hide his grin. “I love the way your mind works.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I didn’t do anything, angel,” Jake said, leaning over so he could kiss Ally’s soft cheek. “I just wanted to buy you some flowers.”
Ally narrowed her dark eyes, suspicious. “Tell me what’s really going on … but let me put these in water so they don’t wilt.”
Jake followed Ally into the kitchen, settling on one of the stools next to the counter and watching her open the flowers and arrange them in a vase. “What makes you think something is going on?”
“You have a look on your face,” Ally said.
“Maybe I just love you.”
“I love you, too,” Ally said, not missing a beat. “I still want to know what’s going on.”
Jake sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as he regarded the woman who changed his world in the best way possible. “You’re not … bored with me, are you?”
Ally made an incredulous face. “Excuse me?”
“It’s just … James has been having a mini meltdown the past few days because he thinks Mandy is bored,” Jake said. “He’s really worried. I thought he was overreacting, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s right. If he’s worried about Mandy being bored, and those two are always so in sync, what does that mean for us?”
“Jake, every day is an adventure with you,” Ally said. “Every day is … amazing with you. If you doubt how happy I am, I think we have a few problems that flowers aren’t going to solve.”
“I want you to be happy,” Jake said. “I just … when I look at Mandy and James, I think they’re one of the happiest couples I know. Your brother is miserable right now. He’s convinced Mandy is taking this cooking class because she’s bored with him.”
“Let me tell you something about my brother and Mandy,” Ally said. “They’re their own worst enemies. Neither one of them is bored. They just like to amp up the drama from time to time because they get off on freaking each other out.”
“I … that sounds odd.”
“It does,” Ally agreed. “Mandy flips her own world every few months because she spent the bulk of her life wanting James. It was one of those dreams she never thought would come true. Now that it has, she’s convinced she doesn’t deserve him and that he’s going to go away. Flip.”
“Okay, I guess I can buy that,” Jake said. “What about your brother? He hasn’t carried a torch for Mandy for fifteen years. Why would he be plagued with doubts?”
“James never loved anyone until Mandy came along,” Ally said. “When she did, it was like lightning struck. I can’t explain it. I didn’t see their first meeting after all those years apart, but Grady and Finn said it was like the air was on fire.
“James was not looking for someone to love,” she continued. “In fact, he was perfectly happy running away from love. Mandy threw him.”
“I didn’t meet your brother until after he was already in love with Mandy,” Jake said. “My first glimpse of the two of them was when Grady took me to their apartment. They were on the couch. James was on his back and Mandy was on top of him – literally on top of him – and she was sleeping. She was still recovering from the explosion.
“I remember looking at them and thinking that I hoped I could find someone to be that content with,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for anyone either, and it was just a split second of … I don’t know … hope. They were so touching together.”
“They’re still touching together,” Ally said. “If you ask me, Mandy has caused this flip again. She’s gotten it into her head that James needs a perfect wife. She’s convinced a perfect wife cooks. What she seems to forget is that James already has his perfect wife. He doesn’t want anything that he doesn’t already have.”
“When will they flip back?”
Ally’s smile was enigmatic. “They can’t stay away from one another, even if they’re in a funk.
“That’s not an answer.”
“I didn’t do anything, angel,” Jake said, leaning over so he could kiss Ally’s soft cheek. “I just wanted to buy you some flowers.”
Ally narrowed her dark eyes, suspicious. “Tell me what’s really going on … but let me put these in water so they don’t wilt.”
Jake followed Ally into the kitchen, settling on one of the stools next to the counter and watching her open the flowers and arrange them in a vase. “What makes you think something is going on?”
“You have a look on your face,” Ally said.
“Maybe I just love you.”
“I love you, too,” Ally said, not missing a beat. “I still want to know what’s going on.”
Jake sighed, running a hand through his dark hair as he regarded the woman who changed his world in the best way possible. “You’re not … bored with me, are you?”
Ally made an incredulous face. “Excuse me?”
“It’s just … James has been having a mini meltdown the past few days because he thinks Mandy is bored,” Jake said. “He’s really worried. I thought he was overreacting, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe he’s right. If he’s worried about Mandy being bored, and those two are always so in sync, what does that mean for us?”
“Jake, every day is an adventure with you,” Ally said. “Every day is … amazing with you. If you doubt how happy I am, I think we have a few problems that flowers aren’t going to solve.”
“I want you to be happy,” Jake said. “I just … when I look at Mandy and James, I think they’re one of the happiest couples I know. Your brother is miserable right now. He’s convinced Mandy is taking this cooking class because she’s bored with him.”
“Let me tell you something about my brother and Mandy,” Ally said. “They’re their own worst enemies. Neither one of them is bored. They just like to amp up the drama from time to time because they get off on freaking each other out.”
“I … that sounds odd.”
“It does,” Ally agreed. “Mandy flips her own world every few months because she spent the bulk of her life wanting James. It was one of those dreams she never thought would come true. Now that it has, she’s convinced she doesn’t deserve him and that he’s going to go away. Flip.”
“Okay, I guess I can buy that,” Jake said. “What about your brother? He hasn’t carried a torch for Mandy for fifteen years. Why would he be plagued with doubts?”
“James never loved anyone until Mandy came along,” Ally said. “When she did, it was like lightning struck. I can’t explain it. I didn’t see their first meeting after all those years apart, but Grady and Finn said it was like the air was on fire.
“James was not looking for someone to love,” she continued. “In fact, he was perfectly happy running away from love. Mandy threw him.”
“I didn’t meet your brother until after he was already in love with Mandy,” Jake said. “My first glimpse of the two of them was when Grady took me to their apartment. They were on the couch. James was on his back and Mandy was on top of him – literally on top of him – and she was sleeping. She was still recovering from the explosion.
“I remember looking at them and thinking that I hoped I could find someone to be that content with,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for anyone either, and it was just a split second of … I don’t know … hope. They were so touching together.”
“They’re still touching together,” Ally said. “If you ask me, Mandy has caused this flip again. She’s gotten it into her head that James needs a perfect wife. She’s convinced a perfect wife cooks. What she seems to forget is that James already has his perfect wife. He doesn’t want anything that he doesn’t already have.”
“When will they flip back?”
Ally’s smile was enigmatic. “They can’t stay away from one another, even if they’re in a funk.
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