You Deserve Better (By Your Side Series Book 2)

by A. P. Watson

  “Anytime.”

  He filled two more glasses for David and himself, and then the three of us gathered in the kitchen while our meal finished baking.

  “David,” I began. “Would you mind turning on some music? There’s a cord that plugs in to the television and plays through those speakers.”

  “Absolutely!” He accepted Jacks’s phone and shuffled toward the television with Ford on his heels.

  “Really?” I inched closer to Jacks, my arms folding in front of me. “A fertility clinic?”

  “I hear they work quite well,” he lilted.

  “Always figured you’d be more of an old-fashioned guy.”

  He inhaled suddenly at my words. Jacks and I were already walking a fine line. Actually, it was more like a thread. We strictly erred on the side of friendship, but per usual, my mouth had other plans. My fingers pressed over my lips, preventing any more verbal garbage from spilling out.

  Damn word vomit.

  Another minute passed, and the sounds of Pink Floyd began to fill the apartment. A muscle in Jacks’s jaw ticked as he closed his eyes. “Be the death of me,” he muttered quietly.

  David chose that exact moment to rejoin us. “Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?”

  “Nope, but thanks for asking. I just need to put everything in the oven.” I opened the oven door and placed both pie dishes inside. “Jacks, would you mind setting out some plates?”

  “Not at all.” If my comment unnerved him, he was quick to regain his composure. He grabbed enough plates and silverware for each of us before organizing a place setting in front of each barstool.

  Forty minutes later, I served each of us a helping of chicken pot pie. Steam still wafted from all of our plates despite the fact I let everything cool for a bit. However, the temperature did nothing to slow Jacks and David down. They each hastily dug into their food.

  “I think I prefer this to the pot roast,” David finally said.

  “My momma’s recipe has yet to fail.”

  “God, it’s my favorite,” Jacks added. “I forgot how amazing it is.”

  “I’m glad it tastes good.”

  “It’s perfect,” David added.

  “I’ll be sure to send both of you home with leftovers then.”

  Jacks helped himself to another serving. “Please do.”

  “So, David, who is your all-time favorite musician or band?”

  David tapped his chin absentmindedly as he considered my question. “Hmm. There are so many to choose from.”

  “This is true,” I replied.

  “But I would have to say Hendrix of course.”

  I nodded. “Of course.”

  “And I’ve always been partial to Marvin Gaye.”

  “And Prince,” Jacks added.

  “You like Prince?” Admittedly, I was surprised by the revelation, but at the same time, it seemed fitting for David to be a Prince fan.

  David shot a wicked grin in my direction. “Who doesn’t?”

  “That’s a really good point.” I laughed slightly. “I used to dance to Prince all the time.” Unease filled my veins as the weight of my admission soaked in. Jacks placed his hand on my knee, giving me a light squeeze of reassurance.

  “That’s because he’s a funky mutha fucker,” David replied.

  I burst into a fit of laughter at David’s statement. There was no reason for me to feel uncomfortable talking about my past around Jacks and David. They weren’t the type of people to judge others, especially not me.

  “Oh my goodness. You’re my favorite person ever!” I cried.

  Jacks rolled his eyes just as David elbowed him in the arm. “Heard that, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. We all heard it, Grandpa.”

  After a few more glasses of wine and a healthy serving of banana pudding, our dinner party began to wind down. Dinners with David and Jacks were my favorite. The three of us always had such a great time. We had become our own little family.

  When David finally stood to leave, it was almost midnight. He straightened his legs, swaying slightly. My hand shot around his back to steady him.

  “Are you feeling okay?” I asked.

  “Just a little lightheaded, but that has to be from sitting for so long.”

  I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jacks. “You look a little flushed.” I placed my wrist to his forehead. “And you feel a bit warm.”

  “I can drive you home,” Jacks said, pulling out his keys.

  “Nonsense,” David stated. “All I need is a good night of sleep. I can’t keep up with you kids like I used to.”

  “Whatever. We’re the ones trying to keep up with you.” I placed my fingers on the inside of his wrist as I walked with him to the door. His pulse was a bit fast, but it wasn’t to the point where I’d be concerned.

  “Did you just count my pulse?” David asked, amused.

  “Bet your ass I did.”

  Jacks stepped forward, placing his hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. “Is it okay?”

  “It’s a tad fast but not where I think he should go to the hospital or anything.”

  “I’m fine!”

  “Here, let me drive you home, Grandpa.”

  “No! You stay here with Wren. I’m fine. Just stayed out past my bedtime is all.” David patted Ford on the head before turning to hug Jacks and me.

  “Love you. And let us know when you get home,” I said, kissing his cheek.

  “Love you too, and I will.”

  “Be safe, Grandpa. I love you.” Jacks wrapped his arms tightly around David.

  “I love you too.”

  chapter eighteen

  intentions

  WHEN I WALKED BACK into the living room from the bathroom, Jacks was texting on his phone.

  “Did David make it home okay?” I asked, sitting on the couch next to him.

  “Yeah. He just got into bed.”

  “That’s good. If you want to go check on him, you can. We don’t have to watch anything.”

