Chapter Eight – Jade POV

I spent all the time I could with Marco until it was time for him to come home. I opted to stay with him to help him recover at home, but I would go home at night to be with my son. Frankly, he was the only reason I even went home. I didn’t want to be there. Morgyn often went with Caleb to see Ruby, and it was too quiet. In only a few days, it would be even more quiet as Orion would be entering preschool.

I sat on Marco’s bed beside him. “Do you need a drink or anything?”

He adjusted his position, wincing a little. He had recovered quite a bit. My healing spells helped speed the process along, but they didn’t rid him of the injuries. However, he was getting chronic headaches from his skull injury. The doctor wasn’t hopeful that they’d go away. It, however, was a small price to pay, given the alternative.

I helped him sit up and moved behind him, my back against the headboard. “Come here.”

He laid his head against me, and I cradled it, softly rubbing his temples to dull the ache. He closed his eyes.

“I don’t know how you do it,” he said quietly.

I smiled. “It’s simple, really. You just-“

He laughed. “You know what I mean.” He opened his eyes. “You don’t have to use healing spells or rub my temples or whatever. Just being with you helps.”

I stroked his hair. “Don’t go all soft on me.”

He laughed softly. “Haven’t I already?”

“Mhm, maybe a little.” 

He reached up, stroking my hair as I gazed at him. “You have that effect on me.”

I smiled, but didn’t say anything.

We were silent for awhile as I continued easing his headache. I thought he had fallen asleep. I adjusted my position, resting my hand on his head and laying my head against the backboard. I closed my eyes.

He took my hand and got up into a sitting position. “Falling asleep?”

I opened my eyes. “No. You should be resting though.”

“You too,” he said. “You have bags under your eyes.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Then lie down with me,” he offered.

I glanced around nervously. 

He smiled, pulling the blanket down for us to lie under. After some hesitation, I gave into my exhaustion and slid under the covers. I rested my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, keeping a safe distance from him. 

He stroked my skin lightly as my shirt had ridden up when I moved. My response was immediate. My eyes flew open and I grabbed his hand.

“No, no,” I looked at him, pleading. “Don’t do that.”

He grinned as if he knew why and closed his eyes, both of us drifting off to sleep quickly.

I awoke to soft kisses on my neck. I opened my eyes and the room was dark, aside from a small, dimly lit lamp on the wall above the bed. I wanted to pull away, but at the same time, I didn’t. I knew I should, but it was like I was paralyzed. I leaned into him, closing my eyes.

Finally, I rolled into my back, gazing at him. He rested his hand on my belly.

“You’re still recovering,” I said quietly. “Seducing me is just going to hurt you.”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re right.”

I sat up, my body tingling, craving. I tried to shake it away quickly. I couldn’t follow it, or I would react in a way we would both regret. I placed my hand on his back, using another healing spell to help repair some more damage. I then moved to his head, doing the same. When I was done, I sat on the edge of the bed.

“I should go.”

He sat up behind me, pulling me into him. “Are you sure?”

I giggled. “Yes, I’m sure” I gazed up at him. 

He leaned in and kissed me. I followed, turning around so I was facing him. I caressed his cheek and followed him as he laid back down. I realized what was happening and stopped myself, yet again.

“Okay, I really need to leave.” I stood up and straightened my shirt. “I’ll be back in the morning.”

He nodded with a grin. “Good night.”

I hurried out, nervously walking back home. It was only a matter of time before we wouldn’t be able to control it. But he was hurt, and I was still in a relationship with Caleb.

I stepped in and immediately saw something I shouldn’t have. Caleb and Ruby, on the couch. Together. Lost in each other.

I stepped back and gasped.

They stopped, shocked and confused. But I couldn’t be mad. I’d be a hypocrite. Though, I had stopped myself from going further twice now due to my loyalty, but it seemed these two would have kept going had I not walked in. 

“Jade, I-” Caleb stopped and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

I started to rush past them, but Caleb stopped me. “I think we should talk.”

I glared at him angrily and then at Ruby with the same expression.

“You know how Ruby and I are. I have an incredibly strong connection with her. I think that’s why I had a strong connection with you.”

“Ah, so you only loved me because I was her,” I growled.

