This is a continuing adaptation of Judith McNaught's Remember When

Feels Like Home

Chapter 24

“Somehow I knew you were involved in this, Jerry!” John exclaimed loudly.  He was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

Jax sighed.  “Don’t blame him, Dad,” he said.  “It’s not his fault this happened.”  Jax had been explaining the past six weeks for the last half an hour.  When he got to the part with Jerry’s involvement, his father had gotten angry, jumping up from the couch to pace.  He was driving Jax crazy.  Brenda’s hand on his arm was the only thing keeping him there continuing the story.

John glared at his oldest son where he sat on the couch.  Jerry wouldn’t lift his gaze to meet his father’s eyes.  “How can you say he’s not blame?  If it hadn’t been for him, Cassidine wouldn’t have had anyone in your company to pull this off.”

Jax ran his fingers through his hair and tried to get Jerry to look at him.  He wanted his brother to defend himself and spare him the actual act of doing it.  Forgiveness hadn’t come this quickly.  Obviously, Jerry wasn’t going to do it.  “Stefan would have found another way, Dad.  He’s a businessman the same as you and I.  If Jerry hadn’t done it, someone else would have.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” John muttered, continuing to pace.  He also continued to glare at Jerry every other minute.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Jax said.  “What’s done is done and nothing we do now is going to change that.  I’m still going on trial in another week.”  He ran his hand across his face and then propped his head on his hand.  He didn’t look up as Brenda suddenly shifted away from him on the couch where they sat.

“Um, actually, you’re not,” Brenda said softly.  She was smiling tentatively at Jax.

Surprise registered on his features.  “What are you talking about?” he asked quickly, jerking his head up from his hand.  Glancing at his father and brother, he saw their attention had been completely grabbed, too.  Jerry was smiling encouragingly, though, as if he knew something Jax didn’t.

“Well, I was going to tell you this earlier, in the bedroom, but we got a bit distracted,” she explained. 

“Tell me what?”

“That you’re not going on trial in a week.”  She watched him steadily for a reaction, but what she got wasn’t what she was expecting.  Instead of the pure joy that should have been there, he looked concerned or even panicked.

“I don’t understand,” Jax said.  “You mean the trial’s been delayed?  Why?  Do they have new evidence or something?  Wouldn’t they have to tell me this?  When is the trial going to be?”

Brenda grabbed his hand in hers and tried to stop the smile from spreading on her face, knowing it would confuse him even more.  “Jax, honey, stop,” she said.

“I just want to know when the trial is going to be, Brenda,” he said impatiently.

She grinned, finally.  “Never.”

That wasn’t the response he’d been planning on.  It hadn’t registered yet what she’d said.  “What?”  He thought he’d heard her wrong.  They were just going to convict him, like that?  They couldn’t do that, could they?  No court would ever allow that!  And why was she smiling like this was good news?

Brenda recognized his runaway thoughts and waved her hand in front of his eyes to get his attention back on her.  “Jax, focus on me, please,” she said, grabbing his gaze in hers.  “There’s not going to be a trial because the charges have been dropped against you.”

“What?!”  Jax and John both had the same reaction.  They both waited for further explanation, but the shock was apparent on their faces.

“Katherine turned in Stefan and cleared your name this afternoon.  That’s what she was doing at the police station.  The DA dropped all the charges against you and they arrested Stefan this afternoon.”  She stopped talking and waited for her husband to say something.  His hand had gone limp in hers as she told him the news.

It didn’t make any sense, Jax thought to himself.  Nothing was quite sinking in.  Katherine had turned in Stefan?  That couldn’t be right.  Surely, Brenda was mistaken.  Someone had given her the wrong information or something.  It was not possible that the charges were dropped. 

“It is possible,” Jerry said, responding to his thoughts.  “She’s right, Jax.  The charges were dropped.  I was with her when they told her.  Alexis gave her the news after you left the police station this afternoon.  You’re free, man.”

Free.  That hadn’t even occurred to him yet.  He was free.  He wasn’t going to prison.  He hadn’t lost his company for good.  In fact, if what they were saying was true, he had everything back.  A slow grin spread across Jax’s face as complete realization dawned on him.  “You’re serious, right?” he asked, just to be sure.  “You’re not just saying this to distract me?”

