by Sarah Adams
“Yes, she did,” my mom says proudly with her dainty little nose stuck up in the air. “Now, get on out of here, and go make that woman of yours swoon.”
I can only hope.
Chapter Thirty-Two
EVIE
I stand outside of the venue where the benefit is being held and try to not cry. I’ve been crying all day, so I’m pretty sure that without the help of all the concealer I slapped on I would look like I’ve been punched in both eyes. You know how they say time heals all wounds? Apparently, they meant a lot of time, because with every hour that has passed today, my wounds have only grown deeper. My heart hurts, and I wonder if it’s possible for an organ to physically split down the middle just from emotional pain.
It’s silly, but…I really thought Jake would end up being the one.
Too bad he just ended up being the one to sleep with some skank when I made him mad.
Even still, it doesn’t make sense to me. The woman that opened that door this morning doesn’t line up with anything Jake has been telling me over the past month and a half. But maybe he was just lying. Maybe he really is into sleeping around…he just didn’t want to sleep around with me.
Great, more tears.
“Nope. Uh-uh. No more tears from those pretty green eyes,” says Jo, rushing up beside me to hand me a tissue. “You look too pretty to waste your night thinking about that frog leg for one more second!”
I spent the whole day today at Joanna’s house, lamenting everything that happened over the last 24 hours. Her advice was that we try out a new Pinterest recipe she found, where you boil lemon and various items that belong to an ex-boyfriend and then pour the “juice” into a spray bottle and go spritz that person’s house to bring them bad luck. Or maybe it was to keep the flu away… I can’t remember because I was too busy ugly-crying into a pillow while she explained it.
“I know, I’m trying to stop crying, but I can’t. This is the worst night to have to host a fundraiser.”
“Or it is the best night to host a fundraiser. Because now you get to look hot and keep yourself busy all night. And who knows, maybe you’ll find someone new here tonight too.”
“I don’t want anyone new.”
“You’re right. Too soon. But I’m just saying…I think I saw a Calvin Klein model walk in earlier, and if Gary didn’t make such good chili, I think he might be in trouble.”
Gary chooses that moment to walk by us. He gives Jo a little pat on her rear and then winks at me. “Chili is just an innuendo.”
I cringe. “Yeah. I figured.”
“I’m going on in. Y’all coming in soon?”
“Right behind you, honey,” says Jo with adorably pink cheeks. I thought I had finally found a man who would make my cheeks rosy like Jo’s even after years and years of marriage. Nope. And now the waterworks are happening again.
“Okay, okay, let’s get you inside so everyone can see your handsome date.”
Charlie does look ridiculously cute in his bow tie. I bet Jake would have looked horrible in a bow tie. But when I walk into the venue and look around the warm, glitzing room, I spot Jake standing by a cocktail table, one hand in the pocket of his black suit and the other holding a glass of something bubbly—and man, am I disappointed to see that he looks freaking amazing in a bow tie.
“What is he doing here?” I ask Jo, who follows my gaze to Jake.
Her eyes widen, and she looks back at me. “I don’t know, but you can’t tear him apart here. There are lots of people watching us right now, and if we both go all crazy ex-girlfriend on him, there’s no way we will get any sponsors.”
I sigh, knowing she’s right. “Fine. I’ll deal with him and then get him to leave.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to do it?”
“No. I can handle him.”
I think Joanna notices the way my eyes are trailing down his body in that fine-looking suit, and maybe a smidge of appreciation shows on my face, because now she’s stifling a grin and humming a mmhmm. “You just go deal with him, then. Make sure you lock the bathroom door before you do, though.”
I turn my saucer eyes at her. “Joanna!”
She just laughs and walks away to go mingle with the many guests already gathered.
