Overtime
Page 42
She nodded. “I know, but I think if I do, I’ll fall for him all over again. He has my heart, Lacey.”
Lacey reached out, lacing her fingers with Kacey’s as she smiled. “Then why are you with Liam?”
“’Cause he’s safe. He won’t hurt me.”
“And Jordie will?”
“Exactly.”
“He’s changed.”
“So you’ve said,” Kacey said, leaning back and untangling her hand from Lacey’s. “If so though, how? Why? What was he doing? What woke him up?” When she met Lacey’s knowing gaze, Kacey pointed at her. “You know why!”
“No, I don’t,” she tried to lie, but Lacey couldn’t lie.
“Yes, you do! Tell me!”
“No way,” Lacey said, folding like always. “I can’t. Please don’t try to make me. I love you, Kacey, I do, but I promised to keep it a secret. If you want to know, you ask him.”
Kacey scrunched her nose up and glared. “But I don’t want him to tell me, because he’ll guilt me with those eyes, and I’ll be head over heels all over again while he’s just looking to screw.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
“No, I know him. More than you. He doesn’t do relationships, which is what I’m in the market for.”
“Okay, if you know all that, then why are you worried about it? You are way too concerned with him for someone who is dating someone else,” Lacey pointed out and Kacey’s glare deepened.
“Shut up and you know why. He was really my first true love. It’s hard to get over that. I’m trying, but it’s hard.”
“Because you believe in him.”
Kacey didn’t answer as her eyes clouded with tears. She didn’t believe in him. She knew the real Jordie—he just piled all kinds of cocky-ass behavior and bad choices on top of himself.
“You know, that’s how it was with Karson and me. I never stopped loving him,” Lacey said, looking out into the living room where Karson was sitting with Mena Jane cuddled into his chest. Looking back at her dipwad brother, Kacey’s heart skipped a beat. She’d always known he was going to be a good daddy. He took care of her like she was his. Sometimes it was annoying, but she still was thankful for everything he did for her. She respected him and looked up to him. He liked Liam, approved of them, so she knew what the best thing for her to do was. But for some reason, Jordie wouldn’t get out of her head.
“I can’t trust him,” Kacey said then, bringing Lacey’s attention back to her. “He hurt me so bad. Broke me.”
“I know,” Lacey said with a nod. “And, believe me, you don’t owe him anything. I’ll be the first to tell you that, but I would talk to him. I would see what he has to say and then make your decision after that.”
Kacey eyed her, knowing that Lacey was up to something. Or maybe the meds were making her loopy. “You know what he wants to talk about.”
“Maybe,” Lacey said with a sly grin.
Why did that piss her off? “When did you two get so close?”
“When I saw the real Jordie, the good Jordie. I think if you gave him the chance to show him to you, you’d forgive him.”
“I have forgiven him. A long time ago. But I can’t let go of him. No matter how hard I try.”
“So maybe that should tell you something,” she said and shrugged. “Or keep dating Liam and see how that goes. Either way, I just want you to be happy, Kace. That’s all.”
“I know,” she moaned, dropping her head to the island. “I just want to be happy.”
“Then follow your heart,” she said just as the back door opened. Kacey didn’t have to turn to know it was Jordie. Plus, Lacey greeted him with a bright grin and said, “Hey, Jordie! Whoo-weee! Someone went and saw Billy Ray.”
Sitting up, Kacey turned in her seat, and it really took everything out of her not to turn into a puddle of goo before sliding off the chair and just dying. It was downright wrong for someone to be as fucking hot as Jordie Thomas was. Standing before her in a thin gray shirt and athletic shorts was the man she fell in love with so long ago. His beard was trimmed up to perfection, not too long or short, just perfect and shiny. His hair was in a badass Mohawk and he was simply beautiful. She’d always thought he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen—and she still thought that. But at that moment, she could see how much weight he had lost.
God, what happened to him?
Looking away to keep the tears at bay, she turned in her seat, biting her lip and wishing that things had played out so differently. That she was the one wearing a grin and running her fingers through his beard, holding their child while being indescribably happy. It was a dream, one that she had thought was within her grasp, but apparently, she hadn’t wished on the right star. Fucking Disney really set her up for failure.
Getting off her stool, she went into the living room where Karson and Mena were. He was just getting up as she entered, and she held her hands out.
“I was gonna put her to bed,” he informed her.
“I can,” she offered and Karson shrugged.
“I do need to take a leak,” he said before handing her Mena.
“Nice to know,” she muttered as she gathered Mena close and then headed down the hall to her room. Taking her to the changing table, she got her ready for bed in her “I Love My Auntie” onesie before laying her in her crib. Mena was wide awake and didn’t look like a kid who was ready for bed, but it was well past her bedtime.
