ChapterTwenty-Seven
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Jacob
By the time I pulled up to the Lukes’ house, I had almost lost consciousness and passed out…
twice. Not because I was ill or anything of the sort, but because my nerves were tap dancing on the bottom of my stomach.
In my entire life, I had only been fearful three times.
The first was when I was eighteen, when I thought I’d lose my life from my medical scare.
The second was when my father became terminally ill, knowing that he would pass away.
The third was now. The fear of losing Amariah for good was akin to death for me.
The only option I had was to pray. Surely, God would hear my cry.
There was no way that He’d bring her back into my life to lose her to Aaron—or worse yet, my own stupidity. That made me press forward.
Now that I’d arrived at her parents’ house, it was as if I was frozen.
I sat in the truck for a solid minute, hands on the wheel, replaying Mr. Adam’s voice in my head.
The ride over had been silent except for his voice.
As Amariah’s father, he cut no corners with me.
He was firm where I needed grounding and gentle where my pride might’ve bucked.
It was in that fatherly spirit I’d come to love that he offered me the truth, not scaring, but not pulling any punches either.
“Jacob, you’re a good man. I know that. But good men mess up when they let fear do the talking.” I had swallowed hard at that.
“And son…you were scared. That’s why you didn’t listen to her.
” He wasn’t wrong. “But what you have to understand is that Amariah was scared, too. Scared of also hoping for you and losing you all over again. You two are looking at each other through old wounds that you never dealt with from the opposite side of the same coin.”
There wasn’t a single lie detected there. Purely all facts. However, it was the next part that struck the deepest.
“You want to fix this…you go to her. Leave your pride and hot-headed assumptions at the door. Go with your honesty, and go ready to listen. Most importantly, go as the man she needs in her life and the man I know you can be for her.”
So, here I was. Petrified and all.
I climbed out of the truck and made my way up the walkway, past the lit angel figurines in the yard, up the steps, and to the porch.
Their home always felt like everything in and around it radiated warmth.
Everything except the thought of Amariah crying and being heartbroken because of me.
That part turned my stomach inside out, even as I lifted my hand and pressed the doorbell.
I heard footsteps, soft ones, quietly approaching the front.
I held my breath, and then the door opened.
Amariah stood there in a cozy sweater, hair down, and tired eyes.
She was a beautiful mess in that way people are when they’re too emotionally worn out to hide anything, yet their inner light continues to shine through.
Her face softened when she saw me. “Jacob?”
Our emotions were both so charged that I could physically feel them collide between us the instant she uttered my name.
“Yeah.” My voice came out quieter than I expected. “Can we…talk?”
Surprise lifted her brows, and she hesitated. For a second, I thought she’d say no. I thought that I’d burned the last bridge I was standing on, but before she parted her lips, she stepped aside, proffering her hand to allow me inside.
“Come in.”
I walked past her; her familiar scent stirred memories that I wasn’t ready to recall. She closed the door, turned to face me, and folded her arms. The gesture was not defensive, but bracing. Then, to my surprise, she held up her hand, halting me from speaking so that she could intervene.
“Before we start,” she said, barely above a whisper, “do you mind if I go first?”
Taking that as a positive sign, relief flooded me. At least she wanted to speak to me, so I nodded, allowing her to clear her chest of anything she wanted to say. “No, I don’t mind. Please.”
We stood facing each other in the living room. Christmas lights from the tree blinked softly, reflecting in her eyes. She exhaled shakily, gathering the courage that I was still trying to muster for myself.
After a few seconds, her stare reached mine, and she exhaled slowly.
“Jacob, I’m sorry,” she said. The words trembled, but she didn’t break.
“I know there’s nothing that we can do about our far-distant past. We were both teens anyway, and I don’t hold either of us accountable for our young minds and immature actions.
Although we should’ve been able to resolve the issues between us that led us to sever ties far earlier, we’ve apologized and moved beyond it.
And when we did, I should’ve been more forthcoming about my situation.
In all honesty, I had made my peace with the outcome of my relationship with Aaron when I walked away, but admittedly, I left those lines a bit blurred.
While I’d made my closure, he hadn’t, and he still needed that.
In fairness, I should’ve ensured my loose ends were tied, especially once we had been intimate. ”
The tension built up in my body suddenly released, and the worry lines creasing my forehead smoothed into a softer, more compassionate expression.
My reaction seemed to release a new calm within her as well.
She went on, voice steadier now. “I never should have left the door open for Aaron to come back and feel he still had claims to me. I certainly should have spoken up when he did and not allowed that situation to get out of hand.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
“I never meant to make you feel as if you were a rebound—or worse yet, that what had sparked between us didn’t mean anything to me.
