Chapter 26
Laird
I didn’t let go of Fiona all weekend. I held her as close to me as possible. We were practically joined at the hip, and we barely left the bed. When I realized Fiona had run to the store to buy food, and she’d cleaned up, I had been pleasantly surprised. She would be an amazing homemaker. She also made sure I took it easy and took my medication, but I hadn’t had any intentions of going somewhere when she was right here next to me.
Unfortunately, as before, reality called, and on Monday morning, Fiona had to leave. She had to get back to work to figure out things with her boss. She was going to come back and work remotely from the cabin, but the logistics sounded complicated.
I ordered a cab for her first thing in the morning. The sooner she could get back and take care of it, the sooner she could be with me for good.
When she left, I pushed my hand into my pocket and pulled out the panties I had stolen from her suitcase, grinning. I had taken them before she had changed for work into clothes she had bought. Fiona was headed back to the city for a day of work without panties on and the thought made me hot for her.
I would wait until she came back before I took her to my room and made her mine again. I could never get enough of her. She was so fucking satisfying in bed, my body hummed with desire whenever I thought about her. I had had good sex before, but nothing that left me numb the way Fiona did. Everything about her was mind-blowing. I couldn’t believe I had found the woman of my dreams by chance with a twisted ankle – a fake one, at that – on the mountain.
I made my way to the shower and stood awkwardly under the water with my cast out the door so it didn’t get wet. It wouldn’t be on for too long, the doctor had said. The skin had been broken, but the bone had only been cracked, and the healing process would be quicker than if it had been worse. I had been very lucky. To walk away with my life, my leg, and my memories made me the luckiest man alive. The mountain hadn’t taken me down. I had come out victorious.
And with Fiona by my side, I was a winner.
When I was done in the shower, I changed. I couldn’t get jeans over my cast so I pulled on tracksuit pants and a T-shirt, put on a hiking shoe on the one foot. The other had to stay as it was. I felt unbalanced with only one shoe, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I picked up the crutches the hospital had issued me and walked toward the door. I glanced at the keys on the hook next to the door. There was no way I was driving. I could write myself off if I tried it. I would be unable to drive for a while, still. But I had to get out. There was something I needed to do.
Instead of driving, I set off on foot through the woods. The upside was that the distance between my cabin and Jackson’s was shorter when I could cut straight through the woods. The downside was that it was a hell of a lot harder to get through. The terrain was rough as it was, with roots sticking up out of the ground and mulch hiding holes and ditches. And I was on crutches, which only made matters worse. If I had been on two strong legs, I would have covered the distance easily, but it took me close to two hours to get to Jackson. I took a few breaks, too.
When I knocked on Jackson’s front door and he opened, he looked surprised to see me. He looked over my shoulder before he frowned. “Did you walk here?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Are you fucking crazy? Do you want to end up back in the hospital?”
“Stop fussing, I’m fine,” I said, hobbling into the cabin. “I had to see you.”
“I have a cell phone. You could have called. I would have come over.”
I shook my head. “I needed to get out of the house. It’s shit being cooped up inside when I’m used to being always out and about.”
Jackson nodded. “I get that. But if you do something stupid to hurt yourself even more, I’ll beat you to it and fuck you up myself.”
I laughed. “Thanks, man.”
Jackson offered me coffee and put on the kettle before he sat down, waiting for the water to boil.
“Do you have a reason why you hobbled all the way here or did you just miss my pretty face?”
I laughed. “With your ugly mug? You know it had to be important.”
Jackson chuckled, shaking his head. When the laughter died down, there was an awkward silence. We had forced jokes because we usually joked, but I hadn’t spoken to Jackson since Thursday. We hadn’t addressed what had happened between us, that Jackson hadn’t told me about Fiona when I had had no idea who she was.
It was what I was here to clear up.
“Listen, I wanted to talk about Fiona,” I said.
Jackson nodded. “I guessed that’s why you’re here.” He looked nervous. “I know why you were so upset. I was only trying to help.”
I nodded. “I get that, man. But she’s not just some woman, you know?”
Jackson nodded. “I noticed. Not only by how you were acting when you remembered but by how she sounded when I phoned and told her you remembered. I’ve never heard a woman that happy. She must really care for you.”
I nodded. “She does. And I care for her, too.”
“I guess I never experienced something like that. I always seem to get the bitches. I think I was worried she was one, too. And after everything that happened to you, I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. I understood where Jackson had been coming from. “But I think we’ll be okay. She really is a stunning person. When you get to know her better, you’ll see what I see.”
Jackson nodded. “As long as you’re okay. And happy and shit like that.”
“I am,” I said and chuckled. “And shit like that.”
Jackson grinned at me. He had only tried to be a good friend when everything had gone wrong for me. He hadn’t tried to ruin my relationship with Fiona by keeping the truth from me. I could forgive him for that. I could appreciate how he had tried to help me.
Now that he knew it was what I wanted, that what Fiona and I felt for each other was real, Jackson was more than happy to support us. This was why Jackson and I were such good friends. He cared about me more than just hanging out at work or getting a drink together. I was surrounded by good people, I realized. Everyone that had come to see me in the hospital was a person that really cared about me.
And if I ever ended up with only those people in my life, I would still be happy.
I thought of something.
“I need you to be okay with the idea that Fiona is carrying my baby. It’s more than a relationship. We’re heading toward being a family. It’s important to me.”
Jackson pulled up his shoulders and nodded. “Look, it’s a big deal, and it happened really fast. I don’t know how it will play out, but I know I am here for you. I’ll support you if it’s what you want.”
I smiled. “It is.”
Jackson smiled, too. “You’ve never been this serious about a woman before. I can tell it’s genuine.”
I nodded. It was. I was happier than I had ever been, even though I had no idea what to expect and no idea what kind of a parent I would be. Fiona and I could navigate that together.
“I have to get going,” I said. “I have pain meds I need to take, and that walk killed me.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Jackson said. “You’re an idiot.”
I shrugged, knowing he was right. I shouldn’t have walked all that way. But I had needed to talk to my friend.
“Let me drop you back at least,” Jackson said. “If something happens and you die in the woods after everything is okay again, I’m pretty sure Fiona will hunt me down.”
I laughed and agreed. It would be better for Jackson to take me. We walked out to his truck, and he drove me back to my cabin.
“Thanks for coming to chat,” he said before he pulled away to head back to his cabin. “It means a lot.”
I watched Jackson leave before I made my way inside to take my meds and take a nap. It meant a lot to me that we fixed it. Jackson was my closest friend, and I wanted the people that meant something to me to stay close.