I woke up on the couch. Frowning, I scanned the darkened room. Jackson wasn’t with me and the TV was off. Had he seriously left me here and gone to bed without me? Second day of dating and already heading to our first argument. I stood and got ready to get all mad, but then I almost fell over Jackson.
“Ow!” he yelped.
“Why are you on the floor?!” I snapped, both angry and startled now.
“There wasn’t room on the couch,” he explained, like that was perfectly normal.
“You have a bed, actually two if you count Mike’s.”
“I didn’t want to wake you, and it felt wrong leaving you sleeping in here alone.”
Damn. Was there truly a more perfect man out there? No way. I’d hit the jackpot.
“Sorry if I hurt you,” I said, immediately deflating. I had been ready to fight and had gotten myself all angry, only for him to surprise me with just how perfect he was.
He rubbed at where I’d hit him. “It’s nothing, you just startled me.”
“Sorry,” I winced, glad I wasn’t able to see him clearly.
“Don’t be. Do you need to use the bathroom?”
“The bathroom?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Yeah. Wasn’t that why you woke up?”
Oh. “Yes! Pee. I need to pee.” I gingerly moved around him and hurried into the bathroom. I couldn’t admit to him that I was gearing up to demand cuddles. I shook my head, angry at myself for thinking so poorly of Jackson. So, what if he’d gone to bed to get some sleep. We hadn’t established what we were both comfortable with yet. It made sense Jackson hadn’t carried me into his bed. It was rather… noble of him.
“Pete?” Sven’s voice had me jumping on the spot. Holding my heart and trying to stifle the scream that wanted to escape, I steeled myself and took some calming breaths as I waited for him to continue. “Sorry for startling you. Someone just died and isn’t taking itwell. He’s messing with the light in the apartment two floors up. I just wanted to give you a heads up if he comes down here. Berlina is with him and trying to calm him down.” I was glad I had their help; they knew about Jackson’s fears and were trying to protect him.
“Thank you,” I whispered, not wanting Jackson to think I was going crazy, and I also didn’t want to trigger his bad memories of his grandmother.
“It’s no problem. That’s the bad part about living in a building with more people. It means more ghosts too.” I nodded. That was the reason my family always moved into houses. Granted not everyone could afford it, but it was hard keeping ghosts out as it was. If I lived here full time, I would spend every day banishing ghosts and helping them move on. With our house it was easier because no one died there, making the ghost count smaller.
Maybe I should consider finding a tiny home for me and Jackson? I knew it would be too soon for him, so I wouldn’t bring it up yet. But I was in this for life. Jackson was mine, so I better start planning for our future now that I knew it was realistic and not just a dream anymore. I got paid a lot doing what I did, which was also why the mediums in my family had the means to buy houses. I justneeded to do a check before buying that the ghost situation wouldn’t be out of my control. Five or less ghosts would be preferable, but I also had to be realistic.
A sudden knock on the door had me jumping again. “You okay in there?”
I smiled. He was worried about me. “Yes, sorry! Just tired.” Sven had disappeared, so I quickly left the bathroom and found Jackson waiting for me in the hallway.
“Let’s get some sleep.” He took my hand in his and led me to his bedroom. This was so much better than the couch, and in his case, the floor. “If you prefer sleeping in Mike’s room I won’t be offended.”
Like hell I would.
Instead of answering, I pulled off my jeans, leaving me in my panties, socks, and his T-shirt. Pulling the comforter from his bed, I snuggled under Jackson’s covers and waited for him to join me. He chuckled and removed his own clothes and I cursed the darkness for hiding my view of his body. He was down to his boxers but I couldn’t see all the details I wanted.
He got into bed and moved closer, not close enough, though, so I closed the space between us, sighing with contentment as my headrested on his firm chest. His arm came around my waist and I felt protected and cared for. This was my dream come true, and I was going to enjoy every second, not taking anything for granted.
Chapter 12
Jackson
I left a still sleeping Pete in bed, and started making us breakfast. I knew how to make pancakes—the ready mix in the pantry was where I peaked cooking wise—so I began making those as I made as little noise as possible. Pete needed all the rest he could get this week. He might’ve seemed fine, but something as traumatizing as almost dying could hit him at any moment. I was glad I was the one taking care of him. Not that Linda wouldn’t have been there for him had he gone home, it was more for selfish reasons that I wanted to be the one caring for him.
Pete was… a surprise. I’d known him for over two years but never like this. I’d always liked him and found him endearing, but now it was so much more. Like I trulysawhim. And he, me. I knew he wasgenuine about his intentions with me, and I felt our talk yesterday about doing what we felt was right was the perfect step for us moving forward. I would hate to force us to do something just because others would see it as moving too fast. Many of my friends had these rules about not moving too fast in relationships and taking their time. I wasn’t about that. Why should I waste my time? If we ended up going our separate ways in the end, it would still hurt, but I would be left with the regret that I hadn’t spent enough of my time with Pete because we’d taken things slow. Or maybe like Mike had done with Vera, we would force ourselves to spend time apart, even if we wanted to spend that time together.
It made zero sense to me. Life was fragile, and I felt the truth of that even more after my father’s funeral. What if I ended up forgetting like him? Would it start in my sixties like it had with him? Or would I be able to remember even in my eighties. Would I even live that long? All these questions made it that much easier for me to not waste my time. Pete was this soft and innocent guy, he had a confidence that I was drawn to, and damn it if I wasn’t in awe of that. If what he’d said yesterday was true, then he’d planned for us to date as soon as he got old enough. He’d even asked Mike forpermission. This wasn’t some rash decision because I’d saved him from the asshole in the club. No, Pete truly wanted me, and had for a long time. He wouldn’t want to wait either, he’d already waited years.
It felt right being with him and even though I felt ready to never let him leave my apartment again, I also knew thatwouldbe too fast. But I liked the idea of us one day living together. Maybe I could mention it in a month’s time? If I could wait that long. I shook my head. I would do what felt right, and right now we just needed to get to know one another better. We’d only kissed and I was already planning our future. I needed to calm my ass down and just focus on the pancakes.
