Chapter 49
Kayla
I’m not sure how long I cry, but Jackson holds me through all of it until I fall into an exhausted sleep. Too soon, he shakes my shoulder gently. “We’re here.”
I manage to open my puffy eyes. “Where?” I ask.
“We’re in Wisconsin, heading to the Northwoods Pack. I figured you’d want to get right to Noah.”
I take that in and instantly sit up. “Noah. He’s here?”
“Yes.” I stand up from the bed as Jackson walks around to the same side I’m standing on.
He keeps walking until he’s standing close enough, our chests touch.
Then he lifts a hand and palms my cheek.
I close my eyes at the touch for a moment.
“You’re the strongest person I know,” he says, leaning forward and touching his forehead to mine before pulling back and looking into my eyes.
“You will get through this; I promise. And I’ll be at your side every step of the way.
” I stare into those gorgeous blue eyes and catch my breath as a thought slams into me so forcefully, I gasp.
For the first time in a very long time, I don’t have to do this all alone; I have someone to lean on.
“Kayla?” he asks with concern in his voice.
“Baby, talk to me. What is it? Are you in pain?” With each word, his voice grows more and more concerned.
“Did you mean it?” I ask.
He frowns in confusion. “What?”
“That you won’t leave me, even when it gets hard?” It’s hard for me to get my lips to form those words, let alone speak them.
Understanding dawns on his face, and he palms the back of my neck. “Yes.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. “You can’t shake me, Love, even if you want to. I’m yours both now and forever, just like you’re mine. When you fall apart, I’ll be the one to help put you back together.”
I blink back tears as I stare up at him. “I don’t deserve you.”
He chuckles low in his chest. “No, Baby. I don’t deserve you, but don’t get any ideas. I’m not letting you go.”
“Promise?” I ask, licking my lips.
His gaze drops to my lips, and I go still. “That is my promise to you,” he says in a gruff voice. He leans forward, and my breathing grows shallow. There’s only a centimeter of space between us now, and my brain keeps returning to the last time he kissed me.
Somebody knocks on the cabin door. “Everybody’s off the plane,” Garrett speaks through the closed door.
Jackson growls quietly, and I push on his chest. “We’re coming,” I tell him. I turn towards the door, but Jackson has other plans. He snags my wrist and spins me right back to him.
“Not yet.” And then his lips are on mine.
I thought he’d be aggressive after the way he just grabbed me, but he’s so tender.
His lips touch mine once, twice, and then a third time.
He pulls back, and I stare up at him. Without saying a word, he puts his hand out; and I place mine in his.
Then, he opens the door, and we make our way through the plane.
Garrett stands off to the side talking to a guy I don’t recognize; I assume he’s the pilot.
But when he sees us, he turns towards us.
“Ready?”
Jackson nods, and we follow him. Jade stands against a black SUV, looking a little lost. I release Jackson’s hand and walk right over to her. “Hey.” I give her a quick hug. “Sorry I kind of lost it a little bit there.”
“Crying for the vampire they killed?” she asks with raised eyebrows.
My shoulders fall. “Yeah. I know it’s hard to understand.”
She studies my face. “Well, maybe you can tell me on the drive,” she says, nodding at the SUV she’s leaning against.
“Yeah.”
She climbs into the backseat and slides over, and I climb in next to her.
Jackson meets my eyes a moment before he closes the door and walks around the car to climb in the passenger seat as Garrett slides into the driver’s seat.
Say the word, and I can explain things to her so you don’t have to, Jackson says through our link when he climbs in.
It’s okay. Thank you, though.
“Everybody ready?” Garrett asks. “It won’t take long to get to our pack lands.”
“Noah’s there, right?” I ask him.
Garrett nods. “He’s at our house with Emma.”
After that, he’s quiet. I take a breath and turn to Jade.
“I knew her as Renee,” I start and spend the remaining trip telling her how I met Alicia and who she was to us.
“I get that she betrayed us, and I hate what she did to the Phoenix Pack. I know they’re justified in what they did, but at the end of the day... ” my voice trails off.
“She was a friend,” Jade says simply.
“Yeah.”
Soon after that, Garrett pulls into a driveway and parks.
I look up at a beautiful home and see the front door open.
Emma steps out onto the porch with a baby on her hip and waves at us.
Garrett’s out of the door a moment later.
I watch as he takes the steps in one jump and tugs her into his arms, baby and all.
I turn away, and Jade catches my eye. “That’s what I want some day,” she says softly.
“Somebody who can’t wait to get home to see me. ”
I nod and then look up and meet Jackson’s eyes. Catching him watching me sends a small thrill through me. “I do too,” I say to her without taking my eyes off his.
