I smiled. “It was really nice spending today with you and Noah.”
“It was for me, too,” he nodded. “But maybe next time we could do something alone…just the two of us?”
I smiled. “I’d love to.”
“How about a golf tournament?”
I wrinkled my nose with distaste. “Uh…that sounds…”
“Awesome?” Jake offered.
“Awful is the adjective I was looking for,” I smiled.
He laughed.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be,” he said, as he continued to laugh. “Honestly, I like that you’re blunt with your opinions, and I like that you’re not putting on a show for me. That reminds me of…”
He trailed off, and I saw the smile falter on his face. I reached out immediately and took his hand. When his perfect blue eyes met mine, I gave him a reassuring smile.
“It’s okay,” I said gently. “You can say it. I remind you of your wife, don’t I?”
Jake nodded. “You do…”
“I don’t mind the comparison,” I said. “In fact, I’m sure you mean it as a compliment.”
“I do,” he nodded. “But it’s more than just that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your similarity to her isn’t just about character,” he told me. “You resemble her a lot, too.”
I felt my stomach tighten as I realized this was my opportunity. This was the perfect time to tell him. And yet, even as the words slipped onto my tongue I knew I couldn’t bring myself to say them.
“I see it, too,” I said, glancing over at her picture on the wall behind us. “Would it be too egotistical now to admit that I think she’s beautiful?”
Jake smiled. “No, that would just be truthful,” he said. “Daphne was a beautiful woman. And you are, too.”
Jake looked down at our entwined fingers. He pulled my hand up and kissed it gently. “I was scared to get close to you,” he admitted in a voice steeped in vulnerability.
I felt myself leaning into him, craving his body. “Because of Daphne?”
“Yes and no,” Jake said. “It’s complicated.”
“I don’t mind; explain it to me,” I encouraged.
“I felt guilty,” he admitted finally. “For wanting you, for being attracted to you. And for a second there, I was scared that the only reason I was attracted to you at all was because of your resemblance to Daphne.”
I felt my heart constrict for a moment, hoping against hope that he saw something in me that had nothing to do with Daphne, at all.
“But over the last couple of weeks, I’ve realized something,” Jake said. “You’re not Daphne—no matter how much you may resemble her, you’re not her. And, I’m actually glad. Because I also realized that I’m still attracted to you. I still want to be with you.”
I felt a sigh of relief escape me, and I smiled instantly. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I hope that doesn’t scare you.”
“Are you kidding?” I said. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. I had a rough childhood. My family was… Well, they weren’t really a family, at all. My mother was nothing more than a mistress, and I was the result of their decades-long affair. But these last few weeks, spending time with you and Noah, has made me feel like I was a part of a family—and you have no idea how much that means to me.”