Anna and Jackson

by Tigris Eden

  “I'll pour you some tea."

  “Thanks."

  Anna turned to Beau, and the two of them talked about her schedule. She needed to meet with a kidney specialist weekly to make sure her body was good with the transplant, as well as a therapist for her trauma. Beau would see her every day the first three weeks, then it would slowly trickle down to once a week until her therapy was complete.

  “All of that sounds doable,” Anna said, her voice calm and hopeful. "I just want to put this all behind me."

  Jackson definitely agreed.

  Until Her: Chapter 4

  Deputies Windsor and Maxey were unbelievably sweet about moving my stuff to Joey's. I'm nervous because this is the first time Treat and I will be in the same place knowing we’re brother and sister. It’s weird more than anything else. Jackson and I spent the better part of the morning cuddling and talking about our future together. I didn’t bring up the case. It’s the huge ass elephant in the room, and we don’t address it. It’s stressful enough for him, and I know it’s hard for him to leave me. But he has a job to do, and the last thing he needs is for me to whine about it.

  "You ready to go in?" Jackson asks me as I sit and think about earlier today. I'm not ready, but I nod anyway. I open my door and wait for Jackson. We’re in the truck, and it’s lifted off the ground a bit higher than is good for me. My stomach is numb for the most part, but there are moments when the weight and pressure are agonizing, the twinges breath-stealing. I wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me out of the vehicle and swoon. I have it bad. I'm reminded that I’m really with Jackson Storme. We're getting married, and will hopefully have little people for Ava to play with and the happily ever after we deserve soon.

  "You're doing it again," Jackson says as he sets me on the ground.

  "What? What am I doing?"

  “You're sniffing me, acting like your usual dorky self."

  “Hey, you like my dorkiness."

  He kisses my nose as I look up at him. I arch my eyebrow. My arms are crossed over my chest, and although I’m not serious, I try to look the part.

  "Hell yes, I love your dorkiness. It’s one of the things I adore most about you. Let your nerd flag fly, sweet darlin’."

  I want to laugh but don’t. Jackson knows I love that he appreciates me the way I am. I don’t have to be extra. I get to be plain Anna.

  “Y’all gonna stand out there all day?" Joey yells out at us. I turn to see my very pregnant best friend coming towards us.

  "Geez, I'm only gone a few weeks, and you look like a humongous blimp," I joke.

  “Hush your mouth, Anna. This baby is sensitive just like his momma."

  Joey pulls me into a soft hug, I hug her tightly and kiss her on the cheek before placing my hand on her swollen belly.

  "Thank you for letting me stay here."

  “Honey, you are family and welcome here anytime. More welcome than my knucklehead brother."

  I smile and do my best not to get teary-eyed. It means more than Joey knows. And that Jackson understands is even more amazing. Earlier, when we talked about our future, he told me he’s putting the house on the market. I was lying on his lap, my feet up on the arm of the couch as he played with my hair. I even fell asleep, but I remember the conversation vividly. He said he was making it so that we were always safe and our first step was a new home.

  "Let’s get her inside," Jackson says, bringing me back to the present. The moment we walk in, Treat is standing there, a smile on his face and loving warmth in his bright blue eyes.

  "Come here, beautiful Anna. Give your brother some love."

  I walk to him, tears already running down my cheeks. I can tell we both want to bear hug each other, but we don’t. He's the reason I'm still here, and I'm so thankful, but he’s recovering, too.

  "Thank you," I sob into his chest.

  "Anna, angel, never think for one moment I would not have helped. Just so happens, I’m your brother. So big win there. And none of this half-brother shit. I'm telling you right now, I hear even the sound of an H, I'll kick your ass."

  I cry harder. Treat and I have always gotten on well. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have an amicable relationship. Even before he and Joey got together.

  "Hush now, honey, let’s go in and sit down while Jackson gets your stuff out of the truck."

  He dries my face with his thumbs and lightly kisses my forehead. He also whispers his warning, “We couldn’t keep everyone away, but try and act shocked."

  Ugh.

  Company.

