“He talked me into seeing a counselor.  I actually had my first appointment last Monday,” I tell him, breathing my first true breath in twenty four hours.  I’m overcome with relief.

“Did he now?  Well, fill me in.  We have some catching up to do, and I’d rather not send you to class until you’ve calmed down.”

***

“Trey!  Are you here?”   I call out into Jacoby’s empty living room while kicking off my shoes.  I need to tell him everything that’s happened.  He has to know that everything is going to be okay.

Rounding the couch, I head towards the kitchen for a bottle of water.  If Trey didn’t answer, he must not be here.  He’d have no reason to be upstairs.  When I reach the entrance to the kitchen, I stop dead in my tracks.

Jacoby.

“Care to tell me why you’re calling out Trey’s name in my house?”  His tone is stern and low, but it isn’t mean.  He looks so tired.  Exhausted would be more appropriate.  Dark purple rings surround his eyes, and his hair looks like he’s run his hand through it a hundred times.  His clothing, a black T-shirt that clings to his biceps and dark blue faded jeans, is wrinkled as if he slept in them.  Even in his disheveled state, he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.  My eyes drink him in, and I can’t actually believe he’s here.

“You’re here.”  My voice is whisper soft and pained.  Tears prick my eyes.  He’s really here.  My mind spins with all the what-ifs I’ve been trying not to think about for the last day.  I reach out to steady myself on the wall as a wave of dizziness crashes over me.

“I had to leave town, but I’m back.  What’s going on?  Is it Wyatt?”

“You’re here!” I cry and rush him.  I slam into the warmth of his hard body and tightly wrap myself around him.  His scent envelops me, and I bury my face into his neck.  The tears flow freely down my cheeks, but I don’t care.  He’s really here.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on?”  His hand strokes my hair comfortingly, and I cling to him.  I never want to let go.

“I-I thought you were g-gone!” I cry into his neck.

“Shh.  I’m here now.  I’m sorry I had to leave, but I’m here.”

The sound of the front door opening makes me pull my head away from his warmth.

“Tatum!  You here?”  Trey’s voice booms throughout the main level of the house.

“Seriously, what the fuck is this?”  Now Jacoby sounds pissed as he pushes me gently away from him.   I want to tell him everything, but just then, Trey rounds the corner.

“Motherfucker!  You’re back.  Jesus Christ, don’t fucking leave like that again.”  Trey walks over and pulls Jacoby into one of those back-slapping man hugs.  Jacoby’s confusion is written all over his face, and I’d laugh if I wasn’t so relieved.

“What is this?  You two are acting like I just came back from the dead.  I had to handle some shit back home.  You want to explain to me why you both come into my house looking for each other?”

“Cool your shit man, it’s not like that.  You left without telling anybody.  What do you think we’re doing?”  Trey seems up to doing all the talking, so I let him.  I don’t know if I can get my words out without breaking into sobs again.

“I sent you a text, asshole,” Jacoby replies.

“Dude, you told me you had to leave.  Didn’t say where, didn’t say when you’d be back.  Then you left your fuckin’ phone here while you took off to who fuckin’ knows.”

“I just told you, I went back home.”

“We know that now.  Didn’t you think we’d worry?  You left after that motherfucker threatened to expose the two of you.  Do you get what I’m saying to you?”  Trey’s anger is rising, but realization just dawned for Jacoby.

He turns to me with a grimace on his face.  “Sweetheart, I am so sorry.  I didn’t think.  I had to get home, so I left as soon as I could.  I didn’t realize I left my phone until I was already on the plane.  My mind was a mess.  Are you okay?”  He reaches for me, and I go willingly into his embrace.  I can’t blame him for having his own problems to deal with.  I’m too relieved to get upset with him.  I trust he had his reasons, and I know he’ll explain it to me later.  Right now, I just want to be back in his arms.

“I’m okay.  I was just worried.  What happened back home?”  Trey gives me a look, and I know what he’s thinking.  When am I going to tell Jacoby about last night?  And how is he going to react when he hears I fell asleep cradled in his best friend’s arms?

“Maybe we should sit in the living room so I can fill you in.  You want a beer, Trey?”  Jacoby lets me go to lean in the fridge and fishes me out a bottle of water.

“Yeah, man.  You sure you don’t want me to go?  I don’t need to intrude on you two.”

I want to scream at him to stop making eyes at me.  We can talk about me until my voice box freezes up, but right now, I want to talk about Jacoby.

“Nah, I owe you an explanation, too.  It’ll be easier to just say it once.”

We all walk to the sofa.  Trey sits on one end and Jacoby on the other.  I climb onto Jacoby’s lap, his arms automatically cage me in, and he buries his face in my hair.  God, I missed him.  I’m so glad this nightmare is over.

“So what happened?” I ask.  I want to talk, and then I want him to take me to bed.  Even if all we do is sleep.

Jacoby runs his fingers through my hair.  “Right after we had our run in with Wyatt, I got a phone call from Brent.  He’s Harper’s brother,” he says to me before continuing.  “Their mom, Carol, has been sick.  He called me a month ago to tell me she wasn’t expected to make it until Christmas.”  Jacoby stops and clears his throat.  We’ve only touched on the topic of Harper’s family, but I can tell whatever happened is hard for him.

“He called to tell me she was out of time.  She was being given last rites.  I-I just had to go.  We had so much left unsaid between us; she blamed me for what happened to Harper, and I was so angry.  Angry enough to ignore her all this time.  But when it came down to it, I couldn’t let her go without my forgiveness.  I needed to see her one last time.  So I left.  I spoke to Mr. Stephenson, came home to call a taxi, and I was gone.  I must have dropped my phone when I changed from my work clothes.  I couldn’t think straight.  All I could think about was getting there in time.”

My hands feather along his jaw; I’m hoping to soothe him.  My heart hurts for this man who gives so selflessly and hurts so deeply.  He’s carried around the guilt from Harper’s crash for years, and now he’s losing another member of that family.  Even if Carol was angry with him, that loss must cut deep.

“I’m here for you,” I tell him, because what else is there?  ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough, and I don’t want to speak words that are spoken so automatically.  At least when I tell him I’m here, I can show him with my actions, too.

“Thank you.”  He kisses my jaw.  “I’m sorry I worried you.  At the time I didn’t think, but now I can see how stupid I was to leave like that.  I don’t know if there could have been worse circumstances.”

“It’s okay,” I reply, resting my cheek on his chest.  “Just don’t do it again.”

I can feel his smile against the top of my head.  “I won’t.”

I’m overcome with a wave of exhaustion, a tiredness all the way to my bones.  These past two days have knocked me out.  Lying here on Jacoby’s warm chest, with his strong fingers sifting through my hair, I can finally relax.  The pounding of his heart is a steady rhythm of comfort beneath my ear.  He’s home.  He’s safe.  We’re together.  I’m awash with contentment, and I let my eyelids drift closed.

“What do you mean there was an incident?”

“Keep your voice down.  She’s asleep.”

“Tell me what happened, then.”

“I don’t think you get the state she was in when you left.  She thought you abandoned her.  Got word that fucker ratted you out and took off without her.  She was hurting, man.”