Trouble(109)
I meet him back on the bed. We sit facing each other. I keep the envelope containing Jordan’s present behind my back.
“Who’s going first?” he asks, looking excited, like a little kid on his birthday.
I’m excited too. Trembling with it.
“We could open together. Or you first. Or me,” I say.
He raises his eyebrow.
“What? I’m just excited!”
“Not together,” he says. “’Cause I want to see the look on your face when you open mine.”
“Okay. You go first.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
My nervous, trembling hand brings the envelope around to give to him.
His eyes meet mine, a puzzled look in them. Then he takes it from me, and tears the envelope open. Hand in, he pulls the papers out.
I watch his eyes reading over it, then widening as he takes the details in.
His eyes lift to mine. Awe and love in them. It squeezes my heart. “Did you really do this?”
I nod. “Not on my own though, the agent helped me … is it too much?”
His eyes go down to the papers, then lift back to mine. Now they’re glistening, and I can feel my own welling up. “No … it’s just … fuckin’ amazing, babe … I can’t believe you did this.”
I tug on my lip. “I was thinking of what to get you, and I remembered how you sounded that day when you said you’d never go traveling again. The sadness in your voice. I didn’t want that to be the case. I know how much you love traveling … seeing the world, so I thought I’d finish off the trip you started with your friends.”
The gift I bought Jordan was the rest of the trip he never got to finish when Anna got sick.
I bought a three week vacation, leaving in a week, taking us to India, then Nepal, onto Hong Kong, then Shanghai, and ending in Japan.
It’s a gift for me too as I’ve never travelled before. And who better to break that virginity with than Jordan?
His face breaks into a grin. “Looks like we’re on the same page with our gifts.”
“What do you mean?”
He pulls out an envelope, similar to mine from behind his back. “Open it.” He smiles, handing it to me.
I tear the envelope open, and pull out the contents.
Holy shit!
“A trip to Paris at Christmas!” I yell, then cover my mouth with my hand.
He chuckles. “I knew you’d never left the country before, and I’ve never been to Europe, so I thought we could go over for Christmas. Looks like we’re gonna accrue some serious air miles this year.” He grins.
I launch myself at him, kissing him deeply. He takes us down to the bed, rolling me underneath him.
His hand slides down my thigh, cupping my butt, covering my scars, holding me. “Love you, babe.”
“I love you too.”
I came here to Colorado, looking for my mother, trying so hard to escape my past. Trying to find a purpose, a reason to live.
I might not have found my mother in the way I’d first hoped, but instead I found so much more.
I found something I’ve never before had—never dreamed I would have … a real family.
Jordan, Jim, Beth and Dozer.
But best of all … I got love.
Not love under fear or condition. Not love that comes with a price. I got real, honest to god love in all its purest forms.
Family love. Friend love. Unconditional love. And the best love of all…
Jordan.
He gave me the one thing he’s never given to anyone before.
He gave me his heart, and his trust.
And in return, I gave him the same right back.
The End