Chapter Four
Jettie’s laugh always was infectious, and when she started laughing, so did I.
It was the strangest laugh we’d ever shared, a kind of communal sense of relief, as though a great weight had been lifted off of both of our shoulders.
And then she reached out to my face, and she thumbed away the last of my tears. “Don’t cry, babe,” she said. “I hate to see you cry.”
Her voice was so genuine, tender, and sincere, and I couldn’t help but to press my face against her hand, adoring the fact that she was touching me, that she was caring for me like this. I never wanted that hand to leave me, never wanted to be out of physical contact with her again.
Her hand was warm and caring, and I felt as if I could just curl up and she’d take care of me, care for me, love me.
Love me.
I cou
