Page 10 of Dead Man's Wish
“Just before you die, I think.” I tried to recall clearly, but the exhaustion of travel left me with blended days. “It wasn’t the worst one, that’s for sure.”
Jaiden looked over my head and to the row Kel and Mari were seated in. “They have plans so they’re heading out when we land. I’m gonna take you home and you’re going to rest. I’ll handle our scheduling and we’ll resume our normal life later, okay?” I nodded and he kissed my forehead before tucking me under his arm and holding me to his warm body. “I have you, sleep.”
Easier said than done.
Three
July 20, 2025:
Jaiden Wells
I lookedat my watch and waited for too-loud feet for a rather small woman to sound above me. It was almost noon. Since we had landed, I’d given Bex her space to decompress and rest. In fact, a whole day had passed with little communication and interaction outside of bringing her food and making sure she was finishing her water bottles. The last time her seclusion was nearing this point, we were in the thick of recovery. The first year was hard but we managed. We finished school but most importantly, we supported each other. I just didn’t know what to do this time.
I grabbed the planner in front of me and opened it to an overview of this month. We designed an easy week after we got back, so it was mostly intake phone calls or simple web meetings with prospective clients. The note penciled in from last night brought me reservations again.
Bishop, dinner. 6 pm.
I hesitated when Noah called yesterday, and I explained as plainly as I could without crossing any lines she’d have. All the same, he insisted that this was something that needed to happen sooner rather than later. I gave myself until noon. If she wasn’t feeling significantly better by then, I promised to call him and reschedule.
Setting the notebook down, I reached for the pen and popped its cap off. Just as I hovered over the square, the office door creaked open. Bexley peeked her head inside and smiled when she saw me.
“Hey,” I breathed out, standing too abruptly. My legs bumped the wooden frame and the desktop items rattled. “Hey, how are you feeling?” I side-stepped around the offending furniture and took measured steps toward her. I was excited to see her up, and even more so to see a glow and lightness in her again.
“I feel good.” She tested the statement and then nodded. “I think my brain needed some shut down and reboot time. No nightmares since we got home.”
“That’s good.” I ran a hand through her hair, unable to resist touching her in some way. “I got a phone call for you yesterday; I wrote it down in the calendar but if you’re not up to it, I can cancel.”
“Who is it? I know we’re meeting with Lawson on Tuesday to go over a new client contract.” I didn’t move to grab the notebook. My eyebrows pinched together as I debated going forward. Ultimately, it wasn’t my place to make the decision for her, and if her stubborn ass did want to go, there was little I could do to change it.
“Noah, he called yesterday and invited us to dinner with him and Diane. He’s cooking since the weather is nice enough for it.” My throat tightened with anticipation.
“Oh, that sounds kind of fun.” She wore a look of confusion on her face. My expression didn’t match the simple proposal. I took her hand and walked back to desk, and as I perched on the corner, I let it spill.
“He said he has something to give you regarding the case. We still have to do the necessary paperwork on Monday, but he wants you to have whatever this is as soon as possible. Dinner is one thing, but tossing you into this case so soon is a conversation we need to have.” I rested my hand on the desk and shifted my weight.
“Do you have an opinion?” she asked.
“Having an opinion and knowing if it’s wanted has saved my ass many times,” I stated, laughing as a smile spread over her face.
“I would love to know.” She moved between my legs and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I think working is good for you. You’re fantastic at compartmentalizing, and when you’re able to focus on an unrelated outcome, you have clarity for other issues. There's a mix here, though, and I’m only hesitant because you’ve been through enough.”
“That’s a good point.”
“Not to mention,” I continued. “You don’t have to dive in immediately. He said he wanted you to have it, right? That doesn’t mean there’s an agreement to go through everything right then.” My hand rested on the small of her back to keep her close to me.
“Then let’s go,” she agreed.
“Yeah?” I was half excited and half nervous.
“Like you said, he just wants to give me something. It’s dinner focused. We’re there for friends and to catch up.” Leaning in, she moved her hands over my hips and up to my chest. “You always have the best plans, Mr. Wells.”
“Ooh, you know Mr. Wells is my weakness,” I said, stealing a quick kiss. “Second only to you.” I threaded my fingers into her hair and greedily stole more. “But you need to change.”
“Excuse me?” Making a point, I grabbed a handful of her exposed ass. She came down immediately after waking up because she was still in my T-shirt and just her underwear.
“This isn’t proper dinner attire, Mrs. Wells.”