  “He’d probably punch me if I left,” he said with a slight laugh.

  “True.”

  “So, are we watching X-Files again?”

  “You ask that question as if you don’t already know the answer.”

  “My mistake,” he replied. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around me.

  “Thanks.” I pulled up our show and scooted closer to Jacks so that Ford could jump on the couch. Laying his head across my lap, he began snoring the moment my fingers touched his ears. “Ter and Ryan are getting home tomorrow, so I was thinking we could all go to dinner together. You don’t have anything planned, do you?”

  “Nope. But that sounds good. I can’t believe they’ve already been gone for two weeks.”

  “I know! It’s flown by.”

  “I bet they had a great time.”

  “There is nothing I wouldn’t give to go on a vacation right now.”

  “Where would you go?”

  “Anywhere. Especially anywhere that serves those fruity drinks with the umbrellas in them. I love those,” I replied, sighing. “That should be the only kind of drink allowed at the beach.”

  “So somewhere warm then.”

  “Definitely. But also somewhere with some shade. Otherwise, I’ll just burn and wind up with even more freckles.”

  “I happen to like your freckles.”

  “You like everything about me.”

  “This is true. You know, we could go on a trip together if you want.”

  I swallowed down the lump that was suddenly caught in my throat. A trip with Jacks would be incredible . . . and dangerous. Would Kenneth be upset if Jacks and I went somewhere together? I wanted to be greedy and have it all, but I would eventually have to follow David’s advice and choose who I really wanted to spend my time with.

  “I’m down.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah! So, where are you taking me?”

  “You said someplace warm,” he began. �
��So, that actually gives us a lot of options. We could go to Hawaii, the Bahamas, Fiji, Australia. The list goes on from there.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii and Australia. Where do you want to go?”

  “I like both of those places.”

  “Well, we can go somewhere you haven’t been.”

  “As long as I get to spend time with you, I don’t care where we are.”

  “If you don’t care, then let’s go to Hawaii!” I wrapped my hand around his arm, leaning against his shoulder. “But I have one condition.”

  “You already have two conditions. Somewhere with fruity drinks and shade,” he teased.

  “And I have one more.”

  “Alright. What’s your third condition?”

  “I’m paying for all my stuff.”

  “Nope. That’s out of the question.”

  I glared at him. “You’re ridiculous!”

  “So are you.” He met my glare with one of his own, our gazes holding just a little too long. “I asked you to go on a trip with me. It’s only fitting I pay.”

  “Nope, not happening.”

  “I guess I could always fly down and visit your parents instead.”

  “And now you’re playing dirty.”

  “Don’t I always?” His corresponding wink practically made my skin tingle. “Either I pay or I fly to Tennessee. Your pick.”

  “Ugh, fine! But I’m only agreeing because I don’t trust my mother with you. That woman has some serious ulterior motives.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you were to go visit my mother, she’d probably try to give me away. Like, if you paid my parents a dowry, they’d just hand me over to you.”

  “Interesting.”

  “You better not pull any shit like that. I know how crafty you are.”

  “Your mother loves you,” he stated, pausing for a moment. His eyes glimmered with sadness before suddenly dissipating. “She wouldn’t hand you over to just anyone.”

  The way he uttered the word mother nearly broke my heart. “I’m so sorry! I feel like the most terrible person in the world right now!” I flung my arms around his neck, squeezing tight. “I’m such a jerk.”

  “You’re not a jerk.”

  “Yes, I am! I’m complaining about my mom when you don’t have your mom anymore,” I replied softly. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing.”

  “Stop being so resilient all the time.”

  “Didn’t think I could be resilient around you.”

  “Whatever.”

  “I’m being serious. You’re the only person who has ever truly understood me.”

  I released him, my hands moving to cradle his face. “I know exactly what you mean because you’re the only person who has ever truly understood me.” And that was the moment I finally realized the connection Kenneth and I shared would never be this strong. I was kidding myself to believe otherwise. “Jacks . . .”

  “I’ll take whatever you can give me.”

  “It shouldn’t be like that.”

  “I don’t care. I’m not going anywhere.” When his lips pressed against my forehead, I almost gave caution the middle finger. His touch was divine, and getting lost in it was such an easy thing to do.

  What the hell was I doing? I knew what I wanted, what felt right. My brain and my heart were warring with one another. Deep down, I wanted to give Jacks a second chance more than anything. But the thought of putting all my faith in him was terrifying. After all this time, and after everything I’d been through, I was nothing more than a damn coward.

  “Thank you.”

  Jacks and I managed to make it through two more episodes before I passed out. I vaguely recalled him carrying me to bed, but my suspicions were only totally confirmed when I woke up to Ford licking my face.

  “Hi, baby. Did you sleep good?” Ford’s tail wagged wildly at my question. “Here, I’ll take you outside.”

  “He went out an hour ago.”

  I rolled to the side of the bed to discover Jacks lying there. “Why are you on the floor?”

  “Because you asked me to stay last night and I didn’t think it would be appropriate to sleep in the same bed as you.”