Brenda’s smile faded to a shocked expression.  “Jax, I would never do something like that!” she exclaimed quickly.  “This is too important to joke about!”

He drew her close to him in one fluid movement and kissed her deeply.  The passionate, delicious kiss lasted until they were both breathless.  When it finally ended, he whispered hoarsely, “I was just making sure.”

John’s mouth had dropped open at the sight of the kiss.  He certainly hadn’t been expecting that.  Glancing at his oldest son to see his reaction, it was obvious Jerry wasn’t surprised by the display.

Jax jumped up from the couch and hugged his father tightly.  “I really don’t believe this,” he said softly.  John patted him on the back, but still hadn’t said a word.

They all turned suddenly as the front door to the apartment opened and the loud sounds of Brenda’s family returning could be heard.  “I needed a new dress, Ned,” Lois exclaimed as she opened the door, carrying several shopping bags.

“A new four-hundred dollar dress?” he asked exasperatedly.  “And don’t even try to tell me that there’s only one dress in those bags.”

“I thought you wanted me to look good for our anniversary,” she teased in return.

“Come on, you two,” Harlan said.  “Continue your argument inside, if you would please.  I want to see if Brenda and Jax are back from the police station yet.”

Brenda got up from the couch and met them at the doorway.  “We’re here,” she greeted them.  She hugged Gloria quickly and let them through to the living room.

Immediately, Gloria noticed John in the corner of the room.  She crossed the room and held out her hand.  “Hello, I don’t think we’ve met.  I’m Gloria Barrett.”

John shook her hand politely, smiling graciously.  “John Jacks, Jax’s father,” he introduced himself.  “You must be Brenda’s mother, I take it?”

“Yes,” Harlan answered for her.  “And I am Brenda’s father, Harlan.  It is certainly nice to meet you, Mr. Jacks.”  He held back the words he wanted to say.  He didn’t say anything about the fact that Jax’s parents had been so obviously missing during this whole ordeal.

Brenda jumped in, recognizing the disapproving look on her father’s face.  “Dad, John and Lady Jane just got back from a safari in Africa.  They’ve been out of the country for the last five weeks.”

“Lady Jane?” Harlan questioned.

“My mother,” Jax interjected.  “She’s not here.”

“Oh, but I suspect she’s on her way,” John said.  When everyone looked at him, he continued, “I kind of gave her the slip during our layover in London.  I told her I was going to make a quick stop in the restroom before we boarded our plane back to Alaska.”

Jax groaned.  “Dad, you didn’t.”

John smiled sheepishly.  “I’m afraid I did, son.  My guess is she took the flight right after mine.  It was leaving two hours later, so I should think she’ll be here shortly.”  He laughed to lighten the mood.

“You were in such a hurry to tell me our deal was off that you just left Mum in the London airport?” Jax asked skeptically.

“I knew you were deceiving me,” his father said.  “And I wanted to make sure you couldn’t cover your tracks.”

“What is he talking about?” Ned finally spoke up and asked.

Jax shook his head, his eyes beginning to flash with anger again.  “It doesn’t matter, Ned,” he responded shortly. 

Brenda came up beside him, slipping her hand into his.  “Come on, sweetie,” she whispered into his ear, standing on her toes to reach him.  “Just let it go for now.”  She felt him take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

John raised his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture.  “Look, Jax, I had no idea when I came here that all this other stuff was going on.  But the fact still remains that you broke our deal.”

“And that’s what’s really important here?” Harlan said suddenly.  He felt Gloria’s restraining hand on his arm and turned to address her.  “No, I think it’s time someone said something.”  He returned his penetrating gaze to Jax’s father.  “I’m sure you’re aware by now what has happened to Jax in the last several weeks.  I know my daughter said you were out of the country during that time, but I still think you ought to know that your lack of support for your son in this situation has been atrocious.  If what you’ve said is true, then you just found out your son is facing prison time and the only thing you’re worried about is a stupid deal you made?  Unless it has something to do with the situation at hand, I should think you’d be ashamed of yourself!”

