Page 4 of Forever Mine

Swallowing down the emotion, I looked away. He said that now, but this wouldn’t last. It was way too good to be true. I wouldn’t let myself think about it, not now. I kissed him one last time, savoring every bit of him until Dakota Kelly was imprinted on every part of my body.

Before I could second-guess myself, I grabbed my shirt off the floor and left his room. I didn’t waste any time putting on my shoes and just picked them up before leaving. I heard Dakota call my name, but I ignored him as I ran out of there before I lost it.

CHAPTER 2

DAKOTA

I wasn’tsure how long I stood in the middle of my living room just staring at the front door after Jay left. Too long.

It was pathetic. This back-and-forth wasn’t new. Every time Jay and I took a step forward, he pulled ten steps back. I was trying hard to be patient and understanding. He had a lot of baggage. He was terrified. Jay thought he wasn’t good for me, and he was just waiting for the day I “came to my senses,” as he would say, and left him. It would never fucking happen, but it didn’t seem to matter what I said or did. Jay would panic and put up yet another wall in a desperate attempt to protect his heart. What he didn’t realize was every time he took a step back to protect himself, he hurt me even more.

Every time he walked away. Every time he shut down was another dagger to my already fragile heart. I was already head-over-heels in love with Jay. He was it for me. I didn’t care about his past or the chaos he seemed to bring with him. I wanted it. I wanted every broken, scared, loving, sweet, loyal, brave piece of Jaylin Parks. I wasn’t going anywhere. I’d be right here for him every time he came running back. When the day came when the monsters inside his head got the best of him and he left for good…well, I’d be irrecoverably and irreparably broken.

When it became painfully clear that Jay wasn’t coming back any time soon, I finally forced myself to turn away from the door and head to the shower. I really did need to get ready for our family dinner. My mom was already going to know something was up. I couldn’t be late on top of it.

Normally, I looked forward to these dinners, to seeing my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephew. Lately, they were becoming a bit of a chore. It just didn’t seem the same without Jay being there. Jay was an important part of my life, one of the most important parts. Yet, he still hadn’t met the other people who meant the most to me. I was becoming pretty close to the people he considered family, Beckett and Riley. But he still wouldn’t take that step to meet mine. It hurt. As much as I was trying to be patient and understanding, it fucking killed me that we weren’t on equal ground in this relationship.

Stop fretting, Dakota. There’s nothing you can do about it. You knew this wouldn’t be easy when you decided to give your heart to a man like Jay.

I took a quick shower and finished getting dressed, doing my best to push how things just ended with Jay to the back of my mind. Didn’t stop me from checking my messages though, to see if he said anything. I was disappointed, but not surprised when there was nothing.

I made my way to my car and sent a quick text to my brother to let him know I was on my way. My mom still hadn’t mastered the whole texting thing, and my dad refused to even have a smartphone, so it was always easier to just reach out to my youngest brother, Finley, when I needed to talk to them. He still lived at home, since he was only nineteen. And because he was trying to become a famous streamer, he was almost always home, even when we weren’t having family dinners. My parents weren’t thrilled, but they always tried to support us, and since hewas making some money between that and his work-from-home job, they kept quiet.

Instead of his usual thumbs-up orKresponse, a wall of text came back.

Finn: Hi, honey, it’s mom. Can you believe I didn’t buy enough butter? Do you mind stopping on your way and picking some up? Salted butter. None of that vegan nonsense your aunt always goes on about. Oh, also if you see those beers your dad likes, get them too. Thank you! Love you, mom.

I chuckled as I shot back asure, no problem,and then put my phone in the center console. Mom always signed off on texts and social media messages like she was writing a letter. We tried to tell her a million times it wasn’t necessary. Now I was pretty sure she did it just to annoy her millennial and Gen-Z kids.

I pulled into the small parking lot of the local grocery store in my parents’ neighborhood. This wasn’t one of those big chain ones, and honestly, I had no idea how it managed to survive among them. I tried to come here as much as possible when I was visiting their place—support local businesses and all that—but sometimes those bigger stores were necessary.

The parking lot was pretty much empty, and to no surprise, so was the store. It was quick to grab the sticks of salted butter, not the vegan crap, which really, why Mom would thinkthatwould be what I picked out of all the options was beyond me. I also grabbed a case of my dad’s beer and a package of Jay’s favorite cookies before I went to the register.

There was only one cashier, an average-looking guy, maybe a little older than me. He looked miserable, so I smiled at him as I handed him my items.

“Good evening.” I dipped my chin politely.

He smiled at me, dull brown eyes getting a little brighter. “Evening. I haven’t seen you here in a while.” I frowned, trying to remember if I’d ever seen him before. It was usually Mrs. Reyes at the register. Still, I wasn’t an asshole, so I kept the smile in my voice as I answered.

“Oh I live in the city. Just visiting my parents.”

Something changed in his expression, but he went to ring up my groceries, so I gave into temptation and checked my phone for messages from Jay. Nothing.

I was weak. I admit that. I quickly messaged—I picked up those cookies you like. I know we ran out—before shoving my phone in my pocket again so I could pay the cashier. Was I bribing Jay with treats that I knew he still considered a luxury? Maybe. Look, I wasn’t always a proud man.

The first few months were like a honeymoon period. Even dealing with the death of his mom and his best friend going through some really heavy shit, that all slipped away when we were together. It was just Jay and me, and it was glorious.

But things were changing lately. It wasn’t that Jay was over us. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be fighting so hard. He was afraid I’d be done with him soon, and he was protecting himself. I hoped, maybe, with little gestures like this, he’d understand I was never going to be done.

I scanned my card and waited for it to sayapproved.

“Here’s your receipt.” I looked up at the cashier. Was it my imagination or did he sound colder than he did before? I shivered as I met his eyes. His expression looked dead as he stared me down. What the fuck was that?

Then it changed. He went back to that bored expression as he smiled at me and handed me my receipt. I almost didn’t want to take it, but since I had to be reading way too much into it, I grabbed the receipt so I didn’t look like a rude asshole.

“That your girlfriend?” he asked, jerking his head toward my pocket where I put my phone.

Um… “Boyfriend.” I swear something flickered again, but I ignored it. I was so ready to be out of this place and at my parents’. “Well, have a good night.” I gave him a little wave, grabbed my bag, and got the fuck out of there.

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