38. Jake
THIRTY-EIGHT
JAKE
We pull up at Darcy’s aunt’s house to find a yard full of people and a table of picked-over food.
She tows me into the party by my hand, and everyone from yesterday’s gathering seems happy to see me again. Darcy gets a lot of lingering whispers in her ear during hugs and I don’t even mind if they’re gossiping about me. That means they’re happy for her, and her family’s approval is important since they’re all so close.
Like how my family was before everything fell apart. The thought sends a pang through me.
We’re shooed off to get some food and Darcy squeezes my hand. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Your family’s just so easy.”
She shrugs. “We have skeletons just like anybody else, but we love each other. That’s what counts.”
I nod and we fill our plates. The only open spot is with Darcy’s parents and I sense her hesitation before she goes to sit with them.
“Guess we’re not shedding for the wedding anymore,” her mom says, looking over Darcy’s plate. “Isn’t that what Rob said to you?”
Darcy’s jaw sets. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
My stomach twists. Rob picked on Darcy for her figure? Judging from the way Darcy’s spine is ramrod straight, I don’t need to pile onto anything that makes her feel bad about herself, including criticizing Rob. I’m shocked her parents are giving her any hell about it. Do they know how badly he hurt her?
Her mom sucks her teeth, analyzing Darcy. “Good riddance is what I say. I don’t even mind that we lost money when you called it off. I’m just upset you didn’t come to us first.”
Darcy’s eyes narrow and she almost breaks her plastic fork cutting into some fried chicken. “I panicked.”
“I don’t see why anyone has to get married anymore,” her dad goes on. “It’s so traditional.”
Darcy tenses next to me and I put a hand on her knee. I’m equipped to deal with in-law bullshit. It’s basically my specialty. “There’s something nice about showing the people in your life who you promise to love forever.”
“Yeah, well, when it’s a $40,000 party you’re footing the bill for, seems like there must be a better way,” her dad counters, pointing at me with a pasta salad bow tie on his fork.
“You weren’t paying all of that, Dad. Rob’s family was doing the heavy lifting. And Rob and me. Your deposit for the band is coming back. You just happen to not have a mailing address, so I have to get it from the P.O. box and wire it to you,” Darcy says carefully.
“Well, I’m glad that whole big city phase is over. It never really suited you anyway,” her mom goes on. “You can get back to your writing now.”
While her mom might be right, I can almost feel Darcy deflating next to me. She doesn’t need the reminder. My thumb strokes over the top of her thigh to let her know I’ve got her.
“Yeah, who even likes hockey?” her dad adds.
“Kitty dated that one guy when she was in college,” Darcy mumbles, then lifts her eyes from her plate. “And isn’t your cousin on the other side a couple times removed one of the Princes?”
“Oh, pfft,” her mom says, dismissing her with a wave of her hand. “Kitty Gatto is barely your cousin.”
“That’s not what you tell your friends in the RV park when you’re bragging about how your second cousin is a famous comedian on TV—” Darcy cuts off and she drops her fork, pulling her hands into her lap.
A man approaches the group, his eyes fixed on Darcy. He’s handsome, wearing a nice button-down, butter-yellow shorts, and loafers. He carries a bouquet of flowers and smooths a hand through his hair before floating through the gathering like no one else is here.
“No,” Darcy whimpers.
My hand lifts to her waist. “You alright?”
She shakes her head and rises, walking toward the guy. Her voice cracks when she says, “Why are you here?”
Rob. Has to be.
The look on his face says it all: he’s sorry, he realizes what he let go. “I came to bring you home.”
“I am home,” Darcy insists.
A line appears between his brows. I note that his wrinkles aren’t as pronounced as Darcy’s and wonder if maybe she did the worrying for the both of them so he could take it easy.
She lived with that guy. For years. Made love to that guy. She was going to marry him. Have his babies. Kiss him before they went to sleep and before they went to work.
Jealousy flares through me. If someone looked at me the way he’s looking at her right now, I might be convinced.
But just a few hours ago, she had her legs spread for me, letting me feast on her.
“Your home is with me, Darcy. And it hasn’t been the same without you.”