“I still love you, and that won’t change.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.” I was going to continue, but stopped. Hypocrite. Right. I looked down. “But so do I.” I sighed. “I’d be a hypocrite to be angry about this because I’ve kissed Marco several times now.” 

Caleb put his head down and nodded.

I sighed again. “Morgyn broke it off with me, and I feel maybe we should do the same. I’ll pack up my things and leave with Orion tomorrow. We can work out an agreement for him later.”

Ruby quickly rushed out, and Caleb didn’t try to stop her. “She needs space. I think we all do.”

I nodded. “Yeah.” I headed upstairs and got into bed. But I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned well into the morning hours. Finally, I just sat up and watched the sun rise.

A few hours passed, and I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t. I got up and started packing, as promised. I didn’t know where we would go. I mean, this place was my home. But so many people also called it home now that I felt selfish kicking them all out. I would let Morgyn and Caleb continue their life there and I would go.

I called Marco. “Hey, I don’t think I’ll be coming today. I am moving out and need to find an apartment quickly.” Thankfully, money wasn’t an issue. It was finding a place in a pinch.

“I have a guest room,” he said. “You and Orion are more than welcome here.”

I hesitated. “Really?”

“Yeah. At least until you find a place, or, I mean if you want to stay longer, I won’t complain.”

I giggled. “Of course you won’t.” His flirtatious comments had a way of improving my mood quickly. So, I got all of my stuff together and headed to his house. His guest room had everything I needed so I didn’t need to take my furniture. I did, however need to buy more things for Orion. I did that quickly and had them delivered while I tended to Marco. 

“With Orion here, I won’t be able to spend as much time caring for you,” I said.

He sat up. “I’ve been feeling a lot better. If you would let me move around, I could without issue.”

I grinned. “Not like I didn’t give you enough time to do that before.”

He leaned in close. “Maybe I just need someone to hold my hand.” He took my hand and kissed me.

I giggled and put my arms around him. “Mr. Lew, you are being far too feisty.” 

He kissed my neck. “Am I?”

I pushed him away lightly. “Hey, hey, none of that.”

“It was worth a shot.”

I stood up. “Well, if you need me to hold your hand, here.” I held out my hand. “I’ll help you walk around.”

He stood up and winced. I grabbed him. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”

“Hold on.” I walked around him, stopping at his back. I placed my hands up and cast one last healing spell. This one completely healed his back and allowed the pain to fully subside. Aside from the chronic headaches, he was good as new.

“Aww, now I don’t need you to hold my hand,” he put on a faux sad face.

I smirked and took his hand. “Come on.”

Orion sat in the living room, watching cartoons. He saw Marco and his eyes widened.

“You ok?”

Marco nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay, buddy. I got hurt, but your mom and doctors fixed me.”

“Mama is a superhero!” Orion ran up and hugged me.

I laughed and picked him up with one arm, flexing my muscle on my other. “Rawr!”

He laughed. “Mommy! Superheroes don’t rawr!”

“Oh, right, right.” I thought for a moment. “What do they do?”

“They fly! And solve crime!”

“Maybe they growl while they solve crime?”

“No! The bad guys do that!”

Marco watched this exchange from a distance, a smile on his face. But it was different. He looked almost worried. 

“You okay?” I asked.

He nodded, snapped out of his thoughts. “Yeah.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “I’m okay.”

“Is Marco your boyfriend, Mommy?” Orion asked.

“Uhhh,” Marco’s eyes widened.

“No, no, nono,” I laughed nervously. “We are just good friends.”

“Why are we living here, then?” Orion scratched his head.

“Because there’s a little bit of tension at home, and I don’t want you around that.” I hugged him close. “Marco is letting us stay here for awhile.”

Orion nodded. “Will I still see Daddy? And Ruby? And Morgyn?”

“Of course, sweet pea!” I nodded. I explained in the lightest way possible that sometimes this happens in families, and we were all still good friends.

Marco began to hold his head as I explained.

“Mommy, can I go play in my new room?” Orion looked at me with pleading eyes.

I nodded. “Of course. Go have fun.”

He ran off and I stood up, walking over to Marco.

“Are you okay?”

He held his head, gritting his teeth. “Just another headache.” He grabbed a bottle of pills and took one.

I rested my hands on his head, gently massaging his temples. He sighed and rested his head on mine, closing his eyes.

