JAMESON
Our hands were locked tightly, intertwined and assured, as we reluctantly left the cove. The stars were shining amongst the calm, black sky that covered the entire Gulf with a peaceful glow.
“I saw Olivia and Owen tonight,” I mumbled, afraid of Soph’s reaction.
“Me too,” she admitted. “They took me to dinner. I smiled through it, but I really wanted to curl into a ball and cry.”
“That’s honest.”
She looked up at me with a brow furrowed in disbelief. “I don’t have time to be fake, Jameson. It was awful. She was talking about you being a dick, Owen being hot, and how she wanted to hook me up with Derek. As I said, I wanted to curl into a ball and cry.”
“At least it got your mind off our argument for a while.” I shrugged. “…Derek, eh?”
“Whatever.” She chuckled. “I’m not over our argument. That was seventy-nine percent of why I wanted to curl in a ball and cry, you dick.”
“You spent too much time with Olivia.” I laughed, placing my arm around Soph’s shoulders as we approached the emergency lane.
“You didn’t tell me how you managed to steal a car,” I pressed. “My girlfriend could be arrested for grand theft auto.”
“How does that make you feel, Jameson?”
“Honestly? Like my pants are too tight and I need a shower in the Arctic.”
Her cheeks reddened and a smile formed along her perfectly pink lips, “Then I’m sorry to inform you I didn’t officially steal it. The keys were still in Jules’s house. I grabbed them and drove here once we were done with dinner.”
“It took a lot for you to make those friends. Even Derek…” the second part came through clenched teeth. “I can’t ask you to give up your friends and your aunt…for me.”
“I didn’t hear you ask me that. What I did hear was me saying it was my decision to run away. You’re in that decision and, Jameson, I will always choose you.”
The gravel groaned beneath our tired feet. I wanted to carry Soph into the car, buckle her in, and drive for hours, but we had to figure out a plan. And, despite her desire, I couldn’t leave Thomas without finding out every detail he had learned while I was out looking for Soph.
“Which car should we take?”
“I’ll drive Jules’s,” she whispered between yawns.
“No.” I took the keys from her hand. “You’re too tired. I’ll drive you in mine. We’ll give the keys to Elizabeth to give to your aunt in the morning.”
“I don’t want to go back there, Jameson. I don’t want to see your people.”
My eyes sealed. “They’re not my people. You’re my people, Soph.”
I leaned forward, taking her by surprise, and kissed her. It was greedy, claiming, warm, and precious. I could show her I loved her, but now I needed to find the right way to tell her.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Take me back. Let’s figure out a plan.”
“Really?” I asked, bending my face to look at her beautiful eyes. They smiled at me and I knew she meant it.
Her quiet nod was permission and acceptance, so I helped her into the passenger seat of my car and fastened the buckle like she was a delicate child, all while Soph watched me.
“You’re a very gentle human,” she sighed, scanning my face. “I wouldn’t have thought that when I first met you.”
“No?” I laughed, wiggling from a bending position at the buckle and leaning against the doorframe.
Her right hand combed through my hair, slowly tickling its way down to my shoulder while Soph simply looked at me. Her eyes were full of innocence, full of loss; she was the perfect juxtaposition of light and dark.
“No,” she repeated. “You had all of these secrets.”
“So did you.”
“But mine weren’t a secret.” She shrugged, looking away. “I feel terribly guilty for making you give me your whole story.”
I took her chin in my fingers, guiding her gaze back to mine. “You didn’t make me do anything. I had been waiting a long time for you to come along and listen to me, Soph. I think I realized that the second I watched you walk along the sidewalk with Fitz. This whole time, I was waiting for you.”
“Waiting for me?”
“Waiting for you.” I nodded, releasing my hold on her chin and absorbing the glow of her blue eyes. “My heart had been paused, my life placed on hold, just waiting for Sophia Reid to come along, open me again, and erase all of my pain. Don’t cry, Soph. Shit. Oh, dammit. I’m sorry, I swore again. Shit.”
