Little Red's Love ✔ #2

c h a p t e r - t w e n t y t w o

Jessie's P.O.V

His hand had latched around my finger like he was scared that I was going to disappear. My broken smile was made evident to him as I watched my little baby boy, Jayce try and figure out what my finger actually was. He was the sweetest thing I could have, more precious than anything else and if I was honest, I couldn't think of any other person that could take my heart.

No one that was alive at least. I stifle a sob as I took a deep breath in, trying to forget about the news I heard about Nick. He had died, there was...there was just too much pain to hold onto that I couldn't function properly sometimes. I couldn't tend to my son properly because it just got too overwhelming.

Of course I had the love of y family with me, but for how long? My brothers din't come and visit me as much, which I knew meant danger within itself. They had lives, they all had lives and yet, here I was sleeping on a bed with my baby next to me. He was so precious that I didn't know why I was the one raising him. I wasn't doing a great job of it, I knew that.

Jayce had gotten some of Nick's features, which made it even harder for me to control my tears, control my emotions sometimes. Whenever someone would look at Jayce, compliment him, say anything about any features he inherited, I would break down inside. A world shattered inside of me when I found out about Nick's death.

It was too much to bear at time, but I had my son to take care of, look after. I had more things o worry about , right? The protection of my son meant a lot and for him to be in a position like it, it was scary for a mother. He was falling asleep, but how long would it be until something dangerous happens.

There was more to fear than to love sometimes and I hoped and I prayed that nothing would happen to my baby, but if something were to happen to me, he would go to a good place, eh would survive and thrive in his own life unlike his mother. He wouldn't get involved in any drugs or gang shit, he would be successful.

I covered my mouth as a sob broke out of my body, the strength just vanishing as the weight on my shoulders grew and the tension in my mind pained me even more. The stabbing of my heart was something that I had felt metaphorically and I couldn't make it go away, not matter how long ago it was.

Sighing, I rubbed away the remaining tears and watched as Jayce's eyes closed and his soft breathing filled the silence in the room. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pulled my finger away from his grasp. I sat up in my bed and looked around the room for where I had left my phone, scared that Cole might call me back for whatever reason.

Leaning my back against the headboard, I drew my legs into me as I cried silently at the emptiness I felt. No matter how many times I would say that I loved Jayce, it wouldn't make up for the fact that there was still that void left in my heart for where Nick was supposed to be. I had felt every emotion after he died, anger ruling out every one of those feelings.

He got involved in this shit and he got himself killed, but it was most importantly when we were finally happy together, when he had asked my hand in marriage. We had our baby on the way and everything was going to be happy, but now? Now I could see pain stabbing at me as the days go by, the pain getting harder for me to handle and it's going to hurt Jayce the most.

"I hate you, Nick." I whispered to the silence of my bedroom. I slid back down under the covers and brought the baby monitor close to me so I could be sure to hear Jayce breathing before I rest my head on the pillow and reached out for Jayce's finger again, feeling the comfort of someone here with me.

A slow hum had awoken me some time later. My eyes had opened, panicked and dazed, but I didn't dare move. I looked to see if Jayce was still in his little cot next to my bed, happy to see that he was. The humming had gotten louder and my breathing almost faltered as I heard the floorboards to my bedroom creak.

I was slowly panicking as I tried to figure out what to do since my phone wasn't at the right place for me to call anyone. My mind instantly awoke when I had felt something underneath my pillow and relief struck me when I felt the gun that I put under there. I moved around the bed, making it look as if I was just shifting.

Then at the right time, I had lifted the gun up and pointed it to where I knew the intruder was. I froze the second that I saw who it was. My body started shaking and I started seeing blurriness as I figure stepped forward. I tried to move to bring my son closer to me, but I had dropped the gun onto the floor, meaning we weren't safe.

"Jessie." He uttered the one word that seemed to echo through the room for a long. I struggled to find the words to make him stop moving, to wake myself out of this horrible dream. I wanted to scream, to shout for help at this person who was playing a prank on me, scaring me, threatening me to...to do what?

"You're...You're not Nick." I reached for my phone, holding Jayce close to me and rocking him as I dialled Cole's number. My eyes narrowed at the person walking towards my bed and under the little light there was in the room, I could make out his figure...oddly the same as Nick's, his features were so...so similar to Nick's.

"Baby, it's me." The person chocked out. "It's Nick, you're not dreaming, please. Please calm down, listen to me, baby. Jessie?" I was in shock at the revelation, that I still couldn't and wouldn't believe. This couldn't be my fiancee, this couldn't be Nick! I chocked out a sob, as did the other person, tears sliding down their face.

"You're not Nick. My fiancee died! He was shot, you're not him! Get out, get out!" I shouted, my voice breaking towards the end, trying to find the strength to usher this man away from me and my son. Someone on the other end of the phone line picked up, but I stayed silent as Jayce's cries filled the line.

"Cole, it's me." Nick shouted, his voice sounding huskier out of sadness from his tears. Cole was saying something, but I was too dazed to understand what was happening that I hung up the phone and stared at Nick. I eyed his attire of a shirt and normal black slacks. His tattoos were evident, he was the same man I had fell in love with...

"Stop." I spoke, my voice stern and strong just as I wanted it to be. Nick froze in his steps and looked at me with confusion in his eyes. I felt a tear escape my eyes before I slowly breathed out and held Jayce closer to me. "You will explain everything to me, Nick. You explain every little detail or so help me, I will kill you myself."