Chapter Six-Moving Forward Feels Really Good

Jenna sent a text to Hank when she got home from lunch with her family.

'Hey! Just letting you know that I'm home. Feel free to come over any time'

Hank smiled when he saw her text. He couldn't wait to see her again.

'Great. I'll head your way shortly'

Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on Jenna's door. She smiled as she looked through the peephole to see Hank standing at her door. "Hey," Jenna said, leaning against the door as she opened it for him.

"Hey beautiful."

"Come on in," she said, holding out her hand to him.

Hank took her hand, stepping inside and kissing her cheek. As he pulled back, Jenna threw her other arm around his neck, pulling him close again and kissing him hard. "Hi," she said softly, the kiss leaving them both breathless.

"Hi," he said, kissing her again.

Just then, Jenna's washer buzzed, interrupting them. "I should take care of that."

Hank followed her to the laundry room. "Can I help?"

"I'm good. It'll just take a sec to switch things over. Sorry, I have neglected things around her these last couple of weeks."

"You've had a lot on your plate," he said.

Jenna sighed. "Yeah kinda. Work has been steady, and you've been keeping me busy," she said teasingly.

"Oh, have I?" Hank asked, putting his hands on her hips as he slid up behind her.

Jenna turned around in his arms, her hands gently resting on his chest. "You have. Not that I'm complaining," she said as she kissed him. "It just means I have to get a few things accomplished today."

She finished moving wet laundry to the dryer and started another load in the washer, and they moved to the couch.

"How was your morning with your kids?" he asked, taking her hand in his, playing with her fingers.

"It was good. I really like the church they attend, and we went to lunch after. It's so nice living close to them now. The twins are three, and I'm having so much fun with them."

"I'm sure it is. Having Erin and Justin around...there was nothing like it. If I didn't have Erin now, I don't know what I'd do."

"She seems like a great girl."

"She is. She means everything to me. Even though I didn't start raising her until she was fifteen, she's mine. Always has been."

Jenna put her hand on his arm. "It's good what you did for her. It really shows what kind of man you are."

Hank shrugged. "I don't know about that. But she's good. I'm proud of her."

They spent several hours talking, just enjoying getting to know more about each other. Hank had never met anyone like Jenna, so strong despite all of the difficult things she faced in her life. He could barely tear his eyes away from her, loving the way her face lit up while she was talking about her family and her past.

Jenna could tell that opening up was hard for Hank, but she was grateful that he trusted her enough to share his life with her. She could see walls coming down, and she loved the connection they were building.

"You're pretty incredible, you know that?" Hank said.

She blushed a little. "Hank."

"You are," he said, stroking her cheek. "I'm not good with talking about...you know...feelings, but I'm glad I'm getting to know you, to spend time with you, be close to you like this." He softly ran his thumb along her lips.

Jenna caught his hand, pulling him close as she kissed him. "Me too," she whispered, kissing him again. She moved to sit on his lap, her legs straddling his waist. Jenna ran her hands up and down his arms and chest before encircling her arms around his neck, pulling them even closer together as they kissed. Hank's hands drifted up and down her back and legs before settling at her waist.

Hank was surprised by Jenna. She didn't seem to be intimidated by him, not like others. She seemed shy at times, but she also wasn't afraid to go after exactly what she wanted, and it wasn't what he was used to. His relationship with Camille was beautiful, full of love and passion, but she never initiated things, relying on him to drive everything, but happily following wherever he wanted to go. But this, this was different, unpredictable, and it kept him guessing. It was a different level of excitement, and he couldn't wait to see where they could go together.

After a few minutes, Hank laid Jenna down on the couch, his lips moving to her neck. Jenna closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips and hands on her, enjoying the way he made her feel.

As Hank's lips moved down her chest and his fingers slipped under the back of her shirt, Jenna knew things were going too far. She wasn't ready to take that next step, so she knew she had to stop them, as badly as she wanted to give in.

"Hank stop," she whispered. He moved back up, kissing her hard again. When the kiss broke, she took his face in her hands, reluctantly stopping him. "Babe, we have to stop."

"What?" he asked.

"We can't go any farther. Not yet. It's too soon."

Hank rested his forehead against her shoulder as they both tried to catch their breath. He sat up, reaching out to take her hand and help her sit up too. He lifted his arm, and she slid under it, curling up against his side as he held her close.

After a few moments of silence, Hank spoke. "I'm sorry if I pushed too far or made you uncomfortable."

Jenna snuggled closer to him. "You didn't. I wanted the same things you wanted. It took literally everything in me to stop. But I don't want to screw this up, and moving too fast will screw this up."

"I know. It's just...been awhile for me, so once things got going, it was hard to think about stopping. Jen, I…I know it's quick, but I think we are really good together."

"Yeah we are," she said as she kissed him. "I appreciate you being patient with me. I promise you, it will be worth the wait," she said, giggling.

"I'm holding you to that," Hank said softly in her ear, sending chills racing down her spine.

Jenna smiled up at him. "It feels really good to be close to you. It's been awhile for me too."

"Has there been anyone? Since your ex? Is that something we can talk about?"

"Yeah it's fine. Since Jake, I dated a couple of guys casually, but nothing serious. There was another, just a close friend, and...things went way too far. A group of us went to dinner, and he drove me home after. I will probably forever regret crossing that line, and that's probably part of my hesitation right now. Then my ex and I...it's been hard to transition to not being together, so we've slipped up a few times."

"Do you miss him?"

"I thought I would. I miss having someone here. Sometimes it's hard being by myself so much. But this distance has already done a lot of good for both of us. That relationship is in the past, and moving forward feels really good. So, can I ask you how long it's been?"

"My wife died six years ago."

"There hasn't been anyone since?"

"Nothing serious. I've dated here and there, but it's been hard to think about really letting someone in. A couple of them spent the night, but it usually fizzled after that. None of them were...the right person, no one I felt really connected to, no one I felt like I could really trust. And then all of a sudden, we got a robbery phone call, and I rushed into the bakery of the most beautiful woman."

"Oh yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah. She was...gorgeous, even with blood running down her face." Jenna elbowed him as they both laughed.

"I remember thinking, as blood was running down my face, 'good grief, this cop is HOT'."

"Did you?"

"Oh yeah. And then he showed up at my shop later, and I knew that I was done for." Jenna smiled up at Hank as he chuckled under his breath. "Then yesterday...it was a great day."

"It was. It was pretty perfect."

"I'm going to just say this. I like you, Hank. I don't want to put pressure on you, but I don't want to see anyone else."

"I don't want to see anyone else either." He kissed her deeply. "I haven't felt like this in a very long time, and I really want to see where this can go."

Jenna leaned farther into him, closing her eyes for a moment. She agreed with him. She didn't want to move too fast, didn't want to set them up for failure, but she really wanted to see where this could go.

As the evening went on, they shared more stories, more laughs, and more kisses. As it got closer to midnight, they made plans to talk when they could on Monday, and hopefully get together at least a couple of times before the weekend. They kissed goodnight and reluctantly let go of each other. They both knew there was an undeniable connection, and for the first time, the future ahead looked hopeful.