“No thanks needed.”
“Hey, I’m going to head to my room for a little nap.” Journey tossed us both a chin nod and headed down the hall.
“That’s my cue.” I got the feeling Journey had more to say to her sister.
“You’re leaving?” Grace questioned as she followed me down the hall to her bedroom.
“Yeah,” I answered, searching for my wallet once I realized I forgot to place it in my pocket. I quickly grabbed it from the desk, but my movement was too fast and it slipped from my hands, causing it to fall to the floor.
My license slipped free and landed near Grace’s feet. She bent to pick it up, scanning it before handing it back to me.
I placed the license back and stuffed my wallet inside of my back pocket. Moving closer to Grace, I placed a kiss to her forehead.
“Thanks for breakfast.”
She lifted on her tiptoes, her hand curling around my wrist, and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Thanks for being truthful with me last night.”
All memory of the night before, prior to us arriving at her home, was forgotten until that moment. I remembered taking her to the Underground and revealing one of my many secrets. Lowering, I brushed my lips across hers, feeling closer to her than to anyone.
“I’ll walk you out.”
I released a breath, grateful that she didn’t need me to say anything else or explain myself further.
“Call me when you get home? So I know you made it in okay.”
My lips spread. “Sure thing, Nurse Young,” I teased.
She punched me in the shoulder.
“Hey, did you forget about my injury? What type of nurse are you?”
“The kind that remembers your injured ribs are on your left side, not your right. And the type who isn’t falling for that ‘I’m hurt’crap when you were just making me scream your name like there was no tomorrow in my kitchen.”
I tossed my head back, and for the first time in probably a decade I laughed. It was more than a chuckle; it was a sound that came from my toes. It surprised even me, but I couldn’t help it.
When I lowered my head, Grace’s gaze read surprised. She bit her bottom lip, as if turned on by my reaction.
I gave her one last kiss, then dropping my arm from her waist and stepping back, taking her in one final time before turning and heading to my car. She waited for me to get inside and start the car before closing her door with a final wave.
As I pulled out of her driveway, I began to regret every morning of my adult life that I’d woken up without this. Without her.
****
Grace
It took me a while to gather myself after Jacob left. As I made breakfast that morning, visions of us spending the day curled up in one another’s arms, watching trashy TV, interspersed by periods of making wild, passionate love had danced in around in my head. And I wasn’t a woman who daydreamed about that kind of thing. More like, on my days off, in between cleaning, volunteering at a local health clinic that cared for underserved patients, and cooking or getting in a workout at the gym or pool, I would take the occasional nap, or thumb through songs to practice for my next set at Rocket.
And if that wasn’t enough, I would sometimes find myself at the hospital, making sure that I’d given the correct instructions for a patient’s care. But rarely, and by rarely, I mean never, did my thoughts center around spending my free time wrapped up in a man’s arms.
I sighed as I got out of the shower, realizing that had been exactly how I wanted to spend my day. And while I loved and deeply cared for my little sister, a small part of me wished she hadn’t come home.
I immediately lowered my head at that thought, feeling ashamed. I knew she was going through a tough time. And she knew it, as well. I was the one she ran to when she needed to help. She might’ve lived with our dad and stepmom—she had since she was eleven years old—but she still came to me when things got overwhelming.
I avoided looking at my own reflection in the mirror as I dressed in a matching pair of black panties and bra, and slid a simple summer dress over my head. Exiting the bedroom, I turned down the hall to the guest room where Journey was staying.
“Journey, sweetie,” I cooed as I knocked on the door, opening it. I was grateful the door wasn’t locked; another indication that my sister had been waiting for me to come to her.
“Oh, sweetie, what’s wrong?” I questioned, rushing to the bed when she rolled over and I could see the tears streaming down her face.
