by A. M. Kusi
“Jax!” River said, with a serious and worried tone.
“Still hiding. It’s just words,” Harper said, almost in a whisper.
“Harper, I didn’t mean—”
“Jax, your dad is on his way to the hospital,” River interrupted him.
Jax snapped his head to look at River the same moment he reached for his phone. “What? Why? Is he okay?” Jax asked rapidly, seeing three missed calls from his mother.
“Your mom called the house phone. He had a heart attack. She said he is being rushed to the hospital. I’ll drive you.”
Jax pushed the call button for his mom as he sprinted out of the basement towards his car. His body trembled at the realization that he might be losing his father. Suddenly, there was so much that he wished he had said to him. He only hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
Olive answered, “Jax?” She had been crying. His mother was one tough woman. He’d only ever seen her cry because someone had died.
“I’m on my way, Mama.”
Chapter 29
Harper stayed alone in the cellar for several moments, processing what had just happened. Jax had said he loved her. He’d actually said the words this time. The moment he was going to reveal their secret and risk everything for her, River came down the stairs, Jax dropped his hands and stepped away from her like she was something to hide and be ashamed of. Once again, his words did not match his actions.
She was being selfish in a time when his father’s life was on the line. She took a deep breath to collect herself and went upstairs without the wine.
***
Jax rushed into the hospital. River had dropped him off at the emergency entrance and then gone to park the car. He searched the waiting room for his mother and spotted her; tears were streaming down her face.
“Mama?” He pulled her into his arms and held her. She sobbed against his chest for a few minutes before she regained her composure to speak.
“They said he needs surgery. He has a blockage in his artery. Jax, this could kill him.”
“Pop’s gonna be okay,” he said, trying to comfort her. He hoped he was right.
River arrived in the waiting room, and Jax updated him.
His best friend stayed by his side, getting them food and coffee. Jax put his hand in his pocket and felt something smooth and cool. He pulled out the polished black stone he had taken to carrying around and managed a small smile. It was the stone Harper had bought him from their tour of the witch museum for protection. Harper was giving him strength even when she wasn’t around.
A doctor and nurse finally came out to update them. The doctor was a bald man wearing green scrubs. “Harris family?”
“Here,” Olive said, standing as the doctor walked over to shake her hand. Jax posed by his mother’s side, with River on the other.
“Hello, Mrs. Harris. I’m Doctor Bingham. I was the surgeon who operated on your husband. He is in stable condition right now in recovery. We will move him to the intensive care unit shortly. Your husband had a Left Anterior Descending Artery Stenosis, what we call a widow-maker heart attack. They kill most people. I made an incision and put a stent in the blocked artery. He will have a long recovery road ahead of him. Does Mr. Harris smoke?”
“Not anymore,” Mrs. Harris said so firmly, Jax guessed even the doctor had no doubt.
Dr. Bingham smiled and continued, “He will need to make some lifestyle changes, especially regarding his diet. I’ll ensure he sees a nutritionist before he is discharged. He isn’t out of the woods yet, but I am hopeful that your husband will be just fine.”
“Thank you, Doctor. When can I see him?” Olive asked, grabbing Jax’s hand.
“This is Nurse Ann; she will bring you back to the recovery area but only for a few minutes. He’s on heavy medication and will be groggy for a while. He needs a lot of rest, so be sure to keep the visit short.”
Olive and Jax followed the nurse through a series of halls and doors until they reached the recovery area. The nurse swiped her ID badge and the doors opened to let them in.
He saw his father hooked up to tubes and monitors. Wires covered his torso. Clive looked nothing like the big, strong man Jax had in his mind’s eye.
Olive rested her hand on Clive’s and spoke quietly to him. “I’m here, honey. You better not leave me alone. The doctor said you are going to be just fine.”
“I’m here too, Pop,” Jax said.
The first week his father was in the hospital was rough. He was an ornery old man, and even the nurses started counting down the days to his discharge. He hated the food and demanded a cigar. His mother told him in no uncertain terms that he was done smoking permanently. His father was a tough man, but he loved his wife fiercely and his mother’s fear was still evident on her face. He conceded to her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t complain about it. Jax had not known his mother to put her foot down many times in their years of marriage, but when she did, his father seemed to know it was important.
Jax stayed with his mother, taking shifts the first week to give her time to rest. She didn’t want to leave his dad alone, and Jax did what he could to make life easier for her. Harper had texted him telling him she hoped everything was okay, and not to worry about his job; his accounts were handled for as long as he needed. He wanted to continue their conversation, to explain what happened in the basement but he was exhausted and drained. He’d seen it in her eyes; he had blown it in that microsecond of River coming down the stairs to tell him about his father. It had just been a reflex, but Harper wouldn’t have seen it that way.
The next week, his father was able to come home. Jax was charged with helping him get around the house, which was a difficult experience for both of them. Clive made it evident that he hated that his son had to help him with basic tasks.
