Page 90 of Nineteen Letters

“Do you want to sit down?” I ask when the song finishes.

“Not yet. Besides, I don’t think it would be wise if we were to part right now.”

I can still hear the amusement in her voice. The old Jem would have reacted the same way, but things are different now, and I’m constantly scared I’m going to do something that will drive her further away.

“True. Someone could lose an eye,” I reply.

She throws back her head and laughs.

I tighten my grip and let out a contented sigh. “Thanks for coming here with me tonight, Jem. This means so much to me.”

She doesn’t reply, but I’m okay with that. Instead, she rests the side of her face against my erratically beating heart.

The next song finishes, but she holds tight. “One more song.” She’ll get no complaints from me. “I’m enjoying dancing with you.”

“Me too.”

We used to dance like this at home. If there was music playing, I would pull her into my arms, or vice-versa.

I’m taken aback whenoursong comes on next, and it has me wondering if Naomi is behind this, or if it’s just fate. Either way, I take it as a sign.

‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, is the song that was playing on the radio the first time we danced, and it’s also the song we danced to on our wedding day.

It is the perfect song for us. It describes everything I’ve felt from the first time I laid eyes on her, our first kiss, the first time we made love, and everything in between.

Tonight, I’m filled with mixed emotions, and listening to the lyrics is bittersweet. My love for her since the accident hasn’t diminished one bit, but things are very different between us now.

When the last notes of the song play, she lifts her head off my chest and looks up at me, and I’m surprised to see tears cascading down her beautiful face.

“Jem, what’s wrong?”

She releases a nervous laugh before she speaks. “That song … it was so beautiful. Those words touched my heart.”

I smile as I run the pad of my thumb across her cheek. I’m not sure why I don’t tell her that this isoursong, but I don’t.

Everything in me wants to kiss her beautiful mouth as she stares up at me with those haunting brown eyes of hers, but instead, I lean forward and simply place my lips on her forehead. It is enough.

Chapter 27

Jemma

I’m grinning to myself as I stare out into the night on our drive home. I feel so happy, and I’m sad tonight is coming to an end. It was a perfect first date.

When we pull into Christine’s driveway, I already know that Braxton will open my door for me by the time I’ve undone my seatbelt. I love how he always takes care of me.

Butterflies flutter in my stomach as he holds out his hand to me. “I had such a nice time tonight,” I say as he walks me to the door.

“Me too.” He slides his hands into the pockets of his trousers as we stop at the base of the stairs. “Hopefully we can do it again sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

Things feel a little awkward as we stand and silently look at each other. I’d love to know what’s going through his head right now. I know exactly what’s going through mine: I want him to kiss me.

I felt the same way when he stared down at me after our last dance at the restaurant. I don’t entirely understand all these feelings I have when I’m around him … all I know is that he makes mefeel.

I reach up to nervously tuck my hair behind my ears. His eyes follow my every move, before focusing on my memory bracelet.

“I love that you wore this tonight,” he says, reaching out to touch it.