“Busted,” he said, chuckling as he took in my swimsuit and pausing at my mangled arms. “Lucy, what haf you ju gotun jorself into?” he said, doing his best Ricky impression.
Too embarrassed to speak, and in pain from the leaf prick scratches still stinging my arms, I started walking toward his apartment. He was fast on my heels with Trip still barking his head off for no apparent reason.
“Do you even realize that your covert operations where I am concerned always go wrong and you end up hurt or bleeding somehow? Case and point, you stealing my dog...Baby, wait up.”
I changed directions quickly, deciding a good long swim was just what I needed, though I was dying for answers.
“Okay, baby, have a good swim.” he sighed, sounding amused as he followed me to the gate. I slammed it closed before he could get in. He called out to Trip and they headed back in the direction of the apartment. I spent the next hour burning through my jealous frustration as my scratched arms screamed from the chlorine contact.
I should have just handled it like an adult. Then I wouldn’t feel the need to hide from Jayden and the humiliation still burning through my veins. Still, it took the better part of exhausting myself to the point of needing a nap to stick my tail between my legs and head back. I walked in as Jayden started lighting candles in the living room. He often burned several at a time and we always seemed to be surrounded by soft light and music no matter what we did. I wanted to go to him, but instead bypassed him as he smiled at me.
“Don’t be so damn smug. At least I didn’t Hulk out like you did.” It was a mean jab, but I couldn’t help my bitterness as I went in to shower. Knowing I was being an asshole, after my hot shower, I searched through the medicine cabinets for the peroxide but couldn’t find it. I sat on his bed, thoroughly disappointed. Willing to swallow my medicine, I walked out to find Jayden sitting on the couch in a room full of clean smelling candles. There was a freshly poured glass of wine on the table sitting next to his coffee, the missing peroxide and cotton balls next to it. The lump in my throat brought me close to teary eyed as Jayden held out his hand to me. I took it and settled in next to him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that about the Hulk.” He quickly started rolling up my t-shirt sleeves then opened the bottle of peroxide.
“I thought it was funny. You are so fucking cute when you’re jealous.”
I glared at him and he went silent as he wet a ball with the liquid. I noted how dark his lashes were as he looked down, doctoring my skin. Of course she wanted him back. What woman in their right mind wouldn’t? He was amazing and beautiful and...everything. I watched him as he gently dabbed my scratched skin. “How long are you going to make me wait?” I asked, my voice filled with impatience.
“Take a sip of this,” he said, handing me the wine.
“I don’t need it,” I snapped, still trying to handle the panic I felt at the thought of him with someone else.
“Come on, baby. Don’t let it ruin our day.”
I nodded then took a long sip. He had introduced me to this particular red and although I wasn’t normally a fan, I loved his taste in wine.
“She wanted you back?” He nodded and my blood boiled. I downed more wine. “What did you say?”
He rolled down my t-shirt sleeve and looked right at me. “I told her it was too late.”
“You think she got the message?” I asked, my voice shaking with emotion.
“She won’t be back,” he said, leaning in to place a kiss on my cheek. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes,” I said, not in any way referring to my arms he was studying.
He caught my meaning and looked up at me. “I love you, and you know that.”
“She’s so beautiful,” I said, voicing my fear.
“You are far more beautiful to me.”
“You are so full of shit,” I said, slumping in my seat. “She doesn’t have lopsided boobs and a pudgy gut.”
“I’ll entertain jealousy, but I can’t stand insecurity. You know how much I love your body. And if that pudge were to disappear, I would hate it.”
“Did you love her?” He sat back in his seat, sipping his coffee. I rolled my eyes. “Fine, we won’t get into it. I hate feeling this way. I hate knowing you loved someone else, slept with someone else. I guess I’m not as much as a grown up as I’d like to believe. I felt sick knowing I could lose you.”
He set his coffee down and pulled me to his chest, tilting my head so I was looking at him. “I told her I had met the woman I was going to marry.”
“Jayden—”
“I love you like that. Not her or any other woman. That’s yours.”
I nodded as my eyes filled with tears. He kissed me deeply, and after a few minutes I pulled back, ready to strip him bare.
“I’d love to accept the invitation in your eyes right now, but experience tells me that fucking you as hard as I want to right now right after my ex showed up might lead to more questions later, so we are going to watch Lost. Because, let’s face it, baby, you bitches be crazy.”
I laughed loudly as he cut me off, kissing me even deeper before I settled into his chest. A few hours later, I awoke to Jayden carrying me to bed. Once there, he took off my clothes and pulled me to him, whispering that he loved me before I drifted back to sleep.
After brunch that Sunday, Jayden and Bradley talked sports at the now empty kitchen table. Sabrina and Molly couldn’t make it this morning, much to my relief of easing Jayden into our crazy tribe. Alexis had left shortly after we ate, claiming she had to prep for a case, leaving Bradley, Mom, and I on our own. Alexis had mentioned that she and Owen had a date later that week and thanked Jayden in a not so subtle way for his ‘plotting and scheming.’
“He’s really something,” my mother remarked of Jayden, who looked up at me just then from the table and gave me a small smile before turning back to Brad. “So he owns his own company, huh? A good looking, homemaking, big shot.”
“No, who told you that?” I asked, thinking she had mistaken Alexis.
“He did, at the table. He said he co-owned it with his uncle.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s working on that.” A sick feeling came over me as I paused to study Jayden. “He said he owned it?”
“Yes,” she said, looking at me with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “He is amazing.”
“Are you excited about your trip?”
“Trip?”
“He said the two of you were planning a trip to the coast?” She looked at me with puzzlement as I took the dish out of her hand to dry it.
“Yeah, we could use a break.” Completely confused now as I stacked the plates, I shot another look at Jayden, who saw I was not pleased. He paused mid-sentence, carefully watching me and then turned to Brad.
“We have to go soon, Mom. Forgive me if I come earlier next weekend?”
“Of course, you kids have lives to live,” she said absently. “I need to start getting out more myself.” I looked at my mother, who even in her early fifties looked youthful and was still beautiful.
“Dating again?”
Her eyes widened as she corrected me. “No, not yet. No.”
“Well, when you are ready we are all behind you,” I said, even I didn’t believe my pep talk. I was too preoccupied with the lies Jayden had told my mother.
After another hour or so of casual conversation, we said our goodbyes. As Brad leaned in to hug me, he whispered, “You can keep this one.”
“Thanks.” I smiled back halfheartedly as Jayden and I made our way to the car. I grabbed the keys from him, proclaiming I was driving, and he looked at me oddly. A few minutes into our drive, he was still talking about how much he liked Brad when I cut him off.