Save Me (27 page)

Jack leads me around to the side and opens a gate in the fenced cage. A huge brown rock juts out from the mountain like a pouty lip.

“
You want me to step in
there
? Out on that rock?”

“
Yeah, I do,” he says simply.

“
I’m trusting you,” I warn.

“
I hope you do,” Jack says, though I know he means in more ways than just this. He holds his hand out to me and I take it firmly.

We walk through the gate and onto the rock and I immediately see why Jack brought me here. The view is time stopping. He wraps his arms around my waist from behind as we look out onto the mountains. The trees have leaves at the very top, like orangey red hair. Evergreens break up the flaming shades of color like dark freckles. The air is so clean and pure and I breathe in deeply, and he rests his chin on my shoulder.

“
This is gorgeous,” I whisper, fighting off a shiver as the cold air settles on my face.

“
I wanted you to see it before we left. We’re at the highest reachable point in the mountains,” he says, pointedly.

I say nothing for a few minutes, the view and the altitude robbing me of the breath to speak. “I’m glad you showed me this,” I finally manage. I turn around and kiss his stubbly cheek in appreciation. "We're so high up!" I squeal.

"I've never felt so high, except when you told me you loved me." His voice is so intense, so full of truth and his words ring in my ears, exactly the way I’d say it if he hadn't beat me to it. He leans down and kisses me, his lips never failing to give me chills.

We stand that way for a few minutes, taking in the landscape of The Smokies and the feel of each other. There's no one else on Earth except us. His arms, so hard and yet yielding, much like his heart, wrap me into a protective cocoon. I am no longer a caterpillar. I am a butterfly.

On the mountaintop, the view stretching out and up and down, I realize that maybe we've already skipped so much when it comes to how we feel about each other because it's
right
. I’ve never believed in the fairy tale, happy ending, love at first sight bullshit, but there may be something to it. He pulls me closer, the smell of him enveloping me like a blanket, and I know that at least right now, right here, I've spread my wings and I'm soaring.

The ride home seems shorter than the ride to Tennessee and Jack's house creeps up on us. I played about a third of my iPod catalog, to much protest on Jack's part, and listened to some of his classic rock CDs with a more open mind than him.

He parks the Escalade next to the Chevy and I open my door, the stiffness in my legs finally getting some relief as I stretch them. Jack grabs our bags and I follow him up the steps to the front door. I take my bag and wait for him to let us in.

"I'm glad you wanted to come home," he says, sliding the key in first the deadbolt, and then the knob.

"Me, too," I say. His smell is so clear when we get inside and I drop my suitcase to kiss him.

"Home," Jack murmurs against my lips. "My home, your home,
our home
?"

"Jack," I say, knowing full well he wasn't gonna let me be quiet much longer about his offer.

"I know," he laughs. "Just testing the waters."

"The waters are still," I say. "I'm thinking about it, though," I promise. He swats me on the ass playfully and turns the lights on in the kitchen. I kick off my boots and wiggle my toes.

"It's still early," Jack says, glancing at the clock on the microwave, "wanna grab dinner?"

"I believe I owe you pizza and beer," I call out from the living room. I pick up one of the little carved wooden figures.

"Sounds like a plan," Jack says, coming into the living room with two bottles of water. "Whatcha got there?"

"This is so cute," I say, turning to hold the penguin out to him. "Did you make this?"

Jack sits the bottles on the table and takes the penguin from me. "My dad. He used to try to teach me, but I couldn't sit still long enough to learn." Jack sits the penguin back in his spot. He sits on the couch and pats the cushion next to him.

I flop down beside him, put my head in his lap and stretch my legs out on the couch. "It feels so good to be back."

Jack strokes my hair and I look up into his handsome face. "Yep."

"Want me to order the pizza?" I ask, digging my cell phone from my pocket. I unlock it and see I've got three text messages. Do I dare check them in front of Jack?

"I'll order it if you want," Jack says.

"Nope," I say, locking the screen on my phone. "I'll order and then I wanna call Claire. Let her know we made it home safely."

"Okey doke," Jack says. "I'm gonna run out for beer then, alright?" He leans down and kisses me.

"Okay, just be careful." He kisses me again and I rise up off the couch. I watch him walk to the kitchen and put his shoes on. He grabs his keys, "I'll be right back, doll," and disappears out the door.

I watch from the window as he disappears down the long driveway before going into my messages again.

They're from Nick. All of them.

Carly, ignoring me won't make me stop caring for you. I know I was a complete asshole, but I'm sorry. How many fucking times are you going to make me say it? Please, call me.

