Page 7 of Dangerous Desires
His mom stepped in, “I agree with the Doctor. You need to take it easy.”
Jet nodded, “I will do my best.”
* * *
He stayed true to his word and did exactly what the doctor wanted, and by the time Joslyn’s show came around, he was able to go. He was exhausted at the end of it, but he felt better knowing he was able to attend. He brought his parents and Aria with, along with Bo. His dad looked at all the pictures and his mom sobbed when she saw a few. Especially the one with them in the helicopter. He could still feel the emotions of that day and his mom hugged him as hard as she dared.
When they left that night, they talked about how wonderful it was and that they were glad they got to go. Aria fell asleep in the car on the way to his house and his dad lifted her from the car. She was sleeping in one of Jet’s guest bedrooms and he went in to check on her after she was tucked in bed. He sat down gingerly on the bed and brushed her dark hair out of her face. Hers was the face he saw when he got shot and how he wished that he told her more that he loved her. And he wished that he found the girl that was meant to be his. He wanted so badly to find her. And he was determined now to do so.
Chapter Two
~ Farren Anderson ~
Having three older brothers and a younger one didn’t exactly call for a social life or dating life of any kind. Harrison, Hudson, and Jameson were her older brothers and Stetson was her younger one. They were pains in the butt. Always thinking they knew what was best. It was because their dad, Garrett, would let them know that she was too precious and needed to be protected. It annoyed Farren to no end, but she knew her brothers and father meant well.
Her mom, Emerson, was on her side though and did her best to get the boys to listen to her. That it was okay if Farren went on a few dates to see what it was like. The boys had all crossed their arms over their chests and their mom had thrown up her hands and had yelled at their dad that it was normal for girls to date. Garrett would just shake his head and say that no men were good enough for his daughter and that boys in high school only wanted one thing and he didn’t want his baby to be hurt by one of them.
He argued that she was too precious. and Emerson had gone soft at that. But she let him know that if Farren wasn’t allowed to date, then neither were the boys. That if he was right and the boys only wanted one thing, that they weren’t allowed to date either. That it was only fair. Garrett had blustered, but Emerson folded her arms over her chest and raised her chin and one of her eyebrows. Staring him down, and the boys until they all relented.
So, none of her brothers dated either. It would have made her madder if it hadn’t been for that, but she was okay with them not dating either. And they never did. She asked Harrison once if it bothered him and he had shaken his head, “Not really. I want what our parents have, and I need to have a stable job and a good life that I can provide for a woman first.”
Farren loved his answer because she also felt the same. It seemed like their parents had the fairytale life and marriage. Their parents met when they were in high school, and Garrett had told Emerson that she was his. Emerson hadn’t argued, because she knew that he was also hers, and they were married right out of high school. They had Harrison not even a year later and then had all the kids within a few years. They had the three boys first and then Farren. Emerson was thrilled to have a little girl and Garrett and the boys were all wrapped around her finger.
They had one more after that, trying to have a sister for Farren, but it wasn’t to be and Emerson wanted to enjoy the kids and stop having babies, so they stopped. They had a fun life growing up. Their house was the fun house that all their friends hung out at and Emerson was always cooking or baking so that everyone had treats. She made sure that all their friends knew that they were all loved and welcome and everyone loved their parents.
Garrett was a mechanic. He was self-employed and worked harder than anyone else should, but they had a good life, and they never went without. He was always around to be with the kids and was hands on with the kids. Taking them on adventures and showing them life outside of their small town. Emerson was a stay-at-home mom. She took care of the house and the kids, but Garrett didn’t let her do it alone. And when the kids were grown, they all wanted to spoil their parents, so they sent them on a trip to Europe for the summer. Garrett and Emerson loved it and Farren was glad their parents got to be spoiled for once. They were still so in love after all this time and every day, Garrett would kiss Emerson and hold her close. And the kids and their friends all got used to their displays of affection.
