A Hidden Truth

A Quick Run Before Supper

[Jaxon]

    We entered the main house. I hadn’t been in Tamsin’s house in my entire life. We’d always done family things at Bobbi’s or Karen’s. As a kid, I’d stayed outside with my nieces and nephews. Even though I worked at the ranch, the main house wasn’t a place I needed to go. So I’d stayed away.

    Juniper seemed to know exactly where she was going. She led me by the hand to the large open living area. There was a U-shaped couch around a large wooden coffee table in one corner. A long table with at least a dozen chairs took up the other side of the room and the kitchen, with a large island, was in the back by the sliding patio doors.

    I could see Beau and Red out by the grill. They waved to me and I looked back at Juniper. She seemed dazed. How had no one noticed how broken up she was? Even through the half smirking apology about slapping me, she looked like she was about to cry.

    Bobbi came over and gave Juniper an awkward hug. She was still clinging to me like I was the last solid thing on Earth. I’d be her anchor for as long as she’d let me. Juniper needed to feel what it was to have a real relationship and not that farce Hank had forced on her.

    “Juni, why don’t you come with us and help get the last bit of prep done before the boys are finished with the meat?” She asked.

    Juniper looked up at me.

    “If it’s what you want, sweet. You can go hang out with my sisters and nieces. I think Teddy’s over there, too. They’ll take care of you.” I whispered to her.

    She nodded and let me go. I’d never felt as cold as I did without her little hand in mine. I watched as she retreated to the kitchen with my sister.

    More than anything, I wanted to bundle her up and carry her away. Food was important, though. She’d had a pretty bad mental shock. It wouldn’t be getting any better without some sort of normalization. That would be hard after having her whole world turned upside down.

    I went through the sliding door. When I looked over, I saw that Gary, Carson, and Trace were sitting on the patio furniture with beers. I got a greeting nod from them and walked the short distance to the barbecue where Red and Beau were standing. Beau smiled a little in greeting.

    “How is she?” He asked.

    “Not great.” I sighed.

    Red handed me a beer from the cooler by his feet. Normally, I wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but it seemed right. I took a drink and shook my head.

    “It’s like she’s empty.” Carson said. “But she’s tryin’ so hard to be normal. The girls told us to just act like we didn’t notice. It was hard as hell.”

    The sliding door opened and Teddy came out. He came over and hugged me hard. I hadn’t been expecting it, but I was starting to get used to him touching me. This was more platonic than the last time.

    “Thank you. I didn’t think I could keep pretendin’ not to see her hurtin’. She’s still not great, but she’s actually smilin’ now.” He whispered.

    “Will she be okay tonight?” I asked.

    “I’ll stay with her. She doesn’t sleep good by herself. This’ll cause nightmares.” Teddy said as he pulled away.

    “Do you think she’d let me stay with her? Would it be okay with you? I want to take care of her. You’ve done it for years. Let me help.” I requested.

    He smiled. “You sure? Startin’ a relationship with this much baggage isn’t a great idea, Jaxon.”

    “I don’t seem to be able to stop. I need to be with her, Teddy. It’s like I’m gonna die if I can’t be a part of her life.” I admitted.

    “It might be nice to have someone help out. Let’s see where we are at the end of the night.” He looked over at the others on the patio. I didn’t know if it was Carson or Gary he was looking for.

    “Go on. I’ll be right here.” I told him.

    I stood with Red and Beau talking about the plans we had for the next week. There was a lot to do. Trace said he’d make sure there was a restraining order against Hank for the high school and the ranch. That was why they’d brought Teddy and Juniper there.

    We had a meeting set for tomorrow night. The Fordyces would be coming with us, because we didn’t want Juniper to be without protection on Hank’s first night back in the free world. Just in case.

    The door flew open, making everyone turn. Camille came out looking alarmed.

    “Daddy, Carson help! She dropped something and it broke. Then she just ran out of the house!” She cried.

    Trace and Carson went to her to calm her down, but I was already headed through the door and out the front. I could see Blaine running down the drive, followed by Karen. I ran as fast as I could, passing both up and finally seeing Juniper as she raced to the front gate.

    I paced myself. She’d run out of steam before I did, then I could catch up. We got a fair distance down the road before she started slowing. After a bit longer, I caught up. I just ran beside her for a while. She was still panicked. I didn’t know what could have happened, but I’d make sure I found out.

    We’d nearly made it to town before she stopped and put her hands on her knees, working to catch her breath. I stood by. Touching her wouldn’t be a great idea until I knew she was registering where she was and who I was. Juniper looked up and around. When she saw me, she hid her face.

    “You run pretty fast.” I chuckled. “What happened, sweet? Did the noise scare you?”

    She shook her head. I waited, but she only sunk into a crouch on the side of the road. Juniper wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face on top of them.

    “Did you remember something? Were you afraid of him?” I said softly as I moved closer and knelt in front of her.

    She nodded. I could see her shaking and hyperventilating. Reaching out, I stroked her hair and waited. There was no traffic on the road. Most people were home at this time on a Sunday. I could see Red’s truck parked down the road. Teddy and Carson were standing in the back, leaning over the cab.

    “I’m s…s’posed to be home now. I looked at the time and I started panickin’. The bowl fell and I was so embarrassed. Everyone was lookin’ at me like I was some wounded animal who might bite if they came near. I couldn’t handle it, Jaxon.” She murmured with a quivering voice. Her accent changed when she was upset.

