First

Chapter 51

It felt like hours later when I woke up but one look at the clock told me it had only been a little over an hour. I was still tucked safely into Jace's arms; there was nowhere else I would have rather been at that moment in time. But my bladder had other ideas, pushing me from the comfort and safety of Jace's arms. Thankfully, Jace didn't stir as I climbed slowly from his embrace and the bed. Quietly exiting the room, I noticed that—thankfully—the company was all gone and I breathed a sigh of relief. I gently closed the door behind me and headed to the washroom.

As I was washing my hands, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were red from tears, my makeup smeared all over my face. My hair had drifted from my ponytail and was beginning to look like birds nest. I sighed and tried to coax myself into some semblance of order. I was normally so put together but the second Jace had walked off of that plane, I didn't care anymore. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and headed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. I heard the screen door open behind me and I turned to see my mom walk back into the cabin, a huge smile on her face.

"There you are, I was starting to wonder if you two were okay. How is he doing?" she asked.

Her smile fell instantly when she saw the scowl on my face. "He's fine no thanks to you."

"Kadence!" she cried, shocked. "Don't use that tone of voice with me. What do you mean by no thanks to me?"

I swung my gaze to the closed bedroom door where Jace was peacefully sleeping. "Would you keep your voice down?" I hissed. My anger was no longer directed at myself for how Jace was acting; it was directed at my mother. "He's sleeping."

"Sorry," she said. "Now would you please explain?"

I took a breath to try and reign in my anger. "I asked you not to have anyone over today and you told me that you understood. Yet Jace and I get here and you've got loads of people over. Jace can't deal with all that mere hours after he gets back. You know that! He freaked out, Mom. Jace had a panic attack sitting out there trying to be what he thought everyone else expected him to be."

"He could have easily gone inside; Jace didn't have to visit with everyone," she said, trying to defend herself.

"But you didn't have to invite everybody over either," I countered. "And you know just as well as I do that Jace would never sit inside and sit on the sidelines; letting people think he was weak." My eyes filled with tears and my heart ached for the situation Jace had been put in. I angrily swiped at the tears that had fallen down my cheek and stomped back to our room. I briefly heard my mother say that dinner would be ready soon but I closed the door on her.

I collapsed back against the door and let out a shaky breath. When I raised my head I saw Jace sitting up in bed, his arms hanging over his bent knees. He was watching me silently. After a few minutes of silence Jace said, "Come here," and I readily went into his arms. Jace pulled me down onto the bed and tucked me into his side, my head resting on his chest.

I found my eyes closing once again as I listened to his heart beating in his chest and vibrating into my body. I was just drifting off when Jace's voice gently whispered into my ear. "Thank you," Jace said softly, squeezing me tighter for just a moment. "But you didn't have to do that."

I didn't even try to pretend that I didn't know what he was talking about for even a minute. I knew that Jace would just see through whatever lie I tried to feed him. I winced into his chest. "You heard that?" I asked, embarrassed.

He nudged me from my hiding spot and kissed my forehead. "Yeah, I did. You didn't have to get into it with your mom over me. I know that the way I reacted at the party upset you and you never like to see me have a panic attack. You blame your mom for that but don't let my problems affect your relationship with your parents. I won't come between you and your family. I may be your fiancé but I won't—"