  The welcoming committee.

  It consists of some of my nearest and dearest, and some not so near and dear family, friends, and Beauville gossipers. That’s one thing I have to get used to again living back home. The lack of privacy, especially in our small town. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows everything. And what they don’t know, they make up.

  “Welcome home, Anna."

  My mother is standing in front of everyone, The Mayor next to her. They're holding hands, looking all kinds of cute. Lola and Bear are also here with their kids. My cousins Chantel and India, too. Then there’s Vivian with her and Jackson's daughter, Ava, who runs right up to me. It’s still hard to believe that Jackson has a daughter. Vivian had run off during their wedding, no word—nothing. Then she pops back up in Beauville with a surprise baby. There’s a ninety-nine point nine percent chance you’re the father. If only Jerry could see us now. He’d just shake his head and put his head in his hands. We’re steeped in drama.

  "Honey Mom, are you better now?" Her sweet voice floats on air, and everyone laughs. Except Vivian. Jackson picks Ava up and whispers something in her ear that has her nodding her head. She looks over at me and says, "Daddy says right now I should call you Miss Anna or Honey.”

  "You can call me whatever you like, Ava, as long as your mummy and daddy are okay with it."

  Her face scrunches up in confusion. She looks over to her mother before looking back at Jackson.

  "Mommy calls you a home wecker, Margo calls you Step-Monster, and Daddy calls you baby and darlin’. I think I should be okay to call you Honey. Is that okay, Daddy?"

  Jackson isn’t paying attention because he's glaring daggers at Vivian. Margo, of course, was relieved of her duties the moment Jackson decided she was a problem. Vivian didn’t take care of her daughter. She had her nanny, Margo, do it.

  My mother breaks up the tense moment.

  "Ava, honey, you can call Anna ‘Honey,’ or you can call her ‘Anna’ until it’s time to call her something else. I think your mom is just protective of her little girl is all.”

  That’s my mom, always defusing bombs. She’s good at it, but somehow I don’t think this is something she can neutralize properly.

  "Prowective?" Ava asks.

  “Yes, sugar."

  Ava seems to consider my mother’s words before accepting them as they are.

  "Okay!”

  "You say ‘yes, ma’am,’" Jackson corrects Ava.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ava says with her chin to her chest. I can tell she doesn’t like to be corrected.

  ''Well, I don’t know about the rest of you folks, but I'm glad my girl is home," Lola starts in on the group. That she didn’t attack Vivian surprises me.

  “I'm glad to be home, Lo."

  Lola walks up to me and squeezes my shoulders. Under her breath, she says, "Bear said I had to be extra nice, but I got my knife in my purse. You say the word, cuz, I'll make it look like an accident and stab that bitch in the arm."

  "Lo! No, stop. She's gonna be a part of my life, and I can handle her. Just glad you're here."

  “Me too, cuz.”

  I’m passed around and hugged by everyone who matters to me. Jackson and Ava walk over to where I sit on the couch and watch as everyone talks about my recovery and the miracle of Treat saving my life. I’m starting to relax when Vivian comes and sits next to me. She doesn’t say anything, and neither do I, but the animosity we have for one another sits
heavily on my chest.

  "There a reason you're sitting next to me?" I ask her straight out. Being stabbed didn’t diminish my personality. I speak my mind. No matter what.

  "Look, Anna, I'm not here to fight or argue. I just want what’s best for Ava."

  “I'm sure that's what we all want. Ava needs her father," I say.

  "Exactly. Ava needs her father. She also needs her mother.”

  I hold up my hand to stop her speech.

  "Vivian, I'm not ever going to replace you. All I want is for me and Ava to be friends."

  "You're in the way," she hisses.

  "How so?"

  I'm starting to get mad, but I hold it in. I don’t want another incident. I have a lot of other, more important matters to deal with than trying to carve out time for Vivian’s negativity.

  "Jackson needs to focus solely on raising our daughter."

  I'm about to cut into her when Lola shows at the tail end of the conversation.

