Saving Tatum (Trace + Olivia #4) (24 page)

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We spent the whole afternoon with Jude’s grandpa, but when it came to be evening time
Jude made me wait in the living room while he did something in the kitchen.

I was desp
erate to know what he was up to, but I was sure it had something to do with our ‘date’.

After my cry-fest things had settled down and I let myself relax and have some fun.

“What’s that grandson of mine up to?” Jerry asked me.

I shrugged. “Who knows?”

Jerry grew quiet and I could feel his eyes on me. I wondered what he was thinking.

“Jude is lucky to have a girl like you,” he said.

I smiled, turning to face him better. “Thank you. I’m lucky to have him too.”

“There’s something I want to show you,” Jerry stood slowly. His back creaked as he stretched.

“Uh…” I started. “He might get mad if I leave the room and spoil his surprise.”

Jerry waved a hand dismissively. “He’ll have to go through me first to get to you. Don’t worry.”

I couldn’t help laughing at that.

Jerry led me upstairs and into his bedroom. He shuffled stuff around on the
dresser and looked through the drawers. “Aha,” he cried with joy when he found the box. He smiled proudly as he handed it to me. I lifted the lid and gasped at what I found inside. Nestled in the box was a silver bracelet with a single heart charm on it. “It was my Mae’s,” he smiled. “She’d want you to have it.”

“I can’t except this.” I thrust the box back into Jerry’s hands. “It isn’t right.”

“Yes, it is,” Jerry said adamantly. “I see the way Jude looks at you. You’re going to be in this family for a long time and I want you to have this. Please.” He tried to hand me the box again, but I refused to take it.

“I can’t take this, Jerry,” I shook my head
, backing a step away with my hands raised. “It was your wife’s and I’m just Jude’s girlfriend.”

“Fine,” Jerry huffed, and I thought he was going to put it away. Instead, he tried a different tactic. “Then accept
it because you’re my friend.”

“Jerry,” I whined desperately. “The bracelet is beautiful and I’d be honored to wear it, but it’s special to you. I can’t take it.”

He shook his head. Stubborn old man. “Because it’s special to me I want you to have it. It deserves to be worn, not sitting in this old box. Please,” he handed me the box again and I took it, “it’s yours now. I look at you as if you’re my granddaughter and I want you to have something special. If it makes you feel better think of it as a graduation gift. You’re graduating soon, right?”

I nodded in answer and was about two seconds away from crying again. “Are you sure?” I asked, cradling the box protectively against my chest.

“I’m sure,” he smiled, patting my hand.

I set the box down and Jerry looked ready to argue with me again, but he closed his mouth when he saw that I was simply removing the bracelet to put it on my wrist. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his wrinkled cheek. “Thank you.”

He wrapped his arms around me in a bear hug. “You’re welcome.”

I picked up the box once more and held it carefully. The bracelet jingled against my wrist. I’d never worn a lot of jewelry but the bracelet felt like it belonged.

I started to walk out of the room, but something that had been bugging me for a while forced me to stop. I turned to Jerry and asked, “Do you remember a girl named Julia?”

Jerry’s eyes filled with surprise. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time, but yes.”

“Did Andrew love her?” I asked. I don’t know why, but it seemed important to know.

Jerry sighed, scratching his chin. “I’m not sure my son ever loved anyone but himself. Why are you asking?”

“Just wondering,” I shrugged. I sucked on my bottom lip and decided to ask one last question. “Do you happen to remember Julia’s last name?”

Jerry rolled his eyes in thought. After a moment he answered, “Hansen. Julia Hansen.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

We headed downstairs and found Jude waiting by the front door with a smile on his face. “What are you two up to?” He asked.

I held my wrist out. “He wanted to give me this.”

“That was Grams,” Jude smiled wistfully, his fingers brushing lightly against my wrist. “It looks beautiful on you, Tate.”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

Jude started to say goodbye to his grandpa, but Jerry interrupted him. “There’s something I’d like to give you too.” He nodded his head back up the steps.

“Oh,” Jude sobered. “Yeah, okay.”

I started to follow, but Jerry said, “Tatum, would you mind waiting down here?”

“Not at all,” I smiled. I stood by the door, looking out the window.

They must have been having a long talk, because ten minutes had past by the time Jude returned. Jude seemed oddly serious, and I worried that maybe Jerry had told him something that upset him. Something told me not to ask though.

Shaking his head free of his thoughts, Jude smiled. “Date time.”

“Bye Jerry!” I called to the man who stood at the top of the steps. He nodded in acknowledgement, watching the two of us.

Once in the truck, I asked Jude, “Where are we going?”

“Not far,” was his reply.

I knew Jude well enough to know that was all he was going to say on the matter.

A few minutes later he was backing his truck up to the pond. I couldn’t help grinning. I’d been picturing a restaurant or the movies for our first real date—something cliché—but leave it to Jude to surprise me.

He grabbed a blanket and hopped out of the truck. I followed.

He put the tailgate down and grabbed a picnic basket. I noticed the bed of the truck was covered in blankets and pillows.

He strolled over and found a spot he liked. He unfolded the blanket and fluffed it, spreading it down on the ground. I kicked off my shoes, grinning.

“A picnic?” I asked, although I already knew the answer.

He grinned. “Was it a good idea?”

“It was a great idea,” I smiled back, my body filling with happiness. Only Jude could make me feel this happy without even trying.

I sat down on the soft blanket and he took the spot beside me, kicking off his boots.

“I wanted our first date to be special…something you’d always remember.”

My heart swelled at his thoughtfulness.

