9. Forest

9

FOREST

" G ood morning, beautiful," I whisper to Fiona as she blinks her beautiful green eyes open.

The most adorable smile spreads across her face, followed by a light blush dusting her cheeks and nose. She looks at me like she can't believe I'm here. I could say the same about her.

I lean in for a kiss, but Fiona covers her mouth with her hand. I give her a questioning look that turns into a bit of a pout. Why is she keeping her lips from me? I want to kiss my woman.

"Morning breath," she explains.

"Fuck that," I rasp, pulling her hand away and pressing my lips to hers. I don't know what Fiona's talking about. She tastes delicious and I can't wait for more of her. Not just physically, but everything. I want her heart, her goddamn soul. I'll keep them right next to mine and cherish every piece of her story she gives me.

Fiona moans softly into my mouth as her hands crawl up my bare chest. Her fingertips tickle my skin, making me ravenous for her. When Fiona wraps her arms around my shoulders and digs her nails into my back, I'm ready to spread her out beneath me and sink into that snug little pussy that I know is dripping wet.

"Yes," she murmurs, her voice trembling with desire.

I'm about to roll her onto her back when a loud, aggressive knocking startles us both from our hazy morning lust. Fiona looks at me, the terror in her eyes breaking my damn heart.

"It's okay," I tell her. "I'll go see who's at the door then I'll be right back."

"Forest," she protests, grabbing my hand as I sit up and swing my legs over the bed.

I lift her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss over her knuckles. "There's nothing to worry about. It's probably a local politician canvassing the neighborhood or a church group who wants to ask if I know where I'm going when I die."

She nods, reluctantly letting me go. I pull on a pair of basketball shorts, not bothering with a shirt. Whether it's politics or religious zealots, they'll likely be caught off guard by a shirtless man answering the door.

I make my way out to the living room, just in time for the person to knock again. It's urgent, more like a pounding on the door, not a polite let's have a chat knock.

"Forest, you awake?" my mother calls out from her room.

"Yup, I'm at the door right now," I assure her, not wanting her to get up. She's on crutches now, so at least she's a little more mobile. Still, no need for her to move if I'm already here.

I wrap my fingers around the doorknob, taking a deep breath to clear my mind. I don't want to be an asshole to this person, but they just interrupted what was shaping up to be a delightful morning with my woman.

When I open the door, all thoughts of sex fall right out of my head, and the last of my hard-on leaves me in a rush. Jett.

"Forest?" My old friend looks just as shocked to see me as I am to see him. "Uh, wow, didn't know you were back in town."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"Yeah, just for a little bit. Taking care of my mom after her knee surgery."

"Ah. Is there any chance Fiona has been around? She and your mom are close and I thought she might have some information. I've been calling Fiona all week but she ignored them and only sent a few short texts. I know her finals are this week and I'm worried she's anxious or sick or–"

"Jett?" comes Fiona's voice from down the hall.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is not how I wanted him to find out about us.

Jett peers over my shoulder, squinting so he can see inside the dimly lit house. I know the exact second he spots his sister. His eyes widen and his face turns red as he steps up to me, looking for a fight.

"Please tell me this isn't what it looks like," he growls.

"Let me explain," I start. Jett pushes past me and heads inside, straight for Fiona. I follow him, noting that Fiona is wearing one of my t-shirts and nothing else, leaving little room for doubt about what we've been up to.

"Come on, Fiona," he says. "Get dressed and we'll talk on the way to your apartment. Is this why you haven't been answering my calls?"

"I want to be here with Forest," she replies.

"You don't know what you want and he took advantage of that."

"I didn't take advantage of Fiona," I say, stepping in between them. Fiona stands by my side, clinging to my arm and leaning against me. "And you know I'm not some player who goes through women. Neither are you. What's happening between us is real, Jett. I hope you can understand that."

"Plus," Fiona adds, getting a little bit of her confidence back, "I'm an adult. I can make my own choices, and I choose Forest."

I squeeze her hand, letting her know I'm proud of her for standing up for herself.

"He's thirteen years older than you," Jett protests.

"Remind me again how big the age gap is between you and Rowan?" Fiona asks, narrowing her eyes at him.

Jett mumbles something about how it's different, but he has nothing to back that up with. He knows he's being a hypocrite.

