Page 41 of End Of Never

I know I said I didn’t need babysitting, but I think Jace knew what he was doing, and in doing so, my mind is clearer, my heart is open, and just maybe my guard has dropped completely. Because, as Mr. Wilder said, listen to hear, and I heard Jace when he said I was his forever.

Chapter 34

Jace

One Month Later

“I feel bad lying to her man. I don’t lie, and especially not to her. It feels like the lie is eating me from the inside out.”

Hayden sighs on the other end of the line, “I know, man, but if you tell her the truth, it won’t end well.”

“You’re right, it just feels so wrong. I just got here, see you in a minute.” He’s right, if I tell her, she’ll be pissed, and my five steps forward will be twenty steps back.

The last month has been busy; if I’m not working at the fire station, I’m remodeling Lilla’s clinic. Everyone from the station came together to tackle the job, and today we put the final touches on it.

Lilla has been working hard with physical therapy since getting her cast off, and moving her stuff from her house to mine. It’s like everything is finally coming together. Ava got sentenced to fifteen years in prison for arson. Yes, it was her first offence, but she lit the place up with intent to harm not only my dog, but also my Lilla. She finally got what she deserved. Looking back, I can’t believe I stood by her and her behavior. I always knew she was a shit person, but she had access to booze and drugs, and that was what I craved.

Lilla’s leg is healed; now she goes twice a week to strengthen the muscle and improve mobility. The Chief also agreed to have Lilla work from the fire station as a call-in vet for all animal rescues. I try to tell her to take it easy and allow her leg to heal correctly, but being the strong, independent woman she is, she told me to kindly fuck right off, and so I kissed her and did just that.

With all my strength, coworkers, and Haley, we have done a fantastic job keeping Lilla away from the clinic. Since her cast has been on, she hasn’t been able to drive, so she hasn't been able to see the truth about my late nights and extra shifts, but today is the day.

Haley:

I have the package.

Jace:

Perfect, we’re ready.

All month, I have been waiting for this moment. The second my girl walks through those doors and sees her clinic put back together and ready for operation. Everything is as it was. I did my best to keep her original clinic style, as she had designed and envisioned it; I changed only one thing.

Behind the front desk is now a large open wall with a mural. Starting at the bottom of the wall, dark blue and murky green fight over the once-white space, flowing into lighter blues and greens higher up, culminating in a smoky bridge that stretches from left to right. The bridge is true to form, rustic, with paint chippings, from our very own vet. But that will be my little secret. Above the bridge, luminous oranges and reds fade into one another, creating a sunrise that represents another day fought. In the sky, in bold white letters, reads, Come, Sit, Heal. This very bridge is where Lilla healed; she went, she sat, and she healed. With each moment of uncertainty and insecurity, she flourished. She took those harsh words everyone drove into her, and it made her strong, resilient, a force. Now my favorite part, the sun. In the middle, where the rays of light shine, there, where the sun should be, is a phoenix. Vibrant amber colors shine, mingling with the oranges and red that portray the sunset. Lilla Lane is my sun. She is my phoenix, the girl who overcame her shortcomings, who jumped over life's most significant hurdles, and kept running. She never once looked back, and in doing so, she made it. She figured it out, and she rose.

Now we all stand in front of the painting of the very bridge she once wished to leap from. We’re all here for her, and because of her, we have all come together to fix what was destroyed, because it’s okay to need help.

Haley:

Here

With one text, my heart drops to my ass. It’s time. My woman is about to come through those doors, and all I can do is hope like hell she loves what we’ve done. “She’s coming.”

With seconds that felt like hours, the door chimes, and in walks Lilla and Haley. We all pop out, some behind the front desk, some fly out of the hallway, and others hide behind the shopping aisle filled to the brim with toys, treats, and food. “WELCOME HOME!” We all yell and plaster on our best proud smiles.

“Hey, baby.” My smile grows as her eyes scan the completely restored building.

She takes slow steps towards us, taking in piece by piece, “How did you? This is incredible.” She wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. Haley comes around the front desk, taking in the painting.

“This is amazing, even better than you explained.” She gawks at the artist's work, which brought my vision to life.

Lilla follows her, “Jace…” Her chin trembles as she looks at the painting, taking in every detail made just for her. So many minuscule details just for her, I watch her as she seeks out each one. She holds back her tears, pressing her lips together, as her long ash-blonde hair moves slowly with each harsh breath. “It’s beautiful,” she whispers.

Walking behind her, I wrap my hands around her waist, pulling her into me. I drop my chin to her shoulder, placing my mouth on her ear, “I’m so happy you didn’t jump. You light up this world, baby.” Everyone starts clapping behind us, pulling us from our moment, showing her how happy they are for her.

“Thank you, everyone. I don’t know how to repay you for all this hard work. It is truly more than I could have imagined.”

The chief walks up and gives her a pat on the shoulder. “Jace here put the whole thing in motion; those extra shifts and late nights were spent here.” He looks around at all we did, and fulfillment takes over.

“Thank you all. Looks like we will open Monday!” Excitement washes over her, lighting up her face.