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Faithfully
Chapter 18
By Dottie
Copyright 2016

AJ’s POV

Yes, I’m a total asshole but I really don’t care. I’m shamelessly eavesdropping outside Jessi’s bedroom door. I wasn’t going to. I was just going to let my wife know I was going to go shopping. With four adults to feed, we’ll need more food. Plus Todd is going to need diapers. The little shit poops about every ten minutes…but God knows I love my son.

When I heard Jessi’s confession I swear I started crying to. She’s sobbing, I know Hanna Jo is trying to calm her down, and my best friend is faking sleep. What the hell am I going to do? Well, first things first, since Nick is being a jerk, he can go shopping with me. Once we’re alone, we’re having it out. One way or another he’s going to commit or cut Jessi loose. She’s been through hell…any woman that can survive what she has deserves a little happiness.

When I get to Nick’s room, I find him lying in bed playing with his phone. Trying to keep my voice down, I say, “Come on Nick.”

He glances at me, sitting up quickly. “What? What’s wrong? Is Jessi…?”

I shake my head. “She’s fine. This place needs food and you and I need to talk. Come on.”

Nick stands. “AJ, I can’t leave. She’s not supposed to walk.”

I shake my head. “OK, I forgot that part. Just…come downstairs with me. It’s important. I need to talk to you.”

I walk away, knowing he’s following me. Once we’re in the kitchen, I say, “Nick, I don’t know what you plan on doing, but I swear by all that’s Holy if you walk out on Jessi now, I’ll never speak to you again.”

He lowers his head. “She’s better off without me. Look what I did.”

I cut him off. “Yes, look what you did. You saved my life, my wife’s life, my son’s life and my mom’s life. And believe me, I know how fucking hard it was for you to make that choice. But can you imagine how Jessi would feel if you hadn’t? If Hanna Jo had died, she would have damned you to the depths of hell.”

He shakes his head. I watch him turn away from me so I can’t see the tears falling from his eyes. “Listen, I know what you’re trying to do but that doesn’t change the fact that I allowed that bastard to touch my wife.”

I grab his arm and spin him around to face me. “Nick, right now she’s lying up there crying her eyes out because of what Donnie did to you! Not because of what he did to her! She can survive that and she is! She’s putting that fucker away for LIFE! But if you bail on her now…if you run, he fucking gets exactly what he wants. Her body and your destruction! Dammit all to hell Nick, she NEEDS you. She wants to be your wife and be a family so he CAN’T win! Are you going to take that away from her?”

I watch his mouth fall. “AJ…how can I face her?”

I shake my head. “Well you don’t fucking run from her. She loves you and she needs you. She wants to be your wife. Even if you don’t share a bed, you can give her that. Get help. Go to therapy. Make a fucking effort. Don’t just cut bait and run. That’s not you Nick. That’s not the person you convinced Jessi to be in Australia. You wouldn’t let her run from you, but you’re damn sure trying to run from her. Don’t do it.”

I can see the light go on in his head. He knows I’m right. He looks up at me. “What if she decides she doesn’t want me with her? I don’t know if I can live through losing her again.”

I shake my head. “You won’t. I just stood outside that bedroom door and I heard her fall apart. She’s not upset about the rape…she’s upset because she lost you. You can help her move on. You both can help each other, but you have to try Nick. You have to step up and be the same man that promised to love her forever. Are you going to do that?”

He stares at me intently. Part of my thinks he’s going to run, but the bigger part…the part that knows my best friend better than he knows himself knows he’s going to fight for Jessi. “What should I do?”

I can’t stop the goofy smile that crosses my face. “Call Thad. Find out how we can get a marriage license and minister with her on complete bed rest. He’s a lawyer…I know he’ll find a way.


When Hanna Jo brings their breakfast dishes back to the kitchen, she sits on my lap and kisses my cheek. “Thanks for taking care of Todd.”

I hug my wife to me, thankful she is who she is. Ever since I met her, my world has changed. She gave me love…she gave me joy…she gave me my son. She’s blossomed into a vibrant, loving, sexy-as-hell woman and I can’t wait for the day I can crawl in bed and make love to her again. But that’s a few weeks away.

I brought back into the moment when she says, “Alex, what’s wrong?”

I kiss her cheek. “Nothing Babe. Just thinking about Nick.”

Her eyes cloud over. “Did you tell him what she said?”

My mouth drops. “You knew I was listening?”

She giggles. “Alex, you couldn’t tiptoe if it saved your life. You have a heavy foot-fall. So did you tell him?”

I shrug. “Not word for word. But I made him stop and think about things. I don’t think he’ll run…not now.”

She frowns. “He can’t run. She’ll be devastated.”

I put my head on her shoulder. “We can’t force him to stay either. He has to want to be with her or it won’t work.”

I can tell she’s crying without seeing her face. “It’s not fair Alex. Jessi has never had a chance at true love. When she met Nick, she found it and now it’s being ripped away from her.” In a low, almost primal growl, she mutters, “Donnie Wahlberg is a bastard and he’s taking away the only man Jessi has ever loved. It’s not fucking fair!”

I can’t help myself. “Jessi’s right. No matter how many lessons I give you, it’s still odd to hear you cuss.”

She sighs. “I know. I’m hopeless.”

I lean back and say, “No you’re not. You’re my Hanna Banana…and for you, the only place cussing actually sounds normal is during sex.”

She laughs at me, hugging my neck. With her mouth close to my ear she whispers, “You like hearing me say fuck, don’t you?”

I groan, my dick starting to harden. “Stop it Woman. I can’t do the things I wanna do with you for a couple more weeks.”

I feel her bite my earlobe and my erection starts to ache. “Maybe when Nick takes over watching Jessi I can suck your cock. Would you like that Big Mac?”

I grab her hair and pull her head back. After a kiss that leaves us both breathless, I whisper, “I love you Hanna Jo McLean. Don’t you EVER doubt that.”


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