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Writer's pictureAlisha Eadle

Middle of Knight by Jewel E. Ann


Middle of Knight

by Jewel E. Ann

Self-Published

Book 2 in the Jack & Jill Series


The living seek forgiveness. The dead seek revenge.


A first love.

A last breath.

A haunting past.


Armed with a sinful past and an equally sinful body, Jackson Knight absolves his vow of celibacy to pursue Sergeant Monaghan’s unsuspecting—older—housekeeper.


Ryn Middleton, on the cusp of turning forty with a snarky daughter, a killer dog, and an abusive ex-husband, finds Jackson’s advances humorous and unbelievable. After intense negotiations including Vera Wang, Ed Sheeran, and sex four times a day, Ryn accepts Jackson’s marriage proposal on their first date.


What could possibly go wrong?


While struggling to lay claim to the woman of the dreams he never had, Jackson is forced to deal with a grief-stricken Jillian trying to hold on to her past without letting go of her future—the doctor who took her heart and the Sergeant who gave her a new one.


Beyond the hope for light, lies the middle of darkness, the illusion of truth, and a haunting past.



Genre


Triggers

Violence, Murder, Terminal Cancer/Symptoms of Brain Cancer, Grief, Depression, Memories of Domestic Violence


 

This book.

The punch to the gut this book gave me still hurts months later.

Jewel E. Ann weaves the past and the present in such a way that you really don't know who the love interest is.

Well, you do - but you don't.

More importantly though, is the way she writes love.

Now, I've read her other books. She has this delightful ability to write atypical love stories, and that carries over to the Jack & Jill series. We have a woman who is in love with her ex-fiancé. Believes they are soulmates. Time and distance will not lessen that love. But that doesn't take away from what she feels for AJ in this new life. It's a different love, but it's love.

Which makes this book even more heart wrenching because what AJ is going through in this book. Which ... ugh. My heart.

The only thing that I struggled with in Middle of Knight was, unfortunately, Jack's arc with Ryn.

Now listen, I LOVE the fact that Jack has a thing for older women. So often, age gaps are the other way around, but I love that in this series, Jack knows what he likes, he likes an older gal. I loved Ryn's character - a struggling single mom, who escaped her abusive ex-husband. I loved that Jack showed her how a man should treat a woman. I just didn't feel the chemistry between them, so I struggled during their chapters.

Could it have been because it was up against Jill and AJ's storyline, as well as Jessica and Luke's?

Absolutely.

But Jack's story was the reason I didn't give this book 5 stars. Their story just didn't hold up compared to Jill/Jess's.


I can't say much more without spoiling. It's too hard. But if you want a romance series that will not only make you laugh, but will make you cry the ugliest of tears, and make your heart pound - read this series.

I'm still not recovered from the end of this book. My heart hurts thinking of it.



 


by purchasing through one of my Amazon links, the Amazon gods will bestow a few pennies to me as thanks

 

The woman, to whom the rules did not apply, returned with a small black box. Ryn raised a brow.

Jill: “I’ll open it for you. I’m Jillian, by the way.”

Ryn followed as Jillian’s boots squeaked with each step through the dewy grass to AJ’s front door.

Ryn: “Uh … that doesn’t look like a key,”

Jill: “It’s a universal key. Comes in quite handy. You should think about getting one. I’m sure this isn’t the first house you’ve been locked out of.”

Ryn replied with a nervous laugh.

Ryn: “I’m not sure what the neighbors would think of me using a lock-picking set to open a client’s door.”

Jill: “They’d think you’re ingenious.”

Jillian turned the handle and the door opened.

Jill: “Well, at least that’s what I’d think if I saw you doing it.”

She returned the picks to the box and closed it.

Ryn: “What if he asks how I got in?”

Jillian grinned with pride.

Jill: “Tell him I let you in. It’s the truth, and trust me, he won’t ask you any more questions after that.”


Jill: "If I’m not home Jackson will be. And, just a fair warning … he’s going to like you.”

