Chapter 10
Taylor had called around seven thirty Saturday night to say good night—first to Jax and then to Gabby. It was kind of an unspoken agreement not to mention they were together. They’d each spent about five minutes talking to their daughter, listening to her tell them about her day at the children’s museum. While she’d sat in bed talking to their daughter, Jax had lain there patiently beside her with a huge grin on his face.
After saying goodbye to Taylor, Jax and Gabby had lain in bed talking and touching for several hours until she could barely keep her eyes open. She’d finally asked him more about the mass they’d found, how it had been removed, and his recovery. He’d been alone for the most part. His choice, of course, but that didn’t stop her from imagining him lying in a hospital bed with no one there to comfort or support him.
Gabby woke early the next morning feeling rested and more at peace than she’d felt in a long time. She knew part of it was because she was finally getting answers to the questions that had been plaguing her for the last three years.
“Good morning.” Jax wrapped his arm around her waist and snuggled against her from behind.
“Hmm.” She could feel his erection nudging against her backside.
He ran the tip of his nose along the column of her neck, causing her to shiver. “Sleep well?”
“Very.” She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. “I liked having you in my bed.”
“I like being in your bed.”
Gabby felt teeth scrape against her skin, sending liquid warmth directly to her pussy. He was barely touching her and yet she knew it wouldn’t take much to send her over the edge.
She reached for his hand and guided it between her legs. He let her direct the movements, caressing her sensitive flesh and driving her closer to orgasm.
Opening her legs wider, he pushed two fingers inside her. “Do you like that, baby?”
“Yes.”
Jax turned them slightly, capturing her lips with his as she thrust his fingers in and out of her. “Do you want to come on my fingers or my cock?”
It took a moment for her brain to register what he said, but once she did there was no question in her mind. “Your cock. I want to come on your cock. I want you inside me.”
He kissed her again and removed his fingers so he could reach into the nightstand for a condom.
Gabby squeezed her thighs together, anticipation gathering in her belly.
Luckily, he was back in seconds and wasted no time getting into position. She moaned as he entered her, filling her in a way his fingers never could.
“This what you wanted?” he asked, his voice strained.
She reached for him, needing to feel his mouth on hers again. “Exactly what I wanted.”
They moved together, sensations building as she once again came to the top of that peak. She didn’t wait for him this time. Gabby snaked her hand between them and found her clit.
Her orgasm hit her hard and fast. She gasped, ripping her mouth away from his.
“I love watching you.” He was breathing hard, pumping into her with purpose. “Seeing your face when you come . . .”
Jax thrust into her twice more before his orgasm overtook him as well.
He collapsed on top of her, burying his face in her neck. After a few moments, he propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at her. “Care to join me for a shower?”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
She skimmed her fingers over his ass. “Because we might not end up getting clean if we both shower together.”
A wicked smirk crossed his face. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure every inch of you is clean. Promise.”
Their shower took about twice as long as Gabby’s usual morning shower. He’d kept his word, though. By the time they turned off the water and dried themselves, every inch of her had been cleaned. More than once.
Jax stayed for breakfast, polishing off the breakfast casserole he’d made the day before, and then gave her a long kiss goodbye before walking out the door, promising to call her later. Because he hadn’t known he was going to be stuck at Gabby’s, he hadn’t brought his laptop with him, which meant he couldn’t work. From some of the emails he was telling her about, he was going to be very busy for the next day or so trying to catch up.
Once he was gone, she spent the rest of her morning doing laundry and tidying up. She made sure to empty the trash can in her bedroom. The last thing she wanted was her daughter discovering the used condoms Jax had discarded. That was a conversation she was hoping to put off for several more years.
They’d talked a little more about Christmas before he left. He wanted them to spend the holiday together, and even though they’d agreed to give things between them another shot, she wasn’t ready to commit to anything else quite yet. A weekend fling was one thing. Spending Christmas together felt like a much bigger step.
Putting that out of her mind, Gabby concentrated on what she needed to do today. She was due at her mom’s house at one for dinner, but until then she planned to do some writing. Not only did she have a book to finish, but she needed to work out some of her emotions. There was no better way to do that than to sit down and write. Writing had helped her through her pregnancy, being a first-time mom, heartbreak, and everything else life threw at her . . . even a bad day at work.
