by Emily Minton
“I just wanted to say hi. We used to be friends.” She motions toward Kristen then back to me. “We were all best friends.”
“Yes, you were one of my best friends, but you are also the woman that slept with my man. I think that cancels out the friendship.”
“Oh please, you were both so young. You never would have been together in the long run. How I see it, I did you both a favor,” she says with a sneer on her lips.
“Oh really? You think keeping Jase apart from his daughter was a favor? You think he appreciates that?” I know she didn’t keep Jase and Jenny apart, but I couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out.
Her face goes pale when I mention Jenny. “Daughter?” she whispers.
I lean into her and paste on my own sneer. “Yes, Becca, mine and Jase’s daughter!”
She stumbles back against the wall, momentarily lost for words. She stares at me for a moment, then an evil smile creeps across her face.
“Did Jase tell you that the time you caught us wasn’t the first time? We’d been screwing each other for almost a year behind your back!” she says, ending with a sarcastic laugh.
“No, he didn’t mention you at all. He must not think you’re worth the breath it takes to utter your name.”
Pain flashes through her eyes before she draws back and slaps me across my face. I don’t even flinch at the pain. “If that’s the best you’ve got, you should just walk away. I’ve spent a long time with a man twice your size. Believe me, he hit a hell of a lot harder.
She starts to draw back again, but stops when Kristen rushes across the garage. “You stupid cunt!”
The words barely leave her mouth before she’s sending her fist into Becca’s face. I watch her destroy Becca for a few moments, and then I step forward to pull Kristen away. My fingers graze the side of Kris’s arm before I’m grabbed around the waist. I look up and see Jase holding me.
“Get your hands off me. Now!” I yell, but he doesn’t. “I swear to God, if you don’t remove your hands, I will kill you. Do not ever touch me again, you damn bastard.” With that, he lets go of me.
I spin around to face him. All the anger I was feeling toward Becca comes rushing out at him, directed on the one person that is responsible for hurting me the most. “Our whole relationship meant nothing to you, did it? It was all just one big-ass lie. You screwed around on me for over a year? Was Becca the only one?” I don’t give him a chance to answer. “Did you not learn anything from what your pop went through?”
His head drops down, and when he lifts it back up, I see pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Julie. I don’t have an excuse, but I’ll do anything to make it up to you. You have to know how much I’ve always loved you,” he says, moving forward.
I step back and put my hand up. “No, you can have a relationship with your daughter, when you clean yourself up, but you and me will never happen again.” I start to walk away, but turn back to Jase and add, “I hate you.” He looks like he’s been punched in the gut, but I don’t care because at the moment, I mean everything that I’ve said.
I look over to where Matty is trying to calm down Kristen. He has his arms around her and is whispering in her ear. “Matty, can you take Jenny and me home please?”
He lifts his head and says, “Yeah, babe, give me five.”
I turn back around to Becca, who looks even worse now than she did before. It looks like Kristen pulled some of her hair out before they were pulled apart. “You’re twenty-eight now, right?” I ask.
“Twenty- seven,” she says with a sneer.
“And you are still acting like a sixteen year old.” I shake my head. “I don’t hate you. I just feel sorry for you.” Then, I walk away.
Jase
I watch Julie walk to Matty’s truck, and my heart starts to pound. Fear slices through me, and I have to fight to catch my breath. It feels like I’m losing her all over again. I can’t let her go. I can’t lose her again. What if she runs away and I don’t see her for another nine years? Hell, no! That is not happening.
I start to go after her, but my step falters when I catch sight of Matty coming around from the back of the garage. He’s walking side by side with a little girl, their hands linked tightly together. When my eyes finally travel to the child’s face, my knees lock, and something coils around my heart.
I have never seen anyone or anything more beautiful in my entire life. Light brown hair, beautiful blue eyes and a gorgeous little smile; in no way did the picture do justice to the angel before me. She is perfect, absolutely perfect.
