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“She was shocked you hadn’t told me yet. Tell me what, Jamie?”
She hesitated, battling internally with herself for what felt like forever before she finally moved, sitting next to me on the couch, one leg folded under her.
“When I was thirteen,” she started, taking a deep breath, “I began feeling . . . different. I would get tired extremely fast, exhausted to the point where I was falling asleep in class. I fainted a few times in P.E. and when I found it hard to breathe . . . when I couldn’t make it through a simple gym class, my mom finally believed me and took me to the doctor. After a few different doctors and multiple tests, they discovered a hole in my heart. It was . . .”she swallowed and ran her hands up my chest, trying to find the words to keep going.
As if it would help, I lightly gripped her arms. I could tell, this wasn’t something she openly shared. Feeling how tense she was I leaned forward and lightly brushed my lips against hers. “Jamie . . .” I whispered.
She took a deep breath. “It was big, and they told me I needed to have surgery to close it, or it could expand. So . . . twelve years ago I had open heart surgery, and the hole was fixed, I spent an entire year in the hospital and my family—especially my sister—always reminds me of it.”
“Jamie . . .”
“Nope, you’re not going to feel bad for me either. You’re the only one I’ve told outside of family. Madeline doesn't even know about this. I go to the doctor once a year for a checkup and I have been in great health. I monitor my heart rate when I do things that exert a lot of energy, like running, hence why I don't run, I jog . . .” she joked, allowing me to have a small laugh with her. “But really, I’m healthy and I’m fine and I’m happy. Jillian was there for the whole thing; she was in the hospital with me a lot. She's the one who brought me my first canvas and oil paints. If it wasn’t for my heart almost failing, I would have never started painting.”
She shifted her weight on the couch, scooting closer to me. Reaching up she touched my neck, her thumb running along my jawline, my stubble creating a slight scratch.
“Oddly enough it felt good to tell you, but really, I don't want you to worry about my health because it's fine. My heart is stronger than ever.”
I leaned in, kissing her sweetly. I believed her, she trusted me with this, trusted me enough to care for her heart. Realizing just how fragile it was, I cupped her jaw, deepening the kiss as she welcomed it.
“I would very much like to kiss you every day from now on,” I admitted, feeling her nose brush against mine as she leaned her forehead against me.
“I kind of expect you tofrom now on.”
So, I did.
Chapter Twenty-Four
-Jamie-
Elliot’s lips were a mix between gentle and soft, hungry and passionate, and when I said we needed to slow down and go to bed, he kissed me one last time and said goodnight as I left him on the couch. It took everything in me not to call him up to the bed. I could still feel him all over, and nothing had even happened. All it took was that one kiss. It was so much better than the first one.
I could still feel him when I woke up. I could hear Elliot moving around in the kitchen, and the smell of coffee wafted up to the loft. It felt cozy, it felt . . . right. I lightly crawled out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom. I knew he could hear me, but pretending like he couldn’t helped, somehow. I freshened up, taking a fast shower, brushing my teeth, and running my fingers through my hair. I changed quickly, and went to join him in the kitchen, grabbing mybaggy gray sweater and a hair tie on the way downstairs. I skipped the demon stair and hit the living room floor with a creek.
“Good morning.” Elliot was sitting at the island, his laptop out in front of him. He stopped working and pushed himself to a standing position. He reached his arm out, grabbing my sweater to pull me close, giving me the best morning kiss I could ask for.
I hummed and pulled away. “Good morning.”
Just as his lips met mine again, there was a loud knock at the door. We both stopped and turned towards the glass door that led into the kitchen. Jillian stood on the other side, her arms wrapped close to her body, a stupid grin on her face and a wave that made me want to punch her.
“Apparently, my sister wants in.” I placed my hands on Elliot’s shoulders and ran them down his arms before walking over to let Jillian in.
“Good morning you two, Dax . . . do you mind if I steal my sister for a moment?” Jillian asked, grabbing my hand.
“Not at all, I have some work to get done and I need to call a friend.” Elliot sat back down at the island.
I sighed and slipped my boots on my feet, wishing I could give him one more kiss before leaving. I took one step towards Jillian when I realizedI could. I spun and took the three steps to kiss him before leaving him there on the island with his laptop and coffee.
“See you soon.” I waved and followed Jillian back outside. “Did mom cook up too much breakfast or something?” I asked once I caught up to her.
“No, she’s still with dad. I just needed to talk to you before the day got too crazy.”
“If this is about what you told Daxton he asked me about it last night and I told him everything,” I admitted.
“Oh good, but that's not what this is about.” She opened the door to the cabin, and I stepped aside so I could walk in.
Phillip and Killian were already sitting on the couch, the two older kids had laptops out to complete their schoolwork, but Holden’s youngest was nowhere to be seen. I’d assumed he was stillasleep. Will was in the kitchen, pouring breakfast for his two boys and he waved as Jillian and I walked right past him into the family room on the opposite end of the cabin.
“Am I not allowed to say good morning to anyone?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm.
