Page 95 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

Jasmine set her bag by the door and followed the wraparound porch all the way to the back of the house. She stood for a moment, taking in the calming view of the moon shining down over Falls Lake, the mountains providing the perfect balance of backdrop.

Breathing deep, and exhaling a long cleansing breath, she moved closer to the railing and looked up into the sky.

There’s you, Gemini. And there’s me, Aquarius.

She studied the stars. They still looked the same, hadn’t changed, of course. People change though. They get born, grow up, and die, all while the stars stay steady in the sky. Fixed in their twinkling spots.

How had fifteen years gone by in such a hurry? Jasmine could still remember how free it felt to lie in the back of Jack’s pickup truck, staring up at that big sky, wrapped in a sleeping bag. How wonderful it was to lay enclosed up in his arms. And his love.

She marveled how Jack’s love was unwavering. Fixed. Like the stars.

Her love for him was like that years ago, too. But now? It seemed skittish, like a moving target. She’d spent the last few days dodging his shooting stars.

How could she have let fifteen years come between them?

She lowered her gaze, staring at the triangle of moon glow rippling on the lapping currents. That wasn’t true. She had often thought of Jack. There were times she’d even considered driving up to Harbor Falls. But something always stopped her. The secrets stopped her.

Her pregnancy. The baby’s death.

“Well, all of that is out in the open now,”

she whispered.

She glanced at her watch, wondering where Jack was. She’d hoped they could talk tonight. She had a lot to say. And she had a lot of listening to do, too, if only he would be open to it.

She wouldn’t blame him if he wouldn’t.

It was Saturday night, he could be anywhere, she supposed. Maybe getting a bite to eat. Perhaps visiting with his parents. Maybe he had a date.

“Shit.”

She didn’t think about that. Does he date? They hadn’t really talked about things like that. They hadn’t really gotten into anything personal at all.

How well did she really know Jack now?

How well did he know her?

Not well at all, truly. Then why was she standing here on his deck, ready to pour out her heart and soul to him, in one last attempt to right a fifteen-year-old wrong?

“Good luck with that,”

she whispered. Matters of the heart don’t subscribe to wisdom. At least in her world.

Now she was second-guessing herself. Perhaps she’d been wrong to just show up. Hang out on his deck while he wasn’t home. She should get a room somewhere. Maybe at that inn he told her about. She could leave a note and maybe they could meet for breakfast. Besides, it’s rude to just camp out on someone’s deck like a…

“Shit. Like a stalker.”

Jasmine turned and retraced her steps. Rounding the corner, she stopped up short. There he was, standing on the porch, staring at her bag by the door. “Jack?”

****

Jack, 1999

Jack paced in front of his truck, parked behind the old meeting house, nervous and a little scared. Jasmine was supposed to have been there at ten-thirty. The plan was for her to sneak away from the graduation party Ms. Leinie was throwing tonight with the other foster kids, and then make her way downtown through the side streets to this parking area.

The time was now ten-fifty and she wasn’t there yet.

His stomach clutched with worry.

In the cab of his truck, he had everything they would need for a while. He’d packed a suitcase of clothing. There was a cooler full of food in the back—enough to get them by for a couple of days until they found an apartment in Asheville and could go grocery shopping. He’d borrowed a few things from his parents’ house—some towels and washcloths, sheets and pillowcases. He had enough money in his pocket for a couple nights’ hotel costs, and the deposit and first month’s rent of an apartment. He’d been watching the papers and knew about how much it was going to cost them. They’d be good for a month or so and he’d be looking for work as soon as they were settled.

It was all planned out. Everything was in place.

Except for Jasmine.

The clock on the side of the bank building chimed. Eleven o’clock. Thirty minutes late. Had something happened to her? Could she not get out of the house? Did she forget?

No, she wouldn’t have forgotten. She had anticipated this night as much as he had.

Something was wrong.

Jack pulled himself up into the truck cab and sat. Waiting. Watching. He stayed awake as long as he could. Finally, his eyelids grew heavy.

****

Jasmine, 1999

I pulled my backpack from underneath the bleachers in the baseball dugout, dusted it off with my hand and slung it over my shoulder. I’d ditched the party at Ms. Leinie’s without a hitch, which was probably going to be the easiest thing I would do all evening.

Not that leaving Ms. Leinie was easy. It wasn’t.

Edging the shadows of the security lights, I walked the perimeter of the school and then crossed the road. Moving quickly for several blocks, I was glad the traffic was light, but also a little worried about being out so late. I’m not accustomed to being out on the streets by myself at this time of night.

