28. Jace
Jace
“Harper? What’s wrong, are you okay?” My heart is hammering against my ribs, pulsing in my ears.
It’s hard to breathe. I’m grabbing clothes before she can even speak.
There is no response. “Harper!” I call louder, forcing my breathing to quiet as I turn the volume up all the way.
I can hear voices in the background. Sounds like the TV, Lizzie says something, and she sounds very close.
There is a rustling, like the phone is being dragged across fabric.
When it stops, I can hear sniffles faintly from the other end.
“Lizzie, sweetie. Quiet time, okay? Let’s try to sleep.
” Harper's voice cracks as the phone disconnects.
My senses are on overdrive. My heart rate is lowering, and the pounding of my pulse in my ears is now a dull ring.
Fuck, that just took a year off my life, at least. I finish getting dressed, telling myself repeatedly that Harper and Lizzie are safe.
But they are awake in the middle of the night, and Harper is crying, so there is only one place I need to be.
With that thought, I call Tink and walk out into the night with my keys in hand.
I’m in her drive within fifteen minutes, climbing out, and my phone rings again. “Hello?” I answer on the first ring. Lizzie is humming. “Hi, Lizzie.”
“Jay!” she cries.
“Lizzie!” Harper’s voice sounds so flustered. “Please tell me you didn’t…” There’s a thump then Lizzie's laughter and the sound of bare feet on hardwood. I’m grinning like a dork as I turn toward the porch, picturing her running from the scene of the crime.
“Oh, God, Jace?” Harper’s shaky voice is finally on the other end of the call.
“Hey, babe.”
“No, no, no. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe she called you. Gods. It’s so late.”
“Harper, stop, it's fine.”
“It’s not. But don’t worry, we’re good. Just go back to sleep, and I’ll call in the morning."
Leaning against my truck, debating admitting I’m here, I get comfortable. “Why are you two up?”
“Lizzie doesn’t sleep well sometimes.” Her voice is wobbly. “Sorry, I’m just tired and emotional. It’s silly.”
“It’s not silly, not at all. And I’m glad she called because now I get to hear your voice.” Her breath shudders followed by another sniffle.
“I know it’s pathetic, and selfish, and weak, but I wish you were here,” she finishes, and her voice is quiet, barely a whisper.
“Good thing I’m right out front then, huh?” Her gasp makes me smile and I’m moving, ready to get inside the house, bounding up the stairs. The door flies open and she’s in my arms, and everything feels right again.
“How?” She laughs with tears still drying on her cheeks. I run a finger on the track I can still see there, hating that she’s upset and I wasn’t here.
“Lizzie called twice. The first time she hung up, but I thought I heard you in the background, so I came over.” She buries her face in my neck, holding me so tightly.
“I know, I should be upset at her, but I’m just so happy she did right now, and you brought her protector, too.” She pats Tink's head as she moves around us to see Lizzie.
Closing the door behind her, I take in the scene. Blankets are piled on the couch, Lizzie’s toys are strung out, TV on, and it looks like they have been up for a while.
“Come here.” I tug Harper with me, settling us on the couch. “How long has she been up?”
“Uh,” she peeks at the clock, “almost two hours this time.”
“This time?”
“She has woken up for at least two hours the last five nights. That’s why I was crying. I’m just so fucking tired, and these sleep regressions, or whatever they call it, are so unpredictable.”
“Why haven’t you called me yet?”
“What do you mean, Jace? It’s not an emergency. Why would I call you in the middle of the night? No reason for you to not sleep either.”
Holding her face in my hands, I shake my head, and my lips pull into a sad smile.
“Don’t you get it yet, babe? I want to be here.
I want you to call me for everything. If you are happy, call me.
If you have a bad dream, call me. If your roof gets a hole, call me.
” Tears pool in her eyes, one spilling over.
I kiss it away before beginning again, “I want to be here. I want to be the one you call. So, that means if Lizzie isn’t sleeping, you call me, and we can take shifts.
You are so fucking strong, and what you’ve done on your own is unreal, but you don’t have to do it all on your own anymore.
Please let me be here for you, let me share the load, let me be your person, babe. ”
“I never thought I could have something like this, still have trouble believing it.” She huffs out a breath, her eyes searching mine like she really is trying to decipher if this is real. The words I want to say are choking me. I’m in love with her and holding it in hurts.
“Believe it, believe me. Now, you go to bed. I’ll stay here with Lizzie.”
“Jace.”
“No arguing, the mermaid episode is about to start, and I still haven’t gotten to finish this one. I need to see if Oona gets free.”
She kisses me then heads into her room, and as much as I love when I get to follow her in there, right now, I’m happy right where I am.
“Alright, Ms. Lizzie, come here.” We snuggle under a blanket, with Tink by our feet, and watch some TV.
Lizzie eventually falls back to sleep around five but is awake again by six.
This time when she comes to me with a hairbrush, I’m prepared.
I have been watching YouTube tutorials on braids, and she actually holds still long enough for me to execute French braid pigtails.
The end result isn’t nearly as good as the kid on YouTube, but I’m pretty proud of it, and Lizzie loves it. So, win, win.
We make chocolate chip pancakes and chocolate milk, eating together at the table with Lizzie jabbering the whole time.
I don’t understand most of it, but I catch bits and pieces of her dialogue.
I think back to our first few interactions where I would look to Harper to translate or give context.
Now, I’m learning every day, and find myself understanding Lizzie’s version of communication more and more, which has my heart doing a happy dance in my chest. Harper appears in the kitchen while we are washing dishes.
I wash, and Lizzie, who is standing on a chair at the sink, puts them in the drying rack.
“Good morning,” Harper mumbles. Her voice raspy with sleep is devastatingly sexy, and the small smile on her face, fuck, I want to wake up to her like this forever.
“Good morning.” I smile. “Your plate is in the oven on warm. Give me a second and I’ll get it for you.” We finish the last dish. I hand Lizzie the towel and she dries her hands before letting me help her onto the floor. She runs to hug her mom then disappears up the stairs to her room.
Harper watches her, retreating back. “Was Wren here?”
“No, why?” I ask, confused.
“Lizzie’s hair, it’s so cute, and Wren’s the only one that has ever been able to style it like that.”
“Not anymore,” I say as she spins toward me. I blow on my knuckles and polish them on my shirt with a smug ass smile on my face.
“No way! How?”
“There are some very helpful tutorials on YouTube. I’ve been practicing for weeks,” I admit sheepishly, not sure if it's cute or creepy now that I say it out loud.
“Damn you, Jace,” Harper says, batting away a tear. “I’ve never cried like this before you. What are you doing to me?”
Wrapping her in my arms, I kiss her head and breathe in the smell of her hair, jasmine and citrus.
“I hope it’s because you are finally realizing you don’t have to be strong all the time, and that you have space to feel whatever you feel again.
” We stand there wrapped in each other's arms for several minutes and I’m soaking up each one of them.