Chapter 14
Jackson
Knowing Pete was staying had my body relaxing again.
What was it about him leaving that left me…
breathless? It was like the thought of him not being near was enough to make me spiral.
Was I depending on his company? Had I somehow made him my anchor?
That was what Bren had said could happen, that one day someone would be my safety net.
I’d thought Mike was that for me, during the countless nights filled with nightmares.
How he’d helped me through them. Had been there for me.
But him leaving only made me worry a little.
After all, it was easier dealing with nightmares when you weren’t alone.
That was just facts. But Pete leaving… It had scared me, and he hadn’t even left, only packed his things.
I’d been so troubled by my surprising emotions that it'd taken me way longer than it should have to voice my wants. And God how I wanted him to stay.
The buzzer sounded again and I cursed Ida under my breath for being so impatient.
Teenagers. I reached the door and pushed the button, letting her inside the building, then opened the door and waited for her.
Pete stood in the living room, still unsure if he was wanted.
If only he knew how badly I wanted him. Would it please him to know?
Or scare him off? Had he imagined I was this strong confident man?
A dominant man? I was in the bedroom, but I had so much baggage outside of it.
Would that be too much for him? He had a demanding and dangerous job, and then his own trauma from the attack, a trauma we had no idea how would manifest once he started healing.
Would he have nightmares, too? Would he be afraid of the dark?
Of going into bars? We had no idea. Damn, so much baggage and we’d only just started this dating thing.
It was a surprise neither of us had run for the hills, yet.
Ida came into view and I really should’ve called her sooner. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken in with dark circles underneath. It looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Ida, what happened?” I said, not bothering with a greeting as I hugged her close. She hugged me back and sobbed into my chest.
“Can I please stay?” Her voice was so fragile, filled with vulnerability and fear. Was she afraid I would turn her away? Never. No. Fucking. Chance.
“You can stay here for as long as you need,” I assured her, then closed the door and led her to the living room. “This is my boyfriend, Pete.” Pete’s eyes widened, but luckily Ida didn’t appear to have seen the ‘boyfriend’ reaction.
“Nice to meet you,” Pete said, holding out his hand.
“You too,” she replied, shaking his hand, both sharing shy smiles. It warmed my chest seeing Pete and Ida together.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked, noting she appeared thinner than last time I’d seen her.
“Can I ask for something big?” She looked at me and bit her lip, just like she would when she begged me for toys as a child.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, anything.”
“I could really use some greasy burgers and fries. Uh! And a strawberry milkshake. I haven’t had Hannah’s since last time I saw you.”
I just shook my head fondly at her. “Of course, Seedy. Anything you want, remember?”
“Stop calling me Seedy,” she complained, but with a smile. She’d gotten her way, so a smile was the least I deserved.
“Never,” I grinned. “You two okay here while I pick up the food?”
They both nodded. I didn’t want to take Pete with me, not with his bruises.
You had to give it to Ida, she didn’t seem to be put off by them, or even asked.
I figured they would talk while I was gone.
I doubted Pete would be annoyed if asked questions, and if I knew him well enough, I’d figured he’d tell her without her asking about it.
“What do you want, baby?” Pete’s eyes widened again and I loved seeing him react like that to my endearments. I would baby him up all day every day from now on. He would get so used to being called baby by me that he’d react to nothing else.
“Um, the fried chicken burger, with curly fries and a vanilla milkshake.” He blushed, sneaking a glance at Ida who didn’t seem to pay us any mind as she looked around the living room.
“Noted. You two have fun while I’m gone.” I waved Ida goodbye and pecked a quick kiss on Pete’s lips, earning another wide-eyed stare, this time with blushing cheeks to go with it. Perfect.
It wasn’t as hard as I’d feared, leaving Pete behind.
Knowing he would be there waiting for me, made leaving easier somehow.
Plus, I figured him and Ida would do good with some alone time.
Ida could tell Pete all the embarrassing things she wanted about me, not that she had a lot.
Not that I knew of, at least. But Pete needed to get to know her better so he wouldn’t feel like a third wheel.
And if Ida was staying, they truly needed to become friends.
And fast, because I wasn’t letting Pete go. Not ever.
My phone rang just as I’d entered my car. It was my realtor Susie, and even though I knew it wouldn’t be the good news I was craving to hear, I still answered. “It’s Jackson,” I greeted.
“Hi, Jackson. Susie here. Listen, I know you had your sights on the mansion outside of town, but another just got put up for sale. Not as big, but still with a huge property and with a lot of privacy around it.”
I sighed.
I knew another mansion could work just fine for me, and hopefully Pete.
But it just wasn’t the same. And considering I’d just started dating Pete, it seemed like a good time to take it easy and put the mansion hunting on pause for now.
Pete deserved my full attention, and to be honest, I really wasn’t in the mood to go looking at mansions at the moment.
“I appreciate your call, but I think I’m taking a break from looking, just for a month or two. But please call me if my dream mansion goes on the market again. Actually, if it does, you can put a bid on it without even asking me. I won’t risk losing it another time.”
“So, I take it you saw the news about his fiancé?”
“I did.” I also fucked the owners throat just a few days after, but I wasn’t about to tell her that.
“I can’t say if he’ll sell now that he lives there alone or not. Like I said, when he bought it, it seemed suspicious that he ended up getting it when your bid had been higher. But I’ll keep a close eye on things.”
“Thank you. Take care, Susie.”
“You too, Jackson.”
I exhaled, feeling relieved I’d put mansion hunting to the side for now. Both Ida and Pete needed me right now, and to be honest, I needed them too.
As soon as I bought the food, I was hurried back, hoping they’d connected and we could all share a nice day together.
I just prayed they were getting along.