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Letting out a hard sigh, I opened the back door and reached for my purse. I was antsy and needed to check my phone to see if there were any updates. When I saw that there weren’t, a lump formed in my throat. I just wanted him. I wanted him to come out, smile at seeing me and we could drive off into the sunset and live happily ever after. But I knew none of that would happen.
As soon as I closed the door, the hairs on the back of my neck tingled.
I inhaled a sharp breath, slowly turning around.
Jaron stood just outside the jail, watching me. Waiting for that invitation he never needed. Ever.
My eyes welled, my throat burning over the hard lump that had taken up permanent residence there so long ago.
His dark eyes searched my face, studying me.
I took a step forward.
He did the same.
We continued walking toward one another until we finally stood a foot away from each other. I expected to crash into him, but I was hesitant. So many questions bounced around in my head. I wasn’t sure if he felt the same. I needed to know.
I couldn’t move. I tried to close that final distance between us, but I was stuck. Was this even real? Was he finally standing there in front of me? After all of this time? After so many months of being apart, this day had finally come. I wanted to pinch myself to see if it was a dream. I told my daughter earlier that morning that I was bringing her daddy home. Her eyes had lit up. Even though she wasn’t even a year old yet, she knew. God, did she know.
Jaron’s dark eyes searched my face. His big body was stiff, rigid, like he was holding back from doing God only knew what.
With a shaky hand, I placed it against his chest.
His heartbeat thumped beneath my palm and I knew, God did I know, that his heart beat only for me.
I looked up at him, the vision of him blurring in front of me. Gripping his hoodie in my hand, I pulled him closer.
That was the only invitation he needed before he wrapped his arms around me.
A sob escaped me as I latched on to him and tried pulling him even closer. But no matter how close we were, I still felt like he was far away. But it didn’t matter. I would help him. We would get through this and we would move on.
Together.
Tears fell down my cheeks, rolling off my chin and onto his black hoodie. I pushed my face into the crook of his thick neck and silently begged for him to take me away. We had so much to work through but first, we needed to work through us.
“I fucking missed you,” he whispered into my hair, his voice thick. “I missed you so damn much, Piper.”
Sobs continued wracking through me. I still couldn’t believe he was back in my arms. After all of this time.
Jaron leaned back, cupping my face and swiping his thumbs under my eyes. He placed a soft peck on my forehead that only made the tears fall harder.
“Are my boys here?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“They parked their bikes over there,” I murmured, nodding toward the end of the parking lot. “They wouldn’t let me come by myself but wanted to give us a moment.”
Jaron gave me a small smirk. “We need lots of moments, baby.”
My breath hitched. “Yeah. We do.” I paused. “They’ve been taking care of us.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Jaron leaned his forehead against mine. “You look good.”
I smiled, wiping away the tears. “I still taste good too,” I told him, using the line I had used so many months ago when I had gone five weeks without seeing him.
A deep chuckle left him, but it wasn’t like before. No. Something inside of him changed. The laugh appeared as if it were forced in a way.
“I bet you do.”
Cupping his nape, I ran my fingers through his dark hair. It had grown in some, especially his beard. And he filled out. A lot. He was big before but now he was outright huge.
