Chapter 41 Thomas
THOMAS
Iswing our hands back and forth as we walk down the path to meet Ron, Dottie and Fletcher for coffee.
After Dave left, we cuddled up in the back of the truck again for a while, making love one more time under the glow of the moonlight, then we went inside and passed out.
I made us a huge stack of waffles early this morning because we deserved it after all the fucking we did last night.
Then, we went at it one more time before we got ready to go this morning.
She rode me for the first time, and it may be my new favorite position.
Watching her from that angle, getting even deeper inside her was so intense I couldn’t hold back for long before I was coming hard.
“You’re not going to get jealous this morning, are you?” Hannah teases, her freckled cheeks flushing.
I grumble. “Depends on if he stares at your ass again when you turn around. I might have to punch him.”
Hannah gasps. “Thomas! He was not staring at my ass. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not being ridiculous, freckles. He was staring at your ass.” Don’t get me wrong. He’s a nice guy, and he’s Dottie and Ron’s son, so I’m sure he’s a wonderful person, but he was staring at my girl. He’d probably never act on it, but still. She’s mine.
She shakes her head as if it’s unbelievable.
Do I want anyone else to be attracted to her?
Fuck, no. Not when she’s my girl. The engagement might technically be fake, but that doesn’t mean our relationship is.
When we get home, I can’t wait to take her out and show her off to my family and friends.
Show them how lucky I am to have her by my side.
“It doesn’t matter who looks at you. If they aren’t me, I’m going to get jealous, baby.” I shrug. “It is what it is.”
“You’re dramatic,” Hannah tries to say, but I shake my head.
“Dramatic would be punching him out for looking at you. A little jealousy is nothing.”
I lead her up the creaky front steps of the house, not bothering to knock as we walk in. After over a month of being here and being told many times not to bother knocking, we’ve gotten used to it.
“Good morning,” I call into the house. The smell of bacon, cinnamon rolls, and coffee invades my senses.
My mouth waters. Even though we had a shit ton of waffles, I’m already hungry again.
Dottie is one hell of a cook, and her cinnamon rolls are my favorite.
She’s taught Hannah the recipe too, so once we get home, we will keep making them.
“Morning kids,” Ron calls from the kitchen. Hannah and I kick off our shoes, heading down the hall.
Ron, Dottie, and Fletcher sit around the kitchen table, empty plates and half-empty coffee cups surrounding them.
“Sorry, we didn’t wait,” Dottie exclaims. “We weren’t sure if you two were coming.”
“No, don’t be sorry,” Hannah rushes to say. “We’re sorry we are late. It’s so rude but we overslept.”
Ron guffaws. “Now, don’t be silly. Since when have we eaten breakfast at a set time, sweetie?” He stands, kissing Hannah on the cheek. “Dish up. I’ll get you both some coffee.”
I reluctantly let go of Hannah’s hand, grabbing her a plate and putting a cinnamon roll and some bacon on it for her before handing it to her. I fill myself a plate and sit down beside her at the table. It appears Fletcher got the hint last night, because his gaze is much friendlier this morning.
“Did you two get any sleep last night?” Ron asks, his eyes full of humor. “There were some coyotes making a lot of noise at dusk. We drove around in the side by side a little later when we heard them again, but couldn’t find any. Did you hear them?”
The coffee I’m drinking goes down the wrong pipe, causing me to cough and splutter.
Hannah’s eyes drop to her plate, her entire face and chest a new shade of red that I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing yet.
I swallow the lump in my throat, clearing the coffee that trickled down my windpipe.
“No, we didn’t. We went to bed early, and must have been sleeping hard. ”
I scan the table, noting the way Fletcher is smirking at his coffee cup.
They totally heard us last night. Trying to stay quiet was near impossible, and never in my wildest dreams did I think our noises would carry all the way to the house.
I’m not embarrassed, but I know Hannah isn’t exactly comfortable with other people hearing us.
“Those darn coyotes,” Dottie says with a frown. “Hopefully they don’t hurt our chickens. We can’t lose any of our flock.”
“We’ll keep a closer eye on it,” I mumble, taking a bite of my bacon. “Can’t have you losing any of the chickens. Is Dave okay? Should he be kept in the barn?”
Ron shakes his head, waving me off. “Nah, he can hold his own.”
We talk for a little longer, finishing up our breakfasts. The entire time, my hand is resting on Hannah’s thigh. When she’s done eating, I hold her hand on top of the table, drawing circles on her skin.
After a while, we say goodbye. The sky is a dark gray, with heavy clouds that make me think it’s about to rain, so Hannah and I decide to get back to the cottage sooner than later.
Fletcher is leaving tomorrow morning early, as he has to get back for the start of training camp, so we’re unsure if we will see him again.
My jealousy faded as the morning went on.
He stopped staring at Hannah as if she was a conquest, and I enjoyed his presence a lot more.
I might even take him up on tickets for a game this year. I’d love to take Hannah to one.
“There hasn’t been anything on the phone, right?
” Hannah asks, curled up against my side.
We’re on our third movie of the day. The only thing we’ve done today was have our late breakfast and then come back here, only leaving the couch for snacks and bathroom breaks.
The rain we expected never came, but it’s still gloomy, the perfect day to be lazy and cuddle.
“Not yet,” I reply. The burner phone is sitting on the side table, and both of us are waiting for it to ring. Elena didn’t give me a time the last time I spoke with her, only a date to have the phone on. A nervous thrum runs through my body. I’m ready to get home.
“Okay,” Hannah murmurs. She’s as anxious as I am to hear. She’s lying between my legs, her back to my front, her head resting on my chest. Arson is at our feet, curled up and snoring. I should take him for a run or something later.