I never wanted to hurt you in that way. Ever. ”
My heart galloped. To know that I meant something to her…that we meant something energized me, and I knew that no matter what, I wasn’t going to let go of the woman whom I’d always loved. The only one I’d love forever.
She tried to blink away a tear that slid anyway.
“You didn’t deserve to find out anything in that way, or feel blindsided, or confused.
And I hate how things unfolded because of how I handled Aaron.
I should’ve handled everything better.” She wiped her cheek with the back of her knuckle. “I’m sorry, Jacob. Truly.”
The apology released every ounce of anger or confusion that I’d held toward her. I wanted nothing more than to give her the same peace of mind and to move forward… together.
“Amariah…” My voice cracked before I could stop it. “I’m sorry, too.”
Her head snapped up, her lips trembling. The tears that she’d been desperately trying to withhold careened down her cheeks as she attempted to wipe them to no avail.
“I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that.
” My own voice creaked with emotion. “I shouldn’t have listened to him or reacted like I had all the answers when I didn’t know the entire story.
I felt betrayed and discarded, and I let that drive my emotions and run my mouth.
I didn’t give you space to explain. I didn’t give you grace.
And I didn’t give you the trust that you’d already proven that I could have in you. ”
She went to protest, but I shook my head defiantly. “I was harsh. I know that. And I hate that I made you feel like you had to walk away carrying that burden.”
A small smile touched the corners of her lips, and my heart smiled. Still, I had more to say because I refused to leave any stone unturned this time.
“I didn’t want to believe him,” I continued softly, “but he poked at wounds I’d never healed from—ones I should’ve dealt with before I ever tried to have anything real with you. Then when I saw you all holding hands, I just…”
She stepped closer, and I wasn’t sure if she even realized she had. “Jacob…” She reached out, gently touching my arm. “That wasn’t romantic. It was my way of helping him come to terms with the end of us.”
The admission gutted me. I swallowed the lump in my throat, realizing that yet again, I’d prejudged her. “Damn.” I winced. “I hate that I hurt you,” I said, throat still thick. “You didn’t deserve that.”
In that moment, I realized she didn’t know about Aaron’s ambush on me at Oak not roughly, just barely, as if testing to see if I could feel the same reconnection.
That simple movement reignited the flame within me.
I lifted my hand, brushing my thumb along the edge of her jaw.
She leaned into it with a soft sigh of forgiveness…
and need…and desire. My face mirrored hers.
With our eyes trained on each other, our faces drifted closer.
There wasn’t any hunger or urgency—just two people rediscovering something that was still fragile, yet stronger and very real.
Her lips parted. Mine dipped toward hers.
Our chests heaved with heated anticipation.
Suddenly, the sound of her cell phone ringing cut through, interrupting our tender moment. We froze. She jolted back, startled. The ringing had stopped and restarted again. The cell phone bounced around on the end table, buzzing insistently.
Amariah stalked to where it lay and quickly snatched it up. “Mama?”
I saw her expression shift instantly from questioning to confusion, then confusion to fear.
“What? Wait. Slow down, Mama. What happened?” Her free hand covered her mouth. “The pharmacy? And he…he collapsed?”
At the sound of that news, my stomach dropped. This couldn’t be good.
She turned to me, eyes wide and terrified. “Jacob…it’s my dad. They rushed him to the hospital.”
That information set off an internal alert. Two things had to happen immediately. I needed to make sure Amariah was collected and that she got to her family as quickly and safely as possible. “Get your coat,” I said, already reaching for my keys. “I’m driving.”
I could tell that she was on the brink of emotional meltdown, though she moved on autopilot. She nodded numbly and grabbed her things, though her hands shook as she tried to zip her jacket.
I gently took over. “I got it.” I zipped the jacket and wrapped her scarf around her neck.
When we stepped outside, she clung to my arm. Her breaths were shallow, eyes unfocused with panic.
“Hey,” I murmured, helping her into the truck. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”
She finally focused her weary eyes on me and whispered, “Please hurry.”
With that, I closed the passenger door and eased into the driver’s side of my truck.
I started the engine, tires crunching sharply over the snow as we pulled away from the house.
The world outside was white and blurred, but inside the truck, I tried to be her strength.
Her hand trembled in her lap. Without thinking, I reached over and took it.
She gripped mine back as if it were the only solid thing keeping her from falling apart.
And as we sped through Skye Ridge’s streets toward the hospital, one truth settled deep within my soul. Her family was my family, which meant she was mine. I wasn’t just showing up for her tonight. I was staying…for them, for her, for all of us, no matter what came next.