"Look, if you don't want to go, then you tell your mom. She insisted."
"No, I wanna go. I just... this is your time with Jake."
I rolled my eyes at him. Did he not just hear me say Jake agreed we needed to hang out? So, I had to repeat myself. Shit, we didn't even make it five minutes before he annoyed me. The fact that we lasted three years was a damn miracle.
"But... I kinda already had plans for tonight."
Well, of course he did. There's no way Austin would spend a Saturday night alone. I got up to go back downstairs. To explain to Jake and Martha that Austin rejected me once more...
"How about we go out for breakfast instead? Let me change and I'll talk to Mom on my way out. She's been weird. Like every half hour, she keeps asking me if I've talked to you yet."
Austin stripped his shirt off and Jake walked in at that very moment. Hurt flashed in Jake's eyes, but he shut it down.
Shit.
Chapter Twenty-one
"Dude, it's not what it looks like. I'm just getting ready to go out. We weren't...ya know, doing anything." Austin stumbled over his words as he tried to explain things.
What was there to explain? I'd just had the most amazing experience of my life with the woman I wanted more than anything and only a few hours later she was back in Austin's arms. Fucking asshole couldn't even give me a fair shot before he restaked his claim. I glared at my brother. And despite the tension in my jaw and every ounce of willpower I put into it, my voice was tense with betrayal. "Mom wants to talk to you before y'all leave. That's all I wanted. Didn't mean to interrupt."
"You didn't. Seriously, man." Austin jumped up and grabbed my arm when I turned to leave.
"Remove. Your. Hand." My voice came out in a low, dangerous growl.
His eyes glittered with anger. He stared hard at me.
Laney stepped between us and put a hand on my chest. "I've been upstairs five minutes. What do you think happened? Honestly. We didn't even kiss. I wouldn't do that to you. I committed to two weeks with you."
I turned my glare to her and she smiled softly up at me.
"I will be faithful to you, and only you, during that time. Relax."
A deep sigh tore its way from my throat. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. With my face buried in her hair, I murmured, "You're killing me, Laney. You really are."
Austin nudged me, and I snapped my head up to glare at him more.
Fucking jerk just laughed. "Bro, don't take this the wrong way. But you need to get laid. Bad."
Laney blushed bright red and tucked her face up against my chest. She may as well have just said it outright...
"Oh wow, you already have, haven't you?" Austin's laughter grew. He full-on belly laughed. "No wonder you're so possessive of her now. Don't worry. I didn't touch her. Go on. Take her. But I'm having breakfast with her in the morning, okay?" He threw a shirt on and walked out. His footsteps receded.
I tipped her face up toward me. She tried to avoid eye contact, but I wasn't having it. "I'm sorry. I had no call to get jealous like that. You don't deserve that."
She didn't. She'd done nothing wrong. There was no call for me to be all pissed off.
Laney accepted my apology and didn't make me grovel too much. I led her to my room. We snuggled in on my bed and watched a movie. When the movie ended, I whispered, "Does that count as our first fight? You know the best way to make up, right?"
Chapter Twenty-two
Hot lips moved against my throat, waking me. I moaned and reached up to tangle my fingers in his hair. I giggled. This man was insatiable.
"Something funny?" Jake asked, his voice still heavy with sleep. He kissed me, not letting me speak. The question never did get answered. But I learned that a morning with sex was the best way, ever, to start the day.
We finally made it downstairs a good while later. Heat crept up my cheeks when Austin winked at me. He laughed at my red face and slapped Jake on the back, whispering something to him. I couldn't hear what they said, but Jake managed to get Austin in a headlock and they roughhoused for a while.
Martha laughed as her sons goofed around. It was good to see her smile again. This rift between us hurt. I sat at the island and she glanced over at me.
She walked over to me and tilted my head to one side. "Well, I see Jake is as much of a vampire as his father used to be. I used to walk around with marks all over me too. I've got some concealer. We'll try and cover that up before you go to the hospital."
