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It was the only thing he truly seemed passionate about, other than making my life a living, breathing hell of course.
It didn’t make sense. He wouldn’t throw that all away for some hits off a joint. There wasn’t even enough in the bag for him to roll one up. Jackson wanted his dad home, even if it meant he had to pay the price to make it happen.
My heart hurt more for him in that moment, than it did all the other times he pushed me away, combined.
I opened my mouth to say something but quickly shut it, looking over at Jackson. We weren’t more than a foot apart, but it felt like miles of distance were placed between us.
Physically and mentally.
There was so much confusion evident on his face, and I felt it deep within my being. We could have been standing there for a minute or an hour. Time seemed to standstill, but the pain seemed to keep going on all around me.
I locked eyes with Skyler, muttering, “Jackson and I were just arguing about his laundry habits.”
I felt him stiffen beside me.
“Jackson knows how to do laundry?”
“Or lack thereof,” I added, smiling over at him.
He narrowed his eyes at me, more confused than ever before. But for the first time since I started working here two months ago, I saw vulnerability run through his eyes. It may have only been for a few seconds, though, it was enough to know I was doing the right thing.
Jackson wasn’t as strong as he pretended to be. Deep down he was just as lost as his father, maybe?
We may have come from two different worlds, but for a few moments that afternoon, we finally reached middle ground. Who knows how long we’d stay there, all I knew was I wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Even if it meant standing on Jackson’s side.
Something or someone needed to bring their father home.
Even if that something or someone…
Was me.
15
AIDEN
Then: Sixteen-years-old
“What would you say if I kissed you right now?” I whispered against Bailey’s neck.
“I’d say what took you so long.”
This was by far the best part of her being my girl. I was able to kiss her anytime I wanted.
I skimmed my lips along her pouty mouth, murmuring, “Do you like that?”
“Aiden,” she panted, molding herself into my chest. My warm breath ignited her cool skin in a frenzy of shivers as I continued to tease my way from ear to ear. Lightly pecking along her jawline till a moan escaped her mouth, “Yes, right there.”
She was sitting on my desk, and I was standing in between her long legs. My hands roaming up and down her bare thighs, kneading, squeezing, and bringing her ass closer to the edge of the old tarnished wood.
We were in my room on a Saturday night, supposedly studying, but there wasn’t much of that going on. Our books were scattered around my room, note cards sprawled across the worn carpet, notebooks flung onto my small twin bed in the corner. Next to the other two beds that occupied the rest of the space.
My foster assholes were gone for the night to who the fuck knows where. And the three kids I shared a room with were sleeping over at friends’ houses.
All that mattered was we were alone, and Bailey was in my arms.
My nose skated up the side of her neck, inhaling the scent of her sunflower perfume. She smelled like everything I ever wanted.