She winked at Ryn. An uneasy smile formed along her lips.

Ryn: “Excuse me?”

Jill: “Just ignore everything he says or does. He’s taken a vow of celibacy. Some days are easier than others.”


Jack: “And why do you think my dick will wander from my pants?”

She insulted him with her lack of trust. He was a changed man.

Her answer began with a sigh.

Jill: “Because she’s older than you—maybe late thirties, early forties. And she’s pretty.”

Jackson crossed his arms.

Jack: “Elaborate on pretty.”

Jill: “She’s most likely married with kids, two fish, and a dog, so I don’t know why it matters.”

Jack: “Elaborate on pretty.”

He held firm.

Jill: “Five-seven, a hundred and thirty pounds, shy smile, an inverted bob cut with wavy shades of blond, light blue eyes, and freckles. Bye.”

She shut the door. After piecing all the descriptives into a mental image, he looked down at his crotch.

Jack: “Yeah, buddy, this could be a problem.”


Luke: “Take a shower. Go to work. Be productive today and I’ll reward you later.”

Jessica: “So I am your dog. Will we play fetch? I’m pretty good with a Frisbee.”

Luke tied his shoes. It thrilled her to see him struggle a little more every day to keep his smile hidden.


Jessica: “Do you still love me?”

He sighed as if the sight of her naked body pained him.

Luke: “I adore you.”

Jessica: “You adore me? What? You no longer love me?”

Inspecting the choices on the coat tree, he grabbed a long gray sweater from it then wrapped it around her. She returned a single raised brow.

Luke: “People love chocolate, surfing, and their gold fish. Adoration is better … it means to both love and admire.”

The tough-as-nails woman melted into a teenaged girl for a bit.

Jessica: “You admire me?”

Her voice softened in disbelief.

Luke: “I do.”

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and pulled away as she began to lean in. She shoved the sweater off her shoulders.

Jessica: “But you don’t admire my body?”

He made a swift move out the door.

Luke: “I do … way too much,”

he called as he fled down the stairs.


Ryn: “Because you’re too young for me. There I said it. Happy now?”

Men like Jackson were put on Earth for one purpose: to rob every ounce of confidence from women like Ryn. They ate it up and saved it for themselves, as if they could possibly need any more. Then they flaunted it to get the attention of the lucky recipients who were Maddie’s age. The twenty-somethings thrived on it.

Jack: “I know all my ABCs. I’m potty trained. I chew with my mouth closed, and I require limited supervision.”

Ryn didn’t want to laugh, but she did anyway.

Ryn: “Shut up, now you’re just being stupid.”

Jack: “Oh and I can count to one hundred—forward, backward, and even with my eyes shut.”


Lilith: “He doesn’t like Brooke?”

Lilith questioned.

Jill: “She has kids.”

Lilith: “He doesn’t like kids?”

Jill: “Just his own.”

Lilith: “He has kids?”

Jillian laughed.

Jill: “Not yet, but he’s working on it.”

Lilith: “Sounds like a story.”

Jill: “It probably will be, but it’s still in the prologue.”


Jessica: “Give me one example.”

Luke: “One of your shoes is right there on the floor and the other is in the middle of my hallway. You ‘clean’ my kitchen counter by wiping the crumbs onto the floor. You ‘organize’ your purse by emptying gum wrappers and toothpicks onto my coffee table and leaving them there. After you wash your hands in the bathroom you flick your fingers before grabbing the towel and leave water spots on my mirror. And you’re always taking books from my bookshelf and you never put them back.”

Jessica frowned while petting Jones.

Jessica: “Jeez, I just said one.”


Love was not a problem to solve or a choice to make, simply an involuntary feeling that explained human existence. It wasn’t contingent on anything, and everyone was capable of giving and receiving it. Words couldn’t define feelings. Luke didn’t know why he had to love her. He just did.


Jill: “There’s no acceptance in watching someone die. There’s only a lifetime of regret from knowing you couldn’t stop it from happening.”


