Page 120 of When You Had Me Adapting

Pixie,

Meet me in our spot tonight at 8, so we can talk and figure this out. I’m sorry I got busy. I’m sorry I didn’t call like I should have. I love you more than you will ever know. Please talk to me.

Yours forever,

Jace

“Can I come in?” Jace asks, pushing the door open and tapping his knuckles against the door frame.

“Please.”

“Are you mad?” he asks, climbing onto my bed and pulling me between his legs. He wraps me up in his arms.

“No. He was young and you were right. It’s been hard having him so far away.” I lean my head back onto his chest. “I wish I would’ve known. I wish I could go back in time and change it all.”

“I know, but we can’t. All we can do is move forward and I’m glad we’re getting the opportunity to do that together now.”

“Did you come that night?” I hold up the letter.

“I did. Waited down there for a few minutes and then I saw you with?—”

“Alex.” My hand covers my mouth as the name falls from it.

“Yeah.” His voice sounds defeated.

I turn to face him, sitting with my legs tucked underneath me. “What exactly did you see? Fuck, were you in the bushes or something?”

He swallows hard. “I saw you come outside with him smiling. He was holding your hand and then y’all kissed. I got out of thereas fast as I could. You seemed happy, and I knew then that it was really over.”

“It was just a kiss.” I think back to the night and shake my head. “It wasn’t what you thought. Beau’s older brother had given him a bottle of some fancy vodka and he spiked the punch. I didn’t like them. Beau or Alex. But, Poppy was so blinded by her love for Beau that she couldn’t see how mind-numbingly awful they were. Alex was a thorn in my side my entire senior year. Everywhere Beau went he went and everywhere Poppy went?—”

“You went.”

“Yeah. So, we somehow became this little foursome.” I roll my eyes at the memories. “God, they were so terrible and so dumb.”

He nods. “Oh, I remember.”

“Anyway, we were all a little tipsy from the punch and Alex decided he was going to shoot his shot with me, I guess. He pulled me out to the backyard and kissed me before I really realized what was happening. God, Jace, I hated it. I pushed him away. Told him he was insane if he thought I wanted anything to do with him. It was the worst kiss I’ve ever had and that’s saying something because I’ve had some really bad kisses.”

He laughs and I feel my shoulders relax a little. He pulls me back into his lap.

“But I guess you were already gone and didn’t see that part?”

“No, I left thinking you were happy with Alex of all people.” He chuckles. “I should’ve known better. I told my parents that night about Georgetown.”

“You decided on Georgetown that night?”

“Yeah. I knew there wasn’t a place here for me anymore. Coming home reminded me too much of you, so I threw myself into work and school. Convinced myself that maybe if I could find the Bix, it would somehow bring you back to me. That youwould hear about it and come back into my life, even if it was for a fleeting moment I’d get to see you again. Get to tell you I did it.”

Tears begin to run down my face. “I’m sorry. I wish I could go back and change everything.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know I was there. Colt took the bag from me and I wanted to believe he would actually give it to you. I should’ve known better,” he says. “I’m sorry, I should’ve tried talking to you.”

He pulls me into him, and I press a kiss to his lips. “Where’s the picture?”

I hand him the small photo of him and me as kids. His arms are wrapped around my back, and we look so happy.

“May I?” he asks, undoing the clasp of the necklace.

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