34. Vintage + Valentine

Something super exciting happened today!! Make sure you read my note at the end of this chapter 😍

Jayce had played hooky today, claiming to be sick. The funny part is, he had still dropped me off at school. Teachers had seen him and everything, but he didn't care. He'd just driven off anyway, whooping with excitement about whatever he had planned.

I was worried that I'd get cornered and questioned by someone with authority, but when no teachers approached me, I knew he wouldn't get in trouble. Oh, the perks of being rich and famous.

Today is Valentine's day, which means Jayce and I have been together for a month and a half. An absolutely glorious month and a half.

We'd sweated our guts out while dancing at concerts.

We'd lost our voices from screaming on roller coasters, just to get kicked out of the park later that night.

We'd made out in a looooot of places.

At an away game last weekend, Jayce even had a little "you-had-her-first-but-now-she's-mine" protective showdown with Leo. It was awkward. But kind of fantastic at the same time.

By the time school let out and I'd served a mostly-convincing fib to Coach Cindy about why I wouldn't be at practice today, I'm beyond giddy and nearly bursting with anticipation about what could be in the works for this evening.

My phone dings with a single, red heart from Jayce. I smile down at my phone as I step outside, the winter sun streaming onto my face. A slightly-warm, brisk wind blows, indicating that spring is coming, which is a fact I couldn't be happier about. Looking up at the clear blue sky, I take a deep breath in, letting it refresh me.

The weather is currently in that in-between phase where it's slightly too warm for winter clothes, but not warm enough for short sleeves. Either way, I'm grateful for my sweatshirt.

"Fallon!" I hear Jayce's deep voice call my name.

My eyes quickly find his familiar masculine frame, which is striding toward me. His skin looks flawless and golden in the sunlight, and his brilliant smile knocks the wind out of me. His brown eyes drink me in as he approaches. He wraps me in his strong, warm embrace, kissing me sweetly.

"Happy Valentine's Day, love," he whispers in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you," I smile back, already a mess of giggles and butterflies.

"Shall we?" He bends his elbow toward me and gestures to a swoon-worthy car.

It's a vintage Rolls Royce that's waxed to perfection and has shockingly pristine whitewall tires.

Drool.

"Is that yours?" I feel my jaw fall open as I loop my hand around his arm and we walk to the burgundy beast.

"Well, it's my dad's, but he let me borrow it for the night. We do have to be careful, though. This is one of his prized possessions," Jayce says as he opens the left-side door for me, which isn't the driver's side. Must be a British car.

"That's... decent of him," I remark as I climb in, sure that Alexei must have incurred some form of brain damage. There's no way Jayce got to simply borrow this car. "What'd he make you promise to do in return?"

"Nothing," Jayce shrugs, closing the door then hoisting himself over both the door and me, landing nimbly on the seat next to me, causing me to shriek and sink lower into the seat.

"Showing off, are we?" I gasp, clutching at my heart as it settles down once my brain realizes I'm not about to get slammed in the face by one hundred and eighty pounds of muscle.

He just chuckles and runs his fingers through his hair before sliding over to the wheel and starting the car.

This car has perfect seats for making out.

Or car sex.

Just saying.

"Only for you," he grins and ruffles my hair with his large hand before roaring out of the parking lot.

The next thirty minutes are filled with enjoying the sunlight on our skin and the crisp wind tangling our hair, while screaming the lyrics to Wolfmother's "Victorious" album and miming air-guitar and drums.

When we hit the outskirts of Santa Elelita, Jayce parks in front of a high-end mall, one I've never been to before.

"What exactly are we doing here?" I ask as we climb out, giddy from the open air.

"Instead of getting dressed up separately, I thought it'd be fun to pick out nice outfits for each other," Jayce smiles as he pulls me close to him. I melt right into his side, loving how I fit perfectly under his arm.

"That's fucking adorable," I chortle, wondering where the hell this man came from. "So, I get to dress you?"

"Yep, But there are two rules," he says with over-exaggerated sternness.

"Oh?"

"Our outfits have to be red, because today is about love and all that red shit, and we both have to promise to wear whatever the other picks," he smirks down at me suggestively as he leads us into the first store. "Agreed?"

"Oh, god," I chuckle, already imagining him picking out some skimpy-ass lingerie for me. "Fine."

He dismisses the flirty female employees who try to insist on helping us as he practically sprints around the store, piling clothes over his arm for me to try on. I attempt to keep up with his pace, laughing at how much fun he's having, but only end up pulling five or six items for him. I slyly eye the price tags and notice that nothing seems to be below $200. I'm glad I never deposited the cash earnings from some Party Princess gigs earlier this week, but I still feel anxiety in my gut over the fact that I'm probably going to be spending several Franklins on one outfit.

