Chapter 27
CHAPTER 27
JACE
She’s been here all along.
Without me knowing it. Without her knowing it.
She’s never truly been gone.
I think I went into shock when her phone pinged with the notification of my chat message. And even though neither of us confirmed that’s what it was, we knew.
Because she has been and always will be my kismet Kinsley.
The revelation clouds my mind as I pull into my driveway and hop out of the car. I practically skip up the steps but come to an abrupt halt as soon as I open the front door and see the slim figure sitting on my sofa.
“Honey, you’re home,” she purrs.
I grit my teeth and hold myself back from slamming the door closed. “What are you doing here, Angie?”
“Just dropping our son off.”
“I wasn’t even scheduled to be home until tomorrow. How did you know I would be here today? What were you planning to do, leave him here by himself overnight?”
She sighs, standing and walking around the coffee table. “Of course I wouldn’t leave him alone like that. I took a peek at the Life360 app you had downloaded on his phone and saw you were on your way home. I thought we could surprise you.”
“Consider me surprised. You can leave now.” I hold the door open for emphasis.
She steps into my space, pouting. “What, I can’t stay to have breakfast with my boys? Come on, we can make pancakes like we used to.”
I move back just in time before her hand can make contact with my chest and she sighs.
“This is ridiculous, Jace.”
“No, you continuing to think you have a right to enter my home and invite yourself into my life more than I’ve already established is my limit is ridiculous.”
She sucks in a breath, her face twisting in anger before she checks herself. “You always love to put up a fight, but you and I both know how this little dance of ours always ends.”
With that, she walks out the door, swaying her hips a little more than usual and I slam the door behind her with a growl.
Not anymore.
Those dark moments where I’d find myself grieving for the life I wished so hard for but couldn’t have and drowned myself with bad choices vanished the moment Kinsley came back into my life.
My phone dings and I look down at a text from Sydney, saying she hopes everything is going okay. My gut twists and I quickly shove my phone away as I go in search of my son, finding him playing a video game in his room.
I’m a dirty, dirty little liar.
I told my sister and the lads that I had to rush home for an emergency, which in hindsight wasn’t brilliant since they are all overly involved in my life.
Using Beckham as an excuse was a non-starter because they’d have left with me.
Mum and Dad were also a no go. I couldn’t scare Syd like that.
So I told them that a plumber was coming out to the house because it was flooded and since Beckham was with his mum, no one was there to meet the workers.
It was a solid excuse since they know I’d never let the viper be in my house by herself.
Damn the need to make sure my son has access to his own house at all times.
They didn’t need to know the real reason was because I’d overheard Kinsley tell my sister that she couldn’t go out with us because she’d booked an earlier flight back home.
They didn’t need to know what I did to get on that plane, in that seat, with eleven plus uninterrupted hours with my girl.
I’d actually had time to talk to her. I saw her relax and slowly open up to me. Hell, I even opened up and shared about my struggles without realizing it. Because with her, it’s always been that way. Easy.
And just like she did all those years ago, she didn’t judge me. She lifted me up. Told me she thought that I was an amazing dad. She showed me that even though years have separated us, we’re still those kids deep down stumbling their way through life.
When I woke up to her cuddled into my side, it took everything in me to not pull her tighter against me. Then she shivered and before I could tell myself no, I was gently propping her up so I could strip out of my jumper and lay it over her.
They always did look better on her, anyway.
Then I had to push it, just once. I reached out and ran a finger over her temple, tucking a strand that had fallen from her messy bun behind her ear. I froze when she hummed, breathing out a broken sigh of relief as she turned into my hold before laying her head on my shoulder.
For hours I sat there afraid to move even an inch if it meant the moment would be broken. Because right then we were Jace and Kinsley, together. But the moment she’d wake up, I’d turn into just Jace. The pretty boy race car driver and brother of her new friend.
But that moment was worth it all.
And no one would know.
Everything was going according to plan too.
Until the lads and ladies showed up at my house a day later with boxes of towels to help me clean up the mess I’d told them would be here.
“Looks awfully dry for something that was supposed to be ‘devastatingly disgusting’ doesn’t it?” Blake deadpans, lifting a single dark brow and crossing her arms.
Sydney leans to look around me. “Not a single turd in sight. Tell me brother.” She lifts onto her toes, poking me in the chest with each word. “Where. Are. The. Turds.”
I was momentarily saved when Beckham came screeching out of the house, running straight for Blake.
Lawson scoffs, “Dude. That hurt.” He places a hand over his chest.
Ryder chuckles, pushing past me and calling over his shoulder, “It’s only because she’s new. It’ll wear off.”
Sydney pats Lawson’s shoulder as Blake sticks out her tongue, waltzing through the doorway with my son clinging to her.
“It’s okay, Law. If it makes you feel better, you’re my favorite.”
“Favorite person to annoy, maybe.” He scowls and walks into the house.
Sydney’s eyes linger on his back before shifting to meet my stare. She slides on her picture perfect smile and I shake my head. “Are you ever going to tell him?”
Her face slips into a scowl much like my best friends. “I have no idea to what you’re referring to.” With that, she shoves her way past me and into the house.
I take a deep breath and square my shoulders for the interrogation I’m about to endure before turning and closing the door.
