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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

JADE

That was not what I thought would happen when we came inside from the beach. I thought we’d clean up and then talk, but instead we made up without words. Not a single word was spoken and yet I knew what Garret was thinking and how he felt.

After we showered he took me to the bed and it was amazing. Beyond amazing. The sex was hot. Urgent. Uncontrolled. It’s like we were both filled with adrenaline from what happened on the beach, which made the sex over-the-top intense. And then we fell asleep, our bodies wrapped together.

Now I’m awake but Garret’s still sleeping. I check the clock. It’s almost 3 and my stomach’s growling. All I’ve had to eat all day are a few donuts, and after that long run I’m so hungry I feel lightheaded. I need to get something in my stomach, but first I sneak out of bed and go use the bathroom. As I walk back through the bedroom, headed for the kitchen, I hear Garret.

“Jade, come here.” He’s on his side with the covers pulled back.

I go over to him and lay beside him. “Hi.” I smile and run my hands through his hair. “I was just going to get something to eat. It’s 3. We missed lunch.”

“I’ll make you something.” He places his hand on the back of my neck and gently massages it. “What would you like?”

“You don’t have to make me anything. I’ll just have a bowl of cereal.”

“Let’s go out. I’ll take you to that steakhouse up the coast.”

“Because you can buy me dinner now?” I meant it jokingly but he doesn’t take it that way. His face is serious.

“That’s not what I meant. You can pay. I don’t care.”

“Garret, no. I was kidding. I’d like you to take me to dinner.” I smile again, trying to keep the mood light.

But he remains serious, his eyes on mine. “When I was out earlier, I opened a bank account in both our names. I brought the application home for you to sign.”

I was hoping the money discussion would wait until later but I guess it’s happening now.

“I don’t need to be on the account. Just keep it in your name.”

“Jade, you were right. There is no his and hers. It’s our money and you should be on the account.”

“I don’t think I want to be. I thought about it and I’d rather have that money just be yours.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to buy me roses. And take me to dinner.”

“What are you talking about? What does that—”

“Never mind. The money is yours, Garret. Just put it in your own account. I was thinking that maybe I’ll tell Grace that I’m not going to use that credit card anymore. It’s nice of her to offer it to me but I’d rather just have us take some money and open an account in both our names and use that to pay bills or buy stuff.”

“We can do that with the money I just got. I’ll just put some of it in a joint account.”

“I don’t care where it comes from. It doesn’t matter. I just don’t want to fight about this. We have millions of dollars and the last thing we should argue about is money.”

“I know. I was being stupid. I’m so used to being the one with money that when we switched roles I wasn’t prepared for it. I wanted to be able to do stuff for you, like buy you chocolates or surprise you with flowers, and I felt like I wasn’t able to do those things anymore.”

“I get that now. That’s why you need your own account. We both do.”

He smiles. “Did you talk to my dad about this?”

I feel my face heating up. I didn’t want Garret to know about that. “How did you know I talked to your dad?”

“He called me before I found you on the beach and told me he’d just talked to you.”

“I called him. Sorry. I didn’t know who else to talk to.”

“It’s okay. You can talk to him.” Garret’s still smiling. He likes that I get along with his dad. “What were you guys saying about me?”

“Who said we talked about you? Maybe we talked about something else.”

He moves his hand to my lower back and pulls me closer. “I know you talked about me. So what did my dad say?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“So you admit you talked about me?”

“Okay, fine, we talked about you, but I’m not telling you what he said. Except I did forget to ask him about something.”

“Why don’t you just ask me ?” He laughs. “If it’s about me I should be able to answer.”

“He said you invested some money last year and that you did really well.”

“Yeah, that’s true. So what about it?”

“You invested in the stock market? How did you know how to do that?”

“My dad taught me some stuff and the rest I learned on my own. I read a lot and I keep up on business news.”

“I didn’t know that. I mean, I know you read business articles but I thought that was just because it’s your major. I thought you did that for school.”

“Some of it’s for school, but a lot of it’s to help me make investment decisions.”

“So how much did you make?”

“A lot.”

“What’s a lot? Like a few thousand?”

“More like a million.”

“Holy crap! You seriously made that much money?”

“When you have a lot to invest, you can make a lot more back. Or you can lose a lot. But I didn’t lose very often. I mostly came out ahead.”

“What did you do with the money you made? Reinvest it?”

“I used it to buy your engagement ring and all the other stuff I bought you last year. Then I invested the rest.”

“So that was your money. It wasn’t your dad’s money.” I don’t ask it. I say it aloud to myself as I think about what he said. I had no idea Garret was doing that. I just assumed he used the money from his trust fund.