  "Bitch, I will knock you into next week." Lola sneers and gets in Vivian’s face. This, of course, draws attention, and everyone else in the house turns to see what’s going on. "Jackson is a good man. And I swear to Christ, if you keep bitching and moaning about him and how he should be with you, someone will be helping me bury your fucking body."

  Lola is straight-up, the best cousin a girl could ever want. She’s also the craziest.

  "Lola Danvers."

  Lola turns at the sound of my mom’s voice.

  "Get over here, child, before I swat you. Jackson can handle Vivian." My mother says her piece loud enough that Jackson has no choice but to respond. He's with Treat, The Mayor, and little Ava. As he approaches, he knows by my face—which is none too nice—that Vivian is working my last nerve. I glare at him and tilt my head in Lola’s direction. He knows exactly what I aim to do if his ex keeps showing her ass. Remove her, or I’ll let Lola do it. But still, he should know better. She’s like a cold you just can’t shake.

  "I'm going to grab something to snack on with Lola, but you need to handle her, Jackson. Seriously, because if you don't, I will, and we all know what that means."

  "Damn straight," Lola reiterates my sentiment before helping me over to the kitchen.

  "Vivian, why are you even here? All you had to do was drop Ava off."

  "She doesn’t know anyone," Vivian complained. Jackson was tired of her crap. Why he even thought for a moment she was a woman of substance was straight up crazy. He didn’t know what substance was until Anna. She was the epitome of class, warmth, and love. His mother sure as shit didn’t provide or exude any of the characteristics a good woman should have. Hell, none of the women in his past were even close to his Anna.

  She was everything.

  ''Ava is not the least bit concerned about the people she's around. She's happy. You're trying to confuse her, and honestly, you’re making yourself look desperate. It’s not a good look for you, Vi. I don’t want you, and whatever you thought we had, we don’t. It wasn’t real.”

  “It was real, Jackson. I fucked up, and I need to make this right."

  "Jesus, we were never right for each other. I don’t want you. I love Anna, and I love Ava. Any feelings I thought I had for you were fabricated by hormones and lust. Nothing more.”

  It was almost as if a light died inside her at his words. Or maybe there was never a light there to begin with. Her face contorted, and for a handful of tense moments, she became the Vivian he saw on the inside. A monster—a dark and ugly beast. She smiled. Actually smiled before saying, "All right, Jackson, whatever you say." Her voice was soft. Too soft.

  Jackson watched as she stood and walked over to the kitchen where Ava stood, talking to Joey's belly. She bent low at the waist and kissed the top of Ava's curls.

  "Momma's gotta go. I'll see you later."

  “You coming back?"

  "Yup."

  "Can I stay with Auntie Joey and Honey?" Ava pleaded.

  "Of course, sweetie. I'll come by and pick you up tomorrow."

  Ava bounced on her feet, screaming her excitement. Vivian’s pace was quick, her back rigid as she walked out the front door.

  "You okay?" India was standing next to him.

  "Yeah, Indi, I’m good."

  "Great, now go and show your girls some love."

  That's exactly what he was going to do.

  His flight was in a few hours, and he planned to spend as much time with them as he could. Jackson crept up behind Ava, who had her back turned. No one said a word, even though everyone saw him coming.

  "How's my ladybug?" Jackson rumbled like a beast as he picked his daughter up to swing her around in circles. She squealed excitedly, her laugh alone bringing him large amounts of joy. He looked over at Anna, who watched, her entire face alight with love and longing. She was happy for him. He wanted happiness for all of them. Even Vivian, he realized. He wanted everyone settled in their place and feeling nothing but what he was feeling in this moment. He didn’t know what Vivian’s happiness would be, but he knew it wasn’t him.

  "Daddy, I'm dizzy.” Ava was out of breath as she tried—and failed—to make her best out of breath look. Jackson stopped spinning and waited until she could stand without falling before he let her go.

  "You look good wearing a little girl," Pearl said with a knowing smile.

  "Feels good.”

  "Y’all gonna feed us or what? Bear and the kids are hungry," Lola called, peeking at the food underneath the foil.