"Jett Douglas Peterson," my mother says, catching all of us by surprise. She apparently hobbled her way into the living room while we were exchanging words.

I start to walk over to her to help, but she waves me off.

"Samanth– er, Ms. Campbell. Sorry for waking you up," Jett says, though I can feel the tension and anger still radiating off of him.

"Listen to me, Jett. I've known you and your sister pretty much since birth. I've witnessed the damage your parents caused, and while you came back and did the honorable thing by raising Fiona, you need to realize she's grown now. You did your job."

"But–"

"I'm not finished," my mother says, cutting him off. "When Forest answered Fiona's call late one night and rescued her from a situation at the bar, he brought home a fragile, terrified woman."

"Samantha, don't–" Fiona starts.

"He needs to know."

"What bar? What situation?" Jett turns to Fiona, his facial features growing softer when he hears this information.

"Fiona can tell you the details in her own time if she wants. That's up to her. But I've seen these two together over the last week. Forest has been gentle and kind as she recovers. He's helped her face some of her fears while making her feel safe and wanted. And Fiona makes my son smile more than he ever has. Forest is lighter and more at peace with himself. That's all Fiona's doing."

My mother trains her gaze on Jett, who looks a little sheepish. I can't say I've ever seen him like this. Then again, I've never seen my mother scold him before.

"So before you pass judgment and get yourself all worked up," she continues, "I just thought you should know that these two love each other on a deeper level than I've ever seen. If you take a second to breathe and open your eyes to what's in front of you, I know you'll see it, too."

Jett runs a hand through his hair and then rubs the back of his neck. Rolling out his shoulders, he takes a deep breath and then focuses his attention on Fiona. "Are you okay?" he asks, his tone softer this time. "I didn't know something happened at a bar. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," Fiona admits. "You already worry too much and now you have your own family to take care of."

"Fiona, you're my family. Just because I have Rowan in my life doesn't mean I care about you less. I want to know these things. We share everything, right?"

Fiona nods. "I didn't know what to say. It all happened so fast and then I called Samanth to pick me up but it was Forest who answered the phone. I didn't want to spend the night alone in my apartment, so he offered one of the spare rooms here. It was just going to be one night, but it felt so natural to be here. I didn't plan on falling for Forest, it just sort of… snuck up on me."

I grin down at her as she looks up at me with those sparkling green eyes. "You love me," I whisper.

"Yeah, and you better love me, too, mister," she teases, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Of course, I do. How can I not?" I lean down for a kiss, but Jett clears his throat.

"Okay, okay, I believe the love stuff, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to see you two make out."

I chuckle while Fiona buries her head into the side of my arm in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I came in here swinging," Jett says. "Ms. Campbell is right. You're a grown woman and you're capable of making your own choices. And, if I'm honest, I can't think of a better man than Forest. I knew he'd end up making someone happy and cared for, I just never thought it would be my own sister."

"I love you, Jett," Fiona whispers, untangling herself from my side. She takes a few steps forward and hugs her brother. "I'm happy. Really, truly happy."

"That's all I've ever wanted for you," I hear him say quietly.

"I know. So you don't have to worry so much anymore."

She gives him one last squeeze, then returns to my side, tucking herself under my arm.

"Well, I think we've all earned a good breakfast," my mother announces. "Let's go to the diner. My treat."

"You two have to get dressed first," Jett says while mimicking gagging. "It's going to take a bit for me to get used to this."

"We have all the time in the world," I tell him. "I'm not going anywhere."

I hold out my hand for him to shake. Jett pulls me in for a hug instead. "Thank you for protecting Fiona. If you hurt her, I'll cut your dick off."

"Understood," I say with a nod. "I expect nothing less."

I pat him on the back and head toward the bedroom to get dressed. It might be an awkward breakfast, but at least the worst of the confrontation is over. I'll have to remember to buy my mom that new ice maker she's been looking at, along with a new TV, all the streaming services, and a new recliner. I can never thank her enough for standing up for Fiona and me.

I join my girl in the bedroom, drawing her into my embrace. She melts against me and winds her arms around my torso, clinging to me while I gently rock us back and forth.

"I guess we're official now, huh?" Fiona asks.

I smile. "Yes. Very official. You can't get rid of me now, sweetheart."

"Good."