Page 81 of Forecasting the Forward

“Fuck,” he mutters. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“I miss you,” I ramble. “I don’t like being here alone. The bed is too big, and your pillow doesn’t smell like you anymore. I can tell the pigs miss you too. I’m so scared, Jacob.”

“Of what?” he asks softly.

“That you’ll realize I’m nothing special, and you’ll demand a divorce when I’m only now realizing how much you mean to me. And that’s even worse, because I’ve always been independent. You have so much power, and I’m afraid I won’t survive it when you move on.”

“Becca, I’m in love with you. I love you. There is no moving on from you. I’m scared shitless you want to end this because you don’t need me anymore,” he confesses, his eyes covered with a sheen of tears. “I’ve been researching ways to take down your family all fucking day, in some weird attempt to keep you with me. I figured if I saved the day by ensuring you didn’t have to marry that weirdo friend of the family, then you’d want to stay with me.”

“You want to take down my family?” I ask, shock evident in my tone.

“Of course I do! Those heinous fuckers deserve what’s coming to them. They’ve put you through hell, darlin’, and I’ll be damned if I just sit back and let them continue doing it.”

“What exactly are you planning to do?” I can’t help the smile that begins to form on my face. I’ve never had a man fight for me, and while I’m sure it’s not very feminist of me to say, I find that I really like it. A lot.

Jacob chuckles as he runs a hand through his curls. “I have nothing to report. Yet. But I’m working on some things. Just know your brother will most likely be extradited back to Indiana for much bigger charges. He’s not very smart. Did you know that? You, my lovely wife, definitely got all the brains from your parents.”

“When are you coming home?” I blurt out, unwilling to acknowledge the comment about my parents. I don’t even know who my mother is. The woman who ‘raised’ me will not get one more moment of my time.

“We have a game in Miami tomorrow night, and then I’ll be home the day after tomorrow. Mid-morning, I think. Are you going to be okay?”

New tears fill my eyes. “I don’t really have a choice. I’ll be fine.”

“Darlin’ …” he says quietly. “Talk to me. Please.”

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. There are so many things I want to tell him. I need to be honest and tell him that I think I love him too. But I’m so scared. Every man in my life has scarred me emotionally. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“If you’re sure you love me, does that mean you want to stay married?”

Jacob’s lips twitch as he fights a smile. “I do want to stay married to you.”

“Okay,” I say as I exhale in relief. “That makes me feel better.”

“You were worried?” he asks.

I nod. “You wouldn’t need to protect me anymore. I didn’t know if you’d want the responsibility of a wife.”

“Baby. You’re not a responsibility. You bring things to my life that are unmatched. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met, and I find myself wondering what you’d think aboutstupid shit all the time. When I’m near you, my heartbeat slows down, and I don’t feel as anxious. I’m scared shitless that you’ll realize you don’t need me, and I won’t recover from that. You have my heart in your hands, darlin’. I don’t want it back.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“For what?”

I smile sweetly. “For being you, and supporting me just as I am. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to verbalize how much that means to me.”

“I’ll always support you, Becca. No matter what.”

Finally calmer, I take Thunder into the bedroom and climb into bed. Jacob and I don’t talk much more, content to just be connected this way. Not ideal, as I’d much rather have him within touching distance, but still a connection I need. I fall asleep listening to his steady breathing, and wake up to find a text message from him.

Jacob

I’ll spend the rest of my days loving you exactly as you need, darlin’.

With a massive smile on my face, I fire off a text to my boss, letting him know I won’t be in today after the incident with my brother. Then I open up my airline app.

It’s incredibly hardto take a pre-game nap when someone keeps interrupting me.

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