All Chapters of The Heaven Hill Series: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

The room was still and quiet, the only sound coming from the bed where Jessica slept. Most people wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, but it was the only thing he could hear. At night when he had been overseas in the military, that was the one sound that kept him grounded—that let Layne know he was still alive. He clung to that sound again tonight; not sure why, just needing a sense of familiarity.Rolling over onto his side, he used his arm as extra support. The pillow he had for this chair wasn't that great and again reminded him of his time in the Army. There were a lot of things he had learned during his time there that he wanted to completely forget, but there were some things he also coveted. One of those things slept in the bed across from him."C'mon, some chick got Justin Timberlake to go to her ball. Why don't you ask Jessica Shea? You're a good lookin' guy, I'm sure she'll say yes."Layne laughed, shaking his head. It was a late night in Fort Benning, Georgia, and

"So what do you do on a normal day?" Jessica asked as she ate her toast and drank the orange juice Meredith had poured for her.Layne glanced up from the bagel and bacon he ate, almost like her question scared him. "Ya know, the usual."She laughed. "No, I don't know what the usual is. Remember? I've never been here before."Did he tell her what they really usually did? Protection runs to help in the drug and gun trade, escort strippers out of strip joints, shake down a few people if they were paid enough money? "I usually work at the shop," he told her. "Ya know, mostly oil changes, tire rotations, things like that. I have to go work there today, actually. Will you be okay by yourself?" Funny that he hated liars – what a hypocrite he turned out to be. Being by herself didn't really appeal to her, but she knew that he also had a life that he had to live. To be honest, she had completely barged in on it, and she couldn't be mad at him if he had things to do. "I will be. I actua

Jessica tried to tame her hair into some semblance of order as she and Bianca exited the car. "What's this place?" she asked, walking around the side of the car."Welcome to Donna's Country Store. It's got gas, convenience items, and the best damn gas station food you'll ever eat in your life. It's a favorite of most guys at the shop," Bianca explained as they walked through the front door.The smell of home-cooked food assaulted Jessica's senses, and she was surprised when she saw a hot case as well as a few tables situated around the store. "So you can just walk up and order?""Yup, they make a few things ahead of time; other things are made to order." "Hey, Bianca," a woman called from behind the counter."Hey Luce," Bianca greeted back. "I have a list of stuff for the guys at the shop. Can I just leave it with you?"With her eyes still hidden behind her sunglasses, Jessica watched the exchange between the two women. Luce looked to be an older woman, but Jessica wasn't

"Can I get ginger ale in a beer mug?" Meredith asked Jasmine, the waitress who had come over to their table and who had previously worked with Bianca.Amused, Bianca and Jessica looked at each other, both snickering."What?" She shrugged. "I want to at least feel like I'm part of the group. Just because I'm trying to get pregnant doesn't mean I can't have a good time.""I hate to break it to you," Bianca reached over and put her hand on Meredith's arm, "but you're ridiculous.""Let her do what she wants," Jasmine chided them. "What can I get for you?" She turned to Jessica."Whatever Bianca's having, I'll have too."Bianca glanced at the other woman, and then looked around the room. Jagger sat over to the side, talking with Steele, who was doing protection at the club for them on this night. "Oh, what the hell! Let's do a Crown and Coke tonight."Jasmine took their orders, promising to be back soon. "So what do you think?" Meredith asked as she glanced over at Jessica.

Her hair wasn't wet anymore, but still Jessica sat on the lip of the bathtub, running her towel through the long tresses. It was easier to hide away than to go outside of her cocoon and confront Layne about things she knew he didn't want to talk about. Curiosity, however, was a part of her nature, and she just wasn't sure she could go on anymore without knowing something. Never in her life had she gone into anything less prepared than she had coming here to him. It didn't matter that she hadn't been left with much of a choice, but at the same time, she needed a bone. Something to let her know that the man she had once known was still there.Glancing at her phone, she realized she had dawdled for over an hour. It was time to face the music so to speak. She blew out a deep breath as she opened the door. What she saw was not what she expected to see. Layne lay on the bed—deeply asleep. The times they'd lain in bed together before were some of her favorite and the spot next to him looked