Page 11 of Always. Forever.

Jace smiling will give any girl butterflies. His larger-than-life smile makes me weak. I think about what Becky said, Jace always has been the light in my life. Even in the dark, he shines through and guides me.

“He did. He still does.”

Chapter Three

“C’mon,bigguy,let’sget you into bed.” I try to support Jace as I sit him down on the bed.

“I feel sick.” Jace groans.

Jace drops himself back on the bed like a deadweight and lies there with his eyes closed. How I got him out of the car and into the apartment, I will never know. It should have taken two minutes but turned into ten, as I was trying to support his weight while he was pushing me into walls when he couldn’t stand or walk properly.

“Let me get you some water and some painkillers for the headache you will no doubt have tomorrow. Don’t fall asleep, Jace.” He raises his hand in a gesture to tell me okay, but I know he will be out like a light soon, and there is no waking Jace once he has had alcohol and fallen asleep.

I rush to the kitchen and fill up a glass of cold water and grab two painkillers. I don’t know when it happened but the night took a turn and the boys got a bit out of control. Jace drank the champagne—which he usuallydoesn’tdrink—along with Cash. I lost count of the tequila shots they had between them and then they ended the night with a glass of whiskey. No wonder he feels sick, the mixes he had today are lethal. I head back to the bedroom, and Jace is rolling around, trying to get his shoes off. “Here, sit up for me. I’ll take your shoes off, you take these and drink the water.”

He sits up slowly, holding himself up so he doesn’t roll sideways. I pass him the water and tablets, feeling like I’m passing a glass full of water to a one-year-old who just started walking. I hover my hand near the glass as he takes a sip and then throws the pills in his mouth and takes another sip. He gives me the glass back and I place it on the bedside table.

“What would I do without you, Ry Bear,” he mumbles.

I smile to myself and bend down to take his shoes off, he doesn’t call me Ry Bear a lot but it’s cute when he does. He says I give cuddles like a big cuddly bear and he thinks bears are cute, so he says they remind him of me.

Once I have his shoes off, he’s staring at me with glazed, bloodshot eyes. I place my hands on his knees and smile at him.

“You feeling okay, babe?”

“I’m seeing three of you right now, but I’m not complaining,” he says with what I can only assume is an attempt at a wink but ends up blinking both eyes at me.

I gasp. “Three!? You could never handle three of me, Jace.”

“Don’t I know it,” he mumbles while lying back in bed. I undo his pants, but he keeps kicking his feet.

“Stay still, I need to get you undressed.”

I get his trousers off, but I struggle with his top, so I leave it on. It won’t hurt him wearing it, and he can always take it off during the night if he gets too hot.

I move his leg to the side so he is lying straight and pull the covers over him. I lie there for a minute and admire him, running my fingers through his slightly tousled hair. He really is my everything, I don’t know where I’d be without him these last couple of years. He has been my lifeline. I smile, thinking back to when we first met, our night in Freedom. It’s ironic that six years later roles are reversed and I’m sitting here helping him while he is drunk. Although, I have been here more than once.

I still find it insane he wanted to see me again after that night. I remember the day he dropped me home and I assumed it would be the last time I saw him, but he told me it wouldn’t be. I remember those butterflies I felt and the excitement. I remember going back into my apartment and Toni bombarding me with questions but not even speaking because I was still on cloud nine because he wanted to see me again. That cloud slowly floated down to hell when I thought of the state I must have been in and the vomit he had to clean up.

However, I was back on cloud nine when my phone rang the following night and it readJace. I’d had no idea how he got my number or how his got programmed into my phone. He had told me on the phone he did it himself while I was asleep. I wasn’t mad about that; I was so happy he had called me. A few days later, we were sitting at a table in a gorgeous restaurant called Imperials, which is now our favorite and we visit frequently, giggling and flirting. I had the most amazing night. He was an utter gentleman and didn’t even come up to my apartment when he brought me home in a taxi. He called me the following morning, asking if I wanted to go for a walk and coffee around Rose Gardens in Baltimore. The rest is history.

Here we are today, and I have never been happier. I lucked out that night. Toni is adamant it’s all thanks to her, I partially agree. If it wasn’t for her begging and nonstop nagging to go out, I wouldn’t have, then I wouldn’t have met the love of my life. Cheesy, I know, but he is. We have our bickers like any couple, but after a while it’s forgotten about, we say sorry, kiss, and make up, and it’s like it never happened. I truly couldn’t ask for anyone better. I lean forward, planting a kiss on his head, and whisper, “I love you, Jace Stiles.”

****

I wake up at 9:00 a.m. the next morning and roll over, and Jace is still asleep. I know exactly what he will need when he wakes up with a horrible hangover, and that is his favorite: pancakes and crispy maple bacon covered in maple syrup. I creep out of bed, throwing my robe on, and head to the kitchen. I prepare the breakfast and make him a black coffee with one sugar, just the way he likes it. I then make him an ice-cold glass of water because water never tastes so good when you are hungover with a dry mouth. The next morning’s dry mouth can be hell.

I walk back to the bedroom, and Jace is slightly sat up, resting his head against the headboard, looking at me lazily, but his eyes light up as soon as he sees what I’m carrying. “Ya know, your eyes should light up like that for me, not the food,” I tease while walking over to him. He scoots up the headboard and smiles up at me as I place the food tray on his lap.

“You know you’re always my light, Ry, there is no light brighter than you.” He smiles at me, then ruins the moment. “However, food is a different story when I’m feeling like this.” He rubs his hands together, looking down at the food. I roll my eyes with a smirk and lie next to him.

I pick up the remote, turning the TV on while he eats his food. I flick through the channels, not much is on but then I come acrossFriends. I have seen every episode a handful of times, but every time I watch it, it still feels like the first time. I sip my coffee and drink my vanilla protein shake. Most days, I drink a shake for breakfast. I indulge sometimes but my weight is very yo-yo so I have to, unfortunately, keep an eye on what I eat. Not that Jace is bothered, but I am conscious of it, so I like to try stay at a weight I’m happy with. Jace is hoovering the food into his mouth like it’s about to escape, and I’m trying to work out if he’s breathing while demolishing what is on the plate.

“Nice,” I say, raising an eyebrow. He just nods while shoveling more pancake into his mouth while the syrup drips down his chin. I let him finish because I will not get much conversation out of him while he eats. He finishes, then places the tray on the floor beside him.

“Thanks for that, beautiful,” he says, picking up his coffee.

I flick my eyes to him. “Did you have a good night last night?”

---