Page 92 of Done Waiting

Bryce laughs so hard that he’s doubled over. “Damn, Jagger. It’s like a war zone here with those two. Though I won’t deny it, I love seeing Maddie put Jason in his place. That doesn’t happen often.”

“Why not? It’s easy.”

“Maddie, seriously,” Abby holds her stomach. “Don’t send me into labor here.”

“Oh, hell no,” Jason says, getting to his feet. “I don’t need to see any babies being born. Call me when the kid is bathed and wrapped up in a blanket, not covered in blood and gore.”

“I… hate… all… of… you,” Abby gasps, laughing so hard between words I’m afraid she is going to go into early labor. I must say, I agree with Jason. I’m good with seeing the baby after it’s all cleaned up. Not before.

Jagger grins at me. “You’re looking a little green, baby girl.”

“Childbirth scares me. If Abby goes into labor, I’m running out the door behind Jason,” I whisper.

Jagger chuckles. “Abby’s only joking.” He nuzzles my neck, causing Abby to swat him once she gets herself under control.

“I thought I told you to remain still, Jagger.”

“Sorry.” His black eyes are on me, and I know for a fact he’s not remotely sorry.

The guys go outside to smoke, and Abby and I decide to make chocolate chip cookies. Luckily, Jagger has all the ingredients we need, including chocolate chips.Of course he does. I baked a batch the first night I stayed with Ashlynn.

“How’re you doing?” Her big eyes are apologetic as she says, “I mean since you witnessed…” she waves her hands helplessly, finally adding, “The incident in the woods.”

My body tenses and I immediately look out the window, watching Jagger smoke his cigarette and laugh with his brothers. “I feel guilty. Like it’s my fault, what happened to those women.” Turning toward Abby, I carefully measure out the sugar, but my thoughts are on what happened.

Her forehead is wrinkled as she stares at me. “Maddie, you couldn’t have known.”

I set the bowl with the sugars, vanilla extract, and butter in front of her. She has the hand mixer ready and sets to work on it while I grab the eggs.

“It’s silly because a part of me knows that. But even though Chloe and I agreed to let Ben move in with us because we needed a roommate to help pay the rent, I was the one who dated him. The guilt is hard to bear at times… I unleashed a serial killer on Falls Creek.”

She shakes her head, shutting off the mixer. “You’re not responsible for that, Maddie.”

I sigh, knowing she’s right. I change the subject, not wanting to talk about this anymore. My gaze lands on Jagger, who meets my eyes through the window, winking at me.

As I dump some of the flour mixture into the bowl for her to mix, Abby grins at me. “Jagger is a true gem, which you obviously know.” Her eyes are distant before she says, “Even before he became my adopted brother, he was always the kid with a huge heart. When Jason was impatient with me and refused to help, Jagger always stepped in. He never minded me hanging around them. One time, he punched a guy for bullying me in school.”

I laugh. “I can definitely see Jagger doing that.”

“I have so many stories. While Jason was a great big brother, Jagger was always the one I could count on. I always viewed him as my brother, even before my parents adopted him.” Her eyes cloud over. “Unfortunately, because he was such a sweet kid, it got him in trouble with his dad. God, the time Jagger’s dad caught him helping me put pajamas on a baby doll.” Her voice trails off, guilt lining her face. “Jagger sure as hell didn’t deserve the shitty childhood he had.”

“No, he sure didn’t. I’m so glad he grew up to be different than his father.”

Abby nods. “His dad was a real asshole. You know, Jagger accidentally stumbled upon a secret his dad kept from him. Rose, Jagger’s biological mom, inherited money from her parents, including this cabin and the acres of land surrounding it, and her will stipulated the money, cabin, and land go to Jagger.”

Pausing, I look up at her. “I had no idea.”

She nods, using the mixer to stir the ingredients. “Jagger tore the old cabin down when he was eighteen, and Jason and Bryce helped him build this one.”

My gaze flits around his cabin. “It’s beautiful.”

Abby nods. “He put his heart and soul into this place. Even though I know his views on relationships, I always hoped he’ find someone who would change his outlook. Someone he’d move in here.”

As I add the chocolate chips to the bowl, I don’t say anything, trying to quell the blossoming hope in my heart. Jagger and I confessed that we loved one another, but we haven’t said or talked about it since.

Abby mistakes the tenseness in my shoulders, obviously thinking it stems from what happened with Ben and Chloe.

“One thing you can be sure of. Jagger would never cheat on you.” She winks at me. “Jagger is extremely loyal to those he lets into his life.”

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