John bristled.  “I don’t know who you think you are to tell me anything about my son – “

Harlan burst back in saying, “I am one of the people who has been here trying to help your son find evidence that he was not guilty of this crime!  I watched my daughter and son-in-law struggle to keep a brand-new marriage together while facing this.  I was in the other room while your son tried to come to grips with the reality of this situation and, I might add, I don’t think he ever truly admitted to himself what was happening.”  He took a breath.  “Where were you while your son was spending the night in jail?  Where were you while your son was told his company, his reputation, and his life had been attacked by someone trying to take it all away from him?”

The room was silent for a few minutes while everyone tried to avoid eye contact with each other.  The only people staring each other down were Harlan and John.  John’s face had turned a bright shade of red during the course of Harlan’s tirade.

Brenda finally said something, “Dad, there’s something we need to tell you.”  She was trying to explain that the charges had been dropped, but her father never even glanced at her when she spoke.

John held up a hand again.  “Brenda, it’s okay.  I think your father wants an explanation for our actions, but I’m afraid he’s not going to get one.  You see, I don’t need to explain to anyone what I do.”  Directing his comments to Brenda’s father now, he said, “If I want to take my wife on vacation, I am allowed to do that.  I haven’t had to tell anyone my plans since my son lived in my house and if you know anything about us, that has been a very long time.  Now, it is not my fault that for the last five weeks we have not had access to the nightly news or a radio because certainly, if we had known something like this had happened, we would have been on the first plane back here.  I came here simply because I knew my son had broken a deal we made eight weeks ago.  I came here to tell him I knew that and imagine my surprise when I found out my son was facing criminal charges I knew nothing about.  And before I could even take that in, Brenda here tells us the charges have been dropped and my son will, in fact, not be going on trial after all.  So forgive me, if it all seems a little bit confused right now.”

“Wait a minute, what?!” Ned exclaimed loudly. 

“That’s what I was trying to say,” Brenda explained.  “When we went to the police station this afternoon, Katherine Bell was there.  She turned in evidence against Stefan and cleared Jax’s name.  The DA dropped the charges!”

Lois gave a little shriek of happiness and rushed over to hug her brother-in-law.  “Jax, that is so wonderful!” she said happily.

In the minutes that followed, as the news sunk in, the hugs and kisses began.  Each member of Brenda’s family wanted to hug Jax and Brenda.  Ned shook Jerry’s hand in appreciation of his help.  At the end, John stood off to the side watching the Barrett family.  He still didn’t understand the relationship between Jax and Brenda, but he was determined to find out about it.

Gloria saw John at the side of the group and walked over to him, smiling broadly.  “It’s wonderful news, isn’t it?” she said.

John nodded.  “It is,” he agreed.  He watched her looking at her family and especially at Jax and Brenda.  She might be the one to shed a little bit of light for him. 

“I’m glad they’re finally going to get a chance to think about each other for awhile now,” Gloria said.

He hadn’t even had to think of a way to bring it up, John thought.  “Tell me something, Mrs. Barrett.”

“Gloria, please,” she smiled.

“Gloria,” he reiterated.  “Were you surprised when they got married?”

“I should think so!” she exclaimed.  “It was all I could do to stop Harlan from breaking something when we found out.  One night our daughter is at the Nurse’s Ball with us and the next she comes home from Las Vegas married to someone I’ve never even met.  Although, they did say they knew each other when they were younger.  But I don’t imagine we were any more surprised than you were.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” John said.  “I think I expected it.”  He didn’t elaborate on that statement as he walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink.

He continued to watch everyone else, but he paid the most attention to Jax and how he interacted with Brenda’s family.  He seemed very relaxed with them, as if he thought of them as his own family.  It was obvious he knew them pretty well.  He also noticed how Brenda barely went more than a minute without touching Jax in some manner.  She either had her hand on his arm or she was holding his hand.  They laughed together and Jax circled his arm around her waist.  It certainly wasn’t the act of a fake marriage for his benefit, John thought.  The two of them looked very much in love, in fact.

And there was the fact that Jax had said he was in love with Brenda.  John winced inwardly as that thought nagged at him.  At the time Jax had said it, he had chosen to ignore it because of the other issues at hand, but now, with those issues gone, the statement held a little more meaning.  As he gazed at them now, the subtle nuances of a close relationship became apparent.  It was like looking in a mirror that transported him back thirty years to the days after he married his own wife.   One thing was very clear, Jax was in love with Brenda.