“I need some real food, Olive. This stuff is for rabbits,” Clive said one afternoon, throwing the bowl of salad onto the small table by his chair.
“You are one stubborn man, you know that?” Jax said, surprising himself.
Clive snapped his head in Jax’s direction. “What did you say to me, boy?”
“You think we like having to take care of you any more than you like being taken care of? You could at least be nice about it.”
“Who do you think you are talking to?” Clive growled.
“Calm down, Pop. We care about you. If you get worked up, you could end up back in the hospital, or dead. We need you to stick around.”
Clive sat back in the chair.
Jax continued, “I know you want better food, but eating the way you have for seventy years put you in the hospital. Just do this for Mom; she needs you. I need you too.”
“I am doing this for her. I haven’t had a smoke in almost two weeks.”
“And when you’re better, you won’t sneak any?”
Clive looked over, unimpressed. “Don’t forget who is the parent and who is the child, son.”
Jax held up his hands in surrender.
Clive continued, “I would do anything for that woman out there. That’s how real love works. You stick by each other through the good and the bad. You meet each other’s needs. You do things you don’t like because you know it will make their life better.” Clive motioned to the bowl of salad.
“You’re a better man than me,” Jax said under his breath.
“Too selfish to change?” Clive asked.
“What?”
“Your mom and I are not blind. She told me about her visit to your apartment.”
“Oh.” Jax wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Do you love her?”
“Yes. I haven’t treated her the way I should have though.”
“You going to do something about that?”
“Yes. I mean, I have been trying to,” Jax said, sighing.
“There’s trying and the
n there’s doing, son.”
“I’ve been too afraid,” Jax said, in disbelief that he was having such a heart-to-heart conversation with his father of all people.
“Courage isn’t not being afraid. It’s doing things despite being afraid,” Clive said. “She makes you want to become a better man. If you think it is worth dealing with everything that comes with being in a relationship with her, I promise to do my best and get to know her.”
Jax looked at his father, seeing the man he had revered for so long become mortal. “Thank you, sir.”
***
Harper wanted to help Jax’s family. On the second Saturday in December, she decided that Olive could probably use a break from cooking while taking care of her husband. Food was always a welcomed gift.
Clive would need some heart-healthy options. Harper did some research and chose to try her hand at some crab and veggie grain-free raviolis. Learning that grains were not great for cholesterol, she found a website that had a recipe for pasta made from cassava flour. After a quick trip to buy a bag of it at the health-food store, she pulled together the rest of the ingredients from her fridge.
Hours later, she had trays of crab-stuffed ravioli filling her freezer before she transferred them into bags for Mrs. Harris to use in the future. Harper kept some out and baked them in a red sauce she’d prepared.
She went to Jax’s parents’ house and knocked. Looking around, she was relieved to not see Jax’s car. She wasn’t ready to face him.
Isa had helped her talk through what had happened that night. Isa believed Jax would have done what he’d promised if they hadn’t been interrupted. But Harper wasn’t so sure. Now they would never know.
Olive answered the door. Harper held out the covered dish to her and motioned to the canvas bag in her other hand. “I brought you a few meals. I made sure that they were heart-healthy. I figured you could use a reprieve from cooking while you had so much else going on. I’m sorry I didn’t bring it sooner.”
Olive smiled kindly and opened the door to let her in. “Food is always welcome. Did you make it yourself?”
Harper walked into the kitchen and set the food on the counter. “Yes. It’s a grain-free pasta stuffed with crab, kale, mushrooms, and garlic. I hope that’s okay?”
“Oh, yes. Sounds wonderful,” Olive said. “Would you like a cup of sweet tea?”
“I—I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to drop this off. I know when my mom was sick, having food delivered was what helped us through.”
“Your mother was sick?” Olive asked.
Harper looked down momentarily. “She had cervical cancer.”
“Oh, I had no idea.” Olive placed her hand over her heart.
“It was a long time ago. Can you do me a favor, Mrs. Harris?”
“That depends,” she said, her expression unreadable.
“I just…can you not mention to Jax I was here? That this was from me?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want him to think that I expect anything from him. I didn’t do this for Jax,” Harper said, biting her lip.
“I won’t lie if he asks, but I won’t announce it,” Olive promised.
“Thank you. I didn’t mean to ask you to lie.” Harper’s gaze fell to Olive’s feet. Jax’s mother reached out her hand, seemingly to comfort her.
“I should go,” Harper said, turning back to the front door.
“My son isn’t easy to get through to. He’s stubborn, like his father,” Olive said.
Harper opened the door before turning to face her.
Olive continued, “When he commits to something, he gives his all.”
Harper nodded. Maybe that was the problem; Jax had never been all in. He hadn’t chosen her from the beginning and she’d ignored all the warning signs because her traitorous body had longed for him and burned for Jax in ways like it had with no other man.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Harris.”