I glanced at my watch. Ten-fifty-five. How long would Jack wait?

My gut started to ache, but I pushed that sensation aside. Not now. There were things to get through here and I didn’t have time for regret or worry. No time to contemplate what I should, or should not, have done. I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and move forward.

The bus station was around the corner. My aunt’s address and phone number were in my pocket. In my backpack were some clothes that soon wouldn’t fit, my diploma rolled up into a little tube, and a stash of cash I’d earned babysitting this past year.

It was a start.

What I didn’t have was a sense of the future. All I knew was that a baby was on the way, and that Jack was no longer in my life.

I got to the station, bought the ticket, and visited the restroom before boarding. When it was time, I stepped onto the bus, stowed my bag at my feet, and silently said good-bye to Harbor Falls. At midnight, the bus rolled down Main Street, on the way out of town toward the interstate. We passed the old meeting house and I saw the taillights of Jack’s truck reflect the bus headlights as we passed. I knew he was still sitting there. Waiting.

I watched for as long as I could until the bus rounded a corner.

Then I curled into my seat and cried all the way to Atlanta.

****

At first Jack thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He’d noticed her car as he drove up his driveway, and her bag sitting by the door as he ascended the porch steps. So preoccupied the past few minutes, thinking about what he was going to do when he found her in Atlanta, the reality she was here now—at his home—was a little unsettling.

As he reached for the bag, Jasmine stepped around the corner.

He straightened up.

“Jasmine? What are you doing here?”

“I…”

She stepped closer.

“Jack, I was waiting for you, but…”

She was actually wringing her hands, shifting from one foot to another. Antsy. Glancing off and back to him again. Nervous?

“But what?”

“But I decided to leave. I shouldn’t have come here without calling you first. I didn’t mean to impose.”

She edged toward the steps.

“Maybe we can get together tomorrow and talk about… About some of the stuff that happened this week.”

“Stuff?”

“You know, with Ms. Leinie’s estate. And well, with us.”

Jack narrowed his gaze.

“So ‘us’ is running a close second behind the estate issue?”

She shook her head.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Jack. Look, I’m trying here, but maybe I came at a bad time. I can come back tomorrow.”

“No.”

Over my dead body. Jack set her bag back down on the porch floor and walked determinedly toward her.

“You are not going anywhere, Jasmine. C’mere.”

Her eyes widened as he grasped her upper arms and hauled her up against him. Before she could protest, Jack captured her lips with his, warming them with his touch. Her skin was chilly, which told him she had probably stood out there for a while, and all he could think about was how he wanted to warm every inch of her skin later—if she would let him.

Jasmine whimpered beneath his mouth. He deepened the kiss and her arms circled his neck. He knew they had a ways to go but damn, this was a good start.

Pulling back, he peered into her eyes.

“So, I’ll ask again.”

His voice softened.

“What are you doing here, Jasmine?”

“I want to talk.”

“Just so you know,”

he warned.

“I want more than talk.”

One corner of her mouth shot up in a half grin.

“So, do I,”

she admitted.

“We can get there but there are some things I need to say first.”

“The last time I let you talk didn’t bode too well for me.”

She huffed out a breath and closed her eyes.

“I know. I’m sorry Jack. That was so wrong. I hope you can forgive me.”

That warmed his heart immensely.

“Jasmine, I damned near drove to Atlanta tonight to haul your ass back home. I just stopped off here to grab a few things.”

“So, you were expecting to stay a while in Atlanta?”

“Only long enough to talk some sense into you. But now…”

“Now I’m here.”

He nodded.

“Yes. For how long, Jasmine?”

“For as long as it takes.”

He grinned.

“That might take a while.”

He leaned in and gave her another quick kiss on the lips.

“But I’m willing to work on it.”

Jasmine sighed and smiled.

“I’m the one who has more work to do, I think, but I figure if we’re going to be working together, we’ll get everything ironed out.”

“Working together?”

“Yeah. At the family center.”

Jack’s heart jolted. She really meant it.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. It’s time for me to leave Atlanta, Jack. It’s time for me to come home and pay attention to the kids in my own back yard.”

Jack’s heart swelled. He wasn’t sure his chest was going to hold it in.

“I’ll call the bank on Monday to tell them you’ve changed your mind.”

She placed her hands on his chest and snuggled closer to him.

“I called Art this afternoon. It’s all taken care of. Just a few details on Monday.”

“Have you thought of everything?”

“No. Definitely not. There are some things that are just going to have to take care of themselves. In time.”

