What Endures (27 page)

He rolled off her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her against him. They laid against each other for long moments, still coming down from their climaxes. After a while, she felt Jason stir, and then he was propped on an elbow, staring down at her, his expression was one of concern.

"Are you okay?" He traced a line from her ear to her chin with his index finger. "Was that. . .?"

She smiled. "We already had this conversation." She took his hand, placing a kiss inside his palm. "And I'll tell you the same thing I told you then - it was incredible." She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you for today."

Jason smiled at her, but she could still see traces of concern in his eyes. Instead of dwelling on it, however, she pushed any and all negative, worrisome thoughts from her mind and focused on the moment.

She finally had Jason back, truly had him back, and she didn't want to think about anything that could cast doubt on that. Not now, and tomorrow's worries were for tomorrow. Tonight, she was back in the arms of the man that she loved and that was enough.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“I’m sorry,” Megan said in tone of feigned gravity as they made their way, hand in hand, down the sidewalk. “I just can’t be a part of this.”

“So you can wait outside while I go in and get some.”

She shook her head. “You’re really serious about this?”

“Of course! Those things were amazing. You’d know that if you ate yours.”

“In the what? Five seconds you gave me before you devoured it?”

He chuckled. “I was hungry.”

“There are other things to eat for breakfast you know,” she said teasingly. “Like cereal. . .eggs. . .oatmeal. . .almost anything besides a sugar-packed cupcake.”

“Don’t mock my breakfast choices,” Jason countered in mock seriousness.

“I would never.” She smiled. “Just don't blame me when you have a sugar crash in a few hours.”

He laughed, pulling on their joined hands so that she was besides him, where he threw an arm around her shoulder, hugging her against him. It was strange, but in a nice way, how comfortable they were with touching each other now. There was a familiar ease to it that she had missed. “If you're disgusted by cupcakes for breakfast, you'd be horrified to know what we ate at baseball camp when I was younger."

“I don't want to know," she said, looping an arm around his waist.

They continued happily down the sidewalk on their way to the bakery where she had gotten Jason's birthday cupcake. It was late morning, two days after their amazing date on the yacht and the first time they had ventured out in public.

After that unforgettable night on the yacht, making new memories together, they had returned to dock early the next morning where they had retreated to the beach house, and had sequestered themselves away from the world to rediscover each other again. It was bliss, and Megan had soaked up every moment of it.

Sure the small voice in her head had tried to break through the happiness, but she had resolutely shut it away. Were things perfect? No. They still had issues that had to be resolved but why couldn't she have this time? Didn't she deserve some happiness, without worries of the future intruding? So what if she and Jason hadn't really talked about what this meant for their future?

She just wanted to enjoy this. This starting ‘new.’ They could deal with the rest later.

When they had finally run out of food, they had decided to venture out for a late breakfast. Instead of going to a diner, or even
Jolt,
Jason had declared that he wanted one of the cupcakes she had bought him for his birthday. Somehow he had convinced her it would be a good idea, which was what led them to where they were now.

They were a few shops from the bakery when Jason's mother came out of a printing shop, carrying a box. Jason didn’t seem to notice his mother, or if he had, he was trying to avoid her, because he looked as if he were going to walk right by, but Megan stopped, which forced him to as well.

“Hi Megan, Jason,” Diana greeted them with a hesitant smile once she had made eye contact with Megan. She slowly made her way over to them. She noticed Diana looking down at their joined hands before she looked back up at them.

“Hi,” she replied, giving Diana a small smile. Jason didn’t say anything but she could feel him tensing up next to her.

Diana glanced at her son, her expression tense and nervous. “How are you Jason?”

Megan waited for Jason to reply since the question had been clearly directed at him, but again, no response came. She glanced at him and noticed he seemed to be staring at some point just over his mother’s head. Diana looked troubled by her son’s lack of acknowledgement and Megan felt the need to smooth things over.

“Good,” she said softly. “We’re, um, good.”

