Everybody Falls

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  "Now, here's the trick," she continued, standing smack dab in the middle of the upstairs hallway. "If you hold your hand against the left side of the hall, you can navigate it without any of the old wooden floorboards creaking."

  She shot me a wink, before turning away. "His bed's a lot bigger than the one in the guest room."

  "There's extra towels in the small cupboard in the bathroom and help yourself to anything from under the sink," she advised as she pulled me in for another hug. "Sleep well, sweet girl. I'll see you in the morning."

  Wait…what?

  Did Jack's grandma just give me instructions on how to sneak into his room?

  I could feel the heat creeping up into my face.

  "Jax?" she yelled, peering down the stairs.

  "Yeah, Grams?" he yelled back.

  "Make sure your girl has something to sleep in," she called.

  "Will do. Sleep tight, old woman," he replied.

  "You, too, Hot Stuff," she said, tossing another smile my way before making her way to her room.

  I heard Jax coming up the stairs.

  "Everything's locked up tight, Tiger," he said. "Ready for bed?"

  I just blinked, my mind whirling.

  "What, Lace?" he asked, concern flickering across his face. "Did she say something?"

  "Uhm. I think she just told me how to sneak into your bedroom," I said, the shock in my voice easily heard.

  He chuckled.

  "Sounds like her, the salty old bird. You know what she told me when I asked her for advice when we first went out?"

  "No," I replied.

  "Don't use too much spit when you stick your tongue down her throat," he said with a short laugh. "God, she's one in a million."

  I couldn't disagree with either Edie's suggestion or with Jack's assessment.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Jax snagged Lacey's hand and pulled her down to his room. While it used to be his and Denny's when they were small, the bunk-beds were long since gone, replaced with a queen-sized one.

  "This is your room?" Lacey asked, gazing around.

  He let his eyes roam over the it, trying to see it from her perspective. Compared to her bedroom, his space was tidy except bare and devoid of anything that showed who actually stayed there. Part of it was Gram's insistence on him keeping everything clean, part of his daily routine, more of the 'busy work'. But the other part was all on him. He needed order, he needed it to keep control. Control of his environs equaled keeping control of himself.

  "Yeah," he said, looking down at her. "What?"

  "It doesn't have much personality," she admitted. "There's no sense of 'you' here."

  He moved to the dresser and pulled out a clean t-shirt for her to sleep in before answering.

  "I'm still learning who I am, Lace," he replied quietly. "For as long as I can remember, Denny told me who I was, he's the one that came up with that stupid label of 'Eternal Teenager'."

  "I don't think that label fits anymore, honey," she said, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed. "Not the man I saw who took care of me and his grandmother this afternoon."

  He moved to where she was sitting and stood before her. Lacey wrapped her arms around his hips and pressed her cheek into his belly as he ran his hands through her hair. She yawned and he felt her jaw crack from where she was pressed against him.

  "Let me get you a toothbrush," he said, stepping back.

  Lacey followed him into the old-fashioned bathroom and watched as he rooted in the cabinet under the sink.

  "Do you need anything else?" he asked.

  "I don't think so," she said.

  "When you're done, come back to my room, okay? The guest room was just Grams way of giving you an option. I already got her approval for you to sleep with me," he admitted with a grin.

  He watched Lacey's blush move upward.

  "You talked to your grandma about me sleeping with you?" she asked, with a tiny frown.

  "Well, yeah," he replied, feeling confused. "It's her house. I wasn't sure how she'd feel about it. Are you okay with it, Lace? Don't you want to…"

  "Shhh…" she said, pressing a hand to his mouth. "I'm good, Jack. Surprised that you did it, is all. It's not like this is a situation I've ever been in."

  "I'm sorry," he said finally.

  "About what?"

  "You wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for me. The bakery, having to hide out here, all of it. I'm so sorry, Tiger," he said and gathered her against him.

  "It's not your fault, Jack, so enough with the apologies," she murmured from her spot on his chest and gave him a quick squeeze.

