Anna and Jackson

by Tigris Eden

  “I have a beautiful little girl who loves to be tickled and says the cutest things. Man, she calls my Anna her Honey Mom.” Jackson laughed then, and so did Gaines.

  “She calls your woman ‘Honey Mom?’”

  “Yeah, she thinks Anna’s the color of honey because of her skin.”

  “She must tan a lot.”

  Jackson would have laughed but didn’t. He knew Gaines wasn’t an ass, so he pulled out his phone and showed him a picture of Anna. He’d taken the picture at Joey’s baby shower. She was standing under a huge oak tree. Her white dress bright against her warm skin, her hair in a riot of curls she couldn’t control as she smiled at the children playing. Her pink hat in one hand and her camera in the other. Gaines looked at the picture and whistled.

  “She’s definitely a honey. Congratulations, man.” Oliver patted him on the back. “Let me at least get you a ride back to the hotel.”

  “Thanks, I’m staying at my uncle’s hotel.”

  “Of course you are, rich boy.”

  Gaines pulled his key fob out of his pocket and pressed the button. The sound of the car beeping off in the distance sounded in front of them. Lights flashed on a dark sedan as both men neared the vehicle. There was no real sound, or least he didn’t think there was a sound before the ground rumbled. Or maybe it was the concussion of the explosion mixed with the rumble of the ground and the roar of the fire that confused him. Jackson and Gaines weren’t far enough away, and as Gaines’s car exploded, they were both hit by the severe compression from the force of the blast. Jackson thought his head was going to burst. His entire body felt like mush. Air immediately rushed the void left behind from the explosion, pulling both Jackson and Gaines with enough force that they were lifted and thrown into the cars that were overturned and blocking Gaines’s destroyed sedan. Which was now on fire.

  Jackson was barely conscious, his body ached everywhere. His nose was bleeding what felt like gallons of blood, and his ears were ringing as blood seeped out of them, as well. Someone was yelling, or at least he thought someone yelled for help. He couldn’t care at the moment who helped and who didn’t. He was being pulled under a deep wave of darkness. He could feel the heavy weight on his chest. Debris maybe? He wasn’t sure. Jackson wasn’t sure of anything anymore. His last lucid thought was of Anna and Ava.

  Three Days later.

  Three days, and nothing. I'm worried. Joey's worried, even Treat’s worried. Jackson always calls. He has never not called. My brother’s flying out to New York tonight. Even Tracey is incommunicado. Not that I care, but right now, she's our only lifeline to Jackson. Joey and Treat are speaking in hushed tones over in the kitchen. I want to believe it’s more for Ava than me. I'm tired of people treating me like a baby. I've been home almost a week. Everything from baked goods to entire meals has shown up, compliments of the citizens of Beauville. Not to mention what’s back at Jackson's place. Beau is the only one not afraid to push my buttons and make me work. I'm a sweaty mess of bones when we finish, but with that being said, he's working to get me better. Watching my brother and sister-in-law talk secretly pisses me off. I walk over to their private, hushed conversation and interrupt.

  "What's happening?"

  Treat can’t look me in the eye. He always does, and I can tell Joey's been crying. Her eyes are puffy and red.

  "Somebody better talk to me," I say calmly. I'm anything but calm on the inside as my mind goes through a million different scenarios. All starring Jackson. My mind is not the best place to be stuck inside right now. What if he's hurt really badly? My gut is saying it’s bad. Shot. Loss of limb. The last thought that slinks inside…I refuse to let it cripple me. I won’t. Can't.

  But it does anyway, and my insides explode in a series of aches and pains. I don’t know he’s dead. He can’t be. Calm down, Anna.

  Deep breath in, deep breath out.

  If—and that’s a big fucking if—my man is taken from me, I will never ever see my way clear again, I think to myself.

  Don’t. You’re overreacting.

  "Anna, Oliver's older brother called. Oliver and Jackson—“

  "What, Oliver and Jackson what?” I yell.

  I'm panicking now. But Joey grabs me and tells me what I need to hear.

  "He's alive, but injured. Treat’s going up to check on him. He's off the case. Being sent home in a few days."

  I'm relieved and a little pissed off. He's coming home, finally, but the case isn’t closed. That can’t be good. Jackson won’t settle. He's too stubborn.

