by S. E. Rose
Shit, shitty, shit, I think to myself. He’s taking something somewhere. I just know it. I barrel upstairs and throw on my yoga pants and then run out the door. I run to the street and I can see him way down the road in the distance. I slam myself against the gate wall in case he looks back and then I sneak along the wall. I duck into the hedges and trees lining the lane and follow him for about a half mile. He veers off the road and onto a path. I continue to follow him, realizing he is heading toward my cottage. What the fuck?! I cut through the trees and find he is on the far side of the cottage. He continues to run. It looks like he is carrying something in a small running backpack, however, I can’t be sure. I continue to duck and weave around trees and shrubs. I’m sure I look completely ridiculous. I am praying to any deity that he doesn’t find me following him. Eventually, he starts heading back toward the road and away from the path along the coastline. I can see a church in the distance. It’s the one we pass when we head towards town. I have been meaning to walk over to it as I can just see it from my rock each morning, but I haven’t done that yet. I’m lucky I’ve done anything considering all the distractions I’ve had. As he reaches the gate of the church’s yard, he glances around and I hit the ground hoping the high grasses will give me cover. After a minute or two, I poke my head up and see that he has gone inside. Aside from the tippy top of his head moving around, I can’t see anything. I decide to run to the side of the church wall and wait for him to leave. I run, with the occasional belly flop to the ground when I swear he is about to exit the gates again. After a moment, I sneak up along the side of the church and sit and wait. After a minute or two, I hear him open the gate and start running again. I give him another minute and then I go inside.
The church’s graveyard looks very old. I can see gravestones dating back hundreds of years. Some are nearly one thousand years old. I meander through the graves, but I don’t see anything. I stop and try to trace his movements based on where I saw his head moving about in the yard. I turn and head toward the northwest corner of the yard and stop. I look carefully around. There are about a dozen graves in this area. Most are crosses with circles around them. A few are ornately carved with various creatures and a few are plain and are more recent. I look at the names, Cook, Frazier, McIntosh, and Ross. I stop and stare at two graves marked with the last name Ross, same as Jack. The first is of an elderly couple that died nearly a hundred years ago. The second says Abigail Frazier (Ross). I fall down to my knees in front of the grave. I look at the dates and see she was only twenty-five years old when she died. The inscription reads “May you and our future rest in peace. Two angels now watch over us.” I frown. I don’t understand. Two angels now rest over us? Could this be Jack’s Abby? Why does her grave have Ross on it? They weren’t married yet, were they? Mal said that it was just Abby who died. I now have a million questions. I shake my head suddenly remembering my task. And then I realize that Jack is likely halfway home now and I am all the way back here. I look around and my eyes lock on a small tin box partially buried under the rose bush that stands next to Abby’s grave. I lift the lid and see what must be €50,000. I close it quickly and look around. I’m alone. I open it again and see a small note. I pick it up.
“As requested, please instruct for further drop-offs.”
I put the note back and run to the house. I’m out of breath when I get there. I walk toward the garden and sit down trying to catch my breath. It isn’t long before Jack comes walking up from the gate. He must have gone somewhere else. Strange, maybe he did have to check on a property.
He looks at me, trying to figure out what I am doing no doubt.
“I just wanted some fresh air,” I say, motioning to the garden. He nods.
“You really should be careful out here by yourself, baby.” He comes up and kisses the top of my head.
“Can we go back over to the cottage for a bit?” I ask. “I need a few things.”
He nods and goes inside to grab keys. We head back to the cottage in silence. I go into my room and start rifling around to find a dress I think I left in the closet. I walk back into the living room to find Jack flipping through a book I brought. I’m about to suggest we head back to his place when there is a knock at the door. Jack is at my side faster than a vampire in the “Twilight” series. He puts his finger to his lips and motions for me to back up, so I comply. He walks slowly to the window and peers around. The look on his face is of pure shock and he says nothing. In fact, he stops moving altogether. And then I hear it.
“Mommmmm…Mommmm…open the door!! Are you in there?”
