Jesse stood in the doorway, looking at her in the bed, her eyes dancing with amusement at whatever her mother and grandmother were talking about, and he was struck dumb by how fucking beautiful she was. Ever since he’d lost Jordan so suddenly, he’d resisted caring about anyone else, knowing all too well how gut-wrenching it was to lose someone who couldn’t be replaced.
In those clarifying seconds, he understood that he’d come to a fork in the road. He could either push her away and learn to live without her, too, or he could acknowledge that she’d changed his life forever, for better or worse, and break all his personal rules for self-preservation to let her all the way in.
“Ladies.”
They all noticed him at the same time and went silent. He’d spent enough time with them to know how unusual silence was for them.
“I was about to text to tell you they moved me,” Memphis said.
Jesse gazed at her, unblinking, drinking in the sight of her sweet face, relieved to see some of the rosiness returning to her cheeks. “I just came from the ICU, where I got the word.”
He was slightly aware of Beatrice nudging Alberta, and then the two of them kissed Memphis and told her they’d be back in a while before they left the room, leaving a cloud of perfume in their wake as they brushed by Jesse.
“Was it something I said?” he asked as he moved closer to her, unable to resist the undeniable pull.
“It’s more what you don’t say. They think you’re a glowering lunkhead who doesn’t speak unless he has to.”
“They figured me out kinda quick.”
She snorted out a laugh. “You’re not hard to figure out, Best.”
He could tell he surprised her when he went around to the left side of her bed, away from her injured leg, perched on the edge of the mattress and took her hand.
“Why are you still crooked?”
“Really effed up my neck. The ICU nurse told me what to get for it.”
“You should go get what you need.”
“I will, but first…” He glanced down at their joined hands. “I want to tell you…”
She put her other hand on top of his. “What do you want to tell me?”
“You know how I lost my sister.”
“Yes, and I ache for you. We all do.”
“We had… It was a rough childhood. Our grandparents took our mother to court to get custody. It was ugly. Both parents were drug addicts. We only saw them sporadically, and the grandparents were okay, but bitter about having to raise another generation of kids. Jordan was the only person in my entire life that I’ve ever truly loved, and when she disappeared… It was like something vital inside me ceased to function.”
“Jesse,” she whispered tearfully. “I’m so sorry you’ve been missing her for all this time. I… I’ve tried to find her.”
He looked up at her so quickly that he winced from the pain that shot through his neck. “You have?”
She nodded. “It’s what we do. We find people, and I figured maybe a fresh look would help. But there’s just… There’s nothing.”
“Believe me, I know, but it means a lot that you tried.”
“I’d give anything to fix this for you.”
Hearing her say that, knowing she’d been looking for Jordan, he realized his path forward had become crystal clear. “I said Jordan was the only person I’ve ever truly loved, and that was true for most of my life. Until recently.”
She seemed to hold her breath, waiting to hear what else he would say.
“I love you, Memphis Rose, and I’ll be honest… I didn’t want to.”
Laughing as tears slid down her cheeks, she said, “No kidding. Really?”
“This is no time for sarcasm. I’m being serious.”