  "Treat, how long ago did this happen, and who is Oliver?" Treat pulls me into a hug. Maybe he means for it to be comforting, but it's not. I feel patronized. I pull back, take a deep breath, and wait for an answer.

  "Oliver Twist Gaines. He’s someone Jackson went to school with. Oliver is also FBI. Turns out, they may have been working the same case. Gaines’s car exploded in the parking lot of The Spot. Luckily, they both only sustained minor injuries."

  “Three days, Treat. We haven’t heard from him in three days!"

  My brother winces. I know the sound of my voice is sharp, but I can’t help it. Why did they even think this was okay to keep from me?

  Joey takes my hand and squeezes.

  "All that matters is that he's coming home, Anna. He's okay, and he's coming home."

  Joey’s right, but a part of me is still hurt. I'm supposed to be there for him, just like he was there for me. I look at my brother and offer an apologetic smile.

  "Can you tell him I love him and I miss him?”

  “I will, baby sis. You focus on healing."

  “You need to heal, too," I remind him.

  "I’m good. Doc's given me the all clear. I'm a fast healer."

  Treat turns to his wife to hug her when the doorbell alerts us that there's someone at the door.

  "You expecting anyone?" Treat asks Joey and me. Joey shrugs. I try and remember if I have any appointments. India has been driving me around. Lyriq, her girlfriend, will sometimes come with us.

  "I'll see who it is. Joey, go help Treat pack, spend time. I got this."

  ''Anna, you're a guest here. I'll grab it."

  I lift the corners of my mouth in a slight grin at Joey with a raised brow. “Joey, little Cavanaugh wants out, and it shows. A lot.” I wink. “I may have had an organ transplant, but I'll get to the door faster than you.”

  Treat kisses her on the nose when she pouts, and I shake my head, laughing as I go to open the door. When I get there, I'm stunned to see JoJo. She's only come to visit the one time. But out of the Grimm triplets, she's my favorite.

  "Hey, your mom told me you were staying here. Wanted to stop by. Check on you. Maybe catch up if you’re up to it?”

  I need the distraction.

  “Sure, come in."

  Until Her: Chapter 9

  One week later

  Being back home felt good. Jackson wasn't anyone's bitch, but after the explosion at The Spot, he wasn’t going to take any unnecessary risks. Someone had tried to kill Gaines, and Jackson was pretty sure he was a target, as well.

  "I'm glad you're home. Anna has been acting crazy." He just bet she was. She'd given him and his good ear a workout. But as far as anyone knew, Jackson was no longer an active member of the NSA. His badge number had been retired, as well. There was even a formal press conference and hearing. Gaines's boss had arranged a very elaborate smokescreen. The only people in on it were him, Gaines, and Gaines’s boss, Ross Kilmurray.

  "How are my girls?" Jackson asked.

  "Anna is good, she's healed nicely. She and India are hard at work on Event Pics. She's seeing her doctors regularly, and is almost at a hundred percent. Little Ava is a handful, and Vivian was released a couple of days ago into your mother's care."

  Great. More shit he didn’t need.

  "Any issues?"

  Treat looked at Jackson and grinned.

  "Not one. She's asleep on the job. Normally, I'd at least expect your mom to start shit, but
so far, nothing at all."

  That was a new development.

  The drive from the airport was longer than he remembered. Or it could have been from being stiff and cooped up on the plane and in Treat’s little ass Spider. His brother-in-law had money, and he was not afraid to play the part of billionaire bad boy, only he was happily married. But that didn’t stop women from trying to catch his eye. Suffering from the effects of the explosion, Jackson tried to relax his legs and found it to be useless.

  “Could your toy car be any smaller?” Jackson complained.

  “Don’t make fun of Lucy, you’ll hurt her feelings,” Treat grunted, running his hands across the car’s dash.

  “You couldn’t pick me up in the truck? Or better yet, how about Joey’s Lexus. Anything would have been better than this shit.”

  Treat looked over at Jackson and grinned.

  “I barely get to drive her.”

  And he shouldn’t, the car cost over nine hundred thousand dollars. A car like that was not to be driven. It was a showpiece.

  “No one gives a fuck about your unhealthy relationship with your car.”

  “It’s no secret either, Joey hates this car.”

