Page 100 of Then Came Love
Her lips curved up, bringing a quick and painful memory of Casey saying goodbye when Jordan left for camp the year she went missing. Casey had cried and begged to go with her, and Jordan had told her not to cry and had promised they’d see each other soon. She must have buried the memory of those promises along with her parents, but now they brought a rush of tears.
“I’m sorry.” Jordan dug tissues out of her pocket and wiped her eyes.
“It’s okay to cry.” Sully stepped closer. “They said you’re five years older than me. You must remember everything.”
“I do. Every second.” She dragged air into her thickening throat.
Sadness rose in Sully’s eyes. “I don’t remember you. But I’d like to.”
Her voice was confident and compassionate, opening the floodgates. Tears flowed like rivers down Jordan’s cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but she was too overwhelmed. “I’m sorry, but I’ve missed you so much. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Sully embraced her, a little awkwardly, drawing deeper sobs. “You should never be sorry for your feelings. It’s the one thing we have that’s truly ours.”
“You sound like the older sister.” Jordan wiped her eyes as she stepped out of her arms and realized Wynnie had left the room. Cowboy still stood sentinel a few feet away, watching them like a hawk.
“I’ve had a lot of practice taking care of younger kids,” Sully said with a small smile.
Jordan struggled to rein in her emotions. “I’d like to hear about that one day, and maybe I could tell you about our family, too.”
“I think I’d like to hear about your family. Do you have time to talk now?”
Her use of your cut like a knife, but Jordan tried not to let it show. “Yes.”
Cowboy pulled a chair out at the table for Sully, and after she sat down, he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and planted himself a few feet away, her formidable bodyguard. Jordan had the sense that he’d jump in front of a charging bull for her sister. She was glad Sully had someone she trusted, and after all the nice things Carly had said about Cowboy, she was glad he was watching out for her.
Jordan told her about their family and about her life after the accident. Sully asked a lot of questions about their parents and their aunt and uncle, and Jordan showed her pictures of everyone. She watched her closely, hoping for a hint of recognition, but didn’t see any. She tucked that disappointment away and told Sully she could have the pictures, hoping they might spark a memory. When Sully asked what her life was like now, she desperately wanted to tell her about the years of heartache, when she’d hidden her feelings about finding her, and her difficulty forming friendships, and her broken engagement with Todd, and how being with Jax had changed all of that. But her sister was dealing with enough, and so was she, so Jordan let those negative thoughts go and told her about Jax and his family and how wonderful they were, and that she hoped one day Sully would get to know them, too.
More than an hour later, as they said goodbye, Sully said, “Can you come back tomorrow? Maybe we could take a walk and talk?”
“Yes. I’d like that very much. Would it be okay if I hugged you goodbye?”
Sully nodded, and as they hugged, she said, “You felt like a stranger when you first walked in, but you don’t now.”
And just like that Jordan was crying again.
Sully smiled. “You must have gotten all the emotional genes in the family.”
“I was always the crier, and you were the tough one. I guess some things never change.”
Jordan left the room feeling like a piece of her that had been missing for too long was finally within reach.
Jax and her aunt and uncle came toward her as she walked into the main room, and Wynnie and Tiny were right behind them.
“How did it go?” her aunt asked.
“Good.” Jordan pulled more tissues from her pocket to dry her tears. “The pictures didn’t help her remember anything, and we didn’t talk about her life, but she wanted to know about mine.”
“That’s a start,” her uncle said.
“Yeah, and she asked me to come back tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful, baby.” Jax kissed her temple. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
“I feel so many things right now. I’m thankful that she’s okay.” More tears fell. “And hopeful that she’ll regain her memories, but I’m scared because I know it might never happen. But most of all, I feel like I’ve been blessed with two new beginnings.” She looked at the man who had shown her what true love was and how good it felt to give and receive that love and said, “It took us months to see where we were always meant to be.”
“It took you months,” Jax said with a sexy grin. “I knew from day one.”
God, she loved him. “Yes, and a wise, thoughtful man once told me that love has no timeline. That impossibly charming man was right, and I know that however long this takes, and whatever it becomes, it will be what it was always meant to be, too.”
