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“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too.” I snatched her close and kissed her hard.
And even while I focused on the way her arms fit perfectly around my shoulders, I thought I heard the quiet closing of a door. Pulling back, I noticed my front door was unlocked. I smiled at her before abandoning her to swing the door open.
Halfway down the hall, in front of the elevator, stood Jackson, his backpack over one shoulder, eyes trained on the closed silver doors.
“Jackson, hey, where are you going?”
“It’s all good. Just had to stop by to grab my charger.”
Something was off. I narrowed my eyes. “Are you headed back to the library?”
“Eventually. Heading to a friend’s place now.”
I attempted to act cool, which was difficult when I was standing in front of my girlfriend’s little brother in nothing but a barely held on towel. “Great. Shoot me a message later if you have some time. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Jackson’s jaw clenched. “Sure.”
The elevator dinged. My arm twitched with the need to reach out and grab the teen’s shoulder. “Jackson—”
“You’ll take care of her, won’t you?”
My brows lowered. “Of course.” This time I didn’t stop the reach, but by the time my arm reached his body, he stepped quickly onto the elevator, avoiding my eyes as the doors closed.
I stared at the doors for a long breath. It was obvious the kid had heard part of our conversation inside the penthouse, but what part I had no idea. I intended to ask him tonight, when I also asked him for the chance to ask for his sister’s hand in marriage. He was the most important man in her life. His blessing was most important. Especially now, after this strange interaction.
Turning, I made my way back to my penthouse. Jackson would come around. After all, I hoped soon we would be family.
***
Margot
I was trying to remain calm. But it wasn’t working. There had been a day, one of the first that Jackson was in my sole custody, that I’d been convinced I would lose him. I figured I’d take him to the zoo or out to a concert and we would get separated.
I never imagined in a thousand years it would be when he was eighteen. But since that morning that Jamie had seen him on the elevator, no one had seen Jackson.
Maybe it had only been three days, but to us, that may as well have been a thousand. We normally talked constantly, texted even more, and even when I had been sleeping over at Jamie’s, Jackson had been crashing with us most nights. We had been a pair for so long that now, without him, I felt anxiety unlike anything before. I needed my brother back.
I’d tried every friend I could think of, but I was out of my mind with worry. Jamie too, although he tried to hide it, I knew he was utilizing some of his contacts to track down Jackson.
Pulling out my phone, I added another text to the now one-sided chain I had going with Jackson.
Margot: Jackson Beckett, this is day three. Please respond. Please come home. I miss you and need to know you are okay.
After a moment, I sent a follow-up.
Margot: Please Jackson, I’m scared.
Five minutes later, there was still nothing. No typing dots, no sign that he’d even received the message. It was torturous. I’d taken the night off from Betty’s and intended to sit around my apartment until I was able to track him down.
Every other adult in his life had failed him. And now I had too. I didn’t stop the train of tears that started once more.
***
Jamie
My mother was a force unto herself. Tall, willowy, and still stunning, she sat across from me in my office in the law offices. Janice Calvin suffered no fools, so when I had called yesterday, explaining that something had gone wrong and I’d scared her future grandchildren’s mother, there had been nothing stopping her from hopping in the family’s charter plane and coming north to help.
