Chapter Twenty-Four
Jackson
* * *
JACKSON FOUND MAGGIE slumped at the bottom of Zane’s stairwell. Blood spilled onto the stairs from a gash in her head. He pulled her into his arms. She didn’t stir. He put his fingers on the pulse at her wrist. Strong. She was simply knocked out.
“You’re all right,” he whispered.
The sound of footsteps running up the stairs from the bar drew his attention away from Maggie.
Zane appeared around the corner. “Holy crap. What happened?”
“I don’t know. I found her like this. She must have fallen. Her head’s bleeding, but her pulse is strong.”
Zane crouched next to them and felt Maggie’s skull. “It’s just a surface wound. Head wounds always bleed so much.”
“Please, Bird, wake up,” Jackson whispered as he cradled her against him.
She stirred and opened her eyes. “Jackson?”
“You okay?”
She gave him a feeble smile. “My head hurts.”
“What happened? Did you fall?”
“Sharon was here. She lunged at me, and I fell backward. I think I hit my head. Is there blood?”
“Just a little,” Zane said. “It’s only a small cut, nothing major. Correct, doctor?”
“Sure, yes.” A high buzz rang between Jackson’s ears. Sharon had done this? How was this the same girl he thought he loved? Who was she? Had he known her at all?
“Come on, let’s get her upstairs and put some ice on the wound,” Zane said. “Give her a quick look to see if she needs stitches.”
God bless him, Zane had always been good in a crisis.
Jackson didn’t bother to ask Maggie if she could walk. He lifted her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. Zane ran by him to open the door. Once inside, Jackson set her gently on the couch while Zane ran to get ice and a towel for her head.
Jackson encouraged her to lay back with her head on a pillow. He knelt on the floor next to the couch and examined the cut. It was minor. Stitches wouldn’t be necessary. She’d just been temporarily knocked unconscious. Zane was right. Head wounds tended to bleed more than other areas of the body. “No stitches needed.”
“Good. I hate needles.”
He gave her the same concussion protocol instructions he gave the young athletes who came into his office. “No football playing for you for at least two weeks. Or surfing.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“You scared me.” He brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her on the forehead. “I can’t lose you.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” she said.
“You’re the toughest person I’ve ever met.” He hesitated. “Did Sharon tell you?”
She nodded. “But Jackson, it’s not true.”
“What?” he asked.
Before she could answer, Zane came back into the room with the ice and towel. “What in God’s name was Sharon doing here?” Zane asked.
“She came to tell me she’s pregnant,” Maggie said.
“No way. Can’t be.” Zane looked between them.
“It’s true.” A weariness leached him of the adrenaline that had propelled him up the stairs. He sank to the floor and buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, Bird. I had no idea.”
Maggie’s hand encircled his shoulder. “No, Jackson. She was lying. I got her to admit it. She shoved me because I guessed the truth.”
Jackson thundered to his feet. “She admitted it?” It was a lie. Thank God, it was a lie. No longer weary, he could dance a jig or sing an opera. Brody’s suspicions were correct. Why hadn’t he seen through her? Why could others see what he couldn’t?
As if he read his mind, Zane answered his questions. “Dude, you always see the best in people. That’s a great quality.”
“Until it isn’t,” Jackson said. “But right now, I don’t care. I’m so relieved.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. That’s what you have us for,” Maggie said. “Zane and I have your back.”
“As do the Dogs,” Zane said.
“And Honor and Kara,” Maggie said. “You keep being you, and we’ll keep being us, and it will all work out in the end.”
“Right now I feel like the horse’s behind,” Jackson said. “I almost married her.”
“But you didn’t. You’re going to marry me.” Maggie’s eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and triumph. “I’m ashamed at how much I enjoyed baiting her into the telling me the truth.”
“I wish I’d seen that,” Zane said.
“She admitted she came up with the story to break us up,” Maggie said.
