Why does it have to belong somewhere else?
The food arrives and we eat in silence. My appetite is nonexistent, and with each bite, I’m swallowing a tablespoon of guilt.
“What did we do, Pres? We had it all, you know?”
“Did we, Jase? We were happy, but I don’t know…it’s like we got cold feet way too early.”
“This could have been us. We could have had a child together,” he says in a low voice.
“I guess so.”
The question makes me think. Even if I could go back in time, would I make Jason the father of my child? It would’ve been so easy, it would have been a stroll in the fucking park. But everything that Masen is lies in his DNA. He has Haden’s blood running through his veins. And truth be told, I wouldn’t change that for the world.
“There’s always the future, Pres. It’s not a closed book between us.”
“I miss you,” I blurt out, not intending it to come out the way it does.
“I miss you too.”
“It was so easy, what we had,” I confess. “Life is so complicated now. I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
“But is easy wrong?”
“No, it’s drama-free and all I’ve been doing for nine months is living in a world of drama.”
Jason presses his palm against mine and leans forward. With only the glow of the candle light between us, my body moves in, bringing us close together.
“We both were searching for something else, Presley. But we already had it all,” he concedes. “Now we’ve had that time apart. I’ve realized that no woman could compare to you. Sure, you have your quirks, but Presley, I want my life with you.”
He said all the words I want to hear…from someone else. He’s offering me everything we had on a silver platter with a nice red bow to complete the package. An easy life filled with love and happy memories.
“Jason, I have a son. My life is about him now, and he’s not yours.”
“I know that, but you know I was raised by Jeff and he was a great stepfather. I’m not here to replace his father. I’m offering you a life, Presley. A life with me.”
I lower my head and stare at the tablecloth. With his hands still touching mine, his offer appears too good to pass up. But I’m angry at the Jerk. Livid, in fact. And to make an important decision like this, I need a clear head.
I tell him I need time to think, and on cue, the alarm goes off, warning me that I have to return to Masen. I kindly tell Jason I need to go, and being the true gentleman he is, he offers to walk me back to my apartment.
It’s a cool night with a heavy breeze, and just as my body shivers, he removes his jacket and places it over my shoulders. We talk about our families as we walk back home, reminiscing about the good old days and our joint family vacations.
“It was really good seeing you.” I smile happily.
He leans in closer and kisses me on the lips. Suddenly the guilt washes over me and I pull away, wiping my lips without even thinking. He looks taken aback by my ability to pull away, let alone wipe his kiss off my lips, but he doesn’t comment on it.
With trepidation he asks, “Can I come in?”
I open the door and notice the apartment is quiet. With only the hall lamp turned on, I assume Vicky is with Masen in my room. I motion for Jason to follow me and he does until we reach the bedroom door. When I open the door, I almost fall back into Jason’s body at the sight of Haden sitting on my bed, shirtless and holding Masen.
“I…uh…where is Vicky?”
“Nice to see you, Presley. Vicky had an emergency, and since Masen is my son, I thought I would stay over and spend some time with him.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm, and behind his frames, his eyes are fueled with fire and rage.
“Okay…Jason, this is Haden, Masen’s dad,” I say, preparing myself for the biggest shit-storm to rock this universe.
“Nice to meet you.” Jason nods.
Haden is trying to hide his anger, but his outburst is imminent. “So is there a reason why you went out and abandoned our son?”
Bingo. Typical Jerk saying his jerk-like things instead of communicating in a mature and adult way. Another reminder of why Jason is a better fit for me than Haden could ever be.
“What? I’m going to walk Jason out.”
I turn around and grab Jason’s hand on purpose. Outside in the hall, he shakes his head.
“A young jerk.”
“Jason…”
“You want a real man, Pres? You know where to find me. And I’m serious about what I’m offering.”
“I know, Jason. It’s just…I love him.”
I said it. The words that have taunted me for the longest time. It’s both a relief and a burden to finally say it out loud. My lip begins to tremble as Jason glances at me with a sympathetic smile. He wraps me in his arms for a final goodbye, and my body comfortably rests against his as I struggle to hold back the tears. This new, emotional Presley is getting on my nerves. I have never cried so much in my life as I have in the past year.
Cupping my face in his hands, he wipes the tears away with the tip of his thumb. “I’m always here, Pres. Even as a friend. No, I don’t want just that, but we’ve got too much history to let go of everything we had, including our friendship. You know where I am…I’m always here.”
And that’s the thing about Jason. Once he steps into your life, there is no turning back. He may not be the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, or the man my heart so desperately beats for, but he will forever be a friend I could count on. And good friends like him are hard to come by.
With Jason gone, I have no choice but to face the music, and with every step back towards my room, my anger intensifies. I walk in and Masen is sound asleep in his cot. Haden is still sitting on my bed, half dressed. He is fidgeting with his cell and the second he senses I’m in the room, his eyes lock into mine and glower back at me. With his lips pursed and his nostrils flaring, he throws his cell to the side, crossing his arms as he waits for me to talk.
“Get some clothes on,” I grit.
“Tell me why you went out with him!”
“None of your business! Now will you just go?!”
Why didn’t Vicky warn me that he was here? My cell is inside my purse. I pull it out and see that the screen is covered in a dozen messages, all from Vicky. I don’t have time to read them now and I storm off into my closet to take my shoes off. He is in there so fast, blocking the entrance by resting his body against the archway.
“Did he touch you?”
“I don’t have to answer that…”
“DID HE TOUCH YOU?” Haden yells, slamming his fist against the architrave.
I swiftly turn around. “Yes. Yes he did. Get off your jealousy horse because I don’t belong to you! You’re full of shit, Haden. You don’t care about me or else you wouldn’t be marrying Eloise!”
“And everything I said meant nothing to you? I told you no one was to touch you but me.” He follows with a sinister laugh, shaking his head as he continues to block the exit. His body is exposed and it becomes an unnecessary distraction.
Kitty is not helping me out, gawking at his perfectly-toned physique with a jumbo-sized popcorn in hand.
From the corner of my eye I can see his knuckles are stark white from clenching his fist so tight. I have never seen him this enraged, and it scares me a little. But then I remember my conversation with Eloise yesterday and I quickly change back to infuriated and bitter Presley.
“See Malone, all along this is what I was afraid of. You’re running back to the love of your life…”
“I didn’t run, Haden. I was standing still. Waiting for you. You are the one that broke me!”