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Chapter 51 - Jim
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2021-05-20 22:29:00Jackson slips under the surface of the water and doesn’t come back up. Alyson screams, and I jump in, diving down and swimming across to grab Jackson. I hook my arm around him and push off the bottom of the pool. He’s thrashing, doing everything he can to get himself to the surface, and hits me in the face a few times. I bring him up out of the water, and Weston takes
him from my arms, bringing him out of the pool.
“What were you thinking?” Weston asks, eyes wide with fear. Jackson coughs up water, and Wes holds him tightly against him. I pull myself up out of the water, eyes on the kid. “Are you okay?”
Jackson is still coughing, and being hugged tight by his father isn’t helping. Alyson comes around, crouching down to Jackson. Mrs. Langford comes outside, panicked.
“What happened? I heard someone scream.”
“Jackson jumped in the pool and Jim saved him,” Alyson says, letting out a sha
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Further to Fall in Love Chapter 52 - Alyson
I lean back in my chair, wiping tears from my eyes. A logical part of my brain tells me I need to stop. But for some reason, I lack all self-control and don’t click away. Someone knocks on my office door, and I look up, prepared to hide behind my monitor if need be.But it’s just Marissa, and I wave her in.“Oh my God,” she says and comes around to my desk. “Stop watching those clips of dogs greeting their owners after they come home from the military.”“But it’s so sweet!”“You have mascara dripping down your face.”“I didn’t wear any today.”She hikes an eyebrow. “Then it’s yesterday’s leftover mascara.”I grab a tissue from my desk drawer. “That’s likely.” I wipe my eyes and close the viral video. “Did you come in here just to yell at me?”“I wish I did.” She looks behind her,
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Smiling, I take Alyson’s hand. “Things are quite different now than the last time we walked up and down this river.”“You’re not kidding,” she says back with a laugh. We just got done with dinner and are enjoying the night out together.“Though one thing is the same.”“What?”My heart is in my throat, but this time I’m not nervous. “I was in love with you then, like I am now.”Alyson stops short, grip on my hand tightening. Her lips are slightly parted with shock, but her eyes are sparkling. “What?”I pull her close, heart thumping away. “If you’re not ready to say it back, that’s okay. But I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. I love you.”“I love you, too.”“Really?”“Yes,” she says with a laugh, blinking back tears. “I kne
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Jim doesn’t need to say it for me to know: his mom calling at dawn can’t be a good thing. He sits up and takes the phone from me.“Are you going to call her back?”“I will later. You should go back to sleep so you’re not tired. I fucked you hard before we went to bed. Didn’t you say I wore you out?”He’s trying to lighten the mood, I know. And he really did wear me out. How he functions so well on so little sleep is beyond me. While I appreciate his efforts to downplay this for my sake, I know he shouldn’t.“Something could be wrong with—”“I’ll call her later. Lay down and I’ll rub your back.” “I won’t be able to sleep. Because now I’m worried.”Jim lets out a sigh. “I didn’t want him to take up any of your time or energy, Alyson.”“Yeah, but he is and he will. He’s
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I hang up the phone and rub my temples. I wasn’t expecting that. Not at fucking all. I’m still a little stunned. Raising my arms above my head, I stretch and roll my neck. I’m used to standing in the same position for hours and didn’t realize I’ve been sitting and hardly moved for the last hour and a half.I go to the window, giving myself a moment to process everything, and look down at the city. I’m in Alyson’s kitchen, and the view is amazing. In my younger years, I would have loved to live here. I’d feel like a fucking baller up in this place, with its large white kitchen and lakefront view.But now…now I’m questioning raising a child in a place like this. Not because I don’t think it’s fitting, but because I know how Alyson grew up in a small town, and how I watched them, an outsider looking in, and thought the Langfords were fucking perfect.I press one hand against the cool glass, st
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“I think we should make this a regular Friday-night occurrence,” Jim says. We’re sitting on the couch, naked and snuggled together with our feet propped up on the coffee table and plates of food on our laps. “I like eating naked.”“I do too, and I have to say I did a good job on these enchiladas.”“They taste just like the ones your mom makes,” he tells me, knowing that’s a compliment. My mom is a great cook.“The recipe is pretty easy to follow,” I confess. “It’s not like a four-course fancy meal or anything, though I think the preparation gives this meal five stars.”“You could have made me Ramen noodles and it would have been five stars.”Laughing, I take my last bite and put my plate on the coffee table, reaching over to get my water.Jim gets up to get a second helping, and I shamelessly watch his ass as he walks into the kitchen.
