by Amber Scott
Stepping in, he saw them. In the corner, eyes on each other, Tyler leaned in, listening to Claire. His heart lurched. Why was Claire here? Why was she sitting talking with Tyler? Oh God, was she telling him? Was she here to see Tyler? His feet stilled, unwilling to carry him forward to find out. As the door shushed closed behind him, Jace reached out and caught it.
Fear throbbing through his chest, sending hot ripples over his shoulders, he backed out of the room. In the hall, he leaned against the wall, wiping the sudden sheen of sweat from his brow.
A thousand panicked thoughts raced through him. He didn’t know what to think, but what his brain came up with was not good. What he’d said to Tyler before ordering him out, the uncomfortably blank stare he’d had earlier, and Claire’s reaction to Tyler’s discovery about Oliver blended in his mind, twisting and contorting.
In all his heartache, all these years the dormant part of him that feared Claire had actually loved Tyler woke up. Maybe that note had been no more than a means to let him down gently. She’d written of how amazing Jace was, of how lucky whoever captured his heart would be. Claire had written about bad timing. She’d said she wasn’t ready for the kind of relationship that Jace deserved.
Could it be that she just couldn’t face Tyler?
A rational part of Jace recalled the last weeks. It flashed with memories of wet, hot embraces, of moaning and pleasures and torment and bliss. And he calmed down enough to walk carefully back to Ashley’s room, smoothing his features.
Claire wasn’t here for Tyler. What they had was real. It had to be. But, that meant that she might break down and reveal the truth. No. She wouldn’t. Would she? She’d wait. It wasn’t her who should tell Tyler. It had to be him. Jace picked up his pace. He couldn’t think about it now.
He jerked his mind back to Ashley, to the baby, and entered the room just in time to help Ashley brave a very long, thick needle to her spine.
“What took you so long?” Ashley asked, waving her hand out for Jace to take. Lawrence held the other.
Less than ten minutes later, Ashley lay back on her bed, tubes and machines surrounding her, with the most serene smile her face.
Jace sat opposite Lawrence in a chair and rifled through the activity bag Ashley made in case of an emergency—hours alone with any married couple could certainly be deemed dire—like this.
His mind fixated on the scene from the waiting room. Claire’s hand on her chest, the soft shake of her head, and then nodding. Tyler putting his face in his hands, the pleading, hurt look in his eyes. If he didn’t know better, he’d say they were a couple ... breaking up.
“Did you see her?”
Jace’s gaze jerked back into focus and to Ashley. “I’m sorry,” he said, his face burning suddenly.
“Did you see Claire?” Ashley asked, as though it were the most natural thing to do so.
Jace frowned a little, thumbing at the door. “In the waiting room?” How would Ashley know what she’d just seen?
Ashley rolled her eyes and grinned. “No, of course not in the waiting room, unless things went better than I’d hoped, and you brought her or told her to come or something.”
Jace’s eyes narrowed further. He glanced at Lawrence, who only shook his head as though to say “I’m outta this one.”
“I told her where to find you, and assumed she did, or you wouldn’t have been in such a flutter the last twenty-four hours. So, what happened?” Ashley shifted her hands to her lap, looking ready for a good, long story.
Jace’s mouth fell open but words escaped him. No more than a sputter of breath came out. Could Ashley possibly already know about Claire? Impossible. No one knew, well, aside from the stomach-turning possibility that Tyler now did, no one.
Unless, Millie knew. Nah. she and Claire weren’t close anymore. And Millie still had a thing for Jace.
“Aflutter?” he finally said. And as he did, one ran through over his belly. “Men do not flutter, Ash.”
Ashley pressed her lips together and notched her head up and down. “I know far more about you than you will ever possibly guess. Now, spill it.”
Lawrence chuckled, covering his mouth, clearing his throat when Jace glared a warning his way.
“What?” Lawrence said.
“What’s going on here? That’s what!” Jace demanded, wishing his voice didn’t sound so rattled.
“Jace,” Ashley said. “I know.”
