Chapter 17
Seventeen
JAKE
Jake was no stranger to the wrong side of the law.
In fact, he knew his life would look very different if the universe hadn’t put Thao next to him in first grade.
A transformative year for both of them—more so for Jake, because if not for the kindness and easy acceptance of the Liens, Jake would have been breaking the law instead of defending it.
His life would have been spent behind bars or escaping the law, but here he was, a top lawyer of his graduating class.
Instead of pursuing corporate law like so many of his classmates, he’d returned to Willowbrook and opened up his own practice.
Back to the family who had given him a loving home when his own was a hellscape.
Some scars were impossible to hide. Even though it shouldn’t, the fear of abandonment still pervaded his thoughts.
Despite his less-than-ideal upbringing, he would not change a single moment, because it led him right here.
He needed to be right here when Gia finally returned home.
Ones he saw with his own eyes and the ones he could only sense by the haunted look in her eyes, which had never been there before.
Even when she was grieving her twin, she never looked as broken as she did when he’d first seen her.
Now that he knew who dared to hurt Gia, he had some decisions to make.
If someone had asked him a few weeks ago if Jake believed in nature versus nurture, that the environment could shape a person’s personality over genetics, he would have wholeheartedly agreed.
Except he knew things now he didn’t then.
The knowledge that there were scum out there who would use their influence and power to take advantage of those they deemed less than…
well, it made Jake reach for his darker impulses.
Ones he thought he’d outgrown through sheer grit and determination.
So when he started leaning into his darker side, he knew nothing good could come of this.
In the best-case scenario, he didn’t end up in jail for breaking someone’s jaw and losing his license to practice law. Worst-case scenario… well, he didn’t want to imagine what could be worse.
As far as he knew, Jake had cashed in on his favor with Kenji and his only connection to the seedy underbelly of Willowbrook.
If he’d learned anything in the years living on the wrong side of the train tracks, it was that there was a wide web of networks he could access without it leading back to him.
He really needed to be smart about this. While he would love to see the asshole’s jaw wired shut, he was still a single father, and the last thing he would do is leave Marley alone in a world that had shown her how cruel it can be.
If his morning jog took him by the edge of town, it was because he was lost in his thoughts about a dark-haired beauty who had returned to his life like a hurricane.
And when he’d stopped to tie his shoelaces only a few feet away from the trailer parks he’d grown familiar with, it was merely out of necessity.
He definitely did not slip the photo under the bedrock before jogging the rest of the way back into town. If he noticed the curtains moved a fraction of an inch, he convinced himself it was the wind.
He wasn’t sure exactly what he was trying to accomplish. He needed to do something. Even if he couldn’t afford to get his hands dirty, he knew the people who would do so followed their own moral code. One that happened to align with his.
Jake hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in trusting the wrong people with anything to do with Gia. His gut churned with anxiety about the unknowns of the future.
He didn’t know if Gia would ever give him a second chance, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try his damndest to win her over. Nor did it mean he wouldn’t do anything to keep her safe.
Some people were worth losing everything for.
The door opened as Marley made her way into the house.
She usually came home after school or before dinner, depending on her afternoon plans.
Jake strained the pasta in the sink, the steam dispersing into a cloud before vanishing.
The pasta sauce simmering on the stove filled the kitchen with its aroma.
The meatballs were already out of the oven, cooling on the counter while he added butter to the pasta.
Marley’s soft footsteps signaled her entrance, and she started setting the table. Jake cooked, and Marley set the table. They split the dishes, but Jake took care of the trash.
Most nights, Marley was full of energy, chattering away about her day and whatever shenanigans she came up with, which reminded him he still needed to figure out the little free library she wanted—though it might be better to recruit an actual carpenter for the job.
He made a mental note to call Silas tonight.
Marley was uncharacteristically quiet. Jake knew little about being a parent, but he knew something was off. After plating the food, he brought the plates to the small dining table where Marley was already waiting patiently.
“So how was school?” Jake sat down with a plop, forcing his voice to sound nonchalant. He twisted his fork in his hands, waiting for her answer.
“Fine.” Marley’s curt response made him feel like a failure, even though he knew it was irrational. He’d hoped, if nothing else, Marley knew she could trust him to listen to her problems.
“That’s good. Did you learn anything new today?” He switched tactics, sitting back in his chair.
His eyes watched as Marley chewed on her pasta, mulling over her response. After swallowing her food, she opened her mouth to respond, only to close it again.
“Um… not really,” she responded before shoving an impressive amount of spaghetti into her mouth.
Jake reached for his cup, raising the glass to his lips.
“I saw Gia today.”
Jake nearly choked on his water while Marley tried not to laugh at him. He coughed, raising a fist to hammer at his chest a few times.
“Oh, yeah?” He winced when his voice came out higher-pitched than intended.
“Yeah. I ran into her after school.” Marley twirled the spaghetti on the tines of her fork, a gesture he knew meant she wasn’t being completely truthful.
“Where?”
“I went to the bookstore, and she was just… there.” Marley shrugged, trying to make her story seem more convincing.
“She was just there, and you… what?” Jake tilted his head, studying Marley’s expression.
“We talked, and she gave me a ride home.”
Jake sat back, arms crossed over his chest as he considered her from across the dining table.
By the way she was sitting on her hands, he knew something was making her nervous—though he wasn’t sure about her need for secrecy, especially since her lecture the other night about trying to get close to Gia.
What does she think is so bad that she can’t confide in me?
It made his heart swell with pride that she trusted Gia with whatever secret, and he trusted Gia with his whole life. Jake rubbed a hand over his jaw and shot her a goofy grin.
“Did you girls talk about how awesome I am?”
Marley snorted. “Ew, no way. We talked about… like… girl things and whatever.”
“Girl things and whatever?”
“Yeah. You know… like… girl things.”
Jake’s eyes widened, mouth gaping as understanding dawned on him. Marley rolled her lips together, trying to hide her laughter at his ignorance.
“Oh.” Jake paused, debating what to say. He hadn’t been prepared for this type of conversation. “Oh. Well. You know if you need… um… girl things… you can ask me.”
“I know.” Marley looked down. The scraping of her fork against her plate was the only sound in the room for a moment. By the way the tips of her ears flushed with embarrassment, he knew he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
Once again, relief filled his chest knowing even if he hadn’t been there for Marley, she had Gia to talk to.
“Wanna go for a hike this weekend?” Jake changed the subject.
“Um. Yeah. Maybe.”
“Weather will be really nice. We can bring that camera of yours up there, and you can practice taking photos.” Jake tapped the table and leaned forward. “But my left side is my good side, so don’t forget.”
Jake beamed a smile at her while Marley rolled her eyes.
“I won’t forget.”
“Wanna watch that new movie Gia’s in?” Jake stretched his arms, pretending to be unconcerned.
“The one I’ve seen three times already?”
“Oh, you have?” His face fell.
“I definitely want to watch it.”
Jake grinned. “All right, you go set it up, and I’ll clean up the dishes. I think we have some popcorn.”
“The kind with extra butter?”
“Is there any other way to eat popcorn?”
They shared wide smiles. Warmth filled his chest at the domestic displays of normalcy—something he’d never had at his own home. He was determined to give Marley a better life than the one he had.