Brayden, Melissa - How Sweet It Is

She inhaled again and held the doorjamb to steady herself as life floated back into the reasonable column.

“Jordan, I told you to hold still,” Mikey instructed her.

Molly moved into the room. “Is she okay?”

He concentrated on Jordan’s forehead and applied a stitch. “She will be. Because I happen to be good at my job.”

Jordan waved him away, her attention on Molly. “How did you know I wanted to see you?” She smiled lazily as Mikey applied a series of Steri-Strip bandages to an angry looking gash on her forehead that was already swollen and purple.

“What happened?” she asked, moving to Jordan’s side.

Jordan raised a delicate hand to her head. “Asshole throws a mean elbow. Just as I was ready to clock his ass too.”

Mikey threw a glance to Molly. “Treyhorn got a little out of hand. Don’t worry. Besides the gutsy kid sister here, no one else was hurt. She was out for a few minutes and came to with a nasty little wound that is going to smart for a couple of days. Needed a few stitches too.”

Jordan closed her eyes. “I saved Mikey’s life.”

Molly raised an inquisitive eyebrow and turned to her brother-in-law for explanation. Jordan wasn’t herself.

“She was a superhero. That’s true. Now she’s a drugged superhero,” he supplied. “In case you couldn’t tell.”

Aha. That explained the extra exuberance. She surveyed Jordan who lay back on the exam room table and stared upward. “Room is kind of spinning and it’s sleepy in here.”

Joseph set down the tray of instruments he’d gathered from the floor and surveyed his daughter. “We had to loosen her up with a few Valium before we could numb the area and stitch the wound. She’s always had an aversion to needles.”

“I like the stuff you gave me though,” Jordan murmured. “More of that please. Put it on my tab.”

“I think you’ve had enough, Jordana,” Joseph said, smoothing her hair. “We should get you home. We’ll need someone to watch her though, after such a powerful blow to the head.”

“Uh, I can knock off early and take her over to your place until Mom’s home,” Mikey said to his father. “Alyssa can reschedule the rest of my afternoon.”

“Molly can take me,” Jordan said quietly.

Joseph turned to her in question. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. But if you don’t mind,”

“She doesn’t,” Jordan answered, sitting up. “We get along really well.”

Molly took a step back as the panic flared once again. “Actually, I can’t. I have to run some errands. I’m glad you’re okay.” She nodded once and turned for the door, but not before she saw the look of hurt flash in Jordan’s eyes. It sliced through her, but it was nothing compared to what she’d have felt if the afternoon had turned out differently. Those moments, on her way into the hospital, when she didn’t know…

It was too much. All of this was just too much.

And she couldn’t do it.

Chapter Twenty

There was an annoying throbbing at her temple Jordan couldn’t quite explain. She squinted in an attempt to shake it off as she pushed herself into a sitting position, awake but a little confused. It was morning; that much she could tell. She raised her hand to the side of her forehead and discovered the bandage.

Right, drunk guy in the clinic. Fun times.

There was a bottle of aspirin and glass of water next to her bed with a Post-it from her mother instructing her to take the pills upon waking. She did, and shortly after her shower, felt immensely better. She applied her customary lip gloss and checked her phone for any communication from Molly. A text. A voice mail. Anything. She wasn’t surprised, but she was sadly disappointed.

The look on Molly’s face as she’d fled the scene yesterday resonated with her. Terrified. That was the best way to categorize it. She thought of the scenario from Molly’s perspective, having already lost so much in her life, and understood her freak out. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt by it, by the way she walked out of the clinic.

On her.

There was really only one thing left to do. She pulled the suitcase from beneath her bed and started to pack.

*

She’d overreacted with Jordan.

Molly knew that now. It had taken her a good twenty-four hours to come down from the emotional rollercoaster the day had her on, but in that time, she’d gained perspective on a few things.

And while it took her a couple of days to figure that out, she knew that now. She’d been so caught off guard by the possibility of something happening to Jordan that it took her right back to that horrific time in her life, and she’d fled the scene in response. It was a defense mechanism and one she wasn’t exactly proud of.

In the wake of their fight, she’d pulled herself back emotionally. She’d spent the last couple of days going through the motions of her day-to-day life and feeling incredibly hollow in the process. It was time to fix what had gone wrong and navigate the very dicey waters that may still be ahead.

While she didn’t exactly know how, she had to find a way to make it right with Jordan.

She rang the bell and waited nervously on the front porch of the Tuscana house. Her heart sank at the realization that Jordan’s Beetle wasn’t in the driveway. It was possible she’d already left for Chicago and she was too late. She hoped that wasn’t the case.

Amalia beamed upon opening the door. “Well, this is a nice surprise!” She kissed Molly’s cheek. “You look tired, sweetheart. Is everything okay? How’s your father? Is he doing all right on the Atacand I prescribed?”

The succession of concerned questions was really nothing new. Amalia and Joseph made a habit out of worrying about their family, and she was grateful to be included. “We’re both fine. He seems to be adjusting to the new medication well. Thank you for taking such good care of him. Is, um, Jordan home by chance?”

Amalia sighed. “She said good-bye twenty minutes ago and headed out. She said something about taking some time to clear her head before getting on the road to Chicago. She seemed to have some things on her mind, but didn’t bother to tell me about them. I feel like I have to be a mind reader with my own daughter.”

“I’m sure she wants to. It’s hard for her sometimes. She doesn’t want to upset you.”

“I’d rather she upset me than shut me out.”

She decided to go out on a limb. “Does she know that?”

“Of course she knows that. She’s my child.” But Molly knew it was something Jordan needed to hear.

“Maybe she could use reminding?”

Amalia nodded in a rare moment of concession. “Maybe so. Do you want to come in? I have a roast that should be ready in a half hour. Stay for dinner.” Molly’s stomach raised its hand in wholehearted acceptance, but her heart was elsewhere.

“I wish I could, but I’m afraid I have some things I need to get done.” Molly offered a wave as she descended the porch steps.

“Molly, wait,” Amalia called after her. She descended the steps and placed her hand on Molly’s forearm. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. A couple of weeks ago, when you told me you were ready to date again, I…” she paused to gather her thoughts. “I reacted badly. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for those words, which is silly because it’s been over four years.” Her expression clouded with what Molly could only guess was residual pain. The kind that never did go away no matter what the grief counselors promised. “I want you to find happiness again, Molly. That’s what both Joseph and I hope for. I guess I just need you to know that we support you. You will always be a member of this family.”