Page 96 of Mind Pucked

AMELIA

At some point after making love in the alley, again in Jackson’s car, and once more when we got to his house, I fell asleep in his arms. When I left this place yesterday I was happy for the break, but now I could not be any more thrilled that I’m back, hopefully for good.

I smile as I roll over to throw my arm across Jackson, but my smile quickly fades when I realize he isn’t here. The sheets are no longer warm, so he’s been gone awhile.

I immediately worry that might have regrets—our judgment through the haze of alcohol and the excitement of the fight might have been cloudy. A slight sound from downstairs is the only thing that reassures me and keeps me from losing my mind with that train of thought.

I smile as I smell food. Better yet, bacon!

Unable to find my clothes, I slip on one of Jackson’s oversized jerseys. It nearly hangs to my knees, and I smile at my reflection in the mirror at seeing the Blue Jays colors on me.

I hustle downstairs, rounding the corner to see Jackson in the kitchen, flipping an egg. Sure enough, there’s also bacon, sausage, and an assortment of other breakfast items.

I lean against the doorframe and watch him for a moment, unsure whether he’s aware of my presence or not. I could watch this man forever.

I could watch him play hockey, parent Hayden, fight, have sex, or flip an egg and be just as content here and always.

He flips another egg and then looks up to see me standing here. The smile on his face tells me everything—the alcohol and fight from last night have done nothing to influence what happened between us.

“Good morning, Amelia,” he says with a big smile. “Hungry?”

“Ravenous.” I move forward with a smile on my face. “I love you,” I say, testing the waters to make sure everything is still the same.

“I love you too,” he says sincerely, leaning over and kissing me on the lips.

“This smells wonderful,” I admit as I take a seat on one of the stools at the counter.

“Good, because this breakfast is fit for my queen.” He flips another egg in the air.

I smile at that sentiment and lean forward with my elbows against the countertop. I cross my legs in the seat of the stool and relax as he looks me over. I can tell he’s taking in what I’m wearing, and it sends a shock of anticipation through me.

I think about the things we did on this counter and wonder when we might get the chance for a repeat. “When is Hayden coming home?” I ask innocently, mostly looking for a distraction so I don’t jump him right here and now.

“Well, she isn’t due back until tomorrow, but when I called to tell my mother that you and I were back together, Hayden was so excited she wanted to come home today.” He beams as he starts making plates. “I think I have her convinced to stay until tomorrow to buy us some more time.”

“So, you told your parents we’re back together? Hayden too?” I squeal in shock.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? Unless you’re rethinking things?” His brow creases as he hands me my plate.

“No, of course not. I just thought maybe you might want to talk about things before we made it official again, but I’m perfectly fine doing it this way.” I wait for him to sit down across from me.

“No, I didn’t want to wait—I was too excited,” he says as he takes his first bite of food. He waits until he chews it and swallows before speaking again. “But…I do want to talk to you about a few things.”

“I figured you might.” I smile at him as I pile eggs on my fork and take a bite. “Delicious.”

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to you,” he says, taking me by surprise for a second time this morning.

“What do you have to apologize for?”

“I’m sorry for getting so angry at you,” he begins with a smile as he reaches across and takes my hand. “You do need to understand where I was coming from, though.”

“Oh, I think I know, but please continue.” I give his hand a slight squeeze.

“It looked bad from my end,” he says softly. “All of it. And I know you already know that. You’re a smart woman, and it took me a while to realize that you were doing what you were doing out of love. Not love for me, but love for your brother.”

“But then it became love for you too, and I realized my suspicions had been misplaced. I knew that long before I knew Preston was alive,” I tell him.

“I know that,” he admits as he looks down and then back up at me. “But, for me to realize that you thought that of me at all was hard. However, looking at it from the outside in, I can see how it looked. I also know how you felt—after losing my wife, I’m sure it’s similar to your feelings when you lost your brother.”

---