“Goodbye, Harper.”
Harper got in her car. It was time to face the reality of her situation. She needed to tell her parents about her health condition. Hoping their support would be enough to get her through.
She pulled out of the Harris’s driveway and drove towards her parents’ house.
Chapter 30
Jax found a parking space a little ways down from David Parker’s house. He didn’t mind the walk. He used the time to clear his head. He needed to come clean, and this would be his opportunity to do it.
After he knocked on the door, Sandra opened it with a warm smile to greet him.
“Jaxton, you look well. How is your father?” she asked, letting him in the house.
“He’s doing much better. Thank you.”
“David is in the study. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, ma’am.”
Jax walked down the hall towards David’s study and knocked on the closed door.
“Come in,” David said.
Jax entered, swinging the door shut behind him.
“Have a seat,” David said, pulling out two glasses and a bottle of amber liquid. He poured some in each of the glasses before handing Jax one.
“What’s the occasion?” Jax asked.
“I hope we will be celebrating,” David said. His face was unreadable. Had Harper told him? Was David happy about it?
“Celebrating what exactly?”
“My wife and I have been talking for months now about me retiring. I had planned to leave my son in my place. But when he told me in September that wouldn’t be the case, I knew immediately who the perfect candidate would be.”
Jax thought back to September, to when Natasha had won the promotion. Was that the real reason he had been overlooked for lead consultant? Because David wanted him to run the company. “Sir?” Jax asked.
“You have grown a lot this year. It showed in the way you took over when I was out of the country and during River’s many absences these last two quarters. I’ve seen how flexible you have become, and that you are more open to new ideas. You were right about Harper; she was ready for her own accounts and she does bring a fresh viewpoint. I let the fact that she is my little girl cloud my judgement.”
“She isn’t a little girl,” Jax said without thinking.
David looked at him, appearing to study him. “She certainly isn’t anymore. You helped me see that. Anyway, you are focused on this business and have shown leadership acumen when it was most needed. You’re loyal to my family. I want you to be the chief executive officer of Parker Consulting Inc. I want you to run my company so I can semi-retire. There isn’t anyone else I would consider trusting my life’s work with,” David finished.
Jax was blown away. This was more than he’d ever thought would happen. CEO of Parker Consulting.
He was speechless. “Wow. This is so much. I—I don’t even know where to start.”
“Take until the new year to think about it. I know it is a big responsibility. I know your father is still recovering and Christmas is around the corner. I wanted to give you your gift early.”
“I appreciate it, sir. There’s actually something I need to talk to you about.”
***
Harper opened the door to her father’s study and walked in, surprised to see Jax.
“Hey, sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here. I was looking for you and Mom.”
“Harper, come have a seat. I need to tell you about this too.” Her father motioned toward the empty chair next to Jax.
She looked tentatively at him, hoping to read his expression. The air in the room grew dense, as she tried to control her expression. Shakily, she sat down, feeling slightly dizzy. Her head was pounding and she just wanted to get this meeting over with. Was Jax here to make good on his promise? Was he going to tell her father about them finally? Did it even matter anymore?
&nbs
p; David spoke. “I was just telling Jaxton that I am going to be semi-retiring in the new year. He’s going to be the new CEO of the company and run things while I’m away.”
She didn’t look at Jax. There was no way he would put this opportunity on the line for her. Your brother just threw away what I would give anything to have over a woman. His words echoed in her mind. “You’re retiring, Dad?”
“Your mom and I want to take a year to travel around the world. It’s always been her dream. I know the company will be in good hands with such a trustworthy man. You will still get to keep learning and moving up the ranks, just like all my other employees.”
If she said anything now, her parents’ hopes and dreams would be cut short. Jax was a great businessman, and he would take care of her father’s company. Harper’s head was throbbing now, and her stomach flip flopped with nausea. The walls seemed to be closing in on her. She needed air.
***
“There’s something I need to tell you first,” Jax started to say. He would tell David. He would risk it all for Harper. She was worth it. She was his goddess.
She stood quickly, seeming unsteady. Her eyes rolled back as she fell. He instinctively reached out his arms to catch her before she hit her head.
“Harper!” David rushed around to the ground where Jax had her in his arms. She had passed out.
David pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed 911. He gave the address and told them to send an ambulance.
“Harper? Wake up, Harper,” Jax said.
David ran out of the room and yelled for Sandra. Harper’s mother rushed into the room and gasped. “Oh my god!”
When he discovered Harper was still breathing, relief flood through his system. He shook her. “Harper?”
A groggy-looking Harper opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she came back to him. “What happened?”
“You blacked out,” Jax said, his body tense with worry. The warning bells in his head growing louder. He took the chance to really look at her then, seeing the dark shadows under her eyes and noticing her face was definitely thinner. Something was going on.