Fast Track

Chapter Seven

Jeb's POV:

Going into that meeting at JGR, I hadn't intended on being the one to put Addie back together again. I hadn't intended on bringing her out to my home, basically locking her away from the real world. But when I'd seen her break down in that office, I'd known that this was exactly what she needed. Was it a plus that I would get to see her every day, that I would have the chance to have her in my bed once more? Hell yes. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't thought about all the sex that she and I could have uninterrupted. But I also knew that right now, that wasn't what she needed. Right now, she just needed space and time to heal, to deal with her grief outside of the public eye. But if she needed a shoulder to cry on, I had two that were ready and waiting.

Sitting on the deck looking out over the back yard, gazing at the mountains in the distance, I stole glances at Addie as she sat in the rocking chair a few feet away from me, her feet propped onto the railing, a cup of steaming hot coffee in her hand, wearing one of my hoodies with her hair piled atop her head in a messy bun. Her face was free of makeup and she looked more like the 27 year old woman that she was instead of the woman that was doing her best to hide her grief and put on a strong face for anyone looking her direction. All in all, I don't know that I have ever seen her more beautiful... well, except for when shes screaming my name as she rides a wave of ecstasy.

Thoughts of Addie in the throws of passion, screaming my name as she came, had my cock swelling, the appendage begging me to put the moves on her and drag her up to my bed. And lord knows, that's exactly what I wanted to do but I knew that it wasn't the right time. Last night had been lust filled and an escape from reality. Right now, Addie needed to get her head in the right place much more than I needed to sink my cock into her warm body.

Repositioning in my chair and adjusting my cock inside my sweats as nonchalantly as possible, I forced those thoughts from my head, returning my gaze back to the picturesque view, only stealing glances of Addie a handful of times. Sitting there with her, both of us quiet and content to just be, I felt myself relaxing into the chair. Coming home, bringing Addie here, had been for her benefit but I was finding that it was for mine too. Because for the first time in a long time, I felt myself relaxing more than I had since before my soon-to-be-ex-wife and I spilt up.

"Thank you." Whispered Addie, so low that I almost didn't hear her.

"For what darlin?" I asked, turning my gaze to her. Once more, I was struck by her beauty.

"For everything. For standing up for me in that meeting. For bringing me here. For just being you." She said, dropping her feet from the railing of the porch and twisting in her chair so that she was facing more towards me. "I didn't know how much I needed to get away from it all until now. I didn't realize that I needed to let my family deal with their grief in their own ways. I didn't realize that I didn't have to be strong for everyone."

"You're the oldest child. That's just what they do. They feel like they have to be the one to fix things. They feel like they have to be the one that people think they can depend on to get through the hard shit. They feel like they have to be the one that sucks up their pain and anger and goes on with their life as if nothing had changed because they think that's what their supposed to do. But sometimes, you have to realize that in order for you to be the strong one, you need to take a step back, process your feelings, think about your mental health, and just take care of yourself before you can be the person that you think you have to be." I said, sitting up in my rocking chair, resting my elbows on my knees, my eyes locking with hers.

"You talk like you know what I'm coming from." Said Addie, taking a sip from her coffee mug.

"Not really," I sighed. "As an only child, I have never really had to be the strong one so to speak."