Jace gulped down the knot in his throat.
“I know. I’ve always known. So has Lawrence. And when she called Millie three days ago—or was it four?—we were happy to help. But, I’m dying to know what happened, and I’m too drugged to keep my mouth shut. Epidurals should be called something better, don’t you think? Endurables ...”
“Ashley!”
“What? Oh, sorry. Sidetracked. So, back to Claire. Did she find you?”
“Yes, she found me. But Millie? I thought ... nevermind,” Jace said. Did Ashley really want to know the truth? She wasn’t disappointed? Worried? “When you said you know, what exactly does that mean?”
Lawrence shifted in his seat. “Anyone with two eyes could see it, Jace.” He kept his voice soft. “Well, except Tyler. And your mom. And hopefully, your dad.”
“Davis knows?” he said, no longer in doubt.
“He’s first the one who noticed ...”
Ashley interrupted with a loud throat-clearing.
“Alright. Ashley said something first. The two of you on the dance floor at our wedding made it really obvious, but even before then ...”
“You should have seen the way she would watch you come and go from a room. I still say it’s all mom’s fault. It was her brilliant idea to put you on the couch.” Then she inhaled loudly. “Did you two ... you know ... back then?”
Jace frowned. “The couch? Did we what? Do it?” He felt like a teenager getting busted with a half smoked joint. Worse, the anticipated fury and disappointment he’d expected all this time, wasn’t coming. Which made it like getting busted and then being asked to share the joint, as though it were no big deal.
“Millie may have filled in a couple blanks. Look, Jace, it’s not a big deal,” Ashley said, stretching. “You like her, she likes you. We all know. So, spill it.”
“Tyler doesn’t know,” Lawrence said.
“He might, actually,” Jace said, scrubbing his face. “I just saw them in the waiting room. Talking.”
Ashley straightened a little. “Talking how? About what?”
“I don’t know.” Jace paced the room. “I left before they saw me.”
“Was Millie there?”
He stopped long enough to frown at his sister. “Why would Millie be there?”
With a shrug and a wave, Ashley dismissed him. “Lawrence, go find out.”
“Me? No. No way. I’m not the family spy.” Lawrence crossed one leg and settled back, firm.
“Sweetheart, come on. Please?”
“No.” He shook his head in long slow motions and laced his hands over his gut.
“He’s right, Ash. I’m the coward. I should have found out myself. I should go right now.”
“Uh, no. No, you shouldn’t. Don’t go anywhere near Claire. Yet.”
“If Tyler finds out from her instead of me. …”
“What does that matter?” Ashley said, waving her IV wrist through the air. “What matters is Tyler knowing the truth. The whole truth.”
The whole awful, wonderful truth. He hated this feeling. He didn’t know whether to be utterly relieved or scared shitless. Why did it feel like he was about to lose both Tyler and Claire? “I have to go talk to them.”
“Lawrence!” Ashley demanded. “Please!”
Lawrence gave Ashley a look like she’d switched personalities. He threw up his hands.
“Alright. I’ll go. But, I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’ll check in on them but that’s it.”
Ashley clapped happily and reached for him. “Thank you soooo much, baby. I knew we could count
on you.” She kissed him on each cheek and the forehead when he reached her bedside. “Now, off you go. And don’t be shy about asking them a couple of casual questions.”
“This feels all wrong, Ashley. I cant’ keep avoiding the truth.” Jace rubbed her shoulders as the door hushed closed and Ashley gaze nailed her still. “No matter what happens.”
“You love her. Don’t you?” It wasn’t a question so much as verification.
Feeling cornered and defeated, Jace nodded once.
“Yeah. I saw it the day at the dress shop. She loves you too, you know.” Silence stretched the moment outward. Muffled voices and footsteps outside the door swept below the empty air. “How did Bels take it?”
The sting returned to his eyes, threatening his composure. Ashley knew. And cared. Cared enough to help Claire find him. And Lawrence knew and Davis. And they didn’t hate him. And Tyler ...