Heading back to the dressing rooms, we make our way into one together. I was smart enough to wear a cute underwear and bra set that actually matched. It is Valentine's Day, after all, and ya girl isn't entirely stupid.

"You first," Jayce smirks, looking me slowly up and down.

I lift my sweatshirt over my head, my heart rate already faster than usual.

"Damn, babe," Jayce breathes, running his fingers through his curls and biting his lower lip as his eyes drag over the top half of me.

I slowly unbutton my jeans, making sure to tease him as I wiggle out of them. It's not the first time he's seen me in just my bra and underwear, but it's the first time he has while we've been officially dating.

"Try this one first," Jayce's sultry voice orders as he hands me a gorgeous deep red dress, "with this underneath," he hands me some sort of chain contraption, his eyes never leaving my body.

I take them gingerly, not sure how the hell the chain thing works. I've seen them on Instagram and they're hot as hell, but I've never actually had to put one on before.

"Uhh..." I hold up the chain, indicating that I have no idea how to do what he's asking of me.

"Right," he chuckles, his eyes returning to my face. "Let me help you."

His fingertips dance across my skin and I'm covered with chill bumps in seconds as he helps me into the body chain, seeming to take extra care with the parts around my boobs.

I slip into the dress and a pair of deep red Jimmy Choos. I turn to the mirror, taking in my appearance as Jayce also stares at my reflection, his brown eyes filled with heat.

"What do you think?" I giggle, my heart speeding up even more.

"You're perfect," he growls with a mischievous smirk. "No fucking point in trying on the rest of these."

To my horror, he picks up the tag on the back of the dress and rips it off, tossing it into a small waste bin in the corner.

"Jayce!" I screech in shock, my stomach flipping. "We have to pay for this!"

"Nah," he shakes his head, his curls bouncing in a thousand directions. "My parents are friends with the owners. They barter shit all the time. It's fine."

"Jayce, these shoes alone are $875 dollars," I barely choke out. "You'll have to give them free wine for six months just to cover the shoes."

"Last May, dad picked out a suit that was $5,000 dollars," Jayce says as casually as if he's talking about the weather. "A few months later, the owners came to our house for dinner and fell in love with a painting mom picked up in Spain for $15,000 but never hung up. They took the painting home, which means we can pick out $10,000 dollars of stuff from their store."

"Jesus," I shake my head, not comprehending giving away a $5,000 suit or handing over a $15,000 dollar painting at a dinner party. I guess the rich really do it differently.

"Please don't worry about it," Jayce smiles down at me sweetly. "I don't want you to be thinking about money or any bullshit like that today, okay?"

I nod, still unable to wrap my head around this concept. But, I do as he asked and clear my mind of Jayce's family's exuberant wealth. Exuberant enough to drop 15 G's on a painting and not even hang it.

"Your turn now?" I raise a questioning eyebrow, already getting excited as I anticipate seeing him in nothing but his boxers again.

He smiles playfully before ripping his shirt open and undoing his belt, quickly pushing his pants to the floor.

Oof.

His tanned, muscular build is absolute perfection. I can't believe he's real. I don't even try to hide my amazement as I let my eyes move over his toned, golden body.

Wow.

"You all good, Tink?" Jayce asks with a hint of teasing in his voice. "You're staring."

"Before we were dating it would've been weird for me to do this," I tell him. "But now, I can stare at you however long and hard I want to."

"I know another thing that's long and hard."

"Jayce!" I giggle, smacking him with my shirt as I feel my cheeks heat up. "Just try this on," I pass a red suit to him.

I watch him with unashamedly thirst-filled eyes as he dons my top pick. The way his muscles move as he dresses is practically foreplay.

"What do you think?" He asks with his brown eyes trained on me, not even looking at his own reflection.

"I think I liked you better without the suit," I reply cheekily. "But, it'll do for today."

"Great," Jayce's smile lights up his entire face, his eyes crinkling with the expression. "Let's go," we grab our clothes and walk out in the outfits we picked.

Jayce squeezes my ass as we exit the dressing rooms and after a brief stop at the register and a quick conversation with the shift manager, during which Jayce's hand doesn't leave my behind, we're back in the car.

I can tell it's nearing 5pm, because the sky has began to morph from blue to vibrant orange, yellow and pink. We speed down the highway as the air cools and the sun sinks, our hair flying wildly in the wind. I'd started shivering at one point, and Jayce had handed me a fuzzy blanket from the backseat. By the time he pulls off the highway again, I'm warm and beyond happy.

