Moon over the Bay (Moonlit Nights) (9 page)

Jess,

You looked so beautiful the
night of the viewing that I regretted tearing your dress in my haze of lust.
Please forgive my Neanderthal behavior and accept this gift as an apology.

Nathan

She was at a loss for words.
Nothing from him in ten days and now this? Jess shoved the note in the pocket
of her robe and unzipped the garment bag. She gasped when she saw the dress
inside, running her hand over the silk material. It was just like the dress she
wore that night except this was dark purple instead of gray.

What an infuriating, endearing,
stupid man!

Jess was in shock. She lay on her
bed and thought about what this gift meant. Why send it now? It had been a week
since she last heard from him. At least she took comfort in the fact he’d
thought about her enough to replace the dress. How in the world had he known
who had designed the dress? How the hell had he afforded this on a struggling
actor’s salary? Weren’t they all broke? Should she call him and thank him? What
if this was a goodbye gift?

Debating about how to handle this
new development with Nathan, she was relieved to get a text from Sadie asking
her to come to dinner tomorrow, so they could catch up. Jess quickly shot back
a reply saying she’d be there. She’d ask Sadie for advice then.

Jess took
a deep breath before climbing out of her car in front of Sadie’s apartment
block. Today had been a long day. It started with nursing a wicked hangover,
followed by lunch with her parents. They, of course, picked up on her foul mood
and spent the next hour lecturing her on how people of their stature weren’t
irresponsible and let themselves indulge too much. As much as she loved her
parents, she hated their uppity ways.

She knew she must have been in a
bad way when, as she was leaving, they both hugged her, and her mother asked
what was wrong in a low voice. Jess had pasted on a smile and said nothing,
that she’d just got carried away. Though her mother knew otherwise, she’d just
nodded and let Jess leave.

Now it was time to think about
the one thing she’d forced herself not to all day. Mr. Sexypants with his blond
good looks, striking blue eyes, and charm that simply oozed out of his pores.
Not forgetting his drop-dead-gorgeous body and heart-stopping smile. But Jess
wasn’t going to think about the way his hand felt on her, or how his lips
teased before his teeth devastated. She wasn’t going to think about all the new
dirty things she had thought of to do to him. Or how much she just missed him.
Nope. She wasn’t going to.

Jess took a deep breath and
squared her shoulders before getting out of her car. It was going to take a lot
of strength to see a happy couple. She stepped through the gate to the
courtyard and stopped dead. It was like a scene out of a movie. A huge bouquet
of red roses sat on the bistro table in front of the fountain, and the
surrounding area glittered from the courtyard being filled with hundreds of
flickering candles in various shapes and sizes.

Jess felt her throat tighten and
her shoulders drop at the obvious romantic evening Kyle had planned for Sadie.
She must not have known before inviting Jess over for dinner. She sighed and
decided to not bother the couple. She quietly and quickly walked over and sat
the bottle of wine she’d brought on the table and turned to walk away. Except a
glance to the right made her realize Sadie’s apartment was dark, which was
strange.

“Jess.”

Oh my god.
She’d know that voice anywhere. The deep, rich sound had haunted
her for months in her dreams, but she wasn’t dreaming now. She turned around
slowly in the direction of the voice. There he stood, in the light of the
candles, wearing dress pants and a fitted shirt rolled up to the elbows,
showing off his strong forearms.
Damn him for looking so sinful!

“They went out tonight,” Nathan
said and nodded in the direction of Sadie’s apartment.

“But, didn’t Kyle do this for
her? Why would they do that?”

Jess was a little stunned to see
Nathan, in San Francisco. What was he doing here and why hadn’t he called her?

“You wound me, Jess.” Nathan
covered his heart with his hands. “This isn’t for Sadie,” he chuckled and put
his hands into his pockets.

“Bu-but you left,” she stammered.
“You left me.” She dropped her bag to the ground and looked around again. Was
he saying this was for her? Nathan did this for her?

His expression changed when he
moved a step closer and stared at her intently.

