Meg's Moment (41 page)

“Another one bites the dust,” Granny said and broke out the moonshine.

Jon rushed to Mrs. Johnson’s aid while Josie patted her boob and
,
rolling her eyes, she said, “duh,” and removed the can of fish food from her bra.

Late that night Megan lay stretched out next to Jack on his couch watching Jay Leno, his body hard and strong behind hers, his hand curving around her hip. She’d been to the hospital, got her head stitched and was now flying high on some kick ass pain killers. Her mother had been treated and released and was now in the habit of calling every ten minutes to check on her. Her father was watching T
.
V
.
and yelling at Granny who was having an online date with a retired Hell’s Angel from Ohio. Life was as dysfunctional as ever.

Josie was at Jon’s and would probably be moved in by the end of the week and Ali and Mickey were having a Julia Roberts marathon at her house. Stacy was no doubt having a long talk with Scott about her problem with alcohol.

“Jack, I’m worried about Stacy,” Megan said.

Jack stroked her hip. “Me
,
too.”

“She needs help. We have to make sure she gets it.”

“We can be there for her, but she has to do it on her own.” Jack sighed, “It won’t work unless she wants it.”

“You know a lot about this?” Megan asked.

He rolled to his back and positioned her on top of him. His brown eyes conflicted with pride and shame he said, “I’ve been sober for about five years now. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but it was also the smartest thing. It takes time and patience and lots of dedication, but I have faith in Stacy and like me, she’ll get through this.” Megan was speechless, shocked. Then she remembered never seeing Jack drink, and his concerned looks when she did, which lately had been way too much. And the meetings at 7:00.

“Did you go to AA?”

“Yep,” Jack laughed. “Actually that’s where I was when you called me with that ridiculous list hunt. I left there and went to your house where you were having a party.”

Megan winced. “I’m a horrible person. I
dr
agged
you out of an AA meeting and offered you alcohol. Remind me not to not to sponsor Stacy.”

Jack kissed her chin, then her lips. “You didn’t know, babe. Plus I already told Stacy I’d sponsor her, but she has to call me. I won’t pressure her into it. It has to be her choice.” If she hadn’t already been falling for him, she would have then. He was the most patient, compassionate person she’d ever met. He’d known Stacy less than two weeks and already he was willing to share her pain and assist her to recovery.

Megan kissed him sweet and tenderly along his jaw. “Is it hard?” she asked. Jack was confused and she realized that around Jack that was a loaded question. “Recovery
,
I mean. It is difficult?”

He seemed disappointed for only a moment. Propping his arm behind his head he said, “Yeah, it is. Its real tough but I had my dad to lean on so I was lucky.”

“But I thought your dad owns a bar?”

“He does
,
but he’s also a recovering alcoholic. We did it together. It was my mother’s dying wish.” Megan’s heart broke for him. “See
,
my dad and I never saw eye to eye on much. When I got old enough, I started spending the summers with my uncle who was also a pretty heavy drinker, so I got exposed to it a lot. Then my mom got sick and my dad really hid in the bottle. By the time she was bad I was getting out of an awful marriage and my dad and I
,
both
,
were in pretty deep.” He paused for a moment and stared straight at the ceiling. “So the day before my mom died she called me and my father in the room and told us that the only thing she wanted from us before she died was for us to get sober and work on our relationship because after she was gone we would be all each other had.” Megan didn’t bother to wipe the tear that fell down her face. “We promised and the next day she died. We went to a meeting that night.”

Megan didn’t know what to say so she just held him tight, admiring his strength and courage. She’d had a storybook childhood and little tragedy until recently. Her heart ached for him and his father.

And Stacy
,
and the journey she was just beginning.

The phone rang and Jack reached behind him to get it. She heard her mother’s voice coming through loud and clear and she folded her hands in prayer and tucked them under her chin, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. Jack smiled and said, “Yeah she’s still asleep. She’s fine. I won’t let anything happen to her. You should get some sleep now
.
Y
ou had a tough day. Okay then, have a good night.”

Jack clicked the phone off. “That is one persistent lady.”

“We Johnson woman tend to be. We are used to getting what we want.”

Jack smoothed her bangs out of her face. “And what is it you want Ms. Johnson?”

She smiled the smile that started it all. “I’ve already got it. I want you.”

Jack sat up and carefully cradled her in his arms. “Good
.
G
et used to it
, because
you’re mine.” Her heart fluttered and her belly did that whole flip flop thing.

“Then take me to bed,” she purred and Jack stood and carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the bed. He leaned over her, not putting any of his weight on her because she so banged up and kissed her lovingly and gently, just a sensual, soul kiss
.
T
hen after disrobing
,
he joined her. Megan nestled into him and
,
feeling his arousal
,
she reached for him but he stilled her hand.

“Honey, I almost lost you today. You’re cut up, stitched up, bruised up
,
and probably still very sore. I was a selfish bastard last night and…

“Jack.”

“…and I refuse to be tonight. I can make love to you tomorrow and the night after that, and the night after that, and the night after that
,
and the night…”

“Jack.”

“
…and I know I am irresistible and it will be damn near impossible for you to keep your hands off of me but if I have to handcuff you…”

“Handcuffs?”

“
…don’t think I won’t. You will just have to be happy with me holding you all night. Fe
e
l free to dream about me and
,
if you must
,
you have my permission to indulge yourself in a wet dream if it gets you by but…”

“Jack!”