  “I wonder why,” Jackson grunted.

  He was almost deaf in his right ear, he still got killer headaches, and everything on his body was sore. Treat’s stupid car was making everything that hurt ten times worse.

  "Sorry, this case really kicked us hard. Tracey deactivated me, as well." Treat talked as if he was defeated. Tracey didn’t have that kind of power anymore. But Treat didn’t know that. Jackson had pulled some strings, called in favors, and gained some IOUs in order to get Treat off the case.

  "Man, be happy. You have a baby on the way, I have a daughter and a diva dipped in honey I'm looking forward to spending my life with."

  Treat eyed him harshly.

  "I know you love her, Jackson, but let’s keep my sister’s descriptions to just Anna. I know she’s beautiful, always thought so, but I'm her brother, man. Knock that shit off."

  ''Fuck you. There was nothing wrong with that description." Treat turned in Jackson’s direction and gave him a look that said he disagreed with Jackson’s last statement. "Pay attention to the road. I want to get home in one piece."

  “What are you doing about the house?"

  “I put it on the market. I still need to move our stuff into storage. I'm not gonna crash at your place."

  "Why not? We have plenty of room."

  "Because, man." He wasn’t about to love his woman in his best friend’s house. There was a long pause, and Jackson could see it in Treat’s eyes when he figured out why Jackson wanted to bed down somewhere else.

  "Never mind. Don’t tell me."

  “Then don't ask."

  Anna wasn’t there when he and Treat pulled in. Joey told Jackson she'd dropped Anna off with her therapist and kept Ava, who was sound asleep from the car ride.

  "So good to have you home, big brother." Joey pulled him in for a hug. Jackson laughed when her belly bumped his stomach, getting in the way."

  "When's my nephew coming?"

  "He'll be here in eight weeks."

  "Name?"

  He knew she wouldn’t budge, but he hoped.

  "Not saying. It’s a surprise."

  Jackson kissed the top of Joey's head and followed them into the sitting room. He was stiff as he tried to sit, and possibly even annoyed that Anna wasn’t there to greet him.

  "Where is Anna’s therapy?"

  "A few miles outside of town. Over by Lo and India’s," Treat answered. "But you need to rest, she'll be here soon. India will drop her off." Treat was playing the mother hen. Jackson didn’t much care for all the touchy-feely talk. The plane ride wasn’t bad, but tiredness was weighing heavily on his bones.

  "You can rest in the west wing," Treat offered.

  "I'll sleep where Ava is.” Joey smiled at Jackson’s retort.

  "She's been sleeping with Anna. Follow me.”

  "I like this one."

  That was Lyriq with India. We're shopping in a local clothing store. I never would have guessed India was into girls, but they’re cute together. India with her natural hair, thick and curly as it sits in a poufy bun on top of her head, and stylish in jeans and flip-flops and a white halter top with orange stitching. And Lyriq with her short, curly hair that’s platinum blonde and looks almost silver against her reddish brown skin that’s covered in tattoos she proudly shows off. They’re snuggled up and whispering as we walk, looking at clothes.

  “Hey, what do you think?” I ask.

  I hold up a short sleeve dress with ladybugs on the skirt. I’m shopping for Ava. My soon-to-be daughter by way of marriage.

  “It’s cute, grab it. The little monster will love it, Honey Mom,” India jokes, and the three of us burst into laughter. We’re inside a trendy shop for kids in the city, and normally there aren’t many Beauvillites running around in the middle of the week. It’s one of the reasons I decided to shop today. It’s not too hot, but it’s also not the time a day where any of the older generation sit outside gossiping. There has been tons since I came home. All revolving around me and Jackson. After I pay for Ava’s dress, I walk out and bump into Rudy and his latest arm-candy. She’s not from here, but most of the woman that show up at Harry’s are from surrounding parishes.

  Rudy is a head taller than Jackson—well, maybe not a head. Could be his damn biker boots. He has dark brown hair with gold and auburn highlights. His eyes are steel grey, and his woman of choice—as is always the case with Rudy—is blonde and big-chested. India doesn’t notice him; she and Lyriq have their foreheads touching and are talking in a quiet whisper. Lyriq’s hands are tugging on India’s hips, rocking her forward, and the look on Rudy’s face is more shock than interest. Most men are turned on by girl-on-girl action. But not Rudy.