She loved him. He broke her. They have history. Secrets I’ll never know.
Her lower lip wobbles now. “You hurt me.”
Rob nods. “I know, babe. I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t see you the same way anymore. I’m not coming back.”
Rob grasps Darcy’s wrists, trying to pull her close, and nope, I don’t like that. Darcy stiffens and backs away from him. The way his voice gets louder makes my hackles rise. “One problem in as many years as we had? Was it really that bad, or do you just run when things get hard?”
“Don’t touch me,” Darcy says firmly.
I want Darcy to fight her own battles. But I also want her to know I’ve got her. One more wrong move and I will not hesitate to deck him.
Rob licks his upper lip, only letting one of her wrists go. “It’s come to this? You still had a job, Dee. It took a lot of convincing and Cap went to bat for you, but they’re willing to take you back. But you won’t answer your phone?—”
“Because I don’t want to talk to you. You controlled me, Rob.”
“One time!” he whines, throwing up his hand. “One time I do something so we can have a nice future, and you act like this was all the time.”
“You’re not going to understand. You’re going to try to convince me that my feelings are wrong and I’m not doing it. Leave, Rob. Don’t come back.”
He scoffs as she turns to walk away. “You said you needed a job so damn bad. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I run the farm,” she snaps.
“Oh, yeah, that’ll help with the student debt. Big achievement, Dee. You work on your family’s farm. You go running home to Mommy and Daddy?—”
I’m already halfway across the yard and I step between them, cutting Rob off. “Keep talking,” I say. “Keep talking and find out what happens.”
“Let me guess. You’re Jake. The one who can’t keep his hands off her.” Rob rolls his eyes. “This is between me and my fiancée.”
“She’s not your fiancée,” I bark at the same time Darcy shouts, “I’m not your fiancée!”
Rob pushes past me and I just raise my eyebrows at him. He gets one more. One more before I deck him.
“Darcy, take the flowers. Take the job.” Rob’s voice weakens. “Take me back.”
She whirls around to face him, trembling.
“I just wanted you to be happy, babe. I was trying to set up our future. Make your life easier.”
She shakes her head and swallows. “That’s not what I wanted. You didn’t ask me. You controlled me.”
“One time, Dee.”
They’re standing close together. Too close. My chest aches watching her eyes flit between his.
Horror grips me as she reaches for the flowers, taking them in her hand. She stares down into them, her jaw clenched so tight I can see the bulging muscle. A gentle hand grips my arms, Maggie at my side.
“Please don’t,” she whispers. I think she’s talking about me beating up Rob, but when I look where she’s looking, I realize she’s talking about Darcy going back to him.
Darcy trembles and Rob’s hand settles on her waist, the other brushing a curl back from her face.
I want to kill him.
The roses drop from Darcy’s hand, the plastic crinkling as they hit the ground. “It wasn’t one time.”
Rob’s face goes red. “What?”
“You didn’t just control me one time,” she says, her voice rising. “You did it all the time.”
“All the time?” he squeals, incredulous. “When?”
“I knew you’d do this,” she says, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. He made her cry. My fists tighten at my sides. “I’m under no obligation to spell it all out for you. I’m allowed to walk away from you. We are over, Rob.”
Relief floods through me at those words.
She turns to walk away and he grabs her by the elbow. “When?” he demands. “When did I control you?”
I step forward. “Get your fuckin’ hands off her.”
Rob gives me a dirty look and Darcy wrenches out of his grip. “I don’t know! Straighten your hair, Dee! Wear these clothes, Dee! That’s too many times eating out for lunch this week, Dee! What time are you going to the gym, Dee? Think of your wedding dress, Dee!”
Rob buries his face in his hands. “Darcy, I love you. The way you are. I never?—"
“You never loved me ,” she bellows, swiping another tear from her cheek. “You loved what you wanted to make me into. Now stay away from me and let me live in peace.”
Maggie runs for Darcy and sweeps her toward the house. Rob follows on their heels, and this is my moment. My hand lands on his shoulder and I pull him toward me. “I don’t think so, buddy.”
“I’m not your buddy,” he says a split second before my fist connects with his face.