Page 248 of Wait for Him

“Hi,” I say through a mountain of tears I haven’t even bothered trying to hide.

Look at me crying in public without pretending I have something in my eye. Take that, personal growth.

His thumb swipes beneath one of my eyes. “A little emotional?”

I nod.

He studies me for a second, then lifts the blanket covering his legs. “Come here.”

I don’t need to be asked twice. He pulls me onto his lap and wraps the blanket around both of us before settling his arms around my waist. I tuck my face into the crook of his neck and let myself relax against him.

“You okay?” he asks quietly.

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

I nod against his neck. “Just looking at everybody.”

He glances around the waiting room. “There’s a fucking lot of us.”

I laugh and wipe my cheek against his shirt. “That’s what I was thinking.”

“Pretty sure we violated the fire code an hour ago.”

“Probably.”

His hand moves slowly along my back for a while before he asks, “Tell me what’s really got you emotional.”

Damn him.

I stay tucked against him because saying it feels easier when I don’t have to look at his face. “I was thinking about how it used to just be me and Michael, and now look at us. My parents would’ve loved this.” I swallow around the knot forming in my throat. “I’ve been thinking about them a lot lately, and today it’s hitting harder than usual. I just wish they were here for this.”

“I know, baby.”

I close my eyes and settle my head against him again.

“They would’ve loved you,” I tell him after a minute.

He kisses the top of my head.

“Obviously.”

I snort and pull back enough to look at him. “They would’ve thought you were an asshole.”

“They could’ve loved me and had good judgment.”

The laugh comes out hard enough that a couple people look over at us. Jackson just smiles and pulls the blanket higher around my shoulders like getting me to laugh was the entire point.

Asshole.

I settle back against him, still smiling.

Yeah.

They would’ve loved him.

“Rose.”