Page 39 of Everything We Left Unsaid

His gentle kiss leaves me wanting more. I take a deep breath and press my palms to my stomach, trying to calm the flutters.

“I don’t want you to be alone tonight.”

His brow knits with concern, his worry over me making me crave his companionship more and more. But I hesitate. I’m not ready for this. He just came back into my life. I can’t ask him to stay over.

“Do you think Tiff would come over and stay with you? You shouldn’t be by yourself right now. Not with everything that’s happened today.”

“Oh,” I reply, a little dejected. I don’t know why I feel so disappointed that he didn’t offer to stay. I mean, I wasn’t going to let him, anyway.

Maybe he could’ve slept on the couch?

I shake those thoughts away. They are dangerous and can only lead to trouble. “I’m sure she won’t mind. I’ll give her a call.”

I open the door to the backseat so Jacob can put Chloe in her car seat. Once she’s secure, he stands back up and pulls me into his arms, holding me for a moment before placing a chaste kiss on my forehead. I jog back across the parking lot, get into my car and dial Tiff’s number.

“Hey girl, how’s grandma?” There’s something off about Tiff’s voice, but I’m too tired to dissect it at the moment. Maybe she’s been drinking, in which case I’ll have to pick her up.

“She’s stable for now. The nurse is supposed to call me if anything changes.”

“Good, maybe she’ll improve during the night and you’ll wake up to good news.”

“I hope so,” I agree. “Hey, would you mind coming over this evening? I really don’t want to be alone.”

“Oh, um,” she stammers, and I hear rustling on the other end of the line. “Sure, I-I can do that.” She seems hesitant, like she’s got something else going on.

“It’s okay if you can’t. Jacob just suggested I ask you. I think he’s worried about me being alone.”

Her soft chuckle echoes on the other end of the line. “Not that I mind staying with you, but why didn’t Jacob recommend himself?”

My face flames at her suggestion. That’s what I thought he was getting at earlier, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. “It’s not like that, Tiff. We aren’t…” I pause, unsure how to proceed with this statement. We aren’t together? That’s not entirely true. We aren’t anything more than parents to Chloe? That’s not true either. So I decide on, “We aren’t quite there yet.”

“Honey, you guys are way past that.”

“That’s different!” I proclaim. “That was a long time ago, and a lot has changed since then.”

“You guys still have it, though. I saw that today. Nothing has changed between you two.”

“We have what?”

“It. You know, that special something people who belong together have. I don’t want to say soul mates because I don’t believe in that crap, but you and Jacob come pretty damn close to changing my mind.”

“How can you be supportive of us being together? You don’t even know what happened.”

“I don’t have to know the details. All I know is that you two seem to have reconciled, and you obviously forgive him.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I interrupt. I can’t go another day with my best friend believing the terrible lie I once believed about him.

“What? How can you say that after-”

“He didn’t do it.”

“I’m on my way. You’re gonna have to spill the beans when I get there,” she demands. “And start from the beginning.”

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