I steel myself and then turn to look at Jake again. He’s on the opposite side of the crowded room, but then he sets down his glass and starts crossing the center of the venue toward me. My heart starts racing, and I have to remind myself that I now hate him. I do. I hate him. I don’t want a man that’s not going to cherish me—who’s going to sleep around with other women to make himself feel good when we’ve had a fight. No, sir, I do not like this man anymore.
I don’t like his dimples when he smiles.
I don’t like his tousled hair.
I don’t like the way his muscles fill out that suit.
Okay, I like all of those things, but those are just physical attributes. And if you’ve ever visited a nursing home, you know that beauty fades, my friends.
I decide that Jake is not going to have all of the upper hand here, so I lift the front hem of my floor-length evening gown and start walking to meet him in the middle. His eyes scan over me as we approach each other, and I can see that he likes the way my black satin gown is clinging to my curves. He hasn’t even seen the plunging back yet.
Eat your heart out, Jakey.
We stop right in front of each other in the center of the room, but Jake doesn’t make a move to touch me. Smart. He can probably read the murderous scowl on my face and knows I’ll bite if he does.
“You look…”—his eyes rush over me again—“gorgeous.”
Right. His flattery is not going to work on me. I cut right to the chase. “Why are you here?”
“I’m your date.”
“You most certainly are not my date. Not anymore. Not after…last night.” Those last two words come out in a whisper because I know my voice will shake if I try to say it at my normal volume.
Jake’s shoulders sink a little. “Evie. I’ve been trying to call you all day. I’m so sorry. Can we go somewhere and talk?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to hear anything he has to say. You slept with another woman last night. I saw her with my own eyes. That told me everything I needed to know. “I’m busy tonight, and I need to focus on the event.”
His lips press together, and he nods slowly. “Of course. I understand. Maybe after?”
I look away from him toward the tables where vendors are set up. A few couples are starting to slow dance near us, and everyone else is beginning to mill around the room and place their bids on various vendors’ items and services. We have a live string quartet playing in the corner, a cocktail bar of which all proceeds go directly to Southern Service Paws, and later in the night, there will be a sit-down dinner. All in all, everything is going well, and I’m hopeful that it will be a success.
“I won’t have time,” I say, giving Jake my best cold shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I see a few people I need to speak to.”
Jake catches my arm before I walk away, and I wish so badly that my whole body didn’t hum from his touch. When I turn my head, I find him so close to me that I have to tip my chin up, up, up to look into his eyes.
He smiles, and one of those dang dimples surfaces. “I’m not giving up on us, Evie. And I plan on trying to prove to you every single day from here on out just how sorry I am.”
I want to lean into him. I want to lift up on my toes and press warm kisses up his neck all the way to his mouth. But I don’t…because I’m sorry isn’t going to fix what he did last night.
I rip my arm from his grasp and turn away from Jake and go to the far end of the room to get myself a drink. I’m going to need it if I have to get through a whole night with Jake’s gaze following me around like it is now.
For the next hour, I try to pretend that Jake doesn’t exist. I laugh too loudly with guests, I check in on all the vendors and am pleased to see that every clipboard i
s nearly full with bids, and I field about a thousand questions about our company and Charlie who has been dutifully standing at my side all night.
I feel exhausted from keeping up this fake smile, and I just need a minute to myself to let my mask fall off. I look down at Charlie, and I can tell that he is exhausted, too, so I do something that I very rarely do, and I go hand off his leash to Joanna who is sitting at a table with Gary and a few other guests. I’m going to let him have a five-minute break to lay at Joanna’s feet while I go get some air, and then he and I will face the rest of the night together.
I open the main doors and let the fresh air wrap around me and fill my lungs. I wish it were cooler, but it’s the middle of July, and even with the sun down, it’s still a balmy 80 degrees out here. I move toward the side of the building and cross my arms, staring at nothing in particular.