Gabby booted up her computer and opened the story she’d been working on. The first thing she did was read over what she’d written in the early hours of Saturday morning. She’d been afraid her anger would have colored her words so much that it would be out of sync with the rest of the narrative, but the exact opposite was true. The scene was full of drama and action, and when she read it, it was almost as if she could see the entire thing happening in her mind.
Her fingers flew against the keyboard as she picked up the story where she’d left off. It was almost finished. All that was left was the aftermath of the battle and the reunion of the two main characters. It would be emotional and passionate.
The sound of her cell ringing drew her attention away from the computer. She picked up her phone and answered it. “Hello?”
“Where are you?” Grace asked.
“Home.” She didn’t understand why her sister sounded panicked.
She heard a loud breath being released on the other end of the phone. “You’re okay?”
“Of course I’m okay. Why? What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? It’s two o’clock and you were supposed to be here at one.”
For the first time since sitting down at her computer, Gabby looked at the clock. It was in fact two o’clock. She’d been writing for almost three hours. “I’m sorry. I was working on something and lost track of time. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Gabby saved her story and rushed out the door as quickly as possible. Luckily, the roads weren’t too bad. She had to take her time at intersections, but for the most part the salt crews had gotten rid of the ice.
When she arrived at her mom’s house, the door was unlocked. She stepped inside, removed her coat, and went in search of her sister. On the drive over, Gabby had had time to think about her sister’s phone call. She’d hated the uncertainty and pain in Grace’s voice and she wanted to apologize in person for scaring her.
“Hey, everyone,” Gabby said when she strolled into the living room a few seconds later. Her mother was sitting on the couch, while Alexander and Grace were on the smaller love seat.
Caroline Lewis stood to greet her oldest daughter. “There you are. We were getting worried.”
“I know.” Gabby frowned. “I lost track of time. I’m sorry I worried you.”
In an instant, her mother shifted gears, putting Gabby’s absence behind them. “Are you hungry? I made a plate for you before we put everything away.”
“Starving.” And she was. The breakfast she’d had with Jax had been hours ago.
Her mom smiled and patted Gabby’s forearms. “I’ll go get it warmed up for you.”
“Mom, I can get it.”
But it was too late. Caroline was already walking away.
Gabby turned to face her sister and Alexander. His face was unreadable, but Grace’s was not. It was a mixture of curiosity and concern. Crossing the room, Gabby lowered herself down onto the edge of the couch, closest to Grace. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? Between the storm and . . .” Grace glanced at the doorway leading to the kitchen, and then back to Gabby. “Jax, I didn’t know if something had happened.”
The lead-in was there and for once Gabby did want to talk about it, but this wasn’t the time. Their mother could walk in at any minute and she wasn’t ready to open that can of worms. Sure enough, Caroline popped her head into the living room. “Food’s ready. Did you want to eat at the table, or would you rather me bring it in here?”
Pushing herself off the couch, Gabby headed toward her mom. “I’ll eat at the table.” She looked over her shoulder at her sister.
No words were spoken, but Grace seemed to get the message. She turned to Alexander. “Mom said she needed help fixing that rod in her closet.”
Luckily, Alexander quickly picked up what was going on. “That sounds like a great idea.” He stood. “Caroline, why don’t we see if we can get your closet situation taken care of while Gabby eats her lunch?”
Caroline looked at both her daughters and nodded. “Sure. It’s in the spare bedroom.”
“Lead the way.”
The two disappeared down the hall and Gabby and Grace made their way into the kitchen. Gabby grabbed the plate of food her mother had left on the counter and brought it over to the table.
Grace allowed her a couple of bites before diving in. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” Gabby shoveled another forkful of food into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before continuing. “Jax and I are going to give it another try.”
Her sister’s eyes went wide. “As in . . .”
“As in, we’re going to try being a couple again.”
“Wow.” Grace took a moment to gather her thoughts. “I mean, wow. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes.” Gabby paused. “No. I don’t know.”
Grace snorted.
“I know. And that’s the problem.” Gabby kept her voice low. “I thought I’d gotten over him, put my feelings for him behind me. But then he came back and . . .”
“And you slept with him.”
“Yeah.” Gabby slumped in her chair and pushed her food around with her fork. “But it’s not just the sex. I . . . I still love him. And as mad as I was—I am—at him for leaving, that doesn’t change the fact that even now, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about when I’ll see him again.”
