As soon as the words left my lips, Jack gave me no time for any second-guessing. Seeming almost terrified that I would try and take back my words at any moment, he was quick to get the whole 'moving to another world' underway.
Before all that mayhem, though, he took me into his arms and kissed me soundly on the lips. It wasn't anything sexual or demanding. ...More like an exaggerated "mwaugh!"
While I was a little stunned, leaning against him, I watched as a wide, jubilant smile took over his handsome features. "You're mine now," he whispered loud enough for just my ears.
"In exchange, I belong solely to you as well." Pressed as close to him as I was, I could feel the rapid pounding of his heart. "Thank you, jhenmu."
With those words, Jack turned into a packing beast.
Nana was quick to drop everything and rush to her room, muttering to herself. "Thankfully I always keep a suitcase packed for such emergencies."
I slowly followed after the two, walking up the stairs. Right at the landing, I was met by Jack, who already had his suitcase from yesterday packed and ready at his feet.
"Okay, let's go. I figured if I started impatiently tearing through your dresser when you weren't there you'd get mad. So, now that you are here, we'll do it together."
I shook my head, laughing at Jack's overeagerness. "Take a few breaths first. I'm not going anywhere."
He shook his head, leaving his suitcase behind and reaching out for my left hand. "You say that, but my emotions aren't stable enough to believe you yet. It just keeps repeating in my head and I can't really think too well past *'She said yes!'*. Make sense?" he frowned slightly, looking down at me from around his rumpled blonde locks.
"I'm already nervous enough as it is, and you aren't helping," I complained lightly.
His fingers rubbed the back of my hand in a reassuring motion. "Sorry, jhenmu." He lifted my hand to kiss the back of it in a completely casual manner.
"I'll do my best to calm down, but I don't think the butterflies in my stomach are going to go away until after we're in the Winter Palace."
While bouncing back and forth between nervous and productive, the two of us worked together to pack my things. Other than four pairs of winter clothing, I also brought some of my personal belongings that had sentimental value.
One of these was a necklace Dad had given to me when I was very young. It was shaped like a snowflake and was where I'd gotten my nickname.
The very center was a brilliant diamond-cut aquamarine stone encased inside a silver flower-like shape. Two small diamonds each made up the petals of the flower. In between each petal was the more extended, snowflake part of the necklace. At the end of each was an oval aquamarine, the same color as the larger one in the middle.
Besides the necklace, I also made sure to grab the picture of my father sitting next to my jewelry box. This was the only photo I had left of him, as a result of the fire that took his life shortly after arriving in the Human World where my fake memories truly started.
Dad was standing inside a room I could only very distantly recall as being his study since we'd just moved into the house two weeks before the fire. He was leaning against a large bookcase, holding a book and glancing up slyly at the camera, his shaggy brown hair almost in his eyes. He had a warm smile, a happy light in his hazel eyes as he gazed into the camera. He was wearing one of those large, tacky-looking sweaters, black sweatpants, and a pair of thick woolen brown socks.
He looked nothing like the college professor my fake memories claimed he had been. Smiling fleetingly, I ran my fingertips over Dad's picture gently.
"He was a good man." Jack broke into my bubble of bitter-sweet reminiscence.
Blinking, I nodded slowly, carefully folding my clothes around the picture and frame to make sure it didn't break in the move. "Yeah. Dad was great," I agreed softly.
Turning my attention to my bedside table, I picked up the book of baby names. "We'll be needing this," I chuckled lightly.
Jack grinned widely, pulling down my heavy winter coat from the closet. "Honestly, I have no idea where to begin on names for the boys. Do you have any preferences?"
Frowning in thought, I continued packing my keepsakes while Jack found clothes for me to wear for the trip. I wasn't sure why he was dragging out all of this winter stuff, other than for when we got to his home, but he insisted it was necessary.
"Nana claims we have to keep up the 'N' name tradition. So I thought maybe Noah and Noel?"