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Izip up my suitcase and haul it into the living room. I’m on call tonight and then I’m home free, ready to spend a week on the Hawaiian coast with Alyson. Everything is ready, and I plan to sleep as much as I can until I have to go in. Then it’s come back here, take a quick shower and drive to Chicago so Alyson and I can board the plane together.The last time I went on a real vacation was my senior year during my pre-med schooling. Jacob and I went to Miami for spring break, stayed in a shitty-ass motel and almost got hustled by a pair of twins. Can I even consider that a vacation?“Did you pack the ring?” Sam asks, coming out of the kitchen.I turn, giving him a surprised look. “You know about it?”Sam’s eyes widen. “I was giving you shit. You really bought her a ring?” “Not quite. Her grandma gave me her ring to propose with.” “Are you going to?”I run my hand th
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“Boston?” I echo even though I heard him right the first time. “As in east coast Boston?”“Yeah,” he says, not looking away from his phone. I can see the conflicting emotions on his face, and I hope he looks up and says it’s not worth it after all because his family is here in Chicago.But he doesn’t.“I think our ride is here,” he says instead, and grabs my carry-on bag, hiking it up on his shoulder. I flip my hood on to keep my hair dry and wheel my suitcase out, and the word Boston repeats through my mind over and over. I’ve been to New York but not Boston. It’s not a terribly long flight, but it’s no quick trip either.And Emma will be born by then. Traveling alone with a baby has to be difficult. I can’t tell Jim not to go though, right? He’s furthering his education, not taking a year or two off to party.“Get in so you don’t get wet
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“A re you doing all right, babe?” I ask Alyson, wondering if the sun is getting to her like it’s getting to me. Though judging by the distance between us, she’s doing just fine.She stops, turning around and holds up her phone, taking pictures of our surroundings before taking one of me.“I’m fine, just like I was the last time you asked me. You’re a slowpoke.”I laugh. “You ran up ahead.”“I thought I saw a ferret.”“They’re mongooses. Mongeese? They were brought here to help control the rat population but took over.”“Well, they’re cute. I want one.”“I think they’re mean.”“They just want love.” Alyson puts her phone back in her bag and holds out her hand. I take it, lacing our fingers and pulling her in for a kiss. We’re hiking today, on our way to see a waterfall. It’s hotter
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I look in the mirror, making sure my hair is okay. It’s the morning of Jacob and Kara’s wedding, and I’m not feeling the greatest. I’d say I’m nervous, but I don’t think that’s the case. I got invited back into the wedding party at the last minute, and I really do think Kara feels bad about going psychotic over the details of her wedding.I wasn’t the only one who felt her wrath, and after her sorority sister threatened to drop out, Kara changed her ways. Still, things are tense between us, and Jacob was given shit by Kara for hanging out with Jim. It bothered me, pissed me off even, and then I hit week thirty-nine and stopped caring about pretty much everything except getting this baby out of me.She’s still in there, chilling with no signs of making her debut into the world. She finally dropped a week ago and hasn’t progressed since then.“You look beautiful, babe,” Jim says, coming into t
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 69 - Jim
“Is it just me or is this really awkward?” Alyson leans in, resting her plate of appetizers on her belly.“It’s awkward. I feel like we should leave.”Her aunt Belinda comes over, arms extended. Alyson’s eyes widen, and she nods, putting on a fake smile. We’re at Jacob and Kara’s wedding shower, and Alyson and Jacob’s relatives are more excited about Emma’s upcoming birth and the house Alyson and I are building together than the wedding.Kara has been giving Alyson the stink-eye all afternoon, and Alyson and I retreated to the back of the venue, trying to escape the limelight. Alyson hands me her plate and gets up to hug her aunt. She winces when she stands, making me even more glad she’s done with her job in Chicago. Emma is due in a month and the round ligament pain has gotten worse, as well as Braxton Hicks contractions. She’s been a trooper though, hardly complaining at all. I’ve b
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 68 - Alyson
“You’re such a bitch for leaving,” Marissa says, standing next to my desk. “I’m going to miss you.”“I’m here for two more weeks,” I remind her. “And Eastwood is two hours away. Less if traffic moves quickly.”“Which happens so often.”“I know. But I’ll be in the city at least once a month.” “You better tell me every time you’re here.”“I will,” I say and look up from my desk. I put in my two weeks’ notice today. I’d been dreading doing it and actually put it off for a full week before talking to my boss. I’m sad to leave, and part of me will miss this place. But it’s mid-January and I’m so ready to go home and be with Jim.We have a small apartment downtown and have been finalizing plans for our house to be built this spring. Feeling like I’m becoming my mother, I’ve been pinning an
