Page 38 of Jag

“I will. Stay safe, Dad.”

“Always,” he said and hung up.

After I took a showerand put on clean clothes, I straightened up my house. Grabbing the bags from shopping the day before, I hung the few pieces of clothing I purchased, then sat down in the living with bags full of supplies I picked up at the craft store. I couldn’t wait to decorate my classroom with some of the things I had bought.

Just as I finished separating the items and placing the bags beside the desk I had purchased when I first moved in, there was a knock on my door. When I opened the door, Sami stood on the stoop smiling.

“Hi, Sami. Come in.” I stepped back, then closed the door after she entered. “What brings you to town?” I asked and led her into the living room to sit down.

“I came by to check on you,” Sami said.

“Why?” I asked and frowned.

“Because Dom is going to busy for a few hours and he was worried about you. He thought maybe you needed someone to talk to.”

“So he did hear? I wondered if he had, but he didn’t say anything.”

“Only thing he said to me was you had a very upsetting phone call with your mother yesterday,” Sami said and shrugged. “I’m sorry if you feel we are overstepping. But, River, you have to know how he feels about you. Not to mention I think of you as a friend and I hope you think of me as yours, too,” Sami said.

I leaned my head back on the couch and closed my eyes. Dom hadn’t shared whatever he heard, he was leaving that up to me if I chose. He didn’t push for information, he just supported and took care of me. I remember how well he did, too. Time with Dom made everything else insignificant. How couldn’t I not know how he felt, it was in every gesture, touch, the way he spoke to me.

“Guess you pulled the short straw?” I opened my eyes, lifted my head, and looked at Sami.

“No. The others don’t know. Jag stopped by the house on his way to the garage. Bailey is at work, and Carly started back early this morning, she’s covering for one of the other deputies whose wife went into labor. And Luna is at the garage updating the books. When I got done doing the few things around the house, I headed to town.”

“You didn’t have to. But thank you.”

“Hey, if you can’t unload on your friends, who can you unload on,” Sami said with a smile.

“True. But I really am okay. I don’t think I was upset as much as disappointed in my mother. She’s difficult on a good day,” I started, then shared what the phone call had been about. Sami mainly listened, but like my dad, she dropped the occasional curse word when applicable. While I talked, I alternated between glancing at Sami or staring down at my hands. As I finished telling the last of it, I felt even better than I had when I dumped on my dad.

“I’m sorry, River, for everything you’ve been through, but it had to be a load off your chest to say all that to your mother. Give it time, maybe you and she can work through your issues.”

“I doubt it. She won’t change, and I’m not going back to the person who always gives in to keep the balance.”

“And your ex, I don’t think sorry covers his actions. But I am sorry that’s the way you found out you couldn’t get pregnant.”

“Guess I should look on the bright side, I didn’t have to go through testing to see why I couldn’t. They were going to start with Thomas’s sperm count first, then move on to the testing with me, but his infidelity saved thousands of dollars in doctor bills.”

“River...” Sami got up and hugged me. I hugged her back but knew I needed to get off that particular subject. Not because it hurt. I figured I’d get a twinge of pain in my heart for a while every time something reminded me that I’d never hold a child of my own.

“I’ve accepted it for the most part. Sometimes it hits me. But you know what? After you spend month after month doing everything possible to give yourself a better chance to conceive only to be disappointed each time—it’s almost a relief.”

“I am glad you are getting a restraining order. And I would send it to his work anyway. Fuck him. He should count himself lucky that a little embarrassment is the only thing he has to face,” Sami said angrily on my behalf. Which was the difference between friends who stood by you, versus the ones who couldn’t get away fast enough when something happens.

“I need to tell Dom though before he invests any more time with me.” Sami frowned at me, and I rushed on, “Not that I think we are headed down the aisle or even at any stage to talk about kids. I don’t want either of us to be hurt if we do get to that stage,” I explained, and Sami still frowned. “What?

“You can’t think that your ability to have children would matter more to Jag than you?”

“How would I know? I’m just getting to know him,” I said. Sami shifted on the couch, bending one of her legs in front of her allowing her to face me.

“I’m going to let you in on a few things. And no, I’m not telling you to keep anything from Jag because I know that information isn’t going to make any difference in how he feels. The man really has been out of sorts for a while. We didn’t know why at first. I’m talking about us women. The guys more than likely knew, but they are tight-lipped when it comes to each other. Only reason we knew it had to do with a woman is that we caught bits and pieces from walking into rooms while they were giving him shit about his behavior. Luna is the one who figured it out when she witnessed you and Jag together that day in front of Yoga Sensual. She’s the one who told us. It answered why he was acting like a butthead. But none of us knew you were Sheriff Lance’s daughter. Carly didn’t even know. She’d been out recuperating and hasn’t been around the station. And she said your dad didn’t have any pictures on his desk of you before she went out on leave.

“You need to understand that since I’ve gotten to know these men, even though women bid for their attention, they don’t let that bother them. Like get under their skin bother, not hey you look good, don’t you want to sleep with me bother. Out of the six of them, Jag is laid back, easy to talk to, hardly ever gets mad. Until he met you. And, River, these men go after what they want. I experienced it with Kane and watched it happen with the others. Well, except Luna, but it went pretty much the same way since Ghost left with the guys and he came back with her,” Sami finished, then shrugged as if adding a ‘there you go’ to her shared insight on Dom and the others.

“Thanks, Sami, for listening and sharing things about Dom with me.”

“Hey, we women have to stick together.”

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