  "She's right. I'm starved. Let’s get this welcome party underway. I’m so hungry, I could eat little girls named Ava," Treat joked, making Ava giggle.

  Jackson wrapped his arms around Anna as he watched friends and family gather and eat. They'd gone all out. There was everything from pecan pie to jambalaya and stuffed shrimp. Pearl had even made her famous lemonade and sweet tea. Anna made a point of making his and Ava's plate against everyone's wishes.

  “When does therapy start?" India asked.

  “Tomorrow, Beau will be here early, then I meet with my kidney specialist, and my therapist.”

  "That's a lot of appointments. You need me to come along?" India asked.

  "No."

  “Yes,” Jackson said at the same time.

  "Jackson, I'll be fine."

  "Baby, who's gonna drive you?"

  Anna’s shoulders sagged before she answered.

  “Beau could take me.”

  Not in this life or the next.

  “Who’s Beau?” Lola asked, clearly interested in the drama she could feel unfolding. She was a magnet for anything drama related.

  “He’s my physical therapist. He came by the house this morning to introduce himself. He was nice.”

  “Oh. Girl…” Lola looked between Jackson and Anna. “’He was nice,’ means he’s hot.”

  Jackson looked to Treat, who looked at him with a gleeful look in his eye.

  "I don’t know if he was hot. I mean, I guess he's okay."

  "That means hot. Right, Chanty?"

  Now she was enlisting Chantelle’s opinion. That was even worse.

  "Lo, shut it and eat, baby."

  Lola looked to Bear and smiled before taking a drink of her sweet tea.

  "Bear, it’s a good thing you're not my man. Anna, spill it. I want deets. Give me the description," Chantelle added.

  Jackson was two seconds away from changing the subject when his cell phone started ringing. Not looking at the caller ID, Jackson answered.

  "Storme here."

  “You enjoy spending time with your family?"

  “Who is this?"

  "Don't worry about who I am. Just know that I have information you need. You want to take down the Perettis, and you want the man who stabbed Anna, you'll meet me in two hours."

  Jackson stood from the table and made his way into the hall. His plane was leaving in a couple of hours.

  "I'm on a plane in a few hours, there's no way I can meet you in two hours.”

  "Make it happen, J
ackson. They're not finished fucking with you or Treat Cavanaugh.”

  The phone disconnected, and Jackson cursed. He called out to Treat, who came to where he stood.

  "What’s wrong?"

  "Just got a call. Don’t know who it was, but they claim to have information on the Peretti family.”

  "How the hell did they get your number?"

  "No fucking clue, but he called.” Jackson tried to withhold the curses, but they came anyway. How the hell did someone randomly call his number? It was private.

  “You need to meet him, but don’t go alone. You need backup, and I can’t be there. I'm not ready yet.”

  No shit. But he didn’t trust anyone at this point. If someone was able to get his number, that meant there was someone on the inside.

  “I know, man, but who else can we get? Tracey is back in New York.”

  "No, not her, but maybe one of your deputies?"

  That wasn’t going to work. His deputies were clueless to the real case. As far as they were concerned, it was a robbery gone wrong.

  "They don't know about the case, Treat."

  "Shit, man. We need this. It could be the break we need to finally get Peretti brought in on charges. Something that actually sticks this time."

  Treat paced back and forth. Anna and Joey came into Jackson's line of sight.

  “What are you two over here whispering about?" His sister waddled over to Treat, and Anna walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. He needed that. His nerves were shot. She always knew what he needed in order to calm him down and clear his head.

  "Something’s wrong, what is it?"

  Anna knew him, inside and out. He knew they’d avoided conversation about the case, wanting to stay inside their bubble of comfort. But they would never outrun this, not until the case was closed.

  "Baby, I gotta go."

  "It’s about the case, isn't it?"

  ''Yeah."

  She stepped back, hugging herself.

  "I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to expect or how to react. What if something bad happens to you?"

  Jackson stepped forward. Aware of Anna's stomach, he gently pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly. Against her lips, he whispered, "I'll always come back to you."