  "I'm going to call Sarge for an update while you're in here. Is there anything you need me to tell him?" Jax said stepping away and reaching for his phone.

  "Not really. The bakery is closed on Sundays," she explained. "Maybe just thank him for me."

  "Will do, Tiger," Jax said with a smile as he left her to it.

  She came back the bedroom, minty fresh and smelling of the bar of soap that had been out on the vanity.

  "Sarge said that everything is put away. Said he emptied the register into the deposit bag, whatever that means. He'll bring it over tomorrow morning," Jax recounted his conversation with the older man, eliminating all the cussing and slams the two of them had exchanged. "But, Lace? Those huge flower barrels you keep out on the porch? Sarge says they've been uprooted and will need to be replanted."

  He watched as she placed her folded clothes on top of the dresser as she listened.

  God, she looked adorable in his t-shirt. This was the first time he'd really noticed her legs, such long, curvy legs for her not too short, not too tall height.

  "No worries. I was going to have to swap out the flowers anyway with summer coming," she said, moving to the side of the bed. "Do you have a comb or brush I can use on my hair?"

  He moved quickly and pulled his hairbrush from one of the smaller drawers.

  "Here, let me," he said, sitting behind her on the bed as he began to work the bristles through her long locks.

  "Mmm, that feels good," she breathed. His body immediately responded to what almost sounded like a moan from her as he continued to stroke the hairbrush through her long hair.

  "Just give me a few minutes," Jax said finally, putting the implement away and moving to the door. "I'll be right back."

  At her nod, he quickly moved to the bathroom.

  Lacey was here at the farmhouse and in his bed.

  In his bed.

  His heart was beating almost as fast as the his toothbrush moved while he made short work of getting ready.

  The mental pictures of what he wanted to do with her flipped through his mind as he made his way back to the bedroom. Just those brief images had him achingly erect.

  He found that the day had taken its toll on her when he moved back into the room. She was turned on her side, knees drawn up and hands beneath her cheek as she slept. Jax was disappointed, yet couldn't help admiring the vision in his bed.

  He turned off the light before slipping beneath the sheet to curl around her back.

  "Jack?" she said softly as he stole an arm around her waist.

  "Yeah, Tiger," he whispered. "It's just me. Go back to sleep."

  "Night, honey," he heard her breathe.

  "Goodnight, Baby," he replied back. He waited a couple of beats before adding, "I love you."

  *.*.*.*.*

  Edie made her way downstairs the next morning slowly. Her arthritis was acting up again and it was getting harder and harder to drag herself up and down the stairs, her knees complaining the whole way. As she turned the corner to grab the banister, she heard soft thumps with muffled cries coming from the bathroom.

  Aw, shower sex, she surmised with a smile.

  She remembered the joy of her and Pete doing the exact same thing in the exact same room so many years ago before they added the new bath to their bedroom. Just having Jax and Lacey in the house reminded her so much of the early years of her marriage.
The shared glances, the luscious kisses and the ache to be together even when doing the most mundane things.

  I still miss you, my darling, Edie thought, stopping as she took a moment at the bottom of the stairs. The dizziness was back and her poor, old, worn-out heart was thumping to beat the band. She knew she was going to have to see her cardiologist again, but she also knew he'd just put her on some other kind of pill. Which meant that she'd have to adjust all her other meds as a result.

  What a lot of bother.

  That last attack, the one a year before Denny died, had almost ended her life. The doctors had said that she needed to be careful. Screw careful. Life was meant to be enjoyed, was Edie's philosophy. Yet, after taking Jax back in, she knew she had to get better in order to take care of him. It was good to have someone to take care of again, even if that person hadn't wanted her help.

  If she was reading the situation correctly between those two kids, though, it looked as if she was going to be handing over the reins to Lacey. She was such a good girl and Edie felt confident that she was someone Jax could lean on, count on, when he needed that extra help.

  His reactions to the crap of yesterday was shocking. The old woman had been convinced he was going to throw an absolute shit-fit over the media stalking him again. But he'd been more concerned about her and Lace than he was about himself.

  Which was an amazing step forward all the way around.