Her sister was silent for a minute or two and Gabby took the time to finish her food. She rinsed her plate in the sink and loaded it into the dishwasher before returning to the table.
“You don’t want Mom to know,” Grace said. It was a statement, not a question, although Gabby heard the other unasked questions behind it.
“No. Not until I figure this out. I told him we could try, but that doesn’t mean I’m not terrified he will break my heart all over again.”
Grace placed her hand on top of Gabby’s. “Did he say why he left?”
“He thought he was dying.”
“What?” The shock of her response came out louder than Grace had intended. “Sorry. I just . . . what?”
“He found out he had a mass on his spine or pressing against his spine or something. He kept getting these headaches and apparently that was why.”
“So why didn’t he tell you what was going on?”
Gabby tried not to let the anger she still felt take over. “He says he did it to protect me and Taylor. That he didn’t want to put us through watching him die, or even having to go through months or years of physical therapy.”
“Bullshit.”
That made Gabby laugh. It wasn’t often her sister cursed. “Alexander is rubbing off on you.”
A blush crept up her sister’s neck. “Maybe. But that doesn’t make it less true.”
“I know. Which is why I’m still ticked.”
Movement in the living room let them know they were about to get interrupted. “If you need to talk, you know where I am.”
“Thanks.” Gabby stood and gave her sister a hug. “I’m glad you moved back to St. Louis. And I’m glad you found Alexander.”
A few moments later, both Alexander and their mother ambled into the room. Gabby and Grace stepped apart. Their mother gave them a quick once-over again and went to the refrigerator. “Who wants some pistachio fluff?”
***
It was almost six by the time Gabby left her mom’s house. Kathy Brooks had called about a half hour ago to let her know they were home. She and Nate were going to feed Taylor dinner and then drive her home.
Gabby pulled into her driveway, turned off the engine, and carried in the leftovers her mom sent home with her. She wouldn’t have to worry about cooking tonight, or probably tomorrow at lunch either. There was more than enough food.
About fifteen minutes after she walked in the door, she heard a car pull up. She turned off the news and went to answer the door.
Taylor was happy, but she looked as if she was about ready to drop. Kathy gave Taylor a kiss on the cheek and handed her off to Gabby. “She woke up early this morning, so we did a little sightseeing before we left. She drifted off a few times in the car on the way back and was doing pretty good until we ate dinner.”
“Her bedtime isn’t that far off anyway. Thanks for feeding her,” Gabby said as Taylor wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and rested her head on Gabby’s shoulder. Her daughter was tuckered out.
“No need to thank me. She’s our granddaughter.” Kathy reached out to brush the back of her hand over Taylor’s cheek. “We’ll see you next weekend, sweetheart.”
Taylor nodded but didn’t say anything. She really was exhausted.
“Call me if you need anything,” Kathy said to Gabby as she opened the door to leave.
“I will.”
Once Kathy left, Gabby carried Taylor into her bedroom. She deposited her backpack on the floor in the corner—she’d deal with that tomorrow—removed a pair of clean underwear and pajamas from her daughter’s dresser, and headed for the bathroom. Something told her that as soon as her daughter’s head hit the pillow tonight she’d be out.
The most challenging part of Taylor’s bath was trying to get her to stay awake. Normally, she loved to play with her toys, but tonight all she wanted to do was lie back and go to sleep. Gabby worked to get her body and hair washed as swiftly as possible, get her dried off, and then she tucked her into bed.
By seven thirty her daughter was asleep, which meant Gabby had the rest of the evening to herself. She decided to use the time to go over what she’d written earlier and see if any tweaking needed to be done before she sent it off to her editor.
Gabby had only gotten through the first page when her phone rang. She rushed to get it before it could wake Taylor. Although, considering how tired her daughter was, she didn’t know if anything short of a freight train would rouse her sleeping child.
Her heart rate sped when she saw Jax’s name on the caller ID. He said he’d call, so she shouldn’t have had such a reaction, but it was there all the same. “Hi.”
“Hi. Is this a good time or are you trying to get Taylor to sleep?”
“No.” Gabby realized he might take that as it not being a good time. “I mean, it’s a good time. Taylor’s already asleep. She barely kept her eyes open during her bath.”
