Read Change for Free Online Page B

nightmare.”
    It wasn’t a
question. Tabitha knew her too well. But then again, it was
probably written on her face, and in her body language.
    “ Yeah.” She blew out a breath. “I wake up on the brink of
screaming... mum’s face haunts me. I couldn't do anything to help
her. ” She sucked in much needed air
before she felt the tears trickle down her cheeks.
    “ It's only
been three weeks since you said goodbye to your mother. You need
time to process everything. What you and Jack have been through is
too much for one of such a young age. It’s such a difficult thing
to come to terms with.”
    “ Yeah.” She
wiped her tears, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
    She had found
that as each day passed, the tight chains around her heart had
loosened ever so slightly. The tears had managed to stay for the
long run, but she could now stand on her own without the grief
forcing her to the ground. Baby steps. That is what grief is
about.
    “ Do you want
some breakfast?”
    Her stomach
grumbled louder, answering the question before she could. She liked
to see the small smile that tugged on Tabitha's lips, it didn’t
happen as often as she would liked recently.
    “ Yeah, I guess
I'm a little hungry.”
    The bedroom
door opened as she sat down, and Jack walked through into the
kitchen, yawning loudly. He wore only a pair of shorts and a tight
vest that revealed toned arms and the cuts of his abs. She
swallowed, enjoying the view as he pushed his hand through his bed
hair forcing it to one side. His eyes latched on to hers. Hot
chocolate eyes, and she felt the punch deep in her gut. It amazed
her, the effect he could have on her. How he steadied her but at
the same time, he set every little part of her on fire with lust.
He was one amazing man. He was her man.
    “ Morning, Tab,
smells good.”
    She watched as
he kissed Tabitha's cheek and then turned to her.
    She never felt
whole since the visit. A huge chunk of her heart died when her mother and unborn
sibling had been taken away from her. The only time she came close
to feeling any sort of whole was in his presence. His arms slipped
around her shoulders as his lips brushed against her
ear.
    “ Morning,
beautiful,” he whispered softly.
    He kissed her
cheek and slumped onto the stool next to her, at the same time
Tabitha put a loaded plate in front of him. Tabitha didn’t need to
ask him what he wanted to eat, Jack usually had the full English
most mornings. He needed it. His face had looked so gaunt before,
but now it was filling out nicely.
    “ I’m sorry
that I woke you, but you could’ve gone back to sleep.”
    He stopped
chomping on the massive bit of sausage he’d just stuffed into his
mouth, and looked at her. She noticed that his left cheek had sleep
lines creased into it and that his eyes still held the slightly
glazed, sleepy look before they fully woke. He looked sexy slouched
over his breakfast. The look alone made her smile.
    “ Let me ask
you something, if I’d woken up and left the room, would you go back
to sleep in a big empty bed?” He pointed a speared mushroom in her
face as he spoke around the sausage in his mouth.
    She tried to
hide the blush in front of Tabitha, but she wasn’t sure why she was
embarrassed. Tabitha knew they shared a bed, and hopefully, she
knew that nothing happened between them. “No, I couldn’t,” she
muttered.
    Tabitha put a
not so loaded plate in front of her.
    “ There you go
then,” he said, popping the mushroom into his mouth followed by a
piece of crispy bacon.
    “ Morning,” Eli
sang as he sauntered into the kitchen.
    He received a
grunt from Jack and a nod from her.
    Everyone had a
key to this place, more so since she’d started temporarily living
here. It meant that anyone could come and go as they pleased. Eli
was one person who came and went often. He’d spend hours just
sitting, talking and passing the time of day. Ember was also here
quite a bit. The one person she missed was Ayden. She’d