  Edie reached for the coffeemaker and found it warm, the coffee already made. She held the glass pot up to the light coming through the window. Not quite as light as she liked it, yet still better than that awful brew that Jax insisted on, she decided pouring herself a cup. Must've been Lacey who made it.

  Did she smell cinnamon?

  She took a sip and enjoyed the slightly spicy taste on her tongue.

  Just like last night's dinner. While breakfast and lunch were easy enough to prepare, getting dinner together was harder at the end of the day. Edie just wasn't up to trying to teach Jax how to cook. But, Lacey? The girl obviously knew her way around a kitchen and not just with baking.

  Yep, Lacey was turning out to be a godsend for their little family of two.

  Please, God, Edie prayed as she shuffled to the table. Don't let him screw this up.

  The two of them came into the kitchen laughing and holding hands. Jax already dressed for his morning run while Lacey was looking cute in her jeans, wearing one of Jax's dress shirts tied at the waist.

  "Morning Grams," Jax said dropping a kiss on her head.

  "Morning, Edie," Lacey called moving to pour two cups of coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

  "Well enough, I guess," she replied, her face half-hidden by her mug. "Jax we need to call a plumber. I could hear thumping in that old bathroom. Must be something wrong with the pipes."

  She watched as the two kids turned to stone, mugs poised as their cheeks flamed in pretty, matching shades of pink at her words.

  Edie bit her inside cheek to keep herself from laughing as she saw their eyes shoot to one another.

  "Uhm, will do, Grams," he mumbled, upending and finishing his coffee. She saw him squeeze Lacey's fingers as he handed her the cup. "Gotta run, Ladies," he offered before dropping a kiss on his girl's upturned face and smiling at the old woman. Though, Edie thought that the smile looked a bit sheepish.

  She winked in reply as he moved past her to the porch.

  "How'd you two sleep, Lace?" she asked, watching the young woman's' eyes follow her fella out the door.

  "Ah…" Lacey began.

  "Pish. I know where you slept. Jax finagled a 'yes' outta me last night regarding the sleeping arrangements. So no hemming and hawing, girlie," Edie admitted with a simple laugh. "I didn't hear the piano or the guitar so I'm guessing he slept all the way through?"

  "Yeah, I think he did. So he got what? Seven, maybe seven and a half hours of sleep last night," Lacey replied, sitting down at the table. "That's good, right?"

  Edie reached and patted the younger girl's hand. "That's more than good, Lace."

  The two of them allowed the comfortable silence of the kitchen to settle around them.

  "I saw stuff in the fridge to make a breakfast casserole, if that's okay," Lacey said gently.

  "There's some peppers out in the garden you could probably use," the older woman replied just as soft. "I need to take my pills, except I need a little something in my stomach first. Is there any more cobbler left?"

  They smiled warmly at one another before Lacey went to pour them each more coffee and fetched a piece of the dessert for Edie.

  Chapter 19

  I was just pulling the casserole out of the oven when Jack came down after his second shower of the day. I popped the pineapple muffins in, adjusted the temp on the old stove, before turning to him for my kiss.

  "Didn't I warn you two about…" Edie began, before she was interrupted by the peal of a doorbell.

  "I'll get it," Jack said as he went back down the hall to the living room.

  "I wonder who it is," I heard her begin, pulling herself up from the table. I moved to help her but she waved me away. "No one uses the front door anymore."

  "Turner!" I heard Jack exclaim, his deep voice travelling towards the back of the old house.

  "Hey, squirt. How they hangin', bro'?" I heard another deep voice growl, a voice I didn't recognize.

  "Grams, this is Turner Brown from the band. Turner, this is my grandmother, Mrs. Dennison," Jax introduced.

  "Nice to meet you, Turner," I heard Edie reply in her kind voice. "Why don't you join us for breakfast?"

  They all piled into the kitchen as I reached for another plate. As usual, I'd made enough food for an army, so it was a simple thing to just add another place setting.

  "And this is my girl, Lacey," Jack said, moving to where I stood, looping an arm around my waist pulling me into his side.

