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ALLIE
Still sitting in Jace’s bedroom, I clutched the picture in my hand and swallowed hard. It had been an hour at the least, and I couldn’t get myself to put it down and walk out of the room again. I loved Jace Harbor so much. This picture had to mean something to him too, right?
Maybe Jamal wasn’t lying about something holding Jace back.
The crease in the picture looked like it had been folded and unfolded hundreds of times. He had been looking at it since we had taken the picture together the night before he broke my heart.
Downstairs, the front door opened and closed. I should’ve put the picture back and left the room, but I couldn’t move. Jace cursed as he walked up the stairs to the bedroom, getting closer every second.
I gnawed on my lip, everything in me hurting.
“Fuck. I screwed the fuck up. I screwed the fuck—” The door opened, and he stood in the doorway with wide eyes. He gazed down at the picture in my hand and sucked in a deep breath. “Allie, I …”
I stared up at him through teary eyes, the picture trembling in my hand. “What’s this?” I whispered. “Why do you still have this picture of us in your drawer?”
Jace stepped into the room and glanced down at the picture again. He opened his mouth and snapped it shut, no words coming out. He looked at me for a long time, tears forming in his eyes.
It was the first time I saw Jace Harbor cry.
His lip twitched, and suddenly, he charged toward me, threw his arms around me, and picked me up. He spun me into the air, holding me tightly to his chest, and buried his face into the crook of my neck.
“I love you, Allie,” Jace mumbled into my neck, his fingers digging into my sides. He sat on his bed with me in his lap. After a few moments, he pulled away slightly and stared into my eyes with his teary ones. “I love you so much, and I don’t ever want to lose you. You’re the only thing I look forward to every day.”
Taken by surprise, I hesitantly rested my hands on his strong shoulders, still clutching the picture. “Jace,” I whispered. Everything in me warmed at the sound of Jace admitting that he loved me again after years of him putting me down time and time again.
It would be stupid of me to believe him after everything that he had done to me. I had made that mistake one too many times and couldn’t afford to be hurt again.
“You have to believe me,” Jace said, a tear falling down his cheek.
“Then, tell me why,” I whispered. “Why do you hurt me? Why have you made my life hell for the past two years? Why do you choose Nicole over me time and time again?”
“I don’t want Nicole. I never have.” He paused. “I’m trying to protect you.”
I shook my head, fury washing over me. For the past two years, I had felt like I came in second place to Nicole and every other girl he had been out with. Now, he was telling me that he never wanted any of them. If I had a clear mind, maybe it would add up, but to me, right now, it didn’t.
“Protect me from what, Jace? You?” I asked harshly.
Jace looked down between us and shook his head. “I can’t tell you. I can’t.”
My lips curled into an angry frown. “Why?” I asked. “Why not? Why are you doing this to me? If you can’t tell me why you continue to hurt me, then I can’t do this.” I shook my head, trying to think clearly as the tears flowed down my cheeks. “I can’t, Jace.”
When I went to crawl off of him, he grasped my wrist. “I’m protecting you from my dad.”
“Harlan?” I whispered.
What had he done? Though he was a bit annoying, he seemed nice at the very least, and he made Mom happy as far as I knew.
There was so much pain in Jace’s eyes. He grasped my face and rested his forehead against mine. “You won’t believe me if I tell you. You’ll think I’m looking for attention too. That I’m crazy.”
I placed my hands on his and trailed my fingers down his long ones. “Tell me,” I whispered. “Please. I’ll believe you. You don’t have to hide things from me, Jace. You should’ve always known that.”
We stayed like that in silence for a few minutes until Jace finally opened his mouth. “My dad killed my mom.”