Walking into the living room, everyone’s scattered over the sectional couch and chairs as Beckham stands on the ottoman, telling them all about his adventures over the past few weeks.
Maybe if I could keep him talking…
“So why do you have all these towels? Oh! Are we going swimming?”
Would someone shut this kid up?
“Yeah, Jace. Why do we have all the towels ?” Ryder leans back, stretching his arms over the back of the couch. His eyebrows raise expectantly and a nervous laugh bubbles out of me.
“You were doing some spring cleaning?”
Everyone’s faces remain blank.
“Donation?”
Sydney rolls her eyes.
“We’re all doing spa treatments?”
Blake closes her eyes, pitching the bridge of her nose.
“Practicing for a towel whipping contest?”
Lawson growls.
“So we aren’t going to the pool?” Beckham asks, glancing around the room at everyone.
I swallow when Sydney squints. Putting my hands on Beckhams shoulders, I steer him towards the stairs. “Of course we’re going swimming. Go get your suit on and we’ll head over to Granny and Grandad’s soon.”
He cheers, his feet thundering up the stairs. The second his door slams shut, Lawson leans his forearms on his thighs. “Speak.”
“It’s really not that big of a deal?—”
“You lied. To our faces.” Ryder stares me down and Blake places her hand on his thigh. “Why did you fly home right after the race, Jace? What possibly couldn’t have waited another day? What would make you lie to us for the first time in over twenty years of friendship?”
Sydney’s silent, but she watches me closely. I make the mistake of meeting her stare and a smile slowly spreads over her face.
“Oh my god. It’s Kinsley.”
I drop my gaze to the ground and she shoots up off the couch.
“You heard her tell me she was flying home that night.”
“And what? He found out which flight she was on, got a ticket, told us this elaborate lie about his house being flooded, and—oh my god, that’s exactly what you did.” Blake’s jaw drops.
I look up to see shock, amusement, and disbelief on my friends’ faces.
“You’re as fucked for her now as you were back then, aren’t you?” Ryder chuckles.
“I’d say even more so now.” Lawson snickers. “Dude, you haven’t sat in economy on a plane since we got pulled up. I remember you saying once that you could never possibly go back now that you’ve had a taste of the private jet life.”
“Are you all really surprised that he would do this for her? Because I’m not.” Sydney looks around at them, shaking her head before meeting my eyes with a smile. “It’s Kinsley.”
“It’s Kinsley,” I echo.
“You’re really going to try and get her to fall for you again aren’t you.” It isn’t a question and I look over at Blake.
“I am. And if she forgets this time, I’ll do it again. I’d do it over and over because if she’s still Kinsley, then I’m still the boy who swore she’d never be alone ever again.”
“Oh my goodness, it’s like that movie 50 First Dates ,” Sydney squeals, clapping.
“The one with Adam Sandler?” Lawson asks and I look at him with raised eyebrows. He shrugs. “She wouldn’t give me the remote to change it.”
“You cried.”
Lawson growls. “I didn’t cry, I had dust in my eye from when you threw popcorn at me.”
“What are we talking about?” Ryder looks at Blake with furrowed brows and she pats his chest.
“We’ll watch it on the next flight.”
Ryder glances at Lawson who shakes his head. Clearing his throat he throws an arm around his wife. “Uh, sure, love. Whatever you want.”
Sydney snaps her fingers. “Focus, people. Small ears are about to be with us.” She steps around the coffee table. “How did it go? Did you end up getting the same flight as her?”
A smile slowly spreads and they all cheer. Sydney shushes them and motions for me to spill the beans. And I do.
By the time I’m done telling them, the girls have melted into a combined puddle of heart eyes and the lads are watching them with concerned looks.
“When do you see her next?” Sydney asks.
“We have a team meeting tomorrow for some promotional thing. I’m sure the team photographers will be there too.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Don’t you remember your role? The annoying little sister who doesn’t try to play matchmaker. ” She scrunches her face and I nod. “Yeah, quit trying to talk me up.”
“Would you rather I tell her the embarrassing things?”
“I’d rather you not talk about me at all.”
“Fine, I’ll keep the boasting to a minimum.”
“Zero.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Sydney,” I growl.
“Jace,” she mocks.
“Children, please.” Blake laughs.
“I’ve got it handled, Syd. Let me get my girl my way, okay?”
She sighs. “Fine. Just don’t screw it up.”
Ryder scoffs. “Well now that’s inevitable. As long as he knows the proper way to grovel afterwards, he’ll be golden.”
Blake turns to face her husband with a raised brow. “And what is the proper way to grovel?”
Ryder smirks. “With my mou?—”
“Ready!” Little feet slap the floor as Beckham comes down the stairs in his new race car swimming trunks.
I rush over and throw him over my shoulder with a pointed look at Ryder. He mouths his apologies and I put my giggling son back on his feet.
“You’re not in your trunks?”
I ruffle his hair. “They’re at Grans. We’ll all change when we get there.”
“Then why did I have to change? I’ve got swimming trunks there too.”
I nudge him in the direction of our shoe cupboard. “So many questions, so little time for swimming. Hurry, and get your shoes on.”
There’s a knock on the door and Beckham takes off running. “I’ll get it!” A moment later, we hear the door open and his excited screaming. “Uncle Nik is coming swimming too?”
I drop my head back and sigh.
And this is why you never lie, kids.