‘You better be going where I think you’re going, or I may have to kick your arse. I saw the way you treated her at the cemetery. She—’
‘I know,’ I say holding up my hand to stop him. ‘I’ll grovel at her feet if need be. I have to make things right between us.’
‘Good. Theo called me earlier. He dropped Jade off at her apartment. He wasn’t happy about leaving her alone, but she insisted. You better grovel. She’s perfect for you,’ he says, placing his hand on my shoulder. ‘I want her as my sister-in-law.’
‘You’re getting a bit ahead of yourself there.’ He gives me a look that almost makes me squirm. I’m not ready for anything like that. I’m still getting used to having a damn girlfriend.
When—or should I say if—I ever am, she’ll definitely be the one. It’ll only ever be her. That’s if I can get her to forgive me for acting like a dickhead. I may have been suffering, but shutting her out was inexcusable.
But I’m a selfish prick. I always get what I want, and Jade is no exception.
I have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when I knock on Jade’s apartment door. I’m not sure what type of reception I’ll get. I hope she gives me a better one than I gave her. I’m desperate to see her—to touch her. I need her more now than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.
She’s my air.
I knock a few times, but there’s no answer. I refuse to leave until I’ve seen her. ‘Jade, it’s me, Brock,’ I call out.
A few seconds later the door opens slightly. I’m pleased to see the safety chain is latched. When she doesn’t speak, I do. I put this wedge between us, so now it’s up to me to make things right.
‘Can I come in?’
Stepping back, she closes the door and for a moment my heart sinks, but then I hear her removing the safety chain. She’s letting me in. That’s a start. A huge fucking start.
‘Hi,’ I say the minute she opens it.
‘Hi.’ From the tone of her voice, I’m unsure if she’s happy to see me. Nevertheless, my eyes drink her in as she stands before me. I’ve never seen her so casually clad before. She looks sweet, wearing a T-shirt that’s five sizes too big. It looks awfully familiar.
Her face is clear of makeup and her long dark hair is piled into a messy bun on top of her head. Obviously, she wasn’t expecting company. I feel my dick twitch as my gaze moves down her long, bare legs to the hot pink polish painted on her perfect little toes.
She’s my saviour. She’s the only one who can make me feel. She’s my ticket out of this dreary dark hole I’ve fallen into. Just being in her presence has me feeling lighter than I have in days. Why have I left it so long to see her?
‘Is that one of my T-shirts?’ I ask, trying not to smile when she wraps her arms around her torso, trying to shield her appearance.
‘No … yes … maybe.’ The defiant look she gives me has my lips curving up at the corners. I love her spunk.
‘It either is or it isn’t,’ I say teasingly, taking a step towards her. I hear her breath hitch when I place my hands on her hips, my fingers digging into her flesh as I draw her body into mine. My recently unfeeling heart starts to race as I look into her exquisite green eyes and I raise a hand to cup her pretty face. ‘I’ve missed you, sweetheart.’
I feel like an arse when she bites her bottom lip to hide a quiver. Steely determination crosses her face as she wills herself not to cry. I love her strength, but I hate that she feels the need to be strong around me.
‘I’m sorry,’ I confess as my thumb moves down to free her lip from the death grip of her teeth.
‘Sorry for what? For ignoring me all week, or giving me the brush off today?’
I deserve that, and so much more. ‘For everything … I’ve been in a dark place.’
‘And not being around me helped?’ The venom in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed. She has every right to be angry.
‘No. Being away from you didn’t help.’ I release a long breath before continuing. ‘I’ve been miserable without you.’
‘I wish you hadn’t shut me out like you did. It hurt me, Brock.’
‘I didn’t want to bring you down with me.’
‘You wouldn’t have.’
Oh, I would have. It’s time to admit the truth—to tell her something I haven’t had the guts to say out loud, until now.
‘The last thing I said to my father before he died was that I despised him and I was ashamed to be his son.’
She gasps at my words, just like I knew she would. I bow my head because I can’t bear to see the judgement in her eyes when I tell her the rest.