Looking around the field and the pond in front of us, I smiled. “This is perfect.” It was the truth too. He couldn’t have come up with anything better.

“Good.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

My heart swelled. I’d never known someone could make you feel so…
loved
without even saying it. But I guess that was the thing, love was more than just the words, you had to
feel
it, because at the end of the day words weren’t everything. They would’ve been nice to hear, but I knew neither of us was ready. So, for now, I was content in what I felt. Words could come later.

He grabbed the picnic basket and lifted the lid. He
placed several different types of sandwiches, bottles of water, chips, and an assortment of fruit. He’d even packed paper plates, napkins, and forks. He hadn’t forgotten anything.

I was so incredibly touched that tears pricked my eyes—and after my day, I was a tad over emotional.

Jude didn’t seem to mind though.

He unwrapped the sandwiches and said, “Those two are turkey and these two are chicken salad, and those two are ham. I wasn’t sure what you’d prefer so I thought I’d give you some options.”

I reached out and grabbed a plate with a turkey sandwich.

He chuckled. “I thought
you might pick that one.” He handed me a small bag of chips and grabbed one for himself. He wiggled around, getting comfortable on the blanket. He set the bowl of fruit between us and handed me one of the forks. “I thought it would be easier if we shared,” he explained. He picked up his own plate—one with a ham sandwich.

I took a bite of sandwich, staring ahead as the sun started to lower. Sunset was fast approaching and we were going to get to watch it. Out here, in the middle of a field and surrounded by nature, little things like a sunset seemed magnified. You were able to watch
it in all its glory as it was meant to be seen. People tended to get too caught up in their lives and forgot to appreciate such simple beauty. Not Jude. He saw the beauty in everything, and that’s why he picked this as our first official date.

“This is so amazing,” I finally spoke, breaking the quiet. The sun bathed us in an orange glow.

“I’m glad you think so.”

I grabbed my fork and stabbed a grape with it. It popped in my mouth, the juices exploding. Even though our meal was simple, I swore nothing had ever tasted this good before.

I speared a piece of watermelon next.

When my belly was full I gathered up my trash. Jude took it from me and set it in the basket. The only thing that would make it even better was—

“Dessert,” Jude grinned, pulling another plate out of the basket. Two large slices of double chocolate cake sat atop it. “I know you love sweet things.”

I laughed. “Yeah, my sweet tooth is quite a monster.”

He took the saran wrap off and grabbed two clean forks from the basket. He set the plate between us, like he’d done with the fruit bowl, only this time he rolled onto his stomach. I mimicked his position.

We ate the cake and enjoyed the sunset. It wouldn’t be long till darkness fell.

When the cake was gone—I finished off his piece as well—I asked, “Did you make this?”

He laughed. “I wish I could take credit, but no. I picked up
the cake from a local bakery.”

“It was fantastic.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” His voice lowered and his brown eyes darkened. He closed the distance between us quickly and kissed me. He grinned, licking his lips. “You had icing on your lips. I couldn’t resist.”

I bowed my head, smiling. “Jude?”

“Yeah?” He asked, watching me closely.

“I think it’s safe to say this has been the best first date ever.”

He grinned, his eyes brightening. “And it’s not over yet.”

“It’s not?” I asked with a surprise.

He shook his head. “Oh no, Tate, it’s only getting started.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What else do you have planned?”

He rolled onto his back and reached over, grabbing me around my waist. He moved me onto my back as well, and made sure my body was glued to his without a sliver of space between us. I tossed my leg over his and laid my head on his shoulder. I sighed with happiness and smiled.

The sun was a huge orange ball surrounding us.
The air was growing cool, but the light from the sun swathed us in warmth. The flowers around us seemed to glow, as if the sun lit them like a candle. I’d never seen a more beautiful sight. 

We didn’t say anything. We didn’t need to. Just being with each other was enough.

As if sensing that I was growing sleepy—from my full belly and the last of the days warmth blanketing my body—Jude jumped up and reached down to pull me up beside him.

“What are we doing?” I laughed.

“Hang on, you’ll see.” He pulled his iPhone out and music flowed around us. I recognized the song and couldn’t help smiling. It was perfect. Jude didn’t do anything halfway. He went all out. Even though I already thought our date was perfect, he wasn’t done wowing me yet. He grabbed me around the waist with one hand and pulled my body against his. With his free hand he entwined our hands together. We began to sway to the music and he sang the lyrics softly in my ear. I closed my eyes, smiling, as I laid my head against his chest.

Happiness wasn’t just one feeling. It was many, all combined, and Jude gave me that. I wasn’t lying when I told him he was my happy. He made everything better without even trying. All he had to do was just be him. All the extra stuff was icing on the figurative cake—because I ate the real one.

I shivered as the sun went down and the air cooled even more. He stopped dancing long enough to grab the blanket from the ground and wrap it around us.

I looked up at him with heated eyes. What was he doing to me?

We started swaying again and the song changed to another. He sang along to that one too. When it finished he leaned in close to me. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

“’Bout time, Brooks,” I grinned.

My eyes shut and he closed the distance between us. He kissed me slowly at first, then more deeply. He took his time, making sure I felt the kiss all the way down to the tips of my toes. He reached up to take my cheeks in his large hands and the blanket dropped to the ground.

His lips moved against mine and mine
were more than happy to answer every stroke of his.

Every time we kissed it was exciting and different
. He always found a way to make it even better than the last.

His tongue stroked mine and I gasped. My fingers tangled in the soft strands of his brown hair, drawing him closer.