“Stop.” She started giggling through the tears dribbling from her eyes. “It’s fine if you swear. I’m not damn sacred porcelain, Jameson.”
Profanities coming from Soph’s mouth may have been the hottest thing I had ever experienced.
“But to me…” I leaned down to press a quick kiss against her forehead. “…you are porcelain.”
***
I pulled back into the Ritz parking lot about forty minutes later, having taken the long way and plenty of time to delay returning Soph to Thomas and his respectful opinion of our relationship. She had drifted off, distracting me from driving with her peaceful expression. Her lips were opened, sometimes trembling while she dreamt, and her hands placed delicately in her lap. I hated to wake her, but we couldn’t put off going inside any longer. When I turned off the ignition, she shifted and slowly opened her eyes.
“Sorry,” I groaned, “but we’re back.”
“Okay.”
With heavy hearts, we reluctantly climbed from the SUV and began walking toward the entrance. I wrapped my arm around Soph, holding her against me while we waited for the elevator. I didn’t let go as we climbed the floors and she stood silently at my side, or when we stood outside of the suite.
“I really despise him,” she muttered to me, “…and she isn’t my favorite person either.”
“Naturally.” I smiled at her. “I know I am your favorite person.”
She whacked me in the chest. That felt amazing. She was on fire, burning from the inside with wit and a sparkling mischievous side that I couldn’t wait to explore.
“They aren’t my favorite right now either.” I stiffened. “But they’re really our only option for getting information. They can help us get out of here.”
“I stole their money, Jameson.” She looked up at me, fear filling her sweet eyes. This thief. I was falling hard for her with each discovery this evening.
“You what?”
She didn’t have time to respond to me as the door widely opened before us, revealing Elizabeth and her worried glance.
“You’re back,” she sighed, placing a palm to her chest. “Both of you. We were really worried.”
“We’re just here because Soph needs to know the truth.” I couldn’t tell her that we planned on leaving, that we weren’t going to say goodbye. It would break her heart.
Elizabeth nodded, stepping out of the doorway and allowing our entrance. Thomas was standing in the doorway between the living area and the kitchen, holding another glass of wine.
“Jameson.” He nodded, taking a sip.
“Thomas.” Dick.
No. Shit. What were we even doing here? She didn’t need answers from Thomas and Elizabeth. She needed them from me and I needed to get her out of here. We shouldn’t have gone back. I shouldn’t have forced her to go back to the hotel. Nothing good would come from being there.
“This was a mistake.” I reached for Soph’s hand and she looked up at me, frightened. “I’m sorry.”
“Wh—” I didn’t even let Soph finish her syllable before pulling her out of the hotel room and into the hallway. I pounded against the elevator button, but it wasn’t moving quickly enough.
“Stairs,” I called, dragging her with me further down the hall. We were running, Soph’s small legs barely able to keep up with my pace. I felt terrible, but surely she would understand when we got somewhere private. I hope.
“Where…are…we…going…” she panted, trailing behind me while still grasping my hand.
“We’re leaving,” I yelled while we flew down flight after flight of stairs. “Almost there. Stay with me, Soph.”
“Trying!”
I didn’t let go of her hand, knowing she would have fallen if I released her. I had created a momentum in front of her and she had no option but to fall in sync with my steps. Just like the rest of our lives. I pulled her against me when we finally made it to the lobby and were standing in the parking lot.
“We can’t stop,” she moaned against my chest, failing to catch her breath.
She is amazing. One look at her and I knew she meant it. We both ran to the car, biting against the shin splints that ravaged our legs from our earlier descent. I tried to help Soph into the car again, but she was swatting at me.
“Just drive!”
“Sorry.” I ran around to the driver side and climbed in, turning the ignition and fumbling at first. “Where am I going?”
“I don’t care. Just go.” I glanced over at Soph, watching her struggle to fasten her seatbelt and helpless as I merged onto 41. We had both been holding our breath until we were clear and on the highway.