“That’s why I started investing. I wanted to be able to buy you stuff using money I’d earned. Obviously, the money I invested came from my dad by way of my trust, but I felt like the money I got back from my investments was mine. My dad didn’t have anything to do with that. I’m the one who did the research and picked the stocks. And because of that, I felt like I earned the money. Like it was really mine and not his.”

“And then the organization took it away.”

“They didn’t take it. They gave it to my dad. It was part of the deal. My dad tried to get them to let me keep it, but they wouldn’t allow it.”

I smile. “I’m really impressed.”

“With what?”

“I’m impressed that you did all that. That’s amazing. That investment stuff is really hard and you were able to figure it out and make money. A lot of money. That’s really impressive, Garret. Why didn’t you tell me you were doing that?”

“I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

“I’m very interested. In fact, I think it’s really hot.”

He laughs. “You think investing is hot?”

“I think it’s hot that you know how to do it and that you’re good at it. You should invest some of that money you just got.”

“I will. But right now I want to use some of it on you.” He kisses me. “So can I take you out for dinner?”

“I’d love that. But I’m really hungry, so I’m telling you right now it’s not going to be cheap. I’ll probably order the biggest steak they have.”

“I think I can afford it. I’d spend every last dime of that money on you if you’d let me.”

“I know you would.”

“I love you, Jade.”

“I love you, too.”

He looks like he’s going to say something else, but then he doesn’t.

“Oh, and uh, thanks for the makeup sex.” I kiss him. “It was really good.”

“I thought so, too.”

“I’d do it again but I’m too hungry. Maybe later.”

He keeps his eyes on me as I get up and go to the closet. “You should walk around naked more often.”

I laugh. “I know where that would lead. We’d never get anything done. Come on. Let’s go eat.”

On the way to dinner, we stop at the bank and Garret turns in the paperwork for his individual account. Then we use some of Garret’s money to open the joint account, and later, when we need to add money to it, I’ll take some out of the trust. That way we feel like we’re both contributing.

Garret thinks I should keep the credit card Grace gave me and use it for small stuff, like clothes and other things that aren’t living expenses but are just things I want. He said I’d hurt Grace’s feelings if I gave her the card back. And he’s right. The grandma in her feels the need to buy me things and this is her way of doing that. She’s always telling me to go shopping and buy stuff because she knows I never had the opportunity to do so growing up. So I’ll keep the card, but will use it differently.

For dinner we go to the steakhouse Kyle suggested. It’s next to the seafood place we went to for Garret’s belated birthday dinner. The steakhouse is right on the ocean and the food is really good. It’s an expensive place so the atmosphere is upscale; white linen tablecloths, low lighting, and candles on each table.

I feel like Garret and I are on a date, and I like that. I like that he asked me out and took me to a nice place and I even like that he’s paying. Since I got the trust fund, we haven’t gone out like this. We usually get take-out or go to a pizza place or some other casual restaurant. Now I realize that’s probably because Garret didn’t feel like he could take me to a place like this because he’d have to use my money and I have a hard time spending it. I never even thought about that and probably wouldn’t have if we hadn’t had that fight today.

We take our time eating dinner and when we get home, we have sex again, but this time it’s not the intense, throw-me-on-the-bed, makeup sex. It’s a gentler, slower, loving type of sex that reconnects us in a different way than what we did earlier.

Later, as I lie in bed with Garret asleep next to me, I think about the fight we had and realize that I still have a hard time fighting with him. I don’t handle it well. As soon as I feel my anger rising, I shut down. I get quiet. And then I run to get rid of the anger. I don’t notice myself doing this during the fight. It’s not until I think about it later that I figure it out.

I think I act this way because growing up, fighting with my mom was really bad. So bad that I learned to stop doing it when I was around 10. I’d just shut down and refuse to fight with her.

Before that, when my mom and I would fight, she’d stay mad at me for days, screaming and yelling and throwing things at me. Or sometimes she’d just leave and not come back for hours. I remember her doing that when I was really young, maybe 4 or 5, and I didn’t understand. I thought she’d left me for good. I was so scared I’d get in my bed and hide under the covers.

So sometimes, when Garret and I fight and he leaves in the middle of it, like he did today, I panic and think he won’t come back. I know he would never do that, but I still have that fear in the back of my mind.

And if we argue I try to end it as soon as possible. If the argument starts to escalate, I get the urge to shut down. And Garret gets the urge to leave. I guess we both have our issues to deal with when it comes to that.