  “You didn’t sleep on the couch?”

  He chuckled slightly. “I tried to, but you wouldn’t let me leave.”

  “Why?”

  “You tell me.”

  “Oh.” I nibbled on my bottom lip as I stared at him. In the past few weeks, Jacks had gained back all the weight he’d once lost. He was hitting the gym again and looked infinitely better than he did when we met at Monteverde to plan Ter and Ryan’s party. Not that he ever looked as if he didn’t belong on the cover of GQ. “I just didn’t want to be alone,” I answered, studying the muscles carved into his chest. “You’ve gained back the weight you lost.”

  “Probably because someone keeps force-feeding me.”

  “I’m sorry, but I didn’t exactly hear you complaining.”

  “And you never will hear me complain, chipmunk.” His hand shot into the air, searching for mine. Rough calluses rubbed against my palm as our fingers intertwined.

  “Since we’re already talking about food . . .”

  “Are we going out for brunch or cooking here?” he asked with a laugh.

  “Let’s cook here. Anything special you want?”

  “French toast.”

  “Okay, I can do that.” I glanced at our joined hands before shifting my attention to Jacks. “You know what I was really thinking last night?”

  “What?”

  “Since I missed your birthday because we stopped talking for a while right before the wedding, I was thinking we could celebrate it on our trip. I know it’s not the same, and I know it will be super late, but you made my birthday so special. And now I want to do the same for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to. Which reminds me!” I jumped off the bed, hurrying to my dresser. “I have a present for you. I know it’s late, but I hope you like it.” I removed the silver picture frame from the drawer, hiding it behind my back. “Ter sent me a proof of this last week, and I immediately had it framed.” Sitting next to him, I handed over the gift.

  By sheer luck, the wedding photographer had managed to capture the perfect shot. It was a picture of Jacks and I dancing. Our arms were folded around one another to seal our intimate embrace, but it was our eyes that said it all. We may have been pretending to belong to each other, but there was nothing false about the look we shared. Pictures were worth a thousand words, but only one resonated in the photo . . . love. Jacks and I looked like we were madly in love.

  “Wow.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it.”

  “I know it’s not much—”

  His hand grasped my leg, stopping me mid-sentence. “It’s perfect.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  He helped me to my feet, and then we made our way to the kitchen with Ford trailing behind us. After pulling out all the ingredients for french toast, I began frying bacon and prepping the bread while Jacks made coffee.

  “Have you heard from Ter or Ryan yet?” I asked.

  “Ryan just texted me. He said one of their flights got delayed. They won’t be back until tonight.”

  “Well, we could always meet for drinks at Miller’s if that is easier.”

  “Hold on. I’ll ask.” Jacks typed out a quick response before setting out two coffee mugs. “Do you need any help?”

  “If you can stick that piece of bread in the batter, that would be awesome.”

  “Of course. So, how has teaching been going?”

  I flipped the slice of bread in the skillet to allow it to brown on the other side. “Good! I really enjoy it. It’s just a couple of classes a week to help Sasha out, but I love it.”

  “I’m glad. You’re a great dancer, so I’m sure you make an excellent teacher as well.”
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br />   “Thanks.” I smiled and accepted the mug he handed me, taking a long drink. “Do you want to take Ford on a walk after we eat?”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  “Do you need to stop by your place and get some clothes?”

  “Not ‘til later. And Ryan just texted me back to say they can meet us at Miller’s around ten.”

  “Awesome! We’ll just go get some clothes right before.”

  “We?” he asked, his eyebrow lifting.

  “You didn’t think you’d be able to get rid of me that easily, did you?”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Once everything was finished cooking, Jacks and I sat at the island and dug into the meal we’d made. I couldn’t wait to see Ter and Ryan tonight. It had been forever since the four of us hung out. In fact, the last time was the night Ryan proposed.

  “Can I ask you something?” My attention shifted to Jacks, watching as he finished eating a second helping of french toast.

  “Sure.”

  “Do you remember the night Ryan proposed?”

  “Yeah, we were all eating dinner at my place.”

  “I don’t know if you remember it or not, but Ter whispered something to you. I was just wondering what she said.”

  His fork stilled over his plate. Every muscle in his body tensed as I stared at him. “I remember,” he whispered.

  “Will you tell me?”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of what she said.”

  “Now you have to tell me.”

  “Wren—”

  “No secrets this time.”

  “No secrets?” His dark gaze locked on mine, causing my sinus tachycardia to kick in to full gear. “You’re asking for a lot.”

  “I’ll trade you a secret of mine for one of yours.”

  “Okay.”

  “You can go first.”

  “Do you love Kenneth?”

  “No,” I replied. “I don’t.” For a split second, I noticed his features soften as he stared at me. “What did Ter whisper to you the night Ryan proposed?”

  For a while, my question hung in the air like fog after a heavy rainstorm. Answering it would undoubtedly change things. But my only thought was how much things between us needed to change.

  He cleared his throat nervously before finally opening his mouth to speak. “She told me you and I would be like her and Ryan one day. She said the way I looked at you was the same way Ryan looked at her.”