“Holy shit.” She took a breath and dropped her face into her hands. “Jameson…what just happened?”
“You don’t need answers from Thomas and Elizabeth. I have them. I can give them to you. Let’s just get somewhere private.”
“No.” Her head shook and I could barely hear her through muffled sobs. “Pull over. Please.”
“We’re too close to Bradenton,” I told her. “Let me get farther north.”
I placed my right hand on her back, rubbing in circles in a pathetic attempt to soothe her trembling form. She was beginning to have a panic attack and I had caused it. Dammit. I floored it, speeding by everyone already going beyond the limit, and approached signs for Memphis and Palmetto. I peeled off the highway and pulled into a gas station near the Palmetto exit ramp. I hated seeing her like this, watching the trauma ripple through her mind and body while she turned inward on my passenger seat.
“Soph…” I climbed from my seat and ran to her door, quickly opening it. “Soph. Take a breath. Count with me.”
Nothing. I unfastened her seatbelt and pulled her against me, wishing I had a wand to take away all of her pain and every misfiring nerve within her soul.
“What was that?” she whispered against my chest, her words hiccupped between sobs.
“We’re running away,” I told her, running my right hand over her hair while the left held her against my chest. “Together.”
“Oh.” She crumbled against me, returning to her muffled sobs.
I held Soph tightly against me, kissing her soft hair and refusing to let go. I glanced over the headrest and looked at my school bag in the backseat. I hadn’t noticed that was her bag when we left the cove. She went to my house. Why? I knelt down, trying to snag her eye contact.
“Soph,” I whispered. “It’s forty minutes to Tampa. We can get there and get on a plane to go anywhere you want.”
“I…I don’t have ID…”
I thought back to details of my earlier conversation with Thomas and Elizabeth and I knew who could help get her that ID, but I wasn’t ready to make that connection yet. I wanted to get as far away from Florida as we could before getting anyone’s help.
“Then I’ll drive,” I assured her. “Are you better now?”
“Yes.” Her head lifted and I watched Soph wipe tears from her cheeks. “I just need to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll wait here.”
She smiled at me while climbing down from her seat and jogging toward the gas station. I paced around, my arms nervously crossed around my chest. It was dark. I was exhausted, but not about to ask Soph to drive. Her nerves were wound so tightly that she couldn’t focus on anything. This was slowly eating away at her from the inside. I had to fix this. I need to get her somewhere safe so we can start over. My fingers freed from beneath my arms and violently ran through my hair. I needed a shower. I needed to eat. Most importantly, I needed to take care of Soph. My heart pounded eagerly when I looked up from the asphalt and noticed her jogging toward me.
“I’m better,” she stated, smiling at me. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll drive until I can’t and then we’ll talk about everything. Okay, Soph?”
“Okay. But, Jameson…can we eat first?” She spoke from the passenger seat, already buckled in.
I was just…in awe. She was this beautiful, damaged angel who persevered without question before my own eyes. I was lucky as hell to be able to watch that. I got into my seat and pulled back onto the highway without response. I was debating whether Tampa was still too close or if that would be a decent place to stop for the night.
“Jameson?”
“What? Oh. Right. Yes, we can eat first. I was just thinking about where to take us…can you wait just a little longer?”
“Tell me what you’re thinking…”
I sighed, knowing I needed to be honest with her. “We’re within an hour of Tampa, but I just think it’s too close. Too predictable. Thomas would find us.”
“Then keep going.” Soph looked up at me, her eyes deep, yet void of emotion. I couldn’t read her.
“What is it, Soph?”
“What is what?”
I noticed her fingers knotting in her lap before she looked up at me and sighed. “I didn’t get to say goodbye. Not to Jules, my friends, my house.”
“Do you want me to turn around?”
“No,” she was quick to reply, a smile forming on her lips as she looked over at me. “Take me home.”
In a heartbeat.