She leans her head to the side, almost touching her shoulder, and stares at me intensely. She starts to open her mouth, but Matty says something to her and draws her attention away. She nods her head and starts walking toward the truck, but stops after just a few steps. I want to scream, to shout, to knock Matty on his ass for taking her attention away from me.
I stare at her as she continues to walk away, but there is a shuffle to her step before she slowly comes to a stop. Then the beautiful little girl does the most wonderful, amazing thing in the entire world. She simply turns around and faces me again. She smiles, puts up her small hand, and waves.
“Bye, Daddy,” she shouts to me then turns and walks away.
I want to go to her, but my legs are still locked in place. It’s as if I’m standing in five feet of concrete, anchoring me to the ground. I look down to my feet and take a deep breath, doing my best to fill my oxygen-deprived lungs with air. That is my child. I cannot believe that beautiful little girl is my daughter. That’s my Jenny. I lift my head just in time to see Matty’s truck pull away.
Becca walks over and stops in front of me. “Wow, you guys have a kid together? You never told me that.”
My throat is clogged with emotion, so I merely nod.
I can feel Becca’s eyes on me before she says, “Wait, you didn’t know did you?”
I finally jerk my eyes toward her and shake my head. “No, I just found out.”
“Wow, I thought Julie was a saint. Didn’t think she’d do something so horrible as to keep a child from you. That changes everything, doesn’t it? Everyone thought you were the bad guy, but now they have to know how much of a bitch she is. A woman doesn’t hide a kid. That’s just wrong.”
She’s right; it is wrong, but I don’t like hearing that shit come out of her mouth. “Don’t talk about Julie. You have no idea why she kept Jenny from me.”
She keeps looking at me, waiting for me to give her more, but I can’t. I ain’t telling her shit. “You need to go home, Becca.”
A sexy smile spreads across her face, or at least that is what she is going for. To me, it just makes her look sleazy. “Wanna come home with me tonight?”
I jerk away and stare at Becca. I look at her. I mean, I really look at her for the first time in years. I haven’t got a fucking clue what I ever saw in her. Sure, she’s hot. Even with a fucked up nose and puffy eyes, she’s good lookin’. She has light brown hair and pretty green eyes. She’s not a classic beauty like Julie, but she is pretty. That’s it though. She’s like a shitty Christmas present; pretty on the outside, but when you open it up, it’s just a pair of damn socks. Did I really throw my life away just to fuck this woman?
“Stay away from my family, Becca, and stay away from me,” I say, and then I walk away.
Chapter 5
Julie
I slam the door after climbing into Matty’s truck. My feet thump against the floor board, nervous energy making it impossible to sit still. Anger burns its way through my body, causing sweat to pop out on my forehead.
I jerk my phone out of my purse and text Bethany a quick message. Matty is taking me and Jenny home.
A few seconds later, my phone dings. Want me to come with you?
No, absolutely not. I love Bethany, but right now, I need some time to myself. Nope, stay and have fun.
Okay. I’ll have Kris drop me off when she leaves.
Have fun.
I start to put my p
hone away, when it dings again. Are you okay?
I should have known Bethany wouldn’t let me go with a simple goodbye. I’m fine, talk later.
I ignore the next ding and shove the phone into my purse. I can’t talk about this now. I just can’t deal with Bethany’s words of wisdom. Right now, my mind is filled with all the ugly things Becca said to me. They had been sleeping together for almost a year. A freaking year! How could I have been so stupid?
Rubbing my stinging cheek, I replay all of her words. Why, why, why did she have to be such a bitch? I can’t believe just how much she has changed. It’s like she’s a completely different person. The sweet girl from high school has turned into a vicious bitch that is determined to cause me as much pain as possible. It’s hard to believe she’s the same woman that used to be my best friend. Un-freaking-believable.
