Page 74 of Right Place, Right Time (Second Chances)
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jay
I wake to the sunlight streaming in through my window, reflecting off the golden hair splayed across my chest.
It wasn’t a dream. She’s really here.
Kate.
I breathe in her scent, strawberries and cream. It’s so warm and familiar. I can’t believe she came to me…she cameforme. I’ll have to thank Mac. It had to have been him who called her; they walked in together after all.
However, not even the distraction of my girl can calm the aching emptiness in my chest.
Sean.
I can’t believe he’s gone. It’s so fucked up. That truck…its headlights…Sean’s eyes…he knew what was going to happen. Not even an hour earlier, we’d been smiling and laughing as we talked about him becoming a dad. The horror and fear in his eyes…it’s an image that is going to remain ingrained in my mind forever.
Kate stirs, and I tighten my grip around her with my good arm. I don’t know how long she’s staying for, but I’m not ready to let her go yet. Maybe not ever. I will grovel and beg, but I will never leave her again.
“Hey, handsome,” she says, her voice husky with sleep. She tilts her head back so she’s looking into my eyes. “Did you sleep?”
“A little bit,” I tell her, giving her a small smile. The fact that I got any sleep at all is a miracle in itself. Every time I close my eyes I see those damn headlights…Sean’s eyes. It must be her…her presence…it soothes me.
She smiles. “Mac was really worried about you.”
“He called you?”
She nods against my chest. “He did. I’m glad he did. I’m glad I’m here with you.”
“I’m glad you’re here, too,” I say, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry for the things I said to you. I realize now that I should have let you make those decisions for yourself. You’re the smartest, most beautiful person I know—inside and out—and you would have made the right choice for yourself. I should have trusted that. I think part of me was scared that maybe you’d leave me first.”
Kate lifts herself up on her elbow and looks into my eyes. “I’m not going to leave you, Jay. I can’t say that we’ll be together forever because shit happens, but I can say that Iwantto be together forever. I want to be with you forever. I don’t ever want to leave you. I love you.”
I don’t waste another minute and, using my good arm, I grip the back of her head and pull her lips to mine. God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed her. Her smell, her taste, everything. I’m about ready to tell her to take off her clothes when there’s a knock at the door. I leave her with one last kiss and call out for whoever it is to come in.
Mac pokes his head in the door, smiling when he sees the two of us lying together. “I brought breakfast. Better than that hospital crap,” he says, setting a brown paper bag on the table beside my bed. “I’m going to head over to see Julia.”
Just like that, the heavy weight is back on my chest. I nod in acknowledgement, and he slips out of the room as quickly as he’d entered.
“Who’s Julia?” Kate asks.
“Sean’s wife,” I tell her. It hurts to even say his name.
“Do you want to talk about it? About anything?”
I don’t. I just want the hurt to stop, but I realize that in order to do that, I need to talk about it. And Kate is the only one I want to talk to.
“I just can’t believe he’s gone. We went to grab a bite to eat after work. I’d been acting like a real shit, missing you and feeling like an asshole. He called me out on it and made me meet him at Harry’s. We had dinner and talked. He told me I didn’t give you enough credit. That you were strong enough to make decisions for yourself. I was going to call you when I got home. I was gonna try to get you back. We were only a few blocks from the turnoff to his house when it happened.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, then open them back up because I can’t stand to see those images flashing through my mind. I’ve seen the scene a thousand times, but I feel like if I speak it, it’ll be even more real. But seriously, what’s more real than the death of your best friend? Not talking about it isn’t going to bring him back.
“You don’t have to talk about it. I know it’s got to be hard.”
“He was going to be a dad. They just found out Julia’s pregnant.”
Kate gasps. “Oh, my God. I can’t even imagine what she must be going through.”
“Me either.” This went from being the happiest time of her life to the worst. All in a matter of days.
