Page 26 of Healer’s Betrayal

I watch her disappear down the stairs. Part of me feels like I should walk her out, but I don’t want her to think I don’t think she can handle herself. I step back inside instead, and close and lock the front door. I make quick work of picking up from today and then walk over to the bathroom door. “Noah, come on. It’s bedtime.”

He comes out a moment later, dressed in pajamas and ready for bed. “Did you have a good night?” I ask. He shrugs, instantly making me feel guilty. For a moment, I contemplate asking Cole if Noah can come on our next date; but I know how that will come across. I’m pretty sure no guy wants to take out a girl and her younger brother. I’ll figure it out if and when Cole gives me specifics for another date. Of course, maybe I’ll just turn him down. I’m suddenly exhausted. “Hey, let’s get you to bed; so I can go to bed. I’m exhausted.” On cue, a yawn stretches my mouth. I sit down on the floor next to his bed. “Tell me one good thing about your day.” He’s not surprised by my request. We don’t do it every night, but we do it a lot of nights.

“I got extra time on my iPad.” He smirks at the look on my face. “You weren’t here,” he reminds me.

“Yes, I know.” I ruffle his hair. “All right. Fine. I'm glad you got extra time.”

“What about you?” he asks.

“My date?” He nods. “It was good.”

He pulls his blankets up. “You didn’t really like it.”

“Yes, I did,” I argue. “Why do you say that?”

“I know when you really like something.”

I stare down at him. “Well, it was just a first date, after all.” I don’t tell him that it seems so long ago; so much has happened since then. “All right, well, I have to get to bed. I’ll be gone when you get up in the morning. Make sure you get your work done. No iPad,” I warn.

“When I get my schoolwork done?”

I groan. “Fine but only after everything on your list is done.” I ruffle his hair one more time for good measure. “I still need to cut it. Night, Noah. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I get ready for bed quickly and turn my light off about fifteen minutes later. Once I’m in bed, I stare up at the ceiling, thinking through tonight. I can’t for the life of me figure this Jackson guy out. I get nothing that feels dangerous from him. Well, that’s not true; he’s the picture of a dangerous guy. With his height and broad frame, obvious muscles, and permanent scowl, he’s the literal definition of dangerous. And yet, I don’t feel threatened by him. I can’t figure it out. It takes a while for me to get to sleep. The next morning, Renee shows up, and I let her in quietly.

“Morning. There’s toast for breakfast and mac and cheese for lunch.”

She nods. “Got it. Have a good day at work.”

“Thanks you too.” I grab my phone, keys, and wallet and stop at the door. “Seriously, Renee, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you. Thank you.”

She waves me off. “Yeah, yeah.”

I close the door and hear her lock it behind me. I take a step towards the stairs and nearly fall over in shock. “Jackson?” I whisper hiss. “What are you doing?” He stands to his feet, and my eyes take in several things at once. He’s wearing the same clothes he wore last night, and he doesn’t look like he slept at all. “Did you stay here all night?” My voice isn’t as strong as I want it to be. He picks up a tray of drinks and holds it out to me.

“I didn’t know what you liked.”

I stare down at the four drinks from a coffee place in town. “There’s a hot chocolate, an iced coffee, a hot coffee, and a hot tea.”

My brain is having a hard time keeping up. “You went and got all these?” He nods. “So, you didn’t stay outside my apartment all night?”

“No.”

Relief fills me but only until he starts speaking again. “I left for a little under an hour this morning to get drinks; Ransom stayed here in my place.”

I feel like I’m in an alternate universe. I watch his lips moving, and I hear his words. But I cannot for the life of me make sense of them. “So, you did stay all night.” It’s not a question. “Why?”

“I stayed to make sure you were safe. This building is the furthest thing from safe.” He scowls as he says the words, and his eyes darken. “I stayed to make sure no one bothered you or your brother while you slept. Now, which drink do you prefer? I need to know for future mornings.”

I feel like I'm losing my sanity. I shake my head. “I have to...I gotta go.”

“Wait. Tell me which drink first.”

I look down at the drinks in his hand; this feels like the easiest thing to focus on right now. “Always coffee.”

“Okay. Coffee. Hot or iced?”