“What would she do when there’s suddenly no baby?” Zane asked.
“Miscarriage,” Jackson said. “It’s the oldest trick in the book.”
“I guess we were right about her,” Zane said. “We sensed an instability and a cruelty.”
“I should’ve listened to you guys,” Jackson said.
“Honor saw it too,” Zane said. “All along.”
“She doesn’t miss much,” Jackson said.
“Smart and pretty,” Maggie said. “Right, Zane?”
“Even a head injury can’t keep you quiet,” Zane said.
Maggie smirked and raised her eyebrows. “It’s time, Zane.”
“Time for what?” Zane asked. “Time for humiliation and heartbreak.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You need to grab her before someone else snatches her up,” Maggie said.
“Who says I want her?” A vein bulged in Zane’s neck as he perched on the arm of the chair.
“You. Every time she walks in a room,” Maggie said. “Maybe not with your words, but your body language tells a different story.”
“What do you know about it?” Zane asked.
“For one, I’ve studied the physical expression of emotion almost all my life. For two, I’ve known you almost all my life. I know what I see. The question is why.”
“Why what?” Zane asked.
“Why are you resisting her? And don’t tell me she doesn’t really like you, or she ran out on you in the middle of the night. Those excuses are just tired.”
God, I love this woman. “I agree. It’s obvious she cares about you,” Jackson said. “You’d have to be blind not to see it. Every time we’re all together, she can’t keep her eyes off you.”
“How did this conversation take such a devious turn?” Zane raised his hand in a gesture of helplessness.
“We love you, buddy,” Jackson said.
“And we want you to be happy,” Maggie said. “Whether you think so or not, you deserve to be happy.”
Zane looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “I don’t know if I can put myself out there. When Natalie left, it nearly broke me. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try again. And, Honor, she’s just so…so…special. She makes me feel crazy, but at the same time I’ve never met a woman I admire as much as I do her. When I think about what she came from and how she built a life out of nothing, it’s pretty phenomenal.”
Jackson felt a sudden insight flash before him. “Wait a minute. I know what’s going on here. You don’t think you’re good enough for her.”
“Maybe,” Zane said, elongating the word. “I mean, c’mon. Look at me. I wear shorts to work.”
“Who cares?” Maggie asked. “You’re Zane Shaw, for heaven’s sake. Town hottie.”
Zane’s mouth twisted into a pained smile. “Do you know the people she and Brody interact with daily? These are rich, powerful people with their own boats and jets and stuff. I own a bar I inherited from my dad.”
“Who’s killing it with his updated bar and grill?” Jackson asked.
“Who’s making a profit in a really hard business?” Maggie asked.
“And who do Brody and Honor choose to hang out with? Who do they keep close?” Jackson asked.
“Who does she stare at every time we’re all together?” Maggie asked. “Not some guy with a jet. You.”
�
�You’re the hardest working man in town. Not only does Honor admire that, we’re so proud of you.”
“So proud,” Maggie said. “Sweetie, do you know what a phenomenal man you are? You brought your dad’s place to a whole new level. You remodeled this place with your bare hands.”
“You live your life with your own code, your own rules,” Jackson said. “Honor sees that.”
“She admires you as much as you do her,” Maggie said.
“Also, it might not have occurred to you that inside that exterior of a self-confident woman is the little girl nobody wanted,” Jackson said. “The little girl that suffered years of abuse. She’s as afraid to get hurt as you are.”
Zane studied Jackson with those eyes that had turned every woman’s head other than Maggie’s. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Maybe it’s time you do,” Jackson said.
“Something to think about, I guess.” Zane opened his mouth to say something else, then closed it just as quickly.
“What is it?” Maggie asked.
“It’s just that—well, for as long as I can remember, it was always the three of us. We rode a lot of tough waves together, you know? And I wanted to say that it’s good to be back together.” Zane shuffled from one foot to the other. “I’m grateful. Mags, I’m grateful your courage brought Sophie to us. Grateful that you’re finally going to sing for the world.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know how to say it exactly. I love you guys. That’s all.”