“Maybe she’s not in there. I don’t see her car here.”
“Shit, well, I told you we should have called first.”
“Whatever, we can wait. She can’t have gone far.”
I throw open the door and now I am in shock. I am staring at my children. Nick and Lily look up and yell “surprise” in unison before hugging me. I don’t move. A million emotions run across my mind, pure joy that my children are here with me, pure shock that my children are here with me, and then pure fear that my children are here with me.
They sense this and both step back at the same time.
“Mom?” Nick says, touching my arm. “Mom? Are you OK?”
“I told you it was a bad idea to surprise her like this. She hates surprises!” Lily exclaims with a slight punch to Nick’s arm. She turns to me. “Sorry, Mom, I tried to tell him and he wouldn’t listen.”
I finally find my voice. “I…I…What…No…I…How…When…What are you doing here?”
They both break out into fits of giggles which stop very suddenly. I follow their eyes to look behind me and realize Jack is now standing behind me in the doorway. He also still looks in complete shock. However, he is desperately trying to compose himself.
I hesitate for a moment and then shake my head. “Sorry, uhhhh…Jack, these are my children. Lily and Nick, this is Jack.”
Nick elbows Lily and Lily slips him five dollars. I roll my eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Jack,” Lily says, holding out a hand. Jack shakes it and then shakes hands with Nick.
“Please, come in, sweeties. Come in and explain why the hell you are here and not at home.” I glance at Lily and see she looks great. “You look so much better, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She beams. “I feel great, almost all mended. I even got my hard cast off a week ago.” She holds up her wrist where she now sports what looks like a wrist brace instead of the sturdier-looking cast she had on previously.
They run in and fight over a spot on the sofa. Nick wins and Lily, pouting, takes a seat on a chair nearby.
“Well,” says Nick with a giant grin. “We missed you and we thought we’d surprise you. Plus, there just happens to be a band playing in Glasgow that Lily wants to see.”
“But, I don’t understand,” I say.
“Geez, Mom, if I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were completely not excited to see us,” Nick says, frowning at me.
“Oh, no, Nick, I am very happy to see you guys. I…it’s just unexpected,” I say, trying to sound very warm and motherly. His frown fades, but he looks at me rather intently.
“Come in and sit down. Let me get you guys something to drink,” I say as I meander into the kitchen with Jack on my heels. I need a moment to compose myself.
“Jack,” I whisper. “What the hell are we going to do? They cannot be here.”
“I know,” he huffs. “Give me a second, I’m formulating a plan.”
I pour glasses of juice and put some cheese and crackers on a plate, fully aware that Nick will eat the whole thing and Lily will have one bite. Jack paces the kitchen while I busy myself. He has his phone in his hand and he’s furiously typing and swiping and God knows what else. By the time I finish, Jack is giving me a knowing look.
“I have an idea. Just go with it, OK?” Jack says.
I nod and we walk back out to the kids.
“So, I found a mud run up in Aberdeen.
If you’re up for it, Lily, we could give it a go,” Jack says enthusiastically. Oh, thank God for Jack, my kids both smile at him.
“Yes! Awesome!” Both kids say enthusiastically.
“I guess we should pack up some stuff and head out. Did you guys book any hotel rooms up there? What time is the race? Lily, are you sure you’re up for this?” Jack asks.
Jack shows Nick his phone with the mud run site and Nick starts clicking right and left and then Jack hands him a credit card. This is followed by a hotel reservation.
“OK. Our race time is ten tomorrow morning. Yes, Mom, we just booked two rooms—hope you guys don’t mind sharing,” Nick adds with a smirk in my direction. I can see Lily rolling her eyes from across the room. “Lily is fine. She can definitely do it and it appears you are pretty much mended as well.” He glances at my head and ankle. I nod.
“How long are you staying?” I ask, trying to sound like I am not forcing them out early.
“We leave Sunday. But we wanted to go back down to Glasgow for a night or two before we go. This band I adore is playing there Friday night,” Lily says with a bit of a squeal. I just laugh, at least my music tastes wore off on her.