My thoughts wander to Jake, and I hate that I have to tell him later that I don’t want to see him anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust him again. And yes, I know that, technically, we were both keeping it casual and seeing other people, but what Jake did was sleazy. What he did wasn’t dating other people. It was nothing more than booty-calling some random woman after my parents bruised his ego.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when a warm hand suddenly lands on my lower back. I turn, thinking I’ll meet Jake’s eyes, when instead, I’m assaulted by Tyler’s devilish smirk.
“Ugh,” I say, pulling away from him. “Not you again! I thought I made myself clear that you were not invited tonight.”
“Don’t be that way, Eves.” He starts advancing toward me until he has me backed up against the wall of the building. His hands move to rest on my hips, and I try to push him away, but he doesn’t budge.
“Get off of me, Tyler!” I say, feeling more annoyed than frightened. Although he’s being a prick right now, I know he’s not going to force anything more than a kiss.
“Just give me one chance to show you what you’re missing.” He’s dipping his head down while I’m still trying to squirm out of his grasp and away from his lethal-potency cologne.
“Gross. No. Get off of me or—”
Suddenly, Tyler takes two falling steps backwards, and I realize that he’s been grabbed from behind and physically peeled off of me. Jake is holding Tyler by the back of his suit, and the look on his face says everything: I’m going to knock you out. And he does. Jake punches Tyler square in the jaw so hard that Tyler falls back onto the ground.
Jake hovers over him like a victor from a Rocky film. “Don’t ever touch her without her consent again. Do you understand me?” Tyler just stares up at Jake, stunned and holding his face. “This is the last time you will ever try to pursue Evie. She’s made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want you anywhere near her, and from now on, you will respect her wishes.”
Huh. I had no idea that I had a thing for hot guys going all bodyguard on me…but yeah, it’s a thing, apparently.
Usually, this is where Tyler would say something sarcastic in reply, but he rubs his jaw and looks up at Jake instead and nods. It makes me think I should have punched Tyler myself a long time ago.
“Not good enough. Let me hear you say it along with an apology,” says Jake in such a stern voice that it sends a chill down my spine.
Tyler’s eyes meet mine, and I can see that he’d rather die than apologize to me, but he does it anyway. “I’m sorry, Evie. It won’t happen again.”
“Thank you.” My voice sounds puny. Why can’t I have a Rocky voice like Jake?
Tyler stands up and dusts himself off before walking toward the doors of the venue again. Jake makes a sharp eh sound like I use when training my dogs, and Tyler freezes.
“Wrong way,” Jake says, and I swear that Tyler wants to hit him back but knows he would never be a match for Jake.
So, to my great delight, Tyler turns around and walks away from the fundraiser, back toward his fancy BMW, with his tail between his legs and then speeds off. When he pulls away, I sigh with relief. Not because I ever felt like I was in real danger, but because I’m so sick of seeing Tyler’s face, and now I’m pretty sure I won’t have to anymore.
Jake turns his head and pierces me with his gaze. “Are you okay?” His voice is so tender it nearly melts me right here on the sidewalk.
I shake my head no, and in an instant, he’s walking up close to me and putting his hands on my arms, rubbing them up and down. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head no again and let my tears roll down my cheeks. “No. But you did.”
Jake’s hands still, and he meets my eyes. He looks like I physically stabbed him. “What can I say to make this better, Evie? I’m so sorry for making you think I don’t trust you. Because I do. I trust you more than anyone. I let your family get in my head, and I reacted poorly. But I won’t make that mistake again—”
I cut Jake off and shove away from him. “This isn’t about what happened at my parents’ house, Jake.”
His head kicks back, and his brows dip together. “Then, what’s it about?”
My mouth falls open, and I let out a sad mock laugh. “Did she not tell you I came by?”
Jake blinks a few times. “Evie, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Came by where?”
