The Proposal

Part 5

Your jean-clad knee continued to shake up and down, your foot nervously tapping the floor of the airplane. Your hand was clasped tightly on the armrest, your breaths coming quick and short.

Jensen leaned over, whispering in your ear. "Relax."

"I hate planes," you muttered, barely glancing at him as another round of turbulence had the plane rocking slightly.

"You haven't flown much have you?" He asked, trying to pull your attention away from your fear.

Shaking your head, you let his mossy green eyes pull in your attention. "Never really had the money, or need to," you answered, your grip relaxing slightly.

He frowned slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that. Is that why you took the money?"

"Can we not talk about that," you insisted. You didn't want Jensen to feel sorry for you, or know more about your private life than he needed to. Especially since he had made it adamant that this whole thing was going to be strictly business.

"Of course," he agreed quickly. "Did you look over the notes I gave you?"

You had. His family seemed nice from what he had written down in his notes. You had spent most of the night awake, too nervous to sleep, and had done more research than just his notes. You had scoured the internet, finding pictures, looking over articles there hadn't been much, but you felt better for the effort.

"Good. I just wanted you to have a heads up. My family is nice, and they'll welcome you in, but I have a feeling this proposal is going to be a little bit of a shock."

"Why? I mean beside them having never met me," you mumbled. "But Jensen, I still can't get it. You're...well you're you. There has to have been someone you...cared about."

His smile faltered. "There was. But she's long gone, and that's why I wanted to do this. It's simple. Gives me a chance to breathe without all those freaking questions. I hate lying, but this is better."

You didn't know what to say to that. This handsome, highly sought after man forced to have a fake proposal just to get some relaxation. You felt sorry for him.

The plane landed not too long after that. Jensen kept you close to his side while you shuffled past the rest of the crowded airport. Neither of you had packed more than an overnight bag, so you were able to skip the baggage claim and head right out front. Then it was finding an Uber. Jensen had assured you that he had a place down here in Texas and that you would have your own room. But you hadn't expected his place to be huge. It was two stories, the front a mixture of stucco and stone. He parked in the garage, and you stepped into the house to see a huge, open floor concept.

"Kitchen's over there," Jensen pointed to the left. "Should be fully stocked. The living room as you can see is there. Then there is the game room and my study. Upstairs is four rooms. I had the first one on the left made up for you."

You followed him up the winding staircase, staying back as he pushed open the door to what was going to be your room. For this weekend, and whenever you had to travel down here with him. The room was large with a beautiful hand-carved wooden headboard. A nightstand and dresser were the only other furniture in the room. A door on the left led to your own personal bathroom. Everything was done in neutral tones and was immaculate.

"If you don't like this one, I can...," Jensen started to say, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"No, it will be fine," You assured him, setting your bag down beside the bed.

"Great," he sighed. "Listen, I'm going to work in the study for a little bit. There's a pool outback. Why don't you swim for a little bit and relax? We won't leave for a couple of hours yet. I'd like to get to the brewery, check out things before dinner."

He left you alone in the room, and you took a deep breath, trying to relax. Today had been a little overwhelming so far, and a swim sounded like a perfect way to let go of some of your nerves. Pulling your simple black one piece from your duffle bag, you quickly changed, putting your hair up out of the way.

With a plush towel from the bathroom and your flip flops on, you went back down the staircase, turning left towards the french doors at the back. Jensen's voice could barely be heard through the thick oak door. For a moment you wished he would stop and join you. He seemed like he needed the relaxation just as much as you did.

Stepping onto the deck, you were amazed at his backyard. Lush and well-manicured, there was a large deck and entertaining area. The pool was good-sized, with a waterfall at one end. Lounge chairs were placed close by. "Wow," you whispered.

Toeing off your flip flops, you dropped the towel on a chair. Sitting down on the edge of the pool, you dangled your feet in. The water was cool and felt wonderful against the warm Texas sun.

Sliding in, you went completely under, letting the water wash completely over you.

You lost track of time while enjoying the pool. Swimming up and down, floating and letting the sun warm your skin. You couldn't even remember the last time you had been able to swim.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Jensen spoke up, standing at the edge of the pool. "Just being able to let the water wash everything away."

"Yeah," you agreed. "What time is it?"

"Just enough time for you to take a shower and get ready," he answered, moving over to the lounge chair, holding up your towel. You climbed the steps, walking over to Jensen. His eyes raked over your swimsuit-clad body, his jaw clenching for a moment before he wrapped the towel around you. His eyes were unreadable as they stared into yours. He let go of the towel, and you caught it, holding it together under your chin. Tugging his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment, he sighed. "Go get ready," he ordered, and you were quick to comply.