Jack: “I’ve been displaced from my house by twins.”

Ryn: “Twins?”

Jack: “Five-year-old girls.”

Ryn: “Oh … cute.”

Jack: “Not cute.”

Ryn: “You don’t like kids?”

Jack: “Just my own.”

Ryn: “Oh, wow … you have kids?”

Ryn didn’t realize she was just one of many victims that fell for that line.

Jack: “Not yet, but mine will be awesome.”


Jack: “Morning.”

Jackson smiled around the tiny straw in his mouth and continued slurping the nearly empty contents of a juice box.

Jack: “These are good. You should get them more often.”

Stretching on a big yawn, she rolled her head side to side.

Jill: “Those are for the five-year-old twins staying with us. But I guess you’re not too far off, so …”


Jill: “I’d take it from you if I could. You have so much more to live for than I do,”

she whispered, resting her hand against the side of his head as he continued to sleep.

Jill: “I forgive you.”

Uninvited tears stung her eyes.

Jill: “I know you’re going to leave me.”

She bit her upper lip, hard.

Jill: “It’s okay to go. They need you more.”

Maybe someday it would be okay for her to need someone more than anyone else. Then again, maybe she was the ultimate survivor and needed no one. Who could live like that?

AJ: “What if I need you more?”

AJ whispered, startling Jillian.

Resting her cheek on his back, she snaked her arms around his waist. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them, wringing the tears from her eyes—the life from her soul.

Jill: “Then I’m the luckiest woman alive. And I know I am … but not because you’re going to stay. It’s because I’ve had the privilege of loving a man that’s going to be completely selfless and go home for all the right reasons.”


She ran her hands through his hair as he hugged her waist.

Jill: “I’ve had too many opportunities to contemplate death. I think it’s different for everyone, but for me … when my time comes, I won’t ask any questions. I’ll simply say thank you.”


Grabbing two things from the refrigerator Jillian placed them on the counter and stared at them: a bottle of Heineken and a juice box. Jackson opened the beer and dumped its contents down the drain. Jillian had no reaction. He inserted the bendy straw into the juice box and placed it in her hands.

Jack: “You’ve got this,”

he said to her with a whisper of sympathy as he kissed the top of her head.


Luke: “I won’t get down on one knee,”

he whispered over her lips.

Luke: “I’ll get down on both knees because I won’t ask you to marry me, I’ll beg you to marry me.”


What seemed like a week later, she blinked and met his patiently waiting eyes.

Ryn: “Kudos to your parents. Really just…”

she popped her lips

Ryn: “…yup.”


Jillian sat perched on the counter, legs criss-crossed, with a heavy red hoodie shielding her from the temperature that read fifty-five degrees on the thermostat. She poked around her bowl of popcorn, tossing five black kernels in the sink for every one brown piece she deemed edible.

He needed some guy friends. Stat. The women in his life were hell-bent on testing his last bit of patience.

Jill: “Want some?”

Jillian looked up from the bowl.

Jack: “What do you think?”


Jack: “This is going to be fun … so much fun.”

Ryn: “Sex?”

Jack: “Making it my mission to show you how sexy you are.”


Jack: “I’m going to run to the restroom while you see if your panties have cooled down. Okay, hot pants?”


Jack: “Tell me what you think you want and I’ll prove you don’t need it.”

She closed the dishwasher and leaned against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest.

Ryn: “And how exactly are you going to prove it?”

Holding up both hands, he spread his fingers wide.

Jack: “Sharp teeth, one tongue, two lips, ten fingers, and a very large cock. Take your pick.”

A blush crawled up her neck, slack jaw, lips parted.

Jackson smirked. Yeah … he still had it.


Sunny: “Love is reckless because true emotions are immune to logic. The most beautiful love stories are often the most tragic.”


Jill: “Back away from the girl and go put some clothes on.”

Jack: “This coming from my sister who is basically a nudist?”