“
…there will be no ride on the love train tonight. Sorry to disappoint ladies, but as promised Jack will return to his regularly scheduled love making tomorrow at a time to be later announced. So stay tuned and…”

“I was only going to say goodnight.”

“Liar.”

Megan smiled and fell asleep indulging in her first real wet dream starring the dreamy and delicious Jack Westin.

***

Megan’s head was pounding when she woke up
,
in perfect tune to the phone that was ringing off the hook. She ignored it and reached for Jack but he was gone, leaving behind a tantalizing impression in the sheets of where he had laid. She heard the shower turn off and then Jack’s hurried footsteps into the bedroom to quiet the ringing phone so it wouldn’t wake her up.

Too late. If the phone hadn’t done it, the
si
ght
of him standing blissfully naked two feet in front of her would have. Hell, that delicious
si
ght
would be enough to wake any woman from the dead.

“Hi,” he said and smiled, leaned down to kiss her.

“Hi yourself,” she managed
,
her heart thudding wildly in her chest.

The phone rang again and they both stared at it.

“If we don’t answer it, she’ll just come over,” Megan informed him and after giving the matter a
moment’s
thought Jack snatched up the phone, winking at Megan, and touching her in places that sent her body into overdrive. Megan was so turned on.
F
oreplay while talking to
her
mother on the phone
, d
efinitely a carnal sin
,
she thought,
but quite possibl
y
one worth experiencing the wrath of hell for.
She grabbed Jack’s arm and dragged him down on to the bed with her, teasing and taunting his amazing erection with her fingers. He shivered and tried to bat her away and she found that she enjoyed the challenge. She moved her tongue seductively down his neck and to one flat copper nipple buried in a mass of chest hair. She gently sank her teeth in and pulled and Jack shot straight out of the bed, almost knocking her to the floor. His demeanor went from teasing and seducing to serious and concerned in a spilt second. He stood, naked as a jay bird, running his fingers through his hair nervously pacing the room. He hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed, then sat silently as if trying to get his bearings together.

“What?’ she asked and he took her hand, his eyes a stormy brown. He opened his mouth to speak but no words were able to come out. “Just tell me, Jack. I’m a big girl. What’s the matter? Is it my Mom? Granny?” her voice broke, “Stacy?”

Jack looked at their hands interlaced together. “Ted,” he said and Megan couldn’t control the relief that consumed her body. The cops had found Ted. Good, she had a few things she wanted to say to him.

“What about him?” she asked feeling a little control surface.

“He’s dead.” Okay that was the last thing she expected. Her face went pale, her legs suddenly numb, she asked
,
“What do you mean dead? As in heart stopped, not breathing?” Jack nodded and pulled her into his arms.

“How?” she breathed
,
not able to control her emotions and not bothering to understand them either. She didn’t want Ted, she didn’t love him and had filed for divorce and would have been content never seeing the snake again. But dead? Never. She would have never wished that on him. Jack held her tighter and she figured he was probably fighting with a few emotions of his own.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. That was the police and they want us at the station for questioning. I guess we’ll get those answers there.”

She forced herself to calm down. “Okay,” she said, “we probably should get dressed then.” She got up and began rifling through her bag and wrestling on her clothes. Jack
,
too
,
got dressed and they were on the
ir
way out the door when the phone rang again. This time they ignored it and trekked to Jack’s truck.

***

Megan and Jack were immediately separated as soon as they arrived at the police station. Megan glanced around the room at the busy hum of the city’s finest bustling around. There was the sound of fingers drumming on key boards, phones ringing, radios crackling and heavy
,
hurried footsteps. An elderly man dressed in a crisp suit with a head full of salt and pepper hair smiled at Megan and offered her a Styrofoam cup of thick black sludge. She accepted the coffee and thanked him.

“Mrs. Malone, I’m Sgt
.
Wagner. I just have a few questions for you
,
dear.” Megan nodded and admired the honest gray coloring of his eyes. For a man of his age
—
which she guessed was around mid-sixties
—
he was still quite handsome.

“Let’s start at the beginning,” he said.

***

By the end of her interrogation Megan was exhausted. She was scared, confused, angry
,
and pretty much brain dead. Ted being dead didn’t make sense, the questions Sgt. Wagner had asked her didn’t make sense
,
and now she was left all alone waiting to be questioned some more. About murder. Of her cheating, drug dealing husband.

Megan was now sitting in a small room with four chairs, a scarred wooden table
,
and a window covering one wall. She’d seen enough cop shows to know that it was a two way mirror. She resisted the urge to cross her eyes and stick her tongue out. Of course that might help with her defense if she had to use an insanity defense.

***

Finally, an officer came in and collected her and she was led down a long hall decorated with photographs of officers both past and present in various situations. She was led through a door into a spacious office where Jack sat along with a man who looked like he was a ruthless all business kind of guy, Sgt. Wagner, another man who she assumed was Wagner’s partner
,
and her father. Jack immediately sent her a look that said shut-up-and-listen. She nodded and looked back at her father who didn’t seem the least bit worried. He had probably taped Jeopardy
,
Megan decided
,
and there weren’t any games on in the morning so he was probably safe. Jack lightly patted her thigh as he introduced her to her attorney. “Megan, this is Donald Templeton, you
r
father and I have retained him to represent you.”