“H-here.” Felicity tossed Luke and Jessica a huge blanket. “W-wool.” She and Tom wrapped up together in the other blanket, plunking down in a chair by the fire.
As their bodies regained a bit of feeling, dodging hypothermia by mere seconds, Jessica started giggling. “We’re completely naked, wrapped in a blanket together four feet from your parents who are also naked, wrapped in a blanket together.”
Tom and Felicity shared her humor with big smiles while Luke rolled his eyes.
“My parents are pretty cool, but they would never do what we just did.”
“Hear that, Luke. Jessica thinks we’re cool.” Tom smirked.
“Yeah, Dad. Jumping in balls first, practically two feet from my girlfriend’s face … that’s real cool.”
The cackling around the fire pit grew with each new remark. Everyone had their own assessment of the sixty seconds of complete insanity. It may have been the cold water, the crisp fall air, the flicker of the flames, or the amazing company, but Jessica felt so alive. A weird feeling enveloped her for that small moment in time: normalcy.
“I love your son,” Jessica said with a soft voice.
Three sets of eyes fell onto her as the only sound that remained was the flames whispering into the night. Luke hugged her tighter to his naked body. It wasn’t sexual, it was natural, destined, perfect.
“He saved me from a dark place. He proved I’m worthy of love, physical touch, endearing words, and complete adoration.” She interlaced her fingers with his over her belly. “My best friend and I were kidnapped before our senior year in high school.”
“Jess …” Luke whispered.
She shook her head. A quivering smile tugged at her lips. “It’s okay.” Her hands squeezed his. “I’m … better now. I’m better because of you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her neck.
“Claire, my friend … she died. My innocence died that day too. To say I’ve had trust issues would be a monumental understatement. I’ve done some things that are truly unforgivable, even … unimaginable. But your son never wavered, not even a blink. Luke’s never looked at me as broken, even though I am. He’s just loved all my pieces—even the ones that have made him bleed.”
His parents had no reason to take her words literally and that was fine. They didn’t need all the details. Her confession of where she’d been and how far she’d come segued to the most sincere thank you ever.
“I know he doesn’t live in the ten-mile Jones radius with his own bed and breakfast. But thank you for letting him find his way in life … thank you for letting him find his way to me.”
The dam broke. Felicity didn’t even try to wipe her tears, she just let them stream down her face.
Fate. It was a mysterious concept, an unknown destination, and often a heartbreaking journey. For the first time since Claire died, Jessica saw a glimpse of light beyond the cold, eternal darkness. She hoped it was a new day—the dawn of forever.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Knight
Jillian and AJ headed south, running from the colder weather while keeping a good state or two between them and the West Coast. AJ’s body gained some strength, rebounding a bit since the radiation treatment. With that extra boost of strength came pain—debilitating, death-would-be-a-sweet-relief type of pain. Forty-eight hours after the last pain pills were taken, Jillian thought she would have to physically put him out of his misery for good. But she couldn’t … not to AJ.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered to AJ as he thrashed in bed, releasing painful moans and grunts that broke Jillian—someone who was nearly impossible to break.
Grabbing her phone she stepped out of their hotel room into the hallway.
“If someone has a gun to your head, it serves you right for being so fucking far away from where I planted your ass.”
“I’m sure you wish someone had a gun to my head, McGraw¸ but that’s not why I’m calling. I need a favor.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, I’m all out of favors.”
“I’m sending you a photo of the label from a bottle of pain pills. I need refills … unlimited refills at the nearest pharmacy.”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“You have the power to make the fucking sun stop shining. Pills. Lots of them. Now.”
“I don’t like how you talk to me.”
“I didn’t like how you fucked me.”
The line went silent, but she knew he was still there.
“You’re wasting your time. Just put your highly-decorated sergeant out of his misery.”
“Time is all I have these days and you know that, asshole. There’s a Walgreens on the corner. Fifteen minutes.” Jillian pressed End.
As she opened the hotel room door, she heard a clattering of glass.
“What are you doing?”
AJ twisted the cap off a bottle from the minibar refrigerator and gulped it down then reached for another.
“Stop!” She grabbed it from him and shoved the rest of the bottles back in the refrigerator then slammed the door shut. “Twenty minutes. Give me twenty minutes and I’ll have some more pain meds for you. Okay?”
AJ sat back on the edge of the bed and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. “Fuck!”
Her heart felt like it could explode into tiny pieces from witnessing him in so much pain. “Twenty minutes. Stay out of the minibar.” She grabbed her purse and phone then raced out the door.
When she returned, AJ looked up at her from the bed, shaking and sweating.
“Here.” She helped him sit up and handed him two pills and a glass of water.
“How did you get these?”
“You don’t want to know.”
AJ nodded and swallowed the pills.
“Maybe I should take you back.”
The bloodshot glare from his tired eyes gave her real physical pain. She stared at the bottle of pills, contemplating how much longer she could go before needing to pop a few too.
“If you want to take me back…” he grimaced “…I understand. I know I’m asking for a lot. But if you’re asking if I want to go back, the answer is no.”
She gently pushed him back onto the pillow and crawled up beside him, resting her head on his arm, her hand over his heart. “Then we keep going.” Where they were going, she didn’t know.
“If you need to get back home—”
“Nope. I’m yours.”
She stayed by his side as he rolled and turned, flinched and shook with torment until the pain medication took hold and pulled him under. After sliding out of bed, she grabbed her phone and settled into the other bed.
Jillian: U awake?
Jackson: Am now.
Jillian: Sorry. Just wanted to let U know I’m OK.
Jackson: Where are you?
Jillian: Utah.
Jackson: WTF?
Jillian: AJ wanted to leave, but he doesn’t want to go back to Omaha.
Jackson: He’s running.
She smiled.
Jillian: He’s living.
Jackson: He’s dying.
Jillian: Aren’t we all? I need an escape, just while he sleeps. Make me lol.
Jackson: I’ve got nothing.
Jillian: BS – U always have something, Mr. Snuffleupagus.
Jackson: Ryn hits like a girl.
Jillian: I’ll remedy that when I get home. Not funny tho – try again.
Jackson: She doesn’t like pussy or cunt.
Jillian: I’m lol, but I don’t know why. R U telling me she’s not a lesbian?
Jackson: She doesn’t like the terms. Vagina, just vagina.
Jillian: Sounds like a boner-killer or “erection-killer”
Jackson: You’d think, but my penis still likes her vagina.