“Pretty sure you’ve already got that.”
Her words catch my attention, and I turn to her. She nods at Jackson. “Trust me; you’ve already got that.”
Garrett finally releases Emma, and she turns to us with a bright smile.
Just then a little voice calls out, “Daddy!” I watch as Garrett turns and sweeps up the little guy that runs for him.
His face lights up, and he looks like a totally different person.
He says something I can’t hear from here and buries his face in the little guy’s neck, causing him to squeal.
And then Garrett tosses him in the air and then catches him before dropping another kiss on Emma’s lips and then wrapping an arm around her waist. I don’t want to break up their family reunion, but I’m anxious to see Noah.
I strain to see past Garrett and Emma, but I can’t see inside.
I hear the sound of a car and turn to see another SUV pull into the driveway. Paul is driving, and Sage sits in the front seat next to him. Sherese and Hunter climb out from the back. “Come on in, everybody. I’ve got food ready,” Emma says.
This time when I look up at the house, there he is.
I'm running towards him before I’ve even realized I’ve moved.
He hits me with the same force as I do him, and I rock backwards.
But there’s a solid body behind mine that keeps us from going down the front steps.
“You’re okay,” he whispers against my stomach, and I swallow hard.
“I’m okay,” I whisper back. I meet Emma’s eyes over the top of his head. Thank you, I mouth to her. She gives me a nod, and I don’t miss the emotion in her eyes. Garrett tugs her into his side and kisses the top of her temple.
Noah pulls back from me and turns to Jackson and then throws himself at him.
Jackson doesn’t budge when Noah hits him, obviously prepared for the impact.
I blink back tears as Jackson crouches down to Noah’s level and hugs him back.
Neither of them say a word, but they don’t have to.
I take a deep breath and feel something inside me settle.
I watch the two of them and know we’re going to be okay.
Jackson stands to his feet and takes one of Noah’s hands in his before turning to me and putting his other hand out.
I see Jade standing nearby and turn to Noah.
“Noah, this is my friend, Jade. Jade, this is my brother, Noah.”
Jade smiles at him and puts out her fist and fist bumps him. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”
We follow the rest of the group inside. “Hey,” Sage says when she sees Emma. “I hope you didn’t work too hard, Mama.”
Emma grins. “Nope. I ordered pizza.”
Sage returns her smile. “Good.”
Emma walks over to us. “Kayla,” she says with emotion in her eyes.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” She hugs me tightly, surprising me.
I find myself swallowing hard when she pulls back.
Then she turns to Jade with a beaming smile.
“You must be Jade.” Jade nods, and Emma pulls her in for a hug as well.
“I’m so glad you’re both free from that place. ”
Jade steps back, and I don’t know her well enough to tell if she’s uncomfortable or not.
The front door opens, and Talya and Liam come in, adding to the chaos by bringing their two boys and Sage and Paul’s little girl.
Soon after that, Max and Raechel enter as well and another couple I don’t know.
They’re introduced to me as Madison and Kyle, and I try to commit their names to memory, along with yet another little boy.
Emma makes sure everybody meets Jade and Noah as well.
It’s actually more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be.
It’s a wild group, and I find myself laughing more than once at both the adults and the littles.
The first time I do, Jackson looks over at me and squeezes my hand.
We end up on the couch at some point, and I lay my head on his shoulder and watch the chaos all around us.
Noah sits next to me on my other side, and I’m just so happy to have both of them safe.
Sometime later, there’s a knock at the door.
Bryce and Ava join the mix, and everybody gives hugs.
Ava eventually finds her way over to me and hugs me hard and meets Jade.
She doesn’t say much, but there’s a look that passes between us.
She knows what it’s like in that place. “I’m glad you’re both out.
” That’s all she says, but it’s enough. I watch as Bryce and Hunter talk off to the side and figure I’m glad I’m not there for that conversation.
“I know everybody’s tired,” Garrett says, after he gets everybody’s attention.
Well, not the little ones exactly. They just keep playing, but he seems fine with that.
He looks over at where we’re seated. “Jackson, Kayla, Noah, and Jade, you’re welcome to stay with our pack for as long as you want to.
” He looks around the group. “Tonight, we celebrate that everyone is safe. But soon, we will meet. Bryce and Hunter, I’ll let you know when it’s going to be.
I’m calling in Maverick and Wyatt as well.
” He doesn’t say what it’s about, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.
A shiver runs through me, and Jackson wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer.
I turn to Noah. “Did you get enough pizza?” He nods, and I yawn and turn back to Jackson. But he’s already standing.
Let me see what Garrett has in mind for arrangements for us at least for tonight, and then we’ll go from there.