His laugh made me glance up, seeing his bright eyes dancing in delight. "Noel is a perfect name for a Frost. Noel Frost. I like it. But Noah Frost I'm not too sure about."
A brief memory of a name I'd read in the book flashed by, making me smile. "What about Aiden Frost?"
Jack tilted his head to the side, thinking, repeating the name out loud a few times to get a feel for it. After several seconds, he smiled along with me, tossing a thumbs up. "Yep, I'll give it the green light. Ha!" he smirked proudly.
"Aiden and Noel Frost. We've already got the perfect names picked out, so maybe we should just leave the book behind?"
My heart warmed substantially, seeing how excited and entirely at ease Jack was, already talking as if he was the father.
'I made the right choice,' my heart reaffirmed. 'No matter the hardships for me — as far as my boys are concerned, they'll never have a more perfect father to love them to death.'
Shaking my head at Jack in disbelief, I purposefully made sure to put the book in my suitcase. "Aiden, I'll grant you, but I'm not completely sold on Noel. We keep the book for now," I decided.
It was so easy to be casual and completely at ease with Jack, considering our childhood together. I couldn't help but smile, reminded of many happy, cherished memories.
Jack gasped in outrage. "W, what? What's not to love about Noel?!"
"For one, it's too winter-themed. For another, I think the 'N' tradition should die with me."
Staring at me in shock, Jack looked a little hurt. "B, but...what's wrong with winter? I'm winter! Is this a round-about way of saying you d, don't like me?" His eyes teared up in pain as he gazed at me like a kicked puppy.
Wincing, I shook my head quickly. "No, I just feel like it's a little too on-the-nose. ...By the way, Aiden means 'little one of fire' or 'fiery'. Don't you think that's a more interesting name for a Frost to have?"
Jack's jaw dropped in a silent scream of amazement before he wheezed out a broken snicker. "Oh, gods, yes! I love it!"
I blinked and Jack was abruptly at my side, apparently moving the distance of twenty feet in one single step. His cold lips connected with my forehead while his voice burst out in joy. "Gods above, I love you so much, jhenmu."
He reached down and snatched up the baby name book, flipping through it like a storm. "We need another ironic name. Sorry, Noel."
I quickly reached out to stop his hands, tugging the book back as he stared down at me in confusion. "Jack...for now we need to pack. How long do you think it's going to take to make it to the Other Realm? You rode a bus to get here, didn't you? That's what Nana told me last night, at least."
Pausing, Jack slowly smiled in a sly manner, his blue eyes alight with mischief.
"What's got you so happy, trouble?" Reaching up, I brushed some of his blonde hair out of his eyes, which caused the silly man to freeze up, his breath catching in his throat.
My eyes half-closed in delight, some crazy part of me enjoying the look of complete bafflement on Jack's face. His eyes narrowed in response, the color darkening again, though I didn't jump away from him this time.
Instead, a thrill of smug amusement took over my good sense and I winked in a coy manner.
Once again, Jack appeared stunned, the heat in his eyes growing stronger and the color darker.
Smirking in victory, I turned away and continued packing as if nothing had happened.
A low chuckle right next to my ear made me jump, lukewarm breath dancing over the back of my neck. "Sassy, sweet, sexy women need to watch themselves around troublemakers like me."
Gulping, I didn't dare move as Jack's fingers lightly ran along the nape of my neck, brushing aside some of my long, brown hair. I could feel more of his breath sliding down my spine, a little confused that it seemed to be growing warmer with each passing second.
My eyes widened, hidden from Jack's sight with my back to him, which I was thankful for. My hands began to shake slightly and I pressed them closer to my chest, trying to hide my reaction. My stomach felt as if a cloud of butterflies had been dropped into it, while the muscles even lower clenched in a twinge of excitement. My mouth dried up and my heart began to pound erratically in my chest.
'Holy crap!' I squeaked weakly in my mind. 'Jack's going to be bad for my heart!'
Besides, you know, my everything else.
Pregnancy hormones aren't a joke.