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 67 - Jim
“Everything was perfect at the latest scan,” I say, taking the ultrasound photos from Alyson. We’re at her parents’ house again, two weeks after getting engaged. It’s Thursday afternoon and a bit early for dinner, but Alyson has to drive back to the city tonight for work in the morning. I was able to get back in for an interview at the local hospital, and after talking with the head surgeon again, I think things went as well as they can after you turn down a job because you didn’t think it’d be challenging enough.“The OB thinks she’s going to be big,” Alyson says, cutting into her chicken. “You are looking like a beached whale already,” Owen tells her with a wink. “I think you look radiant,” Logan counters. “Simply beautiful.”“Flattery isn’t going to make you be the godfather, dumbass,” Owen spits, rolling his eyes at his twin.“We already kn
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 66 - Alyson
“No?” Jim echoes, face paling.“I want to hear the speech.” I chose Jim’s fingers around the ring. “Ask me like you had it planned.”Jim looks down at the ring. “Are you…are you going to say yes?” “Yes!” I say, and tears fall from my eyes. “I love you so much, Jim.”“I love you too,” he says, wrapping his arms around me. He pulls me onto his lap, and when we kiss, everything fades away. Breathless, I break away, cupping Jim’s face with my hands.“How tired are you?”“Pretty damn tired.”I gently kiss him. “Do you want to get a good night’s sleep and make sure this is what you want?” I ask with a smile.“It’s what I’ve always wanted.” He shifts his weight, holding me close. “I brought the ring to Hawaii with me.”“You’ve had this since the
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 65 - Jim
Isink into the driver’s seat, squeezing my eyes shut for a second before starting the car. I just got home from Boston, and I have a headache. Both from lack of sleep and from everything going on. But after talking with my mother, I knew what I had to do. You make sacrifices for your children, and in the end, they’re worth it.I have two missed calls from Alyson, and it’s been killing me not to call her back. I wanted to wait until I was in the car though, so she wouldn’t hear the sounds of the airport. Leaving the parking garage, I call her, and she answers after the first ring.“Hey, babe,” I say. “Sorry I missed your calls. I was in back-to-back surgeries.”“You’re at work?” she asks, voice flat.“Yeah. But I’m out now.”“Sure.”“Are you still in Eastwood?”“Yep. That was my plan. Stay here this weekend.”&
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 64 - Alyson
“Your tummy is big, Aunt Winnie.”“Thanks, buddy. But if you think this is big, just wait.”Jackson scrunches up his nose. “I still don’t get how Jim put a baby in there.” “Hey,” Weston says, shaking his head. “We talked about this.”I try not to laugh, knowing the reaction will only perpetuate the situation. “What did you say?” I quietly ask Wes.“A lot of stuff that confused him even more. But I told him it’s not polite to talk to women about things in their bellies.”“Good call. Raise him to be a gentleman.” I put my hand on my lower abdomen, wincing as I straighten up.“You okay, sis?”“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been having more round ligament pain the last few days. My OB said it was more common in the first trimester, fades in the second, and comes back at the end. Some lucky people get it the whol
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 63 - Jim
“Your frequent flyer is back.”“Are you serious?” I look up from the paperwork I’ve been filling out for the last twenty minutes, knowing by the nurse’s face she is.“Popped stitches. ER sent him up.”“They can’t do stitches down there?” I grumble.The nurse rolls her eyes. “Apparently ‘it’s internal,’ and he needs to see a surgeon. Like we can just put him in front of our other patients. Do you want me to send him back down?”“No, I’ll deal with it. Thank you, though.”I finish my paperwork and deal with the difficult patient, who had a hernia repaired a month ago and hasn’t followed post-op instructions at all. He’s been in three times since his operation. I do rounds after that, finish my paperwork and finally go home after a twenty-six-hour shift.Another resident who’s been in the program with me sin
Further to Fall in Love Chapter 62 - Alyson
I hang up without leaving a message and set my phone down, feeling a little uneasy. I haven’t talked to Jim since yesterday afternoon. Things still weren’t quite resolved between us when we got off the plane, and it’s making the missed calls seem like a bigger deal than it is.I know Jim was in surgery throughout the night and is working again today. He doesn’t usually call if he gets off in the middle of the night, not wanting to wake me up. Though given the way things are unsettled between us, it’s making me worry. And when I worry, I tend to obsess and assume the worst is going to happen. That way if something slightly less traumatic actually does happen, I’m not as devastated.“My bitch is back!” Marissa throws her arms up and comes into my office. “It was so boring around here without you last week. How was vacay?”“Fun,” I tell her with a smile. And it was, up until the plane ride home
