Sally’s face flushed and her eyes welled with tears. “I didn’t want to.”
Jackson smiled. “I know. You’re an amazingly kind and giving woman. One day you’ll find the right guy for you. And if he treats you the way I did, I’ll beat the crap out of him.”
Sally wiped at her eyes and laughed. “Thanks, Jackson. And Caroline’s incredible, by the way. She truly is.”
“You liked her?” His face brightened and Sally could see that he wanted to ask more.
“I do like her. It took about all of five minutes for me to see what you saw in her,” Sally admitted.
Jackson kissed the back of her hand and looked into her eyes.
Sally grabbed her purse and stood to leave. “Thank you for showing me what I’ve been missing,” she said, and leaned over to kiss Jackson’s cheek.
Jackson watched Sally walk out the door and knew with certainty that she wouldn’t return. Now he needed to figure out what to do about Caroline. Of course he wanted to be with her, but it had been weeks since he’d woken up. What if in his hesitation to call her, she had gone back to Clay? What if she had moved on? What if she were mad at him? His mind raced through a million different thoughts, but he didn’t pick up the phone.
When his head began to ache from his never-ending brain chatter, Jackson forced himself to sleep. He decided to call Caroline the following day and hoped she would understand and still want to see him.
****
Jackson watched as a figure approached in the distance. He put his hand up to block the setting sun and knew immediately that it was her. Caroline walked quickly through the tall grass and flowers toward him. As she came closer, he saw the huge smile on her face. He ran to her, but stopped short of picking her up and swinging her around. Instead, he paused and looked her up and down, noting that she was wearing one of his white button-down shirts. He wondered briefly how she got it, but then quickly dismissed the thought.
Jackson looked at her feet. “Nice boots.”
Caroline smiled. “I guess I could have picked better shoes to walk in.”
Jackson’s face dropped. “You walked here?”
“Of course,” Caroline responded, as if his question were completely absurd.
“From California?”
“How else would I get here, silly?”
****
Jackson opened his eyes and looked around the hospital room. Alex sat in the corner thumbing his phone when Jackson started to laugh.
Alex looked up. “What are you laughing at?”
Jackson shook his head. “I just had the craziest dream.”
“Caroline?”
“Oh yeah. But you should have seen her. And she said she walked here from California, like there was no other possible way she could have gotten here.” Jackson cracked up.
“So are you going to call her or what?” Alex pushed.
Jackson checked the clock on the wall. “It’s too early there. It’s only six in the morning.”
“So?”
“I don’t want to wake her up. She likes to sleep in,” Jackson said with a smile.
“I don’t think she’d mind,” Alex noted.
“I’m going to wait until after she gets off work. I don’t want to have this phone call before she goes, or while she’s at the office. I think it’s best to wait until the end of her day,” Jackson said with confidence.
“The end of whose day?” A female voice caught both Alex and Jackson by surprise. Caroline walked through the door wearing jeans and a white tank top, followed closely by Tommy, whose grin spoke volumes.
Jackson’s eyes lit up and he fidgeted in the bed. “Caroline…”
“Hi.” Her face beamed.
“How’d you…what are you…” Jackson looked from her to Tommy, his brows raised.
Caroline eyed Tommy. “Tommy called and told me everything. I got on the next flight.”
Alex stepped over and punched Tommy in the arm. “Softie.”
Tommy’s smile quickly faded, a scowl in its place. “I will hurt you.”
Alex grinned from ear to ear. “We’ll give you two some time alone.” Alex grabbed Tommy by the sleeve and pulled him out of the room.
Caroline’s heart beat fiercely as she met Jackson’s gaze.
Jackson focused on her, and held out his hand. “Get over here.”
She practically ran to his side. Her body trembled with anticipation as Jackson grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her down toward him. He kissed her softly at first, his lips tender and gentle. Passion quickly erupted, as months of wanting and waiting exploded with intensity. Their mouths and tongues explored one another with a ferocious longing. Electricity swirled around them as the energy of their souls collided.
Jackson pulled his head back and opened his eyes as if to reassure himself that she was really there…and not another dream. He watched as Caroline slowly opened her eyes and smiled.
She found herself craving more of him, as if she could no longer exist without the warmth of his touch. The way his lips felt and the taste of his tongue simmered with blissful satisfaction in the recesses of her mind. She dove toward him, crushing her lips against his as desire took over.
His grip loosened and she found herself breathless. Her feet tingled and pricked as their energies mingled. Her finger traced along his cheek as he admired her.
“I love you, Caroline Weber.”
Like a balloon floating toward the sky, no longer tied down, she felt her heart soar inside her. “I’ve waited so long to hear that.”