“Such as?”

“Such as letting the past go and not repeating history. Such as leaving you behind and not telling you about the baby. I should have told you, and I want to apologize for that. All I can say is I was young and scared and stupid.”

“Not stupid. Young and scared is enough. And Jasmine, it’s something we need to work through, but you’re right—we need to let the past go and we need to look forward.”

Smiling, she nodded.

“I love you, Jack. For everything. But it all still scares me somewhat. Coming back to Harbor Falls, living here, being with you, maybe having children one day…”

“Jasmine, honey, you won’t be alone.”

She nodded against his chest. “I know.”

She paused and then added.

“And that is the most comforting part. I don’t want to be alone anymore, Jack. I want to be with you.”

His heart swelled and he hauled her up against him.

“God, Jazzy, that’s all I want, for us to be together.”

He held her tight and they both released long held breaths. Jack physically felt her shoulders relax.

“I saw my father today,”

she whispered after a moment.

Jack eased back and looked at her.

“Really? Where is he?”

“Not far from here, actually. A little place in the mountains about ten miles from here. I learned some things about my mother and their marriage. I also know why he went to prison, and why he never tried to find me when he got out.”

“Why was that?”

“He thought I was better off without him.”

“What do you think?”

“I think I need him more than I realized. And he needs me.”

Jasmine’s eyes searched his face.

“But most of all, I need you more than ever,”

she whispered. She shifted her stance and drew her sweater tighter across her chest.

“Jack, if we are together, I have to make certain that no one in this town is going to treat you different because you are with me. And if we have children, it would kill me to think they would go through kinds of things I went through in school. I know times have changed and a lot of years have passed, but children can be cruel and sometimes adults can be too. I don’t want our children to have to suffer through that.”

Jack cupped her face in his hands.

“Jasmine… My sweet, sweet Jasmine,”

he said.

“Don’t you realize? Because of who you are, and who I am, our children will be fine. I know it was not easy for you, but your parents didn’t pave an easy path. Our children will have us, and we will make that path as smooth as we possibly can.”

“But we can’t control everything.”

“No, we can’t. But we can prepare them for times when we aren’t beside them.”

Jasmine closed her eyes.

“You, Jack Ackerman, are going to make an excellent father. But I always knew that.”

“And you are going to make beautiful babies.”

“We will make beautiful babies.”

She hesitated and then added.

“I want our children to know my father, their grandfather. He is not a bad person, just made some bad choices. And he deserves a chance.”

“We all deserve a second chance, Jasmine.”

Smiling, she agreed.

“Yes, we do.”

Jack nodded.

“Are you still scared?”

“Out of my wits. You?”

“Not me,”

he answered.

“I’m in love.”

Her grin spread across her face.

“I’m in love, too, and that’s why I am so scared. I don’t want to ever be separated from you again.”

“No worries,”

he told her. Jack played with her hair and kissed her forehead, holding her as close as possible to his heart.

“I’d cross the sky for you, Jazzy.”

****

Six months later…

Mendelssohn’s Wedding March drifted through the park across the street from the old meeting house. A small crowd gathered on the lawn for a rather unconventional joining of a home-town couple.

Jack Ackerman, wearing his fifteen-year-old Harbor Falls football jersey, leaned against his 1998 Chevy Silverado pickup truck, waiting for his bride to join him.

Jasmine Walker, wearing her white graduation dress and carrying a bright orange backpack, slowly made her way toward him. Smiling.

They paused beside the truck, gazes locked, while the bride’s father stepped forward to hand his daughter over to his new son-in-law. Those close by could hear him respond with.

“her mother and I”

when Reverend Rock Peters asked who gave this bride to this man.

While the gathering crowd listened, the minister asked the couple to repeat their vows. They didn’t mince words, and then Jack Ackerman took his bride’s face into his hands and kissed her thoroughly, while the onlookers in the park cheered.

Quickly, as if making a get-away, the newlywed couple scrambled into the cab of the four-wheel drive truck and made their escape to their honeymoon destination—a night wrapped up in a sleeping bag, lying in the back of their pickup truck, watching the stars and listening to the waves of Falls Lake lap the shore.

So maybe sometimes you can go home again.

Chase My Heart

Suzie Hart is back in Harbor Falls after her television debut in New York. She and her cousin, Sydney, have several catering gigs lined up. She’d love to fix Sydney up with a date but when this new guy starts hanging around the bakery, her radar goes up. This guy is not on Suzie’s matchmaking list. Sydney, however, has other ideas.