Page 66 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

I sniffed. “It’s okay.”

The bed dipped again as he shifted. The room was dark since I’d pulled the blackout curtains closed earlier. I imagined he was turning on his side to face me.

“I was afraid that if we shared a bed I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you. And that’s not fair to you.”

“Oh.” Which part of that wasn’t fair to me?

He gave a low chuckle.

“Well, we didn’t seem to have a problem in that department. We were always really good fuck bu—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.” Alden’s harsh tone made me jump. “We weren’t just that and you know it.”

“Alden, we weren’t anything more than that either.” I squeezed my eyes shut as a fresh flood of tears rushed to fill them. God, it hurt to say that. I’d once loved him so much.

“Ask me why I broke up with you.” The low timber of his voice was like a knife to my heart.

“What?” He had to be kidding. Was he trying to rub salt in my already gaping wound? Or was he trying to make me hate him again?

“You said you didn’t mean for things to get serious. It was best we end things while we could.” Each breath in and out hurt more than the one before. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Please. Jess, just ask.”

Tears streamed down the sides of my face, wetting my pillow beneath me. “Why did you break up with me?” I drew in a deep breath. “So help me James Alden, if you’re fucking with me, I’m going to scream.”

“Your parents found out where you were the night before I broke up with you.”

I shot straight up in bed and turned to face him. “Wait. What?”

“They came to the house. Somehow they’d found out you’d been staying with me. You and Lexi had gone out for ice cream.” He stopped.

I knew which night he meant. It was the night everything had changed. “Lexi had gotten strawberry but decided she didn’t like it so she traded with me.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to recite what we ate that night. Maybe because I was trying to process his words. I had no idea my parents knew where I was.

“I hadn’t known how rich you were until then.” The bed shifted as he sat up.

I nibbled at my bottom lip. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Your mother showed me your bank account, how much your grandparents’ business was worth, and let me know that if you stayed here with me, you would lose it all.”

Anger seared through my chest, it bubbled and boiled, wanting to erupt. Every muscle in my body tightened. “What? That fucking bitch! She had no right.”

That manipulating, conniving, witch! How could she do that to me? Then again, I wasn’t surprised. She didn’t give a shit about my life and how I wanted to live it. All she cared about was herself and making everyone believe she was the perfect woman, the perfect wife, the perfect mother. A fucking joke. She was far from it.

She was everything I despised and now... now she was the reason the man I loved walked out of my life. She took away the one thing that made me happy. That made me feel safe and loved. Two things she never gave me.

I swallowed, forcing down the scream desperate to erupt. “She had no right.”

“Was she telling the truth?” he asked.

The anger dissipated as I listened to the calm sound of Alden’s voice. I shrugged, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “I have no idea. Back then I would have told you yes. My parents have tried to control me one shitty way or another my whole life, Alden. But it didn’t matter to me. I would have let it all go to stay here with you and Lexi.”

“There’s no way I’d have let you do that.”

I inched forward on the bed until my fingers grazed his arm. When I knew he was close enough, I took a swing and connected with his upper torso.

He grunted. “What the hell was that for?”

“For making my life choices for me, you fucking moron.” I hit him again.

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