“Jax,” John called to his son to get his attention.  The conversation died down as Jax turned to his father’s voice.  “Could I speak to you privately, please?”

A dark look passed over Jax’s face and he started to shake his head.  Brenda whispered something to him and he reluctantly nodded to her.  “Alright, we’ll go in the other room,” Jax finally agreed.  He led the way into his office.

When the two men were standing in Jax’s office, Jax turned to his father impatiently.  “What do you want?” he asked.  He just knew it had something to do with the deal his father kept bringing up.

John’s eyes softened as he smiled at his son.  “I was watching you and Brenda just now and something occurred to me.”

“What?”

He could tell Jax was very irritated with him.  “I saw just how much you love that girl,” John admitted softly.  “And how much she loves you, too.”

“I told you I loved her, I don’t understand your point,” Jax replied.  He crossed his arms, leaning against his desk.  John reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a folded set of papers.  Opening them, he handed them to Jax.  Jax looked at them incredulously.  “You actually carried these around?”  They were the papers he had signed to make the deal that he would be married for a year in order to keep J&J Jacks of Alaska.

John smiled again.  “Yes, I did because I was certain you were deceiving me.  I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before my private investigator verified it for me.”  He saw Jax begin to bristle again.  “Now, wait a minute, just hear me out before you go getting upset again.  I hired the private investigator right after you got married.  He was supposed to get me information that you and Brenda were living apart from each other and that you were each still living separate lives.  And he did, I might add.  He also gave me several articles about Brenda’s ex-fiancé and what he had done to her just a week before you got married.  That was how I knew that you had only gotten married to settle our deal.”

“Brenda and I have only spent a little more than a week apart from each other since we got married.  I was in Italy for a few days and then right after I found out I was being investigated, I came back here.  She’s been with me ever since,” Jax said, puzzled.  “I don’t know where he got the information that we had been living apart from each other.”

John shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter now.  My point is this, Jax.  I know you got married only to settle our deal.  You admitted as much to me.”

“Yes, I did,” Jax reluctantly agreed.

“But the point of the deal we made was for you to find love and to have a family of your own.  I wanted you to learn how to be happy and not live only to work.  You spent ten years building J&J Jacks and you didn’t have a single significant relationship during that time.”

“I don’t see why that’s any of your business,” Jax interjected.  “I didn’t then and I don’t now.”

“I just wanted you to be happy, son.  You are a great businessman, Jax, but you were a lousy family man.  I won’t pretend that your mother and I didn’t have something to do with that, but I wanted to also have something to do with you learning to be something else.  I thought if I could get you to find a woman you loved enough to marry, you would find out that work is not the only thing that has to be in your life.  It’s not all or nothing, you know.”

“I know that.”

“I see that, now,” John said proudly.  He chuckled slightly.  “But I should have known from the start that you would try to find a way to beat me at my own game.  So, because you did marry Brenda solely to satisfy the deal we made, in that sense you broke our deal.”  He held up his hand to stop Jax’s protesting.  “But I’m not going to hold it against you, son.  You found exactly what I was hoping you would find.  I’m glad you did.”  He reached for the papers in held in Jax’s crossed arms, pointedly ignoring the look of exasperation of his son’s face.  Folding the papers, he promptly tore them in half.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jax asked, not believing what he was seeing.

“Our deal has been satisfied, son,” John announced.  “I’ll sign over my shares of your company to you tomorrow if you want.  I got everything I came for.”  He was grinning broadly and had yet to notice that Jax hadn’t returned the sentiment.

While he was relieved to see his father’s acceptance of his actions, Jax wasn’t quite so ready to forgive him yet for interfering with one of the most personal decision of his life.  When John’s smile had faded some, Jax finally spoke.  “You know, Dad,” he began softly, trying to figure out if he was still angry with the man.  “You had no right to force me into this marriage.”

“But look what came of it!” John protested.

Jax smiled slightly, knowing exactly how much had come from it.  “I know better than you do what came of it, but that’s not the point.  The fact that I love Brenda more than I ever thought I could is of no consequence when you consider how blatantly you interfered with my life.  And by interfering with my life, you interfered with hers.  So I just want one thing understood, Dad.”

