Page 38 of Jared's Redemption

Vincent looks confused. My call earlier was to warn him I was about to break his daughter’s heart and he was pissed. Here she is, all smiles and blowing me kisses as I drive away.

Shit. This would not go how I wanted it to. She was up to something.

Chapter 28- Luna

I finished my dinner, eating until I was so full I felt like I would burst. My brothers wife Nina slid her chair back, heading towards the baby fussing in his stroller. My mother raises her hands, stopping the poor girl.

“Allow grammy, please?” She asks. Nina glances at my brother and he nods once. She sits back down next to Aden, who is seated across from me.

“So what’s going on? Are you moving back in?” Aden asks me with genuine curiosity. I snort a laugh, shaking my head as I brush crumbs off my shirt.

“Not a chance. I’m going back home to Jared.”

“You sure this boy is worth the stress you give each other?” My father asks, sitting at the head of the table.

“Yes.” I say without hesitating. Nina gives me a shy smile as I stand to say my goodbyes. My mother is bouncing her grandson with a look of pure adoration that makes my heart ache. We still haven’t sat down and discussed what happened, but my father says she is in therapy and genuinely trying to change. Maybe one day, things will be different. But not today.

“I’ll give you a ride.” Aden says, standing to place a kiss on his wife’s head and his sons.

“Be safe.” My mother hums, still not looking at me.

We drive in comfortable silence, Aden’s eyes locked on the windshield and mine on the window.

“Don’t tell them I’m here.” I say as we approach the gate to the Barone house. Aden cuts me a sharp look.

“Does he know you’re planning to stay with him?”

“He will when he sees me.”

“Damn it, Luna. I don’t even know what to say.” Adden groans.

“I love him. He’s afraid to love me back.” I say softly, sliding down in the seat as Aden mulls my words over. When the guard waves us through, I grab my purse and jump out the moment the car comes to a stop.

“You can call me. If you need me.” My brother calls out to me. I watch as he pulls the car around and drives away.

I cared for my family, as they cared for me. But my heart was empty without Jared. He was an idiot if he thought I would just let him give up on us. Even when I try to use the key I had snagged from his keychain earlier, and it no longer fits.

He may have changed the locks, but I wasn’t above breaking and entering. After creeping around the house, I stop at a living room window. With a soft click, the window unlatches and I grin with pride as I slide it open. The house is dark and silent, but I still hesitate.

I hold my breath as I poke my head in, fully aware that Jared is the type to shoot first and ask questions later. When no sounds come from the house, just the low hum of the furnace running, I climb in. With caution, I slide the window closed inch by inch, before locking it. The realization that I was locking it so nobody could break in, like I just had, makes me snicker under my breath.

I undress quickly, dropping my shoes by the front door and kicking the uncomfortable tight pants off. Jared didn’t realize that I overheard his phone call with my dad. I was expecting him to be a little difficult, after all. When he left me on Vincent’s doorstep, I told my father that we were working things out and I just wanted to do some shopping with my dad.

Which wasn’t a complete lie. We would work things out. I wouldn’t let Jared keep running because he didn’t think he was worthy of love.

Thankfully, the bedroom door doesn’t squeak as I turn the knob and push it open. I stay crouched low to the ground, in case he startles awake and goes for his gun. But his soft snoring is all I hear as I shut the door behind me. Crawling into bed was another story entirely, his mattress dipping under my weight as I pulled the covers over me at a painstakingly slow rate.

Jared grunts, making me freeze as he rolls over to face me. His arm wraps around my torso, jerking my back against his chest as he buries his face in my hair with a contented sigh. Happiness unfurls in my chest, my heart rate kicking up so loud I expect it to wake him. After a few moments pass, exhaustion lulls me under as I relax in his protective embrace.

Loud cursing startles me awake as the warm, brawny chest under my cheek rises and falls in shocked breaths. Crap.

“Luna, what the fuck?” Jared huffs, his voice alert and shocked. I stretch my body, shamelessly grinding against him with my leg thrown over his before peering up at him through my lashes. His brown eyes are wide, eyebrows low in shock at me sleeping in his bed. Drooling on his chest, too.

Oops.

“Good morning.” I say, closing my eyes and burrowing further under the covers.

“No, don’t give me that cutesy shit. Why are you in my bed? How did you get in?” He sounds shocked, as if I wasn’t stalking him when we first met.

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