If I could have hid under the island right then, I would have. Until she said that, I'd completely forgotten about the marks he was sure to have left last night. "Is it bad? I hadn't even looked," I finally managed to choke out.
"Well, it's not pretty. I'm sure your dad wouldn't want to see it." She laughed. Jake walked over grinning and she poked him. "Take more care not to mark her up where her dad can see it. You want Jimmy coming after you with a shotgun?"
"He already came after me with a bat. I'm not scared," he joked. Grabbing a fork, he chowed down on the plate of pancakes his mom set in front of him.
"I don't think I even want to know why. Come on, Laney. Let's see if we can get you presentable before you go out with Austin."
Martha led me into her bedroom. She pushed me down on the corner of the bed and dug through a case on the dresser to pull out a tube of concealer. She dabbed the cold liquid onto my throat, tilted my head this way and that, and dabbed some more.
"Thank you," I whispered. The silence stretched between us. I bit my tongue to keep from blurting out another apology. It wouldn't help right now. I'd do anything to fix this awkwardness between Martha and me, but I didn't say a word. Martha and I had always been close. I hated this.
"This is the most messed up situation. I'm not blaming you. The boys seem okay with it. I just don't want to see any of you hurt." She squeezed my shoulder tight. Tears filled my eyes then. Her eyes softened and she pulled me in for a motherly hug. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to swallow the giant lump in my throat.
"You aren't cleaning her up to strangle her, are you?" Jake's voice called from the open doorway.
Martha laughed. Pulling back, she winked at me before answering back, "Would serve you right if I did."
"Austin is ready to go get some breakfast. He wanted me to come check on you."
Leaning against the door frame, shirtless, he was mouthwatering. My tongue darted out to lick my lips and I wondered how I could get him back in bed. The only thing I hungered for was him.
Martha walked by and nudged him. She got out of sight and Jake took advantage of our moment alone. He kicked the door shut and hauled me up against his bare chest. His kiss was hard, possessive. Desire pummeled my senses and I clung to him.
The door behind Jake swung open and knocked us off balance.
"Aww, come on, really? In Mom and Dad's room? That's wrong on so many levels." Austin shook his head and backed away. "Laney, you about ready? I'm starving."
I tiptoed to graze my lips across Jake's and whispered goodbye. I watched impatiently while Austin got his shoes on. He grasped my hand tight and drug me out of the house. Dread pooled in my stomach. Would Austin try to kiss me again? I shuddered in remembrance of his last attempt.
Breakfast options in Free Will consisted of the Awful Waffle and Kay's Diner. We walked in to the diner and saw Austin's friends, Adam and Mark, sitting together near the door. He surprised me by just waving at them and getting us a booth toward the back. He sat across from me, held both my hands in his, and stared at our entwined fingers. He didn't speak for some time. My hands trembled. What was he thinking?
"You looked real happy at the hospital yesterday. After y'all came out from seeing your Granny, I mean. When you were looking at those drawings Jake made of you. Then I opened my big mouth and wiped the happiness right off your face. I felt like such a fucking ass right then. Do I always make you that unhappy?"
His eyes searched mine as I struggled to answer without being rude. "N
o, I wasn't always unhappy with you. What you said hurt though. With all the things you said, I kinda wonder why you even asked me out?"
He pulled his hands away and rubbed the back of his neck. Grimacing, he finally answered. "Honestly? I asked you out the first time because I saw Jake checking you out. He asked me how old you were, and I knew he was into you. But I also knew he wouldn't ask you out 'til you were eighteen."
"What?" Austin only asked me out to piss Jake off? But we'd been together for three damn years. How the hell could you stay with someone for three years for a stupid reason like that?
He stared down at his hands as he replied, clearly unable to look at me. "So, yeah, I only asked you out because he was interested. We were friends, good friends, and I didn't want him to have you. Then, we were a couple, and it was nice to have a steady girlfriend who wasn't all possessive and crazy. Remember that girl Randy dated in high school? The one with the braids that keyed his car when they split up?"