John looked chagrined and properly admonished for overstepping his boundaries.  “Yes?”

Jax relaxed and finally grinned at his father.  There was a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time for his father.  “You will have absolutely no say in how many children Brenda and I have together!”

“Deal!” John exclaimed as he stepped forward to hug his son.

A few minutes later, Jax and John returned to the living room where Brenda, her family, and Jerry were waiting.  Brenda had gone into the kitchen and retrieved two bottles of champagne.  When she saw Jax come back to the room, she opened one of the bottles while Jerry popped the cork on the other one.  As they were all getting ready to toast Jax’s good fortunes of the day, the front door opened once again.

Lady Jane stopped short, dropping her bags on the floor, when she saw all the people standing in the living room with her own family.  Stepping back, she looked at the number on the apartment door and then looked at all the people bewilderingly.  “I’m in the right place, aren’t I?” she asked.

John came forward to escort her into the room.  “Of course you are!  And you’re just in time, too!”

Jane noticed Brenda leaning into Jax’s side affectionately and she saw the people behind them, assuming they were possibly Brenda’s family.  When she turned and saw Jerry, she refrained from letting her jaw drop in surprise.  Accepting the glass of champagne from her husband without any idea why they were celebrating, Jane locked eyes with Jax.  “Okay, so what did I miss here?” she asked, confused as to why everyone in the room burst out laughing at her question.

~~~~~~~~~~

The city skyline was brightly lit as Jax stood by the windows in the master bedroom and really took it in for the first time in weeks.  The smile on his lips had become a permanent fixture, it seemed, as he finally realized how much had happened in the last two months.  He’d found love, he’d come very close to driving that love away, he’d lost his company and his reputation, and tomorrow morning, the whole would know he had triumphed and gotten it all back.  But not without a lot of help from his family, he reminded himself obediently.  He was determined never to take his family, extended family included, for granted for the rest of his life.  He was going to take the time to appreciate the greater things in his life.

He felt Brenda’s arms slide around his waist from behind and he grinned widely.  “Are you happy?” she asked softly, poking her head over his shoulder and looking up at him.

Jax turned, taking her in his arms and locking his hands behind her back.  “I am happier than I ever thought possible,” he answered, then he grinned.  “Does that make me sound like an idiot?”

Something in your eyes makes me want to lose myself
Makes want to lose myself in your arms
There’s something in your voice makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts the rest of my life

Brenda shook her head, smiling up at him in the darkness.  “No, it makes complete sense.  I’m happier than I ever thought possible, too,” she admitted.  Standing on her toes, she kissed his lips softly, passionately.  She felt him return her kiss and then deepen it when his tongue found hers in a sensual quest.

Breaking apart from her lips only when they were both breathless, Jax leaned his forehead on hers and gazed into her darkened eyes.  “There is one problem, though,” he whispered.

“What?” she asked, breathlessly, still fighting to control her heart rate.

If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I’ve been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you’ve done

Jax led his wife to the chaise lounge in the corner of the room and sat her down on his lap, wrapping his arms back around her waist.  Brenda’s hand caressed the side of his face as she waited for him to talk to her.  “What if this doesn’t work now?” he asked.

She heard the note of trepidation in his voice and wondered if he meant what she thought he meant.  “What if what doesn’t work now?” she asked.

Leaning back slightly so that he could see her face clearly, he responded, “What if we don’t work now that this is all over?  Now that I have my life back?”

“Jax, honey, I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

He took a deep breath, not sure he wanted to bring it up since it hadn’t become an issue yet.  “What I mean is, we have been through so much, Bren, in such a short period of time.  We haven’t even been together for two months yet and before the Nurse’s Ball, we hadn’t even seen each other in ten years.  You barely know who I am without all this drama in my life and I never got the chance to get to know you either.”

“Jax, where are you going with this?” Brenda asked, starting to fear the end of the conversation.

Jax saw the panic he was putting in her and tried to soothe her quickly.  “I love you, Brenda, don’t get me wrong.  I have never loved another woman the way that I love you and I don’t think I ever will.”  He saw her relax minimally at that.  “But I love the woman who has been supporting me for the last six weeks, the woman who relentlessly dragged thoughts out of me and forced me to talk to her in the middle of the night.  I got to find out who you can be and I love you more for it, Brenda.”

“But?”  She had sensed there was one coming somewhere.

He nodded.  “But…” he sighed.  “I don’t want you to feel like you don’t know me.  I know you said you love me, but like I said, you barely knew who I was now when this all happened.  You hadn’t thought about me in ten years when I showed up and offered this marriage to you.  And when you agreed to it, you certainly never signed on for what happened.  The truth is, Brenda, I hate who I’ve been for the last six weeks with you.  I was cold and unemotional when I thought it was best you didn’t get involved with me.  I held things back from you in order to spare you from thinking about them, too.  I shut you out and that’s not the way a husband acts when he’s in love with his wife.”

