Forever Alexa (Book Four In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series) (51 page)

Jack was right, but she’d watched all the TV she could stand and was down to her final magazine. Despite the aches and pains plaguing her battered body, she was going stir crazy just laying here. “I think I might go mad if I have to stay cooped up in this bed while everyone else is downstairs.”

Sighing, Jack sat down next to her. “You never were a very good patient.”

“I don’t have
time
to be a patient. I can think of a million things that have to get done. Suitcases don’t pack themselves, and Livy needs a bath—”

“All of which Abby, my mother, or I can do.”

She huffed out another breath and closed her eyes. “Bumming around here gives me too much time to think,” she confessed. “I keep replaying last night over and over… Everything could’ve ended so differently.” She took his hand and pressed his palm to her cheek. “If you hadn’t come when you did…” Her eyes watered as she remembered the helplessness of being chained in the room. “You saved me, Jack. You almost died saving me.”

He brushed his thumb along her skin. “We’re both still here, right?”

She nodded. “Because of you. You ran into a burning building for me.”

“And I would do it again.” He traced her tender chin with gentle strokes and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’d do it again, Alex,” he repeated.

She played her fingers along his neck as his breath shuddered out. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “I thought you were—I thought you were dead. You were so limp.”

“Shh,” she soothed as she wrapped her arms around him. “We’re both still here, right?” She gave him back his own words, and he smiled as he nodded.

Livy’s screech of laughter echoed up the stairs, followed by Abby’s warning that the tickle monster was coming to get her.

Alexa smiled. “That’s the best sound in the world. Hearing my sister’s voice again. That alone makes last night worth it.”

Jack kissed her. “Agreed.”

“Thank you.” She touched his cheek. “Thank you for bringing Abby home.”

“I didn’t do it by myself. We all did it together.” He eased back.

“But you’ve been the one by my side every step of the way.” She fiddled with the end of his t-shirt, still worrying. “This isn’t over for her. She went through so much. Eventually there will be a trial. She’s still in danger.”

“No, it’s not over,” he agreed as he played his finger through her hair. “But she’s home now, and she’s strong. She has you and Olivia. We’ll find her a good therapist when we get back to LA, and we’ll take care of her security so she feels safe. Everything’s going to work out. It’ll be all right.”

She nodded as she stared into Jack’s eyes, believing for the first time in too long that everything might be okay. Livy’s delighted screams carried up the stairs again, and she grinned as Jack did.

His cell vibrated at his hip, and he checked the incoming text before he put his phone back. “So, what do you say? You wanna get out of here?”

“Yes, I definitely do.” She yanked away the light blanket she’d been covered with since Carol, Abby, and Livy had tucked her in after her bath.

“Then let’s go.” Jack bent low and scooped her up carefully. Her legs screamed as the weight of his arms pressed the bandages into her raw wounds; her ankle throbbed in her cast as her foot dangled, but she didn’t care.

“You okay?”

She rubbed at the worry line creasing his forehead as he frowned. “I’m perfect. Take me away. Take me anywhere but here.”

“That can definitely be arranged.” He walked them down the steps and headed for the front door.

“Where are we going? I thought we could give your mother a hand.”

He bypassed the chaos in the kitchen and continued on. “You said I could take you anywhere.”

“Yes, but…” She rested her head on Jack’s strong shoulder as he took the outside steps and started along the path through the tall marsh grasses. The setting sun was warm on her skin, and the salty breeze uplifting. A few minutes in the fresh air couldn’t hurt.

“Doing all right?”

“Mmm.” She smiled. “This is a perfect idea.”

“I have one on occasion.”

She lifted her head as she caught sight of the pretty little table draped in a white cloth set for two at the edge of the dock. A fat, periwinkle candle flickered bright in a hurricane glass next to the vase that was bursting with bold pink hydrangeas—her favorite. “Oh, Jack. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.” She kissed his cheek, touched that he would think of such a sweet gesture after the chaos of the past few days.

“I thought it would be nice to have dinner here, since tomorrow’s our last night on the Chesapeake for awhile.” He set her gently in her chair and propped her foot on a stool with a pillow. “How’s this? Are you comfortable?”

“Yes, thank you.” The water was dark blue and choppy in the steady winds. Carol’s beautiful, silver-rimmed china glowed in the pastel hues of twilight. “I’m going to miss being here. I love your parents so much…and the house and the bay.”

Jack took his own seat across from her. “We’ll be back. I know my parents plan to come out to Los Angeles after everyone’s settled in.”

They’d
be back to Kent Island? She wasn’t so certain. And where would she, Livy and Abby settle? They would probably stay with Jack for a few days while they figured out security measures for Abby, but after that… Should she put her house on the market and take the job offer that had come in Friday afternoon? Would she and Jack work things out the way she so desperately wanted them to? There was so much up in the air, but now Abby was safe and life could begin again. “I don’t know… I’m not sure…” She didn’t want to bring up the numerous questions needing answers after he’d gone to such trouble to create a beautiful evening. Their problems would be waiting for them tomorrow morning when they got up to face the new day.

“What?” He pulled a large plastic bottle from a small cooler tucked by his side of the table.

“Nothing.” She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

He studied her for a minute before he lifted the bottle to her wine glass. “Water?”

“Uh, please.”

“I thought we should keep it alcohol-free. You might need to take a pain pill later.”

Her heart melted as she stared into his gorgeous blue eyes. “I appreciate it. I’m trying hard to stick with ibuprofen. I don’t want to be all loopy around Livy.”

He nodded. “Are you hungry? We have fresh lobster salad with greens and the homemade rolls mom makes that you like so much.”