“OK, so we have you till Friday morning?” I inquire and I get two nods. Clapping my hands together, I turn back to Jack. “Well, Mr. Ross, I suppose we ought to pack.”
“Why yes, Ms. Stevenson, I believe you are correct,” he says with a formal bow that makes my kids burst into giggles.
“He’s a keeper, Mom,” Nick says.
I grab a few overnight items I had forgotten and then ask the kids to follow us over to Jack’s house.
“Hey, Mom, where’s Hagrid?” Lily asks.
“Oh, I…” I do my best to throw a story together on the spot. The kids don’t need to know how serious Jack and I have become. “I had him over at Jack’s house while I was out yesterday. I was just going to get him.”
The kids exchange looks and Lily slips Nick another five. I glare at them and Nick just shrugs at me. “Seriously, you guys were taking bets,” I say and shake my head.
“We have no idea what you are talking about, Mother,” Nick says with all of the innocence of a convicted murderer.
“Actually, guys, would you mind terribly if you took Hagrid back home with you when you go?” I ask.
“Geez, Mom, he’s your cat,” Lily says as she walks toward their rental car. Funny how fast Hagrid has become my cat when he’s not convenient to her schedule. This is the same cat that spent two weeks on her bed with her when she had bronchitis and the flu senior year of high school. “Plus, I don’t even know if we can have him at the place we are staying in Glasgow.”
Jack pipes in. “No worries, I’m sure your mom would really appreciate it. How about I move you to a place I know that will welcome him there?”
“Sure, I mean, I guess if you want us to, Mom,” Nick says. Truthfully, I don’t, but poor Hagrid will just be getting in the way here and I’d rather he be safe and sound several thousand miles away. Even if that means he misses the occasional meal because the kids forget about him. It pains me not to have him with me. After Sean died, I spent so many hours lying in bed holding Hagrid and feeling his warm fur against me. His purring was the only soothing thing in those dark moments.
We make our way over to Jack’s. The kids are in awe of his house and explore it as we pack. I toss down some food and text Mal to stop by tomorrow for Hagrid. No point in moving him now that the kids know why he’s over here.
“OK, let’s go do this mud run thing,” Jack says.
We pile into the kids’ rental car, which is actually a rather roomy SUV and we are off to Aberdeen. I haven’t been to this city in years. We pass along the main part of town to a rather nice hotel. Once we check in, we decide on an Indian restaurant off the main strip and then we walk back to the hotel with our bellies full. The kids seem to like Jack. They all joked about my control-freakishness at dinner. The kids tell a number of embarrassing stories about me and I return the favor. We have Jack in stitches by the end of the meal. The walk back is pleasant and filled with more funny stories. The kids ask how we met and about my book. It really is great to see them. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until they were here in my arms. I kiss my kids goodnight and Jack and I walk across the hall to our room.
I sit down on the bed and take a deep breath. Jack sits down next to me and places his hand over mine.
“You have lovely children, Laura,” he says softly as his index finger rubs my knuckles. I look up at him with a small smile on my lips. “I mean it; they are great kids. You are lucky to have them.”
This makes me smile even more. As an adoptive parent, I have heard way too many times to count how lucky my kids are to have me, but seldom do I hear how lucky I am to have them. “Thank you,” I whisper. I lean my head on his shoulder while his fingers intertwine with mine.
“No one knows we are here except Mal and Oliver,” he says. “We’ll be fine and Oliver says the kids can stay up with him on Thursday night.”
I try to relax, but it’s hard. Jack must sense it. He puts his hand under my chin and raises my face to his.
“It’s OK, love.” He brings his lips down on mine and plants a soft kiss on them before pulling back to look at me. He brushes some hair out of my face. “We’ll be alright.”
He kisses me again before laying me back on the bed and making love to me slowly, almost cautiously. Afterwards, I can barely sleep. I lie awake in Jack’s arms for hours before my eyes finally close.
Chapter 27
Laura’s Playlist: “Can’t Say What I Mean” by Kaiser Chiefs
“Rise and shine, baby.”
