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His phone rang. Apparently, Noah wanted to say whatever it was he had in mind instead of merely typing the words. Jax swallowed andanswered.
“Hey.”
“Jax, I…” Noah paused, obviously choosing his words with care. “I want you to know that I understand why you did what you did, and I appreciate you for caring about me enough to do it. It hurt, I can’t deny that, and I was furious for a long while after. But time and distance have taught me that sometimes we can’t have the things we know are ours without some kind of struggle. And anyway, I needed to grow up, to toughen up so I’d be worthy of you.”
“Noah…” Jax began, but his lover cut him off.
“No, let me finish. I won’t get this out otherwise, and I’m not gonna be a chickenshit anymore.” Jax heard an audible swallow before he continued. “I just want you to know that I love you for loving me all those years ago. I’ve never stopped loving you, even when I was so hurt and angry.”
He stopped speaking then, and Jax’s heart beat a wild tattoo in his chest at how neatly the decision to declare his love had been taken out of his hands. There was no way he could keep his feelings to himself any longer. Noah had been brave enough to open his heart completely. It was his turnto man up.
“I love you too, Noah. I never stopped … I couldn’t. I always knew that you were the one for me, even after you graduated, and I never saw you again. That’s really why I couldn’t start anything new with anyone … no one else measured up. Thank you for forgiving me, sweetheart. We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t.”
“Call me tomorrow as soon as you know what Jim and Annie will need from you. I need things from you, too,” he added, his tone going sultry. “But I understand that you have other people who need you more right now. I can be patientand wait.”
Jax chuckled softly. “I’ll call you the minute I know more. Goodnight, Noah. Sweet dreams.”
“Night, Prof!”
Wrangling two little boys early in the morning was more stressful than Jax had realized. How did Annie and Jim do thisevery day?
“Have you showered?” he asked Jude, who appeared in the kitchen first, looking like he’d slept in his clothes.
“Jake is in there,” the boy said nonchalantly.
“Did you at least brush your teeth?” he asked, going over to lead him back to the bathroom where the shower was still going.
“He won’t let me in!” There was a definite whine in hisvoice now.
Hmm … since when does an eight-year-old boy lock the bathroom door when he’s in it? Was that a thing these days? Jax didn’t have time to think on it.
“Jake, open this door now, and get out of the bathroom, buddy. Your brother needs to come in, and we need to leave soon.”
He waited, Jude slouching against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Jax held onto his patience when it took the other boy another minute to shut off the shower and fifteen more seconds to unlockthe door.
“Get in there and hurry up,” he told Jude, opening the door and stepping back from the cloud of steam that billowed out. “And don’t forget to brush your teeth,” he added more loudly for both of them to hear as the child went inside.
He drained the coffee he’d been sipping when Jude appeared, cleaned up the kitchen, and was waiting less patiently in the living room when the boys finally emerged, dressed in jeans and ratty, oldt-shirts.
“Come with me,” he said, turning them both and steering them by their shoulders back into their bedroom. “Find a better shirt to wear. You’re going to meet your new baby sister today, and your grandma will be there as well. You don’t want to show up looking like hobos, do you?”
“What’s a hobo, Uncle Jax?” Jude asked, rummaging through the top drawer of his chest of drawers.
“A person who doesn’t have an iron because he doesn’t have a fixed address,” Jax answered at once. “Nowhurry up!”
They managed to find more acceptable-looking shirts, and soon they were on their way to the diner. Jax let them order what they wanted, cautioning them that they had to eat everything on their plates, or they’d not get dessert after dinner. He chuckled when they ordered pancakes and bacon and ate everything, draining their glasses of chocolate milk,as well.
In the supermarket afterwards, he picked up more eggs, bacon and sausages, bread, crackers and cheese, some fruit, the boys’ favorite cereal and milk, as well as hamburger patties, hot dogs,and buns.
“We’re gonna take these home and then go visit your mom, okay?”
The boys nodded, no doubt too pleased to be getting extra time in his car to care where they went. He got them to help him put the things away and then drove to the hospital, parking as close as he could and sending Jim a text message to find out wherethey were.
[Jim: Maternity ward’s on the third floor.]
Once they were in the elevator, he texted Noah.
[Jax: Good morning. I’m at the hospital, going up to see the Bells and their new baby. I’ll call you later.]