Allie says you're dating that guy. Are you?

Okay, so I get it. You're doing this to teach me a lesson. Well lesson learned Bitch. You don't have to worry about me blowing your phone up again. I'm done with you and your big ass.

Why the last message makes me laugh uncontrollably, I can't say, but it does. I laugh until tears from at the corners of my eyes. What a little child. What an asshole. I fight the urge to tell him how much Jack loves my big ass, but no contact is the best thing I can do in this situation. Maybe now he'll leave me the fuck alone.

I call in the pizza and then call Claire, anxious for her to pick up.

"Hey, baby sis."

"Hey, Claire." It feels good to hear her voice and more than good to hear how good she sounds.

"You guys home?"

"Yeah, we're at Jack's. He went out to get some beer."

"Classy," she says with a laugh. "How was your trip?"

I think of being tied to the bed, spanked and fucked up the ass. "It was great," I say. "We went up in a hot air balloon."

"Not too bad," she says. "How was dinner at The Barn? I still can't believe you got to eat there. It was on the Travel Channel just last month."

"It was delicious, except for dessert. We didn’t get to eat it," I tell her.

"Why not?"

I walk out on the porch and sit on the steps. "Well, Jack and I were eating, minding our own business, when this guy comes over to our table. He started talking and asked if we'd like to join him and his wife in the bar after dinner. Long story short, they were swingers and wanted us to join them. For sex."

"What the hell?" Claire gasps. "I hope you're not gonna tell me Jack's a freak and you two did it," she groans.

"Hell fucking no, Claire," I scowl. "Of course we didn't. He said something to Jack while I was in the bathroom trying not to kick the shit out of his wife when she followed me in. Jack pushed him out of my chair or something, because I came out of the bathroom and the guy was lying on the floor next to our table and we were asked to leave."

"My god," Claire says with a laugh. "Can't you two go anywhere?"

"I know," I laugh. "Anyway, that was the only wrinkle in the trip. Oh," I remember, "he bought me diamond earrings."

"Nice," Claire says approvingly. "I guess you owe Mark a big thank you, huh?"

"You tell him for me," I say. "I do appreciate it though. I'm so happy with Jack."

"You're a smitten, kitten," Claire says.

"I just love him, Claire."

She goes silent for so long I pull my iPhone from my ear to make sure the call is still connected.

"You love him?" she asks. "Like,
love him,
love him?"

"Yeah, I
love him,
love him. He told me he loves me, too. Before we even left for Tennessee." I stretch my legs out onto the step below and pull my coat tight. The air is chilly, but it feels good.

"Damn," Claire says. "Well, good for you."

I chew my lip again before telling her my other news. "He asked me to move in with him."

Claire gives a sharp intake of air. "He wants you to live with him? Are you two ready for that?"

I pick at a string that hangs from my coat button. "I honestly don’t know. I know he thinks he is."

I know Claire didn't know about Jack's previous marriage; we'd talked about it the day after Jack and I had our almost disastrous first date. Mark knew, but for some reason, decided I didn't need that piece of information. Maybe he knew what he was doing; I probably wouldn't have agreed to go out with Jack had I known he'd had such a disastrous marriage.

"What do
you
want?" Claire asks.

"Him. Just him. All the rest is still fuzzy."

"What's his mom like?"

"A sweetheart," I say. "She's getting married. Jack had no idea. She sorta sprung it on him at dinner."

"Wow," Claire says. "How'd he take it?"

"Pretty good, a little surprised, I think."

"You've had a busy month, dear sister," Claire says.

"How are you?" I ask gingerly.

"You know," Claire says, and I do. "I've come to the conclusion that at least the miscarriage shows that I
can
get pregnant."

Thankfully, Claire’s always been a glass half full
kinda gal.

“
Right,” I say. “You just have to follow the doctor’s orders and see what happens.” Jack’s headlights bounce underneath the canopy. “Hey, Jack’s coming. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can go to dinner or something.”

“
Okay, Carly. Love you.”

“
Love you, too, Sis.”

I end the call and wait for Jack to park the Escalade. He climbs out with a big brown bag.

“
Buy the whole store?” I ask.

“
Nah, just didn’t know if you wanted Corona or Bud Light, so I grabbed both.”

I give him a disapproving look, “I’d have drank either.”

“
Relax,” he says, stopping to kiss me, “They were only eight bucks a six pack.”

I follow him inside and he sits the beer on the counter. I put my phone down on the counter. “Pizza should be here in a few minutes.”

“
Good, I’m hungry,” Jack says, pulling a Corona from the bag and popping the top for me.