Brenda watched his expression go from love to fear to worry in the span of a few seconds and tried not to smile when she finally understood his concerns.  “Jax, I know you love me and I know I love you, the real you.”  She laid her hand on his chest, just over his heart.  “You are right, I tried not to think about you for ten years, but the night of the Nurse’s Ball turned out to be the best night of my life.  I met the man that I am madly in love with and I had the good sense to say yes to his hair-brained scheme to marry him.  You haven’t changed from the man I knew ten years ago, either, no matter how much you say you have.”  She smiled when he started to protest, but continued on.  “You have more money and more power.  You have seven places to live and a staff of thousands working for you instead of the other way around now, but you have not changed, Jax.  You are the same kind, gentle, and sweet man I knew back then.”

“Don’t you dare let that get out,” Jax cracked. 

She laughed.  “And when you say I barely got a chance to know you before this happened, you’re wrong.  I already knew who you were because you hadn’t changed.  That first night, you pointed out every reason I should marry you and even told me that in the end I could be the one to divorce you so that I could look like the strong one.  You were protecting me and lifting me up before I even said yes to you.  So when you tried to push me away during this mess, I just pushed back harder.  You were never cold and unemotional, Jax.  You were afraid of what was happening, I knew that.  And you only shut me out to try to protect me, but you have to understand one thing.  I don’t need you to protect me from you.”

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I come from

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I belong

“So I take it you’re not going to divorce me then?” Jax asked.

“Not in a million years!” Brenda exclaimed loudly.  “How could you even ask me something like that?”

“I was joking,” he answered quickly, holding his hands up in defense.  “I swear!”  Laughing as she swatted him across the chest, he captured her lips with his once more and kissed her senseless all over again.  Slowly, he lifted her in his arms and carried her with him to the bed, setting her down in the middle of it.  Kneeling beside her, he leaned over to kiss her softly, starting with the tip of her nose and moving steadily to other parts of her face, carefully avoiding contact with her lips.  Nibbling on the base of her earlobe, he slipped his hand beneath her silk camp shirt, lifting it from the waistband of her shorts.

Brenda’s hands went around his neck and into his short, blond hair, urging him forward and wanting desperately to feel his lips on hers again.  He steadfastly refused, kissing her everywhere else as his hands methodically unbuttoned her shirt until it fell open on the bed.  She felt his smile against her neck as he realized she wasn’t wearing anything to restrict him from full access to her breasts.  Still kissing a trail down her neck, he continued until his lips closed over her breast.  His free hand came up to mimic his actions on her other side.

A window breaks down a long, dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I’m alright, cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see through the dark there is light

If you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I’ve waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I’d love anyone so much

Finally realizing his lips wouldn’t be meeting hers for awhile, she tugged at his t-shirt to lift it over his head.  He stopped only long enough to let her pull it off him before returning to her breasts, this time switching sides.  Her hands roamed freely over his naked chest, rubbing him in response to his actions.  She reached further behind him, her fingertips grazing the muscles of his back lightly, until her hands teased the waistband of his jeans.  Running her fingers along his warm skin to the front, she unbuttoned the top button and started to unzip them slowly.  His hand stilled hers in the middle of the task.

Lifting his head from her breast, Jax saw the deep desire in his wife’s eyes.  In a smooth movement, he finally gave in to her need and kissed her fully on the mouth.  Immediately, she sought entrance to his mouth with her tongue.  Her probing tongue danced with his as she arched her back so that her naked breasts pressed into his chest.  His hands left hers from their place on his jeans and moved instead to her shorts, intent on removing the short jeans shorts quickly.  When she finally lay naked beneath him, he allowed her hands to continue while he focused on pleasuring her thoroughly.  His fingers teased the inside of her thighs as she gasped and had to stop in her quest.

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I come from

Jax was poised above her, but held back for a few moments, letting her anticipation build further.  Brenda whimpered softly against his mouth, begging him to continue.  He kissed her until she tore her lips from his, completely breathless.  Finally, answering the pleas of her undulating hips, he eased into her.  She locked her legs around his waist, moving gently with him.  As their needs built, the tempo increased.  He alternated between quick, frenzied movements and slow, provocative movements.  Her moans of approval brought a smile to his lips as he kissed her fervently. 

Finally, Brenda laid in his arms with her head cradled against his chest, while Jax leaned lightly against the headboard.  He listened to her steady breathing, stroking his hand up and down her arm in the same rhythm.  He couldn’t remember a time when he had felt so complete.  Shifting slightly, he laid his head on the pillow, careful not to break his hold on her.  She settled back against him.  He kissed the top of her head, inhaling her scent and smiling to himself.  Whispering softly as he closed his eyes, he promised, “I will love you until the day I die.”

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
Feels like I’m all the way back where I belong
It feels like I’m all the way back where I belong

