Page 58 of Echoes of a Southern Song

Then he’s kissing me again, deep and demanding, as he fumbles with the button of his own jeans. I help him as best I can with trembling fingers until we’re both finally skin against skin. The heat between us is almost unbearable, but I want more. I need more.

“Please,” I whisper against his lips, and he understands without me having to say more.

He shifts above me, positioning himself at my entrance, and then he’s slowly pushing inside. My breath catches as I feel him stretching me, filling me completely.

It’s slow. Intense. Honest.

Afterward, when we’re tangled up in each other, hearts still racing, he kisses my shoulder. “I’ve never felt this safe before.”

I close my eyes, emotions swelling in my chest. “Me neither.”

The sun is barely up when I wake. Jack’s still asleep, one arm flung over my waist, his face buried in the pillow. I lay there for a bit, tracing little shapes on his shoulder with my fingertip.

Everything feels different now. Not just between us, but inside me.

I’m not the same girl who used to avoid hard conversations or let other people make choices for her. I’m stronger. More certain. He makes me braver just by being himself.

Eventually, we get up, make coffee, and sit at my little table. It feels intimate and right. Like we’ve done this a hundred times before.

“I think we should tell Aggie,” I say after a sip.

Jack raises an eyebrow. “About last night?”

I snort. “No. About the trial.”

“Ah.”

“She’s smart. And she’s been suspicious of Sam from the beginning. She deserves to know the truth. And I think she’d want to help. I hate keeping this secret. It’s destroying me.”

Jack nods slowly. “I think it’s a very good idea. Aggie will keep your secret.”

We get dressed and head over in Jack’s truck. I’m nervous. Anxious. But this moment has been a long time coming.

Aggie is sitting at the table, drinking her coffee and flipping through a magazine when we walk in.

She looks up and there’s a hint of a smile. “You two look like you just committed a crime and came to confess.”

Jack snorts.

I smile nervously. “Can we talk?”

“Have a seat.”

We settle at her kitchen table. I’m nervous as hell. I take a deep breath before launching into it. The whole story, start to finish. I don’t leave anything out. Not the Vegas wedding. Not the annulment petition. The upcoming trial. All of it.

Aggie listens in silence, jaw set, eyes flashing with anger.

“I knew he was trouble the moment he called me ‘sweetheart.’ That slimy little twit.”

Jack grins.

Aggie points a finger at me. “You listen to me, Jinnie. You were young, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He’s a scumbag.”

“Thank you.”

“If you want me to testify, I will. I’ll go in there and tell the judge exactly what I saw. And exactly what I think of that little parasite.”

Relief floods me. “Thank you. I’ll tell my lawyer. And for now, can you not tell my mom and dad? I really don’t want them worrying about this stuff.”

“I’ll keep it for now, but you need to tell them,” she says softly.

“I know. I will.”

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Jack jokes.

“Honey, you haven’t seen my bad side yet,” Aggie says with a wink.