The more we drive, I notice that the trees get wilder and the road gets bumpier. Jayce turns off the main drag, onto a dirt road cut between the tall redwood trees. There's no way I would've noticed it.

"Where are we going?" I can't help but wonder as we dart between trees.

"You'll see," he smiles.

The path curves around a large rock formation and suddenly we're riverside.

Jayce kills the engine as I take in our surroundings. We're about 100 yards from a peaceful river, and with the setting sun and redwood trees, it looks like we're in a fairy tale world. My eyes move to the riverbank...

Bumping against a dock is a stunning black gondola with intricate silver detailing and red seats. Standing on the stern is an older man dressed in a white shirt and dark pants with a red sash around his waist and a black fisherman's hat on his head. He seems to be waiting for us.

Climbing out of the car, Jayce takes my hand and we walk down the dock as the rippling water and evening forest sounds create the ultimate melody. I feel my heart do a little dance. If we're really about to go in that gondola, I'm beyond excited.

"Good evening, Mr. Solis, Miss Rhodes," the man says with a smile as we arrive. He has kind eyes, a thick accent and a large salt and pepper mustache.

"Hey, Marco," Jayce smiles and expertly climbs in, then turns around to help me step into the swaying gondola.

We settle into the plush red seats and pull a blanket over our legs as Marco moves us away from the dock and we start down the river.

I look out at the bow, amazed by our surroundings. There's water rushing on either side of the gondola, redwood trees on the riverbanks that seem to reach all the way to the colorful sky, and Jayce's warm, firm body next to me... This is so fucking perfect.

A smile forms on my face and I lean my head on Jayce's shoulder, taking a deep, contented breath in and out.

"This is insane," I giggle as Jayce places his hand on my thigh. "How did you do this?"

"A gentleman never tells," Jayce chuckles, squeezing my thigh.

"Gentleman?" I scoff, sitting up and giving him a playful shove. "You?"

"Hey, I've been so fucking gentlemanly lately," he defends.

"I suppose you have," I laugh as he lifts his arm around my shoulder and I snuggle into his chest.

After about ten minutes of falling in and out of an incredibly peaceful sleep on Jayce's chest, the gondola bumps into another dock. Jayce helps me out and hands a wad of bills to Marco, who tips his hat in appreciation.

I see our destination before we reach it, and it takes my breath away.

Nestled between the trees is a small gazebo-like area made from wooden posts, an abundance of greenery and potted plants. My heart leaps in my chest as I see lanterns hanging from the posts. Tons of candles cast a warm glow over the table and two chairs in the middle of the structure.

Part of me just wants to stare at the little area without entering, for fear of disturbing it or ruining its picturesque aesthetic.

"This is gorgeous," I breathe, totally in awe.

"I've seen better," Jayce says smoothly, his eyes moving to me. "Shall we?" He gestures to the chairs.

I nod and we take our seats. I'm surprised by how much warmth the candles give off. Right as I open my mouth to ask if we're going to be eating the leaves for dinner, our server from Table d'Évangéline appears, wielding a stunning charcuterie board and two glasses of wine.

"Gabriel?!" I blurt from surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

"Mr. Jayce hired me to dazzle your tastebuds this evening," he smiles as he places the food in front of us, his French accent dancing to my ears.

"What's on the menu?" I ask, my mouth already watering as I take in the sight of the meats, cheeses, bread and fruits on the wooden board in front of us.

"Anything you'd like," Gabriel says. He pronounces 'anything' like 'anyzing.'

"Anything?"

"Anyzing," he nods in confirmation.

I look to Jayce, who has clearly learned very quickly that the way to my heart is through food. "You're amazing," I tell him.

"I know," he chuckles, leaning back in his chair and running his fingers through his hair. In the candlelight, the red of his suit, gold of his skin, white of his teeth, rich brown of his curls and warmth of his eyes is a recipe for seduction.

"Surprise me with your favorite dish," I smile up at Gabriel, whose expression indicates that he's pleased with my answer.

"Same for me," Jayce says.

"You're in for a treat, mademoiselle," Gabriel looks about as excited as a kid in a candy store. I watch him retreat to a small cabin several feet away that I hadn't noticed before.

"Where exactly are we?" I ask, turning to Jayce, who seems to have been watching me with adoration in his eyes.

"This is where my parents lived when they first started the vineyard. They had spent practically everything they had on starting Duende, so Dad built that cabin with his own hands," Jayce explains, popping a slice of cheese in his mouth. "After Duende took off, they built the house we live in now, but decided to keep this as a secret sanctuary. They stay here sometimes to make sure they don't forget where they came from."

