Jake chuckled, trailing his fingers over my lips and down my neck. “All I know, Peyton Blake, is that you’re a woman worth fighting for. So I’ll fight to the end for you.” He kissed me again, slipping his tongue between my lips, exploring my mouth with his own until I melted into him, molding my body to his. Jake’s hand cupped the back of my head as he kissed me, and it was so intense, so passion-filled that I couldn’t even think to pull away.
When Jake pulled back, leaving us both breathless and hot under the collar, he took my hand and led me back across the living room, and then back into his bedroom, which—of course—was just as beautiful as the rest of the penthouse. I sat down on the edge of his king-sized bed as Jake removed the Rolex from his wrist and set it aside, joining me on the bed.
“No pressure,” he murmured, kissing my neck, and I was too taken with him to fight it, to deny that I wanted this as much as he did, maybe even more.
“I want this,” I whispered as Jake’s hand slipped under my shirt, caressing my nipples until they were hard, standing on edge, ready for him. “You have no idea how much I want this.” My hand snapped out to take a hold of his arm, holding him off. “I’m sorry,” I said. “But until I know what I want, I can’t do this with you either.”
“I understand,” Jake said, reaching for my hand this time instead. He raised the back of my hand to his mouth to kiss it, letting his lips linger a moment longer than necessary. “I’ll wait,” he said. “I’ll wait for you.”
* * *
My mother’s hand felt cold in my own. Cold, yet somehow secure, and when I looked over at her she smiled, her eyes lighting up with hope. I had left Jake’s house just in time to get her to her doctor’s appointment, and while I’m sure my beaming lips and eyes were a total tip-off, she pretended not to notice. She didn’t even ask. Right now, we had more important things to face than who I was sleeping with.
“No matter what the doctor says, Mom, we’re not letting up on this fight,” I said, turning in the chair to face her. “You’ve done so well so far, and you’ll continue to kick this thing’s ass.”
“Thanks, baby,” Mom said softly, and I couldn’t tell if she believed me or not. It didn’t matter. I believed it. Someone had to.
A light rap on the door pulled me back to reality, and Dr. Hudson came in, nodding politely as he took his usual chair on the stool across from my mother. “Hi, guys,” he said, and reached out to shake our hands. “Susan, how are you feeling?”
“How am I feeling?” my mother repeated with a slight chuckle. “I’m feeling like I’m about to get news I may or may not like at all.”
Dr. Hudson smiled kindly, then looked at me. “How have things been, Peyton?”
“Exhausting,” I said with a tight-lipped smile. “But I guess it only matters if it worked, right? So, doc, what are the results? Is chemo helping?”
Dr. Hudson looked away from me and glanced down at the tablet in his hand, finger moving over the screen as he studied my mother’s patient chart.
“I have good news,” he said, and next to me my mother’s body went rigid. How good was good news?
“What is it?” I asked impatiently, feeling my mother’s hand tremble between my own. “Is she getting better?”
Dr. Hudson looked up then, setting his tablet aside. “The chemotherapy seemed to have worked,” he said. “In our last scan there was no sign of cancer.”
It took a moment for those words to sink in, and my mother and I looked at each other, shocked into silence. She said nothing for a long while, merely looked between Dr. Hudson and me as though she was waiting for someone to trick her.
“Mom,” I said softly, gripping her hand as tightly as I could. “Did you hear Dr. Hudson? The cancer is gone.”
Finally, she smiled. A real smile. A smile that lit up this small patient room with a joy that I hadn’t felt in such a long while.
“It’s gone,” she repeated, and Dr. Hudson nodded.
“It’s gone,” he confirmed. “But keep in mind, Susan, that there’s always the possibility it grows back. Since you’ve had it before you can have it again, but I’m confident we won’t have to worry about that in the foreseeable future.”
“My God,” I said, leaning over to wrap my arms around my mother. She hugged me back, her small body wracking with sobs, and I held her, held her close to me, almost like I was the mother, and she was the child now. “You’re okay,” I whispered, tightening my grip around her. “You’re okay, Mom.”
When we parted, my mother took a deep breath and smiled, her hand still securely in mine. “Thank you,” she said to Dr. Hudson. “Thank you.”
Both of us were still on Cloud 9 as I linked my arm in hers and led my mother downstairs and out to the car. A storm was brewing overhead, but I don’t think either of us minded. This was a day that was so great nothing could ruin it.
“Korbin’s calling,” I said as we got into the car, glancing at the screen on my cell phone. “He’ll be anxious to know how it went. Are you opposed to me telling him?”
“Oh, of course not,” Mom said. “Both of you have been such wonderful support, I’m not sure if I could have done it without you.”
“Korbin,” I said, putting the phone to my ear as I pulled the car out of the hospital’s parking lot.
“Hey, beautiful,” said Korbin, and I turned my face a bit away from my mom’s so she wouldn’t see me blushing.
“Hey yourself.”