“That’s enough,” Maggie whispered.
“That’s everything,” Jackson said.
“And now I’m leaving,” Zane said. “I’ll see you cats later.
After the door closed behind their friend, Jackson turned back to Maggie. He caressed her soft cheek and kissed her neck and lingered, breathing in the sweet smell of her skin. “Zane’s getting soft on us.”
She splayed her hands through his hair. “A little, yes. I want him to be happy. Like us.”
“Me too.”
“Jackson, look at me.”
He left her delicious neck and stared into her eyes.
“There’s something you need to understand. Nothing will ever pull us apart again. Not Sharon or my dad or anyone. Even if she’d really been pregnant, we would’ve figured it out and made it work.”
“I have to admit, I was worried,” he said.
“You’re my favorite worrier.” She placed her hands on the sides of his face. “But hear this. Tattoo it on your heart. Nothing can pull us apart. Nothing, do you understand?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“Do you know why?” she asked.
“Because we’re us.”
“That’s right. We’re Maggie and Jackson. Epic.” She winced as she tried to straighten from her reclined position.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
Maggie nestled back against the throw pillow. “Like I’m going to have the mother of headaches.” She smiled up at him. “I’ll need a handsome doctor to look after me.”
“I think that can be arranged.” Jackson grinned. “My first prescription is for a good, long kiss.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maggie
* * *
A WEEK LATER, Maggie had one hand in Jackson’s and the other around the handle of her guitar case as they walked through Brody’s home to the back yard. “I love weddings,” Maggie said.
“I especially love this one,” Jackson said.
“Brody and Kara are enough to make anyone believe in love,” Maggie said.
“Just like us.”
“Just like us,” she said.
Just after five in the afternoon, temperatures hovered in the low seventies. Muted sunlight filtered through the trees. In the distance, the ocean provided a pure blue backdrop. The lawn had been transformed into a wedding oasis, with rose petals for an aisle, and white chairs decorated with dusty pink hued sashes. A small tent had been erected on the other side of the lawn, near the pool where the reception feast would be served.
Maggie and Jackson were the first guests to arrive. After she set her guitar on the table near the altar, she joined Jackson near the chairs. Besides the wedding planner and the four string musicians, they were alone on the lawn. Kara and Brody had invited so few people that almost half of the guests were participating in the wedding. Honor and Lance were maid of honor and best man, respectively. Because Kara had no family, she’d asked Zane to walk her down the aisle. He was the first person she met when she came to Cliffside Bay and, according to Kara, the reason she and Brody met in the first place. Maggie had been asked to sing. Of the Dogs, that left only Jackson and Kyle without a job. Neither appeared to mind, promising to give great toasts instead.
“I’m worried they’re having this outside,” Jackson said. “What if it gets out and they have helicopters circling overhead and taking photos with those long-range lenses?”
“Honor said there’s no way that’s going to happen,” Maggie said. “No one even knows he’s engaged, let alone having a wedding.”
“I hope she’s right.”
Maggie nodded. “Me too.” She also hoped the firm Honor had found to accompany them to Europe for the honeymoon was as good as they said they were. She hated to think what that was costing Brody. No price is too high to ensure my bride’s safety, he’d said last night at the rehearsal dinner.
Maggie and Jackson sat. Kyle arrived a few minutes later and sat in the seat next to them as the string quartet began playing a piece by Bach.
“You look gorgeous this evening,” Kyle said as he kissed Maggie’s hand.
“Keep away from her,” Jackson said. “She’s mine.”
“If you say so.” Kyle winked at her and grinned.
She blushed. “I’m wearing a new dress.” The shop in town had a surprisingly good selection, including the one she’d chosen for the wedding. Since the wedding was at night, she’d decided on a sage green halter dress. No worries about getting burned tonight.