Lacey reached out, lacing her fingers with Kacey’s as she smiled. “Then why are you with Liam?”
“’Cause he’s safe. He won’t hurt me.”
“And Jordie will?”
“Exactly.”
“He’s changed.”
“So you’ve said,” Kacey said, leaning back and untangling her hand from Lacey’s. “If so though, how? Why? What was he doing? What woke him up?” When she met Lacey’s knowing gaze, Kacey pointed at her. “You know why!”
“No, I don’t,” she tried to lie, but Lacey couldn’t lie.
“Yes, you do! Tell me!”
“No way,” Lacey said, folding like always. “I can’t. Please don’t try to make me. I love you, Kacey, I do, but I promised to keep it a secret. If you want to know, you ask him.”
Kacey scrunched her nose up and glared. “But I don’t want him to tell me, because he’ll guilt me with those eyes, and I’ll be head over heels all over again while he’s just looking to screw.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
“No, I know him. More than you. He doesn’t do relationships, which is what I’m in the market for.”
“Okay, if you know all that, then why are you worried about it? You are way too concerned with him for someone who is dating someone else,” Lacey pointed out and Kacey’s glare deepened.
“Shut up and you know why. He was really my first true love. It’s hard to get over that. I’m trying, but it’s hard.”
“Because you believe in him.”
Kacey didn’t answer as her eyes clouded with tears. She didn’t believe in him. She knew the real Jordie—he just piled all kinds of cocky-ass behavior and bad choices on top of himself.
“You know, that’s how it was with Karson and me. I never stopped loving him,” Lacey said, looking out into the living room where Karson was sitting with Mena Jane cuddled into his chest. Looking back at her dipwad brother, Kacey’s heart skipped a beat. She’d always known he was going to be a good daddy. He took care of her like she was his. Sometimes it was annoying, but she still was thankful for everything he did for her. She respected him and looked up to him. He liked Liam, approved of them, so she knew what the best thing for her to do was. But for some reason, Jordie wouldn’t get out of her head.
“I can’t trust him,” Kacey said then, bringing Lacey’s attention back to her. “He hurt me so bad. Broke me.”
“I know,” Lacey said with a nod. “And, believe me, you don’t owe him anything. I’ll be the first to tell you that, but I would talk to him. I would see what he has to say and then make your decision after that.”
Kacey eyed her, knowing that Lacey was up to something. Or maybe the meds were making her loopy. “You know what he wants to talk about.”
“Maybe,” Lacey said with a sly grin.
Why did that piss her off? “When did you two get so close?”
“When I saw the real Jordie, the good Jordie. I think if you gave him the chance to show him to you, you’d forgive him.”
“I have forgiven him. A long time ago. But I can’t let go of him. No matter how hard I try.”
“So maybe that should tell you something,” she said and shrugged. “Or keep dating Liam and see how that goes. Either way, I just want you to be happy, Kace. That’s all.”
“I know,” she moaned, dropping her head to the island. “I just want to be happy.”
“Then follow your heart,” she said just as the back door opened. Kacey didn’t have to turn to know it was Jordie. Plus, Lacey greeted him with a bright grin and said, “Hey, Jordie! Whoo-weee! Someone went and saw Billy Ray.”
Sitting up, Kacey turned in her seat, and it really took everything out of her not to turn into a puddle of goo before sliding off the chair and just dying. It was downright wrong for someone to be as fucking hot as Jordie Thomas was. Standing before her in a thin gray shirt and athletic shorts was the man she fell in love with so long ago. His beard was trimmed up to perfection, not too long or short, just perfect and shiny. His hair was in a badass Mohawk and he was simply beautiful. She’d always thought he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen—and she still thought that. But at that moment, she could see how much weight he had lost.
God, what happened to him?
Looking away to keep the tears at bay, she turned in her seat, biting her lip and wishing that things had played out so differently. That she was the one wearing a grin and running her fingers through his beard, holding their child while being indescribably happy. It was a dream, one that she had thought was within her grasp, but apparently, she hadn’t wished on the right star. Fucking Disney really set her up for failure.
Getting off her stool, she went into the living room where Karson and Mena were. He was just getting up as she entered, and she held her hands out.
“I was gonna put her to bed,” he informed her.
“I can,” she offered and Karson shrugged.
“I do need to take a leak,” he said before handing her Mena.
“Nice to know,” she muttered as she gathered Mena close and then headed down the hall to her room. Taking her to the changing table, she got her ready for bed in her “I Love My Auntie” onesie before laying her in her crib. Mena was wide awake and didn’t look like a kid who was ready for bed, but it was well past her bedtime.
