Page 208 of Iced Up Love: Part Two
“He almost did it.”
I step further into the room, the door closing softly behind me.
“He didn’t,” I say.
Jackson finally looks up at me.
“That’s not the point,” he replies. “We were letting him win.”
The words land heavier than I expect.
“By not giving her what she needed,” he adds, his gaze dropping back to her. “We were helping him do it.”
I don’t argue. Because he’s not wrong. His eyes flick back to me.
“You saw it,” he says. “You knew what she needed.”
I shake my head slightly.
“I only just figured it out.”
He studies me for a second.
“Then why didn’t you give it to her first?”
There’s no accusation in it, just honesty. Because he needs to understand.
“Because you needed it more,” I answer simply. “And she needed you to be the one to give it to her.”
That settles something in him, even if it doesn’t ease it. He exhales slowly, his hand still moving through her hair.
“And Elijah…” he trails off, his jaw tightening again. “I don’t know how we’re going to reach him.”
I lean against the wall for a second, watching her, taking in the way she’s curled into the bed, the way she looks finally at peace.
“I don’t think we do,” I say quietly. “Not yet.”
He glances at me.
“Not until he deals with what he needs to deal with,” I add. “Not until the Vargas situation is done.”
Jackson’s gaze drops again.
“But until then,” I continue, pushing off the wall and stepping closer to the bed, “you and I can give her what she needs.”
His hand stills for a second in her hair. Then starts moving again.
“We remind her who she is,” I finish.
He nods slowly.
“I’m going to grab some water,” he says after a moment. “In case she wakes up.”
I nod toward the bed.
“I’ve got her.”
He pushes himself up, pulling on a pair of sweatpants as he moves, his eyes lingering on her for a second before he leaves the room.