    “Let’s go back. I’ll go in and pack us some food, then we’ll head to your house and eat there. I was worried it might be too much, but I didn’t want you to isolate yourself either.” I stood up and leaned over. “Come on, sweet. Our ride’s here.”

    She looked up at me and gave me her hands. I hauled her up to stand and guided her to the truck. Her brothers jumped down and pulled her between them, engulfing her little body in a hug. They were whispering to each other and rocking her.

    It was frustrating to me. I should be the one taking care of her. It wasn’t my nature to take a backseat when I was needed. But I knew they had a close relationship.

    After a while, they loaded her into the cab and pushed me in next to her before they climbed in the truck bed again. As Red turned the truck around, Juniper curled close to me. I put my arm around her. This was how it should be. My girl, in my arms.

    When we reached the house, Red told me to stay with her while they went in to get us some food. Teddy brought out a tote full of containers and told me he’d picked out all the things she liked to eat. Red drove us to the guest houses and carried the bag in while I helped Juniper. He left as I was gathering plates and utensils.

    Juniper unpacked and opened the containers. We loaded our plates up and ate quietly. I wanted to talk to her like I had the first time we’d eaten together. I wanted to make her laugh like she had before. I hated not being everything she needed. I resolved to find out how to take care of her.

    When we’d finished, Juniper helped me clean up. We stood in the empty kitchen, staring at each other. She seemed to have come back to herself a little, because she started looking around and blushing before she set to unpacking the boxes of kitchen stuff Beau and I had brought. I helped as much as I could and we started moving around the little house, putting things in their places. She grew calmer as things started coming together.

    A couple hours later, we were just wrapping up Teddy’s room, when we heard the front door open. Juniper stiffened for a moment. There were some thumps and whispers. We went out and saw Gary pressing Teddy against the wall kissing his neck while Teddy was fumbling with the buckle on Gary’s pants. I cleared my throat and they stopped moving.

    Juniper pulled out her phone and started taking pictures. She noticed me watching her and winked. It was nice to see her acting normally. I looked back at the men. They were still frozen.

    “Are you two standing still, hoping we won’t be able to see you? Because I have some bad news.” I told them. Juniper started giggling.

    Teddy sighed. “What were you doin’ in my room? I thought you two were already in bed.”

    Juniper turned bright red and turned to me. “What?”

    “I was going to stay with you tonight, since your brother was… busy.” I explained.

    “Jaxon, I don’t need a babysitter. You can leave.” She scowled.

    Teddy walked over, pulling Gary with him. He clamped his hand down on her shoulder and she looked at him angrily.

    “You don’t need a babysitter, Juni. You need a security blanket. He’s promised no funny business. It’s just one night. Now, go take your bath and get to bed. You got school in the mornin’.”

    “Fine.” She stormed away.

    I had no idea why she was mad, but at least she agreed. If she’d said no, I wouldn’t have pushed it.

    “I got some extra pajama bottoms you can borrow for the night.” Teddy said as he went past me into his room.

    “Juniper said you can unpack the little bag on your bed yourself. She put everything else away for you. She said you liked things a certain way.” I told him.

    Teddy grinned and opened the second drawer of his dresser, pulling out one of the pajama pants in it. “Exactly how I like them organized.” He walked around the room opening drawers and looking in the closet. “She’s never been able to sit still if somethin’ needs done. Now, git.” He tossed them at me and pointed to the door.

    After I left the room, I heard the lock click. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about him being lonely. It would relieve Juniper, too. I knew she worried about him having set aside his life for her.

    I heard her in the tub as I walked through the alcove into the bedroom. It was the best time to change. I’d go home to grab a shower before I came back for work tomorrow.

    Twenty minutes later, Juniper came into the room. I was sitting on her bed, scrolling through my messages. I’d missed calling my mom. I sent her a text saying I’d had a friend who was in trouble and got distracted. She replied that she was happy I was making friends. I looked up and smiled. Juniper looked cute in her big flannel pajamas.

    “I hope you weren’t expecting something lacy and frilly.” She muttered.

    “In fact, I’m only turned on by girls who dress like old men going to bed. If I buy you some of those loafer style slippers and a bathrobe, would you wear them for me?” I murmured in bedroom tones.

    “Well, Jaxon Boone, I had no idea. I guess I will, but only if you keep dressing like that.” Her eyes raked over my body slowly.

    The pajama pants Teddy gave me had a low waist and were a light, thin material that left little to the imagination. I hadn’t put my shirt on, since I rarely slept in one. She bit her lip in an enticing way.

    I shook my head. “Get into bed. You’re not going to get enough sleep if you don’t. I’ll sleep on top of the blankets.”

    “You’re barely wearing anything, Jaxon. You promised you wouldn’t do anything. I trust you. Get under the covers. I don’t want you to get sick.” Juniper said sternly.

    I stood and pulled back the blankets, then climbed in next to her. She turned off the lamp on her nightstand and stayed on her side. I put my hands behind my head and stared at the ceiling, dreadfully aware of her soft little body next to mine. Her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.

    My thoughts drifted to our kiss today. I was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t hit me or push me away. She’d moaned softly under her breath when my lips touched hers. It reminded me of the kiss yesterday when it seemed like she was starving for me.

    There was movement in the bed and I felt her roll over, curling into my side with her head on my chest. There wasn’t a lot of room on the double sized bed. I put my arm around her and enjoyed the feeling of the girl I loved being so close to me.

    It took a while to get to sleep. I’d overestimated my actual ability to hold her and be unaffected. The next day would definitely be a pain, but it was worth it to start establishing our connection and her safety with me.