She loved it all. And though she used to be sad that she didn’t get all the high school experiences that most of the other kids did, she didn’t mind it. She wanted to at one point when she was younger, but her brothers had already scared the boys away at her school and no one was brave enough to dare ask her out. Well, one boy asked. Over and over and over, but Farren didn’t feel that way about him and though he was a nice boy, she just didn’t see a future and didn’t want to lead him on. He didn’t really like her choice, but she was firm and when he stopped asking, she knew he must have gotten the message finally.
She graduated high school and didn’t have to worry about men. And she didn’t mind it. She was able to focus on her studies and that was more important than dating was. She decided to go into special education for special needs children. She loved them so much. They had such pure hearts and souls and while she was in school, she got to see what her life would be like. And she adored each and every one of those kids.
One of her favorites was a little girl named Aliza. She was non-verbal, and only had use of her brain stem. Not her full brain. But she had the most beautiful blue eyes and the sweetest smile. She would coo and make noises, letting Farren know she wasn’t a fan of some of the things they did. Her mom was patient and kind and Farren learned a lot from Aliza.
She had seizures daily and Farren got really good at knowing when she would have one. It was hard, but at the end of the day, Farren felt like she had made a small difference in the world. Most people didn’t see kids like Aliza as real kids. So she made it her mission in life to do so. She wanted everyone to know they were loved. And they all felt it.
When Farren graduated from college, she got a job at a school and went in each day with a smile on her face. She often helped with the kindergarten class, and she adored those small kids with their big problems. They were all different in their ways, and she did her best to meet each of their needs. She even went so far as to learn sign language so she could speak to anyone who only knew to sign. She wanted everyone to feel included and special. She would take the time to make crafts with the kids, or paint.
She loved to sing and dance with the class and by the time she was done with her first year, they offered her the full-time position as the kindergarten teacher. She accepted whole heartedly and when she started her first year actually teaching, she was ready. She set up her classroom and got it all ready for the kids. She spent money out of her own pocket to make the room bright and colorful. Some of her students only saw colors, and she knew it would make everyone happy.
Her principal, Ashley Knight, was a kind woman with the patience of a saint. She loved what Farren did with the room and how she did her best to make sure everyone was included so she asked her to decorate the library too. Though she didn’t have to use her own money this time. Farren did as Ashley asked and decorated the library like a medieval castle. She had dragons and princes and princesses on the walls. It was her favorite thing ever. And Ashley loved it. So did the other teachers. They asked her for tips and tricks and Farren helped them in any way she could.
It wasn’t like she had much of a life outside of work.
She lived with her older brother, Harrison and she often spent the nights sewing or painting. But that was about it. She had thrown herself into school. Wanting to start her career sooner, rather than later. And she hadn’t found any man at college worth her time.
Harrison warned her time and time again about men and she hadn’t wanted to listen, but a few of her roommates in school had made her realize her brother was right. So here she was, the school year under way, and Halloween was tomorrow. She wanted to make her room look even cooler with the decorations she had made to surprise her kids.
She wanted to be the best teacher for these kids in their first year in school and she would do all she could to accomplish that. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost ten o’clock at night and she stood. She had a long day of crazy ahead of her tomorrow. She had yet to finish up her costume. Her back ached from being bent over her desk fixing the toys and painting. And her eyes were tired, and she knew that she had to get home. She popped her back and then picked up her purse and phone and walked out of the room after shutting off the lights. No one else was at the school, but she wasn’t shocked. She often stayed later than most of the other teachers.
She walked out of the front doors and to her car, which was parked in the lit parking lot. But as she was getting in her car, she swore she could feel someone watching her. She didn’t like that at all. She hurried to her car and unlocked just the front door and got in quickly, locking the door behind her again. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove as quickly as she dared across town and pulled in her driveway. She rushed inside and leaned back against the door as soon as she was inside. Harrison was in the front room, watching a football game on the TV.
He turned to look at her, “You okay?”
She nodded, “I just felt weird today. Like someone was watching me.”
Harrison stood and looked out the blinds. “I don’t see anyone.”
She nodded, “I know. At school I mean. When I was leaving.”