“You’re right. I did leave, and
I’m sorry it was in such a rush. But now I’ve left Los Angeles.”

“You left LA? But why? I don’t
understand.” Jess felt as if she were drunk. She sat down in one of the chairs,
and Nathan came over to kneel in front of her.

“For you. It’s for you, Jess. I
left LA to live here, so I could be closer to you. If that’s what you want.”
Nathan’s warm hands slid over her now shaking ones.

He’d given it all up for her? To
be with her? Pure joy swept through her at what he’d done, but then doubt
started to cloud her mind.

“Wait, what about your pilot?
Your career? Wouldn’t that have set you up financially?”

 
“It wasn’t a good fit. I’d be stuck
playing a ‘surfer dude’ for god knows how long, and to be honest my heart
wasn’t in it.”

“Nathan, you know how much I care
for you, but I can’t be with someone who expects me to support them while they
do nothing.” Jess pulled her hands away and moved away from Nathan to look at
the fountain.

“You think I’m a fucking
freeloader?”

Jess cringed at the hurt in his
voice but she didn’t turn around.

“That’s bullshit!” Nathan nearly
yelled. “Do you really think I’d move here to willingly become your boy toy and
not because of how I feel about you?” Nathan placed his hands on her shoulder
and turned her.

“I’ve been taking care of myself
for as long as I can remember. I worked my way through college and have always
paid my way. Though it bothered Kyle, I still paid him rent for my room at the
house in LA, and I’ll pay rent here too.” He nodded toward the unit he’d stayed
in before.

So he wasn’t a mooch. Jess stared
at the buttons of his shirt. She’d been wrong about him, hadn’t she?

“I’ve got a very busy job as a
graphic designer, so there would be no need for you to support me financially,
although you could help with some of the artsy designing stuff.”

Jess looked up at him with her
eyes wide. That explained the fancy computer stuff she’d seen in the apartment
the first time they’d met.

“It must be very lucrative if you
could afford to replace my dress,” she murmured as she started fidgeting with
the buttons on his shirt. He hummed his response as he pulled her close,
trapping her hands between them.

“I don’t care about any of that,
Jess. I care about you more than I ever expected. My so-called acting career
was beyond tragic, and I was already considering giving it up before I even met
you. I’m so busy with my other work that I haven’t even been going to casting
calls. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity to chase my dream,
but it didn’t work out and I’m okay with that. I have a new dream now,” he ran
his hand up and down her back in soothing motions.

Jess had to swallow back the
tears that were gathering. Could this be true?

“What is it now?” Jess asked as
her heart hammered in her chest.

Nathan put his finger under her
chin and raised her face so her eyes would meet his. He held them for a moment
before he moved his hand to his pocket. He pulled out a photo and handed it to
her.

Jess was puzzled. The photo that
Nathan had handed to her was a black and white image from Sadie’s gallery show
in Chicago, and she had no idea how this related to his new dream. But then it
clicked, and she gasped as she realized what Nathan had seen in the photo. Jess
was standing in the background of the shot, her gaze focused on Nathan, who
stood in the foreground with Kyle and Sadie, and they were laughing. Jess was
the only one in focus, and her face showed all the feelings she remembered
having at that exact moment, and a few she didn’t even know had existed.

“This is why I came back, Jess.
That look right there told me everything I needed to know about you. It showed
me that you aren’t a sugar mama looking for a play thing and that you actually
care for me as a person.”

Jess felt embarrassed. Her
playful comment about Nathan being her “boy toy” had been taken to heart, but
he continued before she could say anything.

“Your eyes in this photo, babe.
They show a vulnerability that can’t be faked, and I love you for it. That and
so very much more,” Nathan said, raising his hands to her face.

“Can we try?” he whispered.

“It’s too late, Nathan.” His eyes
widened, and his mouth opened slightly.

“I already love you too,” Jess
whispered before kissing Nathan for all she was worth, and she was worth a lot.