The mattress moves as Garret rolls onto his side. I snuggle into his back and wrap my arm around him. He wakes up a little, notices my arm there, and picks up my hand, holding it in his and tucking it into his chest, just over his heart.

It makes me smile and I whisper, “I love you.”

He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses it, then lays it back on his chest. He whispers back, “I love you, too.”

We may still need to work on how we fight, but we definitely know how to end one.

* * *

On Sunday morning, I wake up and Garret isn’t in bed. I smell coffee brewing and hear him in the kitchen. I go in the bathroom and brush my teeth and slip on the short, silky robe Garret gave me last New Year’s.

I wander into the kitchen and see him standing by the stove, a spatula in his hand. He’s shirtless and wearing his white cotton pajama pants which hang low on his hips.

“Hey.” I go up to him and leave soft kisses over his bare chest, letting my hands roam below his waist. “What’s up?”

He laughs. “Me, if you keep doing that.” He leans down and gives me a slow, sexy kiss as he slips his hand under my robe. “You’ve got nothing on under this.”

“Because I just got out of bed.” I glance over at the stove. “What are you making?”

“Pancakes.” He sets the spatula down and turns the stove off. “Let’s go.”

“But I want the pancakes.”

“They’ll be there when we’re done.” He kisses me and walks forward, forcing me to walk backward.

“But they’ll be cold.”

“We’ll reheat them.”

“Let’s just eat and we’ll do this later.”

He stops. “You already started it.” He glances down at his tented pants. “And I can’t walk around like this.”

I laugh. “Nobody’s here. And for the record, I didn’t do anything. I just gave you a kiss.”

“That’s all it takes. And for the record, you did more than that.” He unties my robe, then shoves his pants to the floor.

“Wait. We’re doing this here?”

He picks me up and backs me into the wall by the kitchen.

I tighten my legs around him. “Don’t you want to go to the bedroom?”

“No. Here is good.” He hoists me up a little.

“But the bed’s right—”

“Jade.” He kisses my neck.

“What?”

“Stop talking.”

Before I can utter another word, his lips meet up with mine and we kiss in a hot, urgent way. He brings us together and we do it, hard and fast against the wall.

When we’re done, he sets me down and puts his pants back on. “I made you pancakes.”

“Yeah, I see that.” I tie my robe, laughing at the way he just goes back to what he was doing, like we didn’t just have smoldering hot sex against the kitchen wall. “Your pancakes smell delicious.”

“They are delicious. I got the recipe from Charles.”

“When did you do that?” I follow him to the sink to wash my hands.

“He emailed it to me yesterday.” Garret grabs a towel and dries his hands, then dries mine as his face dips down to give me a kiss. “I’m starting a new tradition.”

“What’s the new tradition?”

“Sundays at Garret’s Pancake House. It starts today.”

“So you’re going to make pancakes every Sunday?”

“I don’t have a choice. They don’t have a decent pancake place in this town.”

“Will there be different types of pancakes? Or just basic buttermilk?”

“The menu here isn’t as extensive as Al’s, but it’s not bad.” He hands me a sheet of paper. It looks like an actual menu with ‘Garret’s Pancake House’ written at the top. Below it he’s listed five different types of pancakes. The first one is buttermilk and next to it he’s written ‘Five Kisses.’

“What’s with the five kisses?” I ask him.

“That’s how much it costs. This is a restaurant, Jade. You don’t eat for free.”

He’s very serious and it makes me laugh. I review the menu again. Blueberry pancakes are listed next, with the payment being sex.

“You go from kisses to sex? That’s a huge price increase from buttermilk.”

He shrugs. “Blueberries are expensive and they’re hard to work with. You have to be careful not to squish them when you stir the batter. Otherwise you get those blue streaks in your pancakes.” He points to the skillet. “And just so you know, those are blueberry pancakes.”

“You didn’t even let me order.”

“Not this week. Next week you can.”

I refer back to the menu. “Shower sex for apple cinnamon?”

“You love apple cinnamon and you love shower sex so that’s a bargain. It’s like getting them for free.”

“Wall sex for chocolate chip?”

“Yeah. But it can be any wall. Doesn’t have to be in the kitchen.”

“And outdoor sex for strawberry-lemon pancakes?”

“Those are seasonal, so you should take advantage when they’re available. They won’t be offered in the winter.”

I take a seat at the kitchen table. “I really like Garret’s Pancake House and I haven’t even had the pancakes yet.”

“They’re coming.” He warmed them on the stove and now he’s stacking them on a plate. He brings the plate and the bottle of syrup to the table and sets them in front of me.

“Do I have to leave a tip?”