More of her favorites. Her eyes filled, and she blinked. “Jack.” She reached for his fingers and held on. “I can’t remember a more special evening.”

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the deep scrapes in the center of her palm. “I love the way you get weepy when I surprise you. And it never has to be much—a flower, a simple dinner. How many opportunities did I miss? How many times could I have made your eyes go soft over the years—the way they are right now?”

“I…” She closed her eyes and swallowed as his mouth moved to the pads of her fingers.

“I have something for you.” He brushed her knuckles along his cheek and placed her hand on the table. “I thought maybe we would eat first, but I think right now is perfect.”

She blinked, still undone by his tender gesture and sweet words. “You didn’t have to—you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I didn’t.” He opened the wicker picnic basket she recognized from their day out on the boat and met his eyes as he pulled out a stack of stapled papers tied with a periwinkle ribbon. “Olivia and I made you something.”

“You made me…” Her lips trembled as he handed over the gift she recognized as one of Livy’s homemade books. There was nothing better than one of her little girl’s creations. “I don’t even know what to say. Jack, this is amazing.”

“Can I read it to you?”

“Yes, of course.” She untied the ribbon.

“Let me slide my chair over.” He scooted around to her side of the table and took the book from her hand so she could look at the pictures while he read her the words. “’Once upon a time there was a prince.’ The guy had to be a prince,” Jack interrupted himself as he looked at her. “Olivia insisted.”

“Well, of course.” She grinned as she studied the blue stick figure on the paper.

“Okay, back to the story.” He cleared his throat. “‘The prince was young and liked to play football and go to parties and eat cake and ice cream.’ Olivia’s part again. I thought it was better for her to draw a birthday cake instead of a keg.”

“Mmm, yes. That was very wise.”

“Anyway…” He turned his attention back to the book. “‘The prince liked to eat lots of cake and ice cream until his mean coach told him he wouldn’t be able to play with his football anymore if he didn’t pass his classes.’” He turned to the next page. “‘That night, the prince went to the enchanted land of knowledge—the library—and his whole life changed. Sitting behind the royal check-in desk was the most beautiful princess he had ever seen. She had pretty blue eyes and long black hair, and although he’d never met her, the prince knew he loved her.’”

Alexa sniffed and wiped at her eyes as he turned to the next sheet with two smiling stick figures—one with yellow hair and blue eyes and one with scribbly black hair and blue eyes. “‘The prince and princess were happy for a very long time.’”

He flipped again. The stick figures on this page had sad faces. “‘Until one dark night when the prince lost his mind and made the princess sad.’”

“Jack.” She covered his hand.

“I’m almost finished.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “‘The prince and princess didn’t see each other again for a long, long time, but he missed his princess and thought of her every single day.’”

The next page had three stick figures—two with yellow hair and the princess with her black hair—and two animal figures, one of which had something in its mouth. “‘Many years later, the princess flew on a unicorn to the land of Los Angeles and saw the prince again. The princess brought along a very special surprise—a new princess named Olivia who looked just like the prince. He fell in love all over again and took the two princesses to his castle and bought a royal dog named Mutt who liked to ruin the prince’s socks.’”

Alexa laughed through her tears. “Look how she drew Mutt eating your sock.”

“She’s damn clever.” He turned the page. “Just a couple more… ‘The prince and two princesses had to fly on the unicorn again to meet King Grampy and Queen Grammy. They had fun at the king and queen’s castle, until the prince and princess made each other sad again.’”

He turned to the last page where all three figures had smiles, and the furry dog too. “‘The prince didn’t want to be sad anymore. He didn’t want to spend any more days without the two princesses he loved very, very much…’” The words ended there, as did the illustrations. Jack set the book on the table and reached for something in the picnic basket. He faced her again and smiled. “Don’t worry. The story isn’t over yet.” He lifted the lid on a rectangular box, and she gasped as she stared at the necklace she’d been missing since the moment she yanked it off.

“You fixed it,” she whispered, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“The princess told the prince that she was very confused, but the prince didn’t want her to be. He wanted her to know that he loved to remember their special days in the enchanted library.” Jack unfastened the clasp. “Please let me put this back on.”

Overcome, she wiped at her cheeks and nodded as he secured the necklace where it belonged. “I’ve never missed anything so much.” She clutched the triangular pendant and leaned forward, touching her lips to his. “Thank you.”

He held her close for a moment before he eased back and brushed the hair from her forehead. “There’s more.” He smiled. “The prince loved to remember their special days in the enchanted library,” he repeated. “Because they were some of the best moments of his life, but he loved the possibilities of the prince and princess’s future even more.” He reached in his jean pocket and pulled out a simple, one-carat, square-cut diamond ring.

Her eyes flew to his. “Jack,” she whispered as she held his gaze.

“Years ago, I told you I wanted forever with you. A lot has changed since then, but not that. I love the shy, serious girl who knocked me off my feet when I walked into the library, but I can promise you I love the mother of my child impossibly more right now. I don’t want to live in the past, Alex. I want to build a future—our future. Please say you’ll wear this and be my wife.”

She stared at the gorgeous, funny man who’d risked everything to save her, the man she’d yearned for since the day he left. This was their second chance. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Handsome Jack.”

“Thank God.” Grinning, he slid the ring on her finger and pulled her against him for a long, deep kiss. “Let’s go tell everyone.” He lifted her gently in his arms.

“In just a minute.” She pressed her hands to his cheeks. “We didn’t finish the story.”

“We didn’t?”

She shook her head. “Nope. You forgot to say ‘and they lived happily ever after.’”

He smiled. ‘And they lived happily ever after’. He kissed her once more, and they started up the dock to the delighted screams and laughter of their daughter catching on the wind.