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“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 th
ink, 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.