  “India Danvers?” Rudy’s deep, scratchy voice breaks the two women out of their cocoon. India looks surprised but quickly recovers.

  “What’s up, Rudy?”

  Rudy is really Rudolpho Vargas, his mother’s Puerto Rican, and his father is from Sulphur, Louisiana. A true Cajun. But he goes by his mother’s name. Word in town is that his life hasn’t been good, and that he left his father’s home at a young age after his mother passed away.

  “Hey, Anna, glad you’re out of the hospital.”

  I smile and say thanks.

  “You gonna introduce me, baby?” Lyriq asks India.

  “Rudy, this is my friend, Lyriq James. Lyriq, this is Rudy. He tends bar at Harry’s. Lyriq’s visiting from New Orleans.”

  Lyriq smirks at Rudy before dismissing him and turning to me to say, “You ready to roll? Gotta get my girl home and go teach some kids how to get their groove on.”

  The blonde eyes India and Lyriq for a moment before smiling.

  “I’m Rachelle.”

  “We’re leaving,” Lyriq says as she grabs India’s hand.

  “Riq, you need to stop doing that.”

  “Doing what, Indi? You think I don’t know who he is?”

  “Who, who is?” Rudy asks. I think he’s genuinely the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on. Everyone in the bar knows that India has it bad for Rudy. She’s just never acted on it. Even the newcomer, Rachelle, can see there is something between the two of them. I know it’s her reason for making her presence known.

  “Regardless of who he is, you don’t need to be rude.”

  Men are so clueless sometimes. At the same time, they can also be morons. At this point, I grab a chair and sit. Rudy looks confused, India embarrassed, and Rachelle…just upset. I knew this would eventually happen, and although I don’t like to be mixed up in drama, the Beauville in me can’t help but sit and watch.

  “Wait. Who am I?” Rudy asks, looking at India.

  “You’re Rudy,” she says with a ‘duh’ look on her face.

  “I know that, but what is she,”—he points at Lyriq—“talking about?”

&nb
sp; Where is the popcorn when you need it?

  Lyriq isn’t a small person, but compared to Rudy she is.

  “I’m the chick who gets to eat snatch for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You snooze, you lose.”

  “Lyriq!” India yells before looking at Rudy.

  She’s embarrassed and completely red in the face. I’m not one to let my cousin’s feelings get hurt so I step in.

  “It’s just a misunderstanding, Rudy.”

  “Doesn’t look like a misunderstanding to me.”

  Rudy looks over at India, his hand letting go of Rachelle.

  “Indi, can we talk?”

  “Talk? About what?”

  “About us.”

  “Us?” she practically shrieks. “Rudy, there is no us, never was, never will be.”

  “Well, that’s because you were too busy being an uppity bitch to notice,” he tosses back.

  “Uppity? Me? Not notice you? What planet do you hail from?”

  “Come again?”

  “I asked what planet are you from?”

  Lyriq turns to watch the two of them come to verbal blows. I stand, waving my hands frantically.

  “Rudy, come on, you had to know India was into you. Everyone else did.”

  “This is getting really awkward,” Rachelle says, breaking into the conversation. I’d almost forgotten she was standing next to him.

  “I did know, but like I said, she was always acting like she was the queen.”

  “Because she is, you asshole. Have you not seen her? Am I the only one who knows how wonderful you are?” Lyriq tosses out.

  “Hush up, Riq. You’re not making this any better,” India hisses.

  I watch as my cousin walks right up on Rudy and stares into his stormy grey eyes.

  “You had your chance, Rudy. So many opportunities, and maybe you’re right, maybe I am uppity, but the man who gets the pleasure of my company has to work for it, prove he’s not just fucking around with my emotions. I set the bar high for a reason. Don’t need any fake ass pretenders who just want to play house and not set up shop.”

  “Hold on, baby girl, you’re telling me you want a man to walk right up to you and promise you the world?” There is a cynical look in his eyes, almost forced as if he doesn’t want anyone to know how her words affect him. “Well, therein lies your problem. Men like me just want an easy fuck. I don’t want to have to work for it. Fucking is supposed to be fun. Easy. So you can keep your high standards.”