“You have the magic touch,” he said quietly.

“Funny thing to say to a sage.”

He opened his eyes slightly, gazing into mine. He smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

I smiled back. “You’re welcome. Hopefully we can stop these headaches from coming back.”

He nodded and closed his eyes again. “Mhm. But the doctors weren’t very hopeful about it.”

I sighed. “Well I am.”

He opened his eyes slightly again, once again meeting mine. He brought his hand up to my cheek and tilted his head. I smiled slightly.

“The way you look at me,” I whispered.

“Shh,” he hushed me, leaning in close. We kissed, and this time I felt no guilt. It was a nice feeling. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer as I leaned against the wall. We both needed this. That liberating, blossoming feeling of “puppy love”. And now I was free.

Free to be his.

“Mommy! Look what I found!” Orion darted to us in a flash. 

Marco and I pulled away quickly, giggling at the interruption.

Orion held up a toy and I squatted down in front of him, taking the toy and inspecting it. “Nice!”

“It’s a spaceship! Vroom!”

I giggled. “Va-room!”

He gazed at me, then at Marco, who was leaning on his elbow against the wall with an amused smile. “Why did you kiss him? You said he wasn’t your boyfriend.”

Marco held back a snicker as I blushed. “It was…um…I mean, maybe a friendly kiss?”

“Friends don’t kiss, Mama!” He giggled.

I smiled, putting my hands on his shoulders. “Well, maybe we are a little more than friends.”

“Okay!” He bound off to his room again.

I stood up and pecked Marco’s cheek. “Sorry. We will probably be interrupted a lot.”

He smiled. “I don’t mind.”

As it got later, I put Orion to bed. Marco went to lie down to rest his head. His headaches came and went frequently. I followed to help with a healing spell.

He rested his head in my lap and gazed up at me. “You know, if you ask me, I’m pretty damn lucky.”

I grinned. “How so?”

He sat up and faced me. 

“But I was going to-“

“Shh,” he smiled. “Time for me to be a softy, right?”

I laughed softly.

“Even when I did those horrible, awful things, there was jealousy.”

I nodded, watching him.

“I wanted to hate you. God, I tried to hate you. But I couldn’t.” He moved closer. “You’re alluring. Captivating. And as I made the changes I did, I fell for you more and more. Now, I’m not saying I’m in love with you, okay? I don’t want you to think I’m rushing things.” He caressed my cheek. “All I know is I feel strong feelings for you. Stronger than I’ve ever felt for anyone else.”

I smiled. 

He sat back again. “I’m so glad you gave me a second chance. And it’s weird how these events have played out. I feel so lucky. I have no idea what our future is, but I’m excited to find out.”

I moved toward him. I grabbed the sides of his shirt lightly. “Let’s start now.”

We rose to our knees and he caressed my cheek lightly, resting his head on mine. “Are you sure?”

“Mhm,” I tilted my head up to his.

We kissed, almost immediately fiercely, our cravings for each other finally being fulfilled. He laid me down, trailing his fingertips down my sides to my hips, pressing his against mine seductively as he kissed my neck. 

I gripped his back with my nails, moaning softly. Yes, I was absolutely sure. I hadn’t been more sure about anything in my life. And while I didn’t want to rush this, I still felt like I needed him. It couldn’t wait. I couldn’t wait. I pulled at his shirt, and he laughed softly. Sitting back on his heels, he took it off, pulling mine up over my head. I sat up, looping my arm around the back of his neck and kissing him again.

We got completely lost in each other, the world around us becoming a blur. Any troubles we had faced disappeared in that moment. We further undressed and allowed our emotions and feelings to guide us. 

As he entered me, I did start to feel a little guilty. I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time, even with my former partners. I rested my head back, focusing on all of the sensations as he kissed and teased my neck breathlessly. 

We continued for a long while, teasing each other and driving each other crazy until we reached out releases. We laid together, his head resting on me. He closed his eyes as I stroked his hair softly. 

“I’ve wanted that for a long time,” he whispered.

I giggled. “You weren’t exactly subtle about it.”

He laughed. “Hush.”

I closed my eyes, resting my head on his. After all that had happened, this felt like truly, the perfect night.

Chapter Nine (click here)