Where the Heart Is

Chapter 8

It didn’t take him long to find her grandmother’s house, Bon Temps was a small town. Eric had never really been there before. He went from Sweden, straight to New York for college, and then to Shreveport, Louisiana. He couldn’t believe Sookie was this close the whole time and he never even knew.

With a deep calming breath, he knocked on her door, releasing Jessica’s hand a bit when he realized he was possibly holding it a little too tight. She came to the door wearing an adorable sundress, her hair up in a messy bun. It looked as if she hadn’t been sleeping very well, if the dark circles around her eyes were anything to go by. She lost some weight since he saw her last, but nothing could ever take away from her beauty in his eyes.

“Eric? What are you doing here?”

He didn’t know what to say, not rehearsing this part enough in his head. “Jessica wanted to see you,” was all he could manage to get out, silently cursing himself. “We both wanted to see you, Amelia told me about what happened. Could we come in?”

Sookie nodded and moved back to let them in, seeming to just take notice of the child at his side. She got Jessica situated in front of the TV set to keep her occupied, joining Eric in the kitchen a second later.

“I’m sorry about your grandmother,” he started.

She graced him with a small smile. “Thank you, I can’t believe you came here. I’m sorry for just taking off the way I did, but I wasn’t sure how to face you. I was only planning to be gone for a week, and then everything happened. She was doing better, at least that’s what the doctor told us, but I came home from the market one day to find her dead on the couch. They claim it happened so fast that there was nothing anyone could do, but I keep thinking if I just got here sooner, I could have saved her.”

Eric shook his head. “You can’t blame yourself, Sookie. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do.”

“They said she went peacefully at least, it helps a little to hear that.”

He smiled. “That’s always good to know.”

Sookie decided that a subject change was in order. “So, Jessica’s still with you? I never would have expected you to bring her.”

“A lot is different now,” Eric commented, taking in a deep breath. “She’s mine officially; I signed the paperwork and everything. When Tara told me that she found a couple to adopt Jessica, I just panicked. I couldn’t let her go, probably the best decision I’ve ever made. It wasn’t that easy, though. I had to take a paternity test, believe me it was not my idea. They wanted to know for sure that I was actually her biological father, but even if the results were negative, I still would have chosen to adopt her. I’m just relieved that she’s really mine, not that I had any doubts.”

That brought a bigger smile to Sookie’s face. “I’m so proud of you, Eric. And I’m glad; I would have hated going home and not seeing her there. She belongs with you.”

“You are coming back, then? I’m not saying that anything has to happen with us if you don’t want it to, but I miss having you as a friend. I just miss you being there in general, I’ve been going out of my mind with worry for you these last couple of weeks. I hate the thought that I drove you away.”

She took his hand in hers. “You didn’t, I left because of me. It was just something I had to do, but I definitely plan on going back. Being here has made me realize why I left in the first place; it’s not my home anymore. I just need a few more days.”

Eric nodded, relief in every fiber of his being. “It’s the weekend; I don’t have to go back right away if you needed help with anything.”

“I’m covered, but it means a lot that you came. I’ve missed you, too.”

He couldn’t take it anymore. With her words and the fact that he hadn’t seen her in weeks, Eric really couldn’t be held responsible for his actions. He took her in his arms and planted a firm kiss on her mouth, sliding his tongue inside to soon be massaged with hers. They were like that until breathing became an issue, touching their foreheads together. “I know I said we could just be friends, but that might kill me.”

She laughed, the first real one in what felt like forever. “What do you want?”

“Everything,” he responded, kissing her lips sweetly. “I’m aware it’s a lot to take on. You wouldn’t just be getting me out of the deal, but I think it would be worth it in the end. You’re worth it.”

Sookie felt tears in her eyes, knowing that she never would have been able to stay away from this man for long. “It sounds like a good deal to me.”

Eric kissed her again, and now that she was finally his, he would never let her go.

* * * * *

“Where are you hiding? I will find you.” He heard giggling coming from behind the couch and before she could suspect it; he pounced, grabbing her around the waist as she let out a loud shriek. “Gotcha! How did you manage to fit behind there?”

She laughed through her struggles. “I’m tiny.”

Eric smiled. “That you are, at least where I’m concerned.” He put her down, ruffling her hair in the process. “Okay, now you have to find me while I hide.”

“That doesn’t seem very challenging. You’re huge, not many hiding places could contain you.”

He was startled to see Sookie behind him; it had been days since he left Bon Temps. She was finally home.

“Sorry to just let myself in, but your door was unlocked. I wanted to see what all the commotion was about,” she said, waving at Jessica on the couch. “Hide and Seek, huh? I used to love playing that as a kid. We should make it more interesting and use both of our apartments, more places to choose from.”

Eric wrapped her in a hug, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “Welcome back, love.”

Sookie smiled. “It’s good to be home.”