“Shit, Jax. I’m sorry man. Have you talked to her about it since she had her surgery?”
“No, not really. Each time I tried before she had her surgery, she shut me down. But she has her first post-op visit in a few days, and her doctor’s going to give us a better idea of when she’ll begin the injections and the timeline for her egg retrieval. They want to try to get it done as soon as possible so she can start chemotherapy.”
Carson blows out a breath on the other end of the phone. “I may not know much about the medical side of things, but here’s what I do know: there is no better teammate than you. When the guys are feeling down, you lift their spirits with your humor and lighthearted personality. I know it’s probably hard as hell to be uplifting when you feel like you’re drowning in the unknowns, but there’s no one better than you to be by Taevin’s side through all of this.”
“I still love her, Carse,” I admit, surprising myself when the words leave me.
“You and I both know you’ve never stopped loving that girl from the moment you laid eyes on her.”
“I’m terrified I’m going to lose her again,” I choke out.
“She’s prepared to fight, Jax. You just have to make sure she knows she’s not going to war alone.”
He’s right.
This battle may be hers, but I’ll be damned if she fights it alone.
17
Now
There’s a faint sound of music drifting down the hallway coming from Taevin’s room that I can hear even over the crackling of bacon.
My phone buzzes on the counter and when I look down, I see Tae’s dad texted asking for an update on how she’s doing. He’s been doing that a lot lately, though I suppose it’s because he said Taevin hasn’t been responding to him.
I quickly type out my daily update on how she’s feeling then set my phone back on the counter.
I stop in my tracks when I hear Taevin singing, causing a smug smile to tug at my lips. Turning off the stove, I move the bacon off the burner and toss the dish towel slung over my shoulder onto the counter. Tae hasn’t sang since her surgery because she said it had hurt her stomach and chest too much. I’m dying to hear her better.
My feet move of their own volition until I’m suddenly standing just outside her bathroom right as her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice begins to sing the chorus of the song.
I can’t stop myself from inching closer and spying through the crack in the doorway as she continues to belt the lyrics to Céline Dion’s absolute banger, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”
It’s likely due to my foolish heart, but I assure myself that she’s singing this song right now because she’s thinking of our kiss last night. The kiss that had me up most of the night replaying it in my mind over and over again.
So it’s all coming back to her, is it?I love this far too much, and the cocksure grin that spreads across my face can’t be stopped as she continues to sing the bridge of the ballad.
Oh, I’ve come back, Thorn. And I’m here to stay.
Taevin
You know what no one told me about getting a hysterectomy? The fact that my boobs still hurt like hell aroundthattime of the month and I’ll still go up nearly a full cup size. Like now, as the shower water sprays down and pelts my nipples, I feel like I could cry from how sensitive they are. I should ask my doctor about this at my appointment this afternoon, because surely this can’t be normal.
And Ineedchocolate. Would Jackson just make himself useful and get me some goddamn chocolate? Oh, and some salty as fuck chips with guac, like, right this minute.
My mouth waters as I towel off from the shower, but when I look up, I shriek at the sight of Jackson standing in the doorway of my bathroom looking far too casual with his hands in his grey sweatpants, legs crossed at the ankles while he leans against the doorframe like this isn’t a major invasion of privacy.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I squeal as I do my best to cover myself up and hide my hideous surgical scars behind my towel.
Jackson doesn’t move a muscle of his beautiful, unblemished body, instead he bites his bottom lip and quirks a quizzical brow. “Céline Dion? What has you feeling so nostalgic, Tae?”
It’s nearly impossible to be upset with him when he has that dopey smile on his face and his curly hair is disheveled from sleep.
I do my best to muster up a growly tone when I tell him, “You seriously need to get out. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
With his hands up in surrender, he backs out of the bathroom, but he doesn’t leave my bedroom. Through the crack in the door, I watch him move across the room to the armoire where he pulls out some sheets.
Humming the tune to himself that I was just embarrassingly belting, he strips the bed before remaking it with fresh sheets. Knowing there’s crisp, clean sheets on my bed makes me want to crawl right back in.
