Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
GIA
So, this is what home feels like.
Who knew it would be found in the arms of the man who had once broken her heart?
She was floating, detached from her body, witnessing Jake from above as he took care of her. Her limbs were leaden, as if she’d pushed her body to the limit. As he held her, a small, happy sigh slipped from her lips.
In his arms, Gia was safe. Protected.
His tender words, like a soft summer breeze, floated into her ears as she drifted off.
“I love you, Gia.” He’d placed a soft kiss on her temples. “You were never a mistake.”
It was his last sentence that made the shell around her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, revealing its soft center. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling as the influx of emotions overwhelmed her.
For years, she had carried the ache of those hurtful words, feeling as though the man she loved the most believed she was a mistake. It haunted every waking moment. But worst of all, she believed it.
There was no time machine to erase the years between them. No magic pill she could take to erase those memories. All they had was here and now.
The first thing she noticed was how sore she was.
Almost like she’d been running a marathon or signed up for an extra-intense hot yoga class.
Groaning, Gia stretched her arms overhead.
She realized she wasn’t alone when she accidentally smacked Jake across the face.
His sleepy grunt was the only response she got as she turned around to confront reality.
So, that really happened last night. Her lips curled up in a disbelieving smile.
A warm, golden glow from the sun peeked through the curtains, bathing one side of Jake’s handsome face. His usually clean jawline was now darkened with a five o’clock shadow, giving a harshness to his features that seemed out of place.
Jake was the light to her darkness. The sunshine to her thunderstorm. Inexplicably, something drew them together, like two magnets.
Her hand softly traced his smooth forehead, along the straight line of his nose.
His bristles tickled her fingers as she traced his upper lip, smiling wider when he let out a soft moan.
A quick glance confirmed he was still sound asleep.
She continued her exploration, moving her hand down his prominent chin and chiseled jawline. His cheekbones could cut glass.
His face relaxed in sleep, giving him a more youthful appearance, reminding her of the boy she had always been in love with. She wondered how often anyone got to see this side of Jake, and vowed she would be the only woman in his life from here on out.
She had an urgent need to address. One that required leaving the bed and going away from the warmth.
Gia sat up, looking around for her discarded clothes, which were too far out of reach.
She needed to get home before her parents woke up, but she did not want to leave Jake’s side.
The walk of shame was not something she was looking forward to.
The longer she waited, the less likely her chance of sneaking in would be.
Fuck.
Scurrying along the bedroom, scooping up her discarded clothing, she ran into the adjoining bathroom. The click of the lock engaging was the only sound in the otherwise quiet house. Dropping the pile of clothes on the counter, she took care of business, nearly moaning at the relief.
The toilet flushed with a push of a button.
Fancy schmancy.
The faucet was automatic and warm to the touch. Jake must have a fancy water heater hooked up to make it nice and warm on cool mornings like today.
When she finally looked at her reflection, her eyes widened in disbelief. It wasn’t the mussed-up after-sex hair or the lips still swollen from last night. And she could only imagine how bad her morning breath was, since she’d fallen asleep without brushing her teeth.
What caught her off guard was the way her eyes seemed to glow with happiness, with life. The woman staring back at her was not the same person as the one from a few weeks ago.
Quickly, she washed her hands, splashed some water on her face, and got dressed. She was amazed at how light her chest felt, as if the weight was finally gone.
If sex had been the key, it would have worked a long time ago.
She suspected the answer lay in the giant king-sized bed, naked and asleep, and it pained her to have to leave him.
Creeping back to the bedside, she admired the sight of Jake sprawled across the bed, blanket covering his waist, one arm slung over his head, and wished she didn’t need to go.
Fuck it.
She knelt on the bed, ready to climb back in, when a familiar chirp broke her concentration.
Her stomach dropped. She recognized the ringtone. She needed to get out of there.
She bent down, looking for her phone, which had landed under the bed last night. The cool metal felt like ice in her hands as she wrapped her fingers around it. She did not dare to look at the screen until she was alone. She didn’t want to ruin the memory completely.
Scurrying out into the hallway and down the stairs, she’d nearly made it to the front door when a voice stopped her.