  "Lacey," the tall, ginger-haired giant said with a nod.

  "Nice to meet you, Turner," I responded. "I loved your music when I was growing up."

  "Shit, now I feel old," Turner said, shooting his eyes to Jack.

  Laughter filled the room at his words.

  I hadn't intentionally tried to make him feel that way, except I really had moved on from the heavy metal music of my earlier years.

  "Coffee?" I asked. "We just made a fresh pot."

  "Ah, sure. What smells so good?" he asked, his pale blue eyes looking around the kitchen.

  "Lacey made a breakfast casserole and there's muffins still baking," Edie explained, her face wreathed in a smile as she caught my eye.

  "Wow. No wonder you're looking so healthy, squirt," Turner said with a jab towards Jack's stomach that, luckily, never connected.

  The sound of the doorbell pealed again causing Edie to glance towards Jack. "What is this? Grand Central Station?"

  "Hey, Sarge." The creak of the old screen door was loud as he spoke.

  There were sounds of hands slapping before Sarge's rough gravelly voice offered, "Slugger."

  "Go on back. Lace is in the kitchen." Jack's voice bounced down the hall, almost muting the soft ding of the timer for the muffins.

  "Oh, hey, Ms. Dennison," Sarge greeted from the edge of hall after taking in the group in room. He moved to where I stood and gave me a one-armed hug, muttering, "Hey, Lace."

  "Sarge. Is it okay, Edie, if Sarge joins us?" I asked as I opened the oven door.

  "The more, the merry," she shot right back and I saw her eyes roam over the three large males filling up her farmhouse kitchen.

  Sarge introduced himself to Turner and they did a hand bump. I liked how Sarge didn't seem fazed in the least over meeting another member from the notorious band.

  "I think we're ready if you guys want to sit down," I offered, moving to begin placing the big dishes in the middle of the table. The men were just taking their seats, when there was a loud knock on the back screen door.

  Jack's face was a study of confusion as he glanced between me and his Grams. "Was th
ere a party scheduled none of us knew about?"

  "Boots? C'mon in. We're just sitting down to breakfast if you want to join us," Jack said, coming back into the kitchen, taking his place at the head of the table.

  I moved to add another plate.

  "We need to talk, Jax," the older man grumbled before seeing all the other faces already sitting. He quickly whipped his baseball cap off his head, running his hand over the sparse hairs on his crown as if to smooth them. "Ms. Dennison, Lacey, Sarge," he greeted however the social smile on his face didn't stay long.

  "Turner, this is my sponsor, James Simon also known as 'Boots'. Boots, this is Turner Brown," Jack introduced.

  "Ten Gallons of Tears?" Turner asked.

  I saw Boots nod but his eyes were wide as he gazed at Turner in what can only be described as awe. I heard him whisper, "Turner fucking Brown."

  "Hey!" Jack yelped. "Let's get this straight, up front and right now. There's ladies present so watch your language, okay?"

  I glanced at Edie to see if she wanted to laugh as badly as I wanted to, remembering all the different words Jax tended to use when it was just the three of us. I guess it was a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'.

  All three of the other men nodded and Boots mumbled, "Sorry, ladies".

  I sat down between Jack and Turner with Edie on Jack's right. Knowing what was to come next, I reached for their hands, seeing everyone following suit. Yesterday before both lunch and dinner, Edie had made a point of saying grace. I got that it was something she liked to do before each meal.

  Like I've said before, I'm not religious. Except I do believe in allowing others to worship whatever they want, whenever they want, just so long as no one gets hurt. If Edie wanted to say a prayer before eating, who was I to stop her?

  "Dear Lord, for what we are about to receive, please accept our thanks and help make us truly grateful. Amen," she said, which was word for word the same as the day before.

  It didn't take long before the large glass dish of the egg casserole, the huge bowl of fruit salad and all the muffins in the basket were empty, as were each of the plates.

  Sarge and I stood up at the same time as we began to clear the table to the chorus of 'great eats, really good food, and thanks'.