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“What do you mean, that was that?” Ally asked, frowning. “You broke up with him?”
Pain lanced through my heart at Ally’s question, memories bubbling to the surface, and Sophie stirred in my arms. I guess the little gal sensed my agitation as I remembered the look in Jake’s eyes. The words falling from his lips.
“We just wanted different things after that.” That was a complete and utter lie, of course. All I had ever wanted was for Jake still to love me. But he didn’t, and I couldn’t force him to.
“Wow. So that was it? And you haven’t talked to each other since?”
I smiled sadly at Ally’s confusion. “Pretty much. I moved away for college, and what with working overseas and stuff, I haven’t been home much. This is the most time we’ve spent together since the accident—the first accident, I mean.”
I could feel Lucy watching me, but I kept my gaze averted. She was a bit older than me and Jake, and had already stated dating the guy who’d become her first husband when Jake had his accident. I had no way of knowing how much she knew about all of it. She was definitely the kind of kind-hearted soul a person could confide in, but I couldn’t imagine Jake doing that. So the actual details of our breakup were still our agonizing, dirty little secret. Well, for me they were, anyway. Feeling that I’d well and truly said everything I was prepared to say on the subject, I suggested weakly it might be time for coffee, and blew out a breath of relief when everyone agreed.
CHAPTER6
Emma
Icursed the anticipation curling in my belly as I walked down Jake’s driveway. This would not end well, I knew, but at the same time I wasn’t about to stop. My legs were a little rubbery as I pushed the door open and when Jake, sitting on the couch watching television, turned to smile at me, my heart did a slow, delicious roll.Get your shit together, girl, this is madness.I drew in a deep breath, willing my heart rate to settle. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
“Today’s the day.”
“What for?”
“Checking your wound again, to make sure everything’s healing properly and ship shape.”
“Okay, Mary Poppins.”
“Funny.” I dropped my purse on the dining table and moved into the living room, dropping onto the couch next to him. The first thing that hit me was the fact that he’d obviously just showered, because he smelled completely amazing. It was all I could do not to lean in and run my nose up the side of his neck, just to breathe him in.Madness.
The second thing that hit me was his eyes. They were no longer shadowed with pain; there was something else there now. A brooding sort of intensity that I felt right down to my bones. I wanted to tell him not to look at me like that, but that would be weird, so I rubbed my lips together and gestured for him to lift his shirt. Again, those rock-hard abs, the sprinkling of hair that arrowed down, creeping into the waistband of his sweats. “This might hurt a bit,” I said, peeling back the bandage and making a close inspection. “Wow, looks great. You’re healing fast.”
“See? Wolverine.”
“Ha-freaking-ha. How are you otherwise? The arm?”
“Itchy as fuck.”
“That sounds fun. Head’s okay? No headaches, blurred vision, stuff like that?”
“Nope.”
“Excellent. Anything else?”
“I’m bored out of my mind and want to get back to work.”
“Jake, please. You’re still not nearly ready for anything like that.”
He ran his hand through his hair, letting out a breath of frustration.
“I know it’s annoying, but if you start overdoing it now, you’ll undo all this great progress. Trust me.”
“I do.”
Oh. So, not the battle I was expecting. “Good. You want coffee?”
“Sure.”
“It’s not too cold out today, we can sit on the deck again, if you like.”