“Gia? Is that you?” Marley’s surprised voice sounded directly behind her.
Fuck—almost made it. When she whirled around, her expression was wiped clean of the shame of being caught sneaking out of Jake’s house. “Marley! Good morning!” She winced, mortified by the shrillness of her own voice. “What are you doing up so early?”
Gia bounced from foot to foot as Marley scrutinized her. “I was checking up on Tuna.”
“Oh, how is Tuna doing? Has she had her kittens yet?”
“Not yet.” Marley crossed her arms across her chest, leaning on her hip. “Are you leaving without saying goodbye to Jake?”
Guilty. “Um… yes?”
“Why?”
“He’s sleeping, and I need to get home before my parents wake up…” It wasn’t a complete lie, but still her stomach twisted.
A look of understanding crossed Marley’s face. Maybe Marley knew a thing or two about the wrath of parents. “I’ll tell him you were in a rush.”
“Thanks, Marley.” She stepped forward, folding Marley into a brief hug before whirling away, squeezing her feet into her shoes. “See you later!”
The door shut on Marley’s quiet goodbye. Gia raced down the street. It would take at least fifteen minutes before she made it to her parents’ house. Her phone burned a hole in her hand as she jogged home. She wanted to be in the privacy of her bedroom before confronting her past.
She rounded Main Street, which was blessedly empty. Her luck ran out when she turned the corner to find none other than her dad sitting on the porch steps with a cup of coffee in one hand. Gia screeched to a halt, her breath visible and smoky in the morning air.
She offered him a lame wave and got an arched brow in response. Instead of anger on his face, she saw mild curiosity. She muttered a quiet “good morning” as she moved past him and up the steps.
If her dad was up, Mom wouldn’t be too far behind him. Quickly, she toed off her shoes and ran up the steps. Finally, when she had made it into the safety of her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, breath huffing from the early-morning activity.
The phone chirped again, reminding her she was overdue for confronting her past.
Alex
Hey babe. I’m in town. You busy later?
Miss you.
Gia groaned. Why the hell was Alex here in Willowbrook? She hadn’t asked him to come.
It was almost as if the universe was working against her. Having her ex in the same town as her… boyfriend? Whatever it was she and Jake had was too precarious to handle this.
Another chirp of her phone.
Alex
This town is so lame. Only bar in town is a grill. Meet me there tonight? I brought you a present ;)
You’re not good enough for Jake, the snide voice whispered, curling itself around her heart. He’s too good. Too nice. Too everything you’re not.
The voice was right, even if her heart clenched at the thought of betraying Jake, but she couldn’t ignore her past any longer. Fingers numb, she typed out a quick response, praying she wasn’t making a mistake by agreeing to meet up with Alex.
Nothing good could come from this.
For most of the day, Gia avoided her family until they left to go to work. She’d felt a pinch of guilt when she’d told her mom she wasn’t able to help at the restaurant tonight since a friend of hers was in town.
When Gia named her ex-boyfriend, disappointment extinguished the hope that had lit up her mom’s face when she’d asked if the “friend” was Jake. Of course, they knew who Alex was. He was infamous.
She wondered again if her parents knew about her issues with drugs and alcohol, but it seemed like they knew a lot more than they would admit.
Did her parents keep tabs on her while she was gone?
It seemed unlike them, but why else would her mother react that way with the mention of her ex-boyfriend?
It was obvious they preferred her to be with Jake. Not for the first time, she felt the worm of self-doubt about her decision to meet with Alex chewing on her fragile and newly exposed heart.
It also didn’t help that she’d been ignoring Jake’s messages all day. She could handle only one problem at a time. Once she found out what really brought Alex out here, she could shove him out of town and move on with her life.
Which included what, exactly? Living in Willowbrook, working at The Lotus during the day, and spending time with Jake in the evenings? It didn’t sound so bad, but would she grow restless or resentful for planting roots?
If only there were a crystal ball she could ask, or a magic mirror to look into the future.
The time on her phone showed her she was exactly on time, even as she stood staring at the entrance to Crystal Hollow Grill like it would eat her if she got near it. She found it funny she had made happy memories the last time she was here, but now it was the last place she wanted to be.