Jill: “I told you to send her straight over if she knocked on the door.”

Ryn felt like a teenager getting caught with a guy. Ten years their senior, yet she shrank beneath the awkwardness of the Knight twins’ arguing over her.

Jill: “Come on, Ryn. Chicks before dicks.”

Of course Ryn had no idea what that meant, but she let Jillian pull her toward the door anyway.

Jack: “She still has a few minutes before the party starts. I’ll send her right over.”

It was impossible to look at Jackson after that comment. Ryn’s whole body flushed with embarrassment. Jillian pointed a finger at him.

Jill: “Knock that shit off. This is Greta’s night. Do you remember when Mom used to go grocery shopping after dinner and she’d come home with twenty dollars’ worth of groceries because after eating nothing tempted her?”

Jackson rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

Jill: “Well Ryn needs to show up to Greta’s hungry. Got it?”

Before the door shut, Jackson yelled,

Jack: “Then you’re welcome. I think she’s starving right now.”


She sent a photo of a “top of the line” vibrator.

Jackson: Your choice.

Greta passed her a textured cock ring as Ryn looked at his text.

Greta: “I’ve got it, sweetie.”

Greta grabbed Ryn’s phone that fell in the crack between the cushions when she went to pass the vibrator to the next person.

Ryn: “No I’ve—”

Greta looked at the screen.

Greta: “Oh my … what or who …”

Her other hand covered her mouth.

Lynette: “What is it?”

Lynette asked looking over Greta’s shoulder.

Lynette: “Oh my goodness!”

Ryn: “He’s just being—”

Ryn grabbed her phone back, not realizing he sent a photo after his last remark.

Ryn: “Oh shit.”

Lynette: “Is that Jackson?”

Every eye in the room landed on Ryn. She flipped the phone so the screen pressed against her leg.

Ryn: “N-no, it’s not what you think. It’s … just a friend playing a prank.”

It was exactly what they thought: Jackson’s big, very erect cock.

Jillian narrowed her eyes then stepped closer to Ryn.

Jill: “Is what Jackson?”

Ryn shook her head like an errant child in school.

Ryn: “Nothing.” Jillian snatched her phone. Ryn squeezed her eyes shut.

Jill: “Eww … not cool, Bro … not cool,”

Jillian whispered to herself.

Ryn peeked open one eye. Jillian wore a wicked smile.

Jill: “Get some more to eat and drink, ladies, then feel free to play with the toys and browse through the catalog.”

Once everyone focused their attention back on all the other embarrassing things in the room, Jillian grabbed the strap-on penis from the coffee table and took a picture of it with Ryn’s phone.

Ryn: “What are you doing?”

Jill: “Reciprocating.”

Jillian smirked as she moved her thumbs across the screen.

Ryn: How do you feel about anal play? I’ve always had a thing for m/m porn. Is your sexy ass as tight as the rest of your body?

Jillian tossed Ryn’s phone to her.

Jill: “No matter what, don’t text him again or answer any of his texts."

Ryn stared at the message—horrified.

Ryn: “What if he takes it seriously?”

Jill: “Oh … he’ll take it seriously.”

Ryn: “What if he’s…”

she grimaced

Ryn: “…okay with the idea.”

Jillian giggled.

Jill: “Then I guess you’d better add a strap-on and a bottle of lube to your order tonight.”

Ryn’s eyes remained glued to her phone.

Ryn: “He’s not responding.”

Jill: “Ah … excellent. Just as I suspected, he thinks you’re serious. God, I’m good.”


Jack: “Take your clothes off and I’ll show you that what makes me sexy in your eyes is the desire you see in mine.”


Jessica: “Don’t what?”

Luke: “Don’t do this in front of my parents.”

Jessica: “Why can’t we just be ourselves with your parents, huh? Why do we always need a plan or script?”

Luke: “We don’t. I’m just saying—”

Jessica: “Good.”

Jessica turned and marched to the porch.

Jessica: “Hi, Felicity.”

