CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Jack
“Well, that was certainly quite the greeting,” Ry remarks. “I avoid looking your way when we change in the locker room at the gym, but I’ve inadvertently caught glimpses here and there. It’s definitely not as jarring as catching you with your pants at your ankles while you’re with Sarah.”
When I don’t respond, he continues with, “Which reminds me, I guess since she doesn’t have an older brother or dad around that I should officially give you the ‘what’s what.’ Should I call you over for a man-to-man chat and polish my shotgun while we talk?”
I let out a grunt in disbelief. “You don’t even own a shotgun, Ry.”
He crosses his arms and cocks an eyebrow at me. “Or so you think.” Then he tips his head to the side in thought. “I could tell you I know people in Little Italy who will break your kneecaps if you hurt her—”
“You don’t know anyone in Little Italy, Ry,” I interject.
“Or that I know some old Italian Mafia members who will dispose of your body for the small price of a few grand?”
I expel a weary sigh. “Are you done?”
Ry holds up a finger, lips parting, but then appears to think better of it. “Actually, yeah. I think that’s all I’ve got.” His expression turns to one of disgust. “How sad is that? I need to up my game if I ever have a daughter.”
Looking over at my best friend, I shake my head with a little laugh. “You’ll figure it out, man.” After a moment, I ask, “You ready to get hitched soon?”
“Hell yes.”
His lack of hesitation makes me happy—as does the fact that Maggie’s perfect for him.
“So the wedding is the perfect way to get things back on track.”
My brow furrows in confusion at his words. “What do you mean?”
He gestures with a hand. “You know, with a wedding, love is in the air, the champagne is flowing, and there’s something magical about it.” With a wink, he adds, “If you’re careful with the execution, it could be the end to the ‘plague’ you two have been dealing with.”
“From your lips to God’s ears, man,” I murmur, shaking my head. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
* * *
Two days later
I’m lounging on my couch, the TV on with the volume turned low as I channel surf. Finally, I turn it off and toss the remote aside with a groan. I shouldn’t stay up late since I have a full day of conference calls tomorrow, but I’m feeling antsy as hell right now.
My cell phone is practically taunting me from where it sits on my coffee table. I want to call her or text her—whichever—but with the odd way things ended between us the other day at my office, I’m left at a loss.
Shit. Running a hand through my hair and tugging at it in frustration, I decide to man up. “Fuck it, I’m calling her.”
The exact moment my fingers reach my phone, there’s a knock on the door, startling me. It’s nine thirty on a Thursday night, and I’m definitely not expecting anyone.
Padding over to the door, I peer through the peephole only to find no one there. Huh. Since I live a few blocks from Skidmore University, I figure it might be a drunk college kid who realized he had the wrong place. Turning to head back down the hall, I hear another knock. This time, when I peer out, I’m caught off guard at the sight of the woman standing there.
Pulling open the door, I know my surprise is apparent.
“Hey,” Sarah greets me with tentative wariness in her eyes.
“Hey, Sunshine.” Something about the way she shifts her weight from one foot to the other is like she’s uncertain whether I’d welcome her. Just as I start to say something, I catch sight of the shadows in her eyes, the way her lips press thin.
“Jack…” She falters, her features drawn, and I catch a glimpse of pain in her eyes. “I don’t know why I’m here. Somehow, this is where I ended up.” Her face crumples. “I just…need you.”
Without a thought, I shove the door open wider with my foot and hold out my arms. Within a split second, she’s pressed her body against me with her face burrowed in my chest. I wrap one arm around her securely and close and lock the door behind us. Reaching my other arm to scoop her up and cradle her to me, I walk down the hallway. Noticing the sudden dampness of my T-shirt, I feel the shuddering of her shoulders as she weeps silently.
“Let it all out,” I murmur against the top of her head into the softness of her hair. Heading to my bedroom, I go straight to my bathroom and gingerly set her on the edge of the large garden tub that I use once in a blue moon. Adjusting the water temperature, I start filling it and try to comfort her by running my hand over her back and pressing soft kisses to her hair.
Once the tub is filled, I start tugging off her shoes and socks before peeling off her shirt. “I’m going to shift you to stand so I can get your jeans off, okay?” I wait for her tiny nod before I do so.
When her red-rimmed eyes meet mine, it guts me like a swift kick to my solar plexus because my gutsy, ball-busting Sunshine is nowhere to be found right now.
Once I’ve stripped her of her jeans, she robotically moves to rid herself of her bra and underwear before allowing me to help her step carefully into the tub. The moment I go to release her hand, she tightens her grip, eyes darting up to mine, and there’s a hint of desperation in them.
“Please.” Her voice sounds delicate, thin. “Will you…get in with me?”
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. The thought hits me instantly with such fierce intensity that my chest suddenly has an odd sensation of pressure, tightness.
“Of course.”
Quickly, I disrobe and step into the tub behind her, gathering her into my arms once again. She leans back into my chest, our legs tangled together beneath the warmth of the water, and we remain silent as I hold her.
“It never gets easier.”
Her words are so faint and softly spoken I nearly miss them.
“They say it’s supposed to get easier, that you’ll eventually get hardened by it, but it hasn’t yet for me.” She shakes her head, the ends of her hair swishing in the bath water. “And I don’t know that I’d want it to.” Her voice cracks, and she pauses as if trying to collect herself. “I don’t know that I want to be hardened to it, to not…feel.”
After a lengthy pause, I’m certain she’s finished. But then she says, “I had a nine-year-old girl come in for an appendix rupture.” Sarah clears her throat before continuing. “Things were going along smoothly like they should. Until something happened.” Her shoulders shake, and I tighten my embrace. “Her body just…shut down, and nothing any of us tried to save her worked.”
Shifting in my arms, she repositions herself to the side, her left shoulder flush against my chest, and burrows her face into my neck. This is how we stay until the water grows tepid. As much as I love being able to comfort her, to be the person she turns to at a time like this, it’s not what ends up gutting me the most.
It’s her tiny, whispered words spoken against my throat.
“Thank you, Jack.”
My eyes fall closed as numerous emotions wash over me. I simply relish the feel of her in my arms, of her letting me be the one to hold her, of her choosing me tonight.
“Anytime, Sunshine. Anytime.”