A/N: Ya'll love me right? ;P Sorry this part is short, but I had to break it off of the next part because it got too long. And thank you SO MUCH for the 7 reviews I got for the last chapter! And under 24 hours too! Ya'll are amazing fans. 3 We're at 60 reviews now too; it really makes my day. So, this is my little way of treating you guys. I hope you like this scene; it's not very fluffy, but it's got some important details in it. Enjoy!
Midnight Exertion
Squeak.
…
…
…
Squeeak.
…
…
…
Squeeeeeeaaaaak.
…
…
Click.
…
Click
…
SLAM!
My eyes snap open at the slamming of the door. I'd been awake since the first squeak of the floorboard, but I wanted to ignore it.
I glance behind me to see Chelsea still sound sleep beside me. Her arm was wrapped around my waist and her hair fell gently over her shoulder. Gently I reach over and wipe a little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, smiling at how adorable she was.
Gently I unwrap her arm from around me and slide out of the makeshift bed Jill made for us in her house. I watch Chelsea as she curls her arms around my pillow and snuggle it close to her. She takes in a deep breath of my scent on the pillow and smiles in her sleep.
My heart beats for this woman. God I love her so much. But she's okay for now.
I glance across the room to where Jill was supposed to be sleeping. An empty bed. Jill must have left the house.
My gaze travels to the clock on the wall, showing me it was a little after eleven at night. Jill hadn't had a bachelorette party, and I was pretty sure there wasn't a bachelor party either.
Where would Jill have gone? I'm pretty sure she hadn't gone to visit Rock; she wouldn't have snuck out for that. And she went out too long ago for me to follow her.
I sigh and rub my eyes. I'd wait until Jill got back. I still needed to talk to her about Rock, and this would provide the perfect time.
Slowly, I walk to Jill's kitchen. Making sure to tread quietly and not wake up Chelsea. I toss on a shirt as well, not wanting Jill to come back and see me only in my boxers.
As quietly as I possibly can, I make a pot of coffee and then sit on a stool with my eyes trained on the door.
An hour later, I hear a lock click and my focus comes back from where I was dozing off. I keep my eyes trained on the door as it opens and a flustered Jill walks in the door.
I take that in for a moment. For the first time, I saw her smiling like crazy, her face flushed and a sparkle in her eyes. When I see that her lips are slightly swollen, I clear my throat.
Thankfully, she doesn't scream. She just jumps and looks at me where I sit in the kitchen with a large pot of coffee and two cups.
I gesture for her to come take a seat beside me, and she softly closes the door. I had a small light set up where I was sitting, and as she steps into the light I see her a bit more clearly.
She really did look flustered. That was really the best way to describe how she looked. When she sits down, I pour coffee into one of the cups and push it towards her. Jill takes the cup, but them promptly looks down at the ground; like she was a puppy about to be hit.
"Jill, may I talk with you?" My voice is soft. I'm trying to show her that I'm not mad with her. I don't even know what she's done!
"Well, you did make me coffee." She smiles at me slightly from under her long lashes. "How long have you been awake?"
"Since you left." I take a sip of the coffee. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't really my thing to begin with.
She winces as she glances at the clock. "Sorry for depriving you of sleep."
I shrug it off. "I've had more than enough time to sleep the past year. An hour won't kill me."
Jill smiles again, seeming to lighten up a bit. To try and calm her a bit more, I avoid the question of where she went. For now.
"So how are you and Rock?" I raise my eyebrow at her, knowing she wasn't expecting that question.
"We're fine." She answers right away, all emotion seeming to ooze out of her features at the mention of his name. "We're getting married tomorrow."
Mmhmm. "How long did you two date for?"
Now she squirms in her seat. "A few weeks."
I take a sip of my coffee as I look at her. She's lying. I know she is. Don't ask me how; I just do.
"Jill," I look her directly in the eyes. "I'm not judging you. I won't even tell anyone if you don't want me to. I just want to understand."
She takes another sip and doesn't say anything. So I do. "Jill, I'm guessing you know my story from Chelsea. My mom is dead. I've known my dad for a year. I don't know much about how people interact, but I just have this feeling," I pause, looking at her with my head titled ever so slightly. "This feeling deep in my gut, that you don't really love Rock."
Her shoulders heave and a sob escapes her lips. Mentally I slap myself; I wasn't supposed to make her cry! Goodness gracious; men will never understand women!
I stand up and walk beside her to give her a comforting hug. She turns into me and cries on my shoulder. As I stroke her hair, I can't help but thinking to myself; why am I always with crying women? For a stoic cowboy who didn't want anything to do with anybody, I sure was changing my reputation pretty fast.
After a few minutes, she stops crying and I know the shoulder of my shirt is damp, but I just sit back down. I could change it later.