They embraced.

Felicity: “Hi, honey. How’s my boy treating you?”

Jessica: “He’s whining about not getting enough sex and he’s jerking around my emotions for his car … but other than that, I can’t complain.”

Luke: “Oh for God’s sake,”

Luke mumbled, taking the last step to the porch.

Felicity released Jessica then gave Luke a firm, motherly glare.

Felicity: “Sounds like his dad. When Tom had that car he never let me drive it. Not. Once. And don’t even get me started on the whole sex deprivation speech.”

Tom: “My over-educated son should know better than to bring a bitter woman to spend the weekend with his mom.”

Tom pushed open the screen door. Felicity turned, lifting onto her toes to give Tom a quick kiss.

Felicity: “You know I’m a peacemaker.”

He hugged her.

Tom: “Except when you’re stirring the pot.”

Tom smacked her ass. Luke rolled his eyes, proving even grown children get embarrassed with their parents’ PDA.


Jessica: “Luke …”

Begging was not part of the plan. He would pay for making her beg—just as soon as he put his mouth back where she needed it. One more slow lick and she’d be there.

Luke: “Oh … fuck … fuck … fuck …”

His eyes rolled back in his head.

Jessica: “What the …”

she stilled, staring at him. Luke had the look, made the sound. Jessica looked over her shoulder.

Jessica: “You did not—”

Luke: “Oh you bet your sexy ass I did. Now up you go.”

He lifted her off him and sat up, wadding the front of his cum-covered shirt before pulling it over his head and tucking himself back into his jeans.

Luke: “I’ll grab a clean shirt and give you a few minutes to … finish up.”

He smirked while zipping his jeans. Jessica’s urge to make Luke bleed had been in remission until that moment. A broken nose and busted testicle seemed like the most fitting punishment.

Luke: “Oh…”

he stopped at the door after shrugging on a clean shirt

Luke: “…you have my permission to tell my mom that you’re pissed at me because I wouldn’t let you ride my face to the finish.”

Jessica: “Asshole.”

Luke: “I adore you too.”

Luke shut the door.


AJ: “God, I’ve missed you.”

He dropped his head back against the headboard.

Jill: “Well, I assumed from the nasty burns that they’ve been frying your brain, but that crazy statement just confirmed it.”


Jill: “When we met, I saw someone in you … someone I hated.”

Someone she murdered.

Jill: “But then I saw someone else and everything changed.”

AJ held out his hand and Jillian took it, straddling his lap.

AJ: “Who did you see?”

Brushing the pad of her thumb over his naked brow followed by the burn marks on his head, she shared a sad smile.

Jill: “Me. Beneath your hardened exterior and need for self-preservation, I saw a painful vulnerability—one that you would never show. Some days when I look at you it feels like I’m seeing my reflection.”


Ryn: "I’m so embarrassed. I acted like a complete psychotic freak.”

Jack: “It was all on me.”

He grabbed her hand and jerked her into his chest.

Jack: “And trust me … you are not a psychotic freak. I can guarantee Jillian has that title.”

Ryn: “Jillian? Really?”

Jackson nodded. The intensity in his expression radiated an unspoken pain.

Jack: “It’s completely justified. She hasn’t always been this way. There are just some things in life that can only be erased by death. I don’t want her to die, so I’ve accepted the crazy.”

Ryn: “I love the way you love her.”


Tom: “What are your plans for the holidays?”

Luke stayed in his zombie zone as if no one else at the table existed. Jessica smiled at Tom.

Jessica: “My parents have invited us to their house for Thanksgiving, but we haven’t really committed to anything yet.”

Tom nodded, much like his son. She questioned if he even registered her answer to his question.

Jessica: “Of course, my other boyfriend invited me for a sex-filled weekend on his private island off the coast of Italy.”

All. Three. Nodded.

Jessica: “Dammit, Jones!”

Jessica stood, resting her palms on the table.


Jessica: “I was rude to your parents. I think I need to apologize.”