Diana gave Megan a grateful smile before she turned back to her son. “I was picking up the printing for the new specials at
Delights
and-“ Diana stopped mid-sentence and pushed her hair out of her face in an agitated motion.. “Um, listen, Jase, since I ran into you, I wanted-“

“You know what?” Jason said abruptly, turning to Megan. “How about I just go ahead to the bakery? Let's meet at
Jolt
in fifteen minutes okay?" Megan glanced from Jason to his mother, unsure of what to say. Before she could do anything, Jason placed a quick kiss on her forehead and walked off, never acknowledging his mother.

Megan and Diana looked at his retreating back for a few seconds before they looked at each other awkwardly. Megan had been in these situations with Diana before. If there was one consistent thing about Diana's and Jason’s relationship, it was the ever-present tension. At the relationship’s best, mother and son got along well and actually had meaningful conversations. At its worst, they were openly hostile to each other. But an underlying tension was present at all times. Diana's abandonment of her son had left a permanent scar on their bond, and it was something they had never been able to heal fully. And Jason's memory loss seemed to have magnified all the problems in their relationship.

Megan cleared her throat. “Um. . .he’s-“

Diana shook her head. “It’s O.K., Megan. I understand.” She sighed. “I was afraid of this. Afraid that I would have to rehash everything with Jason. . .to go through all the ugliness all over again.”

“We all were,” she said softly.

"How do you do it?" Diana asked, looking in the direction Jason had taken off in.

“Do what?"

“Love someone like Jason so effortlessly?"

She stared at Diana, not quite sure if she were serious. Did she really believe that? “Effortlessly?”

Diana shook her head. “That’s not really the right word.” She looked up and smiled wryly. “Did you know I’ve always envied you?”

“Me?”

Diana nodded. “I’m his mother. I gave birth to him. Comforted him when he was scared. Bandaged him up his scrapes and bruises, which incidentally were numerous. I’ve loved him from the moment he came into this world. I’ve known him his whole life, but. . ." Diana sighed. "I don’t really know him.” Diana looked at her. “And then there’s you. You didn’t even like him at first.  But since the moment you’ve fallen in love with him, you’ve never done anything to hurt him, at least not willingly. You’ve watched out for him. Loved him unconditionally despite everything.” Diana smiled sadly. “You’ve loved him better than I have, and a part of me resented that. But I also envy it."

Megan was surprised. She and Diana didn't have an easy relationship but she had never guessed Jason's mom had felt this way. “Diana, that’s-“

“And he’s loved you in a way he’s never loved me, or Bruce for that matter.”

“Jason’s having trouble sorting through everything. At the dinner, he just. . .he got hit with a lot of things.”

“Which was partly my fault.” Diana shook her head. “See? That’s what I envy most about you. No matter what, you’ve always looked out for Jason. I mean I’m grateful for that, believe me. He needed it since Bruce and I failed so miserably in that area, but I just. . .how do you do it Megan? I’ve tried, I mean really tried, but somehow, I always seem to end up hurting him and making things worse.”

What was she supposed to say? Somehow she sensed that anything she said would only make Diana feel worse. “It’s different for me with Jason.” She sighed. “I didn’t have to deal with the things you did. Like Bruce for instance.”

Diana’s lips curled slightly at her attempt to lighten the situation. “You’re right. We’ve had to deal with different situations but you’ve always managed to do what’s best for Jason. You’ve done what’s right.”

“I do what my heart tells me to,” she answered, realizing it was the honest truth. Because as protective as her head could be, her heart was even more so. But it was protective of her love for Jason, and in that way, it always picked the course of action that was less painful for him, which sometimes meant she was the one who got hurt. It was no wonder her heart and head clashed. “Just, uh, give him time,” she said gently. “He’s still trying to sort everything out.”

“I’m glad you’re helping him through that.” Diana smiled. “I'm glad you're back together.”

"We're not. . ." she began and stopped. Why was she denying it? Weren't they back together? If they weren't, what exactly were they doing? She could hear the voice in her head getting louder so she shook her head, smiling at Diana. "We're working through things, too."

“I’m glad,” Diana nodded. “I actually wanted to let him know that I have his presents from the dinner. You both left so abruptly, not that I blame you, that you left them behind. If you want, I can have someone drop them off.”

