Me: Leo, you cocksucker. Couldn’t you have waited to tell him in person, for fuck’s sake? You need to go over there right fucking now before he does something stupid.
Seb: I’m already on my way.
Seb: Leo, get the pussy out of your face and get to Nate’s. NOW.
Seb: Jackson, you good for now? I’ll call you tomorrow to check in.
Me: It’s fine, just make sure Nate doesn’t lose it. Bye, fuckers.
Clarity. That’s the only word that comes to mind at this moment.
Nate losing Maddie has made me further realize that life’s too short to sit back and wait.
Jumping out of bed with a new mission, I splash water on my face and head downstairs, not caring one fucking bit what time it is. I need my girl.
The second I round the corner, I come to a screeching halt when I hear soft whimpers from where Belle’s sleeping.
Crap.
I stalk over, put my arms under her soft form, and carry her toward our bedroom.
“Jack?” she whispers.
“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s me.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “Time for us to go to bed.”
She sags with relief before wrapping her arms around my neck in a punishing grip. “Oh, thank God,” she rasps.
I won’t let you go, B. I’m here now.
With each step up toward our room, the heaviness and pain that’s weighed me down all week dissipates, and the feeling is liberating.
After laying Belle down in the middle of the bed, I climb in behind her, wrap my arms around her center, and bury my head into her nape, breathing her in. How I went even one day without my beautiful B and her intoxicating scent is a mystery.
We’ve settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence when I decide to break it. “Annabelle, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t handle myself right.”
She moves forward enough to tilt her head my way. “Don’t even try it, Jackson Peters. Only one person in this room needs to apologize, and that’s me. We both know it.”
“Turn over,” I mumble, holding her hair up so it doesn’t tangle while she maneuvers herself. “I think we have a lot to work through, and it’s not going to happen overnight, but just because I was angry with you doesn’t mean I should have abandoned you.”
She cups my cheeks and grins. “As hard as this has been, I knew we would be okay.”
I pull her into me and brush my lips against her forehead. “How were you so sure?”
She bows her head and chuckles lightly into my chest. “Please don’t be angry with me, but I might have snooped on your phone.”
I furrow my brows and wait for her to explain..
“I may or may not have found your notes about me,” she rushes out, hiding her face. “Don’t be mad, it was an accident… well, the first time.”
“Annabelle,” I warn with zero malice behind it.
“I found it first in Italy when you asked me to send an email, but then I caved and snooped on your phone this week while you were showering. I needed to know if you added anything, if you still cared, and when I saw you did, my hope was restored. Why else would you keep adding to a list of all my favorite things if you were planning to leave?”
I'm shaking my head, but I’m not upset in the slightest.
“You’re not mad, are you? Because I find it quite endearing, really.”
“I’m not mad, sweetheart,” I tell her honestly.
