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night together return to his mind in a blinding rush.
He wanted her. Badly. Now.
He pulled his head back and was just lifting her face to kiss her when the teakettle
whistled and the microwave beeped.
Hold that thought, she said with an impish smirk. You make the drinks, I ll get
the food.
A few minutes later, after they d put away all the cold leftovers and she d pulled the
last two slices of pumpkin pie from the fridge, they settled down side-by-side at the
counter, a plate of food in front of each of them.
He dug in, realizing just how hungry he was, but watched her from the corner of his
eye. At first she picked up her knife and fork and began cutting her food up into small
pieces, as he d seen her do before. But then she paused, as if rethinking her attack on the
food, and set her knife to the side. She stared at the plate for a few long moments, then
dug the fork into the small pile of mashed potatoes, doused them in a small moat of gravy
and lifted it to her lips.
Her eyes closed, she slowly slid the potatoes into her mouth then stopped, inhaled
slowly, as if savoring the very essence of the food. When a tiny moan escaped her, Jacob
nearly fell off the stool.
My God, he thought as his body reacted irrationally to the simple sight of her eating.
She could make such an ordinary food look sexy.
Mary!
Her eyes popped open and she swallowed. What? What s wrong? Is your food still
cold?
He swallowed hard, fighting back the urge to grab her and take her on the kitchen
counter. Shaking his head, he reached for his drink, suddenly wishing it were something
stronger. Hundred proof vodka might do the trick. After he swallowed a couple good
sized gulps, he asked, How long has it been since you ate real food?
She speared a piece of turkey with her fork, soaked it in gravy and then ate it. After
she chewed and swallowed, she smiled a slightly sad, sweet smile at him.
I ve been eating real food. I just haven t been enjoying any of it.
He touched her cheek, hoping she d explain. Needing to know what was going on in
her head.
She set her fork down and turned on the stool to face him. He did the same, taking
her hands in his.
183
Leanne Karella
Tell me, babe. I don t understand.
I m causing myself problems that I never realized. I d been so focused on losing
weight for so long, I lost sight of why I started. She blew out a quick breath. This is
hard to talk about, she said, but smiled at him. He returned the smile, silently
encouraging her to continue.
Before I lost weight, I felt horrible all the time. Achy joints, back pain. But I spent
the entire morning skiing with you, and I never had to stop even once because I was out
of breath. My muscles don t ache. She gave a little laugh and her beautiful green eyes
sparkled at him. Well, my thighs are a little sore.
He pulled his hands out of hers and laid them over her thighs, lightly massaging the
muscles. That s normal.
She nodded and her eyelids drooped a bit, obviously enjoying his touch. I realized
that it doesn t matter what anyone else thinks. The only person I need to impress is
myself, and I ve been so caught up in the process of losing the weight, I forgot to look in
the mirror. To see what I ve done and how much I ve already succeeded. She grinned
and laid her hands over his, stilling them. I actually like what I see, when I look at it the
right way. And I feel good, Jacob. Really good. I honestly hadn t realized that until
today.
What changed today? he asked softly, his gaze never wavering from hers. How
could severe stomach cramps and a trip to the ER make her realize she felt good?
It sounds stupid even to me.
He raised his eyebrows, waiting.
The number. Hearing the doctor say my weight. I hadn t been this weight since high
school. You see, I d always been on the...uh...chunky side, but in high school it wasn t
that bad. She shook her head and glanced down at her plate of turkey. I don t even
know how to explain it, Jacob. I just know that I m not anorexic. I don t want to starve
myself to death. In fact, I can t tell you how much I ve missed eating certain foods.
So, you ll start eating healthier now? Real meals?
Her smile dazzled him. Oh, yeah. Then she shook her head. I mean, I ll always
have to watch what I eat. Especially now that I know I have a thyroid problem and the
colon thing, but I m not going to avoid food anymore. I--I want to enjoy life to the
fullest.
Then eat your dinner, babe, he said, his heartbeat finally settling back to a calm,
non-panic, non-confused state. And I m very proud of you. And you have every right to
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