“Get over here,” Jeremy says, reaching for me.
If I let him get his hands on me, I’m going to forget why I came and found him in the garage in the first place. I hold his phone to my chest, covering the speaker. “You left your phone in the bedroom. It’s Patton on the line for you, but I’ll be in the house if you want to show me again what that sexy mouth of yours can do after your call,” I tell him before handing over his phone.
He catches my wrist after taking the phone. “Stay,” he whispers to me and kisses that spot behind my ear that drives me crazy.
“Hey, Patton,” he says.
I stand in Jeremy’s arms as he and Patton catch up. I wonder as Jeremy slides his hand over my rear end if Patton has been worn down by Cora. I’ve got a good feeling about those two.
“Have you talked to Cora?” Jeremy asks him, as if reading my mind.
Jeremy
“Yeah, I’ve talked to her,” Patton huffs on the phone.
“Well, is she doing okay?” I ask him.
Patton harrumphs loudly, and I can hear the frustration in his voice. “Well, let’s see. She’s taking stupid risks, putting herself in dangerous situations, and it seems that every fuckin’ man in the hospital is trying to date her.”
“Date her?” I ask, and Peggy starts to nod and claps her hands silently together. I shake my head. She has it all wrong. She thinks there’s something between Patton and Cora, and I’ve tried telling her that it’s more a brother-sister relationship. Patton doesn’t see her that way. “She’s of age to date, Patton. What’s the big deal? And what kind of dangerous situations?”
“I’ll take care of it.” Patton says. “Don’t worry, I’m going to keep her safe, and she’s not going to be dating any of these assholes.”
I’ve never heard Patton like this before. He’s usually the calm one of the bunch. He’s very meticulous and plans things out. He almost sounds on edge. “Hey, brother. You all right? You sound... I don’t know... weird.”
He sighs. And I don’t expect him to answer me. We’re all the quiet, keep things to ourselves and let them fester type. So when he continues, I’m surprised. “Well, my best friend died, and I couldn’t save him. His little sister, who should be blaming me for not saving him, is instead driving me insane trying to get close to me. So yeah, I’m a little bit of a mess, Jeremy.”
“You like her?” I ask in astonishment. Peggy was right. I stare in awe at my wife, and she’s looking at me excitedly. I pull up a chair and pull Peggy into my lap. She sits with her head against my chest and her fingers tracing the tattoo on my arm.
“It doesn’t matter if I like her. Are you listening to me? She’s young... too young for me, and it’s my fault her brother is dead—”
“No, it’s not your fault, Patton. It’s the asshole that set the bomb’s fault. You can’t shoulder the blame for this one.”
There’s commotion on the other end, and I realize that Patton is calling me from the hospital again. “I’ve got to go.”
“Damn it, Patton. How much are you working? Talk to me... it’s not your fault. And I’ll be honest with you... Jason would be happy if you were with his sister. He’d want her to be with someone like you.”
Silence echoes back at me. “Well, we’ll never know, will we?” He takes a deep breath. “I gotta go. Talk to you soon, brother.”
The phone goes dead, and Peggy raises her head. “Everything okay?”
I shrug. “Cole has Hope. I have you. Patton needs someone to keep him grounded and out of his head.”
Peggy wraps her arms around my neck. “Someone like Cora.”
I smirk at my wife’s knowing look. “Fine, you were right, it’s obvious there’s something going on there. I just hope he doesn’t screw it up.”
She shakes her head. “He won’t. He’s pretty smart. He’ll figure it out.”
I grunt. “Yeah, Patton’s smart. But is he handsome like me?”
She opens her mouth and laughs. “Jeremy, are you jealous right now?”
“I don’t like you talking about other men.”
She leans in and presses her chest to mine. “Oh yeah? What you going to do about it?”
“Well, the kids are at camp, and we have a few hours, so I can think of a few ways I can erase any thoughts you have of other men.”
She’s already pulling at the hem of my shirt, and I lift my arms to help her. She tosses my shirt onto the floor. Her hands on my bare skin cause goosebumps on my arms. “Yeah, let’s do that.”
And then I make sweet love to my wife... the woman that made me whole again.