"That sounds shockingly humble of your father," I remark.

"Like I've said," Jayce leans his elbows on the table, "he wasn't always as douchey as he is now."

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

Jayce studies me for several seconds. "Probably one day."

"Well," I say, fighting to keep my voice from sounding annoyed. "Can we pretend 'one day' is today?"

"You're persistent," Jayce chuckles, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"And you're insanely sexy," I roll my eyes, intentionally pouring sass over my words. "Now that we've covered the obvious, can you at least tell me why you won't tell me?"

His smile fades and he shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. His eyebrows furrow and his gaze drops to the charcuterie board.

A tense, silent minute passes and he still doesn't respond.

As much as I've gotten to know Jayce over the past six months, there's still been something mysterious about him. Something I can't figure out.

It's rare, but he has these moments where his eyes fill with a mixture of intense sadness and anger. I haven't figured out what triggers it, but I'm betting it's somehow related to whatever made his dad become such a dick.

"Okay," I say, a bit frustrated. "At least answer me this..."

He doesn't move.

I continue. "On New Year's, your mom told me that your family went through some trauma several years ago, and that your heart was broken in an 'extremely unforeseen way,'" I press, my pulse picking up in anticipation. "Is whatever happened also what made your dad change?"

"Yes," Jayce says, still staring at the table, his voice void of emotion.

"Tell me?" I ask softly, wishing he'd trust me.

He finally looks up and gives me a sad smile. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters, Jayce," I put my hand on top of his. "It's part of who you are, and I want to know you. Even the painful stuff."

"...You'd hate me," he says in a weak voice, turning away.

I'm not sure if the dim light is playing tricks on me, but before he turned, his eyes appeared to fill with tears.

"I could never hate you," I scoot closer, hoping to coax it out of him. Whatever 'it' is.

"Trust me, you would if I told you," Jayce's voice is sad and slow. "Please... just leave it alone."

I wish he'd look at me. I wish he wouldn't shut me out. There's a big part of his past that he refuses to let me see, and it breaks my heart that he feels so imprisoned to it and so broken by it that he can't even talk about it.

"Don't you trust me?" I ask, my question bordering on whining, which I hate myself for.

"Of course I do," he says with a sigh. "I just don't want to talk about it right now."

"Fine," I surrender as suddenly Gabriel reappears with a smile on his face and an array of plates stacked on his arms.

"C'est la côte de bœuf. This is beef rib," Gabriel translates as he places a glorious, huge rib steak in front of us along with curly shoestring potatoes, sautéed onions, cooked tomatoes, green beans and grilled asparagus. "Bon appétit," he smiles before ducking back out.

"Oh my god," my mouth waters as my nose is tantalized by the aromas.

Jayce and I share a quick 'fuck yes' glance before diving into the meal.

Taking a bite of the steak, I understand why some meat is described as melt in your mouth. I feel my eyes roll back in my head as I sample each flavor.

Jayce has always eaten so fast, I'm amazed he doesn't choke.

Within a handful of minutes, everything is gone.

"That was so fucking good," I praise, leaning back in my seat and patting my stomach after we've devoured everything. "The French know what's up."

"Just wait until you have a full seven-course meal in Paris," Jayce says, his smile returning.

"That's actually such a sexual statement," I laugh, fantasizing about being served incredible food for seven straight courses.

"I'll have to take you there sometime," he tells me with a smirk, his eyes taking me in.

"To Paris?" I ask, wondering if I heard him correctly.

"Yeah," he leans forward with a crooked smile, taking my hand in his warm grasp.

"Why?" I feel my face scrunch up in question. Even though he's loaded, flying two people to Paris can't be a cheap feat.

"Because you mean a lot to me," Jayce says as he leans toward me, his intense brown eyes searching deep into mine.

"Well, you mean a lot to me, too, but I'm not about to fly us to France," I giggle, still shocked by his statement. No one has ever spent that kind of money on me before.

"What can I say?" Jayce shrugs with a playful smile. "I like to spoil my girl."

"That much I know," I grin, gesturing to our surroundings as my heart patters.

"And also because..." Jayce brings his face even closer to mine, looking down at me with fire in his eyes. "Because I love you, Fallon Adeline Rhodes."

Wait.

My heart stops.

Holy shit.

I feel my lips part and my eyes widen. "What?"

"I love you," he says again, a shining smile spreading across his lips.

"I..." I gasp. I can't breathe. I can't form words.