“It’s an expected practice at most dining establishments, but it’s up to you.” He lifts my chin up and leans down and gives me a slow, deep kiss, then backs away, smiling. “If you think the service is good, you should tip your server accordingly.”

“The service is excellent, so I’ll be tipping well.”

He goes back to the kitchen to get his own plate.

“These pancakes are amazing,” I say as he sits across from me. “They’re light and fluffy and almost as good as Al’s. Can I see the recipe?”

“Charles said I’m not allowed to share it.”

“He did not say that.”

“He did.” Garret pours syrup over his pancakes. “So are you gonna pay for these after we eat?”

I laugh. “I already paid for them last night.”

“Payment is due on Sunday. You can’t retroactively pay.”

“Then I paid for them just now. Actually, I paid for chocolate chip but got blueberry.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting we’d do that and it was too late to change the order. But it doesn’t matter because payment is due after the meal, not before.”

“Geez, there are a lot of rules at Garret’s Pancake House.”

“It’s a business, Jade.” He takes a bite of his pancakes. “There have to be rules.”

I read his menu again. “So just regular sex for these?” I point down to my pancakes.

“Sex with me is never regular.” He gives me his cocky smile.

“You know what I mean. Sex in the bed. No crazy places.”

“It seemed appropriate for blueberry. They’re kind of your basic, traditional type of pancake. The kind everyone likes.” He takes the menu back. “I’ll also be offering specials throughout the year with payment being buyer’s choice.”

“That sounds fun. When do these specials begin?”

“You’ll just have to show up every Sunday to find out. I don’t announce the specials early.”

“Well, I must say this is an excellent substitute for Al’s Pancake House.”

We finish our pancakes, which are so good I can’t wait to have them again next week. And I love Garret’s menu. The prices are as good as the pancakes. After we eat I make sure to pay him, including a really big tip.

Later that day we go to the campus bookstore and get the books we need for class, as well as some other school supplies. Then I spend the evening getting myself organized, printing out all the schedules and other stuff the professors have already posted online.

On Monday, which is Labor Day, Garret and I go out and buy a small gas grill so we can have a cookout. He spends half the day putting it together while I read magazines out on the deck.

He grills burgers and hotdogs for dinner and we eat outside. Then we go to that ice cream stand again and order the same sundae as before but this time we actually eat it.

We haven’t seen that white car driving around since that day I was running on the beach. I’m hoping that guy’s gone for good.

The security system was installed yesterday. I’m still learning how to use it. The outside cameras link to our phones so we can check the views remotely. Pearce’s private security team in Connecticut can also access the cameras if they log into our account. It’s not like they’ll be watching us all the time but Pearce wanted them to have access, if needed.

The cameras are placed all around the outside perimeter. We had to contact the real estate agent who found us the house and have her ask the owners if it was okay. Luckily, they were fine with it. The real estate agent told us the area where we’re living is very safe, but even so, I feel safer knowing we have a security system.

Now it’s Tuesday, our last day of freedom before classes start. I always like to figure out where my classes are before the first day, so Garret and I go to campus so I can locate all the rooms.

Freshman orientation is going on and it reminds me of last year. The day of orientation at Moorhurst was the day I found out Garret was a Kensington. I went to dinner at his parents’ house and there he was, sitting across from me. Now a year later, we’re married and living on the opposite coast. It seems crazy when I think about it.

“We should go out for dinner tonight,” I tell Garret after we get back from campus. We’re sitting on the deck, looking out at the ocean.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Someplace fun. I need a new memory of this night.”

“Why?”

“Because last year on the day after Labor Day, we had dinner at your parents’ house and I found out who you were and we had that big fight and didn’t talk for days.”

“Jade, just forget about that. You ended up marrying me so everything worked out.”

“I still want to do something. It’s our last night without homework. We could just get fast food and take it to the park.”

He turns to me and smiles. “The park, huh?”

I roll my eyes. “I wasn’t thinking we’d have sex at the park. Just dinner.”

“And then sex.” He says it like it’s a given.

“No. Just dinner this time. The Camsburg students are back. There’ll be more people hanging out at the park.”

“Yeah, drunk people. They’ll probably be doing it, too.”

“Let’s go. I don’t want to be out too late. I need to get to bed early. I have class at 8.” I stand up and pull on him to move.

“I don’t have class until 10. I can sleep until 9:30.”

“Great, good for you.”

I’m jealous of his schedule. His business classes always start late in the morning. Science classes start early because they usually have lab after the lecture.

I’m feeling nervous about classes tomorrow. I always seem to get this way before the first day. I was this way in high school, too. Tonight I’m even more nervous than usual and I’m not sure why. But I’ll get over it. I always do.