“Bels? Not ... very well,” Jace said, glancing upward and to the side in hopes of relieving the sting.
“She’ll be okay. She’ll find someone. If someone doesn’t return your feelings, no matter how much you love them, want them, it’s just not worth it in the end. You can’t fake what you feel for Claire and it’s not the kind of thing that grows over time or simply goes away. It just is.”
A tear slid out. Jace swiped it away and went to the window to stare out at the parking lot below. “She left me. She didn’t want me and I can’t know for sure she won’t do it again.”
“That was then. And maybe she was just scared, you know? Love can be overwhelming, scary. It can make you feel like an undertow has grabbed hold of your entire world. People grow, Jace. She’s here now and she’s fighting for you.”
Jace sighed. “She broke off her engagement, or at least said she was going to.” He faced Ashley and paused when he saw the depth of emotion in his sister's eyes. “But she didn’t do it for me.”
“Oh, Jace,” Ashley said and reached out a hand.
“She’s been engaged this whole time. Only when Tyler told her about seeing Oliver.” He ground out the name. “Only then did she say she was going to end it. And finding out about her fiancé being seen with another woman hurt her. I saw it. Ashley, if she wanted me, if she loved me, then would that have mattered?” He came to the bed and sat down on the few inches Ashley made room for. His sister took his hand.
Another tear snuck out, and too many more would follow if he didn’t change the subject. Thankfully, Lawrence chose that moment to walk in. Jace straightened his shoulders, notched up his chin and stood up, ready to thank his brother-in-law. The look on his face stopped Jace in his tracks.
He didn’t want to know. But he had to find out. “What is it? What did you overhear?”
~~
Chapter Twenty
Claire had never been a nail biter, but she considered taking it up when another thirty minutes passed with no phone call and no sign of Tyler’s car pulling up to the driveway. Her nerves had quieted and raged in turns over the last hour and a half.
If she called Beverly again, they’d end up on the outs. Her friend was that exasperated. Just go wait at the hospital. Four calls since she’d arrived to wait was plenty to test the bounds of best friendship. Besides, Beverly had already said all the right things. Now, it was up to Claire.
She’d found the right hospital, remembering Ashley talking about it over lunch back several weeks ago. Wow. Things had changed. Fast. Now all she had to do was survive this—hours sitting next to Tyler who kept trying to flirt with her. Yikes!
“I know I already said it but you know I’m sorry, right?”
“Yep,” she said, blowing on the coffee that Mille had been sweet enough to grab Claire. Why wasn’t Millie this sweet six years ago? Claire remembered her as funny, a bit pushy, but never thoughtful. “It was already over Tyler. Trust me. Oliver will be fine.”
More than fine. He’d seemed flat out relieved when she’d gotten home and straight to the point. They were over. Probably had been the night he brought Trina home. Nah, who was she kidding? It was over years ago.
She took a long sip of the hot coffee; just cool enough to not burn off her taste buds. The bittersweet liquid warmed her throat and let her avoid talking altogether. Any second now, Tyler would say something that would break her down.
She couldn’t be the one to tell him about her and Jace. Not alone. They were brothers. He had to be here, too.
“Can I ask you something?”
Shivers of dread danced up her neck. But the warmth of the coffee spread, quieting her fears. “Uh, sure, yeah,” she’d said, rubbing her neck and noticing how little it helped.
“Truth?” Tyler looked her in the eye and a well of pain reflected from his.
“Yes,” she said, meaning no, and finding no way to change the subject.
“Seeing you after all this time got me thinking, Claire.”
“That’s not a question,” she said, drinking more of the coffee, gripping it like a life preserver. She should get up. She should run!
Tyler grinned. “Once things settle down with your ex, I was thinking, do you want to hang out?”
“Nope,” she said. “Except for maybe something totally benign and platonic. Like...grocery shopping? No. Too personal. Golf?”
“Golf?” he frowned. “Are you saying you need time?”