I slowly come out of my slumber. My eyelids begin to open as I feel Jack’s body beneath me. I yawn and see that it’s rather sunny outside.
“Race day,” Jack says and I laugh a little.
“Well, aren’t you all sunshine.” I roll back over and pull the covers over my head.
“Oh no, you don’t. Shower and breakfast.” He pulls the covers off of me. I grab hold of them trying to stop him and he practically pulls me off the bed with them. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around him as he carries me into the shower. I can feel him hard against me and suddenly I want him. God damn, what is he doing to me? I feel like a horny teenager around him. He must feel how wet I am as he enters the shower, because he pushes me against a wall and I slowly slide down onto him.
“I suppose a small workout before the race would be OK.” He smiles against my lips as he slams into me again and again. He catches my cries with his lips and then comes deep inside of me.
As he washes my body with the little soap bottle from the hotel, he gently kisses my neck and shoulders.
“You are so beautiful.” I know I am turning red now as he turns me around to face him. “Why can’t you see that?” he asks as he gazes into my eyes.
“Oh, Jack…I’m just…well, I’m just me,” I say with a shrug. Then wrapping my arms around him I smile. “But you make me feel beautiful.” He smiles and leans down and kisses me before playfully swatting my ass.
“OK, let’s get ready for this race,” he says as we dry off and dress. We eat a leisurely breakfast and then head toward the race.
The “mud run” is a 5k race with fifteen obstacles. From the top of the hill just outside of Aberdeen, I look down and can see about eight of the obstacles.
“Ever done one of these?” I ask Jack as he stands next to me gazing out at the obstacles. There is a crawl-under-barbed-wire-in-mud obstacle, a climb-a-two-story-wall-with-ropes obstacle, a climb-up-a-wall-and-slide-into-a-mud-pit obstacle, an obstacle with fire, and about a half dozen others that look to be made up of wood, ropes, and mud.
He shakes his head. “But it does look a little like a course I did once, but not for fun.” He looks at me and I know that it was something to do with his undercover work, maybe training?
“OK, you two lovebirds, you ready to rumble?” Nick asks. I burst int
o laughter as I see him and Lily walk up with war paint on their faces.
“You two look ridiculous!” I laugh. “But adorable! Only a mother could love these faces.” I say, squishing their cheeks. They both pull away faking disgust before they jump on me and take me down into a pile of nearby mud. We are laughing and throwing mud at each other. Jack finally walks over and gives me his hand and I decide to play and promptly pull him down with me. The twins are now beside themselves with laughter.
“Oh, you think that was funny?” Jack says. They look a little startled at first since they don’t know him and his humor. Then he proceeds to take them both down in the mud, smearing it all over them. They cry for me to help them and I jump on Jack’s back only to be flipped over in the mud with Jack on top of me. “A man could get used to this,” he whispers so that only I can hear him. And with a wink, he looks down at my mud-coated clothes that now cling to my body. I roll my eyes and he lets me up while helping the twins.
The race is a blast. It takes us a while, but we have fun. Jack is great with the kids. He helps Lily on a few obstacles when she can’t get over a wall because of lack of upper body strength and her injured wrist. Lily opts to run around a few of the harder ones since she’s still supposed to be taking it easy with her wrist. I join her and we wait for Jack and Nick who take on each and every obstacle. Jack and Nick pull me out of a giant mud pit on one obstacle. And at the end, we all go down the slide holding hands. We rinse off with the “shower” they provide, a.k.a. the hose, which is equally entertaining. Jack makes a typical boyish comment about a wet t-shirt contest and the kids about fall over laughing.
Afterwards, we sit in a field with our free beer and laugh about our race and all the silly shenanigans that have occurred throughout the day. It’s strange, almost like we’ve known Jack our whole lives. The kids talk to him with such ease and I find myself smiling as I watch them all joking and giving each other fist bumps and high fives. I can’t remember the last time the three of us have done something like this…oh, I can, but I push that aside and try to let this moment fill the void left by Sean’s absence. I try to be happy for the first time in…forever it seems.