Page 101 of Until Tomorrow Comes
“Sooo…wanna talk about this?” He motions between the two of us.
I turn my head into Jackson’s chest, hiding the blush that is spreading across my cheeks.
“Do we have too?” I mumble. Jackson hugs me closer, placing a kiss on top of my head and softly chuckling. When I pull back to sit up, the ache in my shoulder is more noticeable now, but I try to ignore it as Jackson simply shrugs.
“Dude,this,” Jack motions between the two of us, “is kind of your fault.”
“My fault? How?” Alan exclaims.
“You’ve met her! Did you really expect me tonotfall in love with her?”
Alan’s jaw drops open at the same time my heart skips, no doubt obvious due to the monitor. I turn to Jackson, finding his eyes closed as he breathes in slowly.
“Well shit, guess I can’t argue with that.” My brother responds, but I don’t acknowledge him. I can’t look away from Jackson.
The silence stretches for a moment before Alan breaks it.
“I’m gonna go let the nurse know you’re awake so they can do a check-up. Thea and Cooper have also been camped out in the waiting room, so I’ll go let them know you’re awake too.”
He leaves the room before either of us can respond, shutting the door behind him. The entire time I keep my focus on Jackson.
When he still doesn’t open his eyes after a minute, I finally break the silence.
“You love me?”
He audibly swallows, nodding his head as he faces me. His green eyes bore into mine and a small smile fights at his lips.
“Yes, Kitten. I love you.”
I open my mouth to respond, but he shakes his head and continues.
“I don’t expect you to say it back. So much has happened in such a short amount of time and you’ve had an unimaginably painful year.” He reaches up, running his fingers along my non-injured cheek and watching me closely. “I know how I feel about you and I’m confident that my love for you isn’t some fleeting emotion that’s going to fade away just because you don’t say it back. People don’t fall in love at the same time, and that’s okay. I don’t love you because you love me. I love you because of who you are and what you mean to me.”
He leans in, placing a featherlight kiss on my lips before pulling away and resting his forehead against mine.
“You get to live free from him and move on with your life. But I need you to know two things. First, is that you’ve become my best friend. You’ve healed, supported, and changed me in ways I didn’t even know I needed. You make me the best version of myself. Secondly, I want you to be happy. You’re free to go back to your life, and I will support and be there however you let me. Just know you don’t have to leave, if you don’t want to.”
Tears fall freely down my cheeks as I listen to him.
Tenderly, I reach for his hand. Emotions I refused to let surface bubbling out and I don’t bother trying to stop them.
“I have spent the past two years living in fear for what tomorrow will have in store. I have been let down and hurt more times than I can count.”
I take a couple seconds to try and make sense of everything I want to say.
“If I’ve learned anything from all of the pain and heartache, it’s to not let the fear of being hurt stop me from doing what will make me happy. I’ve lived every day looking over my shoulder, telling myself to just get through the day.” I meet his gaze, feeling my resolve settle in my chest and smiling at the man who has made me feel again.
“But I’m done waiting until tomorrow comes for things to get better. When I’m with you, I’m not just getting by. I’m living. I know how I feel about you, Jackson. I love you.”
I’ve barely finished speaking when he kisses me again. Leaning into his touch, I pour all my bottled-up love into the kiss. When I break away, gasping to catch my breath, he trails gentle kisses down my cheek and shoulder.
“Say it again.” He whispers between kisses.
I pull back, wanting to look in his eyes as I tell him.
“I love you, Jackson.”
The smile that spreads across his face and the undeniable love shining in his eyes as he stares back at me leaves me breathless.