"I love you so fucking much," Jayce's voice rumbles around in my ribcage. "I've loved you for a long time."

"You have?" I peep, my voice hitched in my throat.

He nods slowly, a warm smile on his face. "Ever since the beginning of the year, when you dumped beer on my head and slapped me at Adam's party," he chuckles.

"Seriously?" I half laugh, half sniffle as my stomach churns wildly and tears well up in my eyes.

"Yeah, that's when you got me," he laughs. "I remember thinking to myself, 'Holy shit, not only is this girl hot as hell, but she's got fire in her heart.' I love the way you fight for what you want, Tink. I love how strong and unstoppable you are. And the way your eyes smile just as much as those perfect lips do..." his eyes dart to my mouth before snapping back up to my eyes. "There's something magical about you."

"Duende," I say fondly, remembering Celeste's explanation of the word.

"Exactly," he whispers, gazing at me. "You're a work of art, Fallon. A masterpiece. Not only your body, but also your soul. Your mind and spirit. All of you."

"Jayce..." I breathe. My throat is dry and tears are threatening to spill down my cheeks as my heart pounds in my chest. "I... I love you, too."

He closes the gap between us and I'm done. I melt. I'm gone. I rake my hands through his hair, grabbing his curls as he hooks his hands under my thighs and pulls me onto his lap. I straddle him as our lips move in a needy, heated rhythm. He flicks his tongue along my bottom lip and I press myself against him, intoxicated by his scent and the feeling of his strong hands on my waist.

I roll my hips against his hard front as he grabs at my ass, his hot hands working me into a state of desperation.

Suddenly, there's the sound of a nearby door opening. Jayce and I break apart, a combination of 'oh shit' and 'should we not care and keep going?' on both of our faces. I barely manage to get my butt back in my seat before Gabriel rounds the corner with a plate of chocolate mousse, decorated with raspberries, curls of lemon peel and a dusting of powdered sugar.

"Merci beaucoup," Jayce says with a polite nod after Gabriel deposits the plate on the table.

I burst into a fit of giggles once Gabriel leaves and I hear the cabin door close again.

Jayce smiles and takes a spoonful of mousse, holding it up to my mouth. I gladly eat it off the spoon, doing my best to do so suggestively.

"So, I was thinking," Jayce says as I lick the chocolate off my lips, "that I'd take you dancing. There's a great speakeasy in downtown Santa El that specializes in jazz. We could go, if you want?"

"I'd love that!" I bubble, amazed that I actually scored a boyfriend who likes to dance. "As long as we don't run into Tom Jeffers like we did at the last club, I'm game."

"No promises," Jayce chuckles. "But we'll do our best to avoid him."

"Has your PI found anything worth mentioning?" I ask lightly, itching for information but not wanting to seem desperate. I know Jayce doesn't want to talk about the mystery until we have more facts, but I still think about it a lot.

"Nothing yet," Jayce shakes his head, his curls falling in front of his eyes. "When you saw us talking outside the club, I told him he has until the end of the month to get me answers. So, hopefully we'll know something new within the next two weeks."

We finish the mousse, thank Gabriel for a delicious, beautiful evening and climb back in the gondola. Marco delivers us safely to the first dock and soon, Jayce and I are back in the car.

Wrapped in the blanket again, I smile as I think about today. Jayce is the perfect Valentine. Zipping down the highway with my hand wrapped in his, my mind wonders to a vision that I can't help but hope will come to pass.

Jayce and me, laughing, exploring, dancing and stuffing our faces all across Paris. Just him and I. Together.

~~~

WOW Y'ALL.

So, remember at the beginning of this chapter when I told you something really exciting happened?!

Well...

THIS STORY JUST WON 1ST PLACE in EliahGreenwood 's "Greenwood Christmas" competition!!! I can't freaking believe it. I'm soooo grateful. She's an amazing author who has published her books, so make sure to check out her work if you haven't already! I'm literally in awe of the fact that a legit author thinks lil ole me's writing is worth anything 😍🤩😭 so blown away.

These are the 2 covers she made me as part of the prize. Tell me what you think !

@writermohi won 2nd place in the competition with her book "Matters Of The Hart," so give her some kudos! (idk why it's not letting me tag you girl)

Anyways. I'm bubbling today.

And I'm just a mess of happy after writing this chapterrrr 😍 I also went ahead and made a lil aesthetic board for Jaylon's Valentines Day, because why not? So, here's that:

Don't you just love love?! Ahh. I do. Heck.

What are some of the things you LOVE?

Tap the star to vote ! 😍⭐️

And read on. 😉🥰