Page 187 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
The wind chimes hanging from the eaves jingled softly as she stepped out of her father’s car, their melody so familiar it resonated deep in her bones, as steady and constant as her own heartbeat. She ran up the stone walkway, past the twin oaks standing guard, and past the rainbow blooms in Ty’s Garden.
And only when she stumbled up the steps to fall into Simone’s open arms did she believe she was home.
Her family surrounded her, holding her close and telling her everything would be okay. She cried in their arms, hysterically relaying the entire ordeal from the start. She told them about Michael. She told Simone that CeCe had been loved and how that love had been twisted into something unrecognizable after her death. She told them about Taylor and those horrible people. She told them about her cousins and the things they had endured.
They listened. They asked questions. They cried with her. And when she finally began to quiet, they moved her into the parlor.
Abe held Izzy’s hand; the two of them hadn’t let go of each other since she’d walked through the door. Lenora kept a tight grip on Xavier, while Selah stood behind his wife with both hands on her shoulders. Simoneand Annabeth sat on either side of her on the parlor sofa, with her father and Rowan flanking them in quiet solidarity.
“Tell us what you need, Jamison,” Abe said when the silence turned too heavy to bear. “Whatever you need, we’ll make it happen.”
She needed Liam. But since that wasn’t possible, she asked for the next best thing.
“I’d like to see my sister.”
Bernie suggested she take a shower first, but Simone was a little more forceful about the matter, even going after her father. “You are wrinkled, Benjamin, and that is no way to greet your grandson.”
Once she and her dad were ready, they rode to the hospital together, a caravan of chaos descending on the maternity wing. Samuel heard them coming and was already in the hallway when they turned the corner.
Seeing him had Jamison getting emotional again, and she didn’t resist when her big brother pulled her in for a hug.
“Just let me hold you, brat.”
Unable to breathe and perfectly fine being in such a state, she hugged Samuel back.
“Okay, you big jerk.”
Carter waited at the door, looking better than when she’d last seen him, and she hugged him next.
“Thank you for protecting them. I hope you haven’t been too bored.”
A little startled, Carter returned the hug. “The word boring will never cross my lips again.”
Everyone stayed in the hall while she and her father slipped quietly into Evie’s room. Upon entering, they both grinned at the girls sprawled out asleep on the hospital room’s pullout sofa.
And Evie promptly burst into tears when she caught sight of them.
Not caring about propriety or hospital rules, Jamison crawled into the bed with her sister and snuggled close. “Let me see my nephew.”
Still sniffling, Evie turned the bundle in her arms. “He’s hungry all the time and is already so demanding.”
Albert Benjamin Fairweather was perfect, and Jamison sighed over his beautiful face. “He is a Fairweather, you know.”
“I know.” Evie swiped at her tears. “Ben, would you like to hold him?”
“Absolutely.” With his hands out, Benjamin Fairweather was already a goner over the kid. “Give memy new grandson.”
Jamison grinned at his eagerness. But then the dark thoughts that would likely forever creep around in the back of her mind edged closer. They whispered the truth, reminding her that the excitement and complete adoration coming from her father as he gazed down at Albie would be something she could never give him. The soft maternal glow Evie exuded was something she would never experience. The firsts. The failures. The fun of being a parent… she would never have it.
It hurt. Especially now, when she needed Liam at her side, but it would be okay. One day. It would be okay.
Evie shifted to face her, their foreheads nearly touching.
“Talk to me.”
“Not yet.” Jamison shook her head. “This is a place of happiness, and I don’t want to bring all that in here today.”
“Liam?”
