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Mason: No reason baby. I’d better go, Taylor’s calling me. Have a good day with Jack. I’ll call you later. Love you xxx
Did I say something I shouldn’t have last night? I thought back but couldn’t figure out what he meant. I’d have to ask him later. I finished my coffee and picked up the flowers before heading back to the house. Jack was in the kitchen when I got there.
“Hey Lib,” Jack said with a smile as I sat down in the seat next to him.
“Morning.”
“Have a good night?” Jack asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
Blushing I replied. “Yes, thanks.”
“My little sister’s finally in love.” He teased, eyeing the bunch of flowers I’d put down on the table.
“I’m not in love...” He raised his eyebrows at me sceptically. “Okay, okay! I might love him.” I sighed. “God Jack what a mess! Why did I have to fall for someone who lives thousands of miles away.” I dropped my head on the table in front of me.
“I wish I could tell you it will be okay Lib.” He squeezed my shoulder.
“Oh shit!” I suddenly sat up, remembering what I’d said to Mason last night.
“Libby, what’s wrong? You’ve gone really pale.” Jack asked me, concerned.
“I think I told Mason that I loved him last night?”
Jack burst out laughing. “What do you mean, you think you told him? How can you not know?”
“I was half asleep, and he told me he loved me, and… oh god! I remember saying I love you too, before falling back to sleep.”
“I’m confused, if he loves you, and you love him, then why is telling him such a problem?”
“Because I’m not ready to be in love with him Jack!” I exclaimed. “We’ve only known each other just over a week, how can I be in love with him!”
“What are you afraid of Lib?” Jack asked me quietly.
I closed my eyes, I couldn’t hide from him, he knew me too well. I whispered. “Losing Mia broke me, and now I’ve allowed myself to fall for Mason, if I lose him too…” I trailed off. “I’m going to have to go home at some point and leave him here.” Jack stood up and pulled me up with him, wrapping me up in a hug.
“You have to decide if he’s worth taking that risk Lib, but it sounds to me like your heart’s already decided for you. Sometimes love hurts, but surely, it’s better to have had Mason’s love than to never have known it. I know you’re scared but what if it all works out? What if Mason’s the one to fix your broken heart?”
I looked at him in shock, I’d never heard Jack talk like that, it sounded like he was talking from experience. “Where did all that come from?” I asked him, pulling out of his arms to look at him.
He shrugged his shoulders and dropped his eyes from mine. “I missed my chance with Mia. I stood by and watched while all those idiots she went out with treated her like shit.” He sighed and looked at me. “I waited too long, and now it’s too late. If Mason makes you happy, and I can see that he does, don’t be afraid to love him. You can make it work if it’s what you both want.”
“Why didn’t you tell me how you felt about Mia?”
“You were so lost after she died, you didn’t need me adding to your pain.”
“Oh, Jack. Why didn’t you ever tell Mia?”
“I thought I had time, you were both off at Uni, and I was travelling, I just figured when we were all back in the same place I’d tell her how I felt.” He smiled sadly at me.
“I’m so sorry Jack.”
“Don’t miss your chance Lib, if Mason’s who you want, find a way to make it work.” He stood up walking over to the sink with his mug. “I’m going to have a shower. Fancy taking the horses out for a bit?” He asked me, changing the subject.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I told him with a smile. “I need to shower too; I’ll meet you back here in a bit.” He nodded, stopping to kiss me on the head as he went past.
Under the hot spray of the shower, I replayed Jack’s words in my head. Although I’d suspected that he had liked Mia, his feelings for her obviously ran deeper than I thought. I had been so swept up in my own grief after she had died, I’d never noticed that he was grieving as well. I felt awful that I hadn’t been there for him. I thought about what he’d said about Mason, I desperately wanted it to work, and I was pretty sure Mason felt the same. I decided that I was going to go for it, stop worrying about the future and live in the now. I knew better than most that the future wasn’t guaranteed, and that life could be snatched away from you in the blink of an eye.
