Page 20 of Bravely Yours

Partof me thought maybe I’d imagined the kiss Jay and I had shared a few nights ago. Until last night, when he kissed me again before leaving my apartment. It was probably my experience with shitty guys over the last ten years, but I assumed the kiss meant he wanted sex. Yet he’d made no move in that direction. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that. As much as I wanted his hands on me, it felt good to just spend time with him. It also made me realized how lonely I’d been overthe last year. Nora kept me busy, and she was my sole focus, so it wasn’t surprising that I hadn’t noticed.

With a sigh, I put the car in park and stared at the front of the diner where I was meeting the social worker for Drew’s parenting time. Once I got Nora out of her seat, and as I shut the back door and turned, I jumped.

Jay was standing a few feet away, leaning casually against the front of his black Jeep.

“What are you doing here?” Had I been so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t see him when I pulled into the parking spot?

“Supporting you. I don’t like the idea of you being here alone with Drew around.” He pushed off the car and came to stand in front of me.

“The social worker is here.” I shrugged, refusing to meet his intense stare. We both knew he could see through my fake bravado. As long as Drew was free, I wouldn’t feel safe.

“Don’t care.” He gently cupped the sides of my face, and instantly, my whole body relaxed.

I tilted my head up to look into his eyes.

“I feel better knowing you and Nora are safe.” His gaze turned hard as he looked over my head. “Come on.”

He took Nora from me and adjusted her in one arm. She immediately assumed her normal position by snuggling into the crook of his neck. Jay settled his free hand on the small of my back, then guided me down the sidewalk that led to the front door of the diner.

Without turning, I could feel Drew’s glare from across the street. My skin felt like it was crawling with bugs as his gaze raked over me. As much as I wanted to ignore him, the fear had me glancing nervously to where he stood by his car.

When our eyes met, he shot me a menacing smirk that made my stomach turn. Why had I ever found him attractive?

“In we go,” Jay said, pulling open the door of the diner.

Last time, the handoff had been difficult. Nora had cried, but by the time I was outside and had looked back in, she was better. Today was so much worse. She clung to Jay, and as the social worker gently pried her free, she screamed for me. Even the ice cream she offered her wasn’t enough to distract Nora. I was sure Jay was ready to sayscrew it, arrest me. We’re not doing this. But just as quickly as his face flashed with anger, it fell in resignation. Like he was remembering that I would be the one who would be held accountable. So, with our heads hung and our hearts aching, we walked away as Nora cried.

“Now I know why you looked so upset the last time you did this.” He held open the door for me.

Nora’s cries still echoed through the small diner as I stepped out in front of him. Rather than look at Drew again, I forced myself to keep my focus forward as we walked down the sidewalk away from the diner.

“It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and this time was even harder.”

He laced his fingers with mine and gave my hand a squeeze. As much as I hated this whole thing, I had to admit that it was easier with him here. The next half hour went by quickly, even though we were both quiet. But sitting beside Jay, with his arm draped over my shoulders while we drank our coffees, was not only comforting, but it kept my anxiety at bay.

As we made our way back down the street, a group of people gathered outside the diner’s entrance caught my attention. The couple with their backs to me looked awfully familiar.

My chest tightened a little. Was that the paramedic who’d come over to Jay’s apartment when I burned the chicken that first night? And the cute pregnant blonde with him must be his girlfriend, Cece. Once we got a little closer, I could see the other people were Tina and Kyle.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, stopping at the edge of the group.

Tina turned, tilting her head slightly. “Aren’t we grabbing dinner?” She looked from Kyle to Jay, wearing a confused frown.

I surveyed Jay, who nodded but was still silent. Suddenly, his face went hard, and movement at the diner’s entrance caught my eye.

Drew exited, and Jay followed his every movement with his eyes.

“You don’t have to do all this…” I let the last word trail off. Every time I said something like that, he reminded me that he wanted to. And the look he was now giving me said the same thing.

“Yes, I do.” He pressed a hand to the small of my back. “He needs to know you have people in your life who are looking out for you.”

Tina’s eyes widened, and she took a step closer to me. “I’m getting a feeling you have some explaining to do.”

Stomach sinking, I lowered my head. I didn’t want to worry one of my closest friends. “I’ll fill you in later.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly at me but didn’t say anything else.

I kept my focus on the sidewalk in front of me, but it was impossible not to feel Drew’s attention as he crossed the street.

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