Love Rents A Room
Chapter 216: Her Wish

Chapter 216: Her Wish

"To hold you in my arms... To promise you my love...To tell you from the heart... You’re all I’m thinking of..."

The lyrics wrapped around Joanne’s heart. Jeffrey wasn’t just singing a song. He was singing his heart. He made those lyrics alive as his emotions were revealed though those beautiful words.

When he finished, there was silence again. But this time, it was reverent. Sacred. The kind of silence that only existed between two souls who had seen each other at their most broken, and still chosen love.

Joanne opened her eyes slowly. She looked up at him, and he was already watching her.

"You’re a good singer," she whispered, a soft smile tugging at her lips even as emotion swelled in her chest.

Jeffrey chuckled, the sound low and warm in the breeze. "Only for you."

Joanne shook her head lightly, still awed. "How come you never sang to me before?"

He looked at her with something like a half-apology in his eyes. "I only got good at this one... after listening to it a million times this past year."

Her heart twisted. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek—tender and lingering. "I missed you a lot too, you know..."

He nodded slowly, eyes softening. His hand rose to cup her cheek, thumb brushing away the shimmer gathering in the corner of her eye.

"We’re past that now, aren’t we?" he asked quietly, searching her face.

Joanne nodded, her throat tight. "We are."

But something still lingered.

"Hey, Jeff..." she looked at him, brows knitting slightly. "How come you didn’t find a single way to contact me?"

Jeffrey’s expression tensed, guilt creeping into the lines of his face. "Grandpa... stopped every attempt. I—" he paused, sighing heavily. "Can I be honest with you, Jo?"

She nodded.

"I really thought that letter I left would reach you," he said, his voice quieter now. "And after everything, I thought... maybe I should listen to him just once in my life. Just once."

As he shifted, moving to straddle her legs while staying on his knees beneath the wide oak, Joanne sat up, eyes narrowing in slow realization. She understood what he was saying. He’d spent years going against his grandfather’s wishes, and for once, when he believed she’d at least have something—his letter—he’d chosen to obey.

She let out a long breath. The national postal service had a lot to answer for. She wondered how many lovers were torn apart by a lost envelope.

But Jeffrey wasn’t done.

"I... I had access to your cameras," he added, hesitating. "I used to watch you—working in the barn, feeding the animals, sometimes riding out near the creek. It was the only thing that kept me sane."

Joanne blinked, processing, and then froze.

"You what?" she said slowly, her entire body stiffening.

Jeffrey winced. "Well, your password was literally ’JEFFREY WINCHESTER IS A STUPID ASS’ in all caps. It wasn’t hard to guess."

"You fucking—" she cut herself off, eyes blazing as she sat up straighter. "You were spying on me? You creepy little~"

"I just needed to see you," he said quickly, holding up his hands. "You stopped posting. You weren’t in any photos. I—I just missed you."

With a growl of frustration, she pushed him down flat on the soft grass and straddled him. Her fists clenched as she hovered over him, her breath sharp and uneven.

"I had nothing, you bastard. No pictures. No calls. No texts. No letters. Nothing but headlines about your engagement to Heather fucking Nelson!"

"I’m sorry," Jeffrey whispered, eyes closed as if ready to take a blow. "I deserve that. All of it."

She didn’t hit him. Couldn’t. Not when he looked so handsome.

"You didn’t check your messages from the other phone before coming here, did you?" Jeffrey asked. He had given her a detailed description of what he was planning to do with Heather.

"Well..." Joanne’s voice trailed. He was telling her what he was doing lately. She could have texted him rather than barging in with a gun in hand.

"Never mind... I left you to worry alone..." Jeffrey placed his hand on her cheek. Poor woman was terrified of going through the pregnancy alone. He understood why she wasn’t thinking rationally.

"I’m glad you’re here, Jo. I truly am."

With a deep, trembling sigh, she collapsed forward and buried her face against his chest, her ear resting over his heartbeat. It was racing.

"You make me lose control, Jeffrey. I hate that," she murmured, her voice muffled. "I must look so classless."

Jeffrey exhaled with a half-laugh, his fingers combing through her hair. "All I see is how much you love me," he said softly. "And honestly... It’s turning me on."

Joanne stiffened slightly, then lifted her head just enough to glare down at him. Her hips shifted, and she felt it.

"You horny douchebag."

Jeffrey grinned. "Only for you, Joanne Smith."

Joanne rolled her eyes and muttered, "God help me," before flopping back onto his chest again. She ended up chuckling with him.

Seriously... this man was going to be the end of her.

They lay there, tangled under the wide canopy of the old oak tree, surrounded by whispering leaves and the golden hush of early evening. And for a while, there was nothing else; just the scent of grass, the distant chirp of birds, and the breathless calm that comes after the storm.

Jeffrey drew soft, slow circles on Joanne’s back with his fingers, grounding himself in the feel of her against him.

"I know I’ve used up all your forgiveness, Jo," he murmured. "No more."

Joanne slowly sat up, and he instinctively rubbed her back, noticing how her color had paled. A flicker of concern touched his heart. He hadn’t realized until now that morning sickness didn’t limit itself to mornings.

"Don’t stomp on my love and my pride anymore, Jeffrey..." Her hand came to rest over his chest, right above his heart. She leaned in to kiss his lips but brushed against his chin instead, her aim swayed by exhaustion. "I don’t like resenting you. I want to be in love with you—forever."

There it was. Her wish, wrapped in fragile honesty.

She had loved him. Hated him. And somewhere along the way, learned that love felt far better than hate ever could. That life—when lived without loving him—felt like holding her breath underwater.

Jeffrey wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the curve of her neck, drinking in the scent of her skin and hair and earth and memory. "I won’t let you lose your love. Not ever again."