Page 64 of What We Broke

There’s no doubt everybody here is aware of the state of Jesse’s and my marriage. This ishissafe space and these arehisfriends. I’m certain they aren’t judging me, but I don’t want to see whatever it is he’s trying to convey to them right now.

“Yeah,” he finally answers. “I’ve got some time.”

This time I let him lead me out of the garage, to the staff break room. I watch him open the fridge and pull out a cooler bag and two bottles of water.

“I brought lunch,” he says, turning to face me.

I smile, because for as long as I’ve known him, he’s always taken his own food to work.

“Do you want some?”

“I’m good watching you eat.”

He tips his head up to the ceiling. “Wade won’t shut up about how good the weather is lately, it’ll be nice to eat on the roof.”

Following him up a steep set of stairs, my eyes fix themselves on the way the sturdy material of his pants stretches over his ass and thighs.

I don’t realize I’m lost in my own thoughts and staring till I hear him say my name.

“Sorry,” I say as we reach the top of the landing. “What did you say?”

He smirks knowingly, and I just shrug. “I asked you how Gio was.”

“Oh, yeah, he’s fine. Same as always.”

He chuckles, stepping toward me. Reaching for me, he trails his fingers down the side of my face. His expression is soft and tender.

“You look beautiful like this,” he says softly before pressing his lips to the corner of mine.

The moment passes quicker than I want it to and Jesse is off to find us somewhere to sit, and I’m once again admiring the man who can find the time to compliment me amongst all of the chaos I’ve caused him.

The rooftop is nothing more than a concrete space with the same chair and table arrangement as downstairs. There’s half a shade sail that covers a quarter of the space and the rest is currently being inundated with sunlight.

Jesse sits us right where the sun meets the shade, giving us the best of both worlds. Across from one another, I watch him start to unpack his cooler bag.

His phone vibrates on the table between us and I see a text from Raine on the screen. I swallow down the emotion-filled lump in the back of my throat.

We aren’t sitting in an awkward silence now, but it isn’t comfortable either. It’s more of a cautious silence. A delicate silence, one with so much unfinished and so much unsaid. Everything between us is still so raw and breakable, especially when it comes to Raine.

“Do you think she’ll forgive me?” I ask.

I know he wants to say yes. Instinct has him wanting to reassure me that everything would be okay, no matter what. It’s second nature to him, but as he folds his arms across the table, I watch the struggle to be honest play out across his features.

The man doesn’t want to break me, but he’s figuring out that we aren’t getting anywhere unless he learns how to be cruel to be kind. So, I wait for what I know is going to hurt.

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “She won’t tell anyone how much damage we’ve done.”

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

jesse

THEN

“Dad, your boyfriend is here,”Raine calls out.

She’s looking out the front window, staring right at Leo. He’s smiling back at her, but I can see the nervousness behind it, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t actually quite love it.

There was no bigger turn-on than a man who cared about first impressions. Especially when it comes to your daughter.

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