Chapter 4
JACK
“How are you feeling, Nor?”
Nora turns to me, a small smile curving her lips. “Better. But you knew that already, didn’t you?”
I stroke my thumb across the back of her hand. “Why would I know it already?”
“Because you’ve asked me at least ten times since we left your parents,” she replies.
Amusement tinges her voice; a welcome change from her weary tone of earlier.
When we left my parents’ place earlier this evening, Nora wasn’t sounding or looking like her normal self.
Her features were drawn and pale. Bluish smudges shadowed her eyes.
And though she was trying her best to put on a good front, it was clear she wasn’t feeling well.
“Is there something wrong with me worrying about you?” I ask lightly. “You’ve been sick. Wouldn’t you worry about me if the positions were reversed?”
Turning her hand over, she threads her fingers between mine. “Of course. But I’m feeling okay. Really. Much better than before.”
She glances back at the road, now dusted with white. Ahead of us, the headlights reflect off the snowflakes that started falling half an hour ago. Snow melts into tiny droplets on the windshield before being swept away by the wipers.
“You don’t think your parents are mad we left early?” she asks. “I feel kind of bad. Your mom was talking about going out for brunch tomorrow morning…”
“Of course not.” As a car approaches from the other direction, I tense in anticipation.
The roads aren’t too bad yet, but there are always those drivers who seem to forget how to drive in the snow.
I can’t count how many near-accidents I’ve seen over the years, when someone brakes too fast and ends up spinning out, or they mistake the dark patches on the asphalt for water instead of ice.
When I was younger, I didn’t think much about the other drivers on the road. But now that I have Nora in the car with me, I’m much more aware of them and the potential dangers they bring.
Once the car is safely past us, I sneak a quick look at Nora again. “My parents aren’t upset at all,” I reassure her. “I explained that you’ve been feeling off the last few days. They understood why we wanted to go home.”
My parents adore Nora, so I could have told them she wanted to leave early to go on an Antarctic expedition, and they wouldn’t have blinked.
But when I pulled my parents aside earlier this evening to explain that Nora hadn’t been feeling well, and I really wanted to get her home, they both agreed wholeheartedly.
“Of course you should take her home,” my mother replied. “I didn’t realize poor Nora was feeling poorly. You should have told me before. I would have insisted you go back.”
“Has she seen the doctor?” my father asked. “With so many viruses going around right now, you can’t be too careful.”
No, Nora hasn’t seen the doctor. Yet. But if she’s not better by tomorrow, I’m insisting on it.
I don’t care how many excuses she gives—a restless night’s sleep, lots of things on her mind, she ate something that didn’t agree with her, she must have a touch of the cold Clara had last week—I’m not taking any chances when it comes to Nora’s health.
“Still,” Nora persists. “I’m not really sick. Just tired. I could have stayed through tomorrow.”
“You’ve been dragging for days,” I point out. “And you know you don’t sleep as well when you’re not in your own bed.”
“When did that happen?” she asks with a slight shake of her head.
“In my twenties, I could sleep anywhere. A rickety cot, a plastic chair, the rocky ground… and now, I feel like the Princess and the Pea. If my pillow isn’t just the right amount of fluffy, or the mattress is too hard, I’ll toss and turn all night. ”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “I think it’s called getting older. I’m the same way. Ten years ago, I could fall asleep anywhere. But now…”
“You fall asleep on the couch all the time,” she points out with a chuckle. “We’ll be in the middle of House Hunters, and I’ll hear this rumbling sound from beside me—”
“I don’t snore.” Or at least, I’ve never heard myself snoring. Which counts in my book.
Nora snorts. “You absolutely do snore. It’s not terrible, like a chainsaw. I’d say it’s more like…” She pauses to think. “An electric lawn mower.”
“A lawn mower?” I shoot her a quick look of mock-offense. “You think I sound like a lawn mower when I sleep?”
“An electric one,” Nora corrects. “Which is much quieter than a regular one. So it’s really not that bad. Now, Nolan, on the other hand… His snoring was like a commercial mower. One of those huge ones you can hear all the way down the street.”
“Like a commercial lawn mower, you say?” Nolan is one of Nora’s former Green Beret teammates—not a part of her original split team, like Cole, Leo, Zane, Rylan, and Finn, but they were in the same battalion.
And now that he’s out of the Army and living in the DC area, we’ve been able to see him more often.
Which means I’ll get to trot out Nora’s snoring accusation the next time he visits.
