21. Helen
Chapter 21
Helen
“Ma?”
The familiar sound broke through my blissful nap.
“Ma? Are you in?”
My eyes popped open as heavy footsteps bounded up the stairs.
“Jasper Fischer. Do not come into my room. For all you know, I’m naked in here with a strange man.”
“What the fuck, Ma. Conner said you were being weird and talking about meeting someone new. I swear, if you’ve met one and not told us, I will be fuming.”
“Oh, for god’s sake. I’m just out of the shower, that’s all. It’s my house and I shouldn’t have to explain my desire for privacy. I’m making you all give me back your keys. You could just knock.”
“I’ve been knocking. You didn’t answer. You could have been dead. I need to talk to you.”
“Right now?”
“Right now. It’s important.”
Jackson had gone to work a couple of hours ago, but he’d kept me awake most of the night and woken me up early, so I’d taken the opportunity to have a nap as I wasn’t used to the lack of sleep or the number of orgasms.
I brushed my hair, pulling it into a ponytail before changing into some leggings and putting on a hoodie over my t-shirt.
“Jasper,” I said as I walked down the stairs, finding my boy twisting his hands like he’d done something wrong.
“Mum.”
Wow. He’d not called me mum since he was about nine. I was always Ma.
“Do we need to sit?” I asked.
“I’m moving to Ecuador,” he spat out without moving. He looked terrified.
“Come and sit, Jas. I want to hear all about it.” I smiled, but inside my heart cracked at the idea of one of my kids not being close.
Jasper explained it all. At first, he mumbled his news, obviously worried about telling me, but the more he talked, the more animated he became, and by the end, he was so excited about the opportunity I couldn’t help but be excited for him.
“I’m so proud of you,” I told him when he’d finished explaining.
His eyes widened. “Really? You’re not annoyed?”
“Annoyed. Why would I be annoyed?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Dad’s not about. You might need me. I should be here taking care of the family.”
My brows pinched. “It’s mine and your dad’s job to take care of this family. I’m sorry if we made you feel anything different.”
He wrapped his hand in mine. “You didn’t, but I just thought—”
“Jasper, I just want you to be happy. You get to decide what that looks like. I won’t ever love you any less because of the decisions you make. I will miss you. The world won’t be the same without you down the road, but I know you’ve not been happy lately, and this is the first time I’ve seen you really smile for… well, way too long. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. And just so you know, I’m coming to visit.”
He smiled, but then his expression darkened. “Can I ask you a question, Ma?”
“Always.”
“If you have feelings for someone and they don’t choose you when given the choice, what would you do?”
Pain flashed across his face and I hated that I’d not realised he was going through something. “I don’t know a lot about relationships, but I do know that you deserve someone who will always pick you, no matter what the question.”
He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “You’ve changed since you and Dad split up. You seem to have much more to say. I like it.”
I arrived at work the next day to find an enormous bouquet of mixed flowers on my desk. I opened the card, expecting them to be from Jax, but I was surprised to see they weren't from him.
Helen,
I’m not sure I ever tell you how much I appreciate you. So, this is me telling you.
Thomas
I looked up to see Thomas focusing on his computer, so I got up, made him a coffee and took him the pile of things I needed him to sign off on today. “Have you had a stroke or are about to have one?” I asked as I knocked on the door, walking into his office without waiting for an invitation.
“What? You’ve worked for me for about three hundred years. I thought I should show you some appreciation.” I looked at my boss, noticing how exhausted he seemed.
Sitting in the chair across from his desk, I stared at him. Eventually, he glanced up, a quizzical expression flashing across his face before he spoke. “You look… I have no idea how to say what I want to say without insulting you,” he told me.
“Just say it because I have things to say too and I’m not holding back.”
He huffed. “Fine, younger, more relaxed… like someone showed you a really good time this weekend.”
I laughed. “Well, you look the opposite. What’s going on?”
He rubbed his hand over his face. “Reid had a heart attack. We had to give him CPR on his kitchen floor.”
My hand pressed over my mouth. “Shit, is he…”
“Alive. He might need a transplant.” Pain flashed across his face before he masked it from me.
“A heart transplant?”
He nodded. “That fucker that kidnapped Hettie is still affecting their lives, even after all these years.”
I remembered when Thomas’ friend, Reid, was shot protecting his now-wife after she was kidnapped.
“But you didn’t buy me flowers because your friend was shot, so what gives?”
“I met his doctor.” There was the longest pause before he continued, “It’s Melissa.”
It took me a moment to realise the gravity of that name. “Melissa, Melissa?”
Thomas gave nothing about his personal life away, but his feelings about Melissa had been clear since… well, for a really long time.
“She’s working here as a cardiologist. She stayed with me over the weekend.”
He didn’t need to say anything more and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face as my cold-hearted boss melted in front of me.
“So you’ll be seeing more of her?”
He locked his fingers together as he leaned his arms on the desk. “I’ve waited so long for her. I’m not letting her go. I’d burn down the world before I lost her again.”
“Well, I appreciate the flowers, Boss.”
“Good, now get back to work and stop milking my good mood.”