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.If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be dead.” Jessica heard her mother’s sharp intake of air.“Oh.I didn’t know.” She was quiet for a moment.“Even so, sweetheart, you need to be cautious.”Her mother voicing her own concerns upset her a little, made her doubt herself, and she didn’t reply.“Jessica,” her mother said.“You know all I want is for you to be happy, right?”“Of course.” She had no doubt that her parents loved her and wanted what was best for her.“But please be careful.Please.I don’t know if I can watch you suffer through that kind of heart break again.”A feeling of apprehension made Jessica shiver, but she told herself it was only due to her mother’s worry.“I will.I promise.”“Okay.” Her mother had another coughing fit.“I’d better go take some more cough medicine.I’ll call you when Dad and I are better.”“Okay, Mom.I love you.”“I love you, sweetie.”She turned her phone off and set it on the table, then replayed their conversation.A wave of exhaustion washed over her as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.Would she really fall apart if things didn’t work out with Kyle? Or had she become stronger since then? Her mind drifted, and what seemed like moments later, she heard Kyle’s voice and felt him gently stroking her cheek.“I’m leaving now, Jess,” he said.Her eyes fluttered open to see the face of the man who had brought her so much happiness and so much heartache, and who now brought on so much anxiety.Trying to push aside her reservations, Jessica smiled up at him.“Hey.”“Sorry to wake you, but I didn’t want to leave without telling you.”His thoughtfulness helped to dampen her doubts about his claim to have changed.Maybe he really had changed.“It’s okay.I’m glad you did.”“How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Ibuprofen maybe?”Jessica sat up a little, which startled Hudson enough to make him jump down.Her body seemed to complain about her movements too.“Yeah, that might help.”Kyle nodded, then went into the kitchen and fixed her a glass of ice water and brought it to her, along with two small pills.“Here.These should help.”She took them from him, placed them on her tongue, then took a swallow of water.“Thanks.”“I’ll be back in about an hour to take you to dinner.” His forehead creased.“If you think you’re up to it.”This would be their first date since he’d broken their engagement five years before.She really didn’t want to miss it.“I think I’ll be fine.”“Are you sure? I could just get something and bring it over.”She readjusted her position to see how she really felt.Awful, that’s how.Her back ached from falling down the stairs, and the flesh wound from the bullet made her leg throb.Grimacing at the pain, she said, “Yeah, maybe that would be best.”“Okay.I’ll be back in an hour or so with something to eat.You take it easy while I’m gone.”She nodded.When he came back with dinner, Jessica let him in the house, then followed him into the kitchen.“I can set the table,” she said, walking toward the cabinets.“No, you need to rest.” He steered her back to the soft chair in the sunroom.“I’m perfectly capable of setting the table and laying the food out.I’ve taken care of myself for a long time now.”She put her feet up on the ottoman in front of the chair.“Good, because I feel pretty stiff.”A few minutes later they sat across from each other at the table.“Thanks for getting dinner,” she said as she dug into the enchilada on her plate.“I’m sure you’ll feel better soon, and then I can take you out.”She smiled at him.“I’d like that.” She took a bite of salad.“What work do you have left to do in Ellen’s bathroom?”After giving her a verbal bullet list, he said, “Unless I run into some kind of huge snag, I should get it done before Ellen comes home.”“That would be perfect.”They chatted and ate, their earlier argument pushed aside, than Kyle cleaned up.“How are you feeling?” he asked as he put the last dish away.“I’m pretty tired, actually,” Jessica said.A look of sincere caring filled his face as he came over to where she sat.“Do you want me to help you upstairs?”Though the ibuprofen had helped, her back and leg still ached.“I wouldn’t mind.”Kyle helped her stand, then with one arm around her waist, they made their way to the stairs.Despite her discomfort, Jessica enjoyed having him so close to her, and leaned heavily on him as they climbed the stairs.“If I have time tomorrow, I’ll patch those bullet holes,” Kyle said as they passed the obvious damage to the walls along the staircase.“Okay.I’d rather Ellen not see them.” They reached the landing and turned toward her bedroom.“I’ll do my best,” Kyle said as he helped her sit on her bed.A smile crossed his face.“Do you need any help undressing?”Jessica smirked.“No, I can manage that much.” Then a new thought came to mind.“Can you lock the front door when you leave?”“I don’t have a key, so I won’t be able to lock the deadbolt.”She pointed to her purse, sitting on the floor.“You can borrow mine.”He looked at her with surprise.“Are you sure?”She gazed at him with confidence.“You protected me from that mad man, Kyle.I think I can trust you with a key to my aunt’s house.”He laughed.“I just wanted to make sure.” After retrieving the key from her purse, he sat next to her on the bed and leaned close.“I promise I won’t sneak into your room while you’re sleeping [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]