“You would look good in a plastic bag, my dear.” Kyle kissed her cheek. “Congratulations on your recording deal.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said. “Who knows, though. I might be a bomb.”
“Doubtful,” Kyle said with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.
“I worry, but not about that,” Jackson said.
“Speaking of Jackson’s worries, I went out to the house earlier and the crews are making great progress. You’ll be in by the end of September.”
“You’re kidding?” Maggie asked. “That soon? But we haven’t done a thing to pick out interiors.”
“I’ll set you up with my designer,” Kyle said. “She’s the best.”
“Great, yes. We’ll need all the help we can get,” Maggie said.
“We’ll go out tomorrow, if you guys want and look at the progress,” Kyle said. “You won’t be disappointed.”
At that moment, Violet arrived and ventured over to them. “Hi Jackson. Maggie.” She narrowed her eyes as she addressed Kyle. “Mr. Hicks, I’m surprised you could take a day off from scarring the land to celebrate your friend’s wedding.”
Kyle’s dark eyes flashed. “Perhaps you could take a day off from harassing me and allow me to enjoy my buddy’s big day in peace.”
“I could, but that would be a disservice to my cause.” Violet wore a sleeveless lavender dress that complemented her golden skin and the blond highlights in her honey colored hair. She does have the loveliest skin.
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring your picket sign as your date,” Kyle said.
“I wouldn’t ruin Kara’s day by causing a scene.” Violet tapped her foot. A few more inches and she would stomp Kyle’s foot. His designer loafers would be no match for the heel on Violet’s sandal. “But you can bet I’ll be back Monday morning.”
“How’s your business staying afloat when its owner spends more time getting in the way of my workers than running it?” Kyle asked.
A muscle in Violet’s
jaw twitched. She crossed her arms over her narrow torso. “That is none of your concern, Kyle Hicks. I’ll keep trying to save the earth while you go about destroying it.”
“We’re even then,” Kyle said without a hint of amusement in his usually playful face.
Violet excused herself and crossed over to sit in the section on the other side of the rose petal aisle.
“Damn if she doesn’t have the most gorgeous legs,” Kyle said. “Such a pity they’re wasted on a woman with the vilest personality in the state of California.”
Methinks he doth protest too much.
Doc and Janet arrived, followed by Flora and Dax with Mary trailing closely behind.
The sun hung low in the sky and shot beams of light through the trees as Brody took his position on the right side of the altar. The pastor wore a long black robe and held a bible. A wooden arch entwined with ribbons and pink roses contrasted with the blue of the ocean in the distance. Brody looked dashing in a dark blue suit and white tie, other than the fact that his face had bleached of color.
“Brody looks a little wobbly,” Jackson said.
“Totally,” Maggie said.
“You don’t think he’ll faint, do you?” Kyle asked. “Maybe I should go up there just in case.”
“No. He’ll be fine the moment he sees Kara,” Maggie said.
“How do you know?” Jackson asked. “Because he looks terrible.”
“Women know these things.”
The music changed. Time to stand for the wedding party to walk down the aisle. Maggie shivered. What a beautiful, perfect night it was. They all stood and turned to watch as Lance walked Honor down the aisle. The best man also wore a blue suit. His tie matched the blush pink of Honor’s dress. He looks like a model, not a hedge fund manager. How was this guy still single?
Her gaze didn’t linger long on Lance. He was no competition to the angel on his arm. Maggie had never seen Honor look so pretty, which was saying something. Her blond hair fell in soft waves down her back. The makeup artist had emphasized her large, brown eyes with smoky shadow. Her pale pink dress was made of chiffon, a plunging V-neckline, cinched waist and A-line skirt. Like pale pink clouds, the material flowed about her ankles as she walked. A sash tied at the back wrapped her like a precious gift. She held a bouquet of pale pink and white anemones. Maggie knew from the rehearsal dinner the night before they were Kara’s favorite flower.
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