“Your house, Jake!” I shove his chest because, apparently, I’m that kind of girl when I’m angry. He lets himself rock back on his feet to make me feel stronger. “I saw her. The perky little brunette with the big boobs, standing in your doorway in her underwear! I saw her, Jake! How could you turn around and sleep with someone right after dropping me off at my house? I thought we had something special, but—”
Jake shakes himself from the trance he’s been in since I started my monologue and rushes up to me, grabbing my shoulders again. “No, Evie. You have it all wrong. I didn’t sleep with her. In fact, I slept at my parents’ house last night.”
…What?
What in the freaking what did he just say?
“You…didn’t sleep with that woman?”
Jake’s face cracks into a tentative smile, and he shakes his head slowly. He opens his mouth to explain but is cut off by the sound of his phone ringing in his pocket.
“I’ve got to answer this; it’s my mom. But I’ll explain everything in a minute. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
I nod and wrap my arms around myself because the past 24 hours have felt like a roller coaster, and I’m not sure I’m off the ride yet.
“Mom? Everything okay?” He pauses, and I watch as a heavy expression settles over his face. He stays perfectly frozen.
Something in me knows. “Is it Sam? Is she okay?”
He nods, and I didn’t realize that I had walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his middle, but apparently, I did, because his hand is wrapping around my shoulder, and he mumbles a few replies to his mom before he says he’s on his way and hangs up.
“Sam had a seizure,” he says, gripping my shoulder like he needs me to help hold him up. “But she’s okay. Apparently, she went upstairs to get her PJs on, and then Daisy rushed back downstairs and started alerting my mom. Sam did fall, but it was on the carpet, and Daisy rolled her on her side just like she and Sam practiced. She stayed with Sam and hasn’t left her side since the seizure ended.” I see Jake’s eyes welling with tears, and I squeeze him tighter. “Daisy made sure she was safe.”
I smile. “Good. That’s so good, Jake.”
He nods and squeezes my shoulder again. “I need to get home to Sam, though.”
“Right, of course.” I let go of him and look back toward the venue. “Let me just go get Charlie, and we can go.”
“We? You’re going to come with me?”
I freeze, hoping that wasn’t presumptuous of me to invite myself along. “Oh, I’m sorry, you probably just want it to be a family—”
“No,” he quickly cuts me off and grabs my hand. He raises it to his mouth and lays a soft slow kiss just under my palm. “I want you to come with me. But I kno
w you have the fundraiser going on here and probably don’t need to leave.”
I smile. “You and Sam are most important to me. Joanna can handle the fundraiser just fine without me.” I fully intend to find out who that woman was at Jake’s house later, but for now, I’m not going to let anything else get in the way of my happiness with this man. I trust him again. And he trusts me. We’ll figure out the rest later.
A slow smile spreads across Jake’s mouth, and then, before I have time to breathe, he tugs me up closer to him and captures my mouth with his. His hands are on my jaw, and then they slide down my bare back to press me up closer to him. His lips shift gears back and forth from tender to firm to demanding, and I’m just trying to keep up. The kiss doesn’t last long enough, but it certainly did enough damage that I touch my fingers to my swollen lips when we part. I blink, feeling drugged, and then start walking. Jake turns me around so I’m actually headed in the right direction.
“Right. This way. Okay, so I’ll just be right back.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
JAKE
Evie and I got home about twenty minutes ago. We both raced up the stairs together to get to Sam’s room. She was still on the floor when I got there with her head resting on Daisy. My mom is still a little nervous about Sam’s seizures, and this was the first one she had ever been present for, so she wasn't sure whether it was safe to move Sam to her bed or not.
Sam is in her postictal period of her seizure, and I know that, like Evie’s seizure the other day, she won’t feel or respond like herself for a while yet. Her episode progressed normally and didn’t last too long (Mom was able to time it, thanks to Daisy coming to get her at the start of it), so I felt good about letting her just rest here at home and not taking her into the hospital. I drop down to my knees, though, and brush her hair away from her face to plant a kiss on her forehead. She smiles and mumbles a “Hi, Daddy” that feels like an instant balm to my heart.
“Hi, kiddo. We’re here now, and you’re safe.”