Nora laughs. “Don’t tell him I said that. He’s pretty sensitive about it. Ever since this girl he really liked broke up with him after the first night they spent together. And of course, Finn and Zane had to tease him mercilessly.”
“You didn’t tell Finn and Zane I snore, did you?”
“Of course not.” She leans across the console to kiss my cheek. “And besides, there’s nothing to make fun of. I think your little snorting sounds are cute.”
“My snorting sounds?” It’s getting worse by the minute. “How have we been married for three years and I’m just hearing about this alleged snoring?”
“Because I love you,” Nora replies. “And I like hearing you snore. It’s—” She cuts herself off.
As the turnoff to Sleepy Hollow comes up on the right, I flick on the turn signal and carefully veer onto the exit ramp. The tires slip a little on the snow-slicked road, but the all-wheel-drive kicks in to keep us steady. “It’s what?” I ask. “Annoying? Keeping you from getting enough rest?”
“Neither.” More softly, she adds, “It’s reassuring. Hearing you beside me. You know I still get nightmares sometimes. Of the…” Trailing off, her hand tightens around mine.
My jaw clenches.
She doesn’t have to say it. I know what she means.
Though the nightmares don’t come as frequently as they used to, there are still nights when Nora wakes up in a panic, convinced she’s back in the trunk where that asshole stashed her.
On those nights, we head out to the couch to watch House Hunters until she finally falls back to sleep.
Before I respond, Nora says, “Anyway. It helps. That’s all. Hearing you there. So I’m glad you snore like an electric mower. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Swallowing back the anger rising inside me, I force a light laugh. “Well. I’m glad you don’t mind my snoring.” A beat passes. “But if it does bother you, tell me. I can try those nose strips. Or a mouth guard. Or—”
“Nothing,” she interrupts. “You don’t need to change anything, Jack. I love you just as you are.”
Oh.
My heart rolls over.
“I love you just as you are, too,” I reply. “My beautiful, intelligent, incredible wife.”
“Jack.” Nora giggles; something she never does except around me. “Those are a lot of adjectives.”
“They’re all true.” I’m not exaggerating in the least. Nora is without question the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.
Her lips brush my jaw. “Jack. My handsome, sexy, brave, and amazing husband.”
Love swells in my chest until it feels like there’s no way to contain all of it. “I love you, Nor.”
She kisses my neck. “I love you.”
Once I signal to turn onto the road that leads to the Blade and Arrow property, I say, “How about this. Tomorrow, we’ll have a lazy day. We’ll sleep in, and I’ll make you breakfast in bed. We can watch a House Hunters marathon, order delivery, and just lounge around all day.”
“That sounds nice,” Nora replies. “But I do have some work—”
“You weren’t going to do it before,” I point out. “You took tomorrow off, since we were going to be at my parents’. Even if we’re home, you can still take the time off. Plus, if you’re not feeling well…”
“I’m feeling much better. And once I get a good night’s sleep in our comfy bed, I bet I’ll be good as new.”
I almost push the doctor’s visit again, but decide at the last second to let it go. Instead, I’ll see how she’s doing tomorrow, and reassess then. For now, she seems to be doing okay. And, hopefully, a night at home instead of the guest room at my parents’ house will help.
“Okay,” Nora says. “We’ll have a lazy day tomorrow. Except, if it keeps snowing, maybe we can take the kids out to play in it.” She smiles. “Remember last year, when Cole made the sledding hill for Clara? How cute was that?”
“It was really cute,” I agree.
“And this year, Lily will be old enough, too.” Nora brightens. “Maybe we can make them a little snow fort. I bet they’d love that.”
“Maybe,” I reply vaguely. I’m not crazy about the idea of Nora spending time out in the cold. But like the doctor’s visit, we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
As the turnoff to our driveway approaches, Nora leans forward in her seat. “That’s strange. The lights are out.”
“Hmm?” With the snow growing heavier, my attention has been more on the road than the rest of our surroundings. But as soon as I follow Nora’s gaze, I see what she means.
Usually, the B and A property is lit by a series of outdoor lights, some of them around the perimeter of the house, and more lining the driveway. Given that it’s nearly one AM, I’m not surprised that all the windows are dark. But the outside lights should be on.
“Maybe the power went off,” I offer. “It’s pretty windy, and with the storm…”
“Everything’s hooked to a generator, though. Even the outdoor lights.”