JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU
Chapter Seven
Rose collapsed onto the floor, in what was
now her room. Jack had gone into town to get something for dinner nearly two
hours ago, while Rose stayed behind to unpack. She closed her eyes to gather
whatever energy she had left to go downstairs. Her eyes flew open when she
heard the front door slam.
"Rose?" came Jack's voice.
Rose stood up slowly. "I'm in here,
Jack," she called.
A few moments later, he appeared in the
doorway, a goofy grin on his face. "Sorry I took so long. I ran into Mrs.
Beasly. You know how she is when she gets excited."
Rose rolled her eyes. Mrs. Beasly was the
town gossip. The news of Jack's return would no doubt have reached every
household by the next morning. "I guess I should enjoy our last night
alone then, shouldn't I?" she asked, somewhat irritated.
Jack looked at the sour look on her face,
concerned. "You okay, Rosie?"
Rose sighed. "Yeah. Just tired. And
hungry."
Jack put an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, let's go eat. Then we'll see what we can do about that sleeping
thing."
Too tired to argue, Rose followed him
downstairs.
*****
"That was delicious," Rose
declared, pushing her plate away from her.
Jack grinned. "Got room for
dessert?"
Rose's eyes widened. "You mean there's
more?"
Chuckling slightly, Jack nodded. "Kind
of. I thought it might be nice to celebrate our first night of living
together."
Rose smiled. "In that case, bring it
on!"
Laughing at her child-like antics, Jack went
to the refrigerator and pulled out a pie. "Mrs. Brown's famous
over-stuffed apple pie," he announced, amused by the grin that spread
across Rose's face.
"Oh God, Jack. I haven't had pie since
before my dad died."
"Then you'll enjoy this just as much as
I will. I've been craving a piece of this since I left." He paused.
"Is this big enough for you?" Jack asked, gesturing to the slice he'd
just cut.
Rose nodded and eagerly accepted the plate
Jack held out to her. Just before she dug in, he stopped her.
"One more thing, Rose. Be right
back."
He scampered out of the kitchen and returned
with a bottle of champagne. "Is this okay?"
Rose nodded. "It's more than okay. This
is all incredible."
Jack poured them both a glass of the sparkling
liquid, then lifted his glass in a toast. "To us, Rosie. This is our
beginning. Nothing and nobody standing in our way. Just us, forever. The world
is ours for the taking, and we're going to take advantage of that. To our love
and making it count."
Rose echoed the toast and took a sip of her
drink. It was all a bit surreal to her. Just a month ago, she'd thought her
life was ending. And now here she was, with the love of her life, toasting to
their future. Their future. She had almost given up hope for a future with
Jack, but now here it was, in her hands. She glanced up at Jack, who was
staring intently at her. Throwing her head back, she asked seductively,
"Is this it? Or are we going to retreat to your bed?"
A light chuckle escaped Jack's throat as a
grin slowly spread across his handsome features. "Well, well, well. Not so
tired anymore are we, Miss DeWitt-Bukater?"
Rose returned the grin. "Actually, no.
So what do you say, Mr. Dawson? Are you going to take me up on my offer, or are
you going to leave a lady hanging?"
Standing, he turned to face her, his eyes
smoky with desire. "I never was one to turn down such a tempting
proposition," Jack said, scooping her up into his arms.
Rose grinned and brought her lips to his,
ensuring the passion the night would hold.