“Nope,” she said, drinking the last of the cups contents, noting an odd cinnamon flavor at the bottom. “This is really good coffee. It was super nice of Millie to get it. Where is she anyways?”
He looked at her as though she’d sprouted horns. “She said some things and left. Apparently, Millie hates hospitals.”
“Some things? Oh no. What things? She didn’t tell you how I stalked her down to get Jace’s work information, did she?” What? Had she really just admitted that? She put the empty cup to her lips and faked a drink.
Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “Uh, no, but I already knew that. My mom told me. ”
“I totally stalked him,” she said, then clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Claire,” Tyler said, his frown deepening. “Do you have a thing for my brother?”
She pressed her fingers over her mouth, feeling the words coming, unable to stop them. “He makes me crazy happy,” she muffled through her fingers.
Tyler sat back, clearly floored. “Jace? But...how?”
Run. Get up and run. What was she thinking telling him like this?! It was like a need to confess had become physical. An itch she had to scratch. “At Ashley’s wedding. I met him and my whole world shifted and his did too and then we tried really hard to fight it and , but nothing happened I swear, and now I wish something had and that I hadn’t run scared back home.”
Heat rushed over her. God, she couldn’t stop! And couldn’t leave. Horrific or not, her heart wanted this confession.
“Six years ago?” he said, crestfallen. “You two...?”
Claire shook her head. “No. Not at all. Well, I tried to. I couldn’t help myself. But he loves you. Oh God, you weren’t supposed to find out this way. And now he’s all occupied. Shit. Jace will be furious.”
“Jace?” Tyler stood up. “Jace will be furious? I was at his house a matter of hours ago and trust me he had plenty of opportunity to tell me then.”
“I know! I heard all of it. I’m so sorry, Tyler, but even back in college, I liked hanging with you but never really crushed on you.”
His complexion mottled. “What do you mean you heard all of it?”
“About how I’m the only girl you truly loved, that you needed to break up my wedding.”
Tyler shook his head, hung it a little. “That’s not true.”
“Uh, yeah, it is. Not that I care. I mean I climbed out the window and left to dump my fiancé anyhow.”
His fists clenched. “You were in his house, listening.”
She nodded, putting both hands over her mouth. But the urge to just spell it all out overcame her. “Yes. In his bedroom.”
“Why didn
’t you two just tell me?”
“We didn’t want to hurt you! You said I was the one. And then I got scared and left back to school and sent this stupid letter.”
“What am I some delicate flower that I can’t take the truth?”
She gave him a nervy laugh and rubbed a hand over her mouth to try to quell the tremble in her lips. But her hand was shaking too. Did he mean they’d hidden it for nothing?
Claire didn’t know what to say. What could she? Lying certainly wouldn’t help, not when she seemed unable to say anything but the truth. Too much truth. What would Jace do, how would he ever forgive her for telling Tyler everything?
It wasn’t her place.
She didn’t want to tear his family apart! Six years ago, that excuse had helped Claire run. She’d told herself that she couldn’t cause that family pain by betraying one sibling for another. And because how much she’d wanted Jace had terrified her.
“I need to find Jace.” She stood up. “He needs to know what I’ve done.”
“He already does,” Jace said from the lounge area door.
“Jace,” Claire gasped, torn between collapsing into a chair and running to him. Instead, she stood, rooted as he approached them, his expression unreadable. He came to a stop in front of Tyler. “This isn’t how I meant things to go.”
“Clearly,” Tyler said. “Don’t I feel like a colossal asshole.”
“I’m sorry.”
Claire didn’t know what to do or say. She’d done plenty.
“Claire, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for trying to break up your wedding. You should know that I followed your fiancé for days. I spied and almost baited him with a blonde friend of mine.”
Claire frowned. Why was he telling her this?
“I got obsessed with you, knowing you were back in my life, even if it was peripherally. But, I think Millie was right. The girl I was in love with isn’t you.”
“Millie said that?”
He looked down. “Yeah. She shouldn’t have. It should have been you who told me, six years ago.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He took a shuddering breath. “So. Did Ashley have the baby?”