I did remember. But damn, I thought... well, it didn't matter what I thought. For three years, I was a convenience to Austin. I wasn't loved. I wasn't even really wanted.
No wonder I could never please him.
"Laney, I don't want to hurt you anymore. I don't want you to be miserable anymore and you seem happy with him." He braved a glance up at me and the honesty in his eyes did me in.
Tears ran down my face. It hurt to hear him say all these things, yet it was a relief at the same time. He wasn't going to cause trouble for me and Jake. And maybe, just maybe, Austin and I could re-claim our friendship out of this mess.
Austin slid around the booth to wrap an arm around me and I snuggled into his shoulder.
"Do me a favor though, will ya? Don't tell Jake about this. Act like we had a good time this morning and make him think you are still trying to decide."
Sibling rivalry...
Wiping my eyes, I smiled up at him. He brushed his lips against mine, one last time. That farewell kiss gave the end of our relationship an official closure our words hadn't seemed to.
Our food came. We ate our breakfast and reminisced about the good times in our relationship before heading back.
We walked in and Martha asked if we had a good time.
"The best time ever. Laney and I reconnected and things are just perfect," Austin bragged until Jake stalked away, his back stiff. Austin smirked at me before he shoved me after Jake.
Head hung in his hands, I found him on the stairs where we'd nearly kissed. Body language was a powerful communicator and his posture screamed defeat. I sat next to him and he didn't even raise his head. Just continued to stare down at his hand and fiddle with the carpet pile.
"I'll head back to the city here shortly and give you and Austin some privacy. I don't want to... I can't watch you with him right now."
He never looked up.
"What if I don't want you to leave?"
"What?"
Well, that got his attention. He finally made eye contact. The despair in his eyes brought tears to mine and again I was reminded how much was at stake here.
"I don't want you to go. I thought maybe, well, other than seeing Granny, maybe we could spend the day together, just us. No Austin, no parents, no Sheila."
"You aren't going back to Austin?" He cleared his throat, but returned his gaze to his hands.
I slipped my arm around his waist and snuggled in close to him. "I... I haven't decided yet what I am going to do long term. But I do want to spend time with you. Get to know you better. This week has been, I don't even have words to describe... just thought-provoking, amazing, crazy."
I should have told him Austin and I'd decided we were better off friends. But part of me wanted to know if he cared enough to fight for me or if he'd just let me walk away. We'd only been together a week, but damn it, I would fight for him. I know that. But did Jake feel as strongly for me? That's the question. He seemed prepared to let me walk away.
He wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair. We sat there on the stairs for a while. Not speaking. Not doing anything, but holding each other. Austin came around the corner to head upstairs and stopped short when he saw us.
Jake gave Austin the evil eye. "You wanna get outta here? I got some ideas for today, after we go see your Granny." He stood and almost drug me down the stairs and past Austin.
He could have just asked. Silly man, didn't he know I would follow willingly?
When we arrived at the hospital, the upstairs waiting area next to the ICU was empty. Not a cousin, aunt, or parent to be seen. I asked one of the nurses and found out Granny had been moved to a regular room.
The tiny single room held wall to wall people before we even made it through the door. Jake leaned in far enough to wave at Granny, then stepped back into the hall. Weaving my way over to her, I gave her a big hug. Her color looked so much better today. She held me close and whispered in my ear, "You did okay covering up that sucker bite he left on your neck, but I still see it."
With a nervous giggle, I tried to move away from her and she squeezed my neck again. "I like him, Laney. He's got spunk. I like spunk."
With the room so crowded, and Jake in the hall waiting, I didn't stay long. I gave Granny a kiss and promised to stop back in before we headed back tonight. I had class first thing Monday morning and now that I knew she was on the mend, I couldn't justify missing more classes.
Chapter Twenty-three
"So, what did you have planned for the day?" Laney asked as we walked out of the hospital.
