Chapter 27 #2
Jackson’s face tightened. “I was deployed overseas when she married him.” Regret darkened his face. “If I’d been there?” He gave a sharp shake of his head. “I would’ve told her he was a worthless piece of shit before she ever said ‘I do.’”
Timothy dragged a hand through his hair and turned away a second like he couldn’t stand being inside his own skin anymore.
“Don’t be mad at her for leaving…for calling me,” Jackson said quietly in that low voice that demanded attention.
Timothy stilled.
Jackson waited until Timothy finally looked at him before continuing. “She kept this from you to keep you alive.” His voice roughened. “You hear me?”
Timothy’s throat worked.
Jackson stepped closer. “Timothy…”
The entire yard seemed to go still. Even the wind.
“You’re the center of this family, whether you ever wanted to be or not.
You handle the farm and the businesses, the land.
You make sure my brother can stay in his corner, undisturbed.
Those groceries and things don’t go unappreciated.
Half this community owes you a debt for something.
They’d repay it in a heartbeat but never speak about it out loud.
” He blew out a long breath. “I stayed in the hospital with her because I couldn’t stomach leaving her alone after what happened.
” His eyes flicked toward me briefly before returning to Timothy. “But she wanted you.”
Timothy’s face cracked. Not all at once. But I saw it.
Jackson must’ve seen it too.
“She cried for you,” Jackson said softly. “Hell…she cried for you in her sleep.” He swallowed hard.
My face felt hot to hear that vocalized out loud.
Timothy shut his eyes like the words physically hurt him.
Jackson closed the remaining distance between them and grabbed the back of Timothy’s neck, dragging his forehead briefly against his in the rough, wordless way men like them showed love.
“I visited her every now and then when on leave. To check in and all. Do you know the first thing she asked me every time I saw her?”
I moaned behind them, mortified.
“She asked if you were alive and then if you were happy. Every. Fucking. Time.” Jackson’s grip seemed to tighten on Timothy’s neck. “She wasn’t happy. I could tell. But she wanted you to be.”
Timothy made a broken sound low in his throat.
Jackson pressed on. “Us Hursts? If we’re lucky, we find one person who gets us here.
” He hit his chest once and then gave Timothy’s neck a hard squeeze and pushed away.
“I knew damn well she was yours. I protected her for you the best I could. I wanted to tell you when I watched you break for so long, but I promised her.” His voice thickened with emotion he was trying hard to hide.
“She’s back where she belongs even though it’s not yet safe for her to be here.
” His voice turned fierce. “Be grateful you can be with her. She damn near gave her life to keep you breathing.”
Jackson turned on me, his face going cold in that way which scared me.
This was that scary way the military changed him.
“Shooting Justin would’ve been too easy today, just like it’s too easy a way out for your father.
Give me permission, Gia, and I’ll ruin Justin far beyond anything Aunt Lisa might have in mind.
Think about it. Then text me. I’ve got a whole file on that asshole.
” Then his lips twitched upward into a cruel smile as he met Timothy’s gaze.
“As for Jimmy...” He winked. Not sure I could guess what kind of hell he had planned for my father.
Then, typical Jackson, he stalked away without a good-bye.
I tried to get Timothy to look at me, but he wouldn’t, which hurt. He pushed a hand through his hair and muttered, “I have work to get to.”
Lisa and I watched him pace away in the same direction as Jackson, shoulders locked tight.
Lisa sighed. “He’s not leaving you. He’s trying to figure out how not to blame himself for all this.
” Then she turned and hauled me into a full-body mama hug.
“What you did for him mattered. He gets that, but he’s butt hurt that you chose Jackson and that both of you kept it from him.
Now, this doesn’t mean I approve of you staying gone this long.
My son needs you something awful. Sounds like he always has.
It’s going to take his stubborn pride a bit to work through the thought of someone else helping you when Jimmy beat you so hard you almost died.
” She pulled back enough to give me a pointed look.
“Also, I don’t approve of you getting mixed up with that Justin character who bears just enough resemblance to my son to make this whole thing extra irritating.
I hope you learned a lesson, young lady. There’s no replacing a Hurst.”
“Yes, ma’am.” A laugh caught in my throat and came out thin. My chest ached watching the empty stretch of yard where Timothy had disappeared. “They’re one of a kind.”
“I’ve also got to thank you for keeping an eye on Jackson. Those twins have survived a lot. They’ve got a darkness inside that tries to drag them under. Got worse since their father went to jail and then their mother died.”
“He was a rock for me, but he’s got his own demons that chase him.
” I shifted my weight, suddenly unable to stand still in my own skin.
The adrenaline from Justin, from Timothy, from all of it still ricocheted through me hard enough my hands trembled.
“Thank you. For helping me with Justin.” My voice roughened.
“I don’t think I realized how bad things had gotten until somebody stood beside me and acted like I deserved better. ”
Lisa pulled me into a small hug.
“I’ll take you up on church and dinner.” I pulled away and rushed on before the emotion lodged in my throat made me unable to talk. “Just tell me what to bring. I make a pretty solid potato salad.”
Lisa snorted. “Mayo-based or don’t bother showing up. I’ll text Jackson and tell him and his antisocial brother to show up. It’ll probably only be Mark. Jackson has to go back to whatever he’s now doing that’s probably dangerous and stupid.”
That finally pulled a real smile out of me, brief and shaky.
“Deal.” The smile faded as quickly as it came.
I rubbed at the ache building behind my ribs.
“If you could help me sell that land…” I swallowed hard.
“I’d appreciate it. Take whatever commission you want.
I just…” My gaze dropped to the dirt between my boots.
“I need every piece of Justin cut out of my life before he finds another way back in.”