfast earlier that morning.
âAre you sure youâd be okay with this?â Joe, having just taken a sip of coffee from one of Skyeâs least favorite mugs, the one with splotches of an ugly, puke-green color painted on it, asked Skye with a smile. After a momentâs hesitation on her part, his brows furrowed together, as if he thought heâd said the wrong thing, and he added, âYou can say no, Skye. I mean, even though I really do love your mother, even more than I ever did before, and Iâd love to make this kind of commitment to her, I also understand if youâd prefer that I wait. At least for a little while, until youâre ready, too.â
With her gaze practically burning a hole into the smooth, flat surface of the countertop, Skye opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again, pondering her words over. She had two options: she could either say yes to Joe, granting him permission to possibly enter her and Leahâs life in a very intimate way, or she could say no, turning down his offer to be the father sheâd always wanted and the husband Leah had always deserved, if only for a little while.
And recalling all of the good Joe had done so far in her life, and all of the good heâd done in Leahâs life, including the simple act of bringing a smile to her face with each new day, she made a decision. âMy answer is yes. Yes, Iâm okay with this.â
âYou sure?â
Grinning, she added, âPositive.â
Back in the present, Skye watched as Leah, whoâd been sitting next to Joe at the head of the table, shot up when she noticed her and Jules standing in the archway. âOh good,â she exclaimed with a bright smile on her face, clapping her hands together, âyouâre both here. Come, sit.â
Pulling Julesâs along with her, Skye made her way over to the seats awaiting them, her socked feet padding along the warm, wooden floorboards beneath her. âYou sure went to a whole lot of trouble for one dinner, Mom,â she said when she was seated, and scooted her chair forward. âIt does look incredible, though.â
Leahâs cheeks instantly flushed a light pink, and, with her gaze darting back and forth between Joe and Skye while her fingers nervously fumbled with the smooth hem of her black, silky top, she slowly returned to her seat. âActually,â she started quietly, sheepishly, âJoe put all of this together, including the meal. He said that because it was a special occasion he wanted me to relax and let him do all of the work. So, even though I wish I could take credit for this incredible dining experience, it was all him.â
Skyeâs heart warmed at the sight of Leah so happy, so lost in her love and admiration for Joe that she was actually blushing
(something Skye had rarely seen her mother do), and so different
from the Leah sheâd seen just months ago. Not once had she really thought it would come to thisâLeah with Joe, and Skye with Julesâboth of the duos so madly in love that they did things theyâd never imagine themselves doing. But even so, she couldnât have been happier.
Joe, whoâd been sitting in his seat silently, watching Leah, now gathered her hands in his and kissed them, not once breaking eye contact. âYou were a very lovely observer, though, my dear.â
To Skyeâs surprise, Leah giggled at this (another thing she was rarely caught doing), and Skye had to cover up her own form of laughter with a quiet, coughing sound. Sneaking a glance at Jules, she caught the amused look on his face, also, and casually whispered to him, âBehave yourself. This is a big night for them.â
Grinning, he squeezed her hand and leaned a bit closer. âI always behave,â he cooed in her ear, so softly Skye was sure she was the only one who heard it, considering the fact that Leah and Joe were lost in a conversation, seemingly unaware of anything that was going on around them. âAnd by big
, do you mean that Joeâs planning on proposing?â
Taken aback from the heat in Julesâs voice, she instinctively pulled away from him a little, turning to study his face for an explanation. âHowâd youâ?â
âItâs pretty obvious, Skye,â he said quietly, cutting her off. âJoeâs practically radiant.â
Ignoring his last comment, she hissed, âWell, hush. Leahâs not supposed to figure it out.â
âAll right, Skye,â he said around a cheeky grin, leaning back in his chair, âwhatever you say.
âSo, Joe,â Skye said loudly, in an attempt to pull Joe out of his love-trance, âyou really did all of this?â
He turned to look at her, a small, humble smile gracing his face. âYes,â he said quietly, and shifted his gaze towards Leah again, only for a moment, before he returned his gaze towards Skye, âI did. But I had a little help with the preparations.â
Vaguely, almost as if she had imagined it completely, Skye thought she saw him wink at her, and she took that as a sign that he was hinting at her acceptance to his proposal and the idea that she could share the special event with him, with them. âWell,â she said sweetly, picking up the basket of bread to the right of her and placing a butter roll on her plate, before passing it to Jules, âit all looks incredible.â
âSo, whatâs the special occasion?â
Joe, whoâd been about to take a sip of his water, the glass poised at his lips, stumbled to catch his bearings at Julesâs inquiry, eyes widening a bit as he set his glass down with a careful (yet clattering) thump. âExcuse me?â
Kicking Jules from underneath the table, Skye shot him a quick warning glare, telling him not to go too far with whatever wacky plan he had, and bit on her lip to keep herself from saying something aloud. She didnât want the surprise to be ruined, much less the night. And even though Joe was quick on his feet at coming up with good cover upsâshe knew this well because of all the times sheâd came home later than normal when he and Leah had been together years ago, and heâd made an easy
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