"I thought you might like to meet some of my friends? Maybe my godson?" I smiled at her, hoping she'd say yes. She nodded in agreement and I made a quick call to confirm that we were coming.
"So, if I'd said no, would you have called to cancel?"
"Yeah, I want to see my friends, but I want to be with you more. You are the most important thing in my life right now, you know that?" I hugged her close and covered her lips with my own.
I didn't think she'd ever been the most important person in Austin's life. It's intoxicating knowing someone feels that strongly about you and I wanted her to experience that headiness. I kissed her again and put all my feelings into it.
I could kiss her all day, but she broke away and pushed me toward the Jeep. Then she sat and stared out the window without speaking for six blocks. When she sighed, I clued in that she was nervous.
"They will love you, stop worrying."
While my words were meant as reassurance, her hands still shook with nerves when I pulled in. As we walked up to their door, I reached for her hand. She snatched it back to wipe her palm against her jeans before taking my hand. I didn't knock, just walked right in. Laney let me pull her in behind me, although she seemed reluctant.
My friends sat on the living room floor and a dark-haired little boy toddled between their outstretched arms. They cheered at his every wobbling step and I couldn't keep the smile off my face. When I called out a greeting, the little boy squealed in delight and tipped over.
I released Laney's hand and scooped the toddler up with a hearty laugh. I squeezed the little guy and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "How's my buddy bear doing? Did you miss me?"
I turned back. "Laney, this is my godson, Tristan." Tristan giggled and reached for her. She put her arms out. He snuggled in to her neck and she held him close.
I met her gaze over the toddler's head. Her eyes twinkled and sent my pulse racing.
My friends stood up and I hugged them both in greeting. With an arm still flung around Eric's shoulder, I introduced him and Tina.
"So, this is Laney? It's good to finally meet you!" Tina gushed.
Shit. I should have known that Tina wouldn't be able to keep her damn mouth shut.
Raising an eye brow at me, Laney asked, "Finally? How long have you been talking about me?"
"Oh, a couple years, at least." When Tina answered, my ears started burning and heat rose in my face. Damn. Damn. Damn.
I took my godson from Lane
y and busied myself tickling him.
"Years? But we only just started seeing each other."
"That doesn't mean he hasn't been interested," Tina told her with a laugh. "So I guess you bought a clue that Austin is an idiot? Jake's loved you for ages."
"Tina! Don't. Please," I pleaded.
Eric laughed, "Don't mind my wife, she never has known when to keep her mouth shut. He's only been in love with you for three or four years, not the decade she'd have you believe."
"I give up." I lay on the floor and pulled one of Tristan's blankets over my head.
Tristan thought it was a great game and started trying to peek under at me.
Laney took pity on me and changed the subject. "So, how old is Tristan? He's adorable."
Her distraction ploy worked. Tina chattered at her about their son. After a few minutes, I resurfaced. I stood up and moved to the couch. Laney snuggled into my side and sighed. I hoped she liked my friends. Tina and Eric both made a real effort to include her in their conversations, a fact that's greatly appreciated. Nothing sucked worse than hanging out with people who barely acknowledged your presence... But I knew they'd welcome her with open arms, even if they ragged on me about it.
"So, Jake...What made you finally grow the balls to ask Laney out?"
"Eric. Shut up, please. Can't we just hang out?"
"Maybe once I get a straight answer. She's been dating your brother. I want to know how this came about. Christmas, you came over telling us about a big fight they had, and how you thought she could do so much better. Yet, you didn't say anything to her then. Why now? What changed?"
"I'd be curious to hear this as well," Tina said. Leaning forward so she could see me better, she literally perched on the edge of her seat awaiting an answer.
I sank back onto the couch and threw my head back. Their line of questioning was uncomfortable. How the hell do I explain this to them? Tell them I only have two weeks with the woman they know I've wanted for ages?
Free Pass (Free Will Book 1) Page 8