Jill sniffs. "I'm sorry Vaughn, I'm so sorry…"
"Jill, don't apologize to me. You don't have to." I smile at her, trying to make her feel at ease again.
She sniffles again, and nods. "You're right though."
Ha! I was right! I slap that thought away; this was no time to be smug.
"Why are you going to marry him then?" My next question is soft, my curiosity pushed aside for compassion.
She shrugs and looks down at the floor again. "Because I can't marry the man I love."
"Can you tell me who he is?" I'm rather curious about this guy. This was who I wanted to know. The guy who caught Jill's heart.
But Jill looks up at me sharply and shakes her head furiously with eyes as big as saucers. "N-no! I can't tell you! Not you!"
Okay, back up Vaughn. Hey, I could be a physiologist! No, focus.
"Okay Jill. You don't have to." I pause for a moment as something hits me. "That's where you went isn't it? You went to go see him?"
She nods, a small smile forming on her lips as she remembers it. I know she's remembering it. I would have.
"Why can't you marry him Jill?"
Jill grimaces. "He's not exactly…looked up to…in this village."
"So you can't marry him because someone else doesn't like him?" I can't help but smile ever so slightly as she nods.
"Let me tell you a story Jill." I grip my coffee and make sure she's listening. "I hate people. I think they're annoying, selfish and stupid."
I pause again to let this sink in, and I see a look of confusion on Jill's face as her nose scrunches up.
"At least I used to." I pause and glance over at my sleeping wife. I can feel my expression visibly soften as I smile at her. "When I first met Chelsea, I was a much colder and meaner person than I am now."
I look back at Jill. "No one in the village really like me for a while. Just Julia and Mirabelle, but they were family."
I look back at Chelsea. "Your cousin changed all that. She was stubborn too. As stubborn as you are. She was determined to be my friend."
I shake my head. "Lord knows why. I was cruel to her every time we talked. But she got through." I snort and shake my head. "Look where it got her."
"Married to a wonderful man?" Jill offers with a smile.
I move to bring my hat over my eyes, but I realize it's not on my head. So my face begins to heat up instead.
"Point is," I steer the conversation away from me. "That if you love this guy as much as you do, the rest of the town will like him too. Because it's your love that changes that changes him."
But Jill shakes her head. "You don't get it Vaughn. He can't. If I told you who he was, you'd probably think I'd be better with Rock. Like everybody else thinks."
Who could this guy possibly be? I wasn't beginning to doubt he was one of the bachelor's in Forget-Me-Not Valley. But I couldn't imagine anyone worse to marry than Rock. The guy calls himself, 'The Rock'. There's something physiologically wrong with the guy.
"He's not from here is he?" My thoughts are confirmed as she sadly nods her head, swirling her coffee around.
"Why don't you just bring him here and show everyone he's not as bad as they think?" It's a simply question, but I don't expect her outburst.
"NO!" She screams and jumps up from her seat, her coffee falling from her hands and spilling over the carpet. I look over at Chelsea, and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize she's still sleeping.
I turn back to Jill, who's standing there with wide eyes, shaking her head. "They'll take him! I can't…I can't…I can't…"
"Jill, breathe!" I place my hand on her arm, worried she might start hyperventilating. She nods her head obediently and takes a few shaky deep breaths.
She sits back down and I pick her coffee mug off the ground, and fill more coffee into it. Then I pass it back to her and she takes it with even shakier hands.
I leave the silence along as I ponder what she said. They'll take him? The villagers? But where would they take him? Away from here apparently, but I have no idea where.
Jill suddenly shakes her head and looks up at me. "I know you're trying to help Vaughn. And I appreciate it." She pauses and puts her coffee down on the counter. "But tomorrow I'm marrying Rock. And that's it. Nothing can change that."
She gets to her feet, and my gut starts twisting around. This wasn't right! "Jill…"
"I meant it Vaughn." She turns dagger eyes on me, amethyst on amethyst. "Keep your nose out of it. There's no good that can come of it."
I silently watch her walk over to her bed and collapse. A few minutes later, I hear her begin snoring.
My lips are twisted downwards in a slight frown. What the hell could be bad enough to make even determined Jill give up?
I dump the coffee down the drain; I could make more in the morning. Before I turn off the light, I walk over to Jill's bed. My heart clenches when I see her face streaked with silent tears. Gently, I brush them off with the sleeve of my shirt.
Then I switch off the light and climb back into the makeshift bed with Chelsea. An arm automatically wraps around my waist, and I smile down at my beautiful wife. Rock would never hold Jill this way. I knew it. Rock had called Jill 'babe'. That's not what you call someone you love. Baby, maybe; but not babe.
I shuffle downwards in the bed and burry my head in Chelsea's hair, making sure I'm not blocking her air. Her sweet scent drifts around me and surrounds me, and I feel more at ease. Slowly, I begin to drift off to sleep.