Luke: “We were all rude to you.”

She took his hand, pulling him toward the house.

Jessica: “I hadn’t noticed.”

Luke: “Of course not … you were too busy planning your holiday getaway with your lover on his private island.”

She whipped around.

Jessica: “So you were paying attention.”

Luke: “I’m always paying attention … but only half of the things you say to me deserve a response.”


As their bodies regained a bit of feeling, dodging hypothermia by mere seconds, Jessica started giggling.

Jessica: “We’re completely naked, wrapped in a blanket together four feet from your parents who are also naked, wrapped in a blanket together.”

Tom and Felicity shared her humor with big smiles while Luke rolled his eyes.

Jessica: “My parents are pretty cool, but they would never do what we just did.”

Tom: “Hear that, Luke. Jessica thinks we’re cool.”

Tom smirked.

Luke: “Yeah, Dad. Jumping in balls first, practically two feet from my girlfriend’s face … that’s real cool.”


Waitress: “Can I interest either of you in dessert?”

They both shook their heads so she handed AJ the bill.

Waitress: “Your daughter has your smile.”

AJ shot a lethal scowl at the back of her head as she continued on to another table.

Jill: “Lunch is on me, big daddy.”

Jillian grabbed the bill.

AJ: “No tip. Not one penny.”


AJ: “How did you get all that stuff in such a short amount of time?”

Jill: “I offered to screw anyone who gathered my list in under five minutes. As you probably noticed it took closer to ten so I’m off the hook.”


She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as close as possible to her.

Jill: “I hate you … I fucking hate you for leaving me.”

A strangled sob released into his neck while she continued to find her release. Her entire body wanted to let go of everything, everything except the beautifully broken man in her arms. How was she ever going to let him go?

AJ: “I hate me too.”

He fisted her hair with both hands and smashed his lips to hers as he released inside her.


Jack: “See you later, hot pants. Training, dinner, fucking.”

He smacked her ass. She rubbed her hand over it like it stung, and he hoped it did. He wanted her thinking of him the rest of the day.

Ryn: “Fucking?”

Jack: “Sorry. Sexual intercourse? Coitus? The union and rhythm of our genitals?”

Ryn: “I-I’ve got to get out of here.”


Jackson hooked his towel around her neck and pulled her against him.

Jack: “Are you done?”

Ryn gave it another moment of thought then nodded once.

Jack: “Good. So let’s take my penis and your vagina upstairs and see what trouble they can get into in the shower.”

Ryn rolled her eyes.

Ryn: “When you say it like that it sounds ridiculous.”

Jack: “You think?”

He lifted her over his shoulder and carried her upstairs.

Jack: “In that case, maybe I’ll just bury my cock so deep in your pussy you’ll be tasting me every time you swallow. Better?”

Ryn: “Yes, utterly poetic.”


Jessica: "I mean … maybe I should go too. Can you really trust me to not steal your car?”

Luke dangled the keys in front of her face.

Jessica: “That’s sweet.”

She batted her eye lashes.

Jessica: “I love that after all you’ve learned about me, you still think of me as an innocent damsel and not someone who could have this baby hot-wired and tearing down the road in under thirty seconds.”

He frowned.

Luke: “Get out.”


Jessica: “Which part of the blanket do you think hugged your dad’s balls?”

Luke: “Probably two inches from the part that flossed his crack.”

Jessica: “Oh my God!”

Her eyes grew wide.

Jessica: “I can’t believe you said that. How very un-Jones of you.”

She laughed.

Jessica: “I fear I’ve tainted you.”


Jessica: “Dr. Jones, you should have majored in philosophy. On a more positive topic … what’s your theory on me driving back to your parents?”

Luke: “I don’t have a theory, just a fact.”

Jessica: “Really? Enlighten me.”

Luke: “You will not be driving my car.”

She made a horn-like buzzing sound.

Jessica: “Wrong answer.”

He folded the blanket and grabbed their empty bags then opened the trunk.