~~~~~~~~~~

Epilogue

~~~~~~~~~~

Brenda stood on the hillside, looking down on the scene below her.  She watched the men walking through the unfinished house and smiled.  She was standing on the highest point of their property, watching the construction workers as they laid out the second story of the house.  All around her, the trees were a vibrant green and the grass shone in the sunlight.  This clearing at the top of the hill was her new favorite spot to relax.  She had spent several hours watching the progress on their new home and even more hours daydreaming about her life.  Most of it wasn’t a dream, she thought to herself, smiling.

“Did you walk all the way up here?” Jax’s voice startled her out of her thoughts.  “I thought you were back at the house.”

Brenda turned, shifting the bundle in her arms to hand their son to his father.  Jonathan Jasper Jacks had been born four weeks earlier, making it very clear when he had been conceived.  Now, Brenda let her husband take his son and hold him gently as she kissed Jax lightly on the lips.  “We were,” she replied airily.  “But we got restless, so I brought him up to see our new house.  How’d you find us?”

Grinning, Jax’s attention was on his newborn son.  Jonathan had had some of Brenda’s dark hair when he was born, but it was already lightening considerably.  She could tell he would be blond, like his father, before long.  He also had his father’s clear, blue eyes which were now staring back happily at Jax.  Finally realizing Brenda had answered him, Jax said, “I took a lucky guess.”

A few minutes later, Jax turned to Brenda again, motioning for her to walk with him back down to his car.  “Dinner’s in two hours and you know your parents expect us to be on time.”

Taking his free hand in hers and lacing their fingers tightly, she beamed up at him.  She remembered her parents’ penchant for planning not-so-surprising surprise parties.  “I know, I know.  But it is going to be nice to see your parents again.”

“We just saw them a few weeks ago, Bren,” he responded, gesturing in Jonathan’s direction.  “You do remember I practically had to kick my mother out so she wouldn’t buy him anymore clothes.  This kid is going to be spoiled rotten by the time he’s a year old!”

“Yes, but I don’t think it will be all your mother’s fault,” Brenda teased.

After Jonathan was tucked securely in his seat, Jax captured Brenda in his arms before he allowed her to get in the car to go home.  They had been living in her house for the last several months until the new one was ready to move into.  Gazing down into her dark brown eyes, he smiled gently.  “Happy anniversary,” he said quietly before kissing her passionately.

Breathless as she drew away, Brenda’s eyes sparkled with love.  “I love you,” she replied.

“So I take it you’re not going to divorce me?” Jax asked, still holding her with his hands clasped behind her.

Smiling laughingly up at him, she caught the teasing glint in his eyes.  “Not in a million years.”

 

The End

 

Song Credit:  Feels Like Home by Chantal Kreviazuk and can be found on the Dawson’s Creek Soundtrack.