“Mom said she was pretty tired when she dropped her off.”
“She was.”
They talked a little more about Taylor, and then he switched gears on her. “I was wondering if I could take you out on Wednesday night.”
The breath caught in Gabby’s throat, making it hard to answer. “Out?”
“Yeah. Out. As in a date. Just you and me. I already asked Mom and she said she could come by and watch Taylor if you wanted. I didn’t know if your sister or your mom would be available on such short notice. And I figured you’d want someone to watch her at the house so it doesn’t mess with her bedtime.”
Gabby realized he was rambling, which meant he was nervous. The thought eased some of her tension. Even though she’d agreed to give them another shot, he wasn’t sure she’d say yes. The slightly vindictive part of her kind of liked that he was suffering and wanted to drag it out a little. “What kind of date did you have in mind?”
“I was kind of hoping to surprise you.”
“I see.”
He was quiet for a few moments. “Did you change your mind? About us, I mean?”
She sighed. It was no good being petty. It wasn’t going to solve anything. “No. I didn’t change my mind.”
“Good.” Gabby could feel the relief washing over him through the phone. “So Wednesday?”
“What time?” she asked.
“I was thinking about seven. That way you and Taylor can eat together. Mom can come over a little before then, say around six forty-five.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“It’s a date, then,” he said, a smile in his voice.
His happiness was contagious. “It’s a date.”
***
Gabby didn’t hear from Jax again until Wednesday afternoon when he sent her a text confirming he’d be there to pick her up at seven. She’d tried not to think too much about their date or where the night might end up going. Her body was already singing with the thought of being with him again.
At six forty there was a knock on her door. Kathy greeted her with a smile and a bag of cookies for Taylor. “If you don’t want her to have them tonight, I can tuck them in my purse and leave them on the counter after she goes to bed.”
“No, it’s fine,” Gabby said as she motioned Jax’s mother inside. “She ate her dinner, so she can have a cookie if she wants.”
Kathy set the bag of cookies on the table and hung her coat on the back of one of the chairs. She didn’t say anything about Gabby’s impending date with Jax, which was good. Gabby really didn’t want to talk about it.
“Taylor’s playing in her room. I laid her pajamas out on her bed already and her toothbrush is on the sink in the bathroom.”
Kathy smiled. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. If not, I have your number. Just go have a nice time.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Gabby could already feel her palms getting sweaty. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t done this before.
“I’ll get it,” Kathy said. “Why don’t you go say goodbye to Taylor?”
Happy for a couple of extra minutes to prepare herself for seeing him again, Gabby went to find her daughter. She was sitting on her bed, legs spread out in front of her, flipping through one of her favorite books. “Hey.”
Taylor looked up.
“Grandma Brooks is here to watch you while Mommy and Daddy are gone.”
“Okay,” Taylor said, not seeming to be the least bit bothered that her mother was leaving.
Gabby walked over to the bed and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. “You be good for Grandma and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Taylor rose up on her knees, letting her book drop to the mattress, and circled her arms around Gabby’s neck. Her daughter planted a loud kiss on her mother’s cheek and released her. Almost immediately she reached for her discarded book again and went back to what she was doing as if nothing had happened.
Gabby chuckled and shook her head as she backed out of the room. “Love you.”
Her daughter’s face lit up as she stared back at her. “Loves you, too, Mommy.”
She stepped out into the hallway and came face-to-face with Jax. “Everything all right?”
“Um. Yeah. I was just . . .” She gestured toward her daughter’s bedroom door. “I was just saying goodbye to Taylor.”
He grinned and she felt the butterflies begin to dance in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know how he did it or why her body had such a reaction to him, but she was done fighting it. “I figured I’d pop my head in and say good night before we leave.”
“Okay,” she said to an empty hallway.
Kathy was sitting on the couch, watching television, when Gabby walked into the main room. She switched it off and stood.
Jax appeared a few seconds later and strode toward her with all the confidence in the world. “Ready to go?”
“Sure.”
He removed her coat from the closet and helped her put it on.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Jax opened the door and waited for her to go through it.
“Have fun,” Kathy said as they walked out the door.
Jax put his hand on Gabby’s lower back and the contact sent warmth through her bones. The door closed behind them and he leaned in to whisper in Gabby’s ear. “Fun is guaranteed.”