His Unexpected Marriage

Chapter Twelve

            “We’re here!”

Kaycee dragged herself out of sleep and glanced blearily out the window giving a gasp of surprise when she found herself looking out at her own apartment.

            “You bought me home?” she asked him startled to find those dark eyes watching her intently.

            “We need to talk Kaycee and I figured you would be more comfortable here!” he explained and her heart melted a bit at the consideration he was giving to her. With a nod of consent she let him lead her from the car and up the steps to her small apartment though she had never before realised just how cramped it really was until now.

After letting him in to her apartment Kaycee went straight to the kitchen to make a drink, needing to do something to keep herself busy. Jake seemed to understand that as he followed her in and stood quietly watching her make coffee.

            “You wanted to talk?” she prompted a moment later and he frowned as he thought of the best way to say what he had to.

            “We need to talk about what exactly we are Kaycee,” he informed her and she frowned.

            “What we are?”

            “I want to be your husband and I want us to be happy and have a family together and grow old together. But I don’t want all that if you’re going to be miserable. I just want to know if you would be willing to give us a chance,” he explained and Kaycee chewed nervously at her lip as she thought it through.

Now that he wasn’t being so forceful and pushing the issue she realised that she felt something for him and she wanted to find out what it was and where things were going. But she did have her life here to consider and it was true that it would all change dramatically if she stayed with him.

It just couldn’t work between two people so different. Could it?

            “I want to see if we can make this work, but I don’t see how it can,” Kaycee admitted as she poured them both a coffee and Jake sighed.

            “It might take a bit of compromise but I swear I will make the effort to make our marriage work if you can do the same,” he replied and Kaycee really thought about what it was she wanted.

It may only have been three days since they married but honestly she wasn’t sure she could carry on with her life as though he had never existed, and wasn’t sure that she would want to.

            “I could try, but you have to realise that I have a life and a job.” Kaycee said wanting him to realise how important her work was to her.

            “You don’t need to work,” he answered sounding so set upon it that for a second she thought he would refuse to even listen to her.

            “I may not need to Jake, but I want to. I enjoy my job and I like knowing that I’m helping people,” she told him fiercely while her eyes flashed with emotion as she spoke.

            “And what happens if we have children?” he asked making her stomach flutter as her earlier thoughts rushed back.

            “We would decide what to do when the time came,” she answered for she barely knew what she was going to be doing tomorrow let alone in months or years.

            “Okay,” he said finally accepting that she needed a life too and Kaycee stared at him wondering if he had really agreed to her request or if she was imagining things.

            “I think we need to take a step back though Jake!” Kaycee insisted and Jake frowned at her.

            “Take a step back?” he repeated and she nodded slowly.

            “We rushed in to this Jake, we need to take a step back and get to know each other without feeling pressured in to something we’re not ready for,” Kaycee explained as she thought back to Rob and how she had known him for years and not felt ready to marry him yet she was rushing in to all that without a thought now.

            “I wonder if maybe we would be better staying apart for a few days and seeing if we still feel the same,” she suggested and he tensed.

            “No!” he refused immediately and Kaycee stared at him incredulously.

            “Just no?”

            “I think you’re right that we do need to get to know each other better but I am not convinced that staying apart is the answer,” he explained and she sighed for it was clear that they would not be seeing eye to eye on this.

            “I’m tired Jake and I’ve had enough for one day. How about we sleep apart tonight and decide what to do tomorrow?” she asked and he hesitated clearly torn before he finally nodded and turned to go.

Following him to the door Kaycee expected him to storm out in a temper but instead he stopped and turned to her with a light smile on his lips.

            “I won’t be driven away,” he murmured an instant before he captured her lips in an evocative kiss that drove her senses wild and made her long to take the words back and ask him to stay.

Then as suddenly as the kiss had begun it was over and he was gone leaving her to close the door and lean wearily against it more confused than ever about what it was she wanted.