The phone starts to buzz obnoxiously, and Hannah and I jolt apart as I reach for the phone. Hannah moves so she’s sitting in front of me as I answer the call and put it on speaker.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Thomas?” Elena’s voice carries through the line.
“Yes, hi, Elena.”
“I have good news,” she says, a hint of excitement in her tone. “We’ve arrested Chaz, and have a warrant to search the house he was living in. You should be able to come home early next week.”
All the air whooshes from my lungs as I sigh in relief. “Really? Next week?”
“Yep. We have a few things to straighten out, but once I get the all clear, I’ll give you a call. Feel free to call your families and let them know you’ll be home soon.”
We chat another minute longer about Henry and his recovery, but with each passing minute, it’s like the reality of it is hitting us both.
Hannah is shrinking further away from me into the couch, and I can tell she’s pulling away from me.
Physically and metaphorically. It hurts, knowing that we have come so far, only for one phone call to change it all.
“Thanks, Elena,” I say as we hang up.
Hannah is picking at the skin around her fingernails. “Stop that.” I reach out, taking her hand to keep her from making herself bleed. “Talk to me.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll give you some time alone to call your family.” Without another word, she stands, stepping away from the couch to head outside. Arson follows her, glancing back at me like he’s waiting for me to follow.
I wave him off. I should have stopped her, but I might have made it worse. She needs time to herself to process. I only hope she doesn’t pull away from me.
I sit for a moment before I pull up Jason’s contact and hit call. It rings twice before he picks up, only it’s not his voice. “Daddy’s phone,” a familiar child’s voice answers.
“Hey Lenners,” I greet my niece.
“Uncle Tommy!” she yells, her voice raising an octave. “Are you coming home yet? Presley and I miss you.”
“I miss you too, kiddo. Hopefully, soon,” I answer her question. “Can I talk to your dad, or Fallon?”
Instead of acknowledging my question, the phone muffles, and there’s a loud yell. “Daddy!” her shrieking voice calls, making me laugh.
In the background, I can hear Jason approaching. “Lennie, what did I say about answering my phone? It might be someone from work.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” she replies sweetly. “It’s not someone from work. It’s Uncle Tommy.”
“It is?” There’s static on the line, then my brother’s voice. “Thomas?”
“Hey, man,” I answer.
“Sorry about Lennie. Her new thing is answering everyone’s phones,” Jase explains.
“No problem,” I reply with a laugh. “It was good to talk to her for a second.”
“Please tell me this isn’t just another check-in,” Jason pleads. “Please tell me you’re coming home.”
I take a deep breath and exhale the words. “We’re coming home. We don’t have a for sure date, but it’s sometime next week, Elena says.”
“Oh, thank god. Josie went into labor this morning. Andrew sent an update that they’re keeping her at the hospital. It’s really happening.”
My heart twists. I’d wanted to be home when she went into labor so I could visit them in the hospital, but that probably won’t happen now. The only thing stopping me from being angry is knowing that there’s an end in sight. We got the official word that we’re going home.
“How’s Andrew holding up?” I ask with a laugh. Knowing him, he’s probably freaking out.
“Marley went with, she’s taking photos for them. According to her, he’s not handling Josie being in pain well.”
I imagine Hannah being in that much pain and sympathize with my youngest brother. “I can understand that. I don’t know how I’d handle seeing Hannah in that much pain,” I say.
“Speaking of, how are things with your fiancée?” Jason asks curiously, enunciating the word fiancée.
“Ten minutes ago, I would have said amazing,” I reply with a sigh, running a hand over my face.
“Now, I’m not so sure. As soon as we got the call that we could go home, she distanced herself from me.
She left as soon as we hung up the phone to give me space to call you guys.
But I don’t want space. I want her to be part of this, part of the family. ”
“I mean, maybe she thought she was being respectful,” Jason tries to say, but I’m shaking my head, even though he can’t see me.
“Sure, maybe that was part of it, but you don’t know her like I do. I’ve spent the entire time we’ve been here getting to know her, falling in love with her, and trying to show her that this isn’t temporary, but I’m worried she doesn't see that like I do.”
“So, show her, then. Don’t let her get away from you. Do you want her?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anyone,” I reply without having to think about it. “I want forever with her, Jase.”
“Then, don’t let her panic. Show her you’re here to stay.”
“I can do that,” I say. We talk for a few more minutes about random things, and I tell him I’ll let him know when we leave.
We hang up, and I stand from the couch, heading to the front door of the cabin. When I open the door, I spot Hannah in the distance on the swings. She sways back and forth slowly, Arson at her side. One of her hands holds the rope, while the other rests on Arson’s head.
“Hey freckles,” I say as I walk closer. I don’t miss her sniffles or the way she wipes at the tears on her cheeks. Instead of taking my usual swing next to her, I crouch down in front of her. “Don’t cry.”
She waves me off, turning her face away. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” I swipe at a few of the tears on her cheeks.
She shakes her head back and forth. “It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“Yes, it is. All we’ve wanted the entire time we’ve been here is to go home. Now, we get the call that we can soon leave, and all I want to do is stay,” she mumbles, tears still streaming. “Everything is going to change. What happens to us?”
“I feel the same.” My heart is cracking.
All I want to do right now is hold her, tell her I love her and that I’ll never leave her, but I worry that it’s going to be too much.
Now certainly isn’t the time to tell her I love her for the first time, I know that much.
“We have to figure out a new normal when we get home, Hannah. That’s all. ”
She nods, but she’s not hearing me. She’s stuck in her head.
“Do you want to call your family?” I ask. She nods, and I pass her the phone. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Hannah nods again, looking down at the phone in her hand.