12. Jack
JACK
I pull up to Toby's house to see Alyssa in the arms of my best friend, her head on his shoulder.
At first, I see red, thinking that Adam must have been just as drawn to the woman as I always have been.
But then I notice her tears.
She's not just embracing my best friend. She's sobbing right into his shoulder as he pats her comfortingly on the back.
He looks up, seeing my truck approach, and pulls away guiltily. I stop my truck and get out.
"Are you okay?" I ask, coming to Alyssa’s side.
"I'm fine," she says, her voice shaky.
"What happened?" I ask the question to Adam rather than to her.
Adam shrugs.
"She knocked on his door. He opened it. They talked. Then he closed the door. And then she cried.”
His mouth is grim, and he looks just as pissed off on the outside as I feel on the inside.
I'd like to open Toby's door and rip him out of that little house, pummeling him for whatever he must have done to reduce my woman to tears like this.
I don't like seeing her cry. I decide I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she does as little of this as possible going forward.
That is, if she'll agree to stay here. To have our baby here in Wildwood and raise it with me together. I've never wanted anything more in my life.
This woman brings something out of me that I didn't even know I had.
I need her to stay here. Need to prove to her that I'm in it for the long haul.
Even if I did talk about how much I didn't want kids…that was different. That was with Carla. With other women. Women who aren't her.
With Alyssa, I want things that I never thought I could be capable of having. Never thought I could be capable of deserving.
I pull Alyssa away from Toby and into my chest instead.
"What happened?" I demand.
"He pretended he didn't know who I was," she sobs. "Pretended he doesn't know who my mom was. Like I never existed. Like it never happened."
She sniffs. I tighten my hold around her protectively.
"I don't know what I expected,” she continues. “I thought maybe he wouldn't want to have a relationship. Maybe he would let me down…but I didn't expect him to completely gaslight me like this. I know he's my dad. I recognize him. I'm telling the truth!”
"Of course you're telling the truth," I say quickly, with a frown. "I would never doubt that. You know who your dad is is…and so do I.”
"Yep," Adam sounds behind me, glaring at the house in front of the truck. “We know exactly what kind of man this guy is.”
“What do you mean?" she pulls away and looks between Adam and me.
"This guy's bad news," Adam grunts. "Moved here a few years ago. Never made any friends, but made a lot of enemies, that's for sure. Stupid asshole still owes me four hundred bucks."
I shake my head.
"You're never getting that money from him."
"Yeah, I know," he says bitterly. He looks at Alyssa. "His name is mud in this town. You're not the only one he's mistreated. He's a bad dude, and the fact that he doesn't want you isn’t a reflection of your value. Not one fucking bit."
Now that's something that an emotionally intelligent guy would say, I think. Why didn't I think to say something that good?
Alyssa smiles at him appreciatively, and I feel jealousy tighten in my chest, wishing that appreciative smile was aimed at me instead of at my friend.
Adam seems to sense this and clears his throat, putting his hands in his pockets.
"I gotta go," he says. "Gotta get back to work. But you're in good hands with Jack over here, Alyssa. He's a good guy. He'll take you wherever you need to go."
Alyssa looks at me, wiping the moisture from her cheek.
"Okay," she says. "I guess I need to get back to your cabin and pick up my things."
"Pick up your things?" I ask.
She shrugs.
"No reason for me to stay in Wildwood anymore. I did what I came here to do."
I think of the ultrasound photo in my breast pocket and know that this can't be true. She didn't just come here to confront Toby. She also came here to talk to me.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have brought this photo.
She must have changed her mind, deciding to run back home without ever telling me about any of this.
Maybe I should feel angry about that, but I don't. I feel understanding. She doesn't know me at all, and right now she's hurt.
Alyssa climbs back into my truck, and I wave to Adam.
Both of us take off, one behind the other, parting ways at the fork in the road as we head in different directions.
I travel right back up to the mountain just like I had before, and this time I've got to figure out how to eliminate the wall between Alyssa and me.
Not just temporarily, but for good.