The Bachelor's Bride

Chapter 26-Jack

I sat down at the table that night, ready for supper. I nodded to Mr. Foster, "It's good to see you again, sir."

"And you as well. Have you been taking care of my little girl?" He winked at Etta.

"Papa..." She groaned, her face growing red with embarrassment from the attention.

Had I been taking care of her? Not as well as I liked. I nodded and ate a bite of green bean, "I am, sir."

"Good." He said. "My girl only deserves the best."

Etta placed her hand over mine, settling my fidgety fingers, "Jack does what he can for us. Now stop trying to scare off my husband."

I smiled at those words.

My husband.

Etta hardly addressed me as such, and it warmed my heart to hear her say it.

"How are you faring, John?" Etta looked to her brother, who hadn't touched any part of his meal.

"I've been better." He replied weakly. "But my strength is getting better each day."

I had noticed John being skinnier than a few months ago, and his skin had lost it's healthy glow. Now he looked like a shadow of his former self. He had to have been deathly ill to become this skeleton before me.

"That's good to hear." Etta shared a concerned look with her mother that John didn't catch.  Etta pushed away her plate, looking as if she had lost her appetite. "I think I'm going to be heading to bed early."

"Alright. Have a goodnight." Her mother accepted a kiss.

Etta hugged her father as he said, "Goodnight."

I placed my napkin over my plate, "I'll go with you." I nodded to her family. "Thank you so much for having me again."

"Of course. Goodnight, Jack." Mrs. Foster smiled.

I followed Etta up the creaky steps and into the bedroom we had shared last time. I sat on the bed as she paced the room, looking restless and frantic. I finally stood up and blocked her path, grabbing her hands. She wouldn't look up and meet my eyes, so I placed my finger under her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"I can't watch him like that, Jack." Tears formed in her brown eyes, slipping down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" My voice rasped as I quickly brushed away her tears.

"John had the flu, and he never got better. He just keeps getting weaker and Mama seemed so worried about him. If he doesn't make it-" Etta cried, burying her face in my chest.

I stroked her soft hair for a long moment before grasping her arms tightly, "Alright, no more crying. Your brother is a strong man, he can make it through this."

"But-"

I placed my finger over her lips, "Don't doubt his strength. He will get well. But crying and stressing about it won't do us any good. All we can do is pray for him."

"You're right." She wiped at her cheeks, hugging me. "Thank you, Jack."

"I'm always here for you." I kissed the crown of her head, holding her in my arms for a long time before she finally pulled away. I rubbed her arms, looking at her with concern. "You should get some rest."

Etta nodded, kissing my lips, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

The gravity of her words hit me. My wife was giving me permission to finally share her bed. Despite the fact that we had been married for over a year, being intimate wasn't a familiar ground for either of us. I nodded and joined her on the bed, under the downy covers. I wrapped my arm around her waist, starring into her eyes.

"You're beautiful." I murmured quietly, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

She blushed under my gaze and snuggled further down under the covers, "Oh."

I smiled at her uncomfortableness, "Did you fall from heaven? Because I think you might be an angel."

Etta finally laughed, hitting my stomach, "I can't sleep with you acting like this."

"Like what?" I leaned towards her, my lips just barely brushing hers. I wasn't sure where this side of me was coming from, but I didn't plan on stopping it.

"I can still make you sleep on the floor." She threatened.

I finally captured her lips with mine, only pulling away to say, "No you wouldn't."

Her face was bright red, "Yes I would."

I kissed her again and replied huskily, "Then why haven't you?"

Instead of responding, she kissed me back. My hands wrapped around her waist, exploring the curves of her body. Her hands were tangled up in my hair as I kissed her breathless. She groaned when my lips touched the hot skin of her neck.

"Jack..." She whispered, looking slightly afraid.

"What?" I had to force myself away from her inviting curves, cursing at myself for letting myself take it so far.

"I'm just....I'm not sure I'm ready." She explained awkwardly.

I groaned, falling back down on my side of the bed, "What did I do wrong, love?"

"Nothing." She reassured me, snuggling up against my side. "I really want this with you. I'm just...scared."

"Of what, love?" I ran my hand across her hair, pushing it back from her face.

"Of not pleasing you." She said, her face heated with embarrassment.

"My love, you're so beautiful, that wouldn't ever be possible. Besides, I love you. I wouldn't do this if I didn't care about you," I said, knowing those words to be true. "But I also love you enough to not make you do anything you wouldn't want to."

"Okay." She said quietly. I could see the thoughts running through her head. "I want to."

I pulled back before she could try to kiss me again, "You're sure? Because I'm not sure I can stop myself if you decided you aren't ready."

She answered my question by passionately kissing me on the lips.

A/N
It was unanimously decided that you guys didn't want to hear anything more about the trial, so I decided not to bore you to death with it😂

And no I'm not going to write any mature scenes because we all know what happens and there's no need to spell it out for you. I know some writers like to add things like that to their stories, but I would prefer not to, so I hope you respect my decision and hope you still enjoy the story!!

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As Always
Stay Awesome Possums
Rosanna🌵🌸🌺