Jessica: “Let me enlighten you. I’m going to strip, and ride your cock on the hood of your shiny red GTO, not giving a damn what passersby think until you—”

Luke: “Yeah all of that.”

He gestured to his arms full with the big blanket and the lunch bags.

Luke: “Would you grab the first aid kit? I scraped my ankle on the rock over there.”

She looked at the little box with the red cross on it. With a huff, she leaned into the trunk to reach it at the back, squirming until nearly three-fourths of her short stature was inside.

Jessica: “Fuck!”

She fell … no she was shoved into the trunk and he closed it on her.

He. Locked. Her. In. The. Trunk.

Luke: “As much as I like you riding my cock, and in spite of last night’s bonding with my parents, I’m not an exhibitionist. And I just put a new coat of wax on her the other day so I’m not going to leave my ass print on the hood.”

He knocked twice on the trunk.

Luke: “Hope you’re not claustrophobic, but if you are, I’m pretty sure I just bought you some electric pillar candles in one of those sacks. They should take the edge off. Hold on tight, I’ll go slow.”

Jessica: “Die. YOU. WILL. DIE!”


AJ: “Courting?”

Jill: “Yes. He’s decided it’s time to marry and populate the world with little Knights. Pun intended.”

AJ: “I think she’s close to my age and maybe has a teenager or something. Shouldn’t he be courting someone in their childbearing years?”

Jill: “I like Ryn and I should land my fist in your junk on her behalf for making her seem old and barren."


AJ: “Look at me.”

He took the cup from her and held both of her hands, squeezing them until she surrendered her gaze to him.

AJ: “I can’t … I won’t pretend with you. I just want you now for as many days as I have. Because now—this moment—is all I have to give. It’s yours. I’m yours. Please just let it be enough.”


Jessica: “Wait, you were pregnant when you started dating.”

Felicity: “Basically. Has Luke not told you that we conceived him on our first date?”

Jessica’s jaw dropped then closed into a grin, eyes wide.

Jessica: “No.”

Felicity: “Yes. And now what I’m going to say is being said to Louise, not Luke’s girlfriend.”

Jessica: “God, I love you. Go on.”

Louise laughed.

Felicity: “Luke doesn’t know this and I’m quite certain he wouldn’t be treating this car like his most prized possession if he knew that his conception took place in this very back seat.”

Jessica: “Oh my God … Oh my God … Oh. My. God. Do you have any idea what you have given me?”

Felicity: “No.”

Felicity shook her head.

Felicity: “I’ve given you nothing. Thelma told her partner in crime, Louise, about the first time she had sex.”

Jessica: “Aahh!”

Jessica veered off the road onto the shoulder, coming to a stop. She couldn’t focus on driving anymore.

Jessica: “Don’t you dare try to silence me with some secrecy oath, especially since you just added the crème de la crème to the juiciest little secret I’ve ever known—you didn’t just conceive Luke. You. Lost. Your. Virginity … in this very car. Luke’s baby.”

Dying. Jessica died a little inside. It would be the most painful secret ever to keep, and as much as she’d come to love his mom … she just couldn’t guarantee that the day wouldn’t come that she would need that ammunition to win a war.

Knox: "Why did she say thank you if you didn’t say anything?”

Luke’s lip twitched into the hint of a smile.

Luke: “‘God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?’ William Arthur Ward,”

he whispered.


Luke: “I don’t think there are enough stars in the sky to count how many times a day I fall in love with you all over again.”


They emerged breathless, her body wrapped around his.

Jessica: “Luke …”

she rested her forehead against his.

Jessica: “Thank you.”

Luke: “Thank you?”

She smiled.

Jessica: “William Arthur Ward. ‘God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?’”

He closed his eyes as his heart swelled even more.

Never. Enough. Stars.


Time couldn’t mend my body … but you mended my soul. I’ll leave knowing that I was the luckiest bastard alive because I was loved by you. And you, my beautiful girl … you were loved by me.


 


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