She smiled. “That would be great. Thanks.”

"Great." Diana looked in the direction of
Jolt.
"I'll run a few more errands so you and Jason don't have to worry about running into me near
Delights
."

“Diana you don’t-“

“It’s not for you. It’s for me. I can't take Jason looking at me like that again today.”

“Twenty minutes?” she asked softly.

“I’ll see you, Megan.” Diana turned to go. She took a few steps before turning back to Megan. “Megan? I’ve said this before but I, uh, wanted to say it again. Jason’s lucky to have you. I hope you guys sort everything out.” Diana smiled. “I know it didn’t seem like it at times but I’ve always thought that Jason belonged with you.”

#

It had taken a bit longer than twenty minutes, because Sean had called as Megan had been making her way to the coffee shop. Not wanting to be one of those people absentmindedly ambling down the street talking on their phone and not really paying attention to where they were going, she had ducked under a store's awning to have her conversation.

“So there won't be a baseball camp this year?” Sean asked.

She shook her head out of habit, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “I, uh, actually don’t know yet. But what made you think there wouldn’t be?” There was a pause on the other end. “Sean?”

“Oh, uh, just. . .nothing. I guess I just, uh, assumed.”

She frowned. Something seemed ‘off’ about Sean since his call, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Is there a problem?”

“No, no problem.”

“You sure?” she asked doubtfully.

“It’s fine, Megan.” Sean cleared his throat. “Um, you’ll let me know right? Jason’s, uh, teammates are ready to help out. They have the usual dates cleared so you say the word and it’s set.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Sean. And I promise, I’ll let you know soon.”

Minutes after ending her conversation with Sean, it still nagged at her. Something seemed to have been bothering Sean. She was sure of it, but what it was, she didn’t know. Before she had any more time to dwell on that subject, she arrived in front of the coffee shop.

She walked in, smiling at the familiar barista behind the counter as she scanned the crowded place for Jason. She spotted him in seconds, along with a very attentive blonde. From the looks of things, Jason was listening while the blonde. . .flirted. Her body language was practically screaming at him to take her then and there.

Megan sighed softly. She should have been unaffected at the presence of baseball groupies by now. She had dealt with more than her share since Jason had turned pro. Still, each time she was confronted with one, her irritation felt brand new. Shooting the blonde a look of annoyance she purposely strode up to the table.

“Hi!” she greeted them cheerfully.

The blonde turned and looked at her impatiently, clearly unhappy at being interrupted. Megan smiled sweetly at her in response. Jason looked relieved to see her. “Megan.”

“Hi honey,” she cooed before kissing him possessively. She suppressed the laughter bubbling up inside her at the look on his face. She turned her attention back to the blonde who was now regarding her with open hostility. She kept the sweet smile on her face while she extended her hand. “Megan Williams.”

The blonde looked down at her extended hand a beat before she lightly shook it. “I’m Kristy."

“It's nice to meet you Kristy," Megan replied with false cheer. She moved closer to Jason, placing a hand on his chest as she faced Kristy. "Are you a fan?”

Kristy's eyes narrowed at Megan's action, which made Megan's smile widen. “Kind of."

“Jason and I love meeting the fans. Did you want an autograph?” She patted Jason's chest. “Honey, do you have a pen? I think Kristy wants an autograph but is too shy to ask.”

Megan fought the urge to laugh out loud at the expression on Kristy's face. “N-no, I didn’t want-“

“A picture then?” Megan asked, her voice sickly sweet as she pointedly looked at Kristy's empty hands.

Kristy’s eyes flashed. “No.”

“Oh.” Megan kept the smile on her face but her gaze was level and pointed as she stared at Kristy.

Silence descended heavily between them. After a few seconds, Kristy looked between her and Jason before she smiled tightly. “I wanted to come over and say ‘hi’”

“Aren’t you sweet?” Megan chirped, leaning in even closer to Jason, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder, tucking her against his side. She could feel how tense he was, and she absently rubbed his chest. The fact that her actions weren't lost on Kristy was an added bonus.