6 months later

Nathan
was happier then he’d even been. He’d watched his best friend marry his soul
mate today, Kyle’s dad had found love again, and now he was sitting here with
the love of his life on his lap. They watched Kyle and Sadie sway on the dance
floor to their first song as husband and wife. The entire wedding had been
beautiful and romantic.

He had watched Jess during the
ceremony and listened to the words as if they wove some spell over him. Kyle
even nudged him when it came time for the rings. Damn, being with Jess had
turned Nathan into a big softie. He playfully squeezed her to him, she smiled,
and he remembered all the reasons that he didn’t care what he was.

As the song was ending, Jess and
Nathan stood and walked over to join the couple on the dance floor. Miles
stepped in for Kyle and spun Sadie away as Katherine stepped in her place. It
warmed Nathan’s heart to see Kyle’s dad so happy now that he’d found love
again. The three couples exchanged partners once again as another song started.
Nathan kissed Sadie’s cheek before twirling her around and breaking into a
waltz.

“My my, good looking and a
fabulous dancer? Jess is a very, very lucky woman.” Sadie grinned up at him.
Their friendship had deepened once Nathan moved to the Bay.

“If I wasn’t in love with your
best friend, I’d show you just how lucky.” Nathan wiggled his eyebrows at her,
earning him a loud hoot and a smack from the bride.

The reception moved and flowed with
elegance and was a celebration of love. Everyone got up and danced during the
night, and the air was constantly filled with laughter, just as a wedding
should be. Nathan was dancing once again with Jess, when he felt a tap on his
shoulder. Looking up over his shoulder, he smiled.

“Don’t think you’re getting away
without a dance,” Katherine smiled.

“May I cut in, Jess? I promise to
give him back,” she said.

“Oh, I’m not worried about
getting him back. I know he’s not going anywhere,” Jess replied with a wink.
Nathan chuckled before kissing Jess as she walked away.

Katherine stepped close to Nathan
and they moved slowly across the dance floor.

“I like her spunk. Is she a
keeper?” Katherine asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, she’s definitely a keeper,”
Nathan said, smiling in her direction. Jess was having an animated conversation
with her and Sadie’s friend, Evan.

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Now
that Kyle is all settled, it’s your turn. You know how much I love you boys and
just want to see you happy.” Katherine was awesome. First she was a mentor to
Kyle at work then she and her daughter, Olivia, had taken him and Kyle under
their wings. Nathan felt as if they were extended family.

“When is Miles going to make an
honest woman out of you?” he teased. Katherine actually blushed.

“I see. Well you make sure he
speaks to me and Kyle.” This earned him an eye roll. He glanced toward Miles as
he laughed. Miles signaled to Nathan with his head, and Nathan brought
Katherine over to him as Jess walked up.

Nathan and Jess took a step back
as Miles flashed a megawatt smile and led Katherine to the dance floor as “Fly
me to the moon” came on.

“They are so sweet,” Jess said as
she watched the two float across the dance floor. Nathan pulled her out the
ballroom’s open doors into the night air. A full moon floated above them in the
clear black sky as they looked out over the water.

“I’m pretty smart when I want to
be,” he said and kissed Jess soundly, holding her close. Her softness against
his hard body never failed to move him.

“You’re always smart, sweetie.
You moved here to be with me didn’t you?” Jess said as she smiled up at him.

“I did, and I’m going to marry
you too,” Nathan said as he dropped to one knee and pulled a ring out of his
pocket. He had picked out a simple platinum band with two square amethyst
stones on each side of a large square diamond. Jess gasped and started crying.

“You are the smartest man I know.
And yes, you are totally going to marry me!” Jess squealed as she leaned down
and threw her arms around him, placing fevered kisses all over his face. Nathan
chuckled as he stood. Then he took her face gently in his hands.

“I love you, Jess Dempsey. I want
to marry you and spend the rest of my days loving you.”

Nathan slid the ring onto her
left ring finger.

“Good, because I can’t think of
anything I’d rather do with the rest of my life than be loved by you.”

THE END