I knew I would have to face Becca someday soon, but I sure in the hell didn’t expect it to be at my welcome home party. I never even considered she would show up here. If I had been her, I would have been ashamed to show my face. Thinking about the snarky smile on her face, I realize she doesn’t have an ounce of shame in her body.
As mad as I am at her, it’s nothing compared to the anger I feel toward myself. Having sex with Jase is inexcusable. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have done that after everything I’ve been through the last nine years? After everything he has done? My God, what in the hell is wrong with me?
I know the answer to that question. I still love him. Even after all he has done, I am still in love with Jase Gibson. I probably always will be. The problem is that I hate him as much as I love him. How can you hate and love the same person?
I thought maybe, in time, I could forgive him, and we could move on from all the anger. I had hoped we would be able to form some sort of friendship, for Jenny’s benefit. After everything that just happened, I doubt that will ever happen. In fact, I doubt we’ll ever be able to be in the same room without killing each other, or even worse- tearing each other’s clothes off. That can never happen again.
I’m not sitting in the truck long when I hear my daughter yell out, ‘Goodbye, Daddy’. I look out the window and notice Jase watching her. I know not telling him sooner about Jenny was wrong of me, but after seeing and hearing about the man he’s become, I’m wondering if it was the right decision after all. I just hope now that he knows about her, he’ll step up and become the dad she needs.
Matty puts Jenny in the rear seat and buckles her up before getting in the driver’s seat and putting his hand on my leg. “You okay, babe?”
I nod my head and stare straight ahead, too afraid to speak. I know the tears are about to fall, and I’ll be damned if I cry in front of my daughter.
“Are you sure?”
Ignoring him, I turn my head and look out the window. After a few minutes of silence, Matty starts the truck. Jenny starts talking a mile a minute from the back seat. After a moment or two, her voice starts to fade. Then she quiets completely. I look back, and her eyes are closed. I slide over to Matty and place my head near his. “Did you know, Matty? Did you know about Jase cheating on me?” I ask in a whisper, trying not to wake Jenny.
He hesitates then whispers back, “Yeah.” He nods his head. “I warned him, when he started with you, to keep it in his pants. I knew about Becca the first time, but he said it was a mistake, never to happen again, so I left it alone. I’m sorry, Jules. I should have told you.”
I slide back to my side and look out the window again. I don’t know how to respond, so I just stay quiet.
“He was having a hard time, Jules. He was so messed up after Mom died. Shit, he still is.” Matty pauses for a second before continuing to break my heart. “He loves you, darlin’, but he doesn’t love himself. Until he learns to do that, he’s no good to anyone, especially you and Jenny.”
I close my eyes. The hurt just keeps on coming. “Just take us home, please,” I say.
Jase
Watching Julie and Jenny ride off with Matty is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I want to go after them, but I know it isn’t the right time. Hell, I don’t know if the time will ever be right. I need to get my shit straight before I try to fix things with Julie. I can’t be drowning myself in whiskey if I want a relationship with my daughter, and I want to be part of her life.
I head into the garage and grab a beer then walk out back and sit at one of the picnic tables. There are people all around, but they stay away. I guess they know I’m not in the mood for talking. So I sit here all alone, drinking my beer and thinking about how shitty my life is. Every bit of it is my own damn fault. I fucked it all up myself.
“She loves you, you know.” A woman’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I look up and see a beautiful redhead standing beside the table.
“Who the hell are you?” I don’t care how pretty she is. I just want to be left alone, but she ignores my bad attitude and sits down across from me.
“I’m Bethany. Julie’s my sister-in-law. Well, she used to be anyway.”
It takes a moment for her words to sink in. “That bastard’s your brother?”
Something odd flashes in her bright green eyes before she finally nods. “Yes, he is.”
“Then what the hell are you doing here?”
“Julie is my best friend, and she asked me to move here with her and Jenny.” She laughs, a tinkling sound that seems odd coming from a grown woman. “Actually, she told me I was moving here with them. I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Why the fuck is she friends with you? After what he did to her, it looks like she’d want to cut anything to do with him out of her life.”
She gives me a sad smile. “Julie is a good person, and she’s smart enough to know that I am not my brother. She also understands that I have no control over my brother’s behavior. Believe me, I wish I did,” she finishes in a whisper, more to herself than to me.
I get a feeling there’s more behind her statement, but I’m not sure what. I’m not really sure what to say to her, so I just agree. “Yeah, Julie’s a smart woman.”
“Sometimes, she’s too smart. She spends too much time thinking with her head instead of her heart. That’s why she married my brother. It’s also why she ran away from you today.”
Now my interest is peeked. “What do you mean by that?”
“Julie married Dean because her head told her it was the right thing to do. He’s a successful doctor. He’s rich and handsome. From the outside, Dean is the perfect husband, but when you dig deeper, Dean is a monster.” She pauses and looks me over. “You are the exact opposite. You’re too sexy for your own good. You drink too much. You’re a mechanic, not that there is anything wrong with being a mechanic, but I doubt you’re rolling in the dough. On the outside, you’re a man that a woman should stay far away from, but on the inside, you’re a good man.”
I bark out a laugh. This chick doesn’t know me at all. Anything good inside me has been dead for a long time. “You know all this just from looking at me?”
“No. I know all that because I saw how you looked at Julie.”
I shake my head at her to let her know that I have no idea what the hell she’s talking about.
“You looked at her like you would take on the world for a chance to get her back.” Bethany stands up and starts to walk away. She stops a few feet from the table and turns back toward me. “She loves you, but she’s scared out of her mind. I saw my brother beat her half to death, but he never broke her. When she first got to Kansas City, she was broken. It was because of you. If you want her back, you’re going to have to prove to her that you won’t break her again.”
As I watch her walk away, I wonder how the hell I’m supposed to do that.
Chapter 6
Julie
Opening the door to Jenny’s room, I smile when I see her sleeping with Lulu held tightly in her arms. I’ve been worried about her all night. She was quiet after we got home from the party. I asked her what was wrong, b
ut she said nothing. She went to bed almost immediately, and I heard her crying through her bedroom door. When I went to check on her, she pretended to be asleep. I left her room, knowing she wanted to be alone. I ended up spending most of the night sitting on the floor in front of her door, fighting the urge to go to her.
I know all of this is hard on her. The move, meeting new people, being so close to her father; it’s a lot for an eight year old to handle. I know there is a small part of her that misses Dean. At least, she misses the life we had in Missouri. No matter what he has done to me, being with him is all she has ever known.
I don’t have a lot of good things to say about Dean, but he was a good step-father to Jenny. He never mistreated her. I honestly believe he loves her, in his own way. He did his best to shield her from the trouble in our marriage. He never hit me in front of her, but she’s not stupid. There were only so many excuses I could give for the bruises and hospital stays. She knew what was going on, and her love for him started to fade.
By the time she was six, she started to change. She wasn’t a bubbly child anymore. She was quiet and always on guard around Dean. She’s starting to come out of her shell since I left him, and I don’t want my problems with Jase to bother her.
Bethany stayed at Kristen’s last night, and she won’t be home ‘til late this afternoon. Having Bethany move here with us was one of the best ideas I have ever had. She’s like a different person. She found a job at Jenny’s elementary school. She’s even making friends outside of our little circle. Sure, she’s still shy, but she laughs a lot more now. She’s getting out more, discovering that she can have a life of her own.
Since Bethany is gone, Jenny and I are alone for the day. It’s the last day before school starts and I have to start my new job, so today, we are going to have some fun. I’m going to take her to Nashville and hit Music Row. Maybe I will get her a pair of cowboy boots and take her to Paradise Park to eat. Then we can visit the